Lumi arrived at the Hitsong Hyperloop train station already on edge. He wore a huge coat, having heard that it was especially windy this time of year.
After a twelve-hour trip from Tsohia, his island home city, Lumi stepped into the pickup area outside the station with his luggage in tow.
His winter coat and lumpy hat made him look completely out of place, as if he didn't notice the temperature rising around him.
He looked a little lost, and with his mediocre red sunglasses still on, it was easy to see why people kept gawking at him.
"Mmm-mmh."
Someone cleared his throat behind him.
"You're looking the wrong way," a man's voice said.
The young man was staring back at the entrance he had just come through, as if expecting his host to appear among the arriving passengers.
He quickly turned when he heard a man's voice.
"Oh, it's you," he said with relief. "I was beginning to worry I'd landed at the wrong station."
It was Mr. Ebenezer Richard, dressed in a vacation shirt and white shorts, with dark sunglasses resting on his face.
"Isn't it too hot in there?" he asked the young lad, eyeing his outfit.
"The heavier, the better," Lumi replied.
"Alright," Mr. Ebenezer said, not wanting to waste any more time. "Chopper, could you help the young man with his luggage?"
A man in a suit appeared and quietly carried
Lumi's belongings to the back of the car.
"So, how was your trip, Lumia Kitogiri—"
"Actually, it's Lumio Kitogori, sir," he corrected politely. "But you can call me Lumi."
His face stretched into a wide smile after saying that.
"O-kayyy," Mr. Ebenezer said briefly. "Why don't we get going, Lumi? A great future lies ahead of you, boy."
"Okay," Lumi replied without much enthusiasm as he walked toward the car.
"I told William this wasn't a good idea," Mr. Ebenezer muttered to himself as the boy got inside. "Now we've got a maniac, an egoist… and now him. I don't even know what to call this one. A fool?"
"It's one hell of an attacking line we're putting together this season," he added sarcastically. "Let's just hope things don't turn around and we end up where we finished last season."
At the same hour Lumi was on his way back to the club, Saki was already at the city square. He had arrived hours earlier—along with another recruit he had been awkwardly paired with upon arrival.
They waited in the common lounge, sitting at opposite ends of a long leather couch. Around them, the faint hum of players warming up on the pitch drifted through the open windows, mixed with the dull thud of balls being kicked and the occasional shout.
"So… what's your name?" the guy with spiky golden hair streaked with red finally asked, breaking the silence between them. "Hey, you don't look very Japanese. Are you a foreign recruit?"
"What does that matter to you?" Saki replied coldly.
Without warning, the guy suddenly jumped over and sat right beside him, throwing an arm around his shoulders.
"What the—"
"The name's Papu," he said with a strange grin. "It's a nickname, though. But you should just call me that."
"And why should I bother learning what to call you?" Saki snapped, pushing Papu's arm off his shoulder.
"Because we're going to be teammates!"
Papu immediately tried to throw his arm around him again.
"Will you just sto—"
Saki was about to yell when the glass door to the lounge suddenly flung open.
Three people walked in.
One of them was Mr. Ebenezer Richard. To his right stood the boy—Lumi—still wearing his winter coat, though his red sunglasses were gone. Beside them was a bulky old man with thin, dark glasses. Unlike Mr. Ebenezer's, his looked like proper prescription lenses.
"Seems we didn't need to introduce you two after all," Mr. Ebenezer said, glancing at Saki and Papu, who were still tugging at each other's arms. "Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to—"
"No need for that, Eb," the old man interrupted. His voice was as heavy and imposing as his body. "I'll take it from here."
He shot Mr. Ebenezer a look that clearly meant leave.
"But—" Ebenezer started, then paused, glancing down at his own vacation clothes. "…Alright," he sighed. "I'll come by some other time."
"Ah—ah?"
Both Saki and Papu blurted out in confusion.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Saki said as Mr. Ebenezer left the room. "Isn't he the manager?"
"He's the head of scouting," the bulky man replied shortly. "And I'm the manager."
Silence filled the lounge for a few brief seconds.
"The name is William Turner," he continued. "I'm your coach and manager, and I'm the one who asked Eb to bring you here. Any questions before we go meet your teammates?"
"What's up with him?" Papu asked, pointing at Lumi. "Isn't it way too hot to be dressed like that?"
"It is?" Lumi asked.
"It's around thirty degrees out there," Papu said. "I can feel the heat even under the air conditioner."
"I was wondering the same thing," Saki added. "But I couldn't figure it out."
"Oh… no wonder I've been feeling so dizzy," Lumi said.
He quickly unbuttoned his coat and pulled off his lumpy hat.
"Mmhh—ha!" Papu burst out laughing. "Now this guy is hilarious!"
Saki remained poker-faced.
"Mm-hm." William Turner cleared his throat. "That's enough introductions," he said firmly. "Come on. It's time you met the rest of the team."