The days passed with lessons and training sessions.
The boys from the men's football club gathered on the pitch, with Coach Ishii and Coach Suzuki standing in front of them.
Coach Ishii looked them over carefully.
"Tomorrow, we'll be playing against Maebashi Ikuei. Now, I'll announce the starting line-up!"
The players immediately grew tense.
"Let's start with the formation: 4-3-3. Andou in goal. Aoki and Noguchi at centre-back, with Ueno on the right and Sugimoto on the left. Ono and Tamura in central midfield, with Shimizu and Tanaka on the wings. Up front, Nishimura will play just behind the striker..."
Kaneko stared at the coach without looking away.
"Aliberti."
Kaneko let out a disappointed sigh, while Noguchi glanced at him.
"Noguchi!"
Hearing his name called so suddenly, Noguchi turned towards Coach Ishii.
"You'll be the captain."
Noguchi looked stunned for a moment.
"Unless you'd rather turn it down..."
The boy's expression quickly became resolute.
"I'll do it!"
"Good. Now, get back to training!"
The players headed towards the centre of the pitch, while Noguchi and Kaneko remained behind.
The new captain seemed about to say something.
"Raizo—"
But the other boy walked away, cutting him off.
Noguchi closed his eyes and sighed.
Riccardo had witnessed the scene from a distance.
[A couple of hours later]
Coach Ishii picked up a football.
"That's enough for today. We're finishing earlier than usual. Go home and get some rest."
Coach Suzuki approached the players.
"Tomorrow, after lessons, meet us at the school gates. We'll be waiting for you with the team bus. Don't be late!"
[A couple of minutes later]
Kaneko left the changing rooms at a brisk pace, under the watchful eyes of the others.
Noguchi followed him.
"Raizo!"
The boy stopped and turned around.
"What do you want?"
"You know, on paper, I'll be the captain of this team tomorrow... but as long as you're part of this team, that armband will always be yours!"
"And what about it?"
"It means the team needs you too! Stay focused... you'll still have plenty of opportunities to prove yourself!"
Kaneko sighed, visibly annoyed.
"Who do you think you're talking to? Of course I'll take back the armband and my place in the starting line-up. This is my team!"
He turned and continued towards the exit.
Noguchi was taken aback by his words, then gave a faint smile.
"All that awkward pep talk for nothing..."
Riccardo came up beside Noguchi.
"Senpai!"
Kaneko heard Riccardo's voice but didn't turn around, continuing to walk.
"I'm not giving up my starting spot. If you want it, you'll have to give more than a hundred per cent!"
Kaneko snorted, as if that went without saying.
Noguchi placed a hand on Riccardo's shoulder, guiding him towards the changing rooms.
"Come on. Tomorrow, even if it's just a friendly, we'll be playing against the best!"
Riccardo nodded and followed Noguchi.
"Yeah, I can't wait!"
[The following day]
Classes ended, and the students headed towards the pitches and gymnasiums for their respective training sessions.
Sato was walking across the school courtyard, chatting with another girl, when they passed the football pitch.
She stopped when she noticed that nobody was training.
"Do you know why the boys' football club isn't training?"
"Is there someone you're interested in?"
"No, no. It's just that I always walk past here, and they're usually training at this time..."
Another girl approached them, looking desperate.
"Excuse me, girls! Are you heading towards the athletics area? Could you help me carry these boxes to your storage room?"
She pointed to several boxes resting on the ground near a door.
"Sure!"
Sato's friend immediately offered to help.
The three girls walked over and each picked up a box.
"Thank you so much! You've really saved me!"
As they walked away, Sato glanced back towards the pitch, a thoughtful expression on her face.
[Elsewhere]
The boys stepped off the team bus, which had stopped outside Maebashi Ikuei High School.
As soon as the last player had got off, Coach Ishii stopped beside Coach Suzuki.
"I'll leave them in your hands for a while..."
He then turned towards the team.
"I'm going to speak with the principal to let him know we've arrived and thank him for arranging this match. In the meantime, warm up with Coach Suzuki."
Coach Ishii walked away.
Coach Suzuki set off as well.
"Come on, lads."
The team followed him to the pitch, where the home side were already warming up.
Riccardo noticed around ten people gathered nearby, including students and three men who were probably scouts.
He then approached Nishimura.
"Even scouts are here..."
"As usual, they're not here for us."
Coach Suzuki stopped at the entrance to the pitch.
A man approached to welcome him.
Coach Suzuki held out his hand.
"Good afternoon. You must be Coach Yamamoto?"
"Yes, that's right. Are you Coach Ishii?"
Coach Suzuki gave him a polite smile.
"No, I'm afraid you've got the wrong person. Coach Ishii has gone to speak with your school's principal. He should be here shortly. I'm his assistant, Coach Suzuki."
"I see... Anyway, thank you for coming. It's always an honour to play against the great and historic Shūdan-teki."
Coach Suzuki and the players immediately picked up on the man's ironic tone.
The coach, however, tried to maintain his composure.
"It used to be great..."
The two men chuckled, leaving the Shūdan-teki players puzzled.
Coach Suzuki composed himself.
"Well, I'd like to take the team through their warm-up. May we enter the pitch?"
"Yes, of course! Go right ahead!"
Coach Yamamoto stepped aside.
The team entered the pitch.
The three scouts standing outside noticed their arrival.
One of them moved closer to a camera.
A name badge was pinned to his jacket: Hasegawa Tsubasa.
"I still can't believe we managed to find out about this friendly..."
Another scout, Murakami Hiroto, approached him.
"Exactly! If it weren't for Chief Hoshino, we wouldn't have had the chance to watch Maebashi Ikuei before the prefectural tournaments!"
"That's right! He never lets us down!"
"It's just a shame about the opposition... Even if it is Shūdan-teki, their men's football club is hardly up to standard."
Hoshino was watching the pitch when he noticed Coach Ishii arriving. His expression immediately changed, and he looked visibly shocked.
"Wait... is that...?"
Murakami grew curious.
"Chief, have you noticed something?"
"I thought this match would be completely one-sided too... but now I'm not so sure."
Murakami and Hasegawa exchanged puzzled glances.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, Coach Ishii introduced himself to Coach Yamamoto before joining his team.
Noguchi noticed him.
"Everyone! Gather around the coach!"
The players stopped warming up and followed his instructions.
"Coach Suzuki, they're underestimating us... aren't they?"
Coach Suzuki turned towards Coach Ishii with a confident look.
"One hundred per cent."
Coach Ishii sighed.
"Well... all the better for us."
He then turned towards the team.
"For them, this is just a friendly. For us, it's the starting point. Give it everything you've got, regardless of the result, and prove that you can compete at their level. Because, as we say at Shūdan-teki, every challenge is much more than just a game. Understood?"
"Yes, Coach!"
The Shūdan-teki players' shout drew the attention of their opponents and the spectators.
Maebashi Ikuei's number 7 approached their number 10.
He was noticeably shorter than his teammate, and his short red hair stood out just as much as his eyes, which were the same shade.
"They're really fired up... aren't they, senpai Ito?"
Ito, with his short dark hair and striking light-blue eyes, nodded.
"Yeah, Morita. A little too fired up for a friendly."
Their goalkeeper approached from behind.
His imposing stature towered over practically everyone else on the pitch.
His brown curls framed a pair of light-brown eyes, bright with enthusiasm.
"Then we'll be even more fired up! We'll crush them!"
Another boy joined them with a smile.
The captain's armband stood out on his arm, while his long dark hair, tied back in a ponytail, swayed with every step.
"Kobayashi's right. Even if it's a friendly, we always give it our all!"
Ito smiled at his teammates' words.
"Exactly. Kobayashi and our captain Takahashi are both right. We're the defending champions, so let's show them what we're made of!"
Riccardo watched the opposing players. When he noticed Takahashi, he stared at him with curiosity.
It's him...