The cold air bit at Mateo's cheeks as he and his mother walked together down the quiet, snow-dusted streets of Munich.
Nestled between rows of colorful buildings stood a modest brick school, its windows glowing warmly against the winter morning.Children with backpacks chattered in rapid German, their breath forming misty clouds as they laughed and raced each other to the entrance.
Mateo clutched the straps of his own backpack tightly.
His heart hammered in his chest.
First day.New school.New country.
He took a shaky breath.
"You'll do great," Helena said, kneeling slightly to adjust his jacket and smiling up at him."You've worked so hard. Just be yourself, Mateo."
He nodded stiffly, giving her a small, brave smile before turning toward the building.
Step by step, he walked through the doors into a new world.
Inside, the hallways buzzed with energy.
Bright posters decorated the walls, and lockers clanged open and shut as students hurried to their classrooms.
Mateo followed the directions his mother had explained to him the night before, making his way to Class 6B.
When he stepped inside, twenty pairs of eyes turned to look at him.
His cheeks flushed instantly.
The teacher, a kind-looking woman with short blond hair and glasses, gave him a warm smile.
"Guten Morgen, Mateo," she said. "Willkommen. Come in."
Mateo bowed his head slightly, managing a quiet, but clear:
"Guten Morgen."
The teacher gestured to an empty seat near the window.
As he made his way there, he heard the quiet buzz of whispers:"Wer ist er?" ("Who is he?")"Argentinier?""Er spielt Fußball?" ("Does he play football?")
He sat down quickly, unpacking his things, trying to stay calm.
The lessons began — German language, mathematics, basic science — and Mateo struggled at first to keep up.Some words flew too fast for him to catch.Some instructions were unclear.
But he had trained for this.
Every time confusion started to rise, he forced himself to breathe, focus on key words, read body language, guess from context — just like he had practiced.
By mid-morning, things started clicking.
When the teacher asked simple questions, Mateo raised his hand.Not always perfectly — but he tried.
"Ich denke... die Antwort ist fünf.""I think... the answer is five."
A small smile from the teacher.A nod of approval.
Step by step.
At lunch, Mateo sat alone at first, unpacking the sandwich his grandmother had lovingly prepared.
A few boys and girls glanced his way curiously.
Then, a boy with messy brown hair and a wide grin plopped down across from him.
"Hallo! Ich bin Lukas," he said cheerfully. "Spielst du Fußball?"
Mateo blinked, surprised by the sudden friendliness — but smiled back.
"Ja. Ich liebe Fußball," he replied, proud that he understood and answered correctly.
Lukas' eyes lit up.
"Cool! Wir spielen nach dem Unterricht auf dem Feld. Willst du mitmachen?"("We're playing after class on the field. Do you want to join?")
Mateo hesitated for only a moment — then nodded firmly.
"Ja! Ich komme."
Lukas grinned wider and launched into a fast stream of talk about his favorite players, the local teams, and how Bayern Munich was obviously the best club in the world.
Mateo laughed along, understanding most of it — and for the first time, he felt something lift inside his chest.
He wasn't just surviving here.
He was starting to live.
That night, as he lay in bed, sore but smiling, he called softly:
"System. Show me today's progress."
The panel unfolded.
Daily Quest Completed: Full Training + Full StudyBonus Progress: Social Interaction Success.German Fluency Progress: +3%
Mateo smiled to himself in the darkness.
Tomorrow would be another battle.
But today — today had been a victory.
And little by little, he was carving out a place for himself in this new world, chasing the dream his father had entrusted to him.