The next morning, Riccardo woke to his phone alarm, exhausted and irritated. He slapped it off."Damn… I forgot to turn it off," he muttered, burying his face in the pillow again."I just want to sleep…"
For a few seconds, he tried to drift off, but gave up."No use… this day couldn't have started worse."
Dragging himself up, he put on his glasses and stumbled to the kitchen, where his sister was already waiting.
"Good morning…" Cecilia said, puzzled.
Riccardo barely looked at her."Oh… it's you."
He headed for the fridge as Cecilia watched.
"Aren't you wearing contacts?" she asked.
"I can't… too tired," he mumbled.
Cecilia perched on the stool."Did you play yesterday?"
"Yes…" Riccardo replied, grabbing the milk.
"And… how did it go?"
"A draw…"
"I see. Are you free this morning?" Cecilia asked, eyes shining with excitement as she approached him.
"Hmm… I think so?" he answered hesitantly.
"Great! Come with me shopping!"
Riccardo set the milk down and looked at her, confused."What?"
[Later, the two walked the streets of Tokyo.]
"How did you convince me?" he muttered, still tired.
"Riccardo! Look at this shop!" Cecilia exclaimed, waving excitedly at a music store.
"I'm coming…"
Inside, Cecilia grabbed an album."This album was amazing! I loved it!" she said, eyes bright.
Riccardo smiled at her joy and picked up a copy himself."Yeah, they explored so many styles in this one, but still kept their identity."
"Exactly! That's why they're my favorite!" Cecilia said, heading to the cashier. Riccardo followed.
"I'll take this!" she said.
Riccardo looked at his phone as the cashier spoke."Good morning, 2,500 yen."
Riccardo looked up. The voice sounded familiar… and then he saw him: Kaneko.
Kaneko's calm expression shifted to one of surprise.Damn… I didn't even recognize him with those glasses!
The two stared for a moment. Riccardo suppressed a laugh."Good morning…"
Cecilia tilted her head, confused."Do you know each other?"
"Yes…" Riccardo started, but Kaneko interrupted."No! Absolutely not!" he said, quickly handing the album to Cecilia.
"But you're the number 9 from Shūdan-teki! You scored yesterday!" Riccardo said smugly.
Damn… Kaneko thought, glaring at Riccardo's devilish smile.
"Are you Riccardo's teammate?" Cecilia asked, leaning in excitedly.
Kaneko blushed slightly."Um… yes. I play for Shūdan-teki."
Riccardo stepped closer."Do you work here part-time?"
"Yes… it's my parents' shop."
"Ahh! Really?!" Cecilia exclaimed.
"Yes, it's a family business, passed down for generations."
"Cool! By the way, I'm Cecilia Yui Aliberti!"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Raizo Kaneko," he replied.
So she's Aliberti's sister… Kaneko thought, giving Riccardo a scornful glance.
"So you play for Shūdan-teki too? You must be good!"
"Well… let's say yes! Haha!" Kaneko chuckled.
How humble… Riccardo raised an eyebrow.
"Even though in two years… we've never made it to nationals," Kaneko added, slightly discouraged.
"My brother told me. Shūdan-teki hasn't been to nationals in ten years, right? Do you know why?" Cecilia asked, intrigued.
Kaneko hesitated."There are many reasons… but the main problem starts with our coach. He's been on the bench since the team stopped attending nationals."
"What do you mean?"
"Our coach has a… difficult personality. If he dislikes something, he gives up and doesn't show up. In two years, I've seen him coach twice—both times on the first day. Then he disappeared, leaving everything to the assistant coach."
If it's that serious, why hasn't the school fired him? they both thought.
"Because he's a soccer genius!" Riccardo and Kaneko said in unison, annoyed.
"I saw it myself in the last game. He always knows exactly what to do, in every situation," Kaneko explained.
"He also manages the team's environment—mentally and physically," Riccardo added.
"Wait… you said he gives up if something isn't right. What exactly do you mean?"
"I mean the players. He has a strict philosophy, and if he doesn't have the right players to execute it, he simply stops caring."
"I see…"
"I'd like to ask you something," Kaneko said.
"Go ahead."
"You got into our school with a recommendation… do you know why?"
"No, neither I nor my father knows."
"Do you know who holds the most power here besides the principal?"
Riccardo and Cecilia paused.
"The coaches of each sport. Each student is evaluated by a coach before joining Shūdan-teki," Kaneko said. "So here's a question… do you think anyone might know something about you, football-wise?"
Riccardo looked surprised, then sighed."You mean… I played for several youth teams of top Italian clubs. The last one was Napoli. Are you saying Coach Ishii found out about me?"
"Yes. That's my theory for your recommendation."
"It's possible… but hard to believe. Even in Italy, few people would notice a promising boy, let alone a Tokyo high school coach," Riccardo said skeptically.
"True… but remember, he disappears every year until the next season. What do you think he does during that time?"
Riccardo thought."Is he… a scout?"
"Exactly!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Someone close to him confirmed it."
"I don't know… but why scout for a high school team, even if it's the strongest in high school sports?" Cecilia asked, confused.
"Not sure… but here's a crazy hypothesis: he could work for the Japan Football Federation, traveling the world to find kids—preferably with at least one Japanese parent—who can help Japanese football develop."
Riccardo gave him a puzzled look."Yeah… sure, Sherlock Holmes…"
Kaneko scowled."I said it was a crazy hypothesis!"
"Well… it's not entirely impossible," Riccardo said seriously. "Italy has been naturalizing foreign-born players recently. It's common now."
"But one thing is certain: your recommendation is connected to him. He hasn't been so involved with the team since you arrived," Kaneko said confidently.
"Hmm…"
Two customers entered the quiet shop.
"Good morning!" one said.
"Good morning!"
Riccardo patted Cecilia's shoulder."Let's get out of your way… see you Monday."
"Bye!" she added.
Kaneko watched them leave. There was one more thing he wanted to ask.
"Excuse me! How much is this electric guitar?" a customer asked.
"25,000 yen!"