A few weeks had passed since that day with Shimotsuki.
The afternoon sun burned bright across the academy field, the smell of grass and sweat heavy in the air.
I wiped the sweat from my neck and adjusted my position near the midfield line. The coach's whistle echoed, and the game picked up the pace again.
I'm playing as the attacking midfielder. I'm in the middle of everything, just behind the strikers.
The coach had planned formation 4-2-1-3 for both teams, and that "1" on our team is me.
I'm playing as a playmaker. But creating good play isn't enough for me.
What I need to create, is miracle.
If Jesus turned water to wine...
If Moses turned his staff to a serpent...
Then, I need to turn this 50/50 odds of success into a 101/-1
As I scanned the field, checking the defenders' positions, watching how they shifted with every pass, I couldn't help but remember what Shimotsuki told me two weeks ago.
She had called me to the library that day, her tone as calm as ever, but her words were sharp and deliberate.
"Faulker," she'd said, "if you wanted to become the First Seat, you'll need more than determination. You'll need people to believe in you."
I remember how I frowned, confused. "You mean like… charisma? Popularity?"
She nodded.
"Exactly. You need to be known. You need to stand out."
Then she handed me a list. Long enough to make my head spin. It was filled with club names. Sports clubs, art clubs, academic circles, even the gardening committee.
"Join all of them." she said.
At the time, I thought she was joking.
"That's impossible. Students can only be in one club, right, Shimotsuki? And even if they could, balancing that with studies would be suicide."
She just smiled faintly, as if she'd expected that reaction. "Don't worry. Like I said, I'll help you."
That's when she mentioned Aria, who is the 6th Seat, also known as The Envoy.
She was the one who made connections. Since she took her spot as the 6th Seat, she had always managed to close the deals in her favor.
You could say that she have the gift of the gab, and talked her way through almost everything.
If money is a tool that can be used to gain anything, then she never needs to use it. Her words itself, are her weapons.
Shimotsuki told me Aria had already managed to convince about half the club leaders to let me "supervise" their activities for a day or two. On paper, it was part of an inter-divisional cooperation program.
But in reality, it was a stage for me.
"And while you do that," Shimotsuki had said, "you'll also need to raise your academic ranking. The teachers must see your potential, too."
I groaned just remembering it.
"So, you want me to be an all-round prodigy? Jack of all trades, Master of all?"
She smiled again, tapping the paper with her pen.
"No. I want you to be a leader. Every ship needs a steering wheel. Every club needs a direction. You'll be that direction. Don't just follow, but also guide them. Make sure everything revolves around your decisions. That's how people remember leaders."
A pass from the right winger that dropped back zipped towards me, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I trapped it with my outside foot, and saw an opening on the left flank.
One step-over, one Cruyff turn, and I sent a perfect Ozil bounce flying above the two defenders.
The striker scored with a volley, hitting the top right corner.
The score turned 3-2.
Cheers erupted from across the field.
My team's striker run towards my direction, and we celebrated the golazo together.
I wondered if Shimotsuki was watching from somewhere.
Maybe she was right. No... of course she was right.
To lead, I had to be seen steering.
I need to be like Captain Ahab, the captain of The Pequod.
I guess that's where she got the inspiration from. Moby-Dick is also one of her favorite book.
When the final whistle blew, the field fell into a mix of cheers and heavy breaths. My shirt clung to my back, and my knees felt like they'd been replaced by sandbags, but the feeling of the wind cutting across the grass made it worth it.
"Nice assist, dude!" The striker jogged over, his grin wide and shining through the sweat.
"That Cruyff turn was as clean as its inventor. And that pass.... Hell, I'd argue that it was even better than the goal itself."
The captain, who'd been playing as center midfield, came up next and gave me a solid pat on the shoulder.
"He's right. You timed that pass perfectly. It bounced just right over the defender's head, and landed exactly where our striker wanted. You sure you've never played before?"
I shook my head, catching my breath. "Yeah, it's my first time playing. Before, I just watch people play."
For a second, they both just stared at me.
Then, they bursted out laughing.
"First time?" the captain wheezed.
"Now that's the cap of the century! That was an Özil bounce, man! Not even some pro players can pull that off on purpose, let alone on their first time!"
"Yeah," the striker added, still laughing, "if this is your first time, then you're a genius among geniuses. Join the club, and maybe you'll have a spot in the GOAT debate."
I smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Thanks, I'll think about it. For now, I'm just the 6th Seat's supervisor."
Their laughter was loud enough to draw a few glances from the sidelines. It was strange for me to be standing here, hearing them laugh like that.
If it wasn't for the sake of the plan, I would've never even dreamt of standing on the stage, let alone shining under the spotlight.
But as the captain slung his arm around my shoulder and pulled me toward the rest of the team, I glanced at Lyna, who just happened to tag along.
I don't know why, but the idea of me doing all this got her excited.
It's as if she had wanted me to do this for a long time.
But she doesn't even know about my attempt at climbing to the 1st Seat. I hadn't even told anyone yet. Not even my roommates.
Lyna stood up from her seat and walked over to me, holding out a bottle of water.
"Here," she said.
I took it and drank. The water was cold and refreshing.
When I was done talking with the team, we left the field together, heading toward the dormitory entrances.
On the way, she suddenly asked, "Why are you doing all this anyway?"
I glanced at her but kept walking.
"I'll tell you," I said. "During the holiday. Everyone's gonna be there, so… it's better that way."
She frowned a little. "You better not forget."
"I won't," I promised.
I've been curious about something for a while now.
"You got nothing else to do?"
She shook her head. "Nope. That's why I came to see you."
That makes sense. She usually won't spend time with me if she had something to do. Maybe today just so happens to coincide with her free time.
Lyna spoke. "So… how's your studying going?"
I glanced at her. She had her hands behind her back, walking side by side with me.
"Better," I said. "Only because you've been helping me."
She gave a small smirk. "You're welcome, then."
For a moment, it was quiet again.
Just our footsteps echoing softly against the pavement. Then I spoke. "Hey, Lyna."
She tilted her head slightly, as if she already knew what was coming.
"When can we end this… fake relationship thing?"
Her smirk faded. "You're bringing that up now?"
"I'm just asking," I said.
"We've been keeping this up for a while. People are starting to really believe it."
Lyna sighed softly. "I know. But… not yet."
"Why?"
"Faulk," she said softly, not looking at me, "just as you're keeping secrets from me…"
Her words made me stop for a moment.
"…I'm keeping some from you too."
I turned to her, but she only smiled faintly.
"Come on, don't look at me like that. It's not something bad." she continued. "But it's not something I can tell you yet either."
My brows furrowed. "What kind of answer is that?"
"Whether you believe it or not, it's going to benefit both of us at the end of the road," she said, finally glancing at me.
Her tone softened, almost reassuring. "So for now, just trust me as I have trusted you. Keep doing what you're doing."
The way she said it felt like she won't give any clear answer if I were to ask more.
We eventually reached the dormitory entrances. I handed her back the now-empty bottle and smiled a little. "Thanks for the water. I'll see you later."
"Yeah, see you.." she said softly, before heading off.
Inside the lounge, I saw a few familiar faces.
Seniors from the literature club were chatting near the window.
Then, a couple of friends from the cooking club were arguing about each other's delicacy.
That one guy from gardening club was dozing off on the couch, and a few from the media club were setting up some camera equipment.
They all greeted me when they noticed I'd come in.
I waved back and shouted, "I'll see you guys again another time!"
I'm fully aware of the odor that I brought.
I really needed to shower...
After showering and changing into a clean set of clothes, I stepped back into the room, still drying my hair with a towel.
Shayne looked up from his bed with that grin of his that always meant he was about to start something.
"Welcome back, superstar." he said, stretching like he'd been waiting for me.
"You've been getting kinda famous lately, you know that?"
I stopped halfway to my bed and looked at him "...Famous?"
"Yeah," Shayne said, sitting up now, clearly excited to talk about it.
"Earlier in class, I was borrowing Nayuta's homework while he watches. We heard your name mentioned like a dozen times. Some girls were talking about how you cooked the greatest lasagna they've ever tasted."
For some reason, I felt like I knew who said that. "Yeah, I was allowed to cook something during their club activity."
He nodded.
"Impressive, dude. Right after that, some guys overheard and jumped into the convo. One of them's from the boxing club. He said you've got amazing footwork. Also mentioned that he's never seen anyone's footwork being that fast."
Nayuta, who was munching chips on his bed, raised a hand lazily.
"He also said his friend from the karate club swore you were using Kyokushin moves. You hiding a black belt or something, Faulk?"
I just stared at them. "What—no, I just copied what I saw."
Before I could defend myself further, Alejandro turned his chair slightly from the desk.
His voice was calm, as usual.
"I heard my classmate talking about someone on the music club with an incredible vocal range. Said he could switch between head voice and chest voice with very little tempo. That wasn't you, was it?"
I sighed. "...It might've been."
Nayuta burst out laughing. "Faulk, did falling over a tree suddenly made you good at everything?"
Shayne leaned forward, eyes wide and mocking.
"You're like a hidden prodigy or something. Boxing, karate, singing, cooking... What's next, Faulk? You secretly captain of the volleyball team too?"
Alejandro gave a faint smirk.
"Actually, someone did mention a volleyball game earlier. They said there was a guy who received the ball didn't let it touch the ground even once."
His eyes met mine. "That was you, wasn't it?"
I froze for a second before muttering, "...Mhm. Yeah. It was me, Faulk."
The room went silent for a moment before Shayne broke into laughter again.
"Okay dude, you're insane! You're becoming some kind of legend without even trying."
Nayuta nodded, mouth still full. "You should've told us that you can do all that stuff."
I groaned and dropped onto my bed, covering my face with the towel. "I didn't even do anything that special."
"Sure you didn't," Shayne teased.
"Better get used to the spotlight, Madman."
I just stayed there, staring up at the ceiling from under the towel. I couldn't find the energy to argue.
He's right though. I need to get used to the spotlight.
That night, after everyone had gone to sleep, I lay awake staring at the ceiling.
The dorm room was quiet except for the faint hum of the air vent and the steady rhythm of breathing from the others.
I couldn't sleep.
My mind wouldn't stop replaying the day.
Before I knew it, people had started calling me with my name, talking about me like I was some kind of prodigy.
Every club, every class, every interaction… it was spreading faster than I thought.
Shimotsuki's plan was working.
But the more I thought about it, the heavier it felt.
I turned onto my side, pulling the blanket halfway over my face.
Am I really just doing this to get closer to becoming the First Seat?
I was supposed to just act the part.
Participate, perform, and impress.
But somewhere along the way, I started… changing.
I swear that most of those activities are a first to me. I only watched videos the day before.
About my next move. Even the Ozil bounce earlier was executed from me watching clips of him playing.
My eyes drifted to the window.
Outside, the moon hung low over the academy grounds.
Maybe I'm slowly becoming one of them.
A monster, just like the other members of the High Council.
The 7th Seat, the Dormkeeper with his raw, superhuman strength that could shatter my bone with only one clean hit....
The 6th Seat, Aria, with tongue sharper than any blade it meets....
The 3rd Seat, the Mastermind, who could hack multiple gadgets in less than a minute, while also remaining anonymous....
And now, me.
The more I followed Shimotsuki's plan, the more I felt like I was stepping into a role that wasn't meant for me.
Or maybe, I really am a prodigy at everything, how ridiculous that may be.
Back in my hometown, I'd never even tried. I didn't care about clubs or teams or grades.
I barely talked to anyone.
I just stayed in my room, letting the days pass by until they all blurred together.
So maybe it wasn't that I suddenly became talented… maybe it was that I never gave myself the chance before.
It's just a possibility, and I'm either on to something or on something.
My dad being absent for my entire life, my mom never socializing with anyone but dad, my dad having his friend be my legal guardian on paper, the principal that knows it, the school that allows anything to be bought, 1st seat that wanted to sell information, and the existence of syndicates like The Middle....
Call me James Doakes, but something's going on here. I just couldn't prove it yet.
With every answer, comes even more questions.
If this is what it takes to rise up… then what will be left of me by the time I reach the top?
Will it even be the real me, or someone that embodies the ideal of everybody but myself?
I shut my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to push the thought away. But even as I drifted toward sleep, that question stayed.
Yet I couldn't let it bother me. Tomorrow, it's time for the acting club.