Once again, the day went by without too much trouble. The day was once again focused on activities designed to help students adjust to school life, while introducing them to the topics they would be learning.
During their first year, students are introduced to the basics of mathematics and Japanese, while also developing their life skills and engaging in physical education. For Ryo, most of this felt second nature, but he still enjoyed being in school.
As the bell rang, Ryo and Kazuki walked together through the halls toward the entrance.
"I'm so excited, Ryo-kun, today we get to practice seriously in the club!" Kazuki said, clearly excited to play football.
"Yeah, it's very exciting, I can't wait to learn from the coaches."
Ryo was indeed looking forward to the coaching sessions. Ren was a great teacher, but Ryo knew a professional coach would bring a completely different perspective. I can't wait to see how much I improve.
After switching into their outdoor shoes, Ryo grabbed his gear and the two stepped out toward the pitch.
"There are so many people here," Kazuki said, wide-eyed. "Feels like even more than yesterday."
"I think a lot of them are not even a part of the club. They must all be here for the results," Ryo replied, scanning the crowd. Ryusei Elementary's football club was famous, and the sheer turnout proved its reputation.
As they got closer, Ryo spotted a dense crowd packed around a large poster. "Kazuki-kun, look—it says 'Tryout Results.' Let's check." Nodding, Kazuki followed him as they squeezed their way through.
The atmosphere around the poster was a mix of excitement, relief, and… confusion. When Ryo finally reached the front and read the list, he understood why.
At the top of the board, just below Ren's name, was Aoyama Ryo, as clear as day.
"Who is Aoyama Ryo?"
"I haven't heard of him?"
"Is he Aoyama Ren's Brother?"
"How'd he get on the first team?"
Murmurs came from all directions. After all, it wasn't every day an unknown player went straight to the first team.
"Wow, Ryo-kun—you're on the first team!" Kazuki said, eyes sparkling.
"Yeah. Let's head to the field," Ryo answered quickly, realizing that several people had heard Kazuki's remark. The last thing he wanted was more attention in this crowd.
So they weaved their way through the sea of people, and eventually, Ryo and Kazuki both made it out, but right as they did, a clear voice could be heard over all the ambient noise.
"Ryo, over here!" Ren shouted
This idiot will be the death of me. Ryo lamented as dozens of heads turned toward him. Reluctantly, he walked over.
"Ryo, what took you so long? I've been waiting for you to show up!" Ren asked, oblivious to the commotion he was causing.
"I was checking the results, Ren-nii. It took a while to get through the crowd."
"Ahh, makes sense! I figured you wouldn't even need to check—you were probably first team anyway."
"Ren-nii, did you check your own name?" Ryo asked calmly.
"No, but of course I'm on the first team!" Ren said triumphantly, but after seeing Ryo's unwavering gaze, he broke into a cold sweat. "I'm on the first team, right?"
Ryo shook his head, trying his best to keep a straight face as Ren's face drained of color.
"WHAT?!? I'M NOT ON THE FIRST TEAM!?" He exclaimed, attracting even more attention to himself.
Then, before Ryo could say anything else, Kazuki burst out laughing behind him, and within seconds, half the nearby players were chuckling too. With all of the contagious laughter around him, Ryo was unable to control himself anymore, and he started laughing just as hard.
At this point, Ren had turned beet red from the laughter all around him, only making the situation even funnier; Kazuki was on the ground, crippled from his laughter, struggling to catch his breath, and Ryo was not doing much better.
Ren seemed to be lost as he looked at the duo, unable to control their laughter, and as he was about to go check the board in shame, someone approached Ren and grabbed his shoulder.
"Ren. Don't tell me… You didn't check the results?" the boy asked seriously, seemingly unamused by the situation.
Ren shamelessly shook his head.
"YOU IDIOT!! HE'S CLEARLY MESSING WITH YOU! OF COURSE YOU'RE ON THE FIRST TEAM!!"
The comment made Ryo and Kazuki go into greater hysterics, barely able to breathe as they rolled on the ground. Even then, in between their laughs, they were mumbling to each other about how funny the situation was.
"He totally… Believed you," Kazuki said, now at the point of crying.
"Ren-nii… Didn't even… Check the board," Ryo added, just sending them to another round of laughter.
Meanwhile, Ren was staring at his friend, dumbfounded. Wait, I'm not on the second team? A wave of relief washed over him since he really was on the first team, but that soon turned to embarrassment as he realized he had been completely fooled. I should've checked the board earlier…
Not long after, as Ryo and Kazuki's laughs were dying down, the commotion had brought the head coach over.
"Since all of you seem to be here, let's get started. The first and second teams will stay on this pitch while all other students will go to the other one for open practice," Matsumoto announced loud enough for everyone to hear, completely ignoring the situation in front of him. Usually, he would address this type of disturbance, but not only was it before practice had started, but he himself had laughed quite a bit.
Ren seemed completely relieved now that he had been rescued from his embarrassing situation. While they were still wiping off their tears, Ryo and Kazuki had picked themselves off the ground, and with a quick farewell, they both went their separate ways.
The players all moved quickly, and soon eighteen players, including Ryo and Ren, were gathered around Coach Matsumoto.
"Congratulations to all of you for making it onto the first team. For those who are new: I'll be guiding most of your training; however, feel free to ask any of the other coaches for advice at any time. Also, our practice on the first team is a bit different from the second team. On this team, we focus more on tactics and strategic play during practice rather than perfecting technique. Of course, you will still be doing drills that reinforce technique, but your teamplay and strategy are the most important."
Scanning the players, he continued, "Until the first game, there are no starters or reserves, so you should all do your best. Remember: your spot on the first team is not guaranteed forever; if you start slacking off, you will be demoted. So if nobody has any questions, we will start with a lap around the field to warm up."
So without any delay, all the players set off to go around the field, and as they jogged off, Ren shot a look at Ryo. Haha, he's probably thinking: "I'll never forget what you did earlier."
After the lap, Matsumoto split the players—excluding the goalies—into two groups of eight. "In your groups, three of you will be on the attack, and five of you will be on defense. Do any of the new players know why I only have three people on the attack?" He asked, looking at the different players who were promoted from the second team.
No one spoke, so Ryo raised his hand.
"Ryo, do you know the answer?" The coach asked, hiding the surprise in his voice.
"Yes, coach. You have three people on the attack to emulate a triangle that we would see in a game. Ideally, players who form a triangle can create open spaces and break apart the opponents' defense."
"Emulate," huh… This kid is smarter than he lets on. Matsumoto thought, before answering, "Yes, that's right. Triangles are a simple yet effective formation that can easily break through an opponent's defense. Even when outnumbered, keeping the essential idea of a triangle—making tight passes and moving into open spaces—can overwhelm the opponents."
"So what I want you all to focus on is making powerful but controlled passes while moving forward and keeping an eye out for any threats. On defense, I want you all to focus on blocking passing lines, putting pressure on the attackers, and covering any open spaces. Both goalies will be in the goal, focusing on the defensive line and blocking any shots that might come their way. From time to time, I will be rotating attackers and defenders, so you should all be ready to play either position. Does anyone have any questions?"
One boy raised his hand.
"Yes, Taiga?"
"Coach, should we stick to two-touch passing while attacking?"
"Not necessarily. Mostly focus on creating opportunities. I would rather have you trying to send a better pass than to lose possession because you tried to force a two-touch pass. However, the quicker you can get off a pass, the more effective the attack will be. So if you have an open pass, there should be no reason to hold the ball."
"Alright, since it seems like there are no more questions, we will get started," Matsumoto said, and looking down at his clipboard, he assigned everybody their starting roles.
Once everyone's roles were determined, Ryo jogged to one of the sides along with those in his group; he was designated as a defender first. Coach's instructions, although they seemed simple, had a lot of nuance. He wants the five defenders to act like a solid defensive line—moving as one and capitalizing on the attacker's mistakes. This would simulate a dangerous attack that may form in a real game. Likewise, attackers will have to play under pressure since they are outnumbered, and do their best to break through using the triangle.
Soon enough, the coach blew the whistle, and the drill began.