The house was quiet after everyone left.
Kairo lay on his back, staring at the ceiling and thinking about the cracks in it.
His eyes drifted towards the clock on the wall. It was just 3 minutes after 12, and he tried to sleep, but he couldn't.
Every time he closed his eyes, he heard Rintaro's voice.
I can help you destroy him. Isn't that why you play?
But the bigger question on his mind is.
How did he know that?
When he has never told anyone that, yet in his life.
Two Days Later
The morning of the tryouts
Kairo sat on the edge of the bed, lacing his shoes.
He could hear his mom in the kitchen from his room he looks at the clock it was 6:12 am.
He gets up out of bed and walks downstairs to see her at the table, folding clothes into a worn-out duffel bag. She turns and sees Kairo.
"Make sure u eat properly and not junk foods. "
"Call your sister when you can. You don't have to call me if you don't want to, but call her, said his mom.
"Don't skip class ok go to all your classes and don't skip training either."
Kairo walked over to her and hugged her tightly.
She hugged him back and then gave him the bag.
"Mom, these are just the tryouts. I hope I can pass them, so don't worry, ok."
"Yes, son, I know."
"For the last 2 days, I looked him up, Rintaro Kurogane, he's the real deal, Mom, he can help me reach my goal."
"Why did you change your mind? What did he say to you?"
Kairo Pause, and he remembers everything he said
"Nothing special," he answered.
She looks at him for a while. "Okay"
Kairo left and caught a bus across town.
He comes off the bus with one bag on his back and one in his hand and a paper with the address of the place on it. He walks and turns a corner and sees the place.
It wasn't what he was expecting. It had two huge buildings and a huge field. It had no stadium, no logo, nothing. It looks like the place was rented.
Kairo was surprised. Why would they hold tryouts here? This looks like they rented the place; don't they have their own facilities?
He walks up to the gate and reaches for it, but a security guard steps forward holding a clipboard.
"You two here for the Blau Noire Tryouts?"
"Two?" Kario asked
"Yes," the guard said while looking further behind Kairo.
Familiar voice replied, "Both of us."
He turned around to find that Eli was standing behind him, his hands jumped into his jacket.
"You got invited too. " Kairo asked
Eli answered, "Guess that goal did its job."
The guard waved them through the gates.
"Head straight to the field." As they pass through the gates, it closes
"I guess that you're surprised that I'm here, right?" Kairo asked.
"Honestly?" No, Eli replied
"Wait, what really?"
"Yeah, really, you gave me a perfect pass. Of course, you would be here; that goal was because of you," said Eli.
Kairo shakes his head, "No, no, your goal was much better than my pass."
"Maybe," Eli said, "But without your special awareness and that pass, I don't think I would even get to score."
"The pass wasn't perfect; it was just at the right place at the right time."
They walked onto the field, and they saw over a hundred students in different clothes, they were tall ones, short ones, even big ones.
Naomi walks onto the field.
The chatter died instantly. She walks around the students and stands in front of them. She folds her hands.
"That should be everyone," she said, "Good morning, you are the Next Generation, or what's left of it."
"My name is Naomi Vale, Youth Development Director of FC Blau Noire Academy."
"There are exactly 120 of you, she said, all of you being under 18."
"Our Academy is divided into two divisions: Under-12 and Under-18."
"Thirty Under-12 were signed already last month and are already in training now."
"Most of our previous Under-12 players were kicked out; only two remained, and those two have been promoted to Under-18. "
Those two have already signed their new contract and are waiting for you guys."
"Plus, two other players were invited but considered elite enough to bypass tryouts."
A few of them start to murmur.
"One hundred of you were selected by our Scouting staff, and nineteen were personally selected by me."
"And one of you was selected by the manager himself."
"There are five full scholarships and twenty standard scholarships."
"Our youth team will be having thirty players; four positions are filled already, which leaves twenty-six."
"Tryouts will last six days; you will train, grow, eat, and sleep here."
"And only the 26 who survive will move to our main youth headquarters."
Mr. Rintaro will not arrive until the end of tryouts, so until then, you all answer to me.
"And trust me, this will not be a pleasant experience."
She steps back
"Now, let the tryouts begin."