"Good morning, Endou-kun." The next day in class, a soft voice called out to me.
"Good morning, Aki-chan." I yawned as I sat down next to her.
Aki is the "coach" (actually, the manager) of our soccer club. We met as soon as I joined Raimon.
"Did you not sleep well last night, Endou-kun?" Aki asked kindly as I got settled. She's a very gentle girl.
"Not really. I spent the whole night trying to figure out some secret technique from my grandfather's book." I sighed in frustration — that book feels more like a forbidden spellbook.
"Attention, everyone! Take your seats." I didn't get to talk much with Aki because the teacher entered the classroom, followed by a boy with white hair.
When I looked up and saw who it was, my eyes lit up.This is fate. The plot is moving forward. We're destined to play together.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't hear the teacher's introduction. I only came back to reality when the boy went to his seat.
For the rest of the class, my mind wandered through different scenarios. I could barely wait for the bell to ring so I could talk to the white-haired boy.
As soon as it rang, I rushed toward him, but a hand stopped me.
"Hahh... Endou-kun, you're doing it again.""Heh... Aki-chan?" I asked, turning to my friend.
"You were spacing out the whole class. Every time I looked over, you were staring at Gouenji-san.""So his name is Gouenji?" I asked, grabbing Aki's hand, my eyes sparkling.
"You were going to talk to him without even knowing his name? Seriously, Endou-kun... His name is Gouenji Shuuya." Aki sighed, used to my behavior.
"Thank you, Aki-chan! You're my savior — I don't know what I'd do without you!" I squeezed her hand tightly before heading toward Gouenji Shuuya, not noticing that Aki's face had turned red from all our classmates watching after such a "confession."
"Gouenji! Gouenji!" I walked up to his desk, excited.
"You again..." I noticed Gouenji's eyebrow twitch. Maybe he's excited to see me too?
"Haha! Thanks for your help yesterday. My name is Mamoru Endou." This time, calmer, I managed to introduce myself properly.
Maybe because of that, he looked more relaxed.
"Hey, hey! That kick you did yesterday was amazing. Do you play soccer?" I looked straight into Gouenji's eyes, sparkling with excitement, but he looked away.
"I quit playing soccer." He said it with an empty expression... like someone who had lost their passion.
"You might have quit, but I can still feel a strong desire and passion inside you." I followed his gaze, which was fixed on the school's soccer field.
Gouenji visibly flinched at my words.
"Hey, Gouenji... do you know anything about techniques or special moves?" Sensing his discomfort about soccer, I changed the topic to what I really wanted to know.
His eyebrow twitched again — more intensely than before.
"Even if I did, why would I tell you?" Gouenji stood up and walked toward the classroom door.
My eyes sparkled at his answer, but I didn't follow him. Everything has to go at its own pace.
Still, my day had gotten better. My steps felt light as feathers.
"Looks like you had a nice conversation, Endou-kun." Aki-chan approached once she saw I was done.
"Yeah, yeah! I feel like I'm really close to discovering a special technique!" I said, overflowing with excitement.
"I know how badly you want a special move, Endou-kun, but maybe this is turning into an obsession..." Aki said, concerned, walking beside me.
"Don't worry, I'm still in control of myself. Let's go to the clubroom, Aki-chan! Quickly! I have to share this with the others!" It didn't take long for us to reach it.
The Raimon soccer clubroom was falling apart — more like a rusty shack. I fixed the wooden sign that read "Soccer" before entering with Aki-chan.
"Everyone, listen up! I feel like I'm about to witness a real special technique!" I slammed the door open to get everyone's attention.
But, as if they were used to this kind of thing, no one even looked up.
Six kids were in the club: Kabeyama Heigorou, Kurimatsu Teppei, Handa Shinichi, Shourinji Ayumu, Shishido Sakichi, and Someoka Ryuugo.
"This time it's for real, guys! His name is Gouenji Shuuya, and there's a big chance he has a special move!" Maybe out of curiosity, they finally listened to me.
"And why do you think he has one, Endou? Last time, you also swore you'd awaken a special move by facing the sumo club." Handa asked, lowering his book.
"I have a gut feeling!" I said with confidence.
"You always have that same gut feeling!" Everyone yelled at once, sighing.
"Guys, maybe Endou-kun is right this time." As always, my savior Aki-chan. I nodded in agreement with her words.
"If Kino-san says so, then maybe there's a chance." Kurimatsu whispered to Shishido.
"The odds just went from 0% to 20%." Shishido replied naturally.
"And why do you think so, Kino-san?" Someoka asked, sitting up straight.
"I looked into Gouenji Shuuya. He came from Kidokawa Seishuu." Aki said seriously.
"Kidokawa Seishuu?""You mean that Kidokawa?""Wait... Gouenji Shuuya... That name sounds familiar..."
A commotion spread across the room.
"Is Kidokawa Seishuu strong?" I asked, confused — which made the entire room go quiet.
"It had to be our captain...""How can our captain be so clueless about soccer...""Well, it's not like this is anything new."
Hey, even I feel a little hurt when you react like that. Of course, I didn't say that out loud... I had no excuse.
"Kidokawa Seishuu made it to the finals of the Football Frontier last year, Endou-kun." Once again, Aki-chan saved me.
"Endou-kun, you do know what the Football Frontier is, right?" I take it back, Aki-chan. Didn't expect that from you.
"Of course! Even I know what the Football Frontier is!" I answered with conviction, pounding my chest. But everyone looked at me suspiciously.
A bit offended, I pointed to a banner. "We even have a Football Frontier banner!" At least that got rid of their doubtful stares.
"If Gouenji played in the Football Frontier, then I'm sure he has some kind of special move. And if he shows it to us, we might be able to create our own!" I refocused the conversation.
"Well, that's true. The odds of him having a special move are pretty high." Someoka said, thinking it over.
"But would he show it to us?" Kageyama asked, a little shyly.
"It's not impossible. It's not like showing a move is that hard." Handa added to the discussion.
However, the conversation was interrupted when a new face appeared at the clubroom door.
"Endou, Fuyukai-sensei is looking for you." A voice called from the entrance.
It was a boy wearing a track uniform.
"Kazemaru!" My eyes lit up when I saw him.
"Yo." Kazemaru just waved. "You'd better hurry — the teacher's waiting in the principal's office."
"It's not like it's my first time being called there, haha. Thanks, Kazemaru!" I scratched my head as I walked off.
"Guys, don't forget! We need to find a way to get Gouenji to show us his special move!" I shouted before walking away.
"Oh, Kazemaru! You promised that once we have a real match, you'll join our team — don't forget that promise!" I added before heading off.
Kazemaru's part of the track team, so unlike the rest of us, he's more like a part-time member of the soccer club — joining in only when he doesn't have training.
Our school isn't very big, so I reached the principal's office quickly.
"Principal, Fuyukai-sensei, Natsumi-chan." I greeted all three, like usual. Like I said before... this isn't my first time in the principal's office.