shiratori game! 02

001

stepping out of the taxi, shiratori stood outside a building. it was the address given in the letter.

japan football union, it said.

taking the map, he went inside while following the direction it had.

'lots of doors. i hate it already.' he thought to himself.

now, facing the room where the meeting place is located, he pushed the gigantic doors.

it was silent. all eyes are now focused on him.

who wouldn't? when it's shiratori nana, the student athlete who was taking the sports world by a storm.

'wow, there's a lot of us here? can't recognize anyone.'

and soon enough, after he closed the door behind him, whispers erupted.

"t-that's him right?! shi-shiratori!"

"waaah, magazines didn't give him justice at all."

"fuck, now what? we have this hotshot here too?"

"don't say that. maybe he isn't as good as they made him to be. it's the media after all."

"wow, so they invited him too." voiced out ryōsuke akira, the rising japanese football star.

beside him stood isagi yoichi, a middle schooler who recently competed in saitama prefecture's finals.

isagi was admiring shiratori. it was the first time he saw an actual athlete-celeb and to be standing on the same ground as him was beyond amazing.

'shiratori nana... wait, i'll attend a program the same with a guy this great?! what?!' he was panicking.

and it would only escalate more once he realized that shiratori's coming to his direction.

rock solid he stood. not moving an inch as the guy went to stop beside him. body's stiff and breathing hitched.

he was conscious.

does he smell? 'no, i took a really good bath.'

does he look weird? 'no, my clothes are good enough. i'm pretty confident with my style.'

does he look short? 'i can't really do anything about that.'

the tension was broken once the light turned off and a male's voice was heard.

few of his mutterings was heard before he started talking.

"congratulations, you unpolished gems." he greeted. "all you under-18 strikers have been chosen solely based on my criteria and biases to be here today."

"all 300 of you."

'that many huh?' shiratori thought.

when the light was focused on the front stage, it revealed a guy in mid-20s, tall and lanky who wears a pair of rectangular rimmed glasses and a bowl cut.

"i am jinpachi ego." introducing himself, "my job is to make japan a team capable of winning the world cup." he added.

with that, the players gave their reactions.

"who's that guy? you know him?" asked kira towards isagi.

isagi sighed, "no way..."

shiratori, whose standing beside them, can't help but be bored of the current situation.

'another lunatic to add to my list of people i should avoid.'

but really. these are the same big dreams he's already fed up hearing.