"I'm home…" Alisa announced after opening the front door of her apartment. Her older sister, Maria, poked her head out from the living room and greeted her with a cheerful smile, as gentle as a flower. Unlike Alisa's usual impassive expression, Maria was almost always smiling.
"Welcome back, Alya."
She approached her sister, grinning from ear to ear with her arms open, then kissed her on the right cheek, then the left, then the right again before enveloping her in a tight hug. The scene would make yuri fans around the world sigh with delight.
"Hi, Masha."
Alisa patted her sister's arm to get her to release the passionate embrace, and while Maria did let go, she suddenly turned her smile into a disappointed pout.
"Come on, we're in Japan now. Call me big sister like they do here."
"Not happening."
Maria puffed out her cheeks even more at her sister's cold response. In Russia, people usually call their older siblings by their names, unlike in Japan, where they'd call them big brother or big sister. So, Alisa, born in Russia, would call her sister by her nickname, despite Maria's frequent requests to be called big sister.
"Sniffle… You can be so cold sometimes, Alya…"
Realizing her sulky face wasn't going to work, Maria put on an even more pitiful expression, but Alisa promptly looked away and sighed. This wasn't anything new, but she always felt bad when her sister made that face. That still didn't mean she'd call her big sister, though. After all, she was the serious type, unlike her laid-back older sister. It didn't help that Alisa was taller, and they were only a year apart. Alisa had even been the one taking care of Maria over the years, as if she were the older one. Because of that, Alisa rarely thought of Maria as her big sister.
Calling her big sister would imply she was dependent on her, and besides…
There were other things Alisa might be willing to call her, but Maria wasn't having it. Either way, Alisa decided to ignore her sister as she took off her shoes and slipped into her slippers, but Maria immediately tilted her head curiously and blinked a few times.
"Alya, are you in a bad mood?"
"No…?"
Alisa glanced at Maria suspiciously to hide how she was really feeling, but tactics like that didn't work on her older sister.
"Uh-huh… Does it have something to do with him again? With Isagi?"
Alisa walked past Maria and headed straight to the bathroom, annoyed at her sister's meddling and the glint in her eyes.
"Nothing happened."
"You know you can't lie to me. I can read you like an open book. So…? What happened?"
Maria followed her sister like a duckling and kept questioning. She only stopped when she entered Alisa's room, flopped onto a cushion on the floor, and begged Alisa to finally give in. Alisa sat down, still in her school uniform, and confessed with irritation:
"It's really not a big deal, but… we had a little fight. That's all."
"Oooh! A fight!"
Maria's eyes lit up with joy, even though it wasn't the kind of thing people usually got excited about.
"…What?"
"Hee-hee! It's not every day you get into fights, after all! And with a boy, no less."
"Yeah, I guess."
"Wow… Finally, a boy who braved the frozen tundra around your heart."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Alisa frowned at her sister's vague insinuations until Maria responded with a knowing smile:
"You like him, don't you? That boy, Isagi?"
"…Excuse me?"
Alisa shot her sister a piercing look, as if clearly saying, "What's wrong with you? Did you hit your head as a kid or something?" before shaking her head with a sigh.
"I don't know where you got that idea… because there's nothing like that going on here. We're just…"
Alisa suddenly recalled the confused expression on Isagi's face the previous day at lunch when he said they were friends.
"Yeah… We're friends." The memory made her smile with satisfaction. That made Maria's smile grow even wider.
"Oh, are you, now? But why? I thought you didn't really like someone who's lazy about studies."
"Because, uh…"
Maria's assumption was correct. Isagi wasn't very motivated and didn't take things seriously when it came to studies; he was more of a soccer fanatic to the point of ignoring everything else. While he genuinely worked hard to become a professional soccer player, his other "academic qualities" made him exactly the kind of person Alisa usually didn't like. So why did she consider him a friend?
Alisa began searching her memories for the answer.
… …
"And the winner of the excellence award is… Team B!"
The classroom filled with applause. There was only one person, a little girl, in the crowd biting her lips with her head down. It was Alisa. She was in fourth grade at an elementary school in Vladivostok at the time. This was the moment she truly realized she was different from the others, all because of a research presentation her class had done. The students in her class were divided into groups of four or five, given a topic to research over the next two weeks, and asked to present their findings on a tri-fold presentation board to the class.
The topic for Alisa's group was local jobs. They interviewed local shops and family businesses and learned about their fields. It was the kind of innocent, simple project typically done in elementary schools. However, Alisa always put her all into her assignments, no matter what they were. She always had a strong fighting instinct, even at a young age, and always strove to be the best. It was only natural that she aimed for the excellence award, which was essentially first place for the best presentation. So, she put a tremendous amount of effort into the project to win. Every day after school, she interviewed local shops until dinnertime and ended up filling an entire notebook after just her first week. She took every possible step to ensure she was ready for the group meeting to discuss their findings. But when the day finally came, she was stunned by what the other three group members said.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't interview anyone."
"That's a bakery. That's a clothing store. Huh? What do they do? A bakery makes bread, and a clothing store sells clothes. Duh."
"Sorry, I've only interviewed half of my stores so far. But we still have another week, right? It'll be fine."
Their research seemed utterly sloppy from Alisa's perspective. Even if they combined their findings, they still wouldn't have half the information Alisa had. But the fact that they expressed absolutely no appreciation or concern left her more baffled than angry. What really infuriated her was when the three looked at Alisa's notebook.
"Ugh. What's all this? It's just a stupid project."
"This is way too detailed. Yeah, we're not going to use half of this."
"Alya… Do I have to read all of this?"
They stared at her with dumbfounded looks and forced smiles, as if they couldn't believe her.
Wait! They thought she was the odd one here? As soon as that thought crossed Alisa's mind, anger began to rise from the pit of her stomach: she hadn't done anything wrong! All she did was take her assignment seriously! She shouldn't feel bad about that; on the contrary, they should feel bad!
She was instantly filled with anger and disgust, and she was still too young to suppress those feelings.
"Could you take the assignment a little more seriously?"
The sensitive elementary school kids responded defensively to Alisa's piercing glare and hostile tone. It didn't take long for a heated argument to erupt. They were in the middle of class, so the teacher almost immediately intervened to stop them, but that brief moment was enough to sour the relationship to the point where it was clear Alisa wouldn't be able to work with them anymore.
"If you don't like how I'm doing it, then do it yourself!"
It was that response from one of her male teammates that pushed Alisa to her limit. She decided she would use the final week to create the best presentation possible according to her standards. But there was only so much one person could do in a week, and she couldn't complete the project with the care she intended. As a result, another team received the excellence award. Alisa couldn't understand why her classmates didn't take the project seriously. She couldn't understand how they could smile and laugh, not caring that they had just lost.
They wouldn't have lost if the others had worked as hard as she did. In fact, they wouldn't have lost if she had done the entire project alone from the start! She wasn't like them! She was the only one who took her assignments seriously and put in effort, the only one who wanted to win!
The moment Alisa realized this was the moment she stopped expecting anything from others.
No one was on her level. No one had the passion or motivation to do what she did. So, she would do things her way from now on. She wouldn't lose to the unmotivated. She wouldn't lose to people who didn't work for it. She would reach heights never before achieved while all of you play around all day. She didn't need anyone's help. She could do everything on her own. If you're going to do something halfheartedly or just because you have to, then you'll only hold her back…
Even after years passed and Alisa became a bit more socially skilled, her fundamental outlook didn't change. Those beliefs only grew stronger. Whenever she saw how unmotivated or academically challenged her peers were, her disappointment in them grew until, one day, she began unconsciously looking down on others. When she realized this, she distanced herself from her classmates to avoid any unnecessary friction. It was a lonely world. It was the kind of loneliness only felt by someone born with the talent and fighting instinct that made them different from everyone else.
After Alisa finished her second year of middle school, her father was sent to Japan for work and brought the family along. Following her parents' advice, she ended up transferring to Ichinan Academy, known as one of the best schools in Japan. She had vague expectations that she might finally work among her equals and improve alongside them, but she was instantly disappointed after taking the school's proficiency and placement test. Now, she was at the top of her class. It was her first time in Japan in five years, and she was a transfer student from abroad with absolutely no idea what the test would be like. And yet, even with those disadvantages, she was placed at the top of her class.
This was what they considered a high academic level?
She was completely alone, even here…
Just as her heart was slowly filling with resignation, she met him. It was on her first day as a transfer student on the morning of April 1st.
"Your Japanese is really good, Alisa. Did you used to live in Japan?"
"You're so pretty! I've never seen anyone with silver hair before."
"Hey, did you really pass that super tough transfer student entrance exam with ease?"
Her new classmates crowded around her and didn't hide their curiosity. Though she was a bit overwhelmed by the attention, Alisa tried to handle the situation without being overly rude. Nothing good would come from getting close to someone she'd end up looking down on. That would only make them uncomfortable, and it would make her uncomfortable when she realized what she was doing. So, Alisa had no plans to make friends with anyone.
"Oh, the first bell rang."
"Already? That was quick. Let's talk later, Alisa."
"Let's keep getting to know each other during the next break, okay?"
"Okay."
After watching her classmates sadly return to their seats, Alisa glanced at the seat next to her.
"…"
Sitting there was a male student, sprawled over his desk as if he didn't have a care in the world, despite all the noise and excitement around him. The boy's carefree nature piqued her curiosity, to say the least. Before she realized it, she was lightly shaking his shoulders. It was the first time she was trying to start a conversation with one of her classmates.
"Hey, uh… The bell rang, you know?"
"Mmm… Hmm?"
A student with a blank expression on his face slowly lifted his head. It was Isagi Yoichi. He turned his vacant gaze to Alisa, blinked several times, and then tilted his head.
"Ohhh… You're the transfer student who spoke at the opening ceremony, right?"
"Yes. Alisa Mikhailovna Kujou. Nice to meet you."
"Right… Isagi Yoichi. Nice to meet you too."
That was all he said before turning back to the front and stretching his back. A few moments passed before his eyes widened with realization, and he tapped the back of the boy in front of him.
"Hey, Hikaru. I had no idea you were here."
"Seriously? Muesume's here too, man."
"Oh, man. You're right. I fell asleep; I stayed up late last night watching Noel Noa play, so I didn't even notice."
Alisa was a bit surprised to see him chatting animatedly with his friend and showing absolutely no interest in herধ
Alisa knew she was twice as attractive as the average person and understood that appearance could be used as a tool in building relationships, so naturally, she was conscious of enhancing her looks. Though she didn't wear makeup, as it was against school rules, she still understood that she possessed a beauty that rivaled that of an average TV star. And while she wasn't interested in attracting the opposite sex, she understood that her appearance, especially her silver hair, drew a lot of attention. That's why Isagi, essentially the only person who showed no interest in her, made a significant impression. But she soon realized something while observing him curiously. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in girls or other people. He simply had no motivation for studies. He'd forget his textbook. He'd sleep in class. He'd panic and rush through his homework during break, just minutes before class started.
The only motivation he had was related to soccer.
He wasn't just lazy. Isagi Yoichi didn't put effort into anything that wasn't directly related to soccer.
It was as if every aspect of his life was filtered through that single passion. He could forget a math assignment, nearly fail English, even nap through history, but he never forgot league matches, never missed club practices, and never stopped analyzing professional players, whether rewatching plays or discussing strategies with his friends.
His life seemed to revolve around a single sphere: the soccer ball.
And, curiously, it was exactly that singular focus that sparked something in Alisa.
On that first day, when she saw him shrug off all the attention she received as a transfer student and go back to cheerfully talking about Noel Noa, she realized something. Unlike all the other classmates who saw her as a novelty, an object of curiosity, or even a distant star, Isagi seemed… indifferent. Not out of arrogance or hostility. He just didn't care.
He didn't care about her beauty, her exam performance, or her status as a foreigner. Isagi's world had a center, and she wasn't in it.
It was somewhat insulting. But, at the same time, refreshing.
After that day, she started observing him more closely. While everyone else failed to maintain the discipline and effort she demanded of herself, Isagi failed on purpose in everything that wasn't soccer, but unlike the unmotivated people she despised, he did so because he had chosen a clear direction for himself.
His eyes sparkled differently when the topic was soccer. The way he talked about the players he admired, the way he'd jump out of his tired seat just to discuss a play he'd seen on TV, the energy he brought to after-school practices… it was like he was a different person.
He wasn't lazy. He was obsessed.
And for someone like Alisa, who always believed that motivation was the dividing line between winners and losers, that was impossible to ignore.
She didn't like to admit it, but the fire she saw in Isagi's eyes reminded her of her own.
Maybe that's why she accepted him as a friend.
Even when they fought over trivial things because he forgot his notebooks, didn't study for tests, or treated his academic future like a burden, deep down, she knew there was a common ground between them. Both pursued something with intensity. Both refused to live halfheartedly.
Isagi had just chosen a different path.
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