"Alright, everyone," Coach Matsumoto called out, "Good job with the practice today, rest well tonight, and we'll see each other again tomorrow."
The scrimmage had wrapped up, marking the end of practice, and the players were all worn out.
"Ryo, are you ready to go?" Ren asked, walking over as the coach left.
"Yes. Let's go," Ryo answered, grabbing his things.
It had been one of the longest sessions yet, and the exhaustion and hunger gnawed at him. I'm craving a bowl of tonkatsu ramen right now.
His thoughts were so fixated on food that he didn't notice Kazuki walking up until he spoke.
"Ryo-kun, you play so well!" Kazuki said excitedly. "The way you destroyed the defense was so cool!"
Ryo pulled himself out of his hunger haze and replied, "Thanks. Were you watching the game, Kazuki?"
"Yeah! The coaches ended practice early so we could watch your scrimmage. They told us to try and draw inspiration from the way you all played."
"That's good. I hope we weren't too boring—by the way, aren't you heading home yet?"
"No, my sister said she'd find me after practice, but I haven't seen her yet." Kazuki glanced around, scanning the field.
"Wait, Kazuki—" Ryo pointed toward the edge of the pitch, where a girl with the same blond hair stood among the spectators. "Is that your sister over there?"
Kazuki turned his head. His eyes widened. "Yes, that's her." He hurried in her direction, calling, "Nee-san, over here!"
Ryo followed after him, with Ren trailing right behind.
The girl turned, spotting her brother. "Oh, Kazuki, we'll leave soon, just give me a few—" Her voice faltered the instant her eyes landed on Ryo. "Kazuki, is this your friend? Ah… he's so cute!"
Ryo shifted uneasily. Even though I've been in this body for a while now, it's still a bit weird being called cute. Ren caught up just then. "Ryo, let's go home before it gets too late."
But before Ryo could respond, Kazuki's sister had turned a deep shade of red and mumbled, "A-A-Aoyama-san. W-why are you here?"
Oh? She seems very shy. Has she been coming to the football practices all this time just to watch Ren?
"Oh, hello, Mizuno-san, we were just about to leave. Sorry for interrupting." Ren said politely.
"I-it's fine, we w-were leaving too."
"Okay then, see you tomorrow," Ren turned towards his brother, "Ryo, you ready?"
"Yeah, let's go," he replied, then looked at Kazuki, "I'll see you tomorrow, Kazuki-kun."
"Okay, see you tomorrow, Ryo-kun!" he said, waving enthusiastically.
The brothers left, and once they'd passed through the school gates, Ryo asked, "Ren-nii, how do you know Kazuki-kun's nee-san?"
Ren thought for a moment. "You mean Mizuno-san? She was in my class last year, and she came by my room with her friends before school started today."
Yeah, she definitely has a crush on Ren. No one visits another class on the second day of school just to 'see their friends.'
Ren's tone darkened slightly. "By the way, Ryo… are you not going to apologize for what you did today?"
Oh shit. I hadn't thought about how to handle this.
"What are you talking about, Ren-nii?" Ryo asked, feigning innocence as a bead of sweat slid down his cheek.
"Oh, do you not remember?" Ren tilted his head slowly. "I could've sworn I was being laughed at before practice… but I must have imagined it, since you don't recall."
It's fine. Just keep pretending nothing happened.
"Yeah, I don't remember anything like that. But if that did happen, then I'd definitely apologize for it."
Ren nodded, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yes, of course you would. You're such a sweet and kind brother."
Their banter stretched on until they reached the restaurant. Ryo gladly swung the door open, grateful for the timing, and with a quick welcome from his mom, he slipped into their usual corner table.
Hopefully, I'll make it home soon. I don't know how much longer I can keep up this act.
—————————————————————————————————
Ah… That ramen was so good…
Ryo crashed onto his comfortable bed at the end of the day. Ren had already turned in for the night and was lying still in his bed.
It's weird. He was being so nice—as if our conversation never happened. He's probably plotting something against me.
Ryo smiled. Causing that scene was definitely worth it, though. His face when he thought he didn't make it onto the first team was priceless. Just thinking back on it brought Ryo to the brink of laughter.
Whatever… His revenge probably won't be too bad. Right now, though, there is something more important.
On command, a screen materialized in front of him.
{Notification!}
(Player Stat Increase!)
[Acceleration: 29—>34]
[Awareness Of Ally Positions: 24—>27]
[Awareness Of Enemy Positions: 25—>27]
[Defensive Pressure: 28—>29]
[Lung Capacity: 23—>24]
[Positioning: 28—>29]
[Tactics: 25—>27]
[Short passing: 28—>30]
[Stamina: 23—>24]
(New Total!)
[Agility: 28—>30]
[Defense: 28—>29]
[Intelligence: 26—>27]
[Passing: 28—>29]
[Physicality: 22—>23]
[Vision: 24—>26]
[Overall: 27—>28]
Wow, my stats increased so much! Why did my stats increase by so much today? Even without my increased Acceleration from the quest reward, the stat gain is absurd! Before school started, at most, only one of my stats increased every practice session.
Ryo scratched his head, then an explanation came to mind. Was my growth more rapid because I took part in a team practice? Did doing the triangle drills and the scrimmage really help that much?
Ryo couldn't think of any other reason for his great increase in stats. Sure, he had a more intense practice than when he practiced with Ren, but did it really account for the huge rise in stats?
The System sometimes works in weird ways. I'll probably never figure it out. Just then, as if listening to his thoughts, the shimmering screen changed.
{New Quest!}
(Career Quest – Regional Sensation)
[Ryusei Elementary Has Been Missing A Key Piece To Be Victorious In The Regional Tournament. With The Addition Of The Player, Ryusei Elementary Now Has The Chance To Win Regionals. This Season, Win The Regional Tournament And Make It To Nationals.]
[Penalty: Will Be Calculated Upon Failure.]
[Reward: Will Be Calculated Upon Success.]
{New Quest!}
(Daily Quest – Conditioning)
[The Player Should Condition Themselves In Preparation For Their First Game.]
[Run 5km]
[Shoot 100 Times On Goal]
[Complete 100 Passes]
[Shoot 50 Corner Kicks]
(Time Limit – Midnight)
[This Quest Will Repeat Daily Until The Player's First Game.]
[Penalty: None]
[Reward: +1 Unused Stat Point]
[Note: This Quest Starts At Midnight On April 4th.]
Huh? A Career Quest? Making it to Nationals? Isn't that too hard? Many questions came to Ryo's mind. The uncertainty behind the Career Quest made Ryo hesitant about what to expect. The System did say that Career Quests offer big rewards, but not knowing what my penalty will be is slightly scary.
But Ryo was sure of one thing, though—he would try his best in the regional tournament. If he wanted to become a player worthy of the national team, he had to get better, so the rewards for the quest were invaluable.
I know how to do the Daily Quests, though. I will not miss a single stat point.
With new goals in mind and a newfound resolve, Ryo drifted peacefully to sleep.