April. On the grounds of Lacosute Tech*, a scene typical of sports clubs was unfolding.
*The complete name of Chigiri's school is 羅古捨実業高等学校/Rakosute Jitsugyo Koutougakkou (yeah that long). On the Vol. 16 omake, 羅古捨/Rakosute is "Lacosute" in Chigiri's gold gakuran buttons. 実業/Jitsugyo can mean a vocational, technical or business school, while 高等学校/Koutougakkou means senior high school.
"'Listen up, newbies. Lacosute Tech is a regular at the Nationals and we're its double ace! We're the Wanima Brothers! You'd better respect your amazing seniors!', that's what my big bro says!"
The one who is acting like a senior to the new first-year students lined up is Wanima Keisuke (younger brother). The one nodding his head in agreement next to him is Wanima Junichi (older brother). They're twins, and the one who always has a grinning face is the younger Wanima. As if striking a Kabuki pose, the one with a crooked mouth and looking towards them is the older Wanima. The older Wanima is extremely quiet, and the younger Wanima reads and interprets his facial expressions, which is a strange way of communication.
Although they are eccentric brothers, their perfect sense of distance, timing of movements and pass-and-go are the power weapons of Lacosute Tech's double ace. The new members of the club are standing stiffly upright as they listen to the Wanima Brother's scolding. They are the aces and they are second year students. It's no wonder they are bossing around...that is the atmosphere.
"Excuse me."
A first year in the front row raised his hand, cutting off the younger Wanima's talk.
"I came to Lacosute to win the Nationals and make a name for myself. Can we get rid of this unproductive hierarchy thing?"
The one who suddenly stood up to the Wanima brothers on his first day in the club was Chigiri. To their surprise, the other first years were like "What the heck is this guy talking about?" and froze.
"Huh!? Who the hell are you even?"
Naturally, the younger Wanima got angry. The older Wanima "grrr"-ed at him in anger. However, Chigiri isn't rebelling against this sports club vibe, nor is he trying to pick a fight, he is just telling them what he thinks. He's not here to endure the unreasonableness of his seniors. He came to stand at the top of the Nationals. That is why he came to the local powerhouse.
"You, fuck..."
The younger Wanima's cheeks twitched with anger.
"It's Chigiri Hyoma."
While the rest of the club members froze in place, Chigiri casually introduced himself.
"'We are the aces of Lacosute! You know what will happen if you go against us!', my big bro says!"
"I know. Then, let's fight with our abilities."
A fight!? There's a commotion in the crowd. He's got a cute face, but now he's talking like some dojo breaker.
"...If I win, please shut your trap."
For a first year, he sounds awfully impertinent but he's not being full of himself. He just got that much self-confidence. So, with all the members watching, the game between the Wanima brothers versus Chigiri began. If they can stop the attacking Chigiri, it's the Wanima Brothers' win. It's a simple two-on-one.
"Grrr!"
"'Don't make any excuses if you lose!', that's what my big bro says!"
The twin's eye contact is mainly powerful on their attacks but they are also confident in their defensive coordination. There is no reason why the two of them can't stop him. They are going to humiliate him by knocking him out of the game, but...
"Here I go."
Whoosh!
In a split second, the game's over. By the time they realize it, Chigiri was already behind the Wanima Brothers who couldn't even react properly, let alone stop him. They have never seen such explosiveness and acceleration. Chigiri won hands down.
"What the hell...He's so fast!"
With that otherworldly speed, the grin at the younger Wanima's face faded and his expression turned startled, while the older Wanima's eyes widened as if his eyeballs were about to fall off.
...So this is the level of the aces here, huh. It's not much.
It doesn't matter if you're a senior or not, it's all about abilities. That's what Chigiri is thinking. Chigiri is naturally a fast runner, the speed of his legs is second to none. Moreover, he's got sufficient soccer skills. The coach highly valued Chigiri's talent.
"For the next match, we'll use the one-top formation to make use of Chigiri's speed! With this, we might actually get a solid chance at winning the Nationals!"
Becoming a regular as soon as he joined the club, the coach announced that he would build a team centered on Chigiri. It was the Wanima brothers who got greatly offended by this. They badly lost in front of their teammates, and were even robbed of their ace position. Both of them were so stubborn that they felt compelled to say a few words to him.
"Grrr!"
"'Don't get carried away just because the coach immediately likes you', that's what my big bro says!"
After school, they ambush Chigiri and threaten him. He should be scared if he got yelled at by his seniors, but Chigiri answered without changing his expression.
"It's really just a matter whether you have talent or not...That's all there is to it."
It sounds arrogant, but it's actually true. It was not that the coach liked him, or even that he favored him. The coach recognized Chigiri's talent, and when he set up a winning lineup, it was a one-top. That was all.
"Huh, is that so, Prodigy-kun..."
Despite being fast, he has to admit that his talent is outstanding. The younger Wanima gritted his teeth in frustration. The older Wanima is also pissed off, you can see all the whites of his eyes.
"Good work today."
Just like that, Chigiri quickly leaves.
...There's nothing equal about talent. I'm a chosen one, I was born to prove that.
He started playing soccer seriously when he was six years old. It was at a local soccer school. He always loved running, but he will never forget the first time he dribbled past someone. While kicking the soccer ball, Chigiri's body accelerated. From that moment on, dribbling past one opponent after another, soccer became everything to him.
I will make it to the Nationals, represent Japan and go to the World Cup... then, I will be the best striker in the world.
In this world, there are those who are talented and those who are not. It is because of his strong pride that he is able to carry himself without wavering, no matter what anyone says. Chigiri believed in his own talent more than anyone else.