On Monday, Riccardo arrives at school, checking the time on his phone: it's 8:00.
"I'm really early today..."
He looks around the school, with its various fields and sections dedicated to different sports.
Riccardo begins to explore.
"I still can't believe this is my school..." Riccardo's expression changes from calm to worried. "I wonder who my father had to sell me to, just to get me in here!"
He walks for a while, finally reaching a huge area designated for athletics.
It's huge...
He looks closer and sees Sato, on the other side of the track, running on the athletic field.
Riccardo is surprised.
"Running... at this hour?"
He stops to look at her carefully.
Suddenly, from behind, Nishimura appears out of nowhere.
"I know I don't know you that well yet, but... I didn't think one of your characteristics was stalking."
Riccardo jumps, scared.
"Wah! Ma si pazz'?!"
Nishimura stares at him, confused.
"What does that mean?"
Shimizu approaches Nishimura.
"Good morning, Aliberti!"
Shimizu raises his hand to do a high five, and Riccardo gives it to him.
Then Nishimura notices Sato.
"She's the rising star everyone's talking about: the 100-meter sprinter!"
Shimizu moves closer to get a better look.
"That's right! She won a lot of regional and prefectural tournaments in middle school. They say she'll be one of Japan's next Olympic athletes!" Shimizu takes on a mischievous tone. "Not to mention she's beautiful."
Riccardo joins the two.
"Interesting..."
The bell rings, signaling the start of class.
Nishimura turns to Riccardo.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
The two head toward the main building, greeting Shimizu.
When they enter the classroom, all eyes are on them.
"Did you hear about yesterday's game?"
"Yes! They say Aliberti scored two goals and made an assist!"
"I won't believe it until I see him play. Maybe it was just luck!"
Nishimura and Riccardo take their seats as the teacher enters.
After hours of class, the bell rings again: it's time for recess.
Nishimura approaches Riccardo's desk.
"Let's go eat."
"Sure. Where?"
They find themselves in front of a door with a sign on it: "Students not allowed on the roof!"
Riccardo looks thoughtfully at the sign as Nishimura opens the door.
"Are you sure we won't get in trouble for this?"
"Yeah, don't worry. I eat here all the time... no one ever comes."
Riccardo is taken aback.
So, basically, he just told me he has no friends...
He follows Nishimura onto the roof.
The two sit down near the fenced edge.
Nishimura takes out a classic bento, while Riccardo opens a bowl of rice, tuna, and cherry tomatoes.
Nishimura looks at her, curious.
"Is that all?"
"Should I have had more?" Riccardo replies, puzzled.
They remain silent for a moment.
"When did you start playing soccer?" Nishimura asks timidly.
"I was five years old and I watched my first soccer match... a classic Sunday match in the top Italian league. It was Napoli-Juventus..."
Nishimura interrupts him.
"I guess you were a Napoli fan, since you're from that area..."
Riccardo interrupts him in turn.
"No, I'm a Juventus fan... we won that match 1-3 in their stadium."
Nishimura looks puzzled.
"Oh... I see."
Riccardo clears his throat.
"As I was saying, that game was really intense for both sides. I didn't know why, but I could tell from my father's passion: he showed every emotion in every single play. That's when I thought: I want to be like those players, to thrill people with my plays. In Italy, soccer is like a religion... parents push their children to play it. In one way or another, everyone has played soccer at least once."
Nishimura, curious, asks: "Did your parents sign you up for a soccer school or something?"
"Yes, of course. But I didn't like them. In Italy, the system in that area is too corrupt... that's why I found an alternative: playing in the street with my friends, having fun, expressing myself with the ball as I wanted."
"Street soccer, huh..."
"And you? How was your first encounter with this sport?"
"A bit similar to yours. I was watching the Champions League, the legendary 6-1 between Barcelona and PSG... I was amazed by Barcelona's style of play. Their ball possession was unreal."
"From what I saw in our game, you have a great touch and play intelligently... you clearly took inspiration from those great players."
"Exactly. My dream is to play for them..."
Riccardo smiles.
"Mine is to play for Juventus!"
Nishimura is surprised by Riccardo's confidence.
The bell rings again.
Nishimura stands up and Riccardo looks at him.
"Nishimura, we haven't known each other for long... but I've learned that in football it's easy to become friends, especially when you share similar dreams. And I think we're not the only ones. Probably the whole team has the same ambitions. That's why this year, and the years to come, we'll win everything, together!"
Nishimura, who had been watching him the whole time, comes over and offers him his fist.
"Of course. That was the goal from the beginning!"
Riccardo touches his fist with Nishimura's, smiling.
"Then let's do it!"