The days after the announcement felt strange.
Everything started moving too fast for Nagi to catch up.
One morning, a letter came.
"Mom! A letter!" Sho, Nagi's little brother, yelled from downstairs.
Nagi was still in bed, face buried in his pillow. He didn't want to move. He hadn't even brushed his teeth yet.
"What is it?" their mom asked, walking out of the kitchen.
Sho handed her the letter. "It has that school logo! The one on the news!"
Her eyes widened. "It says… he's leaving soon? There's a press conference too?"
Nagi groaned and slowly got out of bed, scratching his belly.
He walked downstairs. "What's going on now...?"
"You're going!" his mom waved the letter like it was a winning lottery ticket. "They're sending a car soon! Go get ready!"
"Wait—what car? What do you mean I'm going? I haven't even packed anything!"
"You should've packed days ago!" Sho said with a smirk, then grinned. "Don't forget to bring me back souvenirs from there, huh?"
Before Nagi could argue, his mom dragged him upstairs to get his things.
Later, after a rushed breakfast, a black car came and stopped in front of their house.
Sho waved like he was sending his brother off to war. "Good luck, traveler! Hope they don't kick you out!"
"Not helping," Nagi muttered.
Nagi spent two nights in a hotel in Tokyo before the press meeting. It was quiet, cold, and kind of boring. The TV only showed news about the school.
Now, he stood in front of a tall white building with his suitcase. He wore a plain hoodie and old sneakers.
He had no idea what to expect.
"Just stand there, look normal," he muttered to himself. "I'm fucking nervous."
Two other people were already waiting.
The girl stood straight, her hair neatly clipped back. Her suitcase looked expensive. Her clothes were too clean. Too neat.
She saw him and gave a polite smile. "You must be Nagi Kashiwagi. I'm Hina Aoyama."
"Uh… y-yeah. Nice to meet you," he said, almost choking on the words.
She's prettier in person, huh? Well, that's what you'd expect from an actress.
He already knew who she was—Hina Aoyama. Actress. From what he knew, she made her debut at age five and was active, until now.
Before he could say anything else, the other guy turned around.
He had messy brown hair and a huge grin on his face.
"Oh, hey! You're Nagi, right?"
Nagi blinked. "Uh… yeah?"
The guy walked over and slapped him on the back so hard Nagi almost dropped his suitcase.
Riku Takanashi. A basketball guy who brought his team to the nationals. He also played in various international competitions.
"I'm Riku Takanashi!"
"I… yeah. I know who you are."
"Everyone's been talking about us three. But mostly about you, actually," Riku said with a laugh.
"…Me?"
"Yup! Online's full of posts like: 'Who the heck is Nagi Kashiwagi?' 'Some random dude got picked?!' You're basically a mystery."
Seriously? That's what people are saying? Mystery guy?
"Don't tease him," Hina said softly, arms crossed. "He probably feels nervous already."
"I'm not teasing! Just saying what I saw."
"Still," she said with a sigh. "Try to be nicer."
Before more awkwardness could happen, the doors opened.
A man in a black suit stepped outside. "You three—come in. The press is waiting."
They were led to a large white room with bright lights. Cameras everywhere.
Reporters lining up.
Nagi's stomach felt weird. Like it was doing flips.
Riku went first.
He waved to the crowd like a celebrity, made some jokes, and talked about world peace and basketball like it was the easiest thing in the world. Everyone laughed.
Next was Hina.
She spoke clearly and politely. Talked about learning different cultures and growing as a person. Everyone nodded, impressed.
Then…
"Nagi Kashiwagi. Please step forward."
Oh no. It's my turn. Why do I feel like I'm going to throw up?
He walked slowly to the mic. The lights were so bright. He squinted.
"Mr. Kashiwagi," a reporter asked, "what do you think made them choose you? Many students had better grades, achievements, and skills."
Another added, "Do you feel ready to represent Japan, even without a known background?"
Nagi froze.
His brain was blank. Completely blank.
Say something. Say anything.
"I… I don't really know," he said quietly. "I guess… maybe I got lucky?"
Awkward silence.
No clapping. No smiles. Just scribbles in notebooks and some typing.
Later that night, while sitting in his hotel room, Nagi saw an article online.
"Japan Sends Two Stars… and One Nobody?"
He stared at the screen.
In the next room, he heard Riku laughing loudly. Hina was talking to someone on the phone.
Nagi leaned on the window and stared at the city lights.
So this is how it starts, huh?
One star. One athlete. And me… the extra guy. The mystery. The "nobody."
He sighed and flopped onto the bed.
Whatever. I'll just play along with these guys. It's not I plan to make friends anyway.
They probably don't want to talk to me much either.
Yeah. Let's just get this over with.