"Now we begin the group stage draw. I call the captain of Nankatsu SC, representing Shizuoka, Tsubasa Ozora." said the official.
"I'm coming." said Tsubasa as he stood up and walked to the podium. He reached into the urn, drew a paper, and handed it to the official, who opened it. "For the group stage, Nankatsu SC will be position A in Group 1." the official announced.
Next, he called out again. "I now call the captain of Meiwa FC, representing Saitama, Kojiro Hyuga." Hyuga stepped onto the stage and drew a paper. "Meiwa FC will be position B in Group 1."
More draws followed.
"I now call the captain of Azumaichi FC, representing Osaka." It was finally my turn. I stood up from my seat and made my way to the podium. I reached into the urn, pulled out a paper, and handed it to the official."Azumaichi FC will be position B in Group 3." he announced.
The draw continued from there.
Later, we were back in our hotel rooms.
It was time to rest, because the next day would be the opening ceremony of the competition, held at the stadium where all the matches would take place, the Yomiuri Land Football Grounds.
The next day.
All the teams marched into the stadium, one after the other. Each captain held a placard with their team's name and the region they represented.
'There are way more people here than at the inter-club tournament.'
I walked in front, holding our placard. The crowd cheered from every corner of the stadium. We took our places in line beside the other teams, facing the main stage.
"Finally, the national tournament." Soda said behind me.
"Here are the 48 teams who won their qualifying rounds." the announcer said.
"For the players' oath, please welcome Tsubasa Ozora, captain of Nankatsu SC." a female announcer announced.
Tsubasa stepped up onto the stage and gave his speech. "I swear that, in accordance with the spirit of sportsmanship, we will all play with fair play! It was Nankastu SC's captain Tsubasa Ozora." He finished, and the crowd applauded.
After the ceremony, the first matches of the tournament were about to begin, including the highly anticipated one between Nankatsu SC and Meiwa FC. But since we weren't playing yet, I decided to head to the training grounds of the complex instead.
I was practicing my shots when someone interrupted me.
"Shin, I had a feeling you'd be here." Jun said as he approached.
We started talking, and I explained to him why I hadn't returned to Musashi. At one point, he said. "It's probably for the best that we're no longer on the same team."
He paused for a moment.
"What are you getting at?" I asked.
"Nothing really." he replied calmly. "I just wanted to tell you, we'll see each other in the final."
There was no arrogance in his tone. Just a quiet confidence.
"I see." I said, nodding in acknowledgment.
"Well, I better go or there won't be any seats left for the Nankatsu vs. Meiwa match." he said before walking off.
I was back in my hotel room after training, taking a shower, when I heard the final whistle of the match echoing faintly from the TV.
The commentator's voice rang out, announcing that the match had ended with a score of 7 to 6 in favor of Meiwa.
After getting dressed, I turned off the TV and got ready to head out for our own match. I met up with the team in the locker room.
"You should've seen it, Shin." Ide said, referring to the match between Tsubasa and Kojiro. "They're just as talented as you."
That last remark sparked a debate among the team, voices rising, opinions clashing, until Coach walked in and put an end to it.
"Calm down. It's not important right now. Get out on the field, it's time for our first group stage match." Coach said firmly.
With that, we headed to the pitch. The crowd wasn't as large as the one for the earlier match, but there were still plenty of spectators in the stands. Musashi FC was also playing at the same time, on a neighboring field.
Our opponent, Rakuzan, the team representing Kyoto Prefecture.
Right from the kickoff, the difference in level between the two teams became obvious.
I had the ball at my feet. Four Rakuzan players closed in on me, trying to shut me down. But with my footwork, I danced past one, then a second—the rest stumbled and hit the ground, leaving me one-on-one with the keeper.
I fired a shot right through his legs—goal.
"The genius! Orochi Shin scores straight out the gate!" the commentator shouted, nearly losing his voice from excitement.
That match was a slaughter.
After a failed play from the Rakuzan players, we quickly recovered the ball and launched a counterattack.
Ide lobbed a deep pass forward in my direction. I accelerated, completely leaving the defender chasing me behind, and struck a volley straight into the net—too fast for the keeper to even react.
"That's the second for Oro—" the commentator started before coughing, then finished. "—Orochi!"
The rest of the match followed the same momentum.
We dominated every phase of the game and walked away with a 7–0 victory. I finished with 3 goals and 3 assists to my name.
From their side, Musashi, who were facing Jogan, won their match 8–0.
The next day, the group stage matches continued, with goals pouring in from all sides. We were dominating our group just like Musashi and Hanawa were in theirs. Hanawa weren't in Group 1, which featured Meiwa and Nankatsu.
[Kaori Matsumoto's POV]
"After two days of the tournament, we've seen all the potential recruits." my assistant said.
"You're forgetting the absence of Genzo Wakabayashi, the goalkeeper from Nankatsu SC." I reminded him.
"Ah, right."
"Last year, he led Shutetsu to the title without conceding a single goal." I pointed out.
"You're right. What's your take on the midfielders?" he asked.
"Taro Misaki from Nankatsu and Hikaru Matsuyama from Furano made a strong impression. And there's Takeshi Sawada from Meiwa, still a bit young, but he could be ready in two years."
"Hikaru Matsuyama lacks some technical finesse." he said.
I interrupted "True, but his leadership is far above average. He led an average team all the way to the national tournament. Technical skill can be refined once he joins us."
"I'll make a note of that." he replied.
"But to be completely honest, the standout midfielder is Jun Misugi from Musashi FC." I added.
"Absolutely." he agreed.
"I have three strikers in mind, Tsubasa Ozora from Nankatsu SC, Kojiro Hyuga from Meiwa FC and of course
Orochi Shin from Azumaichi FC."