Makino clenched his hand so tightly that it turned white as he read the report on Kumiko’s phone. There, the scout gave an evaluation about him, and the boy felt like he was in a nice dream, waiting for someone to wake him up cruelly.

Evaluation: Tomoaki Makino possesses a solid defensive judgement and an above-average leadership quality. He is a smart player who can fill in so many roles, from being a traditional sweeper to the modern ball-playing defender. His past injury will be a great risk, and his physical attributes are also not up to standard.

Recommendation: A trial to see if he can adjust well enough against adults and more professional players.

Everything was short and concise. However, that only made it believable. Makino engraved everything he read there inside his heart, realizing that this was the first time someone was evaluating him from a professional perspective.

"Hell, even my past injury is getting dug out, huh?" The boy couldn’t help but mutter, glancing downward as his knee moved unconsciously. "But... If they have already researched this deeply, does that mean they value me quite highly? Dare I dream to say that they, the two best teams in Japan, were fighting for me?"

Honestly, this was just like a fever dream, one that was so strange that Makino still felt dizzy over it. However, no matter what he did, from shaking his head to asking to get slapped on the back of his head, nothing indicated that he was in a dream right now. After waiting patiently for about three years... Everything finally started to fall into pieces.

"Hey, hey, this is unfair!" Suddenly, someone decided to crash into this emotional party. Of course, the one who did that was Kenji, as the boy pouted hard right now. "Even Takaaki-senpai gets one, and yet, I get none?! I have already contributed to three goals so far, for God’s sake! Two goals against Toin Gakuen! One assist against Shohei High! What else do I need to do here?!"

Based on how he puffed his chest in annoyance, it was clear that the boy was fuming, and rightfully so. After all, he was the team’s best player on the first day, wreaking havoc upon Toin Gakuen’s defense. Unfortunately, his next two games were subpar, far from the standard he had already set on his own.

Still, it was always funny to see the boy getting so vexed like this, and some of them couldn’t help but snicker secretly. Well, not so secret, because the boy himself noticed it.

"Hey, there is nothing funny about it! This is so fucking unfair!" The boy started throwing a tantrum, glaring at everyone fiercely.

"Well, if you didn’t just sit on the front line and become a lazy bone, maybe someone will take a look at you!" Hori laughed his ass off at his friend.

"Yeah, and did you forget that Taiga Nagai got you in his pocket?!"

Once someone mentioned that, another round of laughter broke out. Kenji could only sigh helplessly, as indeed, his last performance was bad. Not just below the standard, but straight up terrible.

"Okay, Kenji-kun is indeed unlucky in this regard, but you all have to remember that he is just a freshman. He still has a long time to establish his name. Also, the tournament is not over yet for us, so he still has a chance to show off something."

Kenji’s ears perked up immediately as if he were a dog hearing its favorite words from its owner. The eagerness flashing in his eyes was so endearing that Kumiko couldn’t help but giggle more.

"So, what do I need to do here, Senpai?" Hiroshi suddenly asked, his tone unsure.

Even though he had always dreamed about this moment, the boy didn’t really know anything about professional football. So, once he was half a step into it already, the boy was so lost, not knowing how to take the final step to enter this circle. Makino also turned his full attention, because he was in the same boat here. Only Takaaki seemed a little bit indifferent, just listening with a slight curiosity.

"You have already known what to do, Takaaki?" Hori asked in surprise.

"Nah, but like what I said in the interview with Sawada-san earlier, I don’t really care about being a professional. I have already set my eyes on the medical department in Tohoku University, so I wouldn’t need it." The glasses boy shrugged.

This caught everyone off guard, but when they thought about it carefully, they just nodded in understanding. Unlike those scoundrels in the study, Takaaki was always the top student, leaving everyone in the dust.

This was not the first time he expressed his ambition to be a doctor, but this was definitely bigger, since another temptation was delivered straight in front of him. The fact that Takaaki could still be this calm only made the rest of the team admire his unwavering determination more.

"Well, it is good to have a proper plan for the future, but you can also listen to this explanation, Takaaki-kun," Kumiko said. Takaaki didn’t have any complaints, just nodding along before wiggling a little to make himself comfortable.

After this, the girl started explaining what she had already said to Higo a few days ago, from what to do in the trial, what they should pay attention to, and all the not-so-trivial things during the process. She also got them the standard physical measurements for the ordinary J1 League players, including their speed, endurance, bench press, and so much more. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The boys just had their mouths gaping wide, never expecting that wanting to enter a professional circle would be this complicated.

"A pro sure is a different kind of breed, huh?" Hori couldn’t help but sigh in melancholy.

Seeing that some boys were getting overwhelmed, Kumiko finally put down her phone, clapping her hands loudly. "Okay, that’s enough for now!" She spoke, startling the others. "Everything can wait at least later. For now, our biggest capital is this tournament, and we still have more games to play here! Let’s not overcomplicate things and face everything one by one, okay?"

The boys stared at each other for a moment, and their dazed state disappeared at that time. With a nod full of determination, they all shouted simultaneously, "Yes, Ma’am!"