Thirty minutes later,
Yusuke stepped in front of the door.
A cold, metallic surface.
A small panel lit up.
B25
shhhk
The sliding door opened.
"Ok… room B25…" Yusuke muttered, walking in.
The room was wide.
Clean.
White metal walls, just like his gym.
Ten people were already inside.
All of them turned their heads at the same time.
Yusuke stopped for a second.
Then walked forward like it didn't matter.
The first one he noticed stood near the center.
Short dark blue hair. Sharp eyes. Calm face.
He wore a tight black training shirt with thin blue lines running down the sides, and fitted shorts.
Lean build. Not flashy.
But his eyes were focused.
"Riku Aozora," he said quietly.
Next to him stood someone completely different.
Tall.
Huge.
Buzz cut.
A scar cut across his eyebrow.
He wore a sleeveless black top, arms fully exposed, veins visible. His shorts were loose.
"Daigo Kuroda."
His voice was rough.
"Don't get in my way."
Leaning against the wall was a guy who looked half asleep.
Messy black hair. Droopy eyes.
He wore a loose oversized shirt and slightly longer shorts.
"Ren Ishida…"
He barely spoke.
A guy with blonde hair tied into a short ponytail stepped forward slightly.
Athletic build. Confident posture.
His outfit was clean and fitted.
"Haruto Shimizu."
He smirked.
"Try to keep up."
Off to the side, adjusting his glasses, was a more serious looking guy.
Neat brown hair. Straight posture.
His training outfit looked perfectly aligned.
"Keisuke Moriyama."
His voice was calm.
"I've already analyzed most of you."
A loud laugh filled the room.
"HAHA… this is gonna be fun."
Spiky red hair. Sharp grin.
He wore a sleeveless top, showing off a lean build.
"Jin Takeda."
He pointed at Yusuke.
"Hope you can score, pretty boy."
Near the back stood someone quieter.
Light silver hair. Soft eyes.
Slim build.
His outfit was simple.
"Sora Minato."
He gave a small nod.
"Nice to meet you."
Then there was a giant.
Dark skin. Shaved head.
Massive build.
Easily the tallest in the room.
He wore a heavy training vest.
"Tetsu Arakawa."
He didn't say anything else.
Next to him stood someone more balanced.
Medium length black hair tied loosely.
Athletic build.
His outfit looked flexible.
"Yuki Hayashi."
He crossed his arms.
"I can play anywhere."
And finally…
A guy with messy brown hair and a constant smirk.
Slim build. Sharp eyes.
His outfit looked slightly off compared to the others.
"Kaito Fujimori."
He chuckled.
"This should be interesting."
Silence filled the room.
Ten pairs of eyes.
Now eleven.
All focused.
All judging.
Yusuke stepped further in.
Hands in his pockets.
Not impressed.
Not nervous.
Just bored.
"…Is this it?" he muttered.
The door behind him slid shut.
shhhk
Room B25 was complete.
Yusuke stepped further into the room.
No one spoke for a second.
Then
"Tch… so this is it?" Jin Takeda cracked his neck, stepping forward with a grin. "These are the guys we're stuck with?"
"Stuck with?" Haruto Shimizu smirked. "Relax. You won't be here long if you can't keep up."
Jin's grin widened. "You talking to me?"
"Obviously."
"Say that again."
"I said you won't last."
The air tightened instantly.
Daigo Kuroda let out a low laugh. "Good. Finally someone with a mouth. Thought this room was full of nobodies."
"You wanna test that?" Jin snapped, stepping closer.
Daigo didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
He looked down at him slightly.
"Anytime."
"Oi, oi…" Kaito Fujimori chuckled from the side, hands in his pockets. "We just got here and you guys are already trying to kill each other. At least wait till there's a ball."
"Shut up," Jin said.
"Nah, I'm good."
"You think this is a joke?"
"It kinda is," Kaito shrugged. "Random teams, survival system… sounds like a game to me."
"It's not a game," Keisuke Moriyama cut in, adjusting his glasses. "Statistically speaking, half of you will be eliminated early based on poor adaptability."
"…What?" Haruto frowned.
"I've already observed your body language," Keisuke continued. "Aggressive types like him," he pointed at Jin, "tend to struggle when paired with slower decision makers. That leads to forced plays, which leads to losses."
Jin stared at him.
"…You got a problem with me?"
"I'm stating facts."
"Say that again and I'll knock your glasses off."
"Violence would only prove my point."
"Try me."
"Tch…" Ren Ishida sighed from the wall, barely opening his eyes. "You guys are loud."
"Then cover your ears," Haruto shot back.
Ren scratched his head. "Or you could just shut up."
"That's rich coming from someone who looks half dead," Haruto said.
"…I just don't care."
"Then why are you here?"
Ren finally looked at him.
"…Same reason as everyone else."
Silence hit for a split second.
Then
"You think you're all that, huh?" Haruto stepped forward slightly.
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
Sora Minato raised his hands a little. "Hey… maybe we should calm down a bit. We don't even know how this works yet."
"No," Jin said instantly. "This is perfect."
He pointed around the room.
"This is competition. I don't need teammates. I just need to be better than all of you."
Daigo smirked. "Good mindset."
"Of course it is."
"But you're still not better than me."
Jin's eyes sharpened. "You wanna test that right now?"
"I already said. Anytime."
The tension spiked again.
Yuki Hayashi leaned against the wall, watching everything quietly.
"…This is messy," he muttered.
Tetsu Arakawa stood still, arms at his sides, towering over most of them.
He hadn't said a single word.
But his presence alone made a few people keep their distance.
"Oi."
All of them paused.
Riku Aozora finally spoke.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it cut through everything.
"You're all wasting time."
Everyone looked at him.
He stepped forward slightly, eyes calm.
"If this system is real… then talking won't matter."
"…What are you getting at?" Haruto asked.
Riku's gaze shifted slightly.
"…We'll see who's better soon enough."
Silence.
That line landed.
"…Tch."
Jin clicked his tongue.
"Fine. I'll just prove it on the field."
"You better," Daigo replied.
"Same to you."
Kaito chuckled again. "Man, this is gonna be fun."
Keisuke adjusted his glasses. "Assuming any of you survive long enough."
"Still talking?" Jin snapped.
"Still observing."
"You're annoying."
"I'm correct."
"Say that one more time "
"…Is this all you guys do?"
Everyone paused.
Yusuke.
He hadn't said anything until now.
He stood there, hands still in his pockets.
Looking bored.
"…Just talk?"
Jin frowned. "What?"
"If that's it…" Yusuke turned slightly. "…then this place is already disappointing."
The room went quiet.
Haruto narrowed his eyes. "You think you're better than us?"
Yusuke didn't answer.
Didn't need to.
That alone pissed them off more.
"Oi," Jin stepped forward. "Say something."
"…Why?" Yusuke replied.
"…What?"
"You'll see it anyway."
That was it.
No emotion.
No effort.
Just confidence.
The tension hit its peak.
Everyone was on edge.
Ready to snap.
Ready to prove something.
And right then…
The wall at the end of the room lit up.
A giant screen activated.
All heads turned.
The man from before appeared.
Same blank expression.
Same calm eyes.
Kumara.
"…Okay."
He looked at them.
All eleven of them.
"…How about we get started?"