Yusuke looked up.
The wall at the end of the room lit up, turning into a massive screen. Kumara appeared on it, standing the same way as before, hands behind his back, expression blank.
"…Okay," he said.
"…how about we get started?"
The room went quiet instantly.
At the same time, across the entire facility, the same broadcast played in every room.
"You are all now inside the facility," Kumara continued.
"This structure floats 5,000 meters above the ground."
A diagram appeared beside him, showing the massive circular building.
"You will live here. You will train here. You will compete here."
"No one leaves until they are eliminated or reach the top."
Some of the players shifted slightly.
"This program does not care about your past. Your teams, your records, your reputation."
"All of it is meaningless here."
His eyes stayed cold.
"From this moment forward, you start at zero."
No one spoke.
"To evaluate your current level, we will begin with a simple test."
The floor beneath them suddenly lit up. Bright white lines spread across the ground, forming a full indoor soccer field. The walls adjusted, expanding the space slightly, and two goals rose from the ground at each end.
Some players took a step back, surprised.
"You will now play a 5 versus 5 match."
Murmurs spread immediately.
"In each room, there are eleven players."
"That means one of you will not participate."
The room went silent again.
"You will decide who that is."
That part hit harder than anything else.
"This is not a team based evaluation."
A small screen appeared above the field, showing empty stat slots.
"Your performance will be tracked individually."
"Goals. Assists. Movement. Decision making. Adaptability."
"If you perform well, you rise."
"If you perform poorly, you fall."
Keisuke stared at the screen, already thinking.
"Winning helps, but it does not guarantee a high evaluation," Kumara continued.
"You are not here to rely on others. You are here to prove your value."
A short pause.
"And remember. One loss puts you at risk. Two losses in a row eliminates you."
The weight of it settled in.
"This match will determine your starting position."
"Your first impression."
"And your place in this system."
Kumara looked directly forward.
"Begin."
The screen went dark.
The room stayed lit.
The field was fully formed.
The goals stood ready.
The ball had not dropped yet.
For a second, no one moved.
Then Jin stepped forward.
"…Finally."
Daigo rolled his shoulders. "About time."
Yuki looked around. "We need to decide who sits out."
No one volunteered.
"Not me," Haruto said instantly.
"Same," Jin added.
Kaito laughed. "Yeah, I didn't come all this way to watch."
"I require participation," Keisuke said. "It's necessary for evaluation."
"…I want to play too," Sora said quietly.
Tetsu stepped forward without saying anything.
That alone made it clear.
Everyone planned to play.
All eyes slowly turned.
Yusuke.
He stood there, hands in his pockets, looking like he didn't care.
"…What?" he said.
"You don't seem that interested," Haruto said. "You can sit out."
Yusuke looked at him for a second.
"…Or you can try make me."
The room went quiet.
Jin smirked.
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear."
"We vote," Yuki said. "Fastest way."
No one argued.
Hands started going up.
Some people hesitated, some didn't.
In the end, one name had the most.
Ren.
"…Oh," Ren said, blinking slowly.
"You barely said anything," Haruto shrugged.
"Low presence," Keisuke added.
Kaito grinned. "Unlucky."
Ren scratched his head.
"…Alright."
No anger.
No complaints.
He walked to the side and leaned against the wall.
"…I'll watch."
A screen appeared above the field again.
"Teams will now be assigned."
Names shuffled rapidly.
Then stopped.
Team A: Yusuke, Jin, Sora, Yuki, TetsuTeam B: Daigo, Haruto, Riku, Keisuke, Kaito
"Positions are not assigned. Adapt."
The screen disappeared.
A ball dropped from above and landed in the center of the field.
thud
Everyone's eyes locked onto it.
Yusuke started walking forward.
Jin stood beside him, cracking his neck.
"…Don't slow me down," Jin said.
"…Then keep up," Yusuke replied.
Across from them, Daigo stepped forward with a slight grin. Haruto stood next to him, focused now. Riku stayed a bit behind, already watching everything closely.
The tension filled the entire room.
No referee.
No whistle.
Just the ball.
And eleven players ready to prove themselves.
A voice echoed through the room.
"Begin."
The match started.