It was almost eight in the morning when Hiroto felt the sun on his face, and it was his mother who had opened the curtains to wake him up.
"It's time for you to have your breakfast and get ready for school, get up!" said his mother.
He quickly got up and ate his breakfast, which was scrambled eggs, one of his favorite foods. After finishing, he brushed his teeth, said goodbye to his mother, and started walking towards Sakuraba Middle School. After some time, he met Kei at the school gate.
"Hey, Hiroto, I know I've already said this, but I'm sorry!"
"You idiot, I already told you it's okay. That guy was provoking and talking trash the whole game. If it weren't for you, I would have dealt with him myself when he came at me in the penalty area. Besides, I saved that bastard's penalty," said Hiroto.
"Hahaha, changing the subject, have you decided which school you're going to apply to?" asked Kei.
"I'm thinking of applying to Tokiwadai High. Even though I might not get an invitation, I believe if I study hard enough, I can pass their test."
"Really, you're always among the top students in our school, even though you spend most of your time training in football or working out instead of studying. I believe you can make it. As for me, I'll be lucky if I get into a school with a half-decent football club. Maybe I should stop playing and focus solely on studying. I'm at best average," said Kei.
"Don't get discouraged. You've been keeping up with the training and studying as much as I have. Now, with the focus only on the entrance exams, I'm sure your grades will improve, and you'll get into a good school. After all, we all know the biggest challenge is passing the exam. Once you're in, you'll manage, you always have," said Hiroto, laughing.
"I hope so," said Kei. After finishing their conversation, the two boys headed to their respective classrooms. This time, Hiroto concentrated more than ever because he needed to pass not only the Tokiwadai High entrance exams but also the final exams at his current school, which were already on track due to his good results, as Kei had mentioned earlier. The class went on as usual, and after it ended, he went to the football club's locker room. Upon arriving, he saw Kinjiro, his first-year junior with messy black hair and a shy personality, who was his backup goalkeeper. Since the beginning of the year when Kinjiro joined, Hiroto had been helping him improve because he saw a lot of potential in him and wanted to ensure Sakuraba Middle School was in good hands.
"So, you came, Hiroto-Senpai."
"Yes, but I'm only here to help. From now on, you're the starting goalkeeper for Sakuraba Middle School."
"I don't know if I can fill your shoes. You were the pillar of this team, the main reason we got so far in the past years. I don't think I have what it takes to come close to that..." said Kinjiro,
"You're really good. You've improved a lot since you arrived. You just need to have more confidence in yourself," said Hiroto.
After the brief dialogue between Hiroto and Kinjiro, the team coach appeared in the locker room and was about to start his speech.
"Well, another season has passed. This was definitely the greatest this club has ever seen. It will be tough to maintain the level we've reached and even tougher to surpass it, but we'll work hard to achieve these goals. Besides, as everyone knows, your seniors will no longer be attending our practices, except for the captain, Hiroto Fukuda." After the coach's speech, the players began their daily training, with Hiroto focusing on helping Kinjiro, trying to polish the last few flaws he hadn't yet addressed. And so went Hiroto's last days, studying for the entrance exam and helping the football club during his free days until the big day of the Tokiwadai High exam arrived.
After his usual morning routine of waking up, eating breakfast, and taking a shower, Hiroto had to ask his parents to drive him to the test location, which was a partner school of Tokiwadai since it wasn't possible to gather all the students taking the test at Tokiwadai itself. Some were relocated to this school, which was Hiroto's case, and the place wasn't very close to his house. Upon arrival, he said goodbye to his parents, got out of the car, and saw a large number of students who had come to take the exam. He saw a board with various names and their respective rooms for the exam. Hiroto quickly found his name, which indicated he was to take the exam in room twelve. Since the school wasn't small, he asked a nearby janitor where room twelve was, and she pointed to the other side of the school, down a corridor to his left. He went to the room, sat in the last chair of the first row near the window, and waited for the exam to start while watching other students arrive. Eventually, a middle-aged woman entered the room, asked everyone to put their cell phones in a bag under the desk, and began handing out the test sheets and answer sheets. Surprisingly, Hiroto wasn't nervous. He wasn't the type to get nervous about things he was confident in, and he was sure he could pass this exam. So, he simply focused and started solving it, finishing a few minutes before the official end time. He handed it to the proctor, grabbed his cell phone, and left. Then, Hiroto called his parents to let them know he was done and they could come to pick him up. When his parents arrived and he got into the car, they asked him about the exam.
"How did it go?" his mother asked anxiously.
"Of course, it went well. Don't you trust your son?" said Hiroto.
"I told you you were worried for nothing," said his father.
"Thank God," his mother replied, relieved.
Now on vacation, Hiroto and his family went back home. All that was left for them was to wait for the results, which would be out in two weeks.
P.S. This isn't just a football story. Follow the next chapters to see what happens to Hiroto.