Yopy slumped onto his bed, phone in hand. The screen displayed a new message from the academy's official app. Curious, he opened it and read calmly:
"Since you are not registered in any team, we have assigned you to a random one."
Yopy sighed, scrolling down to see the name of his team.
Yopy - Star Trail, huh? Not bad... It kind of sounds like the Trials' name... Alright, let's see who's on the team.
He skimmed through the list and spotted the first name:
Akito - Rank 89 out of 1000.
Yopy - Wow... already in the top 100...
Then came his own name:
Yopy - Rank 862 out of 1000.
He grimaced.
Yopy - Great... I feel like a penalty for them already.
Next, he saw:
Raizou - Rank 243 out of 1000.
Yopy - Not bad. Keeps climbing...
And finally:
Kanna - Rank 118 out of 1000.
Yopy - They're all over 100 ranks above me... I'm definitely going to slow them down.
He put the phone aside and burrowed under his blankets.
Yopy - Guess I'll find out tomorrow.
He closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.
The next morning, Yopy managed to wake up on time, though still half-asleep. He yawned continuously on his way to class, his hair messier than usual. The streets leading to the academy were already bustling, but Yopy shuffled along, battling drowsiness.
Entering the classroom, he saw several groups forming—likely the already established teams.
Yopy - They all look so organized... I could check the app to see what my teammates look like... but honestly, too much effort.
He chose a seat at the back of the room and slumped into it. The lively chatter around him faded into the background as his eyelids began to droop.
Suddenly, a friendly voice startled him awake:
Akito - Hey!
Yopy jolted, surprised to find a boy sitting right next to him.
Yopy - Huh?! When did you get here?!
Akito - Just now. What, did I scare you?
Still shaken, Yopy stared at him.
Yopy - I didn't even hear him sit down... is he fast or something?
Akito pulled out his phone and showed Yopy the academy's message.
Akito - We're on the same team—Star Trail. I'm Akito.
Yopy nodded.
Yopy - I'm Yopy. So, you didn't have a team either?
Akito grinned.
Akito - Exactly. No friends… well, I have friends. You? Not so sure.
Yopy's expression didn't change despite the jab.
Akito - Alright, enough jokes. I want to gather all our team members before class starts. You were the easiest to find.
Yopy raised an eyebrow.
Yopy - Honestly, if I'd been anywhere else, you wouldn't have found me at all.
Akito laughed before suggesting:
Akito - Come on, let's find the others before class begins.
Yopy shrugged.
Yopy - Why not...
They left the classroom, with Yopy lazily trailing behind Akito, who seemed to know exactly where to go.
In the courtyard, they spotted a group of girls chatting in a circle.
Yopy - If one of them's on the team, no way I'm walking up to that many girls.
Akito burst out laughing.
Akito - Shy, huh? Don't worry, I've got this.
Before Yopy could respond, Akito had already approached the group. Yopy sighed and waited at a distance.
A few moments later, Akito returned with a girl who looked visibly annoyed.
Akito - Yopy, meet Kanna.
Kanna crossed her arms and immediately began complaining.
Kanna - I hate being disturbed for no reason. And why am I stuck in a team with strangers, huh?! Seriously, what kind of lousy organization is this?!
Yopy raised an eyebrow.
Yopy - This is off to a great start...
Akito laughed.
Akito - And we haven't even met everyone yet.
Kanna continued her tirade, but they decided to search for the final member. On their way back to class, they spotted a loud student stirring up trouble around him.
Akito - That's definitely Raizou.
They approached him, and Akito called out:
Akito - Hey, Raizou, right? We're on the same team.
Raizou eyed them before smirking arrogantly.
Raizou - Oh, great. Lucky you guys have me. But if you slow me down, I'll leave you behind. And you...
He pointed at Kanna.
Raizou - If you want to fight, I'm ready. But if you die, not my problem.
Fuming, Kanna shot back:
Kanna - You want me to crush you, don't you?! I don't need a deadweight like you on my team!
Yopy watched the chaos unfold with a blank expression.
Yopy - At least my team's entertaining…
Akito suddenly appeared between them.
Akito - Calm down, we're on the same team. Let's try to get along.
Raizou raised an eyebrow.
Raizou - Who are you? You just appeared out of nowhere.
Akito grinned.
Akito - The guy who'll stop your team from killing each other. Now, let's all sit together—the class is about to start.
Surprisingly, both Kanna and Raizou agreed, albeit reluctantly.
During class, everyone behaved differently. Raizou spent his time chatting with the students behind him. Kanna multitasked, taking notes while scrolling through social media. Akito, to Yopy's surprise, was also chatting but seemed to follow the lecture.
Yopy - I thought he was serious... guess not.
At the end of the lecture, the teacher made an announcement:
Teacher - Tomorrow, practical training begins. Enough talking—time to take action. Good luck!
Raizou looked thrilled by the news.
Akito turned to his teammates.
Akito - Let's exchange numbers and make a group chat.
Despite Kanna's grumbling, they all agreed.
Back at home, Yopy, with nothing else to do, opened the group chat. It was already active a heated argument between Kanna and Raizou, with Akito egging them on.
Yopy - I don't understand this guy…
He sent a simple message:
Good evening.
Seconds later, he was bombarded with insults and death threats, likely jokes.
Yopy sighed.
Yopy - These people are crazy… might as well sleep.
He put his phone down and fell asleep, ready to face whatever the next day would bring.