Ari was silent, his whole mood was ruined now by what Elaine said to him. So he just focused on funding his wat across the grounds of Yoshimura high. He was heading towards the Pavilion with the trusty guidebook in his hands.
The determination that had crystallized after Elaine's dismissal burned steadily in his chest, but his legs. Ahh his legs, they were still sore from two weeks of brutal training. It reminded him with every step that determination alone wouldn't be enough.
The walk was way longer than the map led Ari to believe.
Yoshimura's campus spread across what felt like several city blocks, and the Pavilion was apparently situated at the far edge of the athletics complex. Past the academic buildings, past the dormitories, past a recreational center.
The rainy weather was now just a light tapping drizzle. It rained very well in Yoshimura.
By the time Ari saw the Pavilion in the distance, his thighs were burning and he was questioning every life choice that had led him here.
The building was *massive*. It wasn't as big as the First-Year-Den or the Male Dorm building but it was still very very large. And way more condensed. Those locations had several more buildings they spread out to.
Sure the pavilion was also not a single building but like 3 or 4. The point was each of them especially the main one which Ari stood in front of were very large and just made him pause and want to stare.
It looked like something straight out of a futuristic sports movie: stainless smooth curves and steel-frame glass panels, with the Yoshimura crest emblazoned above the entrance in letters that had to be three meters tall. The structure radiated an AURA of athletic supremacy, of championships. Grand. Grand and Awe.
Ari took a deep shaky breath then he faced forward, squared his shoulders, and walked through the front doors.
The interior was just as impressive—high ceilings, polished floors that reflected the overhead lighting. trophy cases lining the walls. And standing near the entrance, seemingly absorbed in his phone, was a guy who made Ari feel small.
Which was saying something, considering Ari was 6'6".
This person had to be at least 6'9". Built like a professional, muscular and ripped. He had clear layers of visible muscle on his arms, chest, all over. He wore a white Nike top that was clean and neat, paired with deep red Nike pants.
His hair was a short dark brown with wild spiky strands. Olive skin, mature masculine facial features. Not very Japanese looking. Dark brown eyes that hadn't looked up from his phone screen even once since Ari entered.
[HOST HAS 0 PRESENCE WHATSOEVER]
Ari recognized him immediately. One of the best centres in the Niigata Prefacture: Norikai Yori, Yoshimura's center and Assistant Captain. One of the best high school big men in the prefecture.
And he was playing what looked like a mobile game (Trojan War) completely oblivious to Ari's existence.
[THAT IS 6'10" OF PURE ATHLETIC SUPERIORITY]
[HE COULD MOST LIKELY BENCH PRESS YOU]
[MULTIPLE TIMES]
[YOU KNOW CAUSE YOU WEIGH LIKE 10 POUNDS]
"Shut u... I know", Ari muttered under his breath. He really needed to start gaining weight. That is if he actually gets on the team
Ari looked around the entrance area, searching for some kind of registration desk or obvious place to sign up. Nothing. Just Yori and his phone and the vague sense that Ari was already out of his depth.
"Should I... ask him?" Ari whispered.
[NO]
...........
"Then...what do I do..."
...........
Ari stared at the empty air. Waiting for that golden and blue and orange translucent text to come into view.
...........
Nothing did.
.........
He waited some more.
...........
Till he cursed under his breath realising the system was being intentionally difficult.
So he approached slowly, each step felt like walking toward a predator that might notice him at any moment. When he got within a few feet, he cleared his throat. "Um. Excuse me?"
Yori's thumb kept moving across his phone screen. Didn't even glance up.
"Hello? Sorry to bother you, but I need to register for the basketball team."
"The Team manager." Yori's voice was deeper than Ari expected, calm but with like a deep dry well. Larger people always had deeper voices. And the sound of it made Ari almost squeal inside... turning red and self conscious of the weak thing he called a voice.
Yori still hadn't looked up from his game when he said, "Office through that door, second one on the left."
"Oh. Thank you."
"Mm." Yori's character on screen apparently did something impressive because he smiled slightly, completely invested in whatever digital battle he was fighting.
It wasn't that Yori had looked down on Ari, exactly. It was that Yori hadn't really *registered* him at all. Ari was just another young boy trying out, mediocre, not worth the effort of eye contact or apparently even polite conversation. There's 200 more like him.
It was worse than open dismissal.
Ari found the office easily enough, second door on the left, just like Yori had said. The door was open, and inside Ari went. The team manager was a girl. Which shouldn't have been surprising, plenty of teams had female managers. Just, Ari hadn't expected... this
He saw a girl sitting on a desk and on her keyboard on a mouse.
The girl's hair was a natural dark purple that fell in soft waves past her shoulders. Her facial features were delicate, he could tell as her eyes warmed over on whatever she was working on in her laptop.
She had smooth healthy tan skin. Definitely Japanese with her eyes being narrower than normal and being a deep purple colour laid upon charming apple cheeks.
She was tall for a girl, maybe 5'8", with an athletic build that...
The girl before him was more beautiful than Elaine, Ari thought distantly. Which he hadn't thought was possible. Or maybe that's just because Elaine was now a villain in his mind.
She looked up from her laptop as he entered, and her attention focused on him. Only him. That gaze made Ari's prepared greeting evaporate from his brain.
"Hi," he managed. Or tried to. It came out more like "h-hi" with a stutter he didn't mean to include.
She smiled warmly. "Hello. Are you here for tryout registration?"
"Yes. Registration. For basketball." Why was he like this? "Tryouts. Tomorrow."
[I FEEL EMBARRASSED JUST BEING YOUR SYSTEM]
The words were like a painful skin peeling light as the message stood in Ari's left line of sight.
The beautiful purple head still had her natural polite smile."Good. I'm Runa Mizuhara, I'm the team manager. You are?"
"Toru Ari. First year. Nice to meet you Runa-senpai."
*Toru Ari? What a strange name*
"Nice to meet you too." She pulled out a clipboard with blank forms. "Let's get you registered. This is a player profile
Basic information. Your full name, class, age, position, and..." She pointed to a line at the bottom. "Your playstyle in one sentence."
Ari took the form and pen, grateful for something to do with his hands besides letting them hang awkwardly at his sides. He filled out the basics quickly:
Full Name:Toru Ari
Class: 1-C
Age:16
Height:(to be measured)
Weight:(to be measured)
Position:Wing/Forward
Playstyle: Flexible scorer with a high basketball IQ
He stared at the last line for a moment. Was that accurate? He had a high basketball IQ of [72]. But his actual scoring ability was still terrible. Was he lying on an official form?
[IT IS CALLED ASPIRATIONAL BRANDING]
[YOUR IQ IS HIGH]
[YOUR SCORING WILL CATCH UP]
He handed the form back to Runa who'd been waiting patiently and was clearly eager to read it. Her perfectly trimmed dark purple eyebrows raised at "flexible scorer" but she didn't comment. It's not that he didn't look like a whatever scorer. It's that he didn't look like a scorer at all.
"Simple sentence." She said dropping the form on her desk and walking past AriToru. "Now we need measurements. Step over here, please."
Beside Runa was a stadiometer. It came with its own scale. A medical height-weight measurement device doctors use to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). Runa gestured for him to step on the platform. Ari complied, standing as straight as possible. Trying not to think about how close Runa was when she leaned in to adjust the measuring bar down to his head.
She smelled like something floral and clean. Her hair brushed against his shoulder as she carefully positioned the bar on top of his head. Ari stared very intently at the wall, fighting for his life to maintain his cool, aloof, goth aesthetic.
"198 centimeters exactly," Runa announced, before marking it down on the form . "And..." She leaned down to check the digital scale reading. "76.6 kilograms."
She finally stepped away, and Ari could breathe again. Barely.
"That's very lean, but not malnourished," she observed, her tone was none judgemental. But it didn't stop the words from creeping into AriToru's psyche.
He was dying inside. "Ma... malnourished?"
[SHE SAID NOT MALNOURISHED]
*I know what she said*, That was when Ari realised he could speak directly to the system by just using his thoughts. *I really need to build muscle system*.
[WELL DUH]
[BUT FOCUS ON ACTUALLY GETTING ON THE TEAM]
[THEN I'LL TURN YOU TO HULK]
She opened up a large book. He saw names pass by as each page was flipped quickly.
Then she handed it to him. It was a register made of beautiful parchment paper. It looked like a grimoire.
a long list of names, maybe fifty already written in that one page "Sign here to officially register. The tryouts start at 11 AM tomorrow in the basketball wing of the pavilion," She paused almost waiting for Ari to finish signing in his name so she got his full attention, "Wear athletic clothes, there'll be water there so no need to bring any but...your choice aaaand be prepared for two to three hours of evaluation. That's...for the first day."
Ari was confused. She really was the team manager. She had so much vigor.
He handed the grimoire back to her. There it was. Official. He was registered for the Yoshimura High School basketball team draft tryouts.
"Thank you," he said, meaning it. "I feel more confident now."
But Ari cringed inside realising that the prior reason he was feeling more unease was because of..... *Ugh...that little blonde senpai. Miss perfect student assistant*...was because of Elaine de Vries.
Runa smiled again. Such a warm expression that would make even the most hopeless person feel like they mattered m "Of course. Good luck tomorrow, Toru-kun. I'll be interested to see what you can do."
There was something in the way she said it, not dismissive like Elaine, not indifferent like Yori, but genuinely curious. Like Runa saw something in him that other people hadn''t.
Or maybe he was just desperate for validation and reading too much into her kind professional courtesy.
Either way, he left the office feeling slightly calmer than when he entered.
Ari walked past what he hopes would be his future assistant captain. When Ari was long gone, Yori looked up from his phone, glancing toward Runa who had a beaming expression on her beautiful visage. "You seem impressed?"
Runa walked towards him leaning against a desk, looking at Ari's player profile. "Yah. He gave me the creeps."
Yori's expression was pinched before he replied with skepticism, "The creeps? The tall awkward boy who could barely form sentences?"
"Exactly." She tapped the paper thoughtfully. "Not in a bad way...but it's the same feeling I get when we play one of the Ice Five"
"Thats—", Yoris eyes opened in shock. "That's a big assumption."
"You're reading too much into"
"His eyes." Runa's voice was quiet but certain. "They're intense. Like he's beyond everything, seeing and hearing things I can't." Runa shivered in excitement. The only thing that ever got her actually excited and not just amused was basketball. Particularly meeting those terrifying ones.
Yori shrugged and returned to his game. "If you say so. I bet two minutes into tryouts before he realizes he's out of his depth."
"Maybe." Runa smiled slightly excitedly. "Or maybe not. Either way..." She looked at Ari's name on the registration list. "It'll be interesting."
"Weirdo."
"Say that again Norikai-senpai." She purred dangerously.
Yori being a man who'd never back down...ever. Much less from his junior. He stressed it slowly this time, while playing his game. "Weirdo"
"___Oh... terrible mistake." Runa used her hands staying on her tip toes just to reach his stupidly tall face and cover his eyes. "Hehe", she laughed like a rascal.
"What?__GET OFF...Runa!!" Yori's character died with the cursed UI showing restart or exist to main menu
"Runa! You distracted me on purpose!"
"No shit Yori" She laughed, ducking away as Yori lunged at her, his large frame knocking over a chair in the process. "You should be more focused! Like Toru-kun! He seems very focused!"
"I'm going to throw you"
"Oh I'm so scared"
Their bickering rolled through the empty entrance of the pavilion as Runa danced away from Yori's half-hearted attempts at revenge, both of them laughed like the rich successful friends.
Meanwhile, AriToru was lost.
Not totally because he at least knew he was still in Yoshimura.
But He'd somehow ended up in a section of castle-like buildings he didn't recognize. The guidebook map was less helpful than advertised when you weren't sure which building you were currently behind.
[NAVIGATION CHALLENGE: FAILED]
[YOU GOT LOST BETWEEN THE PAVILION AND YOUR DORM]
Ari groaned. He felt like zoro from one piece. "It's a big campus"
[IT HAS SIGNS]
[AND MAPS]
[AND YOUR PHONE HAS GPS]
Ari was about to argue as he turned a corne_
TRUSH
He hit the pavement hard and landed directly on his tailbone. A tailbone that took most of the impact.
Pain shot up his lower spine as AriToru looked up, disoriented, at the person who'd just knocked a 6'6" teenager flat on his ass.
He didn't collide with someone. Someone collided with him.
The first thing Ari could make out were blood red eyes.
The boy standing above him was... striking. Handsome in an aggressive way sharp facial features. Wild wild eyes. Much more muscular than Ari. Violent athletcisim.
The boy was wearing the school's full tracksuit—plain dark blue with two white stripes running down the sides.His hair was bright brown, almost blonde, permed and cropped at the sides with falling bangs that were turned into spikes.
The boy was looking down at Ari on the ground, hands in his pockets. His facial expression was as calm as a Hindu cow.
Not apologetic. Not concerned. Just.... literally looking down at him.
Then their eyes met. The searing forsaken void met the Raging Blood-Red. And AriToru felt something electric pass between them. Hot, sharp and combative
The boy scoffed aggressively. DISMISSAL. And walked away without offering a hand up nor did he acknowledge that he'd just knocked someone over.
Ari sat there on the ground, watching him leave.
CRASH
Ari's hands gripped the grassy ground so hard he felt the leafs give in to his claws. His teeth chattered violently against eachother.
This place. These people. The competition, the challenge, the impossibility of it all—
*This just keeps getting better and better.*
Then he noticed the girls.
A group of girls. 7 or 8. They came out of freaking nowhere, following the red eyed boy like he was a celebrity and they were paparazzi. They whispered to each other, giggled then cast looks back at Ari who was still sitting on the ground. Their expressions only made him more mad, equal parts of pity and entertainment
[FANCLUB DETECTED]
[THEY THINK YOU ARE PATHETIC]
[MAYBE STAND UP?]
One girl said something to her friend about "that poor tall guy" and they both laughed. Another took a photo. She actually took a photo of Ari sitting there like an idiot
*Ughh....so many people*, Ari groaned inside, *are going to see that.*
Ari's calm and confidence took a big hit. One even more painful than his throbbing tail bone. He stood up slowly, brushing off his pants. He was trying to maintain some dignity but but was all for nought.
But then the name the girls were calling out to the boy who'd already disappeared around a corner. Most likely heading to the pavilion also.
"Nagi-kun! Wait for us!"
"Isami! That wasn't nice!"
"Did you see how he just walked away? So cool!"
*Isami Nagi.*
Ari committed the name to memory, kept it next to Akihiko Heishi and all the other names of players he'd need to surpass. All the players he WOULD surpass. He just had to be patient and focus on basketball.
AriTorus muscles chose that moment to remind him they'd endured two weeks of brutal training and desperately needed rest. His legs felt stiff. His shoulders ached for something soft. His entire body was screaming for a bed. And he had no idea which part of this massive rainy school he was in.
So first, he needed to figure out where the dorm building was. Because apparently, he was navigationally challenged.
Ari looked around, spotted a girl walking alone nearby, and made a tactical decision: ask for directions from someone who looked as uncomfortable with social interaction as he did.
The girl was perfect for this. She walked with her shoulders hunched, like she was trying to take up less space. Average height, with a plump build that reminded Ari of a teddy bear. Soft, approachable, somehow comforting. Her hair was auburn and cut short, which was unusual enough to be memorable. She was looking at her phone and kept holding it like it was a Spartan shield from the world.
"Excuse me?" Ari approached carefully, trying to seem non-threatening. "Sorry to bother you,"
*Ugh...God kill me now. Those are the two most macho cold approach lines I've ever heard*...Cringing at his own words. Though he managed to keep speaking.
"but could you tell me how to get to the first-year dorms? Male East wing?"
The girl looked up...really up, he was so tall. And dressed in all black. Pale skin. And—*is that eyeliner?*
Was he some sort of gloomy boy. A vampire maybe?
She was startled with eyes opened in shock "Oh! Um. The dorms. Yes. I know where they are...." She spoke in short bursts. Forming complete sentences was a challenge. "I'm. Going that way. Actually."
"Could I walk with you?" *Thank god. First person I can talk to without stuttering*
"Yes! I mean. If you want. It's not. Far. Just. That way." She pointed vaguely, then started walking without checking if he was following.
Ari fell into step beside her. They walked in mutual awkward silence for about thirty seconds before Ari tried again. "I'm Ari. Toru Ari. First year."
"Sachiko. Tomomi Sachiko. Also first year. I mean. Obviously. Since I'm. Going to the first-year dorms." She said this all while staring intently at the ground.
"We might be in the same class?"
"1-C." She glanced at him briefly, then back to the ground. "Saw your name. On the roster. This morning. Not that I was. Looking specifically. I just remember words....on..a ... regular basis".
[SHE'S LIKE A NERVOUS HAMSTER]
They continued walking. The silence was both comfortable and excruciatingly awkward. Ari found her presence calming despite...or maybe because of the mutual discomfort. Here was someone else who clearly didn't fit Yoshimura's polished, confident aesthetic. Someone normal. Grounded.
"Thank you," Ari said as the male dorm building came into view. "For the help. I was pretty lost."
"It's okay. The campus is. Very big. I get lost too. Sometimes.", Her eyes widened as if recalling a terrible memory, "A lot actually!"
She paused, then quickly added, "We're in the same class though. So. I'll probably see you. Tomorrow. In class. If you go. To class."
"I might not be there."
"Oh. Good. That's. Good." She fidgeted with her phone, clearly wanting to say something else but not quite managing it.
Then Ari remembered the detail floating at the edge of his mind. "Wait.... earlier I bumped into someone. He has red eyes and was wearing a tracksuit. The girls were following him and calling him... Nagi? Do you know who that is?"
Tomomi's eyes sparkled in recognition. Not at what he was asking. But because she knew the answer and could help. "Isami Nagi."
"Yeah. Who is he?"
She was quiet for a moment, deciding how to explain something complex. Then she simply said: "The Prince Cobra."
Silence. 'Prince Cobra.'
"Huh?"
"That's what", Sachiko's eyes dazed elsewhere towards the wall. Too nervous to even look a person in the eye.
"People call him. The Prince Cobra." But then she seemed comfortable talking about someone else rather than herself. "He's in our class. 1-C. First year like us. But. He's different."
"Different how?"
[YES SPEAK, NERVOUS HUMAN]
"He's the unstoppable rookie. That's what. The basketball people say. I don't really know much about sports. But. Everyone talks about him. Like he's already. Better than most of the senpais." She paused. "He's kind of. Scary. But also. Popular. Girls like him. He seems dramatic if you ask me." She suddenly looked back down shyly, maybe mortified thinking she spoke too much. *Tomomiiiii learn to shuut uuuup*
Isami Nagi, The prince Cobra? A first year who was already legendary. Destined to make the team without trying.
"Thank you," Ari said again.
"I'll. See you tomorrow. If you end up coming to class.....or.....if I end up watching the tryouts" She bowed quickly, awkwardly, and then hurried away like she'd used up her social interaction quota for the day.
Ari watched her go, thinking he probably should have asked for her contact information. A friend would be nice. Someone who wasn't intimidatingly perfect or dismissive or part of some elite athletic hierarchy.
But he'd probably see her soon enough. He could ask then.
[SOCIAL SKILLS: 2/100]
"Shut up." Ari grumbled as he made his way into the male building. Before reaching his dorms and fussing over how hard the door was to unlock by key.
Ari's dorm room looked even better than he remembered—or maybe he was just exhausted enough that anywhere with a bed looked like paradise. Hey he hadn't been to a boarding school prior but this still seemed very luxurious by dormitory standards: such a massive living space. And this was all apparently normal for Yoshimura.
He dropped his bags by the door, next to his briefcase. Still unpacked he realized. AriToru looked at his bed like it was calling to him. His phone said 5:16 PM. There were evening classes, optional ones for students who wanted extra study time, starting at 6:30 PM.
No way he'd be awake by then. The tryouts start at 11 AM tomorrow, that was what mattered. He needed rest more than he needed optional classes on his first day.
Ari calculated quickly: if he slept now until tomorrow morning at 6 AM... that was... math was hard when you were exhausted... approximately thirteen hours? Fourteen? That seemed like a lot. But also necessary given he'd spent two weeks destroying his body.
He should probably unpack. Set up his room. Organize his things like a responsible student.
Tomorrow. He'd do it tomorrow.
Ari fell onto the bed still fully clothed, his body sunk into the mattress with a spiritual relief.
The pillow smelled clean and new. The room was quiet except for the distant sounds of other students in the large gray walled building.
His last thoughts before consciousness abandoned him completely was about tomorrow. About two hundred students competing for thirty spots. About Elaine's dismissive pity and Runa's curious interest and Yori's complete indifference.
About proving them all wrong. About The Prince Cobra.
Then sleep claimed him like a wave, and AriToru...late-arriving scholarship student, mediocre basketball player, determined underdog...dreamed of nothing at all.