The next afternoon, the Azure Legends gathered on the school's battered practice field. Their jerseys were faded, the goal nets sagged like tired hammocks, and even the players themselves looked like they had given up long ago. Most of the school called them "legends" only as a joke.

Today, however, the entire team was buzzing. Whispers spread like wildfire—Kael Hemsworth, the mysterious hooded boy, had chosen them.

"Man, we finally got someone who can run faster than a broken bicycle," one player muttered.

"Maybe he can actually score, unlike you," another teased back.

Samantha stood on the sidelines, clutching her notebook. She didn't know why, but her heart was pounding. Why did he ask me to choose? Why not Maya?

The captain, a tall boy named Roland, clapped his hands to silence the team. "Alright, listen up! Today's drills will decide if our new recruit is all smoke or if he's the miracle we've been waiting for." His eyes flicked to Kael.

Kael stood off to the side, hood up as always, his posture lazy but unshaken. He looked more like someone waiting for a bus than a player about to run drills.

"Warm-ups first!" Roland barked. The team groaned and jogged half-heartedly across the field. Kael followed without a word. His stride was smooth, controlled—neither too fast nor too slow. If anyone was expecting him to sprint like lightning, they were disappointed. He blended into the pace, matching the rhythm of the others almost perfectly.

"Not showing off, huh?" Augustus' voice buzzed in Kael's head.

'I don't need to,' Kael thought back. 'Better to let them underestimate me a little longer.'

When it came time for passing drills, the players formed a circle, kicking the ball around with uneven precision. Kael waited his turn, then casually tapped the ball with his foot. It rolled exactly to his teammate's feet, smoother than silk. No wasted energy, no wild flare—just precision.

"Hmm," Roland muttered, arms crossed. "Lucky pass."

The drills continued—short sprints, one-touch passes, headers. Kael wasn't the fastest sprinter. He wasn't the strongest kicker. But everything he did was clean. Efficient. Where others stumbled, his balance held. Where others lost rhythm, his timing was flawless.

By the time shooting practice came, a few players were starting to glance at him differently.

"Your turn, newbie!" Roland tossed him the ball. Kael positioned himself, then struck with a smooth, almost casual swing of his leg. The ball didn't blast into the net like a cannonball. Instead, it curved neatly around the keeper's hands, kissing the corner of the goal.

"Whoa…" someone whispered.

"Did you see that spin?" another muttered.

Roland's eyes narrowed. He barked, "Do it again."

Kael shrugged and repeated the motion. Same result. The ball didn't scream with power, but it slipped past the goalie as if the net itself wanted to catch it.

The other players started whispering. He's not crazy. He's… different.

Still, Kael didn't smile, didn't gloat. He dusted his hands and walked back to the line as though nothing had happened.

After practice wrapped up, Roland called the team together. "Alright, listen up. He's not flashy, but…" He paused, glancing at Kael, who stood silent in the back. "…he's solid. I say we keep him."

The team cheered. Even the goalie, who had been humiliated twice, grinned.

As the players dispersed, Samantha hurried up to Kael. "You… you didn't even try your hardest, did you?"

Kael tilted his head. "And why do you think that?"

"Because," she said softly, "you moved like you were holding back. Like… like you're hiding something."

Kael didn't answer. He only adjusted his hood and walked past her, his voice low enough only she could hear. "Maybe I am."

Samantha's cheeks flushed as she watched him disappear into the crowd. Around her, the whispers of the students carried one message over and over:

Maybe the Azure Legends aren't losers anymore.

---

The school was buzzing like a hive of restless bees. Word had already spread across Red City High and beyond—the interschool soccer league was about to begin. Every team was grinding like their lives depended on it. Some teams pooled money to hire private coaches, others snuck out late into the city parks to train under floodlights, and a few even bribed referees in advance, because… well, this was Red City after all.

Meanwhile, the so-called "Azure Legends" were just… existing. Their training was better now, thanks to the quiet precision of Kael, but compared to the polished giants like Steel Fangs or Crimson Hawks, they looked like village boys bringing stones to a gunfight.

Back at home, the workshop was oddly quiet. Maya sat cross-legged on the couch, polishing a spanner as if it were a sword. Elijah leaned on the table, scribbling notes for tomorrow's repair orders. Kael, as usual, sat in the corner with his hood up, looking like a statue that had accidentally rented an apartment.

Maya broke the silence first. "Kael, you're crazy. Do you even realize what you're doing?"

Kael didn't even glance up. "Define 'crazy.'"

"I mean Samantha! Do you know a gang gave an actual decree—like, a public warning—that no one should sit with her, walk with her, or even breathe in her direction?" She slapped her spanner down with emphasis. "And yet, four days later, you're not only hanging around her… you're practically waving a neon sign that says, 'Yes, I'm with her, what are you going to do about it?'"

Kael finally looked up. His voice was calm, almost bored. "I don't care."

Elijah sighed, massaging his temples. He had been expecting that answer. "Kael… listen. I'm not saying you're wrong to sit with her, but you're attracting attention. And the kind of attention you attract… it's not the good kind."

Kael leaned back, resting his chin on his knuckles. His jade skin glistened faintly under the room light. "Tell me, Elijah—have I ever caused trouble here?"

Both siblings froze. Then, in perfect unison, they scoffed.

"Don't give us that face," Maya said, narrowing her eyes. "That innocent look doesn't work on us. We know better."

Kael widened his eyes, feigning hurt. "What innocent look?"

"That one!" Maya barked, pointing at him as though he'd just committed a felony. "That fabricated angel-face you put on whenever you're lying through your teeth. It makes people feel guilty for even doubting you!"

Kael blinked slowly. "Wow. I didn't know my face had that much power. Should I start charging rent for the guilt I make you feel?"

Maya groaned. "See? SEE?! This is what I'm talking about! You twist everything until you're the victim. I swear, one day you'll get us all in trouble with that mouth."

Elijah raised a hand, playing mediator as always. "Okay, enough. Let's not turn this into World War III." He turned to Kael, tone firm but not angry. "All we're asking is for you to stay low. You don't have to change who you are, but at least stop attracting unnecessary drama."

Kael lifted a shoulder in a lazy shrug.

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