"So then… you want to apply for our scholarship?"

Sena fidgeted, ducking his head. "Yes."

His examiner looked at him skeptically, noting the skinny arms, the tiny body that Agon could easily break in half.

And would, if he ever decided that he didn't like this kid's face. By the looks of him, Kobayakawa Sena would be swallowed alive by Shinryuji, and the fact that he was decidedly effeminate didn't help – not in a boy's school.

"Even though we've already decided on the two applicants we're accepting?" he continued questioning. "Though they're not what we hoped for," he mumbled to himself.

They weren't the kind of students that would bring the Shinryuji Nagas onto greater heights, he could feel it. Both of them were good, but it was their attitudes that were the problem. One of the kids was a bully, swaggering through the exam and boasting about his muscles. Though the examiner felt guilty for the thought, he would be willing to pay to see the kid get crushed by Agon. The other one wasn't arrogant as much as brainless. Just another piece of cannon fodder trailing in Kongo Agon's glory.

"Sir?"

This boy, though, wasn't much better.

He sighed then proceeded to fire questions rapidly. "How many kilos can you bench-press? How long does it take for you to run a 40-yard-dash? What position do you play?"

Sena gaped for a moment. "Um, I'm not sure; I'm pretty fast but I've never timed myself; and whatever needs speed…?"

Given those answers, he was tempted to fail the boy right there. Did he know anything about football? Had he even done any research, even?

Still, it would be better to waste his time on a useless candidate than lose someone who might, by weight of a miracle, be something special.

He got up, snapping irritably at the boy to hurry up.

"Here, lie down and try to lift these weights."

Sena obediently started to lift twenty kilograms. He was out of breath by ten repetitions.

The examiner reached up to rub between his eyes. It wasn't bad, no, and he hadn't expected someone who looked that skinny to be able to lift even twenty. But even the weakest of their football team could bench-press at least 50 without even breaking a sweat.

After giving Sena some time to recover from the strain because that gasping had really started to worry him, he led Sena to their football field.

"Ah, and who is this?"

Just what he needed.

"Sendoda-sensei," he greeted warily. As harmless as the old man looked, he could was still physically fit.

"K-Kobayakawa Sena, sir," Sena stumbled, his social skills apparently deteriorating exponentially when the list of strangers surrounding him increased.

"And what are you doing here?" the old man peered into Sena's face, looking like what he imagined a hermit living on a mountain for many years would look like.

"I… I'm testing out for the scholarship, sir."

"Yes, I just ran him through the weight-lifting and now I want to see him do the 40-yard-dash," the examiner intervened. There was actually quite a few more tests left in physical examination, but if Sena did as badly at running as he did at weight-lifting, then there was no point in dragging the process out further.

"I see." Sendoda Sumito nodded wisely and stood by the benches, possibly to observe or simply because he had nothing better to do. The examiner glared at his direction for a moment; wasn't testing potential recruits Sendoda's job, not his?

"Sena, I want you to run from here to there," he gestured, pointing at the two cones he had set up. "I'll tell you when to start."

He marched over to the center of the forty yards, fiddling with his timer.

"And…. go!"

He lifted his eyes up, expecting to see Sena struggling, pale-faced and panting, for the finish line. Instead…

Sena ran.

It wasn't perfect and he could tell that his stamina couldn't keep up, but by the time he clicked the stop button, he didn't need to glance at it to know what it said.

4.2 seconds.

That was faster than anyone on their team, possibly faster than any football player in the Kanto region. Even that monstrous linebacker from the Oujou White Knights wasn't that fast, though his other stats were so much better than Sena's there wasn't even any point in comparing the two.

"He said he was fast," he murmured, still a little dazed.

"It looks as though he has a purpose for running," Sendoda remarked next to him. "As it is, I look forward to welcoming him to my team."

He walked off, not looking ruffled at all and leaving only a few words to carry over into the examiner's ears.

"Kobayakawa Sena, eh?"