Riccardo was in his room playing a video game, the clock showing 10:35 p.m.
"This boss is impossible…" he muttered, sounding bored.
He failed the attempt again and let out a frustrated sigh.
"Damn it…"
He placed the controller on his desk and grabbed his phone, noticing the time.
"They should be done with school by now…"
Riccardo started a call.
[Beginning of dialogue in Italian]
"Oh, hey Luca."
"Riccardo? I wasn't expecting a call from you."
"I know, but I missed you…"
"Yeah right, who are you trying to fool? You were bored and didn't know what else to do."
Riccardo made the face of someone caught red-handed.
"No, no… I'd never do that…"
Luca chuckled. "You're not the calling type. A text is more than enough for you."
"It's almost the end of May, you guys are finishing the school year soon. Have you already decided what to do for summer break?" Riccardo asked, sitting down on his bed.
"We haven't decided exactly, but I think we'll all go to Francesco's vacation house in Vietri."
"Ahh… I miss the sea on the Amalfi Coast…" Riccardo admitted with a hint of bitterness.
"And you? What are you doing in Japan for summer?"
"I don't know. It's still early for me to plan. Our vacation starts at the end of July, and honestly I don't even know what people do here."
"I see…" Luca sighed. "Man, this summer we're really missing our poster boy. Girls approached us more easily when you were around."
"You guys only brought me for that?" Riccardo asked, confused.
"Not only for that… but mostly for that!"
"Glad to hear your honesty…"
"Anyway, about Japan—you're still playing soccer, right?"
"Yeah. Remember that school I told you they recommended to me?"
"Hmm… that school called Shunteki something…"
"Shūdan-teki. Apparently it's a really serious place. Almost everyone there plays a sport to try becoming a professional someday. From what I've heard, 85% of graduates actually make it."
"Holy shit, so I've got a future pro player as a friend. I'm rich!"
"First of all, it's not guaranteed. Second, the money would be mine."
"Sure, but you could buy me a Ferrari!"
"Yeah, sure… let me buy one for myself first."
Riccardo yawned.
"Alright, nice chat, but I'm going to sleep now."
"Right, you guys are seven hours ahead… go sleep, princess! Or you'll wake up with bags under your eyes tomorrow!" Luca said mockingly.
"Even bags under my eyes would make me look good."
Luca burst out laughing. "Haha, yeah yeah, go to bed, pretty boy!"
The two finally stopped laughing.
"Talk to you later. Bye."
"Bye!"
Riccardo hung up.
"One by one, I'll call everyone… I should at least show I'm alive, or they'll think I've disappeared."
Someone knocked on his door.
"Riccardo, are you still awake?"
He recognized his sister's voice from outside.
"Yeah."
"Can I come in?"
"Sure… why?"
Cecilia burst into the room. Their dog shot past her and jumped onto Riccardo's stomach, making him bend over in pain.
"Argh, that hurts!"
"KO!" she declared, amused.
"What do you want?"
Riccardo recovered a bit and started petting the dog.
"You need to take her downstairs. She has to pee."
"Eh!? Do you know what time it is? I have school and training tomorrow! You take her!"
Cecilia put on an innocent face. "I know it's late… that's exactly why I asked you. You wouldn't send a defenseless girl out alone at this hour, would you?"
"Yeah… I don't think anything would happen."
Cecilia blinked, stunned by the unexpected answer.
"You monster!"
"Exactly, I'm evil. Can I go to sleep now?"
"Come on!"
She kept pestering him, insisting he had to go. Riccardo slowly grew irritated.
[A few minutes later, outside]
Riccardo walked the dog with a tired expression.
"What a pain…"
The dog sniffed around while he watched her.
"I don't want to pressure you, I know it's hard to find a good spot… but please hurry. I just want to go to sleep as soon as possible…"
Then he froze for a second.
"…since when?"
He shook his head, annoyed at himself.
"In Italy I'd still be out messing around at this hour… and if someone told me to go home, I wouldn't listen."
The dog pulled the leash forward; he followed slowly, yawning.
"Maybe I'm just tired… or maybe I'm really changing."
He looked around—the quiet street, the still night sky, no scooters racing by.
"Here I wake up early, I train, I study… there's no time to fool around."
He raised an eyebrow, half amused, half resigned.
"What a drag. But… if this is what it means to mature, maybe it's not that bad."
A faint smile tugged at his lips, as if he refused to admit defeat.
"Japan and Shūdan-teki are rewiring my brain… even if admitting it annoys me."