THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Housemates

The sun had sunk lower in the sky, the light of day disappeared, giving way to the velvety night darkness.

Zachary walked home with his shoulders drooped, his eyebrows furrowed, and his face strained as he repeated his conversation with Mr. Stein after the match.

He had just learned that he would not be able to join the professional football stage until he was 18. That means he still has a year and a few months before he can get his player's license to play in Norway.

The bureaucrats, based in Zurich, have decided to enact new regulations to ban the transfer of young talent from developing countries, which claim to protect the rights of minors. Zachary wondered how the rights of would-be players would be protected when some had no food in their home countries. He's not satisfied.

With FIFA's new rules, there's no way he can get a license before he grows up. Zachary recalls that some top clubs, such as Barcelona, have angered the world soccer governing body because they recruited minors during their previous lives.

[It seems I should postpone my plan for a bit.] He pondered.

Zachary hopes to join the U-19 team after playing well that day. He will then get plenty of playing time and build up his skills and experience in official matches. But none of that is possible anymore because of the damn FIFA rules.

[Perhaps, I could focus on my personal training during the period before I became a pro.] Zachary sighed.

He is interested in training some new skills that will benefit his career. However, he was always busy preparing for the trial in Lubumbashi and then moved to Norway. However, he now had plenty of time to hone his skills.

With the existing facilities in Trondheim, he was able to improve his fitness and refine his techniques to a higher level. The goal is to convert most of its attributes into A values within a year. With a system that could help along the way, he was confident that he would turn into a monster by the time he debuted for Rosenborg.

Convened by his plans, Zachary made it to Moholt a few minutes later. He was already feeling better, regaining the post-match gleeful atmosphere, after a short walk through the cold night air.

As he was about to enter his apartment, he was surprised to hear some foreign voices from behind the door. It's always just him and Kasongo in the kitchen, especially at night.

He opened the door only to find two blond-haired Caucasians sitting on one side of the dining table. Kasongo felt comfortable in one of the other chairs, chatting with them.

"Wow, come our star," one of the Caucasians, with brown hair, exclaimed as soon as he saw Zachary standing in the doorway. He stood up and rushed over to Zachary before extending his hand to shake hands. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Paul Otterson." He grins.

Zachary returned the handshake. "Zachary Bemba's. Nice to meet you too." He looked towards Kasongo for clarification. He wanted to know who the stranger was in their apartment.

Paul Otterson realizes his confusion and hits Kasongo to retaliate. "We're your other two housemates." She laughs. "I'm in room 1, and Kendrick, right there, is in the other room."

"Oh" said Zakaria. "So, you're two academy players from Sweden?" He's enlightened. Mr. Stein had mentioned something about their housemate from Sweden going on vacation.

Zechariah surprised. The boy in front of him looked more like a movie star than an athlete. Her short, light brown hair was extremely curly and disheveled, matching her curled eyebrows and her sharp, perfectly angled cheekbones. He looks like one of the most beautiful guys in Zachary's teenage romance.

"Yes, it's us" Paul replied, pointing to his pointed nose. Her square chin, coupled with her small eye slit, combined to create an intense facial expression—like she was upset about something all the time. However, the boy seemed to be a more cheerful and fun-loving person between the two Caucasians.

"We've been in Trondheim for a year. We just went on vacation. I'm watching your match—and your run is absolutely magical. How can you do that?" She asked.

Before Zachary could answer, another bule cut. "Pauls. Give him some time off. He just finished the game. He must be tired."

He stood up and moved towards Zachary. "Kendrick Otterson's. Nice to meet you," he said as he extended his hand. The Swede looked like one of the Zenned-out people, a modern hippie type, with a shoulder-length brown hair that framed his face loosely. His disheveled beard helped that impression a lot. His bowed sea blue eyes and his calm and thoughtful demeanor, seemed to communicate a certain innocence about him.

"It's nice to meet you." Zachary returned his handshake, nodding. "You two brothers?" She asked.

Both have blue eyes and have the same last name. But their other natures are not the same. Kendrick is taller— is about six feet, and more muscular than Paul. Zachary could not easily confirm whether they were close relatives just from their appearance.

"Yes, indeed," Paul quickly replied. "Are we similar?" He asked, wrapping his arm around Kendrick's broad shoulder. The latter pushed him away before returning to his seat.

"It's boring," murmured Paul, shaking his head like an old man.

He turned to face Zachary and asked: "Have you eaten?"

"No" answered Zacharias. Because Mr. Stein had called him right after the game, he had no time to eat post-match snacks with the team.

"Big." Paul clapped his hands with excitement. "Let's eat together. I've cooked Lasagna." He announced.

Kasongo, an outspoken boy, bites lasagna, cheese with dark green vegetables. He smiled, "Paul, that's very nice."

With a childish grin, the Swedish man raised his eyebrows, opened his eyes, "Clearly. Whatever food I touch is a work of art." He emphasizes. He looks like one of those narcissistic beautiful boys who used to bully people in high school movies. "So, you two are from Africa?"

"Yes," Kasongo replied after swallowing a mouthful of food. "Democratic Republic of the Congo, to be specific," he said with a smile.

"Is it near Didier Drogba's country?"

Zachary's mouth twitched after hearing Paul's question. DR Congo is thousands of miles away from Ivory Coast. He wondered how one would ask if the two were neighbors.

"No." Kasongo shook his head. "Congo is in the center of the African Continent, bordering countries such as Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania."

"Never heard of any player from there" murmured Paul. "But I know Uganda. Is that the country in the Last King of Scotland?"

"Yes, we border Uganda, the country in the film," Kasongo agreed. "So, which position are you two playing?" Kasongo skillfully diverted the topic of conversation from his home country.

"I play as a forward and a winger" Paul replied before looking towards Kendrick— who was calmly eating his food. The boy was silent most of the night.

"Kiper," Kendrick replied after noticing that his brother was glancing at him.

Zachary cannot remember a player by the name of Otterson— who played two positions in the Swedish team during his previous life. They may not be famous in their past lives.

"What about you?" Paul looked towards Kasongo.

"I can play on any wing" Kasongo replied.

"Are you as good as Zachary?" paul asked, his eyes looking at Kasongo expectantly.

"Not yet." Kasongo sighed, smiling sadly. "But I'll be soon."

"That's his spirit, brother." Paul nodded. "I'm the same. I want to join Rosenborg U-19 as soon as possible. By the way, Zach, what number did you get on Rosenborg's team?" He looked at Zachary, who was sitting opposite him. Kendrick and Kasongo also glanced at him with eyes sparkling with hope.

"I haven't joined U-19 ..." Zachary explained the entire FIFA regulations on not allowing foreign U-18 players to obtain professional licenses away from their home countries.

"Damn! That's not fair." Kasongo shouted when he heard Zachary's speech.

"Don't worry about licensing for a while," Paul entertained. "We have been here for over a year, but we have no prospect of receiving a license before we turn 18. Scandinavian clubs are very strict, especially with rules about minors."

"But rest assured that your time here will pass very quickly" Paul continued. "You must attend compulsory high school education here in Trondheim while also undergoing busy daily training at the academy."

"You two were in high school. Right?" Zachary asked.

"Yes" answered Paul. "We attended Trndelag International School. This is the school where the NF academy sends its students for their academic education. The coaches will most likely send you there after you complete the academy registration procedure."

"Do we have to pass all the subjects to stay in the academy?" Kasongo asked, frowning.

"Yes." Yeah." Paul nodded firmly. "You must at least be above average to stay on a scholarship. But don't worry. Schools design our study schedules to fit our training schedules. It has a collaborative initiative with Rosenborg to train young football talent in Trondheim."

The Swede then explained the training schedule at the academy to Zachary and Kasongo. In addition to regular daily soccer practice, players have the opportunity to participate in international training and U-17 competitions if they perform well. The NF Academy team had even participated in the SIA Cup of Valencia and the Riga Cup of Latvia in the previous year. In the competition, there are junior teams from top clubs such as Manchester City, Valencia, and PSV participating.

Zachary is delighted with the package offered by the academy and can't wait to start his training.

After a good meal with her new housemates, she returned to her room to rest in the evening and prepare for the academy registration the next day. He had already given a dose because the match had made him tired.

Out of habit, he opened the system interface to check the status of his mission completion for the match of the day. But when he opened the GOAT mission tab, his eyes widened in shock as he perused the contents.