In the crowded world of youth football one name started spreading like wildfire
Not Reiji Kaoru
But Shiro Kanzaki
A third year from Tokyo's elite Nanshin Academy
Captain
Midfielder
National team trialist
Touted as the next midfield general of Japan
Every match he played was like a symphony
Perfect passes
No wasted touches
Calm under pressure
The media loved him
Pundits praised his intelligence
Some even called him "Japan's Xavi"
But Reiji Kaoru didn't watch a single clip
---
Inside his dim bunker Reiji sat alone again
Notebook in hand
He drew a shape
Not a tactic
But a person
"Someone is coming" he muttered
"Someone they call a genius
But even a perfect clock can be dismantled if you remove one cog"
---
Minamino's next fixture was a friendly
But not just any friendly
Nanshin Academy had requested it directly
The news shocked everyone
Why would the top school in the region request a match against a no-name team
Rumors said it was Shiro Kanzaki's personal request
Yamato ran up to Reiji during lunch
"Did you hear
That Kanzaki guy
He wants to play us
Wants to play you"
Reiji didn't look up from his notebook
"Then let him"
---
Game day arrived
Crowds filled the stands
Scouts from Europe watched from the shaded seats
Nanshin wore pristine white kits with gold trim
They looked like champions
Minamino looked like high schoolers
The match started
Kanzaki controlled everything
He dictated tempo with ease
Broke lines with passes
Called every switch
In the first fifteen minutes
Minamino couldn't touch the ball
Yamato looked panicked
"Reiji what's happening
This guy's the real deal"
But Reiji remained calm
"Keep watching
He's not a genius
He's a performer"
---
The scoreboard lit up
1–0 for Nanshin
Then 2–0
Kanzaki even dribbled past two players with a cheeky nutmeg and smiled for the camera
The crowd chanted his name
But Reiji wrote one sentence in his notebook
Perfect systems rely on predictability
Predictability breeds vulnerability
At halftime Reiji gave a single instruction
"Let him lead you
Then cut the string"
Nobody knew what it meant
---
Second half began
Minamino didn't press
Didn't tackle hard
They let Nanshin dominate
Kanzaki got cocky
Started dribbling more
Started calling out fake codes like "shift omega" just to show off
Then
It began
Minamino intercepted one pass
Counter
Goal
2–1
Next
They lured Kanzaki into zone 7
Trap set
Three players closed
Stole the ball
Goal
2–2
Kanzaki panicked
Shouted at teammates
"Stick to the plan
Stick to the plan"
But it was too late
His rhythm was broken
His confidence cracked
Reiji called out to him from the sideline
"You built your kingdom on sand
One wave and it collapses"
---
Final whistle
3–2
Minamino wins again
The stadium was stunned
Kanzaki sat on the pitch
Frozen
His perfect image shattered in front of scouts
He looked over at Reiji who was walking away
"Who the hell are you"
Reiji turned his head slightly
"Someone who plays football in the future while you're still trapped in the present"
---
Later that night
A video of the match exploded online
Titled "The Faker Gets Humbled by a Ghost"
Reiji's face wasn't even visible
Just his shadow behind the bench
His voice recorded giving eerie calm commands
Comments flooded in
"This dude's not human"
"He plays chess while others play checkers"
"I'd sell my soul to see him coach my team"
But Reiji was already working on the next plan
---
Elsewhere
Inside the Tokyo Football Federation building
A man opened a restricted file labeled "Kaoru Reiji – Confidential"
Inside were photos
Old footage
A timeline of strange events
One note stood out
Was invited to Spain for youth trials at age 12
Refused to attend
Said it would reveal too much of his style
Below that
Another line written in red ink
We may be looking at a once in a century football mind
Observe
Do not interfere yet