Rain poured hard over the Vortex training ground
Thunder cracked through the sky
But the team still trained
Reiji stood in the middle of the chaos
Soaked to the bone
Calling plays with hand signals only
Coach Hiroshi watched from afar
Arms folded
Brows furrowed
Something felt off
Not about Reiji
About the man standing behind the fence
Umbrella over his head
Wearing a long black coat
Watching silently
---
After practice
Hiroshi approached Reiji
"You see him?"
Reiji didn't turn his head
Just said quietly
"I saw him the second he stepped on the gravel"
"Who is he?"
Reiji tightened his grip on the towel
"My former coach
The one who told me how to disappear on the pitch
And off it"
---
Later that night
That same man entered the Vortex office without knocking
Coach Hiroshi stood tall
"You can't just walk in here like—"
The man dropped a folder on the table
Inside were blueprints
Match diagrams
Handwritten notes
All labeled with Reiji's name
Dated three years ago
The man looked Hiroshi dead in the eyes
"You think Reiji made that Shadow System by himself?
He learned the theory from me"
---
Reiji was in the hallway
He heard every word
But his face didn't change
He whispered under his breath
"No
I learned what not to become from you"
---
Flashback
Age 13
Reiji was part of an elite academy
A hidden project known as Kuro Gekidan
The Black Stage
Where footballers were trained like assassins
Not to play
But to eliminate patterns
Disrupt rhythm
Kill momentum
The man
Coach Kanade
He taught Reiji how to play without presence
How to erase his aura
How to mask intent
But he went too far
One day
He ordered Reiji to intentionally injure a rising striker
To break his rhythm permanently
Reiji refused
Walked out
Never looked back
---
Now Kanade had returned
And he wasn't smiling
"You've awakened the system
But you're using it like a child dressing a monster in pretty clothes
Let me help you finish what we started"
Reiji finally stepped in
"I'm not finishing your system
I'm replacing it
With something that doesn't break players
But liberates them"
Kanade laughed
"You think freedom wins games?"
Reiji narrowed his eyes
"No
But fear doesn't either
And I don't need fear to be invisible anymore"
---
The tension grew
Kanade left the room
But his words lingered
"You'll see
There's always a price to play like a ghost
And yours is almost due"
---
The next day
Coach Hiroshi handed Reiji a scouting file
"New wildcard team joined the tournament"
Reiji opened the folder
Saw a photo of the squad
Then froze
Kanade was listed as head coach
And every player
Was a product of Kuro Gekidan
---
Reiji smirked
"So it's shadow vs shadow now?"
He stood
Looked out the window at the empty pitch
"Good
Let them come
This time
I'm not running"