"—Pass it, Kayden!" a boy shouted enthusiastically, his voice blending with the roar of the crowd cheering loudly for the home team.
The ball rolled across the grass under the afternoon sky, and Kayden, with a serene yet focused expression, found himself in a situation he never thought he'd experience. He was playing soccer... and he was genuinely enjoying it. Something he rarely showed in any other activity.
"—Make sure you receive it!" he said firmly as he delivered a precise pass to one of his teammates.
The ball landed as if it had eyes, landing right at the boy's feet—not because the player was especially skilled, but because the pass had been simply perfect. And as expected... it ended in a goal.
That was the final goal of the match. The team Kayden now belonged to won by a significant margin, and in every single goal, he had played a direct role.
After a brief celebration and a quick shower in the locker rooms, Kayden exited through the back door of the stadium, where someone was waiting for him.
"—Here, to keep you hydrated," said Anri, handing him a bottle of electrolytes with a calm smile.
"—Thanks, Anri," Kayden replied, returning the smile. But this time, the smile wasn't forced or empty... it was real. And Anri noticed it.
For a while now, Anri had been trying to help him find something that would spark his heart. Something to pull him away from the reckless, aimless life he'd been living. Her proposal was simple: soccer.
Kayden, of course, refused at first. He remembered the first time he played—he had won so easily it felt boring. To him, if there was no challenge, there was no thrill. What was the point in participating in something where victory was guaranteed?
But Anri didn't give up. Knowing his nature, she offered him a more interesting challenge: to join the worst team she could find. One with the worst reputation, known for always losing.
"—You want excitement? Well, I signed you up here," she said with a sly smile.
Kayden thought about it for a few seconds. What else did he have to do with his life? Nothing truly exciting. So he accepted. What he didn't know was that this seemingly trivial decision was about to change his world completely.
...
"—Seriously... I still can't believe we're in the final. The final! For the first time in this team's history. Isn't that insane?" exclaimed Ren, a short boy with messy hair, kicking an empty bottle with a mix of excitement and disbelief. "Even the coach looked like he was about to cry!"
"—Honestly... it feels like a dream," added Haruto, the boy with glasses, crossing his arms with a nostalgic smile. "I remember when we couldn't even complete a single pass without losing the ball... and now we're here. But it's all thanks to Kayden. Without him, we wouldn't have made it even halfway."
"—Man, Kayden! I don't know what kind of creature you are or what lab you came out of, but... thank you. Really. Thank you for joining this disaster of a team... and for sticking with us. With your level, you could already be shining in one of those elite teams that made you offers," said Daiki, the team captain, with a deep but friendly voice, giving his star teammate a pat on the back.
Kayden, who was sitting at the edge of the bench with a towel around his neck and his hair still damp from the shower, simply chuckled and shook his head.
"—You don't need to thank me. I joined because I thought it'd be interesting... And don't worry, I'm not planning on leaving before winning a few trophies with you guys," he said with a laid-back but warm smile.
Of course, he wasn't going to tell them the real reason he accepted: the challenge. A team with zero victories, a reputation dragged through the mud, and not a shred of hope... it was perfect. It was exactly what he needed.
The team Kayden had joined wasn't just bad. It was historically bad. The kind of team others used for practice drills. Their matches rarely lasted more than twenty minutes before turning into complete humiliation. The school had even considered disbanding them... until he arrived.
But since his arrival, they hadn't lost a single game. And it wasn't magic. It was work, effort... and a silent leadership no one asked for but everyone recognized.
Did that mean Kayden was getting bored? Not at all.
The challenge wasn't the opponent. It was the fact that, to win, he had to give his all for the sake of others. He had to cover gaps, make up for weaknesses, correct mistakes, lift his teammates when they failed, and keep morale high when everything seemed lost. He wasn't surrounded by stars, but by ordinary boys with broken dreams... and that was what made it worthwhile.
Every pass he made, every play he built, had a purpose: to make the team function as something more than just a group of losers in matching jerseys.
Kayden no longer played for the simple win. He played for the challenge of turning the impossible into reality.
And now they were in the final.
None of them said it out loud, but they felt it: they were no longer the weakest team in school. They were the team everyone wanted to watch. Not for their technique. Not for their history. But because they represented something many had lost: the possibility of change.
And at the center of it all, with the number 10 jersey on his back, was Kayden Osawa. The boy who, without meaning to, had become their hope.
...
The night before the final, the training field was completely empty. The light posts lit the pitch with a warm, almost nostalgic glow. The silence of the place was only interrupted by the soft crunch of leaves and the whisper of the wind.
Kayden was there, alone, sitting in the middle of the grass, looking up at the starry sky as if searching for answers.
"—Don't you get tired of being dramatic every time you're alone?" said a voice behind him.
"—...Anri." Kayden didn't turn around, but a slight smile appeared on his face. "How did you know I was here?"
"—Are you seriously asking me that?" she replied, walking over to sit beside him. "I know you better than you think, Kayden."
There was a brief silence between them. A comfortable silence.
"—Nervous about tomorrow?" Anri asked, glancing at him sideways.
Kayden tilted his head, thoughtful.
"—Not exactly nervous... but a little anxious. Not about losing or winning. But because... I don't know what'll happen after."
"—After the final?"
"—Yeah. Maybe once this is over, I'll lose interest. Maybe... I'll feel empty again," he said sincerely, lowering his gaze. "But for some reason, that doesn't scare me as much anymore."
Anri looked at him with a soft yet determined expression. Then she leaned toward him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"—If that ever happens, I'll find another crazy idea to throw at you. And if that doesn't work, I'll keep looking. Until you never get bored again."
Kayden turned his face slightly toward her, surprised by her words.
"—That sounds exhausting."
"—I've gotten used to you," she replied with a mischievous smile.
They stayed like that, in silence, under the night sky. For a moment, Kayden thought that no matter what happened tomorrow... just for this moment alone, it was already worth it.