The shrill alarm clock cut the silence of the room at 5:17 in the morning. Kaito had been awake for hours, his fingers drumming nervously at the Kashima Antlers invitation he had hidden under the mattress. The ink of the official seal had stained his fingers an opaque red, like dried blood.
Today everything would change.
He put on the training uniform - the same one he had worn for three consecutive years, patched on his elbows by Ren's grandmother - and looked at himself in the blurry mirror in the bathroom.
- Legend.- he whispered to the pale reflection.
The sound of pots in the kitchen made him shudder.
Haruto didn't look at him when he entered. The old man fried tamagoyaki with precise movements, his back stiff like a sentence.
- You're leaving early. - it wasn't a question.
Kaito swallowed hard.
— Special training in the park.
The metal fork fell on the counter with a sharp tinkling.
- Liar.
Kaito's heart accelerated. How did he know?
Haruto turned slowly, holding an open sports newspaper on the classifieds page. Circled in red: "Open Tests - Category Sub-18 Kashima Antlers - 05/25 - 08:00".
- Do you think I don't know my contacts? That Sato didn't run to make fun of me as soon as he gave you this invitation? - the grandfather spat on the rival's name like poison.
Kaito felt his hands tingling.
- I'm going.
- It won't.
The silence that followed was cutting. Even the oil in the frying pan stopped squealing, as if the world held its breath.
Haruto threw the newspaper on the table, revealing an old photo framed underneath - the same one that hung on the wall. The skinny young man in Kashima's uniform now had a face: Kenji Shirogane. Your father.
- Do you want to know why your father is not here? - the grandfather squeezed the frame until his fingers turned white. - Because he thought like you. That talent was enough. That could break the rules.
Kaito felt a lump in his throat. They had never talked about it.
- What...
- Ligament injury. At nineteen years old. Training hidden after I warned him. - Haruto put the photo in front of him. - Kashima terminated the contract on the same day. Two years later, he killed himself.
The wall clock ticked like a bomb about to explode.
Kaito looked at the photo. His father's smile was identical to yours.
- I'm not him.- he said, taking the backpack.
- Kaito!
The door slammed hard enough to make the dishes in the cupboard shake.
The 6:22 train was empty except for a group of girls napping and an old man with the smell of sake. Kaito leaned his forehead against the cold glass, watching Osaka disappear into morning fog.
In his pocket, his cell phone vibrated incessantly:
Ren - 7 unread messages
"MAN, THE DIRECTOR IS PISSED OFF"
"IF YOU DISAPPEAR TODAY YOU'RE EXPELLED"
He turned off the device. None of that mattered now.
An ad blinked on the train panel: "Kashima Stadium - Next stop".
Your stomach wrapped.
The stadium shone under the morning sun like a modern temple. Dozens of young people were already stretching on the auxiliary lawn, their uniforms of expensive brands making their beaten sweatshirt look like a rag.
- Number 48! Shirogane! - a man in a referee's vest shouted from a list. - **Show up in Group C!
Kaito tied the boots with trembling fingers. It was now.
A high-pitched whistle echoed:
— INITIAL TEST: 20 MINUTES OF OFFENSIVE PRESSURE
Rules:
1. Two attackers against four robotic defenders (the dreaded "Titans", defense machines used by the adult team)
2. Only one can advance to completion
3. Whoever doesn't score in three attempts is out
Your partner? A tall boy with dreads and predatory look.
- Daiki Kuroda.- he spat, without extending his hand. - It doesn't get in the way.
Kaito felt the blood boil. He was exactly the kind of asshole he hated.
- You'll cry when I steal your spot.
The first whistle sounded.
The Titans were not human - they moved with algorithmic precision, anticipating each fint.
First attempt: Daiki dominated arrogantly, tried to dribble everyone and lost the ball before the central circle.
Second attempt: Kaito made a perfect pass, but the other ignored it and kicked anyway. Easy defense.
- Damn, the team of one doesn't win shit! - Kaito growled.
Daiki spat on the lawn.
- Fuck you. Third is mine.
The whistle sounded.
Kaito received the ball in defense, looked at Daiki who ran demanding a pass... and pretended he didn't see it.
With three Titans coming on him, he heard the echo of his grandfather's voice: "Great players see what others don't see."
That's when you noticed.
The central robot crashed for 0.3 seconds after sudden changes of direction. A programming failure.
Without thinking, he:
1. Kicked the ball against Titan's knee from the right (perfect ricochet)
2. Ran in a sharp curve, forcing the bug
3. He received the pass from himself
The human goalkeeper jumped too early.
Goal.
Absolute silence.
Until...
- BETRAYAL! - Daiki grabbed his neck. - **I TOLD YOU TO PASS!
Kaito felt his rival's fingers sinking into his throat, but smiled with bloody lips.
The assistant technician intervened, separating them.
- Shirogane advances. Kuroda... - looked at the boy foaming with anger - you can get your elimination certificate.
While they were dragging Daiki out, the defeated turned and pointed at Kaito:
- YOU'RE NOBODY! JUST ANOTHER FAILURE SON OF A FAILURE!
The phrase echoed like a shot.
How did he know about his father?
---
The Cost of Victory
In the empty locker room, Kaito washed his face with ice water. In the blurred mirror, his reflection looked older - sunnken eyes, pale skin.
Something weighed on the pocket. The cell phone, now on, showed:
Haruto - 1 voice message
The fingers hesitated before touching.
"Grandson... Kashima called me. It passed in the first phase." * An endless pause. "Your mother would be proud."
Kaito let the phone slip on the wet floor.
It was the first time in ten years that her grandfather mentioned her.
From the corridor, the echoes of the next test were already calling:
— PHASE 2: MATCH 5X5. THE ELIMINATED GO BACK HOME.
He put on his boots slowly, feeling the weight of his last name like handcuffs.
The real game had just begun.