Rain fell soft over the turf
Musashino never cancelled training
Not for weather
Not for anything
Ren tied his laces tight
The grass was slick
Perfect for mistakes
Perfect for learning
Coach Daigo stood near the sideline with his arms folded
Watching as always
Saying nothing
Today was defensive drills
Strikers versus backline with keepers holding command
Ren stayed loud
Called every run
Pointed every shift
"Left shoulder"
"Mark tighter"
"Step early"
It worked
For a while
Then a moment came
Arata slipped through with a quick turn
Ren rushed out
No hesitation
They collided
Not hard
But enough
Arata rolled once and jumped up
"You late"
Ren stood his ground
"You touched first. Not clean enough"
Daigo's voice cut in
"Keep focus. Talk less. Eyes open"
They reset
Later during cooldown
Ren sat on the bench near the water station
Taka walked over slow
He dropped beside him with a sigh
"You saw how Daigo looked at that mistake"
Ren nodded
"He always watches like that"
Taka shook his head
"He watches like someone who has seen it before"
Ren turned
"What do you mean"
Taka leaned forward
"Before he coached here they say he was a national level keeper. U18 squad. But he disappeared after one match. No one talks about it. Not even the staff"
Ren blinked
"He disappeared"
"Yeah. Walked away. Some say he choked. Others say it was injury. But no proof"
Ren looked toward Daigo across the field
The man still stood still
Motionless under the rain
"Why would he come back just to coach kids"
Taka shrugged
"Maybe he sees something he lost. Or maybe he is trying to fix something"
That night Ren sat by the window
Rain still tapped the glass
He held the gloves in his lap
Looked down at them
Then back up at the city lights
Coach Daigo never smiled
Never clapped
But Ren could feel it
He was being shaped
Not just trained
There was something under the surface
Something heavy
But it made him sharper
It made him want to rise