The smell of sweat turf and instant noodles lingered in the air.
It was the kind of football field that no scout ever visits.
The kind where dreams usually come to die.
The Minamino High School football team was the worst-ranked team in the district.
Their record last season was zero wins nineteen losses and one draw.
That one draw? It was because the opponent's bus got stuck in a snowstorm and they forfeited.
"Gather up losers!" yelled Coach Ishida wiping his face with a greasy towel.
His eyes scanned the group.
All familiar faces.
All mediocrity.
Then he pointed at the lone figure standing quietly at the edge.
"That's our new equipment manager. Reiji something."
Reiji Kaoru bowed slightly.
He had messy black hair slightly too long for school code.
He wore no expression.
And most strangely he wore a blue Japan national team jersey.
Everyone else wore the school uniform.
The team laughed.
"Manager?"
"He looks like he can't even do ten pushups."
"Why is he even here?"
Reiji said nothing.
He simply stared at the team captain with unreadable eyes.
The captain froze.
There was something uncomfortable in that gaze.
Like being stared at by someone who already knew your biggest mistake before you made it.
Practice began.
Reiji picked up cones collected balls filled bottles.
He didn't speak.
Didn't ask questions.
Didn't complain.
But he watched everything.
Every pass
Every miss
Every positioning error
Every shout from the coach
He stood behind the bench and scribbled something in a small torn notebook.
No one cared
No one asked
Until the next match day.
---
"Alright get your asses moving!"
Coach Ishida barked while smacking his clipboard on a bench.
Minamino was up against Nishiyama Tech the second-best team in the region.
The result was already known.
Every betting app had them losing 0–6 at minimum.
Except something weird happened.
By minute 20 Nishiyama had not taken a single shot.
Minamino were holding the ball with uncharacteristic control.
Passes were smoother
The defense held its shape
And the striker who normally never scored was suddenly making runs into space no one expected
Coach Ishida looked confused
But took credit anyway
"That's the result of hard work losers! Keep it up!"
From behind the bench Reiji quietly stood.
His eyes scanned the field again
Then back down to his notebook
The captain turned to him during halftime
"Did… did you move the cones this morning?"
Reiji nodded once
"You… you adjusted the drill angles didn't you?"
Another nod
"Why?"
Reiji finally spoke
His voice was quiet cold and without pride
"Their right back drifts inside too far during recovery runs
So I trained your left winger to exploit that with diagonal rotations
Three out of five times it works
That creates numerical overloads"
The captain blinked
"I… don't know what that means"
"You will after the match"
---
Second half
Minamino scored
For the first time in a year they scored a goal
The crowd went silent
Then erupted
1–0
Nishiyama responded with rage
But their passes were intercepted
Their striker marked out
Their coach yelling in panic
It ended in a 1–1 draw
Only the coach was smiling
Only Reiji was already walking home before anyone celebrated
---
The next day rumors flew
"Did Reiji plan that?"
"He's just a manager right?"
"Wait he said to stand two steps wider yesterday didn't he? That's where I got that assist"
Things spiraled fast
Coach Ishida panicked
"Reiji you don't touch the drills anymore
You're just the manager
Understand?"
Reiji stared at him
"I only adjusted what was broken"
"Shut up kid this is my team"
Reiji nodded
Packed his bag
And left
---
That weekend Minamino lost 0–7
---
Coach Ishida was fired
The team was in chaos
And the players voted
They wanted Reiji back
Not as manager
Not as player
But as tactical advisor
Principal refused
Rules didn't allow it
So the players created a loophole
They made him a registered player
But left him benched
Technically on the roster
Officially legal
And they gave him jersey number 0
---
Two weeks later
Match against Osaka North
One of the top five teams in Japan
Minamino was down 0–3 by halftime
The new interim coach was losing control
The bench was silent
Except Reiji stood up
Walked to the edge of the pitch
And said six words
"Put me in at left back"
The team stared
Even the fans laughed
"Left back? That's not even his position"
"He doesn't have a position
He's just some bench kid"
The coach was desperate
Said screw it
Let him in
Reiji walked onto the field
Still wearing the blue Japan jersey under his kit
Eyes glowing faintly
Aura cold like ice
No one expected anything
Until five minutes in
He intercepted a cross without even looking
Then launched a diagonal pass that broke three lines and created a counter
Ten minutes later
He faked a slip
Tricked the striker into overextending
Triggered an offside trap
Fifteen minutes later
He screamed a single command
"Switch sides now"
The entire backline rotated
Midfield compressed
Osaka panicked
Minamino scored
3–1
Then 3–2
The opposing coach stood up in disbelief
"Who the hell is that kid"
By 85th minute
3–3
Reiji stood near the touchline
Whispered something to the striker
Pointed at the assistant ref
Then at the sun
Striker nodded
Ran like lightning
Reiji delivered a looping pass
Blinded the defender with the angle of sunlight
The striker shot
Goal
4–3
Full time whistle
---
The stadium was stunned
News reports flooded in
"Anonymous Sub Destroys Top Team Tactically"
"Who Is Reiji Kaoru"
"Phantom Left Back Rewrites Defensive Role"
But Reiji was gone
Disappeared before interviews
Vanished from the bus
All he left behind
Was a note taped to the inside of the locker
"I don't play football
I play those who think they understand it"