The sun hung low over the Tokyo skyline as Reiji left the Vortex training ground
His hoodie was pulled up
Back hunched
Eyes shadowed under his cap
He'd played the perfect ghost so far
Slipping into Vortex unnoticed
Bending match tempo like a puppet master
Controlling without dominating
Breaking teams without even scoring himself
And yet
Someone had seen him
---
The message came right after dinner
No name
No number
"How long will you hide behind numbers and shadows
You still play the same
Eyes first
Position second
Just like in Osaka"
Reiji froze
He hadn't played in Osaka for two years
That version of him was supposed to be gone
Buried with his past
He deleted the message
But his pulse had spiked
---
Next day
Reiji trained harder than usual
Not because of fear
But clarity
If someone knew
Then others could too
And if his cover broke
Shadowgate would pull the plug
He couldn't risk that
Not until the plan was done
Not until the world saw what a playmaker with no face could really do
---
Leo noticed the change
"You good bro
You've been looking like a haunted vending machine all day"
Reiji kept juggling a ball against the wall
Barefoot
Eyes locked
"Someone found me
And they're watching"
Leo blinked
"Is it Nakamura
Or someone worse"
Reiji shook his head
"I don't know
But they mentioned Osaka"
Leo went quiet
Then leaned back and sighed
"Alright
Looks like we're entering the villain origin story arc now"
---
Three days later
Vortex faced Blue Dynamo
A team infamous for their unpredictable pressing system
They didn't play to win
They played to steal rhythm
Every time a team faced them
They looked like amateurs
Their manager called it
"chaos art"
Vortex was expected to collapse
Pundits predicted a 4–1 loss minimum
Some didn't even name Reiji in the lineup previews
Number 67 was still invisible to the press
But not to the crowd
In the stadium's upper rows
Someone stood alone
Recording every movement
A long lens camera
Notebook in hand
Face hidden beneath a cap with the Osaka Junior League emblem
The watcher
---
Kickoff blew
And Blue Dynamo started with fire
They pressed with five players
Moved like sharks around blood
Vortex defenders panicked
Mispassed
Nearly conceded in minute three
Their captain screamed across the field
"WHERE'S OUR MIDFIELD?!?"
But Reiji hadn't moved
He stood near the sideline
Arms folded
Watching
Then
Like flipping a switch
He moved
---
First touch
He let the ball roll past his feet
Then back-heeled it through a gap that shouldn't have existed
Midfielder caught it
Turned
Found Leo
Goal
Just like that
1–0
And yet
Reiji didn't celebrate
He turned his eyes
To the upper rows of the stadium
He couldn't see clearly
But he knew
The watcher was there
---
Dynamo responded hard
They changed formation mid-game
A rare 3–1–3–3 press
Nobody in the league used it
They weren't trying to win
They were trying to test Reiji
Each time he touched the ball
Two shadows closed in
They didn't tackle
They mirrored
Studied
Reiji noticed something strange
Dynamo's midfielders were hesitating
Not in fear
But like they were waiting for signals
Someone was watching him from above
And feeding instructions in real time
That wasn't normal
That was a hunting pattern
---
Halftime
Vortex led 2–1
But barely
The locker room was tense
The coach looked at Reiji
"Something's off
They're not playing for points
They're playing for data"
Reiji nodded
"Someone's in the crowd
Feeding them"
Leo looked around
"Like a scout?"
Reiji shook his head
"No
Like a tracker
They're not just observing my play
They're measuring reaction time
Decision delay
Memory recall routes"
The coach stared
"You think this is Shadowgate?"
Reiji paused
"No
Worse
It's someone who knows me from before Shadowgate"
---
Second half
Reiji changed his pace completely
He stopped being unpredictable
Started playing perfectly textbook
Simple passes
One-twos
Supportive movements
Dynamo pressed harder
But they started to fall apart
They had trained to counter chaos
Not perfection
The moment Reiji went by the book
Their map broke
3–1
4–1
Then a final dagger
Reiji dribbled into the box
Waited until the last second
Then rolled it sideways to Leo
Empty net
5–1
Vortex fans exploded
Commentators finally asked
"Who is number 67
Why haven't we seen him before"
---
Back in the upper stands
The watcher closed his notebook
He spoke into a hidden mic
"He's adapted
Classic mind inversion
Same as Osaka match six
Time delay is down to 1.3 seconds
He's faster now
Smarter too"
The voice on the other end replied
"Then it's time
Send the footage to Arcadia"
---
Night
Reiji sat alone in the dorm rooftop
His phone buzzed
No number
"Perfect game
But I know you faked it
You only play textbook when you're scared
Let's see what happens when we make the next move
Welcome back to the board
Phantom"
Reiji stared at the city below
Lights shimmering like circuits
Like everything was part of a game he didn't fully understand yet
But if they wanted to play
He'd rewrite the board