The Celebration That Changed Everything
The Tokyo FC clubhouse had never looked like this.
Streamers hung from every corner, a banner reading "YOUTH CUP SEMI-FINALISTS - FIRST TIME IN 30 YEARS" dominated the main wall, and tables groaned under the weight of celebration food.
Parents, players, coaches, and club officials packed the small space, everyone buzzing with an energy Takeshi had never seen before.
In my previous life, we got knocked out in the second round. No one gave a shit.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Club President Nakamura stood up, tapping his glass with a chopstick. "Quiet, please."
The room fell silent. President Nakamura was old-school Tokyo FC, had been with the club for forty years, through relegations and promotions, through the dark times when they could barely afford equipment.
"Thirty years," he began, his voice cracking with emotion. "Thirty years since our youth team made it to the top four of anything. Most years, we're knocked out before the round of thirty-two."
Scattered applause, but everyone was hanging on his words.
"This team, these boys, they've done something special. They've given this old club hope again."
His eyes found Takeshi across the room.
"But one player in particular has been... extraordinary. Takeshi Yamamoto has scored fourteen goals in six matches. Fourteen! At eight years old!"
The applause was thunderous now. Takeshi felt his face burning red as everyone turned to stare at him.
Stop. Please stop. This is too much attention too early.
"Which brings me to my announcement," President Nakamura continued, and something in his tone made the room go dead quiet.
Oh no. What's coming?
"Because of this historic run, because of the attention we've attracted, Tokyo FC Youth has been invited to compete in the Youth League Division A!"
The silence lasted exactly three seconds before the room exploded.
What? WHAT?
Takeshi's blood turned to ice. Division A was the elite youth league, only sixteen teams in all of Japan. Professional club academies, the best of the best. In his previous timeline, Tokyo FC had never even been considered for Division A.
I've changed everything. Completely changed everything.
His teammates were going insane, hugging each other, crying with joy. Hiroshi was literally jumping up and down screaming. But Takeshi couldn't move, couldn't breathe.
Division A means scouts. Media attention. Pressure I'm not ready for.
"The competition starts next month," President Nakamura continued over the noise. "It's a different level entirely. But if these boys can make a semifinal, who knows what else they can do?"
As the celebration continued around him, Takeshi felt like he was drowning.
Everything's moving too fast. Way too fast.
The School Surprise
Takeshi walked into school the next morning, hoping for normalcy—just regular classes, regular friends, regular eight-year-old problems.
Instead, he found chaos.
"TAKESHI!" Yuki Tanaka's voice cut through the morning chatter as she bounded over with half the class following her. "We saw the news! Division A! You're going to be playing with the real elite teams!"
Shit. It made the local news already.
His classmates surrounded him like he was some kind of celebrity. Kids who'd barely talked to him before were suddenly his best friends, asking for autographs, wanting to know about his "secret training."
But it was Yuki's reaction that hit him like lightning.
She wasn't asking for autographs or treating him like a celebrity. She was just... proud. Her smile was genuine and warm, as he remembered from their teenage years together.
God, even at eight years old, she's perfect.
"I always knew you were special," she said quietly while the others peppered him with questions. "Even before all this football stuff. You just... see things differently than everyone else."
If only you knew how different.
Her words shouldn't have affected him so much, she was eight years old, he was technically thirty-four, this whole situation was insane. But looking into those bright, innocent eyes, he felt his chest tighten with emotions he couldn't sort out.
In my previous life, we were just classmates until middle school. She never noticed me like this.
"Thanks, Yuki-chan," he managed, his voice smaller than intended.
"Will you still have time to hang out with us regular kids?" she asked with a teasing smile. "Or are you going to become too cool for us?"
Never. I'll never be too cool for the people who matter.
"Always," he said, meaning it more than she could possibly understand.
The attention followed him through every class. Teachers congratulated him, the principal called him to the office just to shake his hand, and his math teacher spent half the lesson talking about his "bright future."
This is exactly what I was afraid of. I'm becoming a spectacle.
The Scout Meeting
The cafe was tiny and cramped, the kind of place where salary workers grabbed quick lunch sets. Takeshi sat between his parents, fidgeting with his napkin while they waited for the Ajax scout to arrive.
"Remember," his mother whispered for the tenth time, "just be yourself. Don't feel pressured to say yes to anything."
How can I be myself when I don't even know which self I am anymore?
The door chimed, and Erik van der Berg walked in. Tall, blonde, wearing an expensive suit that screamed European football money. He scanned the cafe until his eyes found their table.
"Yamamoto family?" His Japanese was decent but accented. "Erik van der Berg, Ajax Youth Academy."
Handshakes all around. The scout ordered coffee while Takeshi's parents sat stiffly, clearly out of their element.
"I'll be direct," van der Berg began. "Your son is exceptional. In thirty years of scouting, I've rarely seen natural ability like this in someone so young."
Thirty years of watching football plus a leveling system helps.
"We'd like to invite Takeshi to our summer development camp in Amsterdam. All expenses paid, of course. Three weeks of training with our best youth coaches."
His parents exchanged glances. His father cleared his throat.
"He's only eight years old. Isn't this... premature?"
Van der Berg smiled. "Talent doesn't wait for age, Mr. Yamamoto. We have a special program for exceptional young players. Early development, specialized coaching, a pathway to professional football that most kids can only dream of."
Special program? That's new.
"What kind of special program?" Takeshi found himself asking.
The scout's eyes lit up. "Interested, are we? I can't reveal all the details, but let's say we work with players who show... unusual development patterns. Accelerated improvement. Tactical awareness beyond their years."
He knows. Somehow, he knows something's different about me.
"There are other children," van der Berg continued, pulling out a tablet. "From different countries, all showing similar... extraordinary progression. We believe in identifying and nurturing such talent early."
Other kids? Other reincarnated people? Or just naturally gifted?
His mother leaned forward protectively. "Three weeks is a long time for an eight-year-old to be away from home. In a foreign country."
"Of course. Which is why we'd need a decision soon. The program is very exclusive, only six children worldwide this year."
Pressure tactics. Creating scarcity.
"How soon?" his father asked.
"One week." Van der Berg's smile didn't reach his eyes. "I have other candidates to visit. First come, first served, I'm afraid."
Takeshi watched his parents struggle with the decision. In his previous life, opportunities like this had come later, when he was older, when his parents had more time to process. Now everything was happening at light speed.
"We'll need to discuss this as a family," his mother said firmly.
"Of course. But don't wait too long. Opportunities like this don't come twice."
After the scout left, his parents sat in stunned silence.
"What do you think, Takeshi?" his father asked finally.
I think this is moving way too fast. I think I'm changing the timeline in ways I don't understand. I think this scout knows more than he's letting on.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "It's a lot."
New Pressures
That evening, the full weight of Division A hit him.
President Nakamura had sent over the competition details: sixteen teams, including academies from Yokohama F. Marinos, Urawa Red Diamonds, and Kashima Antlers. Professional club youth systems with resources Tokyo FC could only dream of.
These kids train year-round. They have professional coaches, perfect facilities, and sports scientists.
The system chimed softly in his mind:
[NEW CHALLENGE DETECTED: Elite Competition Level]
[QUEST UPDATE: Survive Division A without breaking]
[WARNING: Failure may result in permanent stat penalties]
Even the system is worried.
His phone buzzed with a text from Hiroshi: "Dude, did you see the Division A schedule? We play Yokohama first match. They haven't lost a youth game in two years!"
In my previous life, Yokohama's youth team produced three future national team players from this age group.
Another text, this one from an unknown number: "Congratulations on Division A! Looking forward to watching your development. - E.V."
The scout. How did he get my number?
Then his mother called up the stairs: "Takeshi! Dinner! And we need to talk about this Ajax thing!"
The scout decision. Division A pressure. Yuki's unexpected attention. Everything's accelerating out of control.
As he walked downstairs, Takeshi realized something terrifying: for the first time since his reincarnation, he had no idea what was going to happen next.
I changed the timeline too much. Now I'm flying blind.
And everyone's counting on me to keep performing miracles.
What happens when I can't?
The sound of his parents' worried voices drifted from the kitchen, mixing with system notifications he was trying to ignore and the weight of decisions that could reshape not just his future, but everyone's.
One week to decide on Ajax. One month until Division A starts. And somewhere in between, I have to figure out how to be an eight-year-old kid with the weight of the world on my shoulders.
This is what success feels like. And it's terrifying.