Sato wouldn't stop smirking.
"You're smiling like an idiot," he said on the walk to school, Day 11 of Takeshi's comeback.
"Am I?"
"Yeah. Training's that fun?"
Something like that, Takeshi thought, but didn't say it.
At his desk in homeroom, Akari was already there. Their eyes met for maybe half a second before they both looked away. Sato caught it from two desks over and immediately started grinning like he'd won the lottery.
Lunch came too fast and too slow.
Rooftop with Sato, Akari, and Yuki. They were talking about something, the weekend, a movie playing, when Akari casually mentioned wanting to see it. Just mentioned it. That's all.
Takeshi's adult mind (mentally 34) immediately switched into analytical mode. She's just making conversation. She's just talking about a movie she wants to see. It means nothing.
But then she looked at him.
And Sato and Yuki exchanged a look that screamed they'd coordinated this somehow.
"Takeshi loves movies, right?" Sato said, way too casual.
"Shut up."
Akari was blushing. "Oh really?"
"I mean... yeah. Sometimes."
The silence stretched. Yuki and Sato were obviously trying not to laugh.
"You two should go together!" Yuki suggested, and Takeshi immediately knew he'd been set up.
"What?!" Both of them said it simultaneously.
"Yeah! Like... as friends. Obviously." Sato was waggling his eyebrows. "Day off Sunday. Coach's orders."
Trapped. Completely trapped.
I have training that day. I definitely have training.
But one look at his schedule and Sato's smug expression said otherwise.
Akari's voice got small and shy: "I mean... if you want to..."
Her heart rate probably just spiked. Mine definitely did.
"...Sure. Sunday?"
Her face lighting up was almost painful to watch. Because his adult mind knew this was just a movie and she was just a kid and he was mentally thirty-four years old watching his childhood friend blush at him like this was some confusing teenage thing.
Except... it kind of was. And he kind of liked it.
After school, walking to practice alone with Sato:
"Sooo, a date?"
"It's not a date. Just friends watching a movie."
"Sure. That's why you're red as a tomato."
"Shut up. Don't you have passes to practice?"
Sato laughed. "Seriously though. You like her?"
Long pause.
"...I don't know. Maybe?"
"Dude,, you're 15 and overthinking like an old man." Sato was grinning. "You're still obvious though. You like her."
Maybe I do. She's been there through everything. Through the three years, I disappeared. Through me coming back. She treats me like I'm still worth something even when I'm not.
That evening, a video call from Elsa popped up on his phone while he was icing his knee.
"Hey, Elsa!"
She was in training gear, just finished Norway U17 practice. Sweat-dampened hair, genuine smile.
"How's the grinding going?"
"Better. Getting fitter every day."
"Good! Keep it up. 10 days left."
They talked easily. Her stories about the national team training. His Tokyo FC progress. Comfortable, easy, familiar. Then she asked, "How's school?"
He told her about the rooftop scene. The movie. The teasing from Sato and Yuki. Trying to sound casual about it all.
"So yeah, just as friends though."
Elsa was quiet for a moment. Then her smile got brighter, maybe too bright. "Oh. That's... that's good! You deserve normal teenage stuff. Not just football all the time."
"Yeah, Sato and Yuki won't stop teasing. They think we like each other or something."
"Well... do you?"
Pause.
"Do I what? Like her?" Why is that question hitting so hard? "I... don't know. Maybe? She's great."
Elsa nodded, smile still bright. "Good. Good for you, Takeshi."
Someone was calling her in the background. Norwegian voices, urgent.
"Sorry, team meeting. Gotta go!"
"Oh, okay. Talk later?"
"Yeah! Have fun on your... friend movie thing!"
She hung up quickly.
Was she acting weird? Takeshi stared at his blank phone screen for a moment, then shrugged. Probably just tired from training.
Across the Atlantic, in a small dorm room in Norway, Elsa was sitting on her bed with her phone in her hand, staring at nothing.
She hugged her pillow.
Pressed her face into it.
Good for you, Takeshi. He deserves to be happy.
So why does this feel like someone opened a door I didn't know I had?
She didn't understand. They were friends. Ajax teammates. That's all they'd ever be. Thousands of kilometers apart. Different timelines. He deserved someone who could be there in person, not a girl he talked to once a month over video call.
Akari could be there. Akari could sit with him. Akari could hold his hand if she wanted.
And Takeshi would let her.
Good for you, Takeshi.
She hugged the pillow tighter.
Match Day: Saturday
Tokyo FC U18 vs. Kawasaki FC U18. Home match, small crowd. Tokyo FC still 0-2-9 record
Takeshi was on the bench.
First half went surprisingly well. Tokyo FC actually played with purpose. Sato was orchestrating from midfield like he was conducting an orchestra. Ryo scoring early—1-0! First lead all season. The bench was going crazy. Maybe this was finally the win.
Second half: Kawasaki fought back. 1-1. Then 1-2. Tokyo FC is falling apart under pressure like they always do. But Sato dragged them back. 2-2. Then immediately conceded again. 2-3.
Demoralized. Team was demoralised.
73rd minute. Coach Tanaka: "Yamamoto! Warm up!"
Takeshi's heart pounded. The first real minutes of the season are approaching. Running to the sideline, peeling off his jacket. Sato was already waiting, sweat-soaked and grinning.
"Show them, partner."
High five. Entering the field.
Akari's in the crowd somewhere. I can feel her watching.
His first touch was simple—pass to Sato, keep it simple, build confidence. But something was clicking. The field opening up in ways it hadn't in three years. Adult experience mixed with improving fitness and muscle memory.
80th minute. Ball to Takeshi at the edge of the box. Three defenders marking him tight. Adult mind reading spaces. Fake shot—defenders biting. Drag ball left. Ryo making the run. Perfect through ball threading between two defenders.
Ryo one-on-one.
GOAL! 3-3!
The team exploded. Ryo is pointing at Takeshi. "That's what we needed!"
Celebration, but Takeshi was already focused. Flow state. Not TIME RELAY—that was the system thing, secret, invisible to everyone. But pure experience. Old skill waking up. Adult tactical knowledge in a fifteen-year-old body that was finally getting strong enough to execute it.
88th minute.
Tokyo FC is pressing for the winner. Ball recovered in midfield. Sato to Takeshi. 23 yards out, slightly left of centre. Two defenders are closing.
Options: pass left to winger, pass back to Sato, or...
The goalkeeper was slightly off his line. Defenders are expecting a pass. One chance. One moment.
The adult in Takeshi made the decision.
Touch to set the ball. Defenders lunging. Takeshi strikes through them with the outside of his right foot. Perfect connection. Ball rising, curling toward the top left corner. Goalkeeper diving desperately.
Trivela. Outside-of-foot beauty.
Top corner.
Unstoppable.
The ball hit the net and time froze for half a second.
Then the bench exploded.
Teammates sprinting toward him like he'd just won the World Cup. First league goal in three years. First goal in the first actual win of the season. Sato tackled him with a hug. "THAT'S THE DEMON!"
Pile of teammates. Coach Tanaka is actually smiling. The small crowd is going absolutely wild.
Final whistle came while Tokyo FC was desperately defending. Kawasaki threw everything forward. Takeshi dropped back to help, fitness barely holding at this point.
90+3 minutes.
FIRST WIN. 4-3.
Ten matches. Ten matches of losing. Now they'd won.
Post-match chaos. Team celebrating like they'd won the championship. Takeshi with 1 goal, 1 assist in 17 minutes. Man of the Match (second half). Teammates carrying him around, shouting: "WHERE'S THIS BEEN ALL SEASON?!"
Ryo clapping his back hard: "This is just the start. Keep this up."
Kenji: "Now do it against Daichi."
Reality check. Yokohama in 10 days.
Walking out of the facility, Akari was waiting with Yuki.
"TAKESHI! That was amazing!"
She ran up to him and hugged him before thinking about it. Both of them froze, wrapped around each other in front of the whole team. Reality is crashing in. She pulled back, face bright red.
"Sorry! I just— you were incredible!"
She hugged me. She actually hugged me.
"Thanks. You came."
"Of course I came. Wouldn't miss it."
Their eyes met. The moment stretched. Sato was somewhere behind them, probably grinning like an idiot.
Yuki is coughing loudly: "Still on for tomorrow? Movie?"
Both of them, way too eager: "YES!"
Then, blushing harder than before.
That night, Takeshi's phone was exploding.
Ajax group chat:
Marcus: "SAW THE GOAL ON TWITTER! DEMON'S BACK!"
Oliver: "That trivela was NASTY"
Isabella: "My boy is back! 🔥"
Kwame: "Daichi better watch out"
Elsa's message came private, two hours after the match:
"Saw your goal. Beautiful. Really happy for you."
Then: "Have fun tomorrow with Akari"
Simple messages. But something in the timing. She never mentioned the goal before. Just went straight to wishing him fun with Akari.
Was there something in that?
But before Takeshi could overthink it, his exhaustion caught up with him. He fell asleep replaying the goal in his mind. That moment when the ball left his foot. Perfect. Pure. The demon wasn't dead.
Just been sleeping.
Ten more days to wake him fully.