The morning after the match
Japan exploded
"Reiji Kurobane stuns with genius assist"
"Who is the Ghost Playmaker?"
"Vortex's number 7 breaks logic again"
Clips of Reiji's pass flooded every screen
Even international scouts began to whisper
But Reiji sat in his apartment
Lights off
TV muted
He stared at the headline on his cracked phone screen
"The Ghost Is Real"
He sighed
Then turned off his phone
---
Meanwhile
At a luxury hotel in Shibuya
A talent agent sat across from a man in sunglasses
"His name is Reiji
His brand is already built
We just need to control the story"
The man in sunglasses leaned forward
"Then we push him into the trap"
The agent raised a brow
"What trap?"
The man smiled
"The spotlight"
---
Back at the Vortex training ground
Coach Hiroshi looked at Reiji with a heavy expression
"You've gone viral
It's not a good thing"
Reiji leaned back
"Let them talk
It doesn't change the pitch"
Coach shook his head
"Media doesn't care about the pitch
They care about narratives
And right now
They've chosen you"
---
That evening
Reiji was invited to a sports talk show
He declined
They sent a car anyway
He stood in the doorway as the producer begged
"Please
The fans want to hear your voice
Even just for one minute"
Reiji agreed
But only under one condition
"No lights
No crowd
No fake applause"
The producer hesitated
Then agreed
But behind the scenes
The script was already written
---
At the studio
Reiji sat on a black leather chair
No audience
Just cameras
They gave him a mic
The host smiled warmly
"Reiji
Your pass against Phoenix is now legendary
How did you see that run coming?"
Reiji answered plainly
"I didn't
I made it happen"
The host chuckled nervously
"Ahh mysterious as always
Some fans say you're arrogant
Others say you're a genius
What do you say?"
Reiji looked directly at the camera
"I say I'm still learning"
---
The interview ended in six minutes
But that was enough
Clips were sliced
Words twisted
Memes made
"Reiji thinks he's smarter than the team"
"Is the Ghost becoming a diva?"
---
Next day
Vortex's locker room felt different
Some players looked at Reiji longer than usual
A few nodded
But others whispered behind his back
Even Leo
Who usually joked around
Was quieter
Renji's voice crackled from Reiji's phone later that night
"They've started phase one
This is how they break young minds"
Reiji replied flatly
"I don't care about the media
I only care about the ball"
But even he knew
Once you enter the spotlight
The shadows move differently
---
Far away
A coach in a rival club stared at Reiji's highlights
Then at his own players
"Find me a counter
Someone who can break his tempo
Someone unpredictable
But unstable"
An assistant asked
"Is there even someone like that?"
The coach nodded slowly
"Yes
There's one boy
He got expelled from four academies
But he might be the chaos we need"
He wrote a name on the whiteboard
Amano Kei