The next morning rumors exploded across youth football forums
"Did you see that ghost kid again"
"He made a sponsored academy look like clowns"
"Who the hell even is he"
Some said he was a former genius who vanished after injury
Others swore he was part of a secret training cult in Okinawa
A few even joked he was a Blue Lock reject with unfinished business
But no one could explain how every time he stepped on the pitch something broke
Not bones
Not rules
But structure
Expectation
Logic
He wasn't just unpredictable
He was unfair
---
Meanwhile Amano sat alone on a rooftop with a notebook filled with maps of formations from every team in the upcoming Tokyo Shadow Cup
Hibiki arrived with two steaming convenience store pork buns and dropped one in his lap
"Eat or die bro"
Amano scribbled something and mumbled
"They've already started modifying their default pressing traps. That coach from yesterday? He's connected to three other clubs through private investors. They're sharing player files now. Look—"
Hibiki took a giant bite
"You sound like a villain monologuing to himself on a rooftop"
Amano finally looked up
"Maybe I am"
---
Later that night Coach Kurosawa sat in a dark meeting room watching replays
He paused the screen
Zoomed
Paused again
On the frame was Amano
Eyes glowing in the stadium lights like a character out of a manga
"He's not just seeing patterns…"
Another coach across the table crossed his arms
"He's becoming the pattern"
Kurosawa exhaled slowly
"Then we either play by his rules…or burn the board"