The headlines exploded
The Phantom Formation
Minamino's Chaos Tactic
The Ghost Revolution
Reiji didn't speak to the media
He never did
But the football world couldn't ignore it anymore
Clubs started calling
Journalists dug into his past
Only to find nothing
No youth club
No academy
Just one line repeated across reports
Clubless Genius
---
In the Minamino locker room
Everyone celebrated
Except Reiji
He stared at the board
Drawing invisible lines
Formations no one had ever seen before
Coach Nakamura approached him
"You planning to turn the next match into a chessboard too"
Reiji didn't look up
"No
This one will be war"
Coach raised a brow
"Against who
Kanzei High"
Reiji nodded
"They don't play football
They destroy it
All brute force
All pain"
Yamato overheard
"Didn't they injure three players last year just for fun"
Kenta chimed in
"Coach should've called the police not a timeout"
Reiji stood up
"I'll deal with it
But we play this match on my terms
Even if it means making the crowd hate us"
---
Game day arrived
Rain again
A downpour this time
Kanzei's players walked out like soldiers
Tall
Built
Merciless
Minamino looked tiny next to them
The crowd jeered
"Minamino's gonna get crushed"
"Hope they brought stretchers"
But Reiji
He walked with no fear
Hair soaked
Eyes locked forward
He didn't even wear his captain's band
Gave it to Yamato
This wasn't about leadership
This was a message
---
Kickoff
And it began
Kanzei came swinging
Hard tackles
Elbows
Body checks
In 10 minutes
Kenta was limping
Yamato got clotheslined
Coach shouted at the ref
No card given
Reiji stayed silent
Just…watched
Then
In minute 14
He moved
First touch
A drag
Then a flick
Then a body feint that broke ankles
He passed to the wing
Then instantly dropped to the back
No one knew where he was going next
---
Then
He did something insane
He deliberately slowed the game
He held the ball
Paused
Looked up
Then passed sideways
Again
And again
Fans started booing
"What is he doing"
"This is boring"
"Why's he killing the pace"
But Reiji smirked
"Let them boo
Let them fall asleep"
Because Kanzei's brute style relied on momentum
And he just drained it
Every tackle they missed
Tired them out
Every slow pass
Broke their rhythm
---
Second half
Kanzei started panicking
Their hits came late
Their press got sloppy
Reiji struck
A diagonal ball to Kenta
Who squared it to Yamato
Goal
1–0
The crowd was stunned
Not from the goal
But the simplicity of it
Then Reiji turned the pace back up
Like flipping a switch
Suddenly
Minamino played like devils
One touch
Backheels
Runs between shadows
Kanzei couldn't keep up
2–0
Then 3–0
Their rage exploded
One player tried to take Reiji out
Slid from behind
But Reiji saw it coming
Let the ball run
And jumped
The slide missed
He landed
Kept dribbling
And laughed
That broke Kanzei
They weren't just losing
They were humiliated
---
Final whistle
3–0
Minamino walked off
Silent
Composed
The crowd
Once mocking
Now roared
Reiji didn't even look up
He walked straight into the tunnel
---
In the stands
A man in a black suit watched silently
Next to him
A folder
On it
Reiji's name
He whispered
"So this is Japan's devil child"
---
Back in the locker room
Yamato punched the air
"We destroyed those thugs"
Reiji didn't celebrate
He walked to Leo
"They're not the real threat
The one behind them
He's here
And he's watching me now"
Leo froze
"You mean…"
Reiji nodded
"Yeah
The architect from Europe
The one who creates football monsters
He just put me on his list"