Friday morning
Class 3-C was silent
Not the usual lazy silence
This one was tense
Held back
Like everyone was waiting for a storm
Then it came
The door opened
A transfer slip in the teacher's hand
A new boy stepped in
Tall
Tanned skin
Golden hair
Calm walk
But what caught everyone's eye
Was the jersey slung over his shoulder
Blue
Old
Worn
Portugal
Number 7
He didn't say his name
Didn't introduce himself
But every footballer in the room
Felt it immediately
Pressure
Heavy pressure
Reiji looked up from his notebook
Eyes met
And for the first time in weeks
He blinked
Not fear
But recognition
---
Lunch
Kenta, Yamato, Leo and Reiji gathered at the rooftop
Yamato was sweating
"Bro who is this guy
He walked like he owns the pitch and the school"
Kenta chomped his sandwich
"He even asked the PE teacher for a private ball session"
Leo leaned back
"I know who he is
Miguel dos Santos
Half Japanese
Trained in the Ronaldo Academy in Lisbon
Supposed to be the next CR7
Then he vanished two years ago"
Reiji's hand tightened on his bottle
Leo caught it
"You know him?"
Reiji looked at the sky
"...He used to be my reflection
Until he chose legacy over reality"
---
After school
Miguel walked to the old pitch behind the school
Wore the number 7
Started juggling
Not fancy tricks
Just smooth
Unnatural control
A small crowd gathered
Girls
Juniors
Even seniors
Then he said it
"I came to Japan not to study
But to test one thing"
He pointed at the school building
"Him
Reiji Kurokawa
The clubless ghost"
---
Reiji was already there
Watching from the shadows
Miguel turned around
"You still don't wear a number
Still refuse to join a club
Still pretend like football is just a game"
Reiji walked out
"And you still think football is just legacy and flash"
Miguel smiled
"No
I think football is war through memory
People don't remember clever passes
They remember the ones who wore the crown"
---
That Sunday
A friendly match was suddenly announced
Minamino vs a team called Phantom FC
An unofficial team
Built by returnees
Foreign-trained
Skill monsters
And leading them
Was Miguel
Coach Nakamura hesitated
But Reiji signed the papers first
"We play"
---
Match day
Miguel stepped out
Wearing the Portugal jersey
Number 7 shining like a declaration
Minamino wore their school kits
But Reiji came out last
Wearing nothing but black
No number
No logo
Just black
The crowd was confused
"Who even is that guy"
"Isn't that illegal"
"Wait... that's the Ghost guy right"
---
Kickoff
From the start
Miguel showed brilliance
Two nutmegs
A rainbow flick
Then a volley off the crossbar
Reiji didn't touch the ball for the first 10 minutes
But he moved
He shifted the spaces
Pulled his own players like a conductor
And then
On Phantom FC's third attack
Reiji intercepted
With his chest
Controlled
Passed back
Then launched a counter with one touch
Minamino scored
The crowd exploded
But Miguel didn't flinch
He grinned
"This is what I wanted"
---
Final score
2–2 draw
But both teams walked out with fire in their eyes
After the match
Miguel and Reiji met in the hallway
No words
Just one fist bump
Then Miguel whispered
"The next time we meet
It'll be for something bigger
And I won't hold back"
Reiji replied calmly
"You never did
You just never aimed high enough"