Tokyo was burning
Not with fire
But with rumors
A ghost had appeared in Berlin
A player with no face
No past
Just a number and a trail of broken formations
Clips leaked
Even though it was a closed match
Snippets showed a boy in black
Dismantling Germany's elite like he was playing chess while they played checkers
Comment sections exploded
"Who is this guy??"
"Not even Blue Lock has someone this unpredictable"
"Looks like a glitch in the simulation"
And among those watching
Was a club desperate enough to gamble on a ghost
---
Reiji sat in a small apartment in Shibuya
No lights on
Only his laptop screen flickering blue across his eyes
The message blinked again
FC Vortex Tokyo: Confidential Proposal
Not a big team
Mid-table
But known for their aggressive style and chaotic recruitment
The proposal?
Join their first team under a fake name
No registration
No press release
Just step in
Take over
The role?
Tactical Consultant disguised as a reserve player
In short
Reiji would enter the battlefield
But not as a star
As a spy
He'd decide matches
Not by scoring
But by breaking the opponent from inside
Untraceable
Unstoppable
---
Leo barged in
Holding instant noodles and a soda
"Yo bro guess what
Some team's offering you to be a secret weapon
Like a ninja coach or something
Ain't that sketchy as hell?"
Reiji glanced at him
"It's Vortex"
Leo blinked
"Wait seriously?
They're insane
Didn't they hire a street magician as a goalkeeper last year?"
Reiji didn't smile
Didn't blink
"I'm going"
Leo nearly choked on his soda
"HUH?!?"
---
Next morning
Reiji walked into the Vortex training camp
No one greeted him
They didn't even ask his name
A short bald man wearing a whistle came up
"You're the shadow
Good
Put on 67
Train with the reserves
Then come upstairs after lights out"
Reiji nodded
No questions
The drills were normal
Too normal
So he played average
Missed passes on purpose
Faked bad positioning
Pretended to be just another extra
He fooled everyone
Except one
---
A girl with a shaved undercut and blood-red boots
Midfielder
Lean
Eyes sharp like razors
She walked past Reiji during cooldown
"67 huh
You're lying with your legs"
Reiji paused
She smirked
"You're not average
You're hiding"
Then walked off
He didn't reply
But his mind noted it
She sees through disguise
---
At night
Reiji climbed to the top floor of the dorm
A room with no nameplate
Inside
The head coach
Two staff
A board with scribbles
The coach pointed at a screen
It showed their next opponent
A club with rising stars and a flawless midfield core
"Your job is to ruin them
You'll play as a right back
But really
You'll be our virus"
Reiji nodded
Eyes glowing faintly in the dark
---
Match day
Vortex was the underdog
Their opponents had won six matches straight
Everyone expected a 3–0 win minimum
Reiji stood on the right
Barely touched the ball for 20 minutes
Commentators ignored him
Crowd didn't care
But then
He started whispering
Not literally
But in play
One touch wide
Back to keeper
Switch sides
Force the opponent's winger to chase uselessly
By minute 30
The opponent's shape bent
Their midfielder shouted at his fullback
Too late
Reiji intercepted a pass that never should've existed
Passed backwards
Then charged forward
Not as a defender
But like a striker who forgot he was supposed to defend
Cross
Header
Goal
Vortex led 1–0
Crowd silenced
---
Second half
Reiji changed again
He stayed back
Lured players into false confidence
Then countered diagonally
Not once
Not twice
Three times
By full time
3–2
Vortex won
Analysts couldn't explain it
Stats didn't show anything exceptional from number 67
But players who faced him said something else
"He made us afraid to move
Like he was in our minds before we even touched the ball"
---
Back in the locker room
The coach approached Reiji
"You're more than a playmaker
You're a virus in human form
And we're going to infect this entire league"
Reiji just looked at the board
Next opponent: Blue Dynamo
Famous for pressing chaos
He smirked
Let's see if chaos can outplay the Ghost