Kei sat on the bench only because the coach insisted.His legs could go another ninety minutes but his brain was boiling over.The assistant coach handed him a bottle but he didn't drink it.He was watching the field like it wasn't big enough
Because it wasn't
Every blade of grass had become a variable,every bounce a probability.The opposing team had begun to shift again but this time it wasn't based on data or strategy
It was fear
They had started shadowing Ren even when the ball was on the other side of the pitch,breaking their formation just to account for ghosts that hadn't appeared yet
And Kei noticed
"That's the second time their right back moved early" he muttered
"Reacting to what?" Amano asked beside him
"Not me.Ren.They're scared of the pass before it even exists"
Coach turned slightly,pretending not to eavesdrop
Kei stood again,walking closer to the sideline
The players on the pitch didn't need instructions anymore
They needed someone to mess with the world map
Kei raised his hand and whistled sharply.It wasn't a signal they'd practiced but somehow Dazai knew
He changed his position without a word
The ball came to him seconds later and without hesitation he lobbed it sideways
Kei's eyes burned
The world's map was shifting
Football wasn't a game of positions anymore
It was a game of illusions
A war between predicted patterns and human instinct
And right now
Instinct was winning
Kei smirked as the ball found the third runner from deep
He hadn't told anyone that run would work
Because the field didn't have room for all his ideas
Only his mind did
And the match was far from over