After sometime he reaches home
He opened the door.
His parents were in the living room, TV on but not watching. Both looked up immediately. Mom's eyes were red. Dad looked exhausted.
They'd watched the stream.
They knew.
Mom stood, wanted to hug him.
Takeshi could see it coming. "I'm okay."
Mom, "Takeshi, sweetheart—"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Came out harsher than intended.
"Sorry. I just... I need to be alone. Please."
Went to his room before they could push.
Closed the door.
Leaned against it.
Finally alone.
Finally could break.
But the tears wouldn't come. Just... empty.
Looking around at posters of football legends. Messi. Ronaldo. Neymar. The greats.
Trophies on a shelf from age 8-12. The "prodigy years."
And the Ajax group, Elsa was standing just next to him.
One trophy knocked over. Never bothered to stand it back up.
Suddenly wanted to sweep them all to the floor. Watch them shatter.
Didn't.
Just sat on his bed and stared at his hands.
"These feets scored twice today. Assisted twice. Fought a demon for 90 minutes. And it meant nothing."
Says it out loud.
"He's right. He was always better. I was just the warm-up act. The shooting star that burned out. And now the luck's run out."
Even in my past life, he won the Bad'Orllon Dor, and I died at 34 as an alcoholic piece of shit.
Checks his phone: 8:47 PM.
Long night ahead.
Can already feel it.
SYSTEM FLICKERS (9:30 PM)
[SYSTEM REBOOT ATTEMPT]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
...attempting to restart...
...error...
...trying again...
Body: 12%
functional Spirit: ERROR -
cannot compute Heart:
...offline...
System cannot operate without clear
PURPOSE
Question: Why do you play? Not why did you play three years ago. Not why you should play. Why do you ACTUALLY play now?
After today. After his words. After everything. WHY? System will remain offline until answer found.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Takeshi stares at the message.
"Why do I play?"
Says it out loud. Voice sounds strange in the quiet room.
"I don't know anymore."
System doesn't respond. Just... waiting.
For an answer he doesn't have.
MIDNIGHT - CAN'T SLEEP
Lying in bed staring at ceiling.
Can hear his parents talking quietly in their room. Just worried tones. Clock says 12:13 AM.
Hasn't slept at all.
Mind won't stop. Keeps replaying every moment. Every mistake. Every second he wasn't good enough.
Gets up.
Goes to window.
Tokyo at night. Millions of lights. Millions of lives going on like today didn't happen. Like his world didn't end.
"It's just a game."
Whispers it.
"Just a fucking game."
But it doesn't feel like just a game. Feels like everything.
Pulls out phone.
Scrolls through messages he's been ignoring.
Akira: "You okay?"
Akira: "Text me when you can."
Group chat (47 unread):
Sato: "Anyone awake?"
Kenji: "Can't sleep."
Yuta: "My whole body hurts."
Ryo: "First real loss always hits different."
He can't face them. Not yet.
Keeps scrolling.
Stops at a name: ELSA
The first person to make him feel happy as an normal 8 year old.
Last one was yesturday: "Big match coming up right? Good luck!! 🍀⚽"
He never responded. Too focused. Too consumed.
Now...
Stares at her name.
Finger hovers over it.
She's in a different world. Different country, different life. Doesn't know about today.
Part of him wants to keep it that way.
But another part needs someone who doesn't know. Someone outside this bubble. Someone who won't look at him with pity.
Types before he can overthink:
Takeshi: "You awake?"
Hits send. Immediately regrets it.
Three dots appear.
Elsa: "TAKESHI!"
Elsa: "Omg you're alive!"
Elsa: "I thought you forgot about me lol"
Elsa: "Wait your game was today right?"
Takeshi stares at the messages.
How does he even start?
Takeshi: "Yeah. It was today."
Long pause. Three dots appear, disappear, appear again.
Elsa: "oh no"
Elsa: "you lost didn't you"
Takeshi: "How'd you know?"
Elsa: "because you never text me when things go well"
Elsa: "you disappear into your cave"
Elsa: "but when you're hurting..."
Elsa: "that's when you remember i exist"
She's right. Completely right.
Takeshi: "Sorry."
Elsa: "don't be sorry"
Elsa: "just talk to me"
Elsa: "what happened?"
And something in Takeshi breaks.
Not tears. Just the dam holding everything back.
He starts typing and can't stop.
Tells her everything:
The score. 5-4.
His stats. 2 goals, 2 assists.
Daichi's performance. 4 goals, 1 assist.
The demon awakening at 75 minutes.
The feeling of helplessness.
Watching perfection destroy hope.
The final whistle.
And the words.
"You were never the star of Japan. It was always me."
Types it all in one long stream.
Three years of pain in paragraphs.
Hits send.
Waits.
Elsa takes a moment to respond:
Elsa: "takeshi"
Else: "that's"
Elsa: "okay first off fuck that guy"
Despite everything, Takeshi almost smiles.
Only Else
Elsa: "like seriously what an asshole thing to say"
Elsa: "you just gave EVERYTHING and he says that?"
Elsa: "fuck him"
Takeshi: "What if he's right though?"
Elsa: "right about what?"
Takeshi: "That I was never the star."
Takeshi: "That it was always him."
Takeshi: "That three years ago was just luck."
Long pause from Elsa.
Can see she's typing, deleting, typing again.
Finally:
Elsa: "okay real talk"
Takeshi: "Okay."
Elsa: "you're 15"
Takeshi: "I know."
Elsa: "no i don't think you do"
Elsa: "you're FIFTEEN takeshi"
Elsa: "you just went to war with someone better than you"
Elsa: "and you scored TWICE"
Elsa: "at 15"
Elsa: "do you understand how insane that is?"
THE TURNING POINT
The messages keep coming.
Elsa talking about perspective. About age. About time.
Elsa: "not being THE star doesn't mean you're nothing"
Elsa: "you have TIME"
Elsa: "even if he's always better"
Elsa: "does that make what you did today meaningless?"
Takeshi: "Yes."
Elsa: "bullshit"
Elsa: "you know how many 15 year olds could do what you did?"
Elsa: "NONE"
Elsa: "literally none"
Elsa: "you're not THE best"
Elsa: "but you're still incredible"
Takeshi sits with that.
Not hope. Just... a crack in the darkness.
Takeshi: "I don't feel incredible. I feel like I'm drowning."
Elsa: "then drown tonight"
Elsa: "be 15 and broken"
Elsa: "but tomorrow? you get to decide if you keep swimming"
They keep talking for hours.
Elsa shifts the conversation. Tells him about her training. About a goalkeeper who let in an embarrassing goal. About Norwegian winter coming early. About her little brother who thinks he's Haaland.
Normal stuff. Football stuff without the weight.
And slowly, gradually, Takeshi feels less like he's drowning.
More like he's treading water.
Still in the ocean.
But not sinking.
2:00 AM - THE REAL QUESTION
Elsa: "hey can i ask you something?"
Takeshi: "Sure."
Elsa: "why did you start playing? like really start?"
Takeshi: "I was 5."
Elsa: "why?"
Takeshi: "What do you mean why?"
Elsa: "why did 5 year old takeshi start playing football?"
Takeshi thinks.
I can't just say I got another chance at life...
Tries to remember.
It's hard. Feels like a lifetime ago.
I just wanted to proof that and fix the mistakes of my past life... he though in his mind
Takeshi: "I saw a World Cup match on TV."
Takeshi: "I don't even remember which one."
Takeshi: "But I remember the feeling."
Takeshi: "Like... magic."
Takeshi: "Made my parents take me to the park the next day."
Typing it out, the memory gets clearer.
Takeshi: "I played for hours. Couldn't stop."
Takeshi: "My mom said I was laughing the whole time."
Stops typing.
Stares at that last sentence.
"I was laughing."
Elsa:
Elsa: "when's the last time you laughed playing football?"
The question hits like a punch.
Takeshi: "I don't know. I don't remember. I guess when I was with you at Ajax Elsa with you."
Elsa blushes as she saw that text but she cotrols herself as Takeshi need her right now.
Elsa: "At Ajax you were the one who appriciated me, and you did enjoy that but, their is a problem"
Elsa: " your problem"
Elsea "not daichi"
Elsa: "not being the star"
Elsa: "You forgot why you started"
Elsa: "you forgot the magic"
Elsa: "it's not about being the best takeshi"
Else: "it's about feeling ALIVE"
Elsa: "and you can't feel alive if you're fighting a war"
Takeshi sits with that.
Clock says 3:47 AM.
Should be exhausted. Is exhausted.
But mind is clearer than it's been in hours. Maybe years.
And suddenly, something clicks.
Not big. Not the answer. Just... a direction.
A thread to pull.
Elsa: "hey"
Takeshi: "Yeah?"
Elsa: "promise me something"
Takeshi: "What?"
Elsa: "don't disappear again"
Elsa "win or lose"
Elsa: "text me. call me. whatever."
Elsa: "i want to know you're okay"
Elsa: "even when you're not okay"
Takeshi: "Why do you care?"
Elsa: "because you're my friend dumbass"
Elsa: "and friends don't let friends drown alone"
Takeshi: "Thank you."
Takeshi: "For tonight. For listening."
Takeshi: "For reminding me."
Elsa: "always"
Elsa: "now go to sleep"
Elsa: "you sound like death"
Takeshi: "I feel like death."
Elsa: "then sleep"
Elsa: "tomorrow's a new day"
Elsa: "you get to decide what it means"
DAWN - 6:00 AM
Takeshi dozed off around 5 AM.
Woke to sunrise.
Tokyo painted gold.
New day.
Same broken body.
Same shattered dreams.
But something different.