The final whistle didn't bring joy. It didn't bring relief. It brought silence.
Amano Kei stood in the center of the practice field with his head slightly tilted toward the fading sky. The sun was melting behind the bleachers but no light reached his eyes. The scoreboard blinked 3–1. They won. He created every goal. But none of it mattered.
Not a single player walked up to him.
No nod
No pat on the back
No eye contact
It was like he didn't exist again
Coach Yoneda laughed with the forward who scuffed two chances but tapped in Amano's perfectly curved cross. The other midfielders were huddled in a circle, joking about their "dominant control of the game." Amano stayed still until the field emptied out and only a stray cone rolled near his feet.
He didn't kick it away
He just watched it spin
---
The locker room was noise. Loud water, shoes slapping against wet tile, the screech of someone doing karaoke off-key. Amano walked in, grabbed his bag, and walked right back out. No one noticed. No one ever noticed.
Outside the facility, the wind felt colder than usual. It wasn't even winter yet. He zipped his jacket halfway, pulled his hood up, and took the long way home through the back alleys of Osaka. A place where dogs barked at their own echoes and vending machines were the only source of light.
His phone buzzed once
Unknown number
> You think you're being ignored
I think you're just not in the right room
Warehouse 6. 9 PM. Tonight. Bring your boots
He stared at the message for a full minute
Then another buzz
> And your mind. Leave your ego at home
Amano blinked
Warehouse 6? That abandoned training hall near the industrial district?
He pocketed the phone without replying
---
Warehouse 6 smelled like rust and old dreams. The floodlights were barely working. The goals had no nets. But there was someone standing at the halfway line, a tall figure in a gray hoodie with his arms crossed like he'd been waiting since yesterday.
"You're late," the man said
Amano stepped onto the dusty floor
"You're Hibiki Shun," he said slowly
The man grinned without denying it
"And you're the kid who made ten different tactics work in a game where nobody passed to him"
A ball rolled to Amano's feet
"Impress me" said Hibiki
Amano stared down at the ball
No teammates
No tactics
No noise
Just the ball
And his ghostly mind
Time to play