Rain tapped lightly against the window of a small ramen shop near Shibuya
Inside a man in a long gray coat stirred his noodles without eating
His eyes weren't on the food
They were locked on the TV above the counter replaying a street football match from the day before
Slow motion
Pause
Zoom
There
That pass
That slide
That tap-back that led to the goal
It wasn't flashy
It wasn't loud
But it was genius
Deadly genius
The man smirked to himself
He sipped the broth slowly then stood and left without a word
He wasn't just a talent scout
He was a collector
And Amano Kei had just been added to his list
---
At a rooftop parking lot a few blocks away Amano trained alone
He placed bottles at random spots on the concrete
Some full some empty
He sprinted full speed then stopped without warning shifting his weight and launching shots at them
Each shot had a purpose
One curved to hit a bottle barely visible in the shadows
Another bounced off two walls before making contact
None of it looked like training
It looked like testing
Pushing his brain further
Breaking prediction limits
Hibiki arrived panting holding up a flyer
"Bro. Tokyo Shadow Cup's prequalifiers start next week. And uh…"
He turned the flyer around
A sponsor logo glared back
Genzai Academy
Amano's eyes narrowed
"Of course it's them"
Hibiki smirked
"You in"
Amano grabbed the flyer
And for the first time in days
He smiled
"I'm not just in"
"I'm about to flip their whole bracket upside down"