Rain fell hard that morning
Like the sky wanted to drown Tokyo before kickoff
Keisuke showed up in slippers
Holding a half-eaten melon pan
Everyone else had soaked hair and wet boots
He just walked through the puddles like a king who didn't care the throne was underwater
Coach Matsuda was fuming
"Keisuke you're late"
Keisuke glanced at the clock
"No I'm early for the second half"
No one dared laugh
Except the new reserve keeper who instantly regretted it
Today wasn't just another practice
It was the closed-door match against a university team ranked in the top three in Japan
Physical
Aggressive
Merciless
The plan was simple
Test tactical rotations
Get everyone minutes
Try not to get injured
Keisuke didn't warm up
Just sat on the bench doodling on his shin pads with a black marker
Someone peeked over
It was a maze
No start
No exit
Just a spiral
First half
The team struggled
1–0 down
Possession was like a joke that kept getting cut off mid-punchline
Coach didn't even look at the bench
Just growled
"Number 7 in"
Keisuke peeled off his jacket
No expression
Like this was all part of a routine
He didn't even tie his laces
Just jogged in with his boots flapping like slippers
The university players sneered
"Who the hell sends in a sub looking like that"
Five minutes later
It was 1–1
Keisuke didn't score
He broke the entire formation
Their pressing pattern
Gone
Their defensive lines
Exposed
Their confidence
Shattered
He didn't even touch the ball that much
He just stood in the right places
Said the right things
Created movement with nothing but a look
Commentators would've called it telepathy
The defenders called it a nightmare
By the end of the match
It was 4–1
Keisuke had one assist
Two pre-assists
And a nutmeg so cruel the guy requested a sub out of shame
Back in the locker room
Nobody clapped
They stared
One player whispered
"He's not even trying"
Another said
"He's planning something"
But Keisuke just hummed a song no one knew
Drew another maze on the whiteboard
This one with numbers
Arrows
Names
Coach Matsuda watched silently
Then finally asked
"Is that your plan for next game"
Keisuke turned
"No this one's for the final"
"We're not even qualified for that yet"
Keisuke smiled
"You think I didn't plan that too"
Then he erased the board
Walked off
Boots still untied
Leaving everyone with only one question
What happens when a player who sees the future finally starts playing like he belongs in it