Kei stood near the halfway line barely moving but his mind raced faster than the ball.Every play had started to sound the same feel the same look the same
That was the danger
When patterns become comfort even chaos becomes predictable
But Kei wasn't here to be predictable
He tilted his body just slightly in the next possession baiting the defender into stepping up
Then he passed backward
Not sideways not forward backward
Confusion rippled
The crowd didn't cheer they murmured
Because even they could tell something was...off
The ball danced between Amano and the backline for nearly thirty seconds doing absolutely nothing
But that nothingness was a scream
It screamed "we're not playing your game anymore"
The opponents charged
Kei timed it perfectly
One soft lob over the pressing line and Ren was sprinting with freedom
This time he didn't pass
He dribbled past one then two
Shot fired
Goal
But again no celebration
Just silence
Then a delayed cheer like the crowd didn't know if it was allowed to cheer
Kei walked to the sideline for water but the opposing captain followed with his eyes
He looked...lost
Like a man who stepped into a mirror maze and realized every reflection lied
Kei didn't smile
Because breaking an echo chamber wasn't fun
It was necessary