Prologue – The Birth of the Predictor-Part 1 – Home & Shadows

The narrow alleys of Saitama were filled with the smell of fried food and the sound of bicycles rattling over broken pavement. In a cramped apartment tucked away behind the station, a boy sat alone on a patch of worn tatami, lacing up his shoes. They were torn at the sides, the laces frayed and stiff, but to him they were treasures.

His name was Kaito Tanaka, fifteen years old.

The small room was dimly lit by a flickering bulb, casting long shadows across the stacked boxes of part-time delivery jobs his mother took whenever she could. Kaito tied the last knot tightly, breathing deeply, as though he could force determination into his tired chest.

From the kitchen, the clatter of dishes rang out. His mother, Ayaka, thin from years of overwork, called softly:

“...Kaito, you’re heading out again? It’s late. You’ve trained all afternoon already.”

Kaito paused, looking at the cracked tips of his shoes. His voice was quiet, but steady.

“Yeah. If I stop now, I’ll fall behind. The trial’s tomorrow. I have to be ready, Mom.”

Ayaka leaned against the kitchen doorway, drying her hands on her apron. The wrinkles under her eyes deepened as she smiled, though it was a tired smile.

“You push yourself too hard. Your father was the same...”

The name lingered in the air like a ghost. Kaito’s fists tightened. His father had died when Kaito was five—an accident on the construction site. Since then, it had only been Ayaka, Kaito, and the twins.

From the bedroom, two small voices interrupted.

“Ni-chan!”

Aoi and Yumi, his ten-year-old twin sisters, peeked from under their thin blanket, eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Don’t stay out too long!” Aoi shouted, her short hair sticking up in every direction.

“Yeah, you’ll get sick and then who’ll play soccer tomorrow?” Yumi added, her twin’s voice almost a mirror.

Kaito turned toward them, his expression softening. “I’ll be fine. Go to sleep. You’ve got school in the morning.”

The twins pouted in unison. “Only if you promise to score a goal!”

Kaito chuckled, shaking his head. “I’ll… try.”

He didn’t tell them he had never even scored in any of the trial matches before. He didn’t tell them that every time, he was overlooked—just another poor boy who didn’t have the right training, the right equipment, the right connections.

He grabbed the ball tucked under his futon and slipped out into the night.

---

The empty lot a few blocks away had once been a parking lot. Now it was cracked concrete with weeds sprouting between lines. A single streetlamp flickered above, its light catching the faint mist of Kaito’s breath.

He placed the ball down. His shoes scuffed against the uneven ground as he began to dribble, the ball bouncing awkwardly over the cracks.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Every strike was sharper than the last, his movements honed from years of repetition. He trained alone, no cones, no coach, only the rhythm of his heart and the sound of his breath. Sweat clung to his hair, sliding down his jaw, soaking through the collar of his shirt.

In his mind, the voices of his classmates replayed.

“Kaito? He’ll never make it.”

“His family’s broke. He should just get a part-time job.”

“He’s not even good—look at his shoes.”

He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

“Shut up...”

He drove the ball forward, striking the wall with a sharp kick. It rebounded, and he chased it down, repeating again and again, as though punishing himself.

Finally, he collapsed onto the ground, staring up at the night sky. His chest heaved.

Somewhere in the distance, fireworks from the summer festival burst, painting the clouds with brief sparks of color. Kaito’s eyes reflected them, but there was no smile on his face.

I have to change something. I can’t let Mom keep working herself to death. I can’t let Aoi and Yumi live like this forever.

He sat up, gripping the ball tightly in his hands.

“I’ll prove them wrong. No matter what it takes... I’ll make it.”

---

Back at home, Ayaka stood by the window, watching the night where her son had disappeared. She pressed a hand to her chest, whispering into the quiet room.

“Kaito... You’re so much like him.”

From the bedroom, the twins’ sleepy voices carried softly.

“Ni-chan’s going to be a star one day... just watch.”

The night swallowed the words, leaving only silence.

And somewhere within that silence, the world stirred—waiting for the boy who didn’t yet know what awaited him.

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