The scoreboard flashed mercilessly: 0–4.
The fourth goal had been a dagger. The opposing striker slipped through Kaito’s line with ease, flicked the ball past the goalkeeper, and jogged back laughing as if it were practice. The stadium roared with celebration, drowning out the weak protests of Kaito’s teammates.
The referee’s whistle shrieked again, and the first half came to an end.
Kaito dropped to his knees, palms pressed into the turf, his chest convulsing as he gasped for air. His jersey clung to him, soaked with sweat. His legs trembled, refusing to stand.
“…Useless…” one of his teammates spat, glaring down at him. “You’re just dead weight.”
Another muttered, loud enough to sting: “Why the hell was he even invited to the trial?”
The words tore into him, deeper than any kick could.
---
Up in the stands, Aoi slammed her fists against the railing. “Shut up! Ni-chan is not useless!” she screamed, but her voice drowned in the storm of laughter and cheers from the opposing fans.
Yumi buried her face into her mother’s sleeve, trembling. “Mama… are they right? Is Ni-chan really…”
Ayaka stroked her daughter’s hair, forcing her voice to stay steady even as her throat ached. “…No, Yumi. He’s trying harder than anyone out there. That’s what makes him different.”
But inside, Ayaka’s heart fractured with each word hurled at her son.
---
Kaito clenched his teeth so hard his jaw ached. The humiliation, the jeers, the pitying eyes—he wanted it all to vanish. He wanted the ground to swallow him whole.
Why…?
Why can’t I keep up?
Why am I always—
And then, it happened.
The world froze.
Not slowed. Not blurred. Stopped.
The jeering voices cut to silence. The referee froze mid-step, the players mid-motion, the ball mid-bounce. Even the banners waving in the stands halted, as though the air itself had been shackled.
Kaito’s breath caught. His chest burned, but no sound came out. His wide eyes darted around—everyone was still, as if trapped in ice.
Then—
A sound. Low. Mechanical. Like metal grinding against itself.
> [SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
The words didn’t come from outside. They echoed directly in his skull, vibrating against his bones. He flinched, clutching his ears, but there was no sound—only the voice inside him.
> [Welcome, Candidate.]
[System Authorization: 0%.]
[Designation: ???]
[Potential Detected… Access granted.]
Kaito’s pulse hammered in his neck. His breath came out in ragged gasps. He tried to move, but his body felt both impossibly heavy and terrifyingly light, as though he were floating between reality and a dream.
“…W-What… is this…?” His voice cracked.
No one responded. The players remained frozen statues. His mother, his sisters—all locked in place.
Then, new words appeared. Not heard, but seen—burning across his vision like fire.
> [Trial Commencement.]
[Prediction Protocol – Awakening.]
[Choice Detected: Break or Endure.]
Kaito’s throat closed. His trembling hands dug into the turf. His mind screamed to wake up, to escape, to reject whatever this was.
And yet—deep in his chest, another voice whispered. A voice that wasn’t the system’s. A voice that was his own.
Endure.
The letters on his vision blazed brighter.
> [Acknowledged.]
[Prediction Protocol Unlocked – Level 0.]
Then the world lurched violently back into motion.
The whistle blew for halftime. The roar of the stadium returned, crashing into his ears. The players jogged off, laughing, shouting. His teammates cursed under their breath. His sisters screamed his name from the stands. His mother clapped with trembling hands.
No one else noticed. No one else saw.
Only Kaito knew that, for a moment, the world had stopped.
Only Kaito felt the weight of those words still burning in his chest.
---
Kaito staggered to his feet, his legs barely holding. He was pale, sweat dripping down his face, but in his eyes—a spark flickered.
He didn’t understand what just happened. He didn’t know what the voice meant, or what “Prediction Protocol” was.
But one thing was certain.
This trial was no longer just about soccer.
Something bigger had begun.
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