Prologue – Part 5: Walking Home

The walk home was slow, the cicadas’ cries filling the silence between them. The stadium’s roar had faded into nothing more than an echo in Kaito’s ears, replaced by the hollow ache of failure. His sneakers scraped against the cracked pavement, each step heavy with the memory of the six goals scored against him.

Yumi, however, was walking beside him with her usual fire.

“Six goals or not, Kaito, you looked so cool out there! Did you see how you stole the ball from that tall guy? Boom! Everyone gasped! You were amazing!”

Kaito rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. “...We still lost. Six–zero isn’t amazing.”

Aoi, walking quietly on his other side, glanced up at him with gentle eyes. “But… you didn’t give up, Onii-chan. You kept running even when everyone else stopped. That’s what made you amazing to me.”

He froze, struck by how earnestly she said it. A lump rose in his throat, but before he could answer, Yumi rolled her eyes.

“Of course she’d say that! Aoi is too soft. But I agree with her this time—you were incredible.”

Their mother, Ayaka, who had been listening silently, smiled softly as the evening light brushed her tired features.

“Kaito… results come and go. But the spirit you showed—that’s what people remember. That’s the kind of strength your father admired, too.”

At the mention of his father, Kaito’s chest tightened. He rarely allowed himself to think about him, but tonight the weight of failure pressed it to the surface.

“...If Dad were here,” Kaito said quietly, his voice trembling, “he wouldn’t be proud of me. He loved soccer, and I couldn’t even score once today. I just… embarrassed everything he loved.”

Ayaka stopped walking and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Listen to me, Kaito. Your father never wanted perfection. Do you remember what he told you before he… left us?”

Kaito clenched his fists, whispering the words almost like a prayer:

“He said… ‘As long as you run forward, no matter how many times you fall, I’ll always be proud of you.’”

Ayaka nodded, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “That’s right. And I know, if he saw you today—running, fighting, refusing to surrender—he would’ve smiled the biggest smile.”

The lump in Kaito’s throat grew unbearable, but he forced a small, awkward smile for his sisters. Yumi immediately grinned back, while Aoi slipped her small hand into his.

Later That Night – Dinner

Their home was modest—a small apartment with walls that bore the marks of time, but it was filled with warmth. The smell of miso soup drifted from the kitchen, where Ayaka had somehow prepared a full meal despite her long shift.

Around the small table, the family gathered. Yumi shoved rice into her mouth before Ayaka smacked her lightly on the head.

“Chew properly, Yumi! Honestly, one day you’ll choke.”

“B-but it’s so good, Mom!” Yumi mumbled with her mouth full.

Aoi, ever the quiet twin, giggled softly while arranging pickled vegetables neatly on Kaito’s plate.

“Onii-chan… you need strength. Eat more.”

Kaito chuckled faintly, feeling warmth spread through him despite the ache in his chest. “Thanks, Aoi.”

Dinner was filled with the kind of noise he secretly cherished—the twins bickering, Ayaka sighing at them, laughter slipping in between. For a moment, the pain of the field seemed far away.

But when he excused himself to his small room, the weight returned. He sat on the futon, staring at the ceiling. The memory of his father’s words replayed in his head, clashing with the scoreboard burned into his eyes: 0–6.

And then, just as his eyes grew heavy with exhaustion—

[System Synchronization: 10%]

Kaito’s eyes snapped open.

The glowing words hovered in the darkness for only a heartbeat before fading, leaving him breathless.

“...What was that?” he whispered.

No answer came. Only the faint sound of his sisters laughing in the other room, grounding him back to reality.

He pressed his face into his pillow, shaken but too tired to think. Tomorrow, school awaited. And with it—the whispers, the laughter, the reminders of his failure.

But for now, in the silence of his small room, only the phantom glow of the system lingered in his thoughts.

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