"Did you see that, Ryo? That goal was so good!"
"Right? I can't believe how quickly the defense broke down."
"It's like they weren't even there! Real Madrid just tore right through them."
"Once they started moving, Dortmund didn't stand a chance," Ryo leaned forward, scrutinizing the screen. "But Kazuki… isn't it weird how nobody cheers when Real Madrid scores? I know they're the away team, but it feels too quiet when they score."
"But isn't that how it always is?" Kazuki asked, slightly confused.
"Yeah, but… If I scored and nobody reacted, I'd feel strange. Almost like my goal wouldn't be recognized."
"Oh. Yeah, me too. I think that would feel kinda lonely."
As they watched the replay of the goal, Ryo spoke up again. "Wait, Kazuki, weren't Umeda FC and Shizuoka Glicine supposed to play today?"
"Wait, that was today!" Kazuki shouted in terror. "I thought it was tomorrow! Ryo, quickly change the channels!"
"Kazuki, I don't have the remote," he answered calmly. "You've been messing with the volume since earlier."
"Oh no… I left it in the kitchen," Kazuki quickly jumped to his feet, running to grab the remote. "Please tell me I didn't miss anything."
Kazuki returned completely breathless, fumbling with the remote as he switched channels. As much as he loved the Spanish clubs, nothing got him more excited than the clubs from his home country, so missing a game was off the table.
"We got lucky, Kazuki—nobody scored yet," Ryo said calmly despite Kazuki's panic.
"Ah, what a relief. Thank you, Ryo. I don't know what I would've done if I missed the game," he sighed, practically throwing himself on Ryo. "I'm definitely coming to your game next weekend. I can't miss the first game of Regionals."
"You don't need to, Kazuki. The stadium is a city over, so it's pretty far."
"Ah, don't worry about that. Nee-san will probably want to watch the game too, so we'll go together."
Hopefully, they'll go with their parents; they are still too young to travel that far on their own.
"Alright," Ryo said, "you better cheer me on then."
"Of course I will," Kazuki smiled, turning his attention to the TV.
As Kazuki got completely engulfed in the game in front of him, the mention of the upcoming Regionals made Ryo feel slightly nervous. Ever since their games started in April, the team played every single weekend without rest until October. That was simply how the league was structured.
Each age group has a slightly different structure for its league, depending on the number of teams competing in each prefecture, as well as other factors. For the competitive U-12 level, each prefecture is divided into different zones, such that each zone has its own league table with around thirteen teams competing.
Starting at the end of April, the teams play every weekend, and by October, each team will have played each other twice—once at home and once away. With the standard three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss, the score for each game is recorded, and the points are tallied.
At the end of the season, the four teams at the top of the table are invited to the regional tournament. Depending on the prefecture, there may be more than two Regionals, or there may be one shared among two or three prefectures. In Nagano Prefecture, there was only one regional tournament, and that year, it was scheduled to start on October 22nd.
Each regional tournament consists of sixteen teams in a bracket elimination, where the winners are invited to the national tournament. The national tournaments of each age group are among the most-watched sports events in all of Japan. Through the tournament, the competing teams can acquire national recognition on par with professional athletes.
At the end of Ryo's first life, the final games of the national tournaments were so renowned that even the U-12 National Tournament—the least popular of the three national youth tournaments—averaged about 55% viewership across the country.
The 2035 U-19 National Tournament Championship Game, regarded as one of the most legendary games in Japanese Football, achieved a 78% peak viewership across Japan. In total, football enthusiasts estimated that of Japan's approximately 160 million citizens, almost 120 million watched the game live.
The national tournaments were the pinnacle of youth football in Japan, and every young player aspired to make it to Nationals. And Ryo was no different.
The season had gone by extremely well for Ryusei. They were at the top of the table with an impressive 20-win record with only one loss and three draws for a total of 63 points. They outplayed some of the most competitive youth clubs in the area and scored 78 goals over the course of the season.
Ren had finished as the league's top scorer with thirty-two goals.
Ryo smiled faintly. Of course he did… He really is something else.
Ryo himself had scored twenty-one goals—an impressive amount for a midfielder—earning himself a spot as the third-best scorer in the league, only three goals short of being second-best.
Ryusei had made their presence known, dominating their games with excellent team coordination and individual skills. And with the table complete, they were completely focused on getting ready for Regionals.
My stats have really improved a lot since April…
{Player Stats}
{Overall: 39}
—(Player Rank: D)
{Agility: 41}
—[Acceleration: 43]
—[Jumping Power: 39]
—[Top Speed: 41]
{Ball Control: 44}
—[Dribbling: 43]
—[Feinting: 48]
—[Trapping: 42]
{Defense: 40}
—[Defensive Pressure: 44]
—[Goaltending: 37]
—[Tackling: 40]
{Intelligence: 41}
—[Positioning: 38]
—[Reaction Speed: 45]
—[Tactics: 42]
{Passing: 42}
—[Corner Kicks: 46]
—[Long Passing: 41]
—[Short Passing: 39]
{Physicality: 32}
—[Lung Capacity: 31]
—[Stamina: 34]
—[Strength: 33]
{Shooting: 40}
—[Long Distance Shooting: 42]
—[Shooting Technique: 41]
—[Short Distance Shooting: 38]
{Vision: 39}
—[Awareness Of Ally Positions: 39]
—[Awareness Of Enemy Positions: 40]
—[Field Of Vision: 39]
Ryo's stats had been growing, but each time they leveled up, it took even longer to gain an additional level.
I'm so close to hitting an Overall stat of 40.
On top of the increase in his stats, some of his skills had also increased in advanced.
{Crowd Support: D —> C}
—[When The Skill Is Activated, A Temporary Boost In The Overall Stat Is Given Based On The Crowd's Cheers. The Higher The Rank, The Higher The Boost In Stats. Can Only Be Activated Twice A Game.]
{Misdirection: B —> A}
—[By Amplifying False Intent Through Subtle Shifts In Stance And Footwork, The Player Hides Their Real Movement Or Target From The Opponent's Mind. Can Be Activated Four Times In A Game.]
—[Bonus Activation – When A Direct Opponent Loses Sight Of The Ball, The Ball Becomes Temporarily Invisible To Them. This Bonus Activates Automatically And Has No Limit.]
The most important change brought by the upgraded Crowd Support was that it could now be used twice in a game. Ryo now had more utility with the skill, which often allowed him to seize opportunities that would have been difficult without the boost in stats.
And Misdirection, Ryo's most useful skill at the moment, now had one more activation. On top of that, the potency and duration of the skill, as well as the bonus, substantially increased. Even though it was initially B-rank, thanks to how much Ryo used it, he managed to upgrade the skill much faster than he had anticipated.
Who would've thought that my Mental Fortitude would take longer to rank up than my Misdirection?
"Goooaaall!" The commentator roared, bringing Ryo back from his thoughts.
"Really! How was that not offsides?" Kazuki protested, "He was clearly past the defenders when the ball was hit!"
"Oh, wait—the Shizuoka players seem quite unhappy with that last goal," the commentator said, quickly changing his tone. "They seem to be arguing that the play went offsides."
"Do you think they'll review the play, Kazuki?" Ryo asked.
"They better," he said simply. "He was clearly offsides."
They kept watching until the match finally ended. When it was time for Ryo to head home, they exchanged a casual promise to meet again next weekend.
Before summer break had started, Kazuki invited Ryo to go over to his house to hang out, hoping to watch some football games together.
Ryo had quickly taken him up on the offer, and it soon became almost a weekly occurrence. The two of them sometimes played football outside, and for big football games, they would watch games on TV until the sky turned dark.
The two of them had gotten much closer, learning more about each other, and eventually dropping the honorifics altogether.
"See you at school tomorrow, Kazuki," Ryo waved as he left.
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow, Ryo."
—————————————————————————————————
That week, the football team's practices were some of their most intense ones of the season. Everyone on the team was fired up for Regionals, and they all shared a common goal—to make it to Nationals.
Most of the players had been part of the team the previous year, and they had fallen short, losing in the finals of the regional tournament. So now they were all determined to make it past the finals, hoping to compete in the national tournament.
Before they knew it, Friday's practice ended, and the game was just around the corner.
"All of you make sure to show up early on Sunday," Matsumoto said as a parting remark. "We have already contacted your families about the details of the game, so make sure to be early."
He looked around, making sure that all of the players had heard him. "Rest well tomorrow and be ready to play your best."
I can't believe the game is already coming up. Not long ago, it was impossible for me to play in such a competitive tournament.
Ryo looked up at the darkening sky.
But now I am ready to win.
"Ryo, are you ready to go?" Ren called out to him.
"Yeah, let's go."