The alarm clock was screaming like a banshee, and Takeshi's body felt like it had been hit by a truck.[m.webnovel]
What the hell 7:30 AM
He shot up in bed, panic rushing through him like ice water. He had overslept by three whole hours. Seven days of perfect 4:30 AM wake ups, seven days of twenty mile runs before dawn, and now he had messed it all up because his eight year old body had finally said "enough."
No, no, no. The system is going to punish me. My streak is broken.
For a moment, he just sat there, staring at his Star Wars alarm clock, feeling like the biggest failure alive. In his old life, this kind of perfection thinking had driven him crazy, everything had to be exact, strict, and obsessive.[m.webnovel]
Then his mom's voice floated up from downstairs.
"Takeshi! Breakfast is ready!"
Something strange happened. Instead of the crushing disappointment he was waiting for, he felt... relaxed.
When was the last time I slept in and ate breakfast with my family
In his first timeline, by age ten he had been so focused on training that family breakfasts almost disappeared. By his twenties, he was too hungover to even remember what a normal morning felt like.
Forget it. I will run tonight instead.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Daily routine adapted Flexibility bonus unlocked]
[New trait gained: Work Life Balance Level 1]
Even the system seemed okay with him not acting like a total maniac about his schedule.[m.webnovel]
School was actually amazing.
Takeshi walked into class and for the first time in either of his lives, he was not thinking about football stats, training plans, or the heavy pressure sitting on his shoulders. He was just a kid walking into a room full of other kids.
"Takeshi kun!" Yuki Tanaka almost bounced in her seat, waving at him with that bright smile. In his past life, she had been just another face in class. Now he could see how special she really was. She shared her lunch with kids who forgot theirs, helped slower students with homework without making them feel dumb, and always tried to include everyone.
How was I so blind to the good people around me
"Morning, Yuki chan," he said, honestly happy to see her.
"You look different today," she said, tilting her head like a curious puppy. "Less... intense."
Less like a tired old man trapped in a kid's body, you mean.
"Just got some good sleep for once."
Math class was actually fun. When Sensei Watanabe asked a question about fractions, Takeshi raised his hand without even thinking.
"If you have three quarters of a pizza and eat half of that, how much pizza is left"
"Three eighths!" Takeshi shouted, and the whole class started clapping when he got it right.
Since when does math make me feel good
At lunch, instead of eating fast and thinking only about training, he listened to what his friends were saying. Hiroshi was telling a wild story about catching his older brother kissing his girlfriend, acting it out so much that everyone was laughing like crazy.
"So I'm hiding behind the door, right" Hiroshi whispered, eyes wide. "And they are doing that gross mouth touching thing adults do, and I'm trying not to throw up"
"It's called kissing, you idiot," Kenji said, throwing a rice ball at him.
"Disgusting is what it is!" Hiroshi yelled back, dodging. "Why would anyone want to swap spit with another person"
Takeshi almost spat out his milk. If only you knew, kid.
"Takeshi is laughing!" Sato pointed at him like he had just seen a miracle. "Like, really laughing! Usually you just sit there looking serious and scary."
In my last life, I was so obsessed with being professional that I forgot how to be human.
"Maybe I'm finally learning what fun is," Takeshi said, and he meant it.
During recess, they played a crazy game of football with no tactics and full chaos. Kids argued over every call, celebrated goals like the World Cup final, and fell over dramatically if someone even breathed near them.
Takeshi loved every stupid, loud, messy second of it.
This is what football should feel like. Just pure happiness.
It happened during afternoon classes.
Takeshi was walking back from the bathroom when he glanced through the window of Class 3 B, and his heart stopped.
She was there.
Sitting by the window, sunlight making her long black hair shine. Her chin rested on her hand as she stared outside with that dreamy look he knew too well. Even at eight years old, she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.
Oh God. It is really her.
All the feelings he had buried, all the memories he had tried to drown in alcohol, rushed back so hard he could barely breathe. The air left his lungs, and for a second he thought he might faint.
She was everything. She was my whole world.
The memories came in sharp flashes.
Age thirteen, shaking and sweaty as he asked her to be his girlfriend behind the gym. Her shy smile when she said yes. His heart almost exploding from happiness.
Age fifteen, her cheering louder than anyone when he scored his first goal for Tokyo FC's youth team. Him running straight to the fence to hug her, not caring about the crowd.
Age sixteen, studying side by side in the library. She helped him with English, he helped her with math. The way her nose scrunched when she was thinking hard.
Age seventeen, lying on the grass in the park, talking about the future. She wanted to be a teacher. He wanted to play for Japan. They planned everything like they had unlimited time.
"Promise me something," she had said, her dark eyes serious. "Promise me that no matter how famous you get, you will still be you. My Takeshi."
"Always," he had told her. "Nothing will ever change that."
But everything did change. When Liverpool came calling at eighteen, he had started seeing her as a weight holding him back. A distraction from his big dreams.
The memory of their last fight hit him like a punch.
"You're really going to throw this away" she had whispered, crying. "Throw us away"
"This is not real, okay" he had snapped, full of pride and ego. "We are kids playing pretend. I have real opportunities now. A real future."
"I love you," she had said, her voice breaking.
"Love does not win trophies," he had answered, ice cold. "Love does not pay bills. Grow up."
He had walked away thinking he was smart and mature.
I was such a monster.
He never saw her again. By the time he understood what he had done, it was too late. New schools, new cities, new worlds. During his worst days in Liverpool, he had tried to look for her, but she was gone.
She was the only one who loved me for who I was, not just for football. And I threw her away like trash.
Now she was here again. Eight years old, innocent, with no idea that the boy staring through the window had once broken her heart and spent years hating himself for it.
As if she felt his eyes on her, she looked up. Their eyes met, and for a moment everything stopped. She smiled, that same warm, trusting smile that used to make him feel like he could do anything.
He tried to smile back, but his face would not move. His throat felt tight.
She does not know me yet. To her, I am just some random boy.
But this time, he would not repeat the past.
The bell rang and the moment ended. She turned back to her teacher, and Takeshi walked away from the window, his hands shaking.
This time, I will not be the arrogant idiot who chooses ambition over love.
This time, I will prove that people can really change.
That evening, Takeshi tied his running shoes with hands that still trembled.
Twenty miles felt impossible after a day like that, but he needed to move. Needed to clear his head before it exploded.
The first mile hurt. His legs were still dead from a week of crazy training, and his mind was full of old memories, both sweet and ugly.
Keep going. Do not stop.
By mile five, the steady rhythm started to calm him down. Left foot, right foot, breathe in, breathe out. Simple.
She was my first everything. First kiss, first love, first heartbreak.
Mile ten. His breathing was steady now, but his heart still felt heavy.
I chose football over her. I chose fame over love. And look what happened. Dead at thirty four, alone and forgotten.
Mile fifteen. His muscles were burning, but his mind felt clearer than it had in years.
But this time is different. This time I know what truly matters.
Mile eighteen. His whole body hurt, but his will was stronger than ever.
I will be her friend first. I will show her who I really am, not just the football version of me. I will prove I am worth trusting.
Mile twenty. He stopped near the school, bending over with his hands on his knees, chest on fire.
[QUEST COMPLETE: Flexible training schedule maintained]
[Emotional processing bonus: +2 Mental, +1 Physical]
[New skill unlocked: Heartfelt Determination Level 1]
The system windows appeared, but he barely cared. He was staring up at the building, at the classroom window where she had been.
Wait, I can fix things with her this time
This time, I will not lose you. This time, I will be the person you deserved from the start.
This time, love will not be something I trade away for success.
The broken man who died alone would have laughed at him for being soft. But that man was gone now.
The boy standing under the night sky had been given a miracle. A second chance at everything, football, family, and the one girl who had once made his life worth living.
And this time, he was not going to waste it.
Just wait. You do not know it yet, but I am going to spend every day proving that people can change.
Starting tomorrow.