Special chapter: Under the night sky.
The night was unusually cold for the end of summer, with the first whispers of the rainy season just around the corner. The sky hung heavy with clouds, and the air was thick with the promise of rain. A pale moon peeked through the dark canopy, casting long shadows over the field where two figures stood, facing off in the middle of the pitch.
Ren, his breath visible in the chilly air, tightened his shoelaces and looked over at Akeshi. The redhead was watching a video on his phone, completely absorbed. Ren tilted his head, frowning slightly. "You sure you're ready for this? You've never played before."
Akeshi didn't look up, his thumb scrolling through the screen. "Hold on… Okay, got it."
Ren blinked. "Got what?"
"This move," Akeshi said simply, putting his phone away and stretching his legs. "I'm ready."
Ren scratched his head, mumbling to himself. "Never played before, and now he's watching videos like it's nothing…"
"What are you muttering about?" Akeshi asked, giving Ren a sideways glance.
"Nothing," Ren quickly replied. "Just… you're sure you'll keep up?"
Akeshi smirked. "We'll see."
Ren sighed, picking up the ball with his feet and tossing it to Akeshi. "Alright, let's start with some passing. Just get used to the ball."
Akeshi controlled the ball effortlessly, sending it back to Ren with surprising precision. Ren caught it on his foot, staring at Akeshi. "Not bad for a beginner."
"I watched a few more videos before I got here," Akeshi admitted, his tone casual. "It's pretty straightforward once you understand the basics."
Ren grumbled under his breath, "Basics, he says… I've been playing for years…"
"What was that?" Akeshi asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Nothing," Ren said quickly, then focused on the ball. "Let's do a one-on-one. I'll go easy on you."
Akeshi nodded, positioning himself as Ren dribbled forward. The ball danced between Ren's feet as he approached, but just as he tried to slip past, Akeshi's foot shot out, snatching the ball away with a deft flick. Ren stumbled, wide-eyed.
"No way," Ren muttered to himself, watching Akeshi with a mix of disbelief and irritation. "How did he…?"
Akeshi, oblivious to Ren's thoughts, began dribbling the ball towards the goal. Ren snapped out of his daze and sprinted to catch up, his competitive spirit ignited. He closed the distance quickly, his breath coming in sharp bursts in the cold air. Akeshi glanced over his shoulder, then suddenly feinted to the left. Ren fell for it, and Akeshi slipped past him with a grin, shooting the ball into the goal.
Ren skidded to a halt, panting. "You've really never played before?"
Akeshi shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Guess I'm a quick learner."
Ren narrowed his eyes, mumbling again. "Quick learner, he says… he's been working all day and still has this much energy…"
"What's with all the mumbling, Ren?" Akeshi teased, walking over to retrieve the ball. "You sound like an old man."
"Just thinking," Ren muttered, still trying to wrap his head around how Akeshi was outperforming him. "You're good. I'll give you that. But can you handle a full game?"
"I'll manage," Akeshi said confidently. "I mean, how hard can it be?"
Ren shook his head. "You really think you can just wing it?"
Akeshi tossed the ball to Ren, who caught it with a huff. "You've got your experience, Ren. I've got my instincts. Let's see which one wins out."
They resumed playing, the cold air biting at their skin as they moved across the field. Ren pushed himself harder, determined not to be outdone by someone who'd just learned the game. But no matter how much he tried, Akeshi seemed to anticipate his every move, cutting off passes, blocking shots, and countering with a skill that belied his lack of experience.
"This is insane," Ren thought, frustration creeping into his mind. "How is he this good?"
After a particularly fierce exchange, Ren managed to steal the ball back and sprinted toward the goal. He could hear Akeshi's footsteps close behind, but he forced himself to focus. With a sharp turn, he tried to shake Akeshi off, but the redhead was right there, blocking his path.
Ren couldn't help but blurt out, "Seriously, how are you doing this?"
Akeshi looked at him, a strange, distant look in his eyes. "I just know how to read people, I guess. Helps when you've had to be a step ahead of everyone… just to survive."
Ren faltered for a moment, caught off guard by the tone in Akeshi's voice. "What do you mean?"
Akeshi's expression didn't change, but his voice softened. "Let's just say… I've been in situations where understanding how people think was a matter of life and death."
Ren frowned, sensing something deeper in Akeshi's words but not pressing further. Instead, he tried to focus on the game, but his mind kept wandering back to what Akeshi had said. "Life and death…?"
Akeshi suddenly called out, snapping Ren back to the present. "Focus, Ren! You'll never beat the Chidori guys if you're always distracted."
Ren shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "Right… Chidori… They're tough, but we've got a chance."
"Of course we do," Akeshi said confidently, as he took possession of the ball again. "They've got skills, but they're predictable. Especially that Namakemono guy."
Ren laughed. "Yeah, he's a tough one to motivate. How do you plan on getting him to play?"
Akeshi smirked, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. "I've got a plan. Trust me, he'll be on that field."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "A plan, huh? You're not going to blackmail him, are you?"
"Of course not," Akeshi replied, feigning innocence. "Just a little… persuasion."
Ren rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile. "You're full of surprises, you know that?"
Akeshi laughed, the sound echoing through the empty field. "I aim to please."
They continued playing, the cold night air numbing their hands and feet, but neither of them seemed to care. As they practiced, Ren found himself pushing harder, driven not just by competition but by the desire to understand Akeshi better. There was something about the way Akeshi moved, the way he spoke, that hinted at a life far removed from the ordinary. Something that Ren couldn't quite put his finger on.
It was then that Ren began to notice something unsettling. In just a matter of minutes, Akeshi had not only caught up to Ren's skill level but had already surpassed it. His movements were fluid, his decisions sharp and precise. Every pass, every tackle, every shot seemed almost effortless, as if Akeshi had been playing for years. The realization struck Ren like a cold wind—Akeshi wasn't just good; he was reaching a level that only national players could aspire to.
"No way…," Ren muttered to himself, watching Akeshi's flawless execution. "How is he… How is he already this good?"
The more they played, the more it became clear. Ren, with all his years of experience, was struggling to keep up with Akeshi. Every move Ren made, Akeshi countered with something more advanced, more unpredictable. And then it happened—a moment that Ren would never forget.
Akeshi had the ball just outside the penalty box. Ren closed in, determined to stop him this time. But as he approached, Akeshi performed a move that defied all logic. With a swift, almost imperceptible flick of his foot, the ball curved impossibly around Ren and zipped into the top corner of the goal. Ren froze, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"What… What was that?" Ren whispered, unable to comprehend what he'd just witnessed. It wasn't a move he'd ever seen before—not in any game, not from any player. It was as if Akeshi had bent the laws of physics, the ball dancing to his will.
Akeshi stood there, his breath visible in the cold air, a satisfied smile on his face. "Didn't see that coming, did you?"
Ren shook his head, still in shock. "How… How did you do that?"
Akeshi chuckled, walking over to retrieve the ball. "Honestly? I don't know. Just felt right."
Ren could only stare, his mind racing. Akeshi had not only surpassed him—he had done something that Ren couldn't even begin to understand. Something that, in all his years of playing, he had never even imagined possible.
"Akeshi," Ren called out as they took a brief break, panting heavily.
"You… You…" Ren stammered, still trying to process what had just happened. His heart was pounding, not just from the exertion, but from the sheer awe of what he had just witnessed.
Akeshi paused, tilting his head as he noticed Ren's stunned expression. "What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Ren shook his head, still unable to find the words. "That move… it didn't make any sense. How did you…?"
Akeshi chuckled, brushing off the question with a casual wave. "Like I said, it just felt right. I didn't really think about it."
Ren frowned, the gears in his mind turning. How could someone so effortlessly surpass him, doing things that even Ren couldn't understand? His thoughts were interrupted by Akeshi's sudden change in tone.
"Y'know," Akeshi started, his voice thoughtful as he began juggling the ball idly. "There are people who have multiple personalities."
Ren blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in conversation. "What?"
Akeshi continued, his eyes focused on the ball as he spoke. "But why? Why do they split themselves like that? What happens in their lives to make them feel like they need to be more than one person?"
Ren's breath caught in his throat. It was as if Akeshi's words had hit him like a ton of bricks. At that moment, Ren felt as if a rock had just fallen on his head, the weight of the question pressing down on him. He was still struggling with the fragmented parts of himself—the child who pushed the light away, the adult who was rejected by it. They were both him, but they weren't one.
"Why are you saying this?" Ren asked, his voice barely above a whisper. The question lingered in the cold air, heavy with unspoken fears and doubts.
Akeshi's eyes met Ren's, and for a moment, Ren felt as if his entire being was being seen through. It was as if Akeshi could see everything that Ren was trying to hide, everything he was trying to deny about himself. The sensation was unnerving, scary.
Akeshi broke the gaze with a small, almost apologetic smile. "A friend asked me to help him write an introduction. Something deep, something that would make people think."
Ren stared at him, the pieces slowly coming together in his mind. "An introduction… for what?"
"For a story," Akeshi replied casually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "He's writing about someone who's struggling with who they are. Thought I'd throw in some ideas."
Ren's mind was spinning. The conversation had taken such a strange turn, and yet it felt eerily relevant to everything he was dealing with. "And… what's this story about?"
Akeshi shrugged. "It's about a person who's trying to become whole again. Someone who's spent their life as pieces of a puzzle, trying to figure out where they fit."
The words hung in the air, resonating deeply with Ren. He knew that Akeshi wasn't just talking about some story. He was talking about Ren—about the battles Ren was fighting within himself, the struggles he faced every day as he tried to reconcile the two halves of his soul.
Ren looked down at the ground, his thoughts a chaotic storm. "What… what do you think happens to them? The person in the story?"
Akeshi's gaze softened, and he placed a hand on Ren's shoulder. "I think they find a way. Maybe not right away, but they do. Everyone's got their own pace, their own way of piecing themselves back together. You just gotta keep trying."
Ren swallowed hard, nodding slowly. Akeshi's words were like a lifeline, something to hold onto in the turbulent sea of his thoughts. He had been running for so long—running from the past, from himself—but maybe, just maybe, it was time to start facing it.
Akeshi gave Ren's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before letting go. "Come on, let's finish this game. We still need to figure out how we're gonna take down the Chidori guys."
Ren nodded, the intensity of their earlier conversation slowly giving way to the familiar competitiveness between them. But something had changed. There was a new understanding, a deeper connection that hadn't been there before.
They resumed the game, the cold night air swirling around them as they moved across the field. Despite everything, Ren couldn't shake the feeling that Akeshi was still holding something back—some piece of himself that he hadn't fully revealed. But maybe that was okay. Maybe they both needed time to figure out who they really were.
Akeshi, as if sensing Ren's thoughts, suddenly pulled off another impossible move. This time, he struck the ball from outside the box, sending it on a trajectory that defied all logic. The ball curved in mid-air, sailing past Ren before he could even react, and slammed into the back of the net with a resounding thud.
Ren stood there, dumbfounded. "What… how…?"
Akeshi turned to him with a playful grin. "Just a little something I picked up. You'll figure it out eventually."
Ren could only stare in disbelief. Akeshi was surpassing him at an incredible pace, reaching levels that Ren had only dreamed of. In just a few minutes, he had not only outplayed Ren but had executed moves that Ren couldn't even begin to understand.
"Who are you?" Ren found himself asking, not even sure if he wanted to know the answer.
Akeshi just smiled, a hint of mystery in his eyes. "Just a guy who likes a good challenge."
The night wore on, and as the two continued their practice, Ren couldn't help but feel that something profound had shifted between them. Something he wasn't aware of.
'Those eyes...' Ren thought, recalling the way Akeshi's eyes looked in that moment. 'They were filled with nothing but darkness... even if just for a moment. Who is this guy? Tarazune Akeshi?'