Ren arrived ten minutes early
He stood at the gate of Musashino Academy's training center
The buildings looked cleaner than any school he had seen
The turf sparkled like it had been polished
Everything looked sharp
No cracks
No dust
No excuses
A man in a grey tracksuit stepped out of the side office
"Name"
"Ren Sakamoto"
The man checked a clipboard
Then pointed toward the pitch
"Get changed. Team room three"
Ren walked through the hall in silence
Inside team room three the walls were covered in framed photos
Old squads
Champions
Smiling boys holding trophies
He took a breath and stepped in
Three players were already inside
They turned to look
None smiled
The tallest one stood first
Shaved sides
Gold chain
Confident eyes
"You are the keeper from the trial huh"
Ren nodded
The boy smirked
"I am Arata. Striker. I score a lot. So do not get mad when I do it in your face"
Ren stayed calm
Another player laughed behind him
"I like this one. At least he does not talk big like Kaito did"
Ren turned to him
Shorter than Arata
Buzzed hair
No chain
Just calm eyes
"I am Mizuki. Left wing. Fastest on the team. Maybe the fastest in Tokyo"
The third player just nodded
Gloves on already
He sat near the corner and said nothing
Then the door opened again
Coach Daigo stepped in
He looked over the group
"Listen up. No favorites here. You train hard you stay. You slack you go home"
They walked out together
Onto the turf
The older squad was already running drills on the far side
Ren joined the keeper warmup on pitch two
Daigo watched them all like a hawk
First drill was basic
Footwork between cones
Then catch and reset
Fast hands
Clean form
Ren moved sharp
But the boy from the corner moved cleaner
Same height as Ren
Stronger build
Every catch perfect
No bounce
No wasted steps
Daigo called out
"Ren. Taka. Switch"
They both stepped to the center
Face to face
Taka finally spoke
"You dive fast. But your plant foot is too close. You will slip if the grass is wet"
Ren blinked
"Thanks"
Taka nodded once
Then reset
They ran the drill again
This time cleaner
Better
Daigo watched without blinking
When the whistle blew
He said just one word
"Progress"
That night Ren took the long train home
He stared out the window the whole time
Musashino was no dream
It was real
And now he was in it