Chapter 3: The Captain's Authority and Unexpected Absence

TOKYO REBELS Defeats Despite Rookie's Debut

"In the 10th round of last week's home game, Tokyo Rebels suffered a defeat against Shimuzu S-plus. Desperate for a change in momentum, Coach Hiroshi Yamada decided to start rookie Yuto Miyahara instead of the previously disappointing Kisuke Shiba."

"Miyahara is starting?"

I was puzzled as I read the article.

Midfielder Kisuke Shiba had played 70 matches for Tokyo Rebels, often starting as the team's primary central midfielder.

Although he had a poor performance against Shimuzu last time, his position was not so weak that they would replace him with a rookie.

Confused, I continued reading the rest of the article, which was about Yuto.

*"Yuto Miyahara making his professional debut, was a gamble for Coach Yamada and the entire team. Despite this, Yuto Miyahara performed reasonably well until the 30th minute of the first half.

However, in the 35th minute, Yuto Miyahara made a critical error. He used his hand to block Leonardo, a Brazilian forward from Gunma, who was running directly into the penalty box. Leonardo fell inside the penalty area, and the referee awarded a penalty kick.

Yuto Miyahara losing control of his emotions, aggressively protested by pushing the referee's shoulder and was immediately shown a red card.

Thus, Yuto Miyahara's debut ended with a dismissal.

Meanwhile, midfielder Goki Yamamoto taking the penalty for Gunma, accurately aimed at the bottom-left corner of the goal and scored."*

"...."

What is this?

After finishing the article, I couldn't hide my bewilderment.

So according to this article, Yuto Miyahara will be a starter in the 11th round next week, giving away a penalty and getting sent off?

"Seriously, even novels should be written more convincingly. What is this?"

Frustrated, I almost decided to stop reading but continued with the remaining content. I thought there couldn't be anything more absurd than this.

But then….

*"After conceding the first goal, Tokyo Rebels, now down a player, struggled.

Coach Yamada's choice was surprising. Instead of Kazuya Morita, who had been substituted in the last game, he brought on rookie Kuze Reo.

Kazuya had been substituted out in two consecutive games, losing face.

Kuze Reo's introduction improved Tokyo Rebels's performance slightly, but it was short-lived.

Gunma maintained pressure on Tokyo Rebels throughout, and eventually, they scored an additional goal in the 65th minute.

Tokyo Rebels, trailing 2:0, managed to get one back with a header by Alex from a corner kick in the 88th minute. Alex scored for the second consecutive game, but the team ended up with a 2-game losing streak."*

"...."

After finishing the article, I thought, "Why did I even read this?" It felt like a story written by someone's delusions.

"And by the way…"

I am a substitute, not a starter. That alone seems off.

"Also, since senpai is injured, leaving the side position vacant… if not me, then who would be starting?"

Side defenders are rare.

This is not just in domestic leagues but worldwide. Teams are scrambling for good full-backs. That's why I switched from a winger to a side defender after high school.

And the strategy worked. Even though many of my peers were struggling to get into the professional league, I managed to join a second-division team.

If it weren't for my high school mentor's advice, I would still be struggling among countless competitors.

In the team, aside from Senpai, there are only two professional side defenders: me and Tomoya Saito.

Tomoya Saito, along with Daiki Fukazawa, is a regular side defender for the team.

While Kaito Chida, the central defender and team captain, can play as a side defender, his specialization is lacking, and the coach rarely uses him in that role.

So I was confident about starting in the next match. But this article said I'd be a substitute instead.

Even if it's just someone's delusion, it still bothers me.

"Damn it. Is this not a sports news app but a fiction app?"

Since I read web novels as a hobby, I knew some sites for novels. I was familiar with fiction sites, so I wondered if this app was one of those.

Then I quickly shook my head and closed the app.

____________________________________

The next day, after resting without any particular events, I woke up early and had the health food I had prepared.

After breakfast, I headed to the team training ground, a 20-minute walk from my home.

Jogging lightly to warm up, I arrived at the training ground and met Yuto Miyahara.

"Wow! Who's this? Our 'pro' player Kuze Reo?"

"Pfft. What are you saying?"

Yuto greeted me with playful banter.

"Did you run here from home again?"

"Yeah."

"You're really something. You're going to run a lot at practice anyway, so why run all the way here?"

"Well, it's essential for a side defender to have stamina. I'm just thinking of it as building my endurance."

"Running a lot doesn't necessarily increase stamina, you know?"

"Yep."

"Seriously, stop talking."

"Hahaha."

We bantered a bit and quickly started laughing. As the only person I could joke around with in the team, we linked arms and entered the training ground.

As we were about to enter the locker room, I quickly released our arm link. Yuto looked at me in confusion. I pointed toward the inside of the locker room for him to see.

"Hey, look inside."

"What is it? Oh!"

We were startled.

The atmosphere inside the locker room was tense. Some players were already gathered there.

Among them was Kisuke Shiba.

Kisuke Shiba was yelling at someone.

"Isn't this too much? Even if you're angry, there's no need to embarrass me like this in front of the younger guys."

Yuto and I cautiously peeked from behind the wall, trying to figure out who he was yelling at. When we saw the person, we were taken aback.

It was Coach Yamada.

"Kisuke"

Coach Yamada was also extremely angry but was visibly trying to control his emotions, his face reddened from the effort.

"Kisuke, do you realize how rude your behavior is right now?"

"Don't you think about what you did to me, Coach?"

"Even if you're the son of Director Manato Shiba, there are limits! As a coach, I have the authority to reprimand players when they perform poorly! That's my right as a coach!"

"Hmph."

Yuto and I, eavesdropping in shock, were astonished.

"Wow. So senior Kisuke is the director's son?"

"Ah. I guess so."

"I wondered why he was the only one driving a sports car when the other guys were in domestic cars."

Yuto's remarks made me nod in agreement.

J2-League players' salaries are higher than regular employees but not that high compared to famous overseas leagues.

Earning over 7 million yen a year is considered a lot.

While players in the Chinese Super League get 3 million yen per week, we have to play an entire year to earn that.

So it's considered extravagant for domestic players to drive sports cars.

Yet, the only person in our team who drove a sports car was Kisuke Shiba.

Even though Kisuke was a regular player, he was still a second-division player. His salary, without national team experience, was just average for a second-division player, so it was a mystery how he could afford a sports car, which was resolved today.

"What are you two doing here?"

Startled,

As I anxiously observed the situation, a deep voice suddenly spoke from behind.

Startled, I turned around to see the team captain, Kaito Chida, looking at us with a puzzled expression.

"Hey, you rookies. If you're here at the training ground, you should be getting ready for practice. Got it?"

Kaito referred to rookies like me and Yuto as "chickens." At 34 years old, Kaito Chida was a veteran defender who had debuted with Vissel Kobe in the J League , playing a total of 350 games. He also had a brief stint in the Bundesliga in his 20s and had been active with the national team until a year ago.

Although he was now finishing his career with Tokyo Rebels, his influence as the team's star and captain was significant.

Observing the tense atmosphere in the locker room, Kaito sighed and approached us, giving me a light pat on the shoulder.

"Ugh. This is why our rookies can't get in. I'll handle it quickly, so just wait a bit."

Kaito then entered the locker room and immediately intervened between Coach Yamada and Kisuke Shiba.

"Both of you should stop."

"Who... huh? Kaito?"

"Che."

The reactions of Coach Yamada and Kisuke were mixed. Coach Yamada smiled brightly, while Kisuke frowned and took a step back.

Despite Kisuke's often arrogant behavior, Kaito Chida was the one person in the team whom everyone feared.

"Kisuke, no matter how upset you are, you should show respect to the coach. You need to express your dissatisfaction with proper manners!"

"..."

As Kaito scolded him sternly, Kisuke fell silent and bowed his head. Kaito then turned to Coach Yamada with a softer tone.

"Coach, Kisuke has been a veteran who's played 70 games for our team. He's been through a lot, so honestly, the other day's incident might have hurt him. So, please understand with a generous heart. I ask you."

Kaito bowed deeply. Seeing him both reprimand and comfort his teammate, Coach Yamada had no more objections. His anger seemed to have subsided a bit thanks to Kaito's approach.

"Alright. Thinking about it, I think I made a mistake the other day. I'm sorry, Kisuke."

Upon hearing Coach Yamada's apology, Kaito gave Kisuke a meaningful look.

Reluctantly, Kisuke replied.

"It's alright. I also had my share of responsibility for not performing well."

With Kaito's intervention, the chaotic atmosphere in the team began to settle.

Kaito turned to us rookies, who had been watching from the doorway.

"Hey, rookies. You can come in now!"

"Yes."

Yuto and I exchanged quick glances and cautiously entered the locker room.

'Kaito Senpai is truly amazing. I wonder if I can become like him.'

I looked at Kaito with admiration. His experience and leadership were truly worthy of respect. He was a revered senior to all of us on the team, including myself.

Clap clap.

"Alright, everyone, let's get ready for practice! What are you doing? Move it! Move it!"

Kaito clapped his hands, urging the players to hurry up and get ready. The players quickly changed and prepared for training.

At this point, I thought everything would be fine.

__________________________________

On the weekend, for the league match, I boarded the team bus heading to Gunma. It was a slightly long trip from Tokyo to Gunma.

After finding a seat, Yuto came and sat next to me.

"Excuse me~"

"Ah! Lose some weight! You're taking up too much space!"

As I grumbled a bit, Yuto laughed and showed off his thigh through his shorts.

"Look. Where's the fat here? My body is all muscle! Want to feel it?"

Yuto grabbed my hand and pulled it towards his stomach. I jerked my hand away in horror and shouted.

"Ugh! Why would I want to touch your stomach!"

"Dirty? Hey! How can my abs be dirty and unappealing?"

"Ugh."

As we bickered and bonded, a sudden angry voice from the front caught our attention.

"What's going on! Kisuke isn't here!"

Murmurs spread through the bus.

The players, including Yuto and me, stopped what they were doing and focused on the front. Coach Yamada and Assistant Coach Sawamura were having a troubled conversation.

"It's just that, he sent a text saying he needed rest yesterday evening, and since this morning, we haven't been able to reach him."