Chapter 2: Summer of the 2011–12 Season

As the darkness faded, a bright light filled his vision, bringing an infinite spectrum of colors into reality.

Kai blinked twice.

A familiar environment came into view.

Green grass, steel goalposts, and players wearing uniforms.

Players, seemingly around 20 or 21 years old, sat on the grass, chatting and resting.

Kai blankly stared at their uniforms.

"White and red…"

The players he had coached wore uniforms in blue and black.

They had been younger and entirely composed of Japnese.

Yet, among the players before him, there was not a single Asian face.

Kai rubbed his eyes and looked again.

As his consciousness gradually returned, he began to recognize familiar faces.

"Emmanuel… Frimpong?"

Kai's expression turned to one of disbelief.

He hadn't played alongside him for long.

At most, half a season.

The reason his face wasn't unfamiliar was that he had once been a highly regarded prospect alongside Jack Wilshere.

"What a nostalgic name."

Unlike Wilshere, who had made a mark at Arsenal for several seasons, Frimpong had failed to leave a lasting impact.

They hadn't been particularly close, so he had never kept in touch.

He had heard that Frimpong had retired early due to recurring injuries.

Seeing him now, grinning widely with his white teeth showing, felt surreal.

"Hey! Kid!"

Frimpong, having made eye contact with Kai, smirked and waved.

His face, brimming with confidence, looked good.

Kai gave an awkward smile and waved back.

Frimpong chuckled before returning to his conversation with teammates.

Kai glanced around.

"I'm all alone here."

During his youth years, solitude had been the norm.

Due to repeatedly skipping age groups, he had never had the chance to make close friends.

His fiery personality hadn't helped either.

Kai slowly shook his head.

"What the hell is going on?"

It still felt like a dream.

A dream where he had returned to the past.

Yet, the scent of grass and the sweat of the players around him felt overwhelmingly real.

"So, this isn't a dream?"

Kai slowly pieced together the sequence of events.

After finishing afternoon training, he had gone to the manager's office, turned on his computer, and started organizing his emails.

There, he had found a suspicious email.

A message asking if he wanted to turn back time.

The moment he clicked on it, a blinding white light engulfed him, and he lost consciousness.

And now, he had woken up in the summer of 2011, on the first day of joining the reserve team.

"Did I really go back in time?"

Kai recalled what was supposed to happen next.

His time in the reserves had been short.

Around four months.

After displaying an unparalleled level of skill, Arsène Wenger had called him up to the first team.

Kai had made his debut, breaking the club's youngest appearance record.

It had been nothing short of sensational.

In his first match, he had scored a brace, engraving the name "Kai Arata" into the minds of the manager and the fans.

"I thought it would all be smooth sailing."

Everyone had.

Until his injury, Kai had been one of Europe's rising stars.

He had been seen as the player to challenge the dominance of Messi and Ronaldo.

Pundits had celebrated the emergence of a classic playmaker, a role that had seemingly faded since Zidane.

But then, injury had taken everything from him.

"One short prime was enough."

This time, he wanted to stay on the pitch for as long as possible.

Like his idol, Lionel Messi, who had debuted as a teenager and played into his late thirties.

He wanted to keep proving himself and earning the fans' recognition.

To achieve that—

"I need to prevent my glass-body tendencies."

The biggest reason for his injuries had been excessive match load.

Every season, he had played over 50 games, including international matches and youth team call-ups.

Even when his body hurt, he had gritted his teeth and played.

Back then, he had thought it was the right thing to do.

Because playing was pure joy.

But it didn't have to be that way.

Once had been enough.

"This time, I'll focus on the club."

Kai decided to reject national team call-ups.

Youth team call-ups had been a death trap.

Unless it was a FIFA-mandated tournament, both the club and the player had the right to refuse.

If the association tried to pressure him with public opinion, he could use the club as a shield.

"The club didn't want it either, so they'll back me up."

The second issue—Arsenal needed better squad depth.

The club's biggest problem had always been injuries.

Nicknamed "FC Hospital," Arsenal was notorious for having a squad plagued with injuries.

Because of this, their squad depth was weak, forcing key players to overextend and ultimately get injured in a vicious cycle.

Kai was nothing more than a promising prospect, unable to influence the club's transfer policies.

However—

"Arsenal had a lot of good players they tried to sign. If I can help them secure those players, the team can rotate more efficiently."

The stronger Arsenal became, the less burden Kai would have to shoulder, and injury prevention would come as a bonus.

It wasn't like Wenger wanted to overwork his players.

As he began forming a plan, the assistant coach called out to him.

"Kai! Kai!"

"Ah, yes!"

Kai responded energetically.

A youthful voice escaped his lips.

For a moment, he was startled.

But he quickly masked his emotions and approached the coach.

Seeing him up close, the coach looked familiar.

A middle-aged man with a completely bald head.

Was his name Smith?

His memory was hazy.

"Kai, you'll be playing in today's intrasquad match."

"Ah."

"Don't feel too pressured. We know you're young, and the manager will take that into account."

"Understood."

"Good! Get a light warm-up in and be ready for the match."

Kai nodded, ignoring the envious and resentful gazes directed at him.

Playing in an intrasquad match meant he was being considered for the squad in the upcoming reserve league.

Everyone here understood that.

It was only natural for them to feel uncomfortable about a mere 15-year-old standing on equal footing with them.

Some might even lose their spot because of him.

"At this time, I was already known as a football prodigy."

On the surface, everyone laughed and chatted, but this was the wild.

The reserve team was the final test before making it to professional football.

Unlike the academy, this place was filled with invisible but fierce competition.

Kai realized he needed to be cautious and thought about how he should approach this.

"I don't need to show everything."

In his previous life, he had completely dominated the intrasquad match.

He had contributed to 10 goals on his own, breaking the spirits of the reserve team players.

That was when he earned the nickname Evil Genius.

Several players had felt an insurmountable gap and eventually left the club.

"There were also conflicts with teammates."

Those factors had led to his early promotion to the first team, so in a way, luck had been on his side.

But this time, he didn't want to crush the spirits of these young players.

Having coached youth prospects for years, he understood their emotions and thoughts well.

He decided to show only half of his ability.

"Enough chit-chat, everyone up!"

Under the assistant coach's instructions, the players began stretching.

The sharp gazes didn't fade.

The coaches must have warned them beforehand because there were no racist remarks.

Not that it mattered—Kai had heard them even after becoming one of the best players in the world.

Calmly, he checked his body.

Even though he had just woken up and was about to play, he couldn't hide his excitement at how lively his body felt.

"I'm in perfect condition."

There was no pain.

His knees didn't ache, and he could move his legs as much as he wanted.

After retiring, even daily life had been a struggle.

But now, with a healthy body, he couldn't help but smile.

"Yo! You look like you're in a good mood."

Frimpong casually spoke to him.

A face full of innocence and openness.

Kai looked at him with the eyes of a playful young boy.

"Of course, I'm happy!"

"Haha. Yeah, makes sense. Well, I've heard a lot about you, so show me what you've got."

Frimpong ruffled his hair before returning to his stretches.

Kai glanced at him while lifting his legs.

Now that he thought about it, the 2011–12 season was Frimpong's debut season.

Rumors were already circulating that he would be included in the first-team squad, so he was probably brimming with confidence.

For the record, Frimpong had shined for just one season.

After that, frequent minor injuries took their toll, and his form gradually declined.

Unlike Wilshere, Frimpong had never been an exceptional talent.

He was just an average player.

Yet, Arsenal had thrown him into the lion's den, and he had crumbled.

"Should I stop him from making his debut?"

Kai shook his head.

He didn't have time to worry about others.

He needed to focus on the upcoming match.

When stretching was over, the coaches started calling out the names of those participating in the intrasquad match.

"Kai Arata! Emmanuel Frimpong!"

Frimpong flashed a relaxed smile and waved.

Kai didn't remember much about playing alongside him since they hadn't shared the pitch often.

He did recall that Frimpong played as a central midfielder.

"Was he a holding midfielder?"

He'd figure it out once they started playing.

If Frimpong had been good enough to make the first team, he should at least have decent ability.

As long as their chemistry was right, they could dominate the midfield together.

Kai smirked and slowly shook his head.

"There's no need to ruin the atmosphere."

No need to stand out from the start.

Just enough to be slightly noticeable.