Chapter 17: A Shift in Atmosphere (2)

"Frimpong! Stay focused!"

"Yes!"

Frimpong received the ball from the coach and rolled it forward smoothly.

Not a bad first touch.

Gaining confidence, Frimpong dribbled through the cones with precise control.

Even though his speed was below average, the coaches smiled in satisfaction.

Just making it through the tightly placed cones without stumbling was a success in itself.

Tap! Tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap!

After passing the final cone, Frimpong set his sights on the goal.

Poland's second-choice goalkeeper, Łukasz Fabiański, was guarding the net.

Frimpong stared intensely at the right corner of the goal, his nervousness evident.

Reading his gaze, Fabiański subtly shifted his position, fully prepared to dive.

Frimpong recalled the shooting technique that Kai had taught him and struck the ball firmly with his right foot.

Just as he had been taught, the ball connected perfectly with his instep.

Fabiański dived desperately to block it, but the ball ricocheted off the post and into the net.

The net rippled like waves.

Scoring for the first time since joining the first team, Frimpong was momentarily stunned before letting out a triumphant cheer.

"Yeah! I finally scored!"

"That was fantastic!"

"Your shot improved because your posture was stable. Keep doing it like this."

"Thank you!"

The coaches praised Frimpong and boosted his confidence.

After celebrating with his teammates, Frimpong ran straight toward Kai.

Kai smirked.

"See? It worked just like I said. How did it feel?"

"It felt like the ball was resting on my foot?"

"Then you hit it right. Keep doing that."

The best way to regain confidence was by scoring goals.

Previously hesitant and uncertain, Frimpong now engaged in training with enthusiasm.

The clumsy mistakes he had shown in the reserve team were starting to disappear.

"I hope he doesn't get injured from pushing himself too hard."

"Arata! You're up next."

"Yes!"

Hearing the coach's call, Kai took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The ball flew in from a distance, bouncing irregularly on the grass.

Kai lightly flicked it with his left heel.

The ball shot up at a sharp angle, grazing his shoulder before rolling smoothly down his chest.

A move so skillful it felt like a magic trick.

His teammates couldn't hold back their admiration.

"That was insane."

"How does he even do that?"

The ball, now settled, was nudged forward gently with his left foot.

Fifteen cones stood ahead.

He had to dribble through them all.

Reaching the first cone, Kai rolled the ball with his right foot.

At the same time, he lowered his upper body slightly.

With a lowered center of gravity, he weaved through the cones swiftly, using both feet in rapid succession.

The third, fourth, fifth cone—

Moving at a pace much faster than Frimpong, he controlled the ball with minimal touches.

Tap-tap! Tap-tap!

Though his touches seemed rough, they were filled with precision.

'Maybe I got a little too carried away.'

He felt a slight strain on his knee.

But without stopping, he navigated through the final cone without touching it.

Looking ahead, he saw Fabiański waiting for him.

The goalkeeper's determined expression made it clear—he wasn't going to let another goal past him.

Before Fabiański could engage in any psychological tactics, Kai adjusted the ball with a quick touch of his right foot.

Fabiański flinched.

Now!

With half a beat's advantage, Kai struck the ball powerfully with his left foot.

Just like Frimpong's shot, it flew toward the right corner.

Fabiański, without hesitation, dived to the side.

It was close—almost within reach.

But the ball zipped past his fingertips and slammed into the upper corner of the net.

Whoosh!

The net rippled violently.

"Whoa! Did you see that trajectory?"

"He aimed that perfectly."

"The new guys this year are no joke."

With a satisfied expression, Kai returned to his spot, receiving praise from the coaches.

His body felt incredibly light today.

If he could maintain this condition, he just might make it into the starting lineup for the season opener.

A debut season opener as a starter.

Not a bad goal at all.

Frimpong grinned and playfully patted Kai's back.

"Kai! That was an amazing dribble and an even better goal."

"Thanks."

"Ryo! What are you doing? Come here!"

Miyaichi Ryo, who had been lingering awkwardly like an outsider, looked slightly pleased as he hesitantly approached.

Truthfully, they should have included him earlier, but the chaotic team atmosphere made it difficult.

Noticing Ryo scratching his head awkwardly, Kai lightly tapped his back in a friendly gesture.

"You can speak English, right?"

Ryo shook his head.

Since he couldn't communicate, he hadn't been able to integrate with the group.

In his previous life, he had always relied on interpreters and never learned English.

But this time, that wouldn't do.

If he wanted to play in Europe, learning the language was essential.

"Ryo."

"? "

"You have to learn English. Did you listen to me carefully?"

Thankfully, Ryo understood his good intentions and, with a serious expression, nodded firmly.

"Yes, I'll learn."

His pronunciation was a bit rough, but at least he had the will to improve.

If he learned English and blended in with his teammates, he wouldn't have to be lonely.

With the morning training wrapped up and a decent amount of sweat shed, it was time for lunch.

The players gathered in small groups, discussing what kind of food would be served.

Arsène Wenger, wearing a meaningful smile, called the players together.

"Lunch today has been 'specially' prepared by the club, so I expect every single one of you to attend."

"No exceptions?"

Fabregas asked, raising an eyebrow.

Wenger smiled knowingly.

"Unfortunately, no exceptions. It's already here."

The coaches began laying out large picnic mats on the grass.

And then, he handed out large bowls to the players.

The players tilted their heads in confusion, not knowing what was going on.

From outside the training ground, the sound of rattling was heard, and a truck appeared.

As the truck's cargo hold opened, Lionel and Miya Arata stepped out.

In front of them were containers filled with various vegetables, fruits, boiled eggs, and fresh salmon.

Wenger grinned and said to the players,

"The club has contacted Islington's famous restaurant, Islington's Poke, to prepare a special meal for you all, so help yourselves."

"Oh! Islington's Poke!"

"That's one of the hottest places right now!"

"There are so many people there that I never even thought of going!"

"I've been there before. The food is amazing!"

"Yeah, my girlfriend has been nagging me to take her there."

A hot spot in London, where people line up just to get a taste.

Hearing that the club had booked the entire place just for them, the players couldn't help but be delighted.

"Oh, right. I forgot to mention—Islington's Poke is owned by Arata's parents. If it weren't for Arata, we wouldn't have been able to book it. His parents are big fans of our club."

As soon as Wenger finished speaking, all eyes turned to Kai.

Kai scratched his head as if he knew nothing.

"My parents told me something special was happening today, but I didn't expect them to come in person."

"Wow! Arata is the son of the owner of Islington's Poke? I had no idea!"

"This is a proper initiation ceremony!"

"Arata! How do we eat this?"

"Just pick the ingredients you like, put them in your bowl, and drizzle the special bibim sauce over it."

"That's simple."

"Yeah, and the nutritional balance is great, so it's a perfect meal."

Players who hadn't spoken much with Kai on the first day now approached him more comfortably, and he gladly joined their conversations.

Seeing the youngest member of the team blend in so well made the senior players feel a little embarrassed.

They had been ignoring the team's unsettled atmosphere all this time.

Kai noticed their change in attitude but didn't say anything.

That wasn't his role.

While most players enjoyed their meal, Ryo was the only one who looked disappointed as he picked up some salmon.

Frimpong, who was picking up some cod sashimi, tilted his head and asked,

"Ryo, what's wrong?"

"No furikake. No wasabi."

Hearing that, Miya Arata chuckled and handed him a small packet with hiragana written on it.

"Here! Furikake. It's next to the wasabi and shoyu."

When she spoke suddenly, Ryo was startled but accepted the furikake anyway.

"Th-thank you."

"You're welcome."

After the special lunch, the atmosphere at the training ground changed significantly.

The team captains personally went around, helping the new recruits and the players who hadn't been fitting in.

"Training's over—our place?"

"Deal!"

"My son, you see…"

It was a positive change.

As the chaotic atmosphere faded, the training ground transformed into a bright and energetic place.

The little Russian, Andrey Arshavin, became Clown No.1, joking around with his teammates, while Frimpong took the Clown No.2 position and became the butt of jokes.

As the team gradually became one, Kai began focusing more on himself.

His footwork grew sharper, and his vision expanded.

"Nice! Arata! Don't dodge the physical battles!"

Kai started colliding with the players, trying to overcome his trauma from injuries.

Avoiding physical battles would mean he couldn't survive.

He had to adapt.

Kai made a dazzling move around Alex Song, disrupting his balance before flicking the ball over.

The ball curved over Alex Song and the defensive line, landing perfectly at Robin van Persie's left foot.

With a non-stop shot, the ball rocketed into the goal. Szczęsny, who was guarding the net, couldn't react in time and conceded the goal.

Van Persie pointed at Kai with a big grin.

"Arata! That was great! Keep doing that!"

"Was my pass good?"

"Of course! How did you read my movement and place it so perfectly?"

"I just saw it."

The coaches carefully observed the players' movements.

Out of the 30 players, only 23 would be selected for the Germany tour.

Kai was confident.

The player in the best form right now was undoubtedly himself.

If there was anyone else worth mentioning, it would be Van Persie, who was continuing his goal streak in training matches.

Of course, most of his goals were set up by Kai.

Van Persie grabbed a bottle of water from the icebox and handed it to Kai.

"Here."

"Thanks."

"Make sure to keep feeding me those passes."

"I will."

Building chemistry with Van Persie was crucial.

Not only was he Arsenal's main striker, but the 2011-12 season was his season.

Though, that wasn't the whole story.

'As long as he stays injury-free, he's a perfect striker.'

Kai hoped that the altered future wouldn't ruin him.

Arsenal without Van Persie had no future.

The backup striker, Marouane Chamakh, wasn't good enough.

And Nicklas Bendtner… wasn't just a poor player—his personality was even worse.

'He'll be loaned out soon, so I don't have to worry about him.'

Kai, hoping Bendtner wouldn't return, chatted with Van Persie about various topics beyond football.

"I heard you're really good at video games."

"Well, I've never lost."

"Wow! That's a lot of confidence! Then, why don't you come over to my place sometime?"

"Don't you have family at home?"

Van Persie reassured him, saying that his family didn't mind if he invited teammates over.

"In that case, if you invite me, I'll come."

"Hehehe! Great! I'll crush you!"

Kai had no intention of losing in football games.

Even if he chose the weakest team and gave Van Persie the strongest, he could still toy with him.

But he decided to go easy.

Van Persie was the type to have unnecessary pride in things like this.

"Arata, do you play ping-pong?"

There it was.

Kai had been waiting for this question.

Slowly, he nodded.

"A little? I'm not that good."

"I'll teach you! Want to learn?"

Van Persie's eyes sparkled as he leaned in.

Classic ping-pong fanatic behavior.

Kai readily accepted.

"If you teach me, I won't refuse."

"Knew it! I feel like we really click."

Kai didn't neglect the other players either.

He maintained good relationships with the key players for the season—Theo Walcott, Gervinho, Aaron Ramsey, Tomáš Rosický, Laurent Koscielny, Thomas Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna, and more.

They all praised his skills and offered advice.

Most of it was stuff he already knew, but it also came with useful personal details—what they liked, what they disliked.

"Arata! The boss wants to see you!"

Hearing Ramsey's call, Kai left the training ground and headed to the manager's office.

Inside, Wenger greeted him warmly.

"Arata, have a seat."

"Thank you."

After some small talk, they got to the main topic.

"I received the gift last time. Thanks to you, the team atmosphere has improved a lot. It's all thanks to you."

"I just told my parents about it."

Wenger smiled kindly and nodded.

"Talking to you feels… more difficult than dealing with veteran players."

"Haha! Really?"

"Anyway, I just wanted to thank you again."

"I'll pass it on to my parents."

"Good. Now, let's talk about the Germany tour."

"Yes."

"The coaching staff was split on whether to take you."

Kai swallowed nervously.

If he was left out, he wouldn't even make it to the bench.

Injuries would come soon enough, but his goal was to start the season opener.

He wanted to earn his spot through skill, not luck.

"The assistant coach wants to give chances to existing players. But the fitness coach strongly insists that you should be included."

Wenger explained that the opinions were nearly evenly divided.

But one crucial opinion was missing.

The manager's own decision.

"What do you think, boss?"

"Me?"

"Yes."

Wenger smiled.

"If you ask me… I think you deserve a chance. I like talented players."

"In that case…"

"Arata, congratulations. You're on the flight to Cologne."

A preseason tour he hadn't been part of in his past life.

Change had begun, and now, a new future was within reach.