Day 7 - Morning Shifts
The seventh day at Ajax began like any other, 5 AM alarm, cold morning air, the familiar routine that had become their rhythm. But as Takeshi lined up for warm-ups, something felt... different.
Elsa stood a few spots further down the line than usual. Not avoiding him exactly, but maintaining more distance. During partner stretches, she focused intently on her form, making less eye contact than normal.
Why does my stomach feel weird when I talk to him today? Elsa wondered, glancing at Takeshi as he helped Oliver with a hamstring stretch. This is stupid. We're just training partners.
But yesterday's teasing echoed in her mind. "The demon and his queen." The way everyone laughed and how natural it sounded. Something about those words made her chest flutter in a way she didn't understand.
I'm eleven. This is just... I don't know what this is.
Takeshi remained completely oblivious, his mind occupied with the mysterious TIME RELAY skill that remained frustratingly locked in his system window. He went through the motions of warm-up automatically.
When Erik called for partner passing drills, they naturally gravitated toward each other as always. But Elsa fumbled a simple return pass, the kind she'd been making perfectly for a week.
"You alright?" Takeshi asked, genuine concern in his voice. "That's not like you."
"I'm fine!" Elsa replied quickly, her cheeks slightly pink. "Just tired from yesterday."
The moment passed, but something had shifted in the air between them. Something neither of them fully understood.
Oliver watched the subtle interaction with knowing eyes during their water break. He'd noticed the small changes, how Elsa had fixed her hair before approaching their group, the way she glanced at Takeshi when she thought no one was looking, the tiny nervous energy that hadn't been there before.
Interesting.
During a brief lull in training, Oliver casually sidled up to Elsa.
"You've been acting different around Takeshi today," he observed with a gentle smile.
"No I haven't," Elsa protested, defensive but not angry.
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say, Queen."
The nickname made her face burn red, but she couldn't explain why. Oliver wasn't pushing or teasing cruelly, just making gentle observations that somehow hit too close to home.
"It's not... I don't... we're just partners," she stammered.
"Of course you are," Oliver agreed easily. "Good partners. Really good partners."
He left it at that, not pushing for confessions or trying to play matchmaker. At nine years old, he understood they were all too young for serious romantic drama. But he found their confusion amusing in the way only a perceptive friend could.
Let it develop naturally, he thought. No need to force anything.
Perfect Synchronization
Erik's voice cut across the training ground with its usual authority.
"Complex possession drill. Three versus three in tight space. Instant decision-making required."
He gestured to two groups. "Takeshi, Elsa, Oliver versus Marcus, Kwame, Isabella."
The moment the drill began, something magical happened.
Despite any morning awkwardness, the second Elsa received the ball, Takeshi was already moving to the exact space she needed. She passed without looking, trusting instinctively that he'd be there.
Perfect weight. Perfect timing.
One touch back to Oliver. Oliver to Elsa. Elsa threads a pass through Kwame's legs to find Takeshi in space.
No hesitation. No miscommunication.
For two straight minutes, Marcus, Kwame, and Isabella couldn't touch the ball. The chemistry was so perfect it looked rehearsed, but they'd only known each other a week.
No-look passes connecting. Positioning that seemed telepathic. Understanding that transcended normal partnership.
"Seriously, how?" Marcus panted when the drill finally ended, shaking his head in disbelief.
"They're like one brain in two bodies," Kwame added, grudging admiration in his voice.
"That was beautiful football," Isabella agreed, applauding despite her frustration.
Marcus grinned as they gathered for the next drill. "The demon and his queen strike again."
The nickname caught on immediately.
"Yeah, the demon and his queen!" Kwame laughed.
"You two are linked on the field," Isabella observed.
Elsa's face turned slightly red, but she tried to deflect. "It's just practice. We've been partners all week."
"That's not normal practice," Kwame countered. "That's something else entirely."
Takeshi barely registered the teasing, his adult mind focused purely on the tactical success of the drill.
"Makes sense we'd develop chemistry after training together for a week," he said matter of fact, completely missing any romantic implications.
Elsa noticed his non-reaction, a tiny flicker of something that might have been disappointment crossing her face before she quickly hid it.
He doesn't feel... whatever this is I'm feeling.
Confused Instincts
Later in the day, during a physical defending drill, one of the older Ajax academy players who'd joined their session went in hard on Elsa. Nothing dirty, but unnecessarily aggressive for a practice involving much younger players.
Without thinking, Takeshi immediately stepped between them.
"Watch it," he said firmly, his voice carrying adult authority that made the older player pause.
The moment passed quickly, but afterward, Takeshi found himself confused by his own reaction.
Why did I do that? It was just training.
His adult mind immediately jumped to memories of Akari, how he'd always been protective of her, how he'd destroyed their relationship trying to shield her from the pressures of his rising football career.
Am I projecting? Seeing Akari in Elsa?
Guilt washed over him in waves.
Akari was everything to me. I still love her, even though... So why do I feel... something... about Elsa?
It wasn't romantic love, his adult mind resisted that idea completely. But it wasn't just normal teammate concern either. Something deeper, more protective, more instinctual.
Maybe I'm just looking out for her because she's young. Because she reminds me of what I lost.
He rationalised it away, pushing thoughts of both Akari and Elsa aside.
I'm here for football. Nothing else. Emotions destroyed everything before. They'll destroy everything again if I let them.
Watching Eyes
During the evening cooldown, as the kids went through light stretches, a familiar figure appeared by the training ground fence.
The same mysterious scout, expensive suit, powerful aura, calculating eyes. He stood watching, taking specific notes in a small notebook.
His focus was entirely on Takeshi, but more specifically, on Takeshi and Elsa together. The way they moved in drills. The protective moment from earlier. The obvious connection that everyone had noticed.
He smiled knowingly, scribbling observations.
Erik spotted him and walked toward the fence, tension radiating from every step.
"Impressive partnership," the scout said casually.
"What do you want?" Erik's voice was ice.
"Just observing. For now."
The man walked away slowly, his notebook tucked carefully in his jacket. Erik's jaw clenched as he watched him disappear.
The Warning
After training, Erik called Takeshi aside to a private area near the equipment shed. The other kids headed toward dinner, Elsa glancing back at them with curiosity before Oliver gently guided her along.
"I've been watching you," Erik began without preamble.
"Watching me what?"
"You and the Norwegian girl."
Takeshi felt his defences rise. "Elsa? We're training partners."
"I see how you play together." Erik's eyes were cold, calculating. "That chemistry is valuable. It's also a weakness."
"What do you mean?"
"In professional football, attachments are leverage." Erik's voice carried the weight of experience. "That scout? He saw it too. You trust her, you move for her instinctively. That makes you predictable."
The words hit like ice water. Not a romantic warning, a tactical one. But the implications were clear.
"People will use what you care about," Erik continued. "To control you, to hurt you. I'm not saying avoid her. I'm saying be careful."
His eyes held no warmth, only the cold calculation of someone protecting an investment.
"You're mine. I protect my investments. But I can't protect you from yourself."
Memories flooded back, how loving Akari had become a weapon others used against him, how he'd destroyed her trying to push her away, then destroyed himself with loneliness.
He's right. Caring destroys everything.
But Elsa is just my partner. Nothing more.
So why does this warning feel like a threat to something important?
Lingering Questions
Walking toward dinner alone, Takeshi saw Elsa laughing with Oliver and Isabella at a corner table. Something in his chest tightened—not romantic longing, but something more complex. A mix of protectiveness, confusion, and buried grief for what he'd lost with Akari.
I loved once. I destroyed her. I can't... I won't...
But watching Elsa's genuine smile, the way her eyes lit up at Oliver's joke, he felt that same inexplicable protective instinct stirring.
What am I even feeling?
Takeshi shook his head, trying to clear the confusion. Akari had been his everything, and he'd destroyed her trying to protect her from his world. Whatever he felt now, protective instinct, partnership chemistry, something else entirely, it didn't matter. Erik was right. In this life, attachments would only lead to pain.
Again.
So why couldn't he stop watching Elsa's smile across the cafeteria? Why did that mysterious scout's interest feel like a direct threat to something precious he couldn't even name?
Fourteen days left at Ajax. Whatever this is, it ends when camp does.
It has to.
But even as he told himself that, Takeshi knew he was lying. Some connections, once formed, couldn't be easily severed.
And some demons, once awakened, refused to go back to sleep.
TO BE CONTINUED...