Demien dismissed the notification as the hot water felt good on his shoulders, and by the time he finished, most players had already left for the cafeteria. He dressed quickly in jeans and a simple black t-shirt with his training bag slung over one shoulder, and the corridor outside was quiet as most of the staff had gone home.
Marco was waiting near the exit.
"Demien!"
"Marco?" Demien stopped, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"I drove up to watch," Marco grinned wide. "And I'm glad I did. That was incredible."
"It was a team effort."
"Don't give me that modest crap," Marco clapped his shoulder. "I saw the whole thing. You ran that match. They put two players on you and you still dictated everything."
Demien smiled slightly. "Como made it difficult."
"And you made it look easy," Marco pulled out his phone. "Look, I recorded some clips—your passes, your movement, the way you created that third goal. This is first-team level stuff, Demien."
He scrolled through several videos, showing moments from the match including the sixty-yard pass to Carlos in the first half, the one-touch play under pressure, and the dummy run that created space for Riccardo.
"This is marketing gold," Marco said. "Do you have Instagram?"
"No."
"What?" Marco looked genuinely shocked. "You're eighteen and you don't have Instagram?"
"Never needed it."
"You need it now," Marco's tone shifted, more serious. "Listen, social media matters in modern football. Scouts look at it, clubs look at it, sponsors look at it. You need a presence."
"I don't know how to—"
"It's easy. You just create an account, post training clips, match highlights, keep it professional," Marco was already planning. "I'll post this on the agency's Instagram and tag you. It'll help build your profile."
A soft chime rang in Demien's head.
「SYSTEM NOTIFICATION」
「NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: READER APPRECIATION SYSTEM」
「Condition: Create Instagram Account」
「This feature allows supporters to contribute to your development through Golden Tickets and Power Stones」
「Rewards Scale:」 「• 20 Power Stones = 1 TP」 「• 5 Golden Tickets = 10 TP + 1 SP」 「• Every 2 Golden Tickets = Special Fourth Wall Interaction」
「Instagram Integration Required: Account Creation Mandatory」
「Feature Locked Until Completion」
Demien's breath caught as the system had never done this before—a feature locked behind a real-world action—but he couldn't react with Marco standing right in front of him.
"You okay?" Marco asked, noticing Demien's expression.
"Yeah. Just… thinking," Demien forced his face neutral. "I'll create an account tonight. What's the handle? Just my name?"
"Keep it simple. Just DemienWalter, or maybe add an underscore if that's taken. You're still on trial, so don't lock into a squad number yet," Marco was already typing notes into his phone. "Once you've got it set up, text me. I'll post the video on our agency page and tag you. Get you some visibility."
"During my trial?"
"Especially during your trial," Marco's eyes were sharp. "You don't know who might be watching—scouts from bigger clubs, international teams, opportunities you can't predict."
He paused, then added, "And after your contract—because you will get one—we need to talk about marketing strategy. I'm thinking about bringing in a professional, social media manager maybe, build your brand properly."
"Isn't that expensive?"
"It's an investment," Marco's grin widened. "Besides, if you keep playing like this, the money will be big. We'll be raking it in. Maybe you'll go on and play for Real Madrid someday and we'll both be fucking rich."
He checked his watch. "I need to go. Want to catch Luca before he leaves, get his Instagram handle too. Both of you need to build your profiles," he grinned. "Two clients performing like that? I'm a happy man."
"I will."
"Good," Marco squeezed his shoulder once more. "You were brilliant today. Keep it up."
He walked away, already pulling out his phone to make calls, and Demien stood alone in the corridor as the system notification still hovered at the edge of his vision—Reader Appreciation System—though he dismissed it for now since he'd figure it out later because right now, he needed food.
*******
Directors' Box - After the Match
Gasperini sat in the now-empty directors' box with his notepad still open on the armrest as the stadium lights were dimming and groundskeepers began their work on the pitch below. Footsteps echoed in the corridor before Coach Rossi appeared in the doorway.
"Mister," Rossi nodded respectfully. "Thank you for coming today."
"Gianluca," Gasperini gestured to the empty seat beside him. "Sit."
Rossi sat, curious but waiting for the first team coach to speak first, and Gasperini said, "Your number eight, the trialist, Walter."
"Demien. Yes," Rossi's tone was careful. "What did you think?"
"Impressive," Gasperini tapped his notepad. "Como put two players on him for forty-five minutes. He still controlled the game."
"He's been exceptional all week."
"Where did you find him?"
"Milan scouting trial. Rejected by Fiorentina six months ago."
Gasperini's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Fiorentina rejected him?"
"Yes."
"Interesting," Gasperini closed his notepad. "What's your preseason schedule? When's the next match?"
Rossi pulled out his phone, checking the calendar. "Wednesday. Friendly against—" He paused, reading the screen. "Actually, it's against ████████."
Gasperini went very still. "Say that again."
"Wednesday. Against ████████. At their stadium."
A slow smile spread across Gasperini's face as he looked at Rossi, then back at his notepad where he'd written Fiorentina rejected him. "That's... perfect."
"Mister?"
"I'll be back Wednesday," Gasperini stood. "I want to watch that match."
"Of course. Any particular players you want to see?"
"Walter," Gasperini picked up his notepad. "I want to see how he handles a different challenge."
Rossi nodded slowly. "Understood."
Gasperini walked toward the door, then paused. "Good work today, Gianluca. Your trialists are exceeding expectations."
"Thank you, Mister."
He disappeared down the corridor, and Rossi sat alone in the directors' box, looking down at the empty pitch where Demien had just orchestrated a 3-0 victory as the first team coach was coming back Wednesday to observe again against ████████.
He pulled out his phone and opened his notes app, typing quickly:
Wednesday - Gasperini returning to observe.
He closed the phone and stood.
Wednesday was going to be interesting.