Blue Dream Trail (Soccer) - Episode 16.5

Augsburg stadium.

A small group was gathered in a corner of the back stand.

“Did you see that pass?”

“For a second, I thought it was a Bayern player.”

“…How do you pronounce your name? ‘Naoe Ren’?”

The veteran local supporters were talking excitedly.

They had some old white fabric and some red and black spray cans.

“Are these characters correct?”

“Just ‘REN” is fine. It stands out more and is simple and cool.”

In the middle, some slightly awkward-looking letters of the alphabet appear.

《REN》

It was just an impromptu cheering banner. But it was the very first “REN” for this stadium.

The day of the match.

When Ren entered the stadium, he was enveloped in the excitement of the crowd.

The tension, the cheers, the booing – all of this speaks to a “real game.”

Suddenly, I looked up from the bench.

The distant back stand.

On the top shelf, in just one corner, a white cloth was swaying.

《REN》

Ren narrowed his eyes.

I don’t know who put it up.

However, the letters there were – undoubtedly – his own “name.”

He came on as a substitute in the second half.

Someone else points at Ren as he quietly enters the pitch.

“REN, that player.”

“You know, the name of that cloth…”

Gradually, the sound of “REN” spread throughout the audience.

Someone whose name I don’t know

The moment you remember the name.

This is because there were some plays that left a deep impression on me, more so than the scores or skills of the game.

After the match.

The young man who was holding the curtain was leaving with his friends.

“He could be a great player.”

“Today, we may be at the beginning of history.”

“They’ve had some good players come up through the academy over the last two years, so maybe they can do well this season.”

While talking to

I gently folded up the worn banner.

The day when someone realizes that this is “the world’s first REN” is still a long way off.