The Contract

Squeeze.

I knew he was a sixty-year-old man, but the grip of his hand was surprisingly firm. It wasn't painful, but it was strong enough ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to show just how remarkably fit the old man in front of me was.

"I have been receiving regular reports on your matches. I have high expectations for you, Tachibana."

The old man boasting this robust grip was none other than Arsène Wenger, one of the giants of the football world.

"Ah... thank you. Please, call me Luka."

"Of course, Luka. I look forward to working with you."

Wenger offered some warm words of encouragement as we released our hands.

If I were a true rookie just debuting in the football world, I would have been thrilled to receive such words from a legendary manager like Wenger.

But in my past life, I was a superstar who had been praised by every legend alive and had commanded a 200-billion-won transfer fee to Barcelona.

...Granted, things didn't end so well, but I was more than used to being the center of attention and expectation. And I knew all too well how quickly that attention and expectation could vanish into thin air.

"You won't be disappointed."

At my confident reply, Wenger smirked. With his distinguished looks, even a simple smile from Wenger carried a dignified, trustworthy charm.

"Alright, let's take some photos!"

Once the contract signing was complete and we stepped outside, a media manager approached with a camera. Since it was a youth signing, there was no photo op holding up a shirt with a squad number. It was just a simple shot of me facing forward in Arsenal's red home kit.

"Great. One more, please!"

Wenger stood by, watching me get my picture taken. Normally, a manager wouldn't bother watching a mere youth prospect get photographed, but it seemed he really had been receiving weekly reports and held high hopes for me.

Well, the man certainly has an eye for talent.

Of course, I was more than ready to exceed Wenger's expectations by two hundred percent.

"Wow."

Saka chuckled at the exclamation that slipped out beside him.

Even Luka would find it hard to hold back his awe here.

Henry, Bergkamp, and Vieira were players who could easily claim a spot in any World Best XI.

Saka had reacted the exact same way when he was first called up to the senior squad and met them, so he understood Luka's reaction perfectly. No matter how much Luka had dominated the youth leagues, it was impossible not to be starstruck in this environment.

"What, want to get an autograph?"

But since Luka was always so confident, Saka felt a sudden urge to tease him and threw out the question playfully.

"Am I allowed to get one?"

"...You actually want one?"

He had only asked to tease him, but he hadn't expected this kind of reaction.

In truth, Saka had also asked for autographs on his first day with the senior squad and had been teased mercilessly by his seniors. Seeing Luka's reaction made him feel a bit relieved, thinking, I guess I wasn't the only one who thought that way.

"Of course. It's my first time seeing him in person."

To think Luka could get this excited. Was he actually a fan of Henry?

Considering Luka's versatility to play as a winger on either side or as a central striker, it was only natural for him to admire Henry, who played in similar positions.

The King of Arsenal and the King of the Premier League, Theodore Henry.

Some mocked his title as the "King of the EPL," claiming it just meant he was the "uncrowned king" since he lacked a league title and a Golden Boot in this universe, but Saka liked Henry so much that if anyone asked him to name the best player in the Premier League, Henry would easily be his first choice.

And Luka surely felt the same way.

In fact, the opportunity to learn football under Henry was undoubtedly a major factor in why Luka had chosen Arsenal.

"Want me to help you out, then?"

With that in mind, Saka decided to give Luka a little hand.

Luka's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠personality was a bit abrasive, but he was the only junior player among the squad gathered here. Having joined the first team at the end of last season when Van Persie suffered a shin injury, Saka had managed to exchange a few words with the senior players. He decided to use this opportunity to show off his authority as a senior.

Helping out a junior who could potentially become his rival showed exactly why the youth coaches highly praised Saka for his leadership and character. However, there was one crucial detail Saka had overlooked: Luka's gaze was fixed on someone else entirely, not Henry.

"Let's go. I'll introduce you."

"Yeah, thanks."

To think he would actually hear a "thanks" from Luka. Having spent nearly three to four months together without ever hearing those words, Saka felt a sudden surge of emotion that almost brought tears to his eyes.

"Theo!"

Saka cheerfully called out to Henry, who was chatting with some other teammates.

"What are you doing?"

...Only to be gifted with Luka's icy tone.

"Huh? Didn't you want to get Theo's autograph?"

"Theo?"

"Theodore Henry."

"Henry's first name was Theodore?"

Does this bastard play for Arsenal and not even know Henry's first name?

For a split second, Saka's eyes flared with annoyance, but thanks to Henry approaching them, he quickly forced his expression back to a gentle smile.

"Theo, how have you been?"

"Oh, the little kid. You've joined us too. And who is this next to you...?"

"Ah, this is Luka Tachibana. We played together in the U-18s for about three months. He really wanted to meet you..."

"Ah, nice to meet you. I'm Theodore Henry. Theo, Theodore, Henry—call me whichever you prefer."

True to his reputation for having a pleasant personality, Henry warmly greeted the youth player. Seeing a young player overjoyed to shake his hand was always a gratifying experience for Henry.

"Ah, yes. I'm Luka Tachibana. Please call me Luka."

But Luka's response was completely dry and devoid of emotion.

What's this? Did I do something wrong?

Even the good-natured Henry felt a slight prick of annoyance. Just as the atmosphere was about to sour, Saka quickly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stepped between them with an awkward laugh to smooth things over.

"Hahaha, I think he's just a bit nervous. Right, Luka? Isn't that it?"

"Is that so? He's got a sturdy build, but I guess he's still just a kid."

Well, it wasn't his first time seeing someone freeze up in front of him, so Henry simply nodded and let it go.

What is wrong with this guy? Is Luka seriously viewing Henry as a rival? No matter how arrogant he is, there's no way, right?

Meanwhile, Saka, caught in the middle, was dying inside. Despite being practically the youngest himself, he had gone out of his way to introduce Luka to Henry. The plan was for Luka to say, "I'm a huge fan," and spark a warm, friendly conversation!

But with Luka standing there like a stone wall instead of taking the initiative as the junior, the conversation naturally fizzled out, and Henry walked back to his group.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"What are you doing?"

"You asked me to introduce you!"

"Me? When? I was talking about Emil-god."

"Emil-god? Who the hell is Emil-god?"

Emil-god? Was there a player with that name?

Saka looked on in confusion, following Luka's gaze.

And there, right where Luka's eyes were fixed, stood the team's backup goalkeeper, Emilio Martinez.

Emilio Martinez. The name Luka remembered was Emiliano Martínez. And he was the first commander of the so-called "Puke Pirates" (a derogatory nickname Luka naturally despised) who had delivered the World Cup trophy to Luka's idol and hero, Lionel Messi.

To Luka, who had watched the highlights of the 2022 Qatar World Cup hundreds of times during his elementary school days, Martinez—who had saved Argentina time and again with his miraculous stops—was a player more than worthy of being called a "god." He was, without a doubt, Luka's absolute favorite goalkeeper.

Henry was famous, sure, but he belonged to a generation way before Luka's time. Why would Luka watch videos of Henry when he had Messi, the ultimate textbook of football, to study? To Luka, Henry was just some famous star from the past.

In other words, a bizarre inequality of backup goalkeeper >>>> league-best starting striker was perfectly logical in Luka's mind.

Not knowing any of this, it was only natural that Saka looked utterly bewildered.

I knew he was weird, but his taste is seriously bizarre.

Saka had realized this before when he brought up Ronaldo—whom he used to like as a kid—upon hearing Luka was from Portugal, only for Luka to look at him as if Saka had just insulted his parents. Luka was truly an oddball.

But precisely because Luka was such an oddball, Saka felt a stronger sense of responsibility.

Right. If I don't look after him, who will?

A backup goalkeeper and a reserve outfield player rarely had any reason to interact. Yet, proving why the Arsenal coaching staff praised him as "captain material," Saka swallowed his awkwardness and walked over to Martinez with Luka.

"Emil-god! I'm a huge fan!"

"...Huh? Me?"

"Yes! Your penalty saves! You're a beast!"

"...I am?"

Of course, Martinez—who was stuck as the backup behind Leno, a player of the same age, and had only made a single appearance last season—could only think one thing when a kid suddenly approached him, fabricated non-existent memories, and claimed to be a fan.

Is this punk mocking me?

"I'm already pissed off, so stop messing around and get lost, kid."

At Martinez's cold dismissal, Saka covered his face with his hand and let out a deep sigh.

This bastard... has he seriously caused trouble within ten minutes of joining the first team?

Even the exceptionally well-mannered Saka felt a powerful urge to smack Luka upside the head right now.

"Ah, right. I got so excited that I forgot things are different now."

What on earth did he mean by "things are different"? Seeing Luka speak so casually after offending two first-team seniors in a row made Saka want to hit him even more.

"Sigh..."

The thought of having to babysit this guy and handle the rookie duties together during the pre-season tour made Saka's mind go completely blank.