Episode 2: The Blueprint of the Red Club

In Yonezawa, the nights are coldest just before the snow begins to fall.
It is a cold that pierces not the skin, but the bones.

Hayato Kuga walked down the hallway of the clubhouse, gazing at the photos lining the wall.
Group photos of children. Youth expeditions. Victories of the adult team.
And—a record of the “change” where the land that used to be a material storage yard is now a lawn.

Atletico Yonezawa City FC.
A club based in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture.
They belong to the Tohoku Adult League Division 1, and every year, they hover on the boundary between promotion and relegation.

From the outside, they might just look like a local club.

But this club was not created solely for the sake of “soccer” from the beginning.

Hayato looked up at the large sign at the club's entrance.
The sponsor's name is engraved there in the most prominent place.

Citrus Create Co., Ltd.

His former employer.
A company so famous in Yamagata that everyone knows it, and popular for being able to build things cheaply.
And once, the company that was also the main sponsor of Monte Carlo Yamagata.

But then, an incident occurred.
Defects in fire-fighting equipment.
Trust was shaken, and the public's gaze turned cold in an instant.

At that time, the company withdrew as a sponsor.

They left Monte Carlo Yamagata.
They fell out of the blue “justice”.

And at that moment, Hayato reached out to them.

“Why don't you return Yamagata's soccer to the hands of the locals once more?”

It must have sounded reckless.
There must have been opposition within the company as well.

But the company had its own circumstances.
If they remained without being a sponsor, they would continue to be called “cowards”.
On the other hand, if they returned to the blue, they would be called “those who bowed their heads to return”.

Then, was there no other option?

——Hayato offered that other path.

⸻

The greatest weapon Atletico possesses is not the players.

It is the location.

The clubhouse. The practice ground. The player dormitory. And even a dedicated ground and dormitory for the youth team.

These were all prepared with
funds from a house manufacturer

.“Why go that far?”Every time he is asked that, Hayato gives the same answer.“A sponsor is not just a billboard.



It is part of the mechanism

.”Have them build it. In exchange, do the advertising.It might look like a simple transaction.But Hayato's aim was much deeper than advertising.


For the players to work locally.


Not all Atletico players are on professional contracts.

Players who are not on professional contracts work as employees of the house manufacturer or sponsor companies.They go to the site or sales in the morning.Practice from the evening.

They squeeze in match expeditions using paid leave or work adjustments.
It is not a sweet world.

But this was the form of “

local contribution


”.Local companies lack human resources.The club lacks funds.The players are anxious about their future.Connect them with a single line.

“

Work locally, fight locally, and live locally



”Making that possible was the mechanism of this club.⸻Why do such troublesome things?The answer lies in the



blue club—Monte Carlo Yamagata



.Monte Carlo is strong. And it is correct.But the stronger they became, the more sponsors from outside the prefecture increased.Companies with more financial power than local ones. Companies on a national scale.It is natural.

To win, you need money.
If you have money, facilities are improved, staff increases, and players gather.

And now, Monte Carlo has begun to use its financial power to gather famous players from outside the prefecture and players with name value.
That becomes a source of pride for the prefecture's residents.

“

A star has come to Yamagata



”
Saying that, the city gets excited.But—The chairman, Naoto Kuga, felt a sense of discomfort with that “excitement


”.

“With that, is Yamagata's soccer getting stronger?”

They are winning. They are also popular.But if only the blue's dominance strengthens without a second receptacle within the prefecture, the options decrease.The exit for development narrows.There is no place for cut players to go.Local company sponsors decrease, and the regional cycle weakens.

The larger the justice, the larger the shadow.
Naoto was looking at that shadow.
“


A second receptacle is necessary


”

“We must create a team that strengthens Yamagata Prefecture's soccer.”

That was the starting point of Atletico.⸻Hayato opened the clubhouse door.Inside, there is an old whiteboard, and well-used magnets remain.A memo for this season was posted there.



“Promotion” “Regional Champions League” “JFL (4th Division)”



The goal is clear.
But this year, too, they did not reach it.

And now, the manager is leaving.

This club has a mechanism for winning.But it has not yet acquired the framework for how to win.
Hayato gripped his pen again.
“

Manager


”

Under those two characters, he adds one more.
“



The person who turns this mechanism into victory”Documents are piled up on the desk.Practice ground usage plan. Dormitory maintenance costs. Youth career paths.

And a list of sponsors.

This place is a club, and at the same time, a regional device.Hayato whispered quietly.“Next, I will bring one from the outside.”To win.And—


to increase Yamagata's future


.

Outside the window, the Yonezawa wind was stroking the lawn.

It is still night.

But, the scent of dawn was there, just a little.