The next morning, Raj arrived at school expecting nothing.
He had no reason to expect anything. The match had gone well, the glove had grown up, and Coach hadn't said a word afterward which, in Coach Murali's language, meant "good job."
But when he reached the front gate, something felt different.
Everyone was looking at him.
Not in a bad way. Just… looking.
Smiling. Whispering.
Zayed ran up with his phone in hand. "Check this. Now."
Raj checked in. On the screen was a screenshot from the school group chat.
"RajCraft founder nominated for State Youth Development Camp!"
Raj shocked by the news.
"What?"
"They posted it on the district cricket board site this morning," Zayed said. "Coach submitted your name."
Raj was stunned.
He hadn't applied. He didn't even know nominations were open.
By lunch, everyone had heard.
Even a few teachers congratulated him in passing.
But when Raj finally met Coach Murali near the staff block, the old man was his usual character.
"Sir?" Raj asked. "You nominated me?"
Coach answered. "You earned it."
Raj smiled. "Thank you."
"But Clcoach said, "there's one condition."
Raj's asked. "Condition?"
Coach handed him a folded letter. Official,Sealed.
"Nominees under brand representation must submit a minimum of 3 unique product samples from their listed name. This is to verify legitimacy and performance."
Raj read it again.
"Three?"
"Three working items," Coach confirmed. "Not just plans. Not just sketches. Items that holds up under match conditions."
That night, Raj sat in the corner of his room, head leaning on his knees.
He felt heavy.
Two weeks.
He had two weeks to go from one glove… to a full RajCraft lineup.
[System Quest: Product Line Verified]
Objective: Submit 3 original RajCraft items to pass nomination requirement.
Gear Required:
– One pair of gloves (already complete)
– One set of elbow or shin pads (in progress)
– One additional accessory (creative freedom)
Reward: Brand Level 4 + System Upgrade: Crafting UI + New Title: Local Innovator
Raj exhaled. "Okay. Okay… we'll figure this out."
The next day, he skipped lunch.
He went to the old storeroom behind the chemistry lab, where he'd stored leftover foam, old straps, and non usable bicycle tubes.
He arranged the items on the floor. Uday joined him twenty minutes later.
"You're really doing this?" he asked.
Raj answered. "I have to."
"I'm in," Uday said. "Let's make this into something real."
As they began sketching, Priya walked past the open storeroom door.
She didn't come in. But she is watching.
Her eyes met Raj's for a moment.
Then she pointed, almost teasingly, at his hand.
"You better not forget to wear the glove when you get famous."
He smiled. "You watching from the crowd again?"
She smiled. "Maybe."
That evening, Raj returned to the dorm late.
As he reached his bed, he saw a folded slip of paper placed on top of his blanket.
No name. No handwriting he recognized.
He opened it.
"You once said you'd prove everyone wrong.
You've started."
Raj looked at the words and confused.
His hands trembled.
Because that sentence — those exact words — were something he'd only ever said once.
Out loud.
In his past life.
Right before the first match he failed.
[System Alert: Thread Memory Overlap Detected]
Emotional Signal Strength: High
Unknown Observer Identity = 52% Match to Past Timeline
You are being watched by someone who remembers.