Reincarnated As A Wonderkid-Chapter 563: Staying Forever.

Alex Finch sat in his Madrid office. The view was spectacular. The Bernabeu was a colosseum of white.

But his desk was empty.

He had resigned.

After winning La Liga and the Champions League (again), he felt... done. He had conquered England. He had conquered Spain. He had conquered the world.

"What now?" Alex asked the empty room.

The door opened.

Mark walked in. He was wearing a detective’s trench coat and holding a magnifying glass.

"I AM SEARCHING FOR CLUES!" Mark announced. "WHERE IS THE NEXT ADVENTURE? IS IT UNDER THE RUG? IS IT IN THE FRIDGE?"

"There is no fridge in here, Mark," Alex said.

"That is a clue!" Mark whispered. "The mystery of the missing fridge!"

Rico walked in. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and holding a surfboard.

"Brazil?" Rico suggested. "Copacabana. Samba. Sand."

"Too hot," Alex said.

"Germany?" Mark asked. "Sausages. Beer. Efficiency."

"Done that," Alex said. "Bayern was fun, but..."

Milo burst into the room. He was wearing a map of the world as a poncho.

"THE EXPLORER!" Milo screamed. "ALEX! I HAVE FOUND IT! THE FINAL FRONTIER! I AM SELLING TICKETS TO THE UNKNOWN! ONLY ONE MILLION EUROS!"

"Milo, where are we going?" Alex asked.

Milo pointed to a spot on his poncho.

"HERE!"

Alex looked.

It wasn’t England. It wasn’t Spain. It wasn’t Germany.

It was... Italy.

But not Juventus. Not Milan. Not Inter.

"Como?" Alex asked. "The lake?"

"COMO 1907!" Milo yelled. "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL STADIUM IN THE WORLD! OWNED BY FABREGAS! THEY NEED A MANAGER! THEY ARE IN SERIE A! BUT THEY ARE SMALL! THEY NEED A MIRACLE!"

Alex thought about it.

Lake Como. Mountains. Water. Pasta.

And a small team fighting giants.

"Underdogs," Alex whispered. "I like underdogs."

"And pizza!" Mark shouted. "Italian pizza! The real stuff!"

"I am in," Rico said. "I can teach them to dance on water."

Alex stood up.

"Pack your bags," Alex said. "We are going to the lake."

Como. Italy.

It was breathtaking. The lake was blue and still. The mountains were green. The villas were expensive.

But the training ground was... modest.

A few pitches. A small gym. A canteen that smelled of espresso and hope.

Cesc Fabregas was waiting. The Arsenal legend. Now the owner/manager (well, former manager, he was hiring Alex).

"Alex," Cesc said. He looked stylish. "Welcome to paradise."

"It is beautiful," Alex admitted.

"But the team is... raw," Cesc said. "We survived relegation last year. Just. We have no money. We have heart."

He looked at Mark.

"And who is this?"

"I am the Emperor of Speed!" Mark declared. "And the Chief Pizza Inspector!"

Cesc laughed. "We have good pizza. You will be happy."

Alex looked at the squad.

They were a mix of veterans and kids.

There was Belotti, the old striker. He ran like a bull. There was Paz, the young midfielder. He had magic feet.

And there was a new signing. A surprise.

"Is that...?" Alex squinted.

It was Bukayo Saka.

Saka was wearing the blue of Como.

"Bukayo!" Alex shouted.

Saka ran over. He hugged Alex.

"Professor!" Saka beamed. "I heard you were coming. I wanted a new challenge. And the pasta here is amazing."

"You left Arsenal?" Alex asked.

"I won everything there," Saka said. "I wanted to build something new. With you."

Alex felt a lump in his throat.

"Okay," Alex said. "Let’s build."

The first training session.

Alex stood on the pitch. The mountains loomed over them.

"Listen up!" Alex shouted.

The players gathered.

"We are small," Alex said. "Juventus has money. Inter has history. Milan has stars."

He pointed to the lake.

"But water is stronger than stone. Water flows. Water adapts. Water crashes."

He looked at Rico.

"Rico. Teach them the flow."

Rico stepped forward. He started to juggle.

"Be like water!" Rico shouted. "But spicy water!"

The players laughed.

The season started.

It was tough. Serie A was tactical. Defensive.

But Como played differently. They played "Liquid Football".

They moved constantly. Positions didn’t matter. The left back attacked. The striker defended.

They beat Lazio 3-0. They drew with Napoli 2-2. They beat Roma 1-0.

Suddenly, Como were in the top four.

The media called it "The Miracle on the Lake".

"It is not a miracle," Alex told the press. "It is geometry. And good coffee."

Milo was busy. He had set up a stall outside the stadium.

He was wearing a gondolier outfit (striped shirt, straw hat).

"THE GONDOLIER!" Milo screamed. "I AM ROWING TO GLORY! ALEX! I AM SELLING LAKE WATER! BOTTLED COMO! IT MAKES YOU PLAY LIKE SAKA! ONLY TWENTY EUROS!"

"Milo, stop selling the lake," Alex said.

"IT IS A RENEWABLE RESOURCE!" Milo argued.

Matchday 30. Como vs Juventus. The Sinigaglia Stadium.

It was a tiny stadium. But it was right on the water. If you kicked the ball too hard, it went into the lake.

"Do not shoot high!" Mark warned the strikers. "We will lose the ball to the fish!"

The game was intense.

Juventus were strong. Vlahovic. Chiesa.

In the tenth minute, Vlahovic scored.

Zero one.

Como fought back.

Saka dribbled past three players. He crossed.

Belotti headed it.

Goal.

One one.

The fans lit flares. Blue smoke drifted over the lake. It looked like a painting.

Eighty ninth minute.

The game was tied.

Alex stood on the touchline. He was calm.

He saw the pattern. Juventus were tired. Their old legs were heavy.

"Mark!" Alex shouted to his assistant. "Signal the change!"

Mark stood up. He waved a flag that said TURBO.

The players knew what it meant.

Full press. All out attack.

Como swarmed forward.

Paz got the ball. He passed to Saka.

Saka cut inside.

He saw a runner.

It was a kid from the academy. 17 years old. His name was Luca.

Saka slipped the ball through.

Luca ran.

He was one on one with Szczesny.

The stadium held its breath.

Alex held his breath.

Luca shot.

It hit the post.

The ball bounced along the line. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

And went in.

GOAL.

Two one. Como.

The stadium exploded. Some fans actually jumped into the lake in celebration.

"SPLASH!" Mark screamed. "VICTORY SPLASH!"

The final whistle blew.

Como beat Juventus.

They were top of the league.

Alex walked onto the pitch.

Cesc Fabregas hugged him.

"You are a magician," Cesc said.

"I just moved the pieces," Alex smiled.

Milo ran over. He was soaking wet.

"I FELL IN THE LAKE!" Milo shouted. "BUT I SAVED THE MATCH BALL! ALEX! I AM SELLING WET BALLS! THEY ARE SLIPPERY! HARD MODE! FIFTY EUROS!"

Alex laughed.

He looked at the view. The mountains. The water. The joy.

This was different from Arsenal. Different from Madrid.

It wasn’t about dominance. It was about romance.

"Hey Professor," Mark said, eating a gelato.

"Yeah?"

"This is the best life," Mark said. "Good food. Good view. Good friends."

"It is," Alex agreed.

"But..." Mark paused.

"But what?"

"Do they have tacos here?"

"I think we can find a taco, Mark."

"Good," Mark nodded. "Then I am staying forever."