"Don't do this, Ryūma! Now's not the time for infighting. Calm down!"
Yo Hiori blocked Ryūma's path, his voice sharp with urgency. He knew that if these two clashed, the match could very well end in a draw.
The triplet brothers restrained Rin Itoshi, who was about to surge forward, and quickly added,
"Yeah, come on—talk it out!"
But Ryūma glared at Rin, his fury unshaken.
"Talk? What could I possibly say to this self-important brat who only knows how to chase after his big brother?"
"And you—charging brainlessly at everything. What could I ever discuss with you?"
"Hah? You brother-chasing brat—haven't had enough of a beating yet?"
"Come at me then! I'll take you out first, you brainless fool!"
Just as they were about to explode again, Yo Hiori roared,
"Enough! Both of you, calm down!"
"Ryūma, what's gotten into you? Normally, even if Rin said something harsh, you wouldn't lose it."
"And even if Rin stole that ball, it was to score. No one could've predicted their keeper would defend like that."
"The Ryūma I know wouldn't have cared. You'd probably have admired his perfect anticipation."
Then Hiori turned to Rin, just as baffled.
"And Rin—you're off too. Sure, you're sharp-tongued, but you don't usually talk like that."
His eyes moved between them.
"What's going on with you two today?"
The words froze both Ryūma and Rin in place. For once, neither had a response.
They were monsters at the top level, and both realized they'd lost their composure.
The constant failure to break through had gnawed at their nerves, making them impatient.
For Ryūma, after so many attacks were blocked, it finally boiled over when Rin cut in.
At last, Ryūma broke the silence, his voice stripped of anger.
"Thanks, Hiori. You snapped me out of it."
"It's fine, Ryūma. Just keep your head. Go take the kickoff."
"No—you take it this time. We'll attack together. The triplets, Daiwa—you guys all join in too."
He glanced at Rin, sighed, then admitted,
"Rin, we let impatience get the better of us."
For once, Rin didn't argue. He just gave a quiet "hm."
Ryūma went on,
"No matter what, I won't let this game end in a draw. Let's go, Rin. We'll settle the rest after we win."
As he walked toward Hiori on the left wing, Ryūma added,
"Most of what I said earlier was just venting. But Rin—think about it. Is that really why you play football?"
Watching Ryūma's back, Rin silently turned toward the right wing, muttering,
"Tch… nosy bastard."
...
Team V's formation was set: three defenders at the back, Hiori on the left sideline for kickoff, Ryūma slightly ahead on his left, the triplets on the right, Daiwa Putian marking up front, and Rin stationed wide on the right.
At the whistle, Hiori carried the ball forward briefly before sending it straight to the triplets.
"Go, triplets! Rip open their defense!"
With that, Hiori sprinted down the left flank. At the same time, Ryūma was already storming through midfield to connect.
The triplets, backed by Daiwa blocking, showed off their trademark coordination and pushed the ball forward, sliding it to Ryūma.
The instant he touched it, Ryūma exploded into motion. Accelerating with brutal speed, he burned past two defenders and surged into Team Z's backfield.
This time, two defenders broke off to stop him—the same pair who'd stolen the ball from him once before: Yukio Ishikari and Akemi Inoue.
Ishikari pressed forward while Inoue shadowed behind.
"We'll take him! Everyone else, mark the rest of Team V!"
Their strategy was simple: cut off his passing lanes first, then tackle his dribble.
As Ryūma approached, he said coolly,
"Next time, maybe try four. Two won't cut it."
He shifted the ball rapidly between his feet, keeping Ishikari guessing.
(Relying on reflexes alone? Fine. Don't panic—Inoue's right behind me.)
Suddenly, Ryūma feinted right. But the ball stayed put.
As Ishikari bit, Ryūma blasted left!
(Damn it! He tricked me—losing balance… but Inoue's still got him!)
He's already sprinting left. If he slips past me, Inoue will shut him down!
Sure enough, as Ryūma broke through, Inoue lunged in.
"Ha! Got you again!"
"Dreams are nice, but don't get delusional."
But the ball didn't fall into his trap. Ryūma flicked it with his right heel against his left calf, then popped it skyward with his left heel.
The ball looped cleanly over Inoue's head. By the time it dropped, Ryūma was already there.
(A… a rainbow flick? He can even pull that off?!)
Inoue froze, disbelief plastered on his face. He now realized stopping Ryūma earlier had been nothing but luck.
Ryūma drove forward again, charging straight for the box.
This time, just before entering, he didn't press alone. He fed the ball left to Hiori.
"Let's go, Hiori. This time, I'm scoring."
He tore into the penalty area, waiting for the return. But Team Z's defense clamped tight—Shūhō Aoki and Murakami Haiichi shadowed him closely, while three others blocked his path.
Hiori stared at the packed defense. Normally, he'd never pass into that.
But this was Ryūma. Hiori believed in him. Believed he could smash through anything.
He adjusted and sent the ball to the one spot Ryūma could reach.
Seeing the precision, Ryūma's grin returned.
(Hiori, you really trust me. Most wouldn't dare pass here.)
(Bold move… but I like it.)
He stomped his right foot forward, shoulders dropping, arms swinging back. In a flash, he shattered the crowd and reached the ball!
One second, everyone was wondering who Hiori would pass to.
The next, Ryūma had already broken through and stood over it.
Team Z stared like they'd seen a ghost. A tightly marked Ryūma wasn't supposed to be a target.
Even Aoki and Murakami hadn't imagined anyone would dare feed him that ball.
Now Ryūma locked onto the falling ball and wound up for the strike.
But at the very moment Hiori passed, another figure moved too.
On the right wing, Rin—who had stayed motionless until now—suddenly burst into the box!
...
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