Just as Ryūma had expected, Yo Hiori reached the ball first.
But instead of going for a direct shot, he turned to look toward Ryūma's position.
Seeing that, Ryūma froze for a moment, confused.
(Shoot, Hiori! Why are you looking at me!?)
Hiori, staring in Ryūma's direction, was just as puzzled.
(Huh? Why isn't Ryūma breaking free from the defense?)
(Is he waiting for me to pass it back so he can make his move? But I don't even know where he plans to shoot from!)
(If he doesn't move out early, he'll just face even more defenders by the time the ball reaches him!)
(Damn it, what should I do? If I force a back pass now, Ryūma might end up...)
Before Hiori could finish thinking, Tabito Karasu's amused voice sounded right beside him.
"Your movements are kind of stiff, Hiori."
"Huh?"
Karasu had already been nearby, and after Hiori's brief hesitation, he took advantage of that single instant to snatch the ball away.
Hiori snapped back to his senses, chasing after Karasu while scolding himself internally.
(What the hell are you doing, Yo Hiori! You should've at least passed it back!)
(You've just killed Ryūma's attack again because of your own hesitation!)
(Forget it, no time to dwell on it now. I'll apologize to Ryūma later.)
(For now, just get the ball back!)
Dribbling down the left flank of Team X's attacking half, Karasu faced Rin Itoshi blocking his path and sighed with a wry smile.
"It's you again, Eyelash Genius."
"Hmph. Try getting past me, Karasu."
"How troublesome~"
Though he complained, Karasu's feet were already in motion.
He began with lightning-fast stepovers, making Rin uncertain which way he'd go. As he closed the distance, he feinted left.
The moment Rin moved to block that direction, Karasu suddenly burst right.
Yet Rin didn't look surprised in the slightest—he calmly shifted right to cut him off.
(So it's not that easy to get past him, huh? Then how about this?)
Karasu quickly extended his arm to block Rin, trying to maintain control of the ball through close contact.
But Rin had predicted that move. He lifted his arm at the perfect moment, trying to counter Karasu's hold-up play.
"I was ready for that!"
Karasu, however, had learned from their previous encounter. When he extended his arm, he had already anticipated Rin's counter.
He paused just briefly before moving in—but even that tiny hesitation was calculated.
Against a player like Karasu, a master of using his arms for balance and control, bad timing meant you had no chance of breaking his hold-up play.
Otherwise, the outcome would be the same as with Ryūma—getting completely blocked off and even forced to raise your arm awkwardly.
Thankfully, Rin reacted fast enough to pull his arm back, but Karasu still locked him out, leaving him unable to get close.
If Rin had been attacking, it might not have mattered. But as a defender, being unable to close in meant he had no chance to steal the ball.
Even so, Karasu felt the pressure too. Though his ball protection kept Rin from stealing it, he had no room to advance either.
(He can't take the ball from me, but this also kills my offensive rhythm.)
(Is Otoya here yet? Huh? Where the hell did he go?)
(Hmph, greedy guy.)
Karasu's tense face gradually relaxed into a grin as he said,
"Eyelash Genius, now let me show you what a real fast break looks like."
With that, he pulled the ball behind him with the sole of his foot, stepping back to create space.
Then, without giving Rin a moment to react, he launched a long pass.
The ball rocketed toward the right flank of Team X's attacking half, where Eita Otoya's ghost-like figure appeared to receive it.
He took possession seamlessly and dashed toward Team V's right flank.
Ryūma was not far behind. Hiori's earlier hesitation had left him speechless.
He stood frozen for a brief moment before finally regaining focus and sprinting after Karasu's play.
His original plan had been to cut diagonally from the right side of Team X's defense to the left,
then charge straight ahead toward the left side of Team X's attack—the same area where Karasu and Rin had been dueling one-on-one.
But just as he reached the left side of midfield, Karasu had already made his pass—
and not just anywhere, but all the way to the farthest point: Team X's right forward flank.
Having just sprinted diagonally into the center of the pitch, Ryūma caught sight of Otoya tearing down the right side toward their half.
He quickly scanned the field with his peripheral vision, checking Karasu's position and the rest of his teammates.
A strange thought crossed his mind.
(If I try to intercept Otoya's shot by charging at him now, I won't make it in time.)
(So why not take a shortcut and wait for him near the penalty area?)
(At my top speed, by the time he reaches our right flank, I'll already be there.)
(There's no other choice. That guy Karasu's sprinting straight from their left backfield to our left flank too.)
(He must have something else planned. Still, I told Rin to mark that Karasu guy—he didn't listen at all!)
(Wait a sec… where is he!?)
Ryūma's eyes darted left and right as he ran. He saw Karasu and Hiori entering Team X's left attack zone one after the other.
The triplets were tailing Otoya, just three or four strides behind him.
But Rin was nowhere to be found. Even after scanning again, he still couldn't spot him.
Curiosity aside, Ryūma knew defense came first. He couldn't just stop to look for Rin.
If he did that, not only Rin but even Hiori would probably laugh at him.
Still, Ryūma couldn't help grumbling to himself.
(Seriously, where is he? Did he just disappear? T﹏T)
(Don't tell me Rin got tired halfway and went back to his room for a nap?)
Despite his complaints, Ryūma burst forward again, sprinting straight toward the center of his own defensive half.
Meanwhile, Otoya continued his run, pursued relentlessly by the triplets who refused to let up.
Their only goal was to catch him—even if it meant fouling—to buy Ryūma and Rin time to get back.
But reality was cruel. With his explosive speed and flexibility, Otoya easily slipped past their desperate tackles.
At first, the gap between them was barely a stride. Then it widened rapidly until he completely left them behind.
As Otoya entered Team V's right defensive flank, he was immediately confronted by Team V's four-man backline waiting around the penalty area.