"But you really don't think much of me, do you?"
As he spoke, a purple gleam flared in Ryūma Banjō's eyes. In an instant, he exploded forward toward Eita Otoya's position.
Although Ryūma started a moment later than Otoya, the distance between them shrank rapidly—barely two body lengths apart within seconds. At that range, Ryūma was certain he could block any shot Otoya took.
Otoya glanced at Ryūma closing in from the corner of his eye, frowning slightly as he thought to himself:
(Still can't shake him? Shooting from here won't work.)
(With Ryūma's speed, there's an eighty to ninety percent chance he'll stop me.)
(No choice. If I want to score, I'll have to reveal that move early.)
When Otoya was less than four meters from Tabito Karasu, he passed the ball back to him.
Ryūma blinked, momentarily puzzled.
(Huh? He knows he can't shoot, so he's passing to Tabito?)
(But Karasu and Rin are still locking horns over there.)
(What makes Otoya think Rin would let Karasu score?)
The next series of plays answered his question.
The ball that Otoya passed to Karasu was immediately sent back—this time when Otoya was still within three meters of the initial position. Ryūma arrived just as Otoya was about to receive it, preparing to cut in, but Otoya didn't even pause—he sent the ball forward to his left and sprinted after it.
Ryūma moved to chase, but before he could get there, the ball came back again. The distance between the two narrowed even more.
Both Ryūma and Rin Itoshi tried to intercept, but neither could find the right timing to break the rhythm. Their only option was to block Otoya and Karasu directly, disrupting the flow of their passing.
But clearly, the two had practiced this combination countless times—it wasn't something that could be broken so easily.
Karasu used his strong ball-protection ability to keep Rin at bay, while Otoya relied on his flexibility to weave around Ryūma's pressure.
They couldn't completely nullify Ryūma and Rin's defense, but they didn't need to keep this rapid passing up for long—because Otoya and Karasu had already worked their way into Team V's penalty area.
The rest of Team V couldn't even get involved. They were either caught in positional duels with other Team X players or stood frozen inside the box, waiting to see how the four-man clash would end.
The ball came back to Otoya's feet once more. This time, instead of passing back, he used the motion of a back pass to fake Ryūma out—making it look like another return pass—and then fired a shot straight from that movement!
[Thud!]
[Clack!]
Two sharp sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
A mocking laugh slipped from Ryūma's mouth.
"No way, no way~. You didn't really think that'd fool me, did you, Mr. Ninja?"
"You—"
"Otoya! Attack!"
Karasu cut Otoya off before he could speak, shouting from just three meters away.
He and Rin were still battling fiercely—one trying to shoot, the other to steal. The ball ended up flying outward after a wild collision between them, signaling Rin's slight victory.
Seeing that, Karasu's body tensed. After working so hard to get the ball into Team V's box, losing it now would mean the attack had failed.
He spun to chase the ball toward the flank—but Rin extended his arm again, blocking him.
"Tch. This is why geniuses are such a pain!"
"Hmph. Then get out of my way, Karasu!"
As they traded barbs, two figures flashed past them at lightning speed—Ryūma and Otoya.
Thanks to Otoya's remarkable flexibility, by the time he reached the entangled Karasu and Rin, he twisted his body in an odd motion and slipped cleanly past them. Ryūma, however, had to change direction sharply to avoid the pair, losing half a body length in the process.
And in that brief gap, Otoya suddenly lifted his leg to shoot!
Ryūma hadn't expected such boldness and thought with conviction:
(Hah, must be a feint—too obvious.)
(I'm only half a body length behind him. If he forces a shot, I can block it easily.)
(Besides, his shooting path goes right through Karasu and Rin.)
(Yeah, Rin's still locked with Karasu—but Otoya, you don't actually think Rin won't try to intercept, do you?)
(Anyone in our box could block that shot anyway.)
(But if you really dare to shoot now...)
(...then I, Ryūma Banjō, will call you the "Strongest.")
But Otoya had no interest in earning that title.
He faked a shot, then cut the ball sharply toward Team V's penalty area. Both men lunged for it again, but this time Ryūma was clearly faster.
Gritting his teeth, Otoya shouted, "U!"
After touching the ball, he immediately spun backward, retreating from Ryūma's reach.
Ryūma froze for a moment. Though he'd been slightly faster, the margin was tiny when they reached the ball. He had planned to intercept forward to block the shot, then steal it afterward. But to his surprise, Otoya pulled back instead, retreating with the ball.
(Huh? What trick is this?)
Pulling the ball back, Otoya flicked it upward and sent it toward the left. The moment Ryūma's eyes followed the ball, Otoya unleashed his full speed, dashing explosively to the opposite side.
Ryūma didn't bother analyzing his plan anymore—his blood was boiling. The intensity of the four-man battle had completely ignited his fighting spirit.
"Rin! Hold him down! Don't let Karasu jump—I'll steal it and counter!"
"Tch, you don't get to order me!"
Despite his words, Rin put all his strength into pressing Karasu down. But his real aim wasn't to help Ryūma—it was to use Karasu's body as leverage to launch himself upward and win the ball.
Rin Itoshi wasn't someone who acted for anyone else's sake.
As the ball began to drop, the scramble ignited.
First, Ryūma—unopposed—gathered his strength and leapt toward the falling ball.
Then Rin. Just as he pushed off Karasu to jump, he heard Karasu's wry, murmured words beneath him:
"Heh… geniuses and monsters—both egoists through and through."