(Forget it, forget it. He's my teammate after all. I'll let it slide this time.)
(As for who gets the ball… that'll depend on skill!)
(But before that…)
"Don't think you'll jump cleanly, Mr. Ninja!"
With that, Ryūma swiftly closed in on Eita Otoya, hooking an arm around him to keep him from leaping freely.
Even while being pinned, Otoya showed no trace of panic.
As the ball reached its highest point and began to drop, Rin Itoshi jumped first, aiming to chest-trap it.
Ryūma and Otoya followed a split second later, but since they were locking each other's movement, neither managed much height.
(Tch, get down already!)
Before the jump, Ryūma had already mapped out his plan—he would jump together with Otoya,
then, with the arm holding him, secretly gather strength. Once both were mid-air,
he'd push off Otoya's body for extra leverage, launching himself slightly higher.
With that move, Ryūma was confident he could seize the ball before Rin.
But in the very next moment, things went off script. His leverage worked too perfectly—
as if Otoya had deliberately not jumped with full power.
And indeed, that's exactly what happened.
The instant Otoya landed, he reacted swiftly, circling around to the front of Ryūma and Rin, who were still mid-air.
With Otoya no longer between them, Ryūma and Rin collided head-on,
the ball descending right between them. Neither was willing to yield; both reached for it at the same time—
and they slammed into each other with full force.
In the end, Ryūma's monstrous physical strength allowed him to win the ball.
"Seriously?! I'm your teammate, Rin! Why the hell are you fighting me for it?"
Just as Ryūma landed and opened his mouth to say more, Otoya's figure darted forward like a phantom,
attempting to steal the ball.
Ryūma wasn't about to give him the chance. He dragged the ball between his feet with his left foot, holding it safely in control.
"Ryūma, Rin—watch out!"
"Don't get too cocky, Tabito Karasu!"
Hearing Yo Hiori's shout from behind, Ryūma turned and saw Rin and Tabito Karasu locked together,
each using their arms to block the other.
It was clear that Rin had sensed Karasu's charge and preemptively locked him down.
Ryūma's mind quickly pieced things together.
(Hah, so they knew they couldn't win the aerial duel. They waited for either Rin or me to grab the ball…)
(Then, Karasu and Otoya would pounce together to steal it. Smart move.)
(But…)
"You'll have to earn that ball first!"
With a sharp motion, Ryūma flicked the ball left with his heel and burst into a sprint in the same direction.
Unchallenged, he easily caught up to the ball.
Spinning around, he swung his right foot in front of it, lowered his stance,
then exploded forward—right foot driving off, left foot pushing the ball—
and in an instant, he blasted past the approaching Otoya, charging down the right side of Team X's attacking third.
Otoya hadn't even reacted to the sudden feint earlier, so his start was late.
Then Rin's arm had blocked him, and with his slower speed compared to Ryūma's,
he barely managed a few steps before Ryūma had already left him behind.
As Ryūma dribbled deep into Team X's half, an unexpected sense of emotion welled up inside him.
(What's up with Rin all of a sudden? Did my words from earlier actually get through to him?)
(No way. I know Rin better than that… But still…)
(That really helped me out!)
(And to think I was planning to knock him flat earlier… I'm the worst T﹏T)
(He actually blocked Karasu and Otoya for me so I could push forward.)
(Rin, you really… I could cry, man T﹏T)
While Ryūma was still lost in his inner monologue, three Team X defenders rushed in to block his path.
Team X didn't have many players pressing forward this time—only five, including Karasu and Otoya.
Three others hadn't joined the attack; their only role was to hold off the triplet brothers.
They hadn't even advanced deep into Team V's territory, staying near the attacking third.
That's why they were able to intercept Ryūma immediately.
The triplet brothers, meanwhile, were sprinting back from midfield.
When they saw Ryūma and Rin successfully snatch possession, they had to awkwardly spin around
and start charging toward Team X's side to support the counterattack.
You might wonder what the triplets had been doing earlier—why they didn't fall back sooner.
In truth, from Team X's kickoff and Otoya's first attack to Ryūma's interception,
only a few minutes had passed.
Otoya and Karasu's offensive pace had been so fast that the triplets didn't even know if they should retreat.
It wasn't until Karasu's lob pass that they realized falling back might actually help Ryūma and Rin.
The result? Pretty clear.
Good thing there were no spectators—otherwise, they'd have died of embarrassment on the spot.
As Ryūma faced the triple defense, he was still deciding what move to use when Yo Hiori's voice rang out from the left.
"Ryūma! Take them on!"
Even before Hiori shouted, Ryūma had already noticed him out of the corner of his eye.
(Man, I love this guy—always so damn reliable!)
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
When you're trapped in a tough situation and someone steps up to shoulder the load for you—
how could you not feel overjoyed?
Ryūma certainly couldn't hold it in.
The instant Hiori shouted, Ryūma passed the ball toward him and then unleashed his full speed,
charging directly at the three Team X players.
One of the defenders tried to intercept him, but with his momentum fully unleashed,
Ryūma was like a human cannonball.
The defender hesitated mid-step—
watching Ryūma charge straight at him felt like seeing a wild beast ready to devour its prey.
Fear froze him in place.
That moment's hesitation was all Ryūma needed—he blazed past him in an instant.
Hiori, upon receiving the pass, wasted no time and immediately sent the ball toward the right wing of Team X's front line.
By the time the ball reached its spot, Ryūma was already there.
His foot met the ball the moment it landed, and he burst forward again,
racing down Team X's right midfield.
On Team X's end, both Eita Otoya and Tabito Karasu had already begun to move.
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser