After kickoff, Meguru Bachira once again chose to pass the ball immediately—sending it to Yoichi Isagi on the right side of the center circle.
Charging forward with the ball, Yoichi's thoughts raced.
(Predict! Every movement—precisely!)
(To trigger the chemical reaction that will ignite our all-out attack!)
But mid-run, he noticed something off—the Red Team's defensive formation had changed.
(Their formation's shifting? Rin pressing up, and Nagi dropping back as a defensive midfielder?)
(What are they planning!? I can't read it!)
(Then I'll just… gamble everything—)
(On speed!!)
"Chigiri!"
With that, Yoichi passed sharply to Hyōma Chigiri on the right.
Jyubei Aryu was already blocking his path, speaking in his usual bored tone.
"Still relying on the same move?"
"Shut up!"
Receiving the ball, Chigiri quickly assessed the field.
(A straight-line breakthrough would be best, but they're already guarding it—so!)
"Kick it out wide!"
"Cut inside at full speed!!"
"Charge through their lines!!"
As he shouted, Chigiri kicked the ball to the left and instantly accelerated, blazing past Jyubei Aryu before he could react.
Seeing this, Yoichi cheered.
"Nice one, Chigiri!"
(Their formation's broken—let's crush them in one strike!!)
But the Red Team wasn't about to let Chigiri advance freely. Rin Itoshi stepped forward, his cold gaze blocking the path.
(Rin!?)
(His sense of danger is unreal! Do I take him head-on?)
(No… since Rin's moved up...)
Adjusting his angle, Chigiri planted his foot and kicked.
(That means the center's wide open!!)
"Go, Bachira!"
It was a perfect curved cross—sent straight toward the sprinting Meguru Bachira.
As the ball dropped, Yoichi analyzed the situation instantly.
(Here it comes! A close-range 2v2!)
(Ryūma—the monster—is charging to intercept, while Nagi's waiting for Bachira's move…)
Yoichi fixed his gaze on Seishiro Nagi. The instant Nagi shifted his attention, Yoichi burst forward, slipping behind him.
(I'll find his blind spot—cut out wide!!)
Nagi sensed Yoichi's movement and turned his head toward him—but that was exactly what Yoichi wanted!
(When he shifts his weight to react… I'll cut inside the other way!)
(Cross-run—now!!)
Bachira perfectly understood Yoichi's intent. Before Yoichi even cleared Nagi, he passed the ball toward Yoichi's path.
Watching this unfold, Ryūma behind Bachira could only shake his head with a sigh.
(Alright, alright. No point in injuring the little bee just for the ball, right?)
(This kid's crazy—he knows how strong I am physically, yet he still tries to shield me with his back.)
(If I hadn't slowed down just now, he might've actually gone flying.)
(But really, does Isagi think he's won already?)
As the ball came his way, Yoichi's eyes lit up.
"Perfect!!"
(I got past him! Now all that's left is to score—)
"!!?"
Yoichi froze—Rin Itoshi stood right in front of him.
"Ah…!?"
"You're kidding me—why!?"
"Where did he even come from!?"
(Did he read my entire field of vision and move to intercept my path!?)
Realizing he'd been completely read, Yoichi gritted his teeth.
(What now!? Shoot!?)
(No—he'll block it!)
(Damn it, at least I'll shield the ball!)
He turned, pressing his back against Rin to protect the ball—but Rin moved faster. He slipped to Yoichi's side, hooked his arm around him, and leaned in with crushing pressure.
(Damn it! He's overpowering me!!)
(I can't win physically!!)
(Even our perfect chemistry—against a serious Rin Itoshi—it's nothing more than a puppet show inside his plan!!)
Just as Yoichi was about to lose control, a powerful figure suddenly burst in like a lion on the hunt.
Even Rin's expression faltered for a moment in surprise.
"I won, Isagi!"
"The ball's mine!"
Yoichi's eyes widened.
"Barō!?"
Everyone on the field froze in disbelief.
"Huh? Did he just steal the ball from his own teammate?"
"Is he insane!?"
"That guy…"
"Barō actually broke through Rin's prediction!?"
Ryūma, unlike the others, didn't look surprised by the steal—his eyes were fixed on Rin's expression.
(Oh crap… Rin's gonna explode… T﹏T)
(Damn it, when did Barō slip past me!?)
(Gotta think of an excuse before Rin kills me later.)
Yoichi watched Barō Shoei charging toward the Red Team's goal, his thoughts racing with excitement.
(The 'King' had been starving—waiting for the perfect chance, waiting to strike from the prey's blind spot…)
(To seize the ball from the most unexpected place—)
(The glorious moment of the hunt!)
Rin spun around, chasing after Barō, clicking his tongue.
"Tch! What kind of soccer is that...?"
Hearing Rin's irritated mutter, Yoichi's eyes widened as realization hit him.
(Wait—that's it!!)
(The idea of 'stealing from your own teammate')
(Doesn't exist in Rin's dictionary!)
(It's completely unpredictable—that's why it worked!!)
(For Rin, whose style is perfectly logical and structured—Barō's villainous chaos is something he can't control!)
(Barō is an 'outsider' to Rin's order!!)
And just as Yoichi thought that, Barō unleashed a ferocious shot that tore into the Red Team's net.
GOAL!! Red Team 2 – 2 White Team!
(This is how the King, Barō, asserts his rule!!)
Yoichi stared at him, completely entranced by the sheer power of the strike.
"What's wrong? If you've got the guts, try controlling me."
"'Lower Lashes, No.1.'"
Barō turned his gaze toward Yoichi and smirked.
"But this isn't enough, Isagi."
"I'm going to devour even more!!"
Hearing that, Yoichi snapped back to his senses, a grin spreading across his face as excitement surged within him.
(Barō's the key—the breakthrough that can crush Rin!!)
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
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