Back to Rin Itoshi and Yoichi Isagi battling for the ball.
In the end, Yoichi couldn't withstand Rin's pressure, and Rin gradually took control of possession.
But just as Rin was about to fully secure the ball, Hyōma Chigiri dashed in at incredible speed and slid it out of bounds.
Seeing the ball roll out, Rin clicked his tongue in irritation.
[Beep—Beep!!]
Out of bounds! Red Team's throw-in!
Yoichi glanced at Chigiri, who was crouched on the ground and panting heavily.
"Nice one, Chigiri!"
"Ah, sorry..."
"Actually, I was planning to pass it directly to you."
As he spoke, Yoichi reached out and clasped Chigiri's hand, trying to pull him up. Chigiri steadied his breathing before replying.
"No, I'm the one who should apologize."
"If I'd been just a bit faster, I could've gotten the ball!"
Yoichi tightened his grip, trying to help him up, but Chigiri winced slightly.
"Ugh..."
Seeing that expression, Yoichi frowned with concern.
"Hey, you okay? Your knee!?"
Chigiri shook his head.
"No, it's not my knee. I'm just out of gas."
"Anyway, forget about me. If we lose to Rin, I'll kill you!"
Yoichi understood that was Chigiri's way of motivating him and grinned.
"Fine! Then you'd better run yourself into the ground too!"
Hearing that, Chigiri shot up and sprinted off toward the opposite flank.
"Don't need you to tell me—I'm already ready for that!"
Watching Chigiri's figure race away, Yoichi thought over his words and began analyzing the situation.
(My anticipation can barely keep up with Rin's, and that's only because Chigiri's been putting pressure on him.)
(But no matter how good he is, there's no way he can maintain that speed the entire match.)
(It's not just Chigiri—everyone's exhausted, including me.)
[Ryūma: ?]
(Of course. In a match at this level, everyone's pushing their limits.)
(When stamina starts dropping, even passes and runs that should be routine become difficult.)
(Whoever notices that shift first will control the endgame!!)
While Yoichi was thinking, the Red Team had already restarted play. After several exchanges, the ball landed at Rin's feet again.
With a cold snort, Rin finally passed the ball to Ryūma—a sign of reluctant cooperation.
Ryūma received the pass on the right wing in the White Team's half, his lips curling into a sly grin.
"That's more like it, Rin. Teammates should work together properly~"
"And what's this? You all look a bit tired?"
"That's not good. Your defense might collapse in an instant~"
The White Team stared at him, puzzled. But the moment Ryūma began his run, they understood.
Though he smiled as he spoke, none of them could laugh now.
Especially Yoichi—his face twisted in disbelief as Ryūma burst forward with explosive speed.
(Hah... what!?)
(How can he still move that fast!?)
(Is his stamina limitless!? Damn!!)
(In a high-level match like this, if one player never tires, he can destroy the entire team by himself!!)
(We have to stop him! I need to get to his shooting lane!)
"Chigiri!! Barō!!"
Yoichi shouted urgently as he sprinted into position.
Without waiting for his cue, Shōei Barō—closest to Ryūma—rushed to intercept.
But just as Barō closed in, Ryūma suddenly passed the ball back to Rin.
At the same moment, Ryūma unleashed his full speed, charging straight at Barō.
"Move it!!"
"Don't get cocky, brat!!"
Barō bellowed back, bracing himself.
Ryūma didn't slow down for even a moment—clearly intent on colliding head-on.
Barō, knowing he couldn't win a raw power clash, lowered his center of gravity to keep his balance.
Even if he couldn't disrupt Ryūma's stability, at least he wouldn't get knocked aside and could stay in position to block.
But just as they were about to collide, Ryūma abruptly halted mid-motion—as if someone had hit pause.
Then, in the next instant, he exploded in the opposite direction.
Barō froze for a split second before reacting, lunging to cut him off.
"I said get lost, Muscle Gorilla!!"
As he shouted, Ryūma changed direction again, accelerating even faster as he darted past Barō's right side.
Barō's balance completely collapsed—he could only twist his body helplessly as Ryūma sped past him toward the penalty area.
Watching from afar, Yoichi's shock deepened.
(I'd been so focused on Rin that I barely considered Ryūma at all...)
(Is that kind of movement even human? He can stop dead at that speed!?)
(And he doesn't even slow down afterward—he just flows straight into another move!)
(This is insane... his stamina, explosiveness, speed, dribbling, shooting—in some ways, he's even stronger than Rin!!)
Still reeling, Yoichi quickened his pace to intercept Rin. Running beside him, Chigiri poured everything he had into one final sprint.
"Don't think you're getting past me, Rin!!"
Rin ignored Yoichi and instead charged straight toward Chigiri, who was closing in from the other side.
(Huh? What's he doing? Instead of going past me, he's going right at Chigiri?)
(But once Chigiri reaches him, he'll be trapped between both of us!)
(What's he planning...?)
As that thought crossed his mind, Yoichi moved in on Rin's left flank, while Chigiri came head-on from the front.
Rin's face remained unreadable. He gave a cold snort, and his footwork suddenly shifted—
His right foot lunged forward toward the ball, body twisting sharply to the left. Then, planting that foot, he used his heel to flick the ball away.
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
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