But with the match so intense, no one else noticed that something was off about Meguru Bachira.
As he watched Yoichi Isagi and Rin Itoshi, a thought flashed through his mind:
(Right… Rin and Isagi both play to score goals—their whole style is about expressing themselves through soccer!)
(Then why do I play?)
(To chase after the "monster"?)
(Because I want to make "friends"?)
(No… reasons like that...)
(There's no way I'll ever catch up to Rin and Isagi like this!)
(What exactly is my ego?)
White Team's ball! Bachira kicks off from the center!
Right after kickoff, Bachira passed the ball to Yoichi Isagi, then absentmindedly sprinted toward the other side.
Receiving the ball, Isagi slowed down, running just behind Shōei Barō—it looked like he wanted to link up and play a combination with him.
Barō glanced back at Isagi, thinking to himself,
(That's rare. He's actually trying to coordinate with me.)
(Alright then, Isagi…)
"So you're telling me to shake off Ryūma Banjō, huh!?"
"Who are you saying you'll shake off?"
Ryūma Banjō smirked, suddenly bursting forward with explosive speed, spinning around to block Barō's path again.
Right now, Ryūma was the only one left on the field still at full stamina, completely unfazed—and even had the leisure to taunt.
"Heh, you couldn't get past me even when you were at your best. You really think you can now?"
"Don't make me laugh, Muscle Gorilla~"
Barō's rage was obvious—veins bulged across his face as he roared,
"You little brat! I'm crushing you today!!"
Completely losing his temper, Barō charged straight at Ryūma, trying to body him and block his movement so Isagi could pass.
Ryūma didn't dodge or even flinch—he met Barō head-on.
The result? Ryūma didn't even budge, while Barō stumbled forward from the impact.
Seeing Barō's stunned expression, Ryūma laughed.
"Seriously? What were you thinking? You tried to crash into me?"
Barō clenched his jaw, ignored him, and shouted back toward Isagi,
"Hey, Isagi! Now! Pass it!"
But Isagi didn't respond. Instead, he suddenly shifted direction with a Chop Feint and dashed toward the right flank.
Seeing that, Barō shouted angrily,
"Isagi, you bastard! Using me as a decoy!?"
Isagi didn't pay him any attention. On the right side, Seishiro Nagi was already in front of him, cutting off his path.
"Don't even think about getting past me, Isagi!"
Just then, Bachira appeared on Isagi's left, calling out as he moved in.
"Isagi! Over here!"
"Let's do a give-and-go!"
(Wait for me, Isagi… Don't leave me behind!)
Farther away, Barō shouted again,
"Isagi! Pass it to me!"
"With your dribbling, you're not beating anyone!"
"Heh, are you even thinking straight? Passing to you? That's the same as passing to me!"
"Damn it! Move, Ryūma!!"
Isagi ignored both Barō and Bachira, his focus locked solely on Nagi—or more precisely, on Rin Itoshi watching from afar.
(No… even this choice...)
(Rin's already predicted every possible outcome—he's waiting right there!!)
Then suddenly, Isagi's head snapped to the other side, a grin spreading across his face.
(But this is exactly what I wanted—a crowd!)
(When everyone's focused on my passing...)
"This one strike will change everything!!"
With that, Isagi swung his leg and sent a long pass soaring toward the left side of the Red Team's midfield.
(Go! The ball's going to the opposite side—away from this mess! There's wide-open space over there!!)
(Run, Hyōma Chigiri!!)
As if answering Isagi's thoughts, Chigiri gritted his teeth and sprinted at full speed toward the ball's landing point.
"Full speed ahead!!"
"Running out of steam, princess?" Jyubei Aryu teased as he chased after him.
But Chigiri still managed to reach the ball first—nearly two body lengths ahead of Aryu.
Still, grabbing the ball wasn't the end of it. The pressure from Aryu behind him was intense—and out of the corner of his eye, Chigiri caught sight of a figure wrapped in purple flames charging straight at him.
(Damn it! Ryūma's coming!!)
(What do I do!? Whoever I pass to, it's a bad choice!)
Just then, Isagi appeared like a savior, analyzing everything at lightning speed.
(Then we'll rush toward the goal and wait for Chigiri's pass!!)
(I'm the only one who can read the flow this fast and act on it!)
(While everyone's fighting over the same line, I'll disappear completely from Rin's field of vision and sprint to the far side of the ball...)
(Then pivot sharply—cut inside in one motion!!)
(The shortest route...)
As everyone else charged forward, Isagi suddenly veered off and sprinted sideways across the field.
(Diagonal cut to the near post!!)
From the left flank, Chigiri noticed Isagi's move and thought in shock:
(Huh!?)
(Isagi's breaking away from the pack and cutting inside alone!?)
Rin also glanced back at Isagi, a faint trace of surprise on his face.
Isagi's eyes locked on Chigiri in the distance, his heart pounding.
(Come on! Pass it!!)
(This is the future I've envisioned for this field!!)
Trusting Isagi completely, Chigiri kicked the ball toward him.
As the ball came his way, Isagi's mind raced.
(It's coming!! No one marking me!! Perfect shooting chance!!)
(This is my "Direct Shot" territory!!)
But just as he adjusted his body to shoot, a familiar figure suddenly surged in front of him—Rin Itoshi.
(Rin!?)
(Damn! No way!!)
(I definitely lost him! How is he here again—right beside me!?)
(He's in the perfect spot to block my shot!!)
(No… I can't shoot like this.)
(I really can't beat Rin Itoshi…)
His eyes closed for a moment, as if in resignation—but then snapped open again, glowing bright green.
(You think that's it?)
(You've been played, genius!!)
(Sure, if I'd just gone for the shot, you'd have blocked it—but think about it!)
(If you don't stretch your leg to block me, you can't stop me either. That's the move where our fates collide!!)
(Because Rin Itoshi completely read me… this appeared—)
(The blind spot of a genius!!)
(I'm not shooting. And you, who took the final step first… you've already lost by one move!)
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser