Chapter 32: 1v1 — Ōkawa vs. Kira!
"If Kira weren't here, Team Z would have a hard time breaking through this kind of defense… Oh, right, Ego-san—this 'monster' you mentioned earlier, who is it? Is it someone from one of these two teams?"
"Watch carefully and you'll know, Anri."
Jinpachi Ego replied without taking his eyes off the screen.
"When a monster begins to hunt… it naturally bares its fangs."
…
Ikki Niko launched a long pass—accurate to perfection—straight to Hibiki Ōkawa's feet.
"It's finally here, Niko!"
Ōkawa grinned the moment he received the ball, then sprinted toward the goal at top speed.
His individual attacking ability was exceptional—in the original story, he had no trouble slicing into Team Z's penalty area and finishing with ease.
Right now, Team Z's backline was extremely thin. The few defenders left were tense, their expressions stiff as they watched Ōkawa charge in. Even the goalkeeper, Lemon, had sweat forming on his forehead.
The opponent was a regional top scorer—far from an easy man to stop.
But just as Ōkawa accelerated, a figure stepped in front of him like an unmovable wall.
Ryosuke Kira.
Kira stood firmly at the back of Team Z.
"Come on. Try getting past me."
"You arrogant—!"
Just the sight of Kira standing there sparked irritation in Ōkawa's chest.
For Kira—the ace of Team Z—to appear as a defender felt like blatant disrespect toward Team Y.
"Watch me blow by you! I'll take the first goal of this match!"
Ōkawa roared.
His ball-handling finesse rivaled even Shoei Barou. This was precisely why he had been chosen as Team Y's sole attacker.
Kira is a striker. He can't be that good at defending!
Ōkawa made his judgment and prepared to accelerate straight through.
If they scored first, it would not only give them the upper hand—it would ignite their morale.
At that moment, Kira adjusted his breathing. His senses sharpened through Total Concentration. A suffocating pressure erupted from him and crashed down onto Ōkawa.
What… is this guy…?
Ōkawa, poised to sprint, felt the shift in Kira's aura and tensed up instinctively.
But he had no choice—he had committed. He could only grit his teeth and force his way through with speed!
But Kira was faster—far faster than Ōkawa had imagined. No matter how he accelerated, he couldn't outrun him. Kira moved like a towering wall, blocking every route.
Ōkawa was forced sideways, unable to approach the penalty area.
"Not even a hint of mispositioning! Beautiful defense—classic Kira!"
Wataru Kuon laughed and praised him.
"Ōkawa is fast… but Kira is even faster…"
Even Niko, in the opposite half, couldn't help but exclaim. Though Kira's top speed had already been shown in previous footage, that was during linear attacking runs. Defensive mobility, however, required superior lateral movement.
And Kira's lateral speed was off the charts.
This guy… was a true monster—dominant in both offense and defense.
"But Ōkawa isn't just any player!"
Niko still had faith in him. Speed wasn't Ōkawa's greatest weapon—it was his refined technical skill.
"Damn… is this guy this good at defending too? Even physical contact isn't in my favor…"
Ōkawa knew things couldn't continue like this. Though only a few seconds had passed, it was long enough for the other Z defenders to close in.
Niko's defensive-counter strategy exploited Z's forward-heavy positioning, leaving the back exposed—and the entire plan depended on Ōkawa's ability to finish.
But that also meant Ōkawa had no teammates to combine with. Everyone else on his side was still holding their defensive positions.
He had no passing option—only the choice to take Kira on alone.
But if their strongest attacker were to be shut down one-on-one by a striker playing defender for the first time…
"No! I can't let that happen!"
Ōkawa roared.
"If I can't beat you in speed—then I'll beat you in technique!"
He changed his footwork, his legs dancing rapidly around the ball—
A step-over!
One of the flashiest dribbling moves in football, using circular leg motions to confuse the defender.
"A step-over! And the rhythm is excellent…"
Even Kuon, a defender himself, couldn't help admiring it.
The key to a step-over was rhythm—controlling the body's movement to disrupt the defender's balance, then bursting past the moment their weight shifted.
Ōkawa's technique was superb. Against any other Z defender, he would have already passed clean through.
He stared intensely at Kira, searching for even a flicker of imbalance.
Just one shift in Kira's center of gravity—and Ōkawa would break past him.
But Kira, too, remained laser-focused.
Ōkawa's step-overs were flawlessly executed—realistic enough to fool almost anyone.
But Kira had undergone a massive leap since the first match.
He had unlocked Rice Spirit's dribbling skill—granting him precise footwork and deep understanding of dribbling mechanics. Step-overs were no longer just something he could use—they were something he could dissect.
Feints, weight shifts, misleading eye movements—Ōkawa had mastered them—
and so had Kira.
This was why he could stand in the defensive line.
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〔TL〕
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Every 2 review after 100 ps = 1 bonus ch.