Yoichi Isagi stared in shock at Rin Itoshi before him, thinking,

(Rin? Seriously? He actually ran right into my shooting path?!)

Ryūma watched the scene unfold with calm certainty, thinking,

(Heh. Isagi’s sense of anticipation isn’t even close to Rin’s level.)

(Let alone seeing further than Rin.)

“Little bee, if you’re lost, just give me the ball, alright?”

Even as he thought it, Ryūma was already charging toward Meguru Bachira.

“That’s not happening!”

Bachira paused briefly, then a spark flashed across his face.

“Then… Nagi!”

With that, Bachira sent a pass across the field to Seishiro Nagi.

Isagi frowned as he watched the pass.

(A fast ground pass? That’s no good—now I can’t join the triangle formation!)

But Nagi’s eyes lit up. Watching the spinning ball, he instantly understood Bachira’s intent.

“That’s right—feel it! This is my gift to you!” Bachira shouted excitedly, grinning.

(The spin’s strong… interesting!)

(Alright—first touch…)

Nagi bent his knees slightly and tapped the ball upward with his right foot. It rolled cleanly past Jyubei Aryu, who had been marking him from behind.

(You wanted me not to trap it, right?)

Nagi quickly turned, sprinted to the ball’s path, and swung his leg for a shot.

“Nice one, Nagi!”

“Huh?”

Nagi glanced left in surprise—Ryūma was already rushing across to cut off his shooting angle.

“What explosive speed… silver-haired guy.”

“Then I’ll just shoot—”

Nagi hopped forward, pulling his right leg back. Seeing this, Ryūma accelerated again, lunging sideways to block.

“No—you should’ve trapped it first!”

【BANG!!】

The moment Nagi trapped the ball, he shot again without hesitation, leaving Ryūma no time to react.

GOAL!! Red Team 2 – 1 White Team

Ryūma stared at Nagi, who still wore that dazed, innocent look even after scoring, and thought helplessly,

(Tch, classic Nagi. He really managed to trap it in that situation?)

(That kind of natural talent can’t be taught.)

Bachira leapt in excitement, clapping Nagi on the shoulder.

“Woo!”

Isagi, filled with renewed fighting spirit, gave Nagi a high five.

“Nice one, Nagi! Bachira!”

“Yeah. It didn’t go exactly as planned, but I figured out a new passing style,” Nagi replied calmly.

“Reo’s passes always let me adapt freely to the situation. But Bachira’s passes are different… how should I put it…”

He tapped his bangs thoughtfully.

“It’s like he sends the idea straight into my brain.”

Bachira grinned, delighted.

“My passes are addictive, right~?”

“Yeah. How many more goals do we need?”

“Let’s score one more first.”

“Got it.”

Listening to their exchange, Isagi couldn’t help but feel excitement rising within him.

(Control the midfield with the triangle formation—my movement signals the attack.)

(Combine Bachira’s bursts of inspiration with Nagi’s instinct and terrifying ball control, and we’ll score.)

(That’s our style!)

(So what I have to do now is…)

But before he could finish his thought, Rin Itoshi’s cold voice cut through the air.

“Enough. I’ve seen all I need to.”

“Your level of play is laughably weak.”

“To you, soccer’s still just a sport, isn’t it?”

As he spoke, Rin dribbled the ball to the center circle.

“Why don’t you all just get lost already?”

“This is a battlefield—and you’re standing with your backs to soldiers holding guns.”

“That’s why you let your guard down.”

The referee’s whistle blew—kickoff. Without hesitation, Rin swung his leg.

【BANG!!】

All three White Team members froze in disbelief. Isagi’s eyes widened.

(He shot… straight from kickoff?)

GOAL!! Red Team 3 – 1 White Team

Isagi couldn’t help but exclaim,

“That’s insane!”

Nagi, still clueless about the rules, blinked.

“Wait, that’s allowed?”

“Totally! But normally, no one could score from there,” Bachira replied, still a little stunned.

On the Red Team’s side, Ryūma sighed.

“Alright, Rin—you’ve completely stolen the spotlight this round.”

Aryu flicked his long hair and added,

“Hey~ that goal was way too trendy! Don’t hog all the attention, man.”

Rin’s cold voice cut through again.

“I told you, I don’t care.”

“Opponents, teammates—it’s all the same. Just ordinary people passing by.”

“Let’s end this quickly. This kind of match is a waste of time. I don’t get how you can enjoy it.”

Isagi frowned, clearly irritated.

“Hold it, you jerk!”

“I’m here because I’ve staked my life on this! You play for your dream too, don’t you?”

Ryūma chuckled.

“Uh-oh, here it comes~ here comes the lecture.”

Almost on cue, Rin stopped in his tracks and turned coldly toward Isagi.

“Dreams?”

“Only those without a sense of danger can afford to dream.”

“Lose a soccer match, and your very existence is erased—that’s the same as death.”

“To me, soccer is a fight to the death.”

The reactions on the field varied.

Isagi’s pupils tightened—he was clearly shaken by Rin’s intensity.

Bachira still smiled, excitement flickering in his eyes.

“This guy’s seriously weird!”

“That dude looks like a total headache~,” he added cheerfully.

Nagi, as usual, wore his blank, sleepy expression, showing little reaction.

Aryu ran a hand through his silky hair.

“Such a dramatic way of thinking~”

Ryūma scowled, indignant.

“Please, who can’t do that? Watch me show off next! (ゝω・´★)”

Rin glanced back at Isagi one more time.

“I’ll crush you all. Come at me.”

“Your childish make-believe soccer ends here.”

Bachira puffed his cheeks in irritation.

“Now that’s just rude~”

Isagi’s fighting spirit flared again as he thought,

(Interesting… then let’s fight for real—life or death!)

White Team possession. Isagi kicks off from center!

As always, he immediately passed to Bachira, and the trio shifted smoothly into their triangle offense once more.

(It can work—it definitely can!)

(That last triangle play was successful, even though Rin read my shot in the end.)

(But my eyes aren’t completely outmatched by his.)

(If we can just recreate that same scoring pattern… we can win!)

...

(35 Chapters Ahead)

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