"Surprised? Never seen a spiral shot before?"
Ryūma Banjō struck his usual regal pose, smiling as he spoke.
But without knowing his true nature, Hisakawa Mii and Kobayashi Shima took it as mockery.
Kobayashi didn't care—his easygoing temperament meant he rarely got angry. But Hisakawa couldn't hold back. He snapped,
"What are you so smug about? Just wait until we score again and wipe that arrogant grin off your face!"
With that, Hisakawa dragged Kobayashi to the center circle for the restart.
Ryūma wasn't angry, only puzzled—and a little amused.
(What's with him? Did I hit a nerve? Why so uptight?)
(I didn't even say anything. If you've never seen that kind of shot, just admit it. Why blow up over it?)
Yo Hiori walked over, suppressing a laugh as he tugged Ryūma's sleeve.
"Come on, Ryūma. You said it with a victor's grin—what did you expect?"
"They're lucky they didn't take a swing at you. They're about to kick off, so let's move."
"I was just telling the truth."
Ryūma shrugged and headed back to position, waiting for Team Y's restart.
Team Y's ball—Matsutani Kageaki takes the kickoff!
He charged forward alone, their attacking midfielder trailing close behind, ready for the link-up.
Elsewhere, Kobayashi led two teammates down Team V's right side, while Hisakawa pushed left with two more. That left only two defenders inside their penalty box.
(Again? Is this tired tactic really that effective?)
Ryūma sighed inwardly and moved to cut off Matsutani. But he knew they wouldn't hold the ball long. He locked his eyes on Matsutani's feet, ready to explode the instant a pass came.
But Matsutani seemed to have eyes in the back of his head—or maybe he'd read Ryūma's intent.
With a quick flick of his heel, he sent the ball backward to the attacking midfielder behind him!
(The hell? Did he read me that easily? Am I really that predictable?)
Ryūma frowned. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so easy to read.
The midfielder wasted no time, feeding the ball left into Hisakawa's run through midfield.
The triplets were already stationed on the left side of midfield, so by the time the ball dropped, six players had converged on that spot!
The triplets jumped first. The three Y players moved as if to contest—then suddenly pulled back. One of them, the right attacking midfielder, sprinted forward past Hisakawa. The right midfielder dropped back, while Hisakawa held his ground, waiting for the ball. Together, they snapped into a perfect triangle.
As soon as one of the triplets trapped the ball on his chest, before he could settle it, Hisakawa lashed a kick that sent it flying.
It was immediately volleyed back by the retreating right midfielder—straight into the path of the charging right attacking midfielder!
The triplets didn't even have time to react before the ball was gone, out of reach.
Fortunately, Rin Itoshi appeared closer to the ball than the attacker. The Y-team player gaped in disbelief.
How could this monster anticipate even in the middle of such relentless one-touch passing?
Stunned, the right attacking midfielder suddenly lunged forward, heading the ball back—straight to Hisakawa, who looked as if he'd been expecting it all along.
[Thud]
As the ball reached him, Hisakawa volleyed it once more, this time toward Matsutani waiting at the center of Team V's backfield—as if he'd known it was coming.
Ryūma sprinted for the ball as well, but the sequence of passes only deepened his unease.
(Hiori was right—these guys are strange. It's like they can see through us. Their passing feels instinctive, not even thought out.)
(One moment they look stuck, the next they've found the perfect solution.)
(Damn… they remind me of facing Rin one-on-one.)
He shoved the thought aside and charged Matsutani again.
By the time the ball hit the ground, Ryūma was already there. Matsutani chose to go head-on, bracing for a physical clash.
Ryūma's smaller build belied his strength. When they collided, it was Matsutani who staggered, his balance breaking under Ryūma's sheer power.
But despite winning the body clash, Ryūma still couldn't secure the ball—Matsutani's strength had bought enough time to keep it away.
Ryūma thought it was just a small setback—until the attacking midfielder came sliding in.
His tackle booted the ball away and clipped Ryūma's legs. Already off-balance, Ryūma nearly fell.
He steadied himself in under two seconds, but by then, the ball had already landed at the feet of Team Y's left midfielder, who immediately sent it down the left channel.
On the left side of Team V's defense, the right midfielder of Team Y picked it up, winding up for a shot!
[Thud]
But Rin Itoshi wasn't about to let that slide. He cut into the shot path, blocking the strike away.
Then things took a terrifying turn.
The deflected ball dropped straight to Hisakawa, who was already winding up inside the penalty area!
Ryūma sprinted back into the box, planting himself in Hisakawa's shooting lane. Hiori and three other defenders joined him, walling the path. Putian Daiwa even lunged in, ready for a sliding block.
Hisakawa stepped with his left foot, swung his right back—and fired.
[Thud!]
[Thud!!]
GOAL!! Team V 2:3 Team Y
Yes, two strikes rang out—the shot wasn't a shot at all. Hisakawa had passed it sideways across the box to Kobayashi!
On the left side of the penalty area, Kobayashi was already swinging before the ball reached him, as if he knew exactly when it would arrive.
The strike was blisteringly fast. Even Ryūma and Rin barely managed to register it—everyone else was caught flat-footed.
For once, silence fell over Team V. It wasn't just Hiori who felt something off.
Now, all of them—including Ryūma and Rin—shared the same uneasy feeling.
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser