As soon as Jyubei Aryu reached the White Team’s midfield, he called out from the edge of the penalty area,

“Pass it, Ryūma!”

Even though Yoichi Isagi was blocking his way, he didn’t care. As long as Ryūma passed him the ball, he was one hundred percent confident he could score.

But Ryūma ignored Aryu, his gaze fixed instead on Seishiro Nagi, who had come forward to intercept.

“You still haven’t answered my question, Nagi. Have you really been playing soccer for less than two months?”

“Ah~ yeah, I guess so.”

“Compared to you, the rest of us are just ordinary people~”

As he spoke, a purple gleam flashed in Ryūma’s eyes. He kicked the ball sharply toward his right side.

(Huh? Who’s he passing to? There’s no one there!)

Yoichi Isagi frowned in confusion, and even Seishiro Nagi froze for a moment, unsure what Ryūma was trying to do.

The next instant, a sharp gust of wind cut through the air—and from the right side of the box, Isagi’s eyes widened in shock as Ryūma’s figure suddenly appeared.

【BOOM!!】

Before Isagi could react, Ryūma dove forward, striking the ball in a powerful sweeping motion that sent it crashing into the net!

GOAL!! Red Team 2 – 0 White Team

Isagi’s mind went blank.

(Huh… what?)

(Wait, how the hell did he even shoot from that position?)

(And with that kind of power? Can we really beat them?)

(Rin Itoshi hasn’t even done anything yet, and we’re already down two!)

Beside him, Meguru Bachira rubbed his nose and muttered,

“Crazy… no normal person could pull off a shot like that. And the power behind it? That’s just scary~”

“Yeah, he’s a total monster.”

“I didn’t know someone that strong existed. Soccer really is fun!”

Hearing Nagi’s words, Isagi slowly shook off his despair.

“Nagi…”

White flames flared around Seishiro Nagi, white mist swirling in his eyes.

“You’re the one who changed how I see soccer, Isagi!”

“And now—I’m gonna make it even more fun!”

...

On the other side, Jyubei Aryu brushed back his hair and frowned.

“What are those guys doing? Holding a strategy meeting or something?”

“Who knows? Maybe they’re cooking up something big,” Ryūma replied casually.

Meanwhile, the White Team had settled on their next move.

“So this is the tactic Nagi wants us three to use, huh?”

“Yeah, sounds like fun.”

“Agreed. If we don’t switch things up, we’re in trouble. What do you think, Isagi?”

Isagi nodded at Bachira’s words.

“I agree. This might be our best shot at fighting back.”

“Heh, didn’t know you could be this proactive, Nagi.”

Hearing that, Nagi placed one foot on the ball, black and white energy swirling faintly around him.

“Yeah… this is actually my first time!”

“Because I never want to lose again. I never want to feel that regret again!”

“If we can’t win, then what’s the point!”

Nagi’s determination lit a fire in both Bachira and Isagi.

“Damn right!”

“Yeah—let’s go all in!”

White Team ball. Yoichi Isagi to kick off!

After the restart, Isagi passed to Bachira as usual, thinking quickly to himself:

(First to five goals wins. But if we let in three more, we’re done!)

(And right now, we’re being completely dominated by Ryūma. Once he gets the ball, we can’t stop him!)

(Our individual skills aren’t enough—Nagi’s marked by that monster, and Bachira’s tied up by Aryu, whose reach and jumping power are insane. He can’t even use his dribbling properly!)

(In one-on-ones, we don’t stand a chance.)

As those thoughts raced through his head, the White Team began executing their coordinated plan. Isagi recalled Nagi’s earlier explanation:

【We can’t let the distance between us exceed fifteen meters—otherwise we’ll get isolated.】

【We’ll use a triangle formation to break through their defense. Bachira leads up front, finding passing lanes and guiding our advance toward the goal!】

【But we can’t hold the ball for long. Every touch from me or you, Isagi, has to be a pass.】

【Without my control and your precise passing, this tactic falls apart!】

Just as Nagi had predicted, their triangular formation pushed steadily into the Red Team’s half.

Isagi’s confidence surged.

(It’s working! Just like Nagi said—if we can’t win one-on-one...)

(...then we’ll create 3-on-3 situations! That’s how we’ll...)

(...take control of the midfield!)

Their teamwork grew sharper, passes flowing faster and cleaner.

“Heh, having fun with those passes, huh?”

Ryūma’s voice cut through the air. He had appeared out of nowhere, charging from behind Nagi to confront Isagi directly.

At that moment, Bachira’s pass reached Isagi. Facing Ryūma head-on, Isagi didn’t flinch.

(Nagi was right—this monster can’t stay still. But this is exactly what I was waiting for!)

Isagi stepped forward, shielding Ryūma with his back and flicking the ball back to Bachira with the inside of his foot.

Ryūma smirked, shaking his head.

(So you’re forcing me to slow down, huh? If I didn’t, Isagi’s skinny frame would’ve gone flying two meters.)

(Man, what a gutsy move. If I actually fouled him, he’d probably end up in the hospital.)

Bachira didn’t hesitate—he immediately sent the ball toward Nagi.

“I’ll block you in a trendy way!” shouted Jyubei Aryu, his long legs stretching as he closed in from one body length behind the ball.

Nagi watched the incoming pass, calm and focused.

(Aryu… I’m not the one finishing this.)

(It’s you, Isagi! Push to the goal, find the timing with those eyes of yours, and strike!)

With that, Nagi acted. Before Aryu could reach the ball, he pulled it back with his left foot and trapped it cleanly. Then he swung his right leg back, feinting a direct shot.

Aryu took the bait, leaping sideways to block the line of fire—

—but in the next instant, Nagi shifted, using the inside of his right foot to pass the ball back to Bachira.

At that same moment, Isagi broke into a sprint toward the Red Team’s goal.

(I see it! That’s the opening!)

“Alright, partner—right there, huh?”

Bachira instantly understood, adjusting his angle to avoid Ryūma’s interception zone and getting ready to pass.

But just then, as Isagi charged in, a cold, cutting voice echoed in his ear.

“Your coordination’s too sloppy. You really think I can’t see what you see?”