“Huh? Got it, Ryūma!”

Seishiro Nagi seemed to instantly understand Ryūma’s intent. Without hesitation, he planted his foot and struck the ball.

The moment he shouted, Ryūma burst into motion—his speed exploding as he darted behind Rin Itoshi. To Rin, it looked like Ryūma was circling behind him to receive Nagi’s pass.

Sure enough, Rin took the bait and moved to intercept. But the success of Ryūma’s plan came down to his convincing performance—his shout, his full-powered sprint, everything looked real.

And in Rin’s eyes, that brainless idiot Ryūma was exactly the kind of guy who’d take a wild, pointless shot just because he felt like it.

But just as Rin moved to block him, Ryūma suddenly planted his right foot and shot back in the opposite direction—faster than before—returning to his original position.

Rin immediately understood. That earlier charge had been a pure bluff—Ryūma had baited him into lunging forward.

“Tch.” Rin clicked his tongue and spun around to intercept again.

Though it sounded long, all of this happened in just a few seconds.

By the time Ryūma returned to position, Nagi’s foot had already met the ball.

Seeing the pass coming his way, Rin’s expression darkened. The ball was heading straight in front of him—right where Ryūma was sprinting in.

A heartbeat later, Ryūma appeared before the ball and swung his leg for a direct shot.

“Tch…” Rin glared at Ryūma’s back, irritation running through his thoughts.

(This idiot… he used the instant I glanced at Nagi to slip past me through my blind spot?)

(Hmph, learned this after getting beaten by it so many times, huh?)

(Guess I need to update my read on him. Once Ryūma’s this close off the ball, I can’t stop him.)

(From a distance, I can predict his movements. But up close—even if I know what he’s going to do—his acceleration just blows past me.)

(From now on, I’ll need to keep a safe distance from him!)

Reaching the ball, Ryūma didn’t hesitate. Using his sprint as a run-up, he planted his foot and unleashed a shot.

【BOOM!】

GOAL!! Red Team 3 – 4 White Team!

“That was awesome, Ryūma!”

“You looked pretty cool too, Nagi!”

The two jogged together, high-fived, and kept talking.

“How’d you even think of that move, Ryūma?”

“Eh, it just came to me. You’re a genius too, so you get it, right?”

“Yeah, totally!”

Of course, Ryūma wasn’t about to admit he’d only come up with it because he’d been beaten by that same trick too many times before.

...

On the other side, Jyubei Aryu ran his fingers through his bangs and said to Rin,

“Looks like we’re gonna lose, huh?”

“Shut up. Just stick with me. No pointless chatter.”

“I’ll be beautiful…”

Before Aryu could finish his self-indulgent speech, Rin was already at the center circle, ready to restart the match.

Red Team possession! Rin Itoshi kicks off from center!

After kickoff, Rin passed directly to Jyubei Aryu on the left and sprinted toward the opposite side of the field.

He didn’t go for another one-on-one with Ryūma this time, which made Ryūma pause in confusion.

(Huh? What’s he doing?)

(He’s not even playing seriously now? Why’s he running toward the goal… is he hungry or something?)

Ryūma couldn’t help thinking that, since from his view, Rin was just charging down the right flank of the White Team’s half without even looking back—straight toward the far end of the field, where the training ground exit was.

Still, while joking to himself, Ryūma didn’t stop moving.

(Whatever—better chase him down. Who knows what kind of scheme this guy’s cooking up this time.)

Meanwhile, Aryu was dribbling upfield, facing off against Seishiro Nagi.

“I’ll glide past you in style.”

“Bring it on, Trendy Guy!”

But Nagi’s defense wasn’t exactly stellar. After a few skillful feints, Aryu already looked close to breaking through.

“Hey, Trendy Guy, don’t go bullying little Nagi just ‘cause he can’t defend!”

With a grin, Ryūma stepped in and cleanly stole the ball. But he didn’t slow down or adjust his posture—because Rin was right behind him.

Without hesitation, Ryūma kicked the ball forward into the Red Team’s attacking zone.

Unfortunately, Rin had already predicted that. The instant Ryūma swung his leg, Rin charged toward the same spot.

Ryūma realized too late that Rin’s earlier run had been a setup—to lure him out and leave Aryu one-on-one with Nagi. Then, as expected, Ryūma couldn’t resist stepping in to help.

And once he’d stolen the ball, he’d had no choice but to kick it away before Rin could take it, hoping to use his speed to catch up and finish the shot.

But Rin had already read every step ahead of time—reaching the ball first.

Seeing that, Ryūma gritted his teeth and shouted,

“Damn it!”

Then, with a full dive, he launched himself forward, his body flying toward the ball and overtaking Rin by half a body length.

Rin froze for a split second at the sudden move, cursing under his breath.

“Muscle-brained idiot!”

(How’s he even gonna shoot from that position?)

Of course, Ryūma couldn’t shoot like that—but that had never been his plan.

Twisting his body midair, he flicked the ball backward in a strange motion. His own momentum sent him crashing forward a full meter.

But it was worth it—because Nagi was already there, poised for a shot.

Just as Nagi swung his leg, Jyubei Aryu slid in from behind, determined to knock the ball away.

Unfortunately for Aryu, Nagi had seen it coming. With a sharp motion, he used his right foot to stall the ball midair, dodging the slide tackle, then gently flicked it upward—and struck it cleanly while airborne.

“Don’t think every fake shot’ll work, you white-haired brat!”

Rin’s voice carried a hint of irritation as he leapt and blocked the ball with his head.

Landing smoothly, Rin glanced at Aryu, then dribbled forward toward the White Team’s half.

Nagi quickly reacted and tried to stop him—but it was no use. With a few smooth feints, Rin slipped past him easily.

By then, Ryūma had only just gotten back on his feet after his dive. The impact had been heavier than he’d expected.

(Damn… I can’t keep throwing myself around like that.)

(That fall almost made me puke up my breakfast, T﹏T.)

Still grumbling internally, Ryūma pushed off and sprinted full speed after Rin.

...

(35 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / GhostParser