"Rin, this won't work!"
"I'm leaving those two to you."
With that, Ryūma abandoned his attempt to stop Kudo Tōya and Ryusei Shido, sprinting straight toward his own goal area.
Since he couldn't halt their advance, Ryūma chose instead to cut off their shooting routes.
"Hey!"
Rin Itoshi had just opened his mouth to call out when Ryusei Shido's body slammed into him.
Rin clicked his tongue and dodged, immediately moving to block Kudo Tōya while extending an arm to keep Shido back.
As expected of Rin—he refused to be shaken off by Shido and Tōya, and managed to buy Ryūma the perfect opening.
In that instant, the situation flipped.
Kudo Tōya, still controlling the ball, was caught between Ryūma in front and Rin behind—trapped from both sides.
Realizing what danger he was in, Kudo Tōya quickly shouted:
"Ryusei, let's start!"
"Ha—OK!"
The next moment, both moved almost simultaneously:
Kudo Tōya pushed the ball left with the inside of his right foot, while Ryusei Shido burst right.
Rin sprinted left in perfect sync, calling out:
"That blond cockroach is yours!"
"Ryūma, I'll back you up!"
At last, the relentless four-way clash paused.
Yo Hiori rushed to Shido's side, trying to help Ryūma pin him down.
Meanwhile, as Kudo Tōya regained the ball, Rin reached him at the exact same moment.
Yoichi Isagi and Shōei Barō also closed in from their previous positions.
Looking at Rin before him, Kudo Tōya let a smile curve across his lips.
"To be honest, rather than a one-on-one with Ryūma, I'd much rather fight you. Let's see which is stronger—your cognitive control, or my God's Eye Anticipation."
"Tōya, since when do you talk this much?"
"Heh. Maybe I'm excited after not seeing you for so long?"
With that, Kudo Tōya struck first, cutting toward Rin's left.
Yoichi Isagi and Shōei Barō, charging from the other side, were completely ignored—
To Kudo Tōya, they simply weren't on the same level anymore.
His movement fell right into Rin's trap.
Unfortunately, the instant Rin shifted his stance, God's Eye had already predicted it.
The next several exchanges ended evenly.
Rin didn't mind—he was defending, and time was on his side.
But for Kudo Tōya, the attacker, the clock was merciless.
He couldn't find a clean passing chance.
Or rather—
He did find them, but he didn't dare use them.
Through God's Eye, he predicted Rin's future movements and identified passing routes.
But he wasn't sure if Rin was deliberately exposing them as bait.
And every passing lane he saw was one Rin could instantly shut down with a single reactive step.
Worse—if Rin intercepted even once, Team A's counterattack would be unstoppable.
(He's impossible to deal with. If I choose to pass, the risk is insanely high. And he refuses to take the bait!)
(All my probing so far—no reaction at all. I can't tell if he's faking openings or genuinely hasn't foreseen them.)
(And he's way too calm. I wanted to use his emotional shifts to read passing routes, but he's like a block of ice.)
(No good! I'm out of time—Ryusei's Awakening Moment is about to end!)
Just as Kudo Tōya prepared to strike again, he caught sight of Yoichi Isagi closing in from the side—
Clearly hoping to steal the ball or link up with Rin for a counterattack.
Through God's Eye, Isagi's next move appeared vividly before Tōya's eyes.
Kudo Tōya's body paused, and he thought in delight:
(Hah, perfect timing. Yoichi Isagi, right?)
(Never thought a background character like him would actually help me here!)
Adjusting, Kudo Tōya shifted his trajectory toward Isagi.
Of course, Rin wouldn't let him break through so easily—he extended his leg to block him.
Kudo Tōya smiled, wearing the expression of someone certain of victory.
"Already predicted you. I win."
As he spoke, he pulled the ball back with his left foot, spun, and cut sharply to the right.
At the same instant, Yoichi Isagi lunged forward, hoping to steal the ball before Kudo could accelerate.
But every move Isagi made had already been perfectly anticipated.
Kudo Tōya's smile deepened as he said to Rin:
"You've got a good teammate. I'm honestly jealous."
"Move, Isagi!"
But Rin was too late—Isagi had already stepped into Tōya's path.
And while talking, Kudo Tōya shifted again—
He flicked the ball with his left heel, sending it between Isagi's legs.
Then he spun past the frozen Isagi with ease.
Isagi reacted quickly, twisting to chase him—
But before he could take more than a step, Rin's cold, impatient voice cut in:
"Don't get in the way. Move!"
A powerful shove slammed into Isagi's shoulder.
It wasn't anger—Rin used him as a springboard, launching himself after Kudo Tōya.
Isagi didn't feel offended.
In fact, he immediately understood what had happened—
Kudo Tōya had baited him, predicted his reaction, and used him as a human shield to block Rin.
Seizing that brief moment, Kudo Tōya adjusted his posture and launched a pass toward Ryusei Shido—
More precisely, a lofted ball toward the right side of Team A's goal.
And the instant the ball left his foot, two figures exploded toward the landing point.
Ryūma caught sight of Ryusei Shido beside him, running stride for stride, and felt irritation bubbling up.
(Tch… how long will this state last?)
(Why does Shido feel like I'm fighting a mirror image of myself?)
Anticipation, reaction speed, top speed, physical strength—
Damn it, Kudo Tōya, you maniac!
(This makes me want to team up with him too… If God's Eye could boost me, would the disconnect in my quadruple Slow-Motion World disappear?)
(No—focus. Now's not the time for this. Should I switch states?)
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser