(With Ryūma's overwhelming physical ability, he kept drawing both my and Ryusei's attention.)
(He's really strong, Rin Itoshi. At the final moment, not only did he exploit the blind spots in my and Ryusei's vision…)
(…he even used us to mask his shooting motion, completely preventing our goalkeeper from reacting.)
Kudo Tōya finished his thoughts and quickly headed for the center circle, looking as if he were afraid Ryūma might start mocking him.
Ryusei Shido followed, but before leaving, he glanced back at Rin and said:
"Hmph. Not bad at all, Rin Itoshi."
Ryūma didn't spare Kudo Tōya or Ryusei Shido a single look. Instead, he chased after Rin, who was already walking back toward their own half.
"Hey, Rin!"
"Wait up, you jerk!"
Once Ryūma caught up, he slung an arm around Rin's neck—completely forgetting that Rin had twisted his wrist just moments earlier.
This time, however, Rin didn't protest. He simply answered coldly:
"What am I waiting for, idiot?"
"Huh? Don't tell me you're not going to thank me for that goal you just scored?"
"I'm telling you, if it weren't for that pathetic look you gave me back then, I wouldn't have helped pull the defense for you."
"Hand."
"Huh? What?—Ow! Ow ow ow!"
Rubbing his wrist, Ryūma glared at Rin's back as he walked toward the center circle.
"Oh, come on! You ungrateful bastard!"
"…Thanks."
Ryūma froze. He honestly thought he was hallucinating. He turned immediately to Yo Hiori beside him.
"Hiori—did you hear that? Did Rin just say 'thanks'?!"
Hiori glanced at Rin's retreating figure and smiled.
"Yeah, I heard it. But Rin's never been very straightforward."
"Exactly! Trying to make Rin thank someone to their face? That's torture for him—worse than killing him!"
Hiori laughed.
"Alright, let's go, Ryūma. They're about to restart."
"Yeah, let's wrap this up. I'm starving."
…
Team B possession. Kudo Tōya takes the kickoff from center.
Right off the whistle, Kudo Tōya passed to Ryusei Shido, then immediately accelerated toward the center of Team A's half.
Ryusei Shido, receiving the ball, also sprinted full-speed toward the same area.
Just as he entered position, Kudo abruptly performed a Chop Feint, switching directions without warning and sprinting toward another lane.
Meanwhile, Ryusei Shido ran straight into Nijiro Nanase and Yoichi Isagi. But Nanase, who had to block him from the front, clearly wasn't a match.
"So weak. At this level, there's no way I'm going to unlock anything."
Using his body as leverage, Ryusei forced his way past Nanase.
Right then, Yoichi Isagi gritted his teeth and lunged in for a block.
(This is it!)
"Oh? Nice awareness, but…"
"…everything else about you is painfully average."
With that, Ryusei Shido kicked the ball sharply to the right, dodging Isagi's interruption.
As Isagi tried to pursue the ball, Shido extended his left arm, pinning Isagi down while bursting forward again.
Isagi could only watch helplessly as Ryusei reached the ball first.
"Don't get full of yourself, you blond cockroach!"
"Huh?"
Ryusei Shido blinked when Rin Itoshi suddenly appeared in front of him.
"What, hiding in the shadows again? That all you know how to do, little Rin?"
"Call me whatever you like, you trashy golden blond cockroach."
Intercepting the ball cleanly, Rin didn't give Ryusei a chance to challenge him. He immediately sent the ball forward into Team B's attacking midfield.
"Run for it!"
Kudo Tōya, charging toward the same zone, muttered internally:
(Tch. I told that idiot Ryusei—don't hold the ball too long, don't get bogged down in duels.)
(And now look—the ball got stolen. If I hadn't anticipated Rin's move ahead of time, that would've been a game-ending shot!)
(And even with anticipation, things still look terrible.)
He glanced back at the shadow gaining on him and sighed in frustration.
(Even if I get the ball, Ryūma will be on me instantly. I won't even have time to pass.)
(Protecting the ball is fine, but I can't do anything else. That's completely useless!)
But time wasn't going to wait. He was already at the ball's landing point.
Ryūma was only one body length behind him.
Seeing Kudo reach the ball first, Ryūma sighed to himself:
(He anticipated me by a step. Wait—was Tōya watching Rin the whole time?)
Just as Kudo predicted, by the time the ball dropped to about a meter above the ground, Ryūma was right behind him.
The two clashed again. After several intense exchanges, Ryūma chuckled:
"Feeling tired, Tōya?"
"You're imagining things."
"Heh. Let's see how long you can keep pretending."
Ryūma exploded forward yet again, switching directions repeatedly to tighten the pressure.
Kudo nearly lost the ball several times in quick succession. He was panting heavily—there was no hiding it now.
He hated to admit it, but he was losing ground. In this extreme duel against Ryūma, he was running out of steam.
If Ryūma's physical ability were equal to his own, things wouldn't be this bad.
But no—fighting Ryūma meant dealing not only with his crazy body strength, but also his terrifying predictive instincts.
(Damn it. His physical power alone used to be overwhelming enough. And now he's awakened his eyes as well?)
(The real problem is—does this guy even have stamina limits? With this level of nonstop offense and defense, how is he not draining any energy?!)
(Is he even human?)
Lost in despair for just a moment, he slipped—and Ryūma instantly seized the opening, cutting the ball away.
"Losing focus in a one-on-one? You trying to die?"
"Tch!"
Kudo spun around, ready to chase, but Ryūma wasn't about to let him go.
"Where do you think you're going, my dear Tōya? Stay put."
"Ugh—don't touch me! Get off!"
Too bad. Even at his peak, Kudo wouldn't shake Ryūma at this distance.
"Hunt complete!"
Right then, Shōei Barō came charging at the ball Ryūma had kicked away.
But in the very next instant—
someone even faster slid in and cleared it!
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser