Team B's ball. Kudo Tōya takes the kickoff from center!
Standing inside the center circle, Kudo Tōya glanced at Ryūma—looking completely relaxed in the distance—and couldn't help feeling a little jealous.
(Ugh… watching a stamina-immune idiot like Ryūma is seriously infuriating!)
(And why do Rin Itoshi and Ryūma both have such ridiculous luck?)
(Not only did they get paired again with Yo Hiori, someone they already synced with in round one—
but they also ended up with Yoichi Isagi, whose anticipation is now barely behind Rin's?)
(Heh, look at our side. That Shōei Barō—sure, he's strong.)
(But a guy with his attitude? In low-level matches where no one cooperates with him, he can show off a little.)
(But in a top-tier match like this? He'll just get played like a clown.)
(And the other two are basically useless. Well… can't blame them too much. The opponents are monsters.)
(They followed the positioning I told them to, but it didn't change a thing.)
(My stamina is already falling off. There's no way Shido and I can win this alone.)
(Tch… if Barō would just cooperate once, this match wouldn't be such a nightmare!)
(Act on your own instincts? For what? All it did was fail and now we're on the verge of losing. What good is your "instinct" supposed to do?)
Letting out a sigh, Kudo Tōya played the ball to Ryusei Shido on the left side of the circle.
He then accelerated, staying within two meters of Shido as they sprinted together toward the middle of Team A's half.
"Haha! Time to explode!"
"Remember what I said, Ryusei—don't hold the ball too long! Otherwise they'll catch you and stop you!"
"Yeah yeah, I heard you!"
Shido brushed him off, then unleashed his full speed toward Team A's front line.
Shido wasn't like Kudo Tōya—he never wasted time overthinking.
The moment Shido entered Team A's frontcourt, Rin Itoshi stepped directly in his path.
"Sit tight, you blond cockroach."
"Hah! Lower-eyelash freak—this time I'm sending you flying!"
Shido never slowed, clearly intending to collide with Rin head-on.
Rin refused to yield, and the two clashed—neither able to overpower the other.
But a beat later, Shido suddenly grabbed Rin's shoulder for leverage, twisted halfway around, and swung his right leg to launch the ball away.
That had been his real intention all along—
to make Rin think he wanted a direct collision, then use the split-second opening to send the ball into Team A's half, a pass aimed at Kudo Tōya.
"Hmph. You think I couldn't read your intentions, you Tentacle freak?"
"Huh? What?"
Alarmed by Rin's words, Shido snapped his eyes toward the ball—
only to see Yo Hiori stepping cleanly into the passing lane.
"Eh—this blue-haired guy!?"
Shido immediately tried to sprint toward Hiori, but Rin blocked him, pinning him in place with his body and arm.
"Rin—don't piss me off. I'll kick your head off your shoulders."
"Hmph. Before that, I'll rip off every last one of those tentacles."
While the two hurled insults at each other, something unexpected happened near Yo Hiori.
Just as the ball reached Hiori's feet, a figure burst in and intercepted it.
"Blue-haired guy—this ball's mine!"
Hiori stared in shock at the person in front of him.
"Barō?! Why are you here?!"
(Wait… there's no way Shōei Barō intercepted that using just his prediction ability.)
(That means—his hunting target switched from Yoichi… to me.)
(Heh… being targeted by a starving lion is never good news.)
Hiori spun around and chased after Shōei Barō, who was now driving the ball forward.
But Barō's speed wasn't low, and Hiori couldn't close the gap immediately.
Luckily, Yoichi Isagi stepped in just in time, blocking Barō's route.
"Don't even think about getting past me, Barō!"
(Even if I can't take the ball, I need to stall until Hiori and the others get back.)
Barō showed zero concern, roaring:
"Outta my way, scrub!!"
His footwork shifted—
a clean, simple cut move, a Chop Feint—sending Isagi stumbling off balance.
By the time Isagi regained control and lunged again, it was already too late.
Barō bulldozed past him on the opposite side.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Muscle Gorilla!"
"Ryūma?!"
Before Isagi could recover, Ryūma Banjō came tearing across at blistering speed—
but a shout from his left interrupted the moment.
"Pass it, Barō!!"
"You're no match for Ryūma!!"
The voice belonged to Kudo Tōya, sprinting in from the side.
He angled toward Barō's left, ready to receive a pass and take a Direct Shot immediately.
Ryūma, meanwhile, accelerated straight past Barō on the right, preparing to cut across and block both his shooting lane and passing lane.
Kudo's intention was obvious to Ryūma—but Ryūma welcomed it.
If he intercepted the ball now, Kudo's position would leave him no time to recover and defend.
Kudo also understood Ryūma's plan.
But in his view, if Barō passed the ball instantly, Ryūma's entire plan would collapse.
Unfortunately, Kudo still didn't understand Shōei Barō.
For Barō, passing was practically a death sentence.
Under very specific conditions, he might choose to do it—
but he would never pass at the first opportunity.
Barō would only consider passing after exhausting every possible option himself.
Right now, he hadn't even attempted to get past Ryūma.
Expecting him to pass immediately was delusional.
Barō locked his eyes on Ryūma and pushed forward. As Ryūma stepped in—
Barō abruptly shifted his footwork.
Left foot dragging the ball back, right foot striking it away from the recoil motion.
The sequence was fast and fluid—
but inside Ryūma's Slow-Motion World, every flaw was crystal clear.
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser