Chapter 13: Pre-Match Setup
Room Z
The room burst into laughter, breaking the tension.
"What the heck is 'sexy football'?" someone snickered.
"You gonna flex your muscles on the pitch or what?" another voice teased.
"You look so fierce all the time, and that's what you come up with?"
Jingo Raichi's face turned beet red, embarrassment washing over him.
Kira, fighting back a grimace, had black lines practically drawn on his face. 'Raichi's brain is a single-celled organism, I swear,' he thought, silently facepalming. Still, he stepped in to save him. "You mean your endless stamina, right? That's your weapon."
"Ah, yeah, yeah, that's it!" Raichi's eyes lit up like he'd just cracked a code. "You get me, Kira, you brat!"
Next up was the ponytailed player with a wiry build—Gagamaru. The guy who ate with his hands in the cafeteria, claiming he grew up half-wild, always talking about his love for animals. He scratched his head, thinking. "Mine's probably my body's flexibility."
Kira nodded, jotting it down. 'This guy's Blue Lock's future goalkeeper. I'd love to just slap the keeper role on him now.'
"Alright, good. Imamura, Naruhaya?" Kira turned to the two nearby players, Imamura Yudai and Naruhaya Asahi. Honestly, he barely remembered them from the manga in his past life—their skills were a blur.
"Speed and technique," Imamura said confidently.
"Making runs behind the defense," Naruhaya added, puffing out his chest.
'Really?' Kira wasn't sold but scribbled their answers anyway, keeping his doubts to himself.
Kunigami spoke up, his voice steady. "Mine's left-footed shooting."
Igaguri jumped in, shouting, "Mine's my never-give-up spirit!"
'Uh… okay. Not giving up is something, I guess,' Kira thought, writing it down.
He turned to the guy with the reliable, almost uncle-like vibe—Okuhito Iemon. Despite his age, Iemon carried a maturity beyond his peers. Without missing a beat, he said, "I'm probably… pretty well-rounded."
Kira's pen froze mid-air. His grip on the notebook tightened. 'Bro, you're just average at everything, aren't you? How do you say "well-rounded" with a straight face?' Still, he forced a smile. "Alright then. Isagi?"
Isagi hesitated, fumbling. "Uh… my weapon… passing? But a striker shouldn't have passing as their main thing…"
"Enough! Next!" Raichi cut him off, impatient. "If you can't even name your own ability, you're just trash!" He conveniently forgot his own 'sexy football' blunder moments ago.
Isagi's shoulders slumped. "Sorry, Kira… I still haven't figured it out."
"It's fine," Kira said, his tone encouraging. "You'll get there. Last one—Hyoma Chigiri?" He glanced at the long-haired pretty boy squatting in the corner, arms wrapped around his legs.
'Damn, he looks like a girl from this angle. Almost too pretty,' Kira thought, then cleared his throat. "Chigiri, what's your weapon?"
"I don't want to say…" Chigiri muttered, barely audible.
'Fine, fine, fine.' Kira took a deep breath. 'Man, I'm starting to get why Kuon wanted to betray this room. Everyone's got their own ideas, and they're all a mess. How are we supposed to play like this?'
His head throbbed, but he pushed the frustration aside. 'Whatever. I'll stick to my plan.' He grabbed a tactics board from the side and started laying out his strategy.
"For tomorrow's match, I suggest a 4-4-2 formation," Kira began, sketching on the board. "Kunigami and I will be the dual strikers—me on the right, Kunigami on the left. Midfielders will be Chigiri, Raichi, Isagi, and Bachira. Chigiri takes left wing, Bachira right wing. Raichi and Isagi hold the center. Iemon, you're in goal. The rest form the defensive line. Any questions?"
Kira's setup wasn't random. The 4-4-2 was a basic formation every high schooler here would know. He chose two strikers because his passing skills could draw defenders in the box, setting up Kunigami for his deadly long-range shots. Bachira and Isagi on the right flank were his most familiar teammates—they'd practiced passing together. If Bachira's dribbling could rip open the right side, Kira could slip into space for a shot. Chigiri on the left? Kira didn't expect the "princess" to awaken yet, but he gave him a key role out of respect. Raichi in central midfield would anchor the defense, hopefully realizing his true strength wasn't just scoring. The backline, centered on Gagamaru, was a gamble—Kira hoped he'd discover his knack for goalkeeping.
"I got a problem!" Raichi barked, first to object. "Why do you and Kunigami get to be strikers?"
"I don't wanna be a defender!" Gagamaru raised his hand, frowning.
"Kira, I'm fine with you as a striker, but why Kunigami? I'm not convinced!" Igaguri piped up, waving his hand.
Kunigami shot Igaguri a glare that could've melted steel.
Kira stayed calm. "Remember [Demon] Tag? I challenged all of you solo and won. We agreed I'd have a say in football decisions for this room."
He paused, scanning their faces. "I know what you're thinking. Team Z's the lowest-ranked, so you're all scared we'll crash out. You want to score goals to be the top scorer and save yourself. But listen—if you follow my plan, I guarantee we'll advance as the top team in this building. No one gets eliminated."
The room fell silent. Kira's confidence was undeniable, his [Demon] Tag dominance still fresh in their minds. Winning every match with him as the core didn't sound impossible.
"Kira, I believe you," Bachira said, stepping forward with a grin. Kira smirked back. 'Reliable as ever, Bachira. That liver swap was worth it.'
"I'm in," Kunigami said, flexing his arms. "Just don't hog all the glory. I'm the other striker."
"Damn it!" Raichi growled. "I'm not saying I'm weaker than you! I'm just agreeing for the sake of winning!" He crossed his arms, reluctantly on board.
"Namu-san! If it's Kira, I'm willing to trust him," Igaguri said, looking pleased to latch onto a strong leader.
"I'll agree for now," Gagamaru said, eyeing the others. "But if we lose, I'm not accepting it."
With the first few on board, the rest nodded, their doubts easing.
Isagi watched from the side, Ego's words echoing in his head: 'The brilliance of one individual can change a team.' They hadn't even hit the pitch, yet everyone—originally all strikers—was rallying around Kira because of his undeniable skill.
Just moments ago, they'd been fighting over who'd be the star. 'That's what Ego meant by creating football from zero,' Isagi realized. 'When a player with absolute offensive power steps up, everyone naturally builds around them. This is the "from zero to one" of football.'
He stared at Kira, understanding dawning. 'Football evolved positions to let strikers score. And right now, Kira's the striker we all trust.'
"Isagi, what do you think?" Kira called out, noticing him zoning out.
Isagi sighed inwardly. 'Kira, you've outdone me again.' Out loud, he said, "I agree."
Kira nodded, satisfied. 'Phew, step one's done.' His heart raced with excitement for tomorrow's match. 'It's been ages since I've played a real game. In the original story, Team Z without me lost 5-1 to Team X. Those guys have some serious potential.' He grinned. 'But let's see how they handle this Team Z.'
----
Give me your Power Stones, mortals!!😈😈
To read future chapters and support me, just search "DemonicFiction" on "P4trƐon"