Kapitel 47: Challenge 1
Yesterday, Nakahara had to request an excuse for the players to leave early in the class to other teachers, but now, Aoi was so bored for the rest of the day that he had to finish listening to the teachers' lecture for the rest of the day.
He even fell into a daze to the point it took the teacher two times to call his name to recite a certain paragraph in the textbook.
Nevertheless, Aoi managed to clutch it, not embarrassing himself, to say the least.
Izumi teased him, knowing Aoi must have been itching to do football practice to the point he was daydreaming about it.
.Now that it was time to gather on the football field, he hastily packed his things and went to the locker on the ground with Izumi. He changed his bag containing the cleats and the shoes strictly inside the school with the shoes outside and instantly went to the football field.
He had to leave Izumi behind since the latter mentioned going to her friends first and then catching up later to watch their practice.
Aoi smiled and nodded, knowing that Izumi must also be inviting Oka's crush, giving him more reason to motivate his friend.
When he arrived, he already saw many familiar faces, and only then he had come to realize he actually did not know about them.
Although his ego was telling him he should not be bothered, it did not hurt to know about those notable players who gained his acknowledgement from the plays they showed yesterday.
However, since they were busy doing something, he did not have a choice but to choose an isolated bench and sit there.
He would have long greeted Oka, but knowing how jovial he was, now even talking to a bunch of people, he instantly lost the energy on his idea.
At this point, he quickly decided to wait for Nakahara.
However, he could not help but wonder why he was taking so long since Nakahara was always an early bird, even punishing those five minutes late for his class.
He had always been his victim, so he could not forget even after a decade had passed.
While he was busy in his own world, staring at the green field in a daze, he was distracted when a human figure shadowed his vision.
He tilted his head and was instantly upset when he realized he felt he was being looked down upon.
Seeing the curly right eyebrow, acting eccentrically, staring at him with a lowered gaze and head, he quickly stood up.
Thankfully, his ego was not crushed due to his height being taller than the curly eyebrow.
[Ding! You have shown Egoistic Behavior!
You have gained 2 Ego Points!]
"What is it?" Aoi asked in a chilling tone.
The curly eyebrow just stared at him in silence, tilting his head upward, seemingly contemplating deeply.
Aoi was impatient, but his outward appearance seemed to have been shrouded with enigma, seemingly appearing indifferent to everything, yet… not.
Finally, the curly eyebrow replied, "Let's play."
Aoi's eyebrow arched up.
He recognized the curly eyebrow in front of him, even acknowledging his defending skills. His vision seemed to be on par with Kaga, and even his technical skills were outstanding as well.
But still…
'That was far from enough. He could not stop me. What is he thinking?'
[Ding! You have shown an Egoistic Thought! You have gained 1 Ego Point.]
"What kind?"
The curly eyebrow pointed at him and said, "You. Attack." He pointed at himself, particularly on his chest. "I, Defend."
'Speak properly, will you?' what Aoi wanted to say.
At this point, he could perceive numerous gazes to his side, specifically where he could see other football players in his peripheral vision.
He ruminated.
If he accepted the challenge but got defeated by the curly eyebrow, his ego would be crushed… he did not want to know what could be the consequence – perhaps a punishment from the system.
If he rejected the challenge, his ego would be crushed right away…
However, Aoi did not find it difficult to decide.
"Alright, then."
He did not want to back out from a challenge and certainly did not want to be conquered.
He came here to conquer, not the other way around.
He also would like to know how he would fare against a skilled defender, too.
And he also certainly would like to see… the same sight as yesterday again.
Just when he thought so, he recalled the scene where he looked down upon the goalkeeper, the best in the club, when he scored a hatrick.
His unwilling eyes and exasperated countenance boosted his ego.
It was an otherworldly feeling as if his soul was touched by a divine being.
He obviously wanted the same sight to happen… to a defender, one of the best on the club, at that!
To fight against the defender one-on-one, he must have to be skilled in dribbling.
Unfortunately, his dribbling skills were only C+ grade, average among the high school football players – based on his standard, at least.
Hence, he certainly would like to increase it… but now was not the time.
It would be better to completely grasp his current foundation first before deciding to elevate it.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a ball flew into his peripheral vision, and without even staring at it, knowing where the ball would land, he only flicked it with his right foot, causing it to go up high.
He finally left his gaze from the awestruck curly eyebrow and stared at the ball upward. He received it on his forehead, stabilizing it for three seconds before sliding it downward.
He received it with his right knee, bouncing the ball, and then received it with his toe…
He kept playing with the ball as if it were just his extended limb, garnering awe and surprise from his other teammate.
For a minute, he kept playing the ball, finally comprehending his B+ grade on ball control.
He realized he could control the ball with his shoulder and forehead, sliding it to his upper limb and perfectly bouncing it on his knees and toes.
But then again, it did not remain consistent as he soon felt tired, and the precision of his bouncing slowly went off.
He was dismayed for a bit, but then again, just seeing the astonished gaze from his teammates, especially the curly eyebrow, made him feel satisfied.
[Ding! You have satisfied your Ego! You have received 3 Ego Points!]
'Am I just tripping, or did the points awarded by the system seem to be low for this reason?'
He shook his head, focused on the curly eyebrow, and passed him the ball with his toe.
The curly eyebrow received it with his shoulder, quickly controlled it with his right foot, and stared at Aoi again.
Aoi asked, "What is your name?"
The curly eyebrow tilted his head and suddenly grinned, revealing his yellow teeth.
Aoi's expression turned ugly when he saw it.
"Me? I'm Agata. Egata? Ogata? Ah, Ogata. Me. Ogata!"
The curly eyebrow kept pointing to his chest when he repeated a name.
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
CloverNine
CloverNine Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein