章節 47: [47] The Third Ball

"Nagi…" Reo stared blankly at the gradually retreating figure of Nagi.

He had never seen Nagi wear such an unwilling expression before. "What… am I even doing?"

…

"Are they fighting?" Kurona pointed at the two across the field and asked Hiori.

Hiori shrugged. "Too used to smooth sailing, and now that they've hit a setback, they're struggling to adjust."

"Enough chatter. Let's take them down and move on to the next stage," Rin interrupted coldly, cutting off their conversation. "They've started the kickoff."

Nagi slowly advanced with the ball, controlling it at his feet for the first time since he started playing.

This self-initiated offensive organization felt both novel and confusing to him. "Organizing an attack… what does that even mean?"

"Well, let's just try moving forward for now," he thought as he faced the first defender in his path. "Alright, first stage…"

"Let's take you down first."

Clamping the ball between his feet, Nagi flicked it up from behind him with his heel, sending it over Kurona's head.

He quickly turned and surged forward.

"Too obvious." Just as it seemed the rainbow flick would succeed, Kurona tipped his toes and abruptly retreated, seeing through Nagi's move.

The ball failed to sail past him.

As the ball's momentum dwindled and it began descending toward Kurona, Nagi found himself blocked behind him.

This attempt at dribbling past the defender seemed to have backfired.

"Hmm, I figured you'd see through that," Nagi muttered, still expressionless.

Bracing himself with both hands on the ground, he twisted his body and extended his right foot despite Kurona's obstruction.

In a move reminiscent of breakdancing, he managed to make contact with the ball.

As if enchanted, the ball adhered to Nagi's precise control, even in such an awkward position.

With a deft flick of his toes, the ball soared skyward once more.

This was his second rainbow flick, but now the dynamics had shifted.

Nagi, who had initially been blocked, turned the tables and positioned himself to block Kurona's pursuit.

Catching the descending ball, Nagi continued forward.

"Stage one, cleared. Next up…" Nagi's eyes scanned the field, but suddenly, his pupils contracted as an unexpected figure entered his view.

"You should learn how humans use their eyes, you dumb white-haired idiot."

"What the hell is he doing here? I wasn't told there'd be an intruding boss!" Nagi's eyebrows twitched in disbelief, his mind racing.

'What should I do? If it were Reo, what would he do in this situation?'

No, stop overthinking it. What's important now is deciding the next move. No matter how I look at it, I should pass the ball first, Nagi Seishiro thought.

He raised his right leg and swung it forcefully.

However, Rin seemed to predict his intent, stepping sideways to block Nagi's passing lane.

Just as his foot was about to make contact with the ball, Nagi unexpectedly pulled back his strength, changing his motion into a gentle lateral flick beneath the ball.

The ball shot straight upward—Nagi had faked a long pass and instead juggled the ball over Rin's head.

Now, with no one left to block his path, Nagi's pupils shrank to pinpoints as a perfectly clear and unobstructed route appeared in his mind, illuminated as if by a spotlight.

"When everyone has reached the same conclusion, go against the grain—that's what my instincts are telling me," Nagi thought.

His body twisted dramatically, his hips driving his entire frame as he unleashed all his strength into a powerful kick at the ball.

"I will… surpass all of you!"

...

"I have to admit, I misjudged you."

It was as if an electric current surged through Nagi's entire body at Rin's words.

A sudden, inexplicable sense of dread rose from within him.

Yet, with the situation already at a critical juncture, Nagi had no choice but to push forward, pouring every ounce of strength into completing his shot as quickly as possible.

'Faster! Faster! It has to be so fast he can't catch up!'

Nagi's mind screamed as he pushed his limits.

However, Murphy's Law dictates that what you fear the most often comes true.

To his credit, Nagi was indeed a top-tier genius.

Even with success within reach, his sharp instincts allowed him to sense danger looming.

Unfortunately, this also meant that his premonitions of failure were about to materialize in reality.

Rin, who had been slightly left behind while blocking Nagi's passing lane, suddenly raised his leg from behind in a scorpion kick-like motion, twisting his body into an unnatural position to block Nagi's path.

As the ball rocketed forward, the brilliant, unobstructed path in Nagi's mind dimmed instantly.

BANG-THUD!

Two rapid, almost simultaneous collision sounds echoed across the field.

Though Rin's defense relied on a single leg and an awkward position, the ball still managed to force its way past his outstretched heel, continuing its trajectory toward the goal.

However, its course was entirely altered.

"I overestimated you. I didn't expect you'd lose even the most basic ability to think after parting ways with that mediocre partner," Rin said, landing in a crouch before springing forward toward the midfield without sparing Nagi a backward glance.

"What you think is a brilliant, creative move is nothing more than kindergarten-level imagination to me."

"Learn how to step out from under your 'parents' wings before thinking about playing football."

The ball's landing point was precisely predicted by Hiori, who had been meticulously observing the field.

Positioned perfectly near the sideline, he intercepted the now powerless and spinning ball, which descended with neither force nor accuracy.

Without hesitation, he launched a high-quality long pass downfield.

"Nice pass," Kurona muttered as he received the ball with superior footwork.

Behind him, Rin was rapidly catching up. With this swift counterattack in motion, the only one standing in their way was Reo, who hadn't joined the previous offensive play.

"Damn it, damn it! Why are you showing off, Nagi, you idiot!" Reo muttered under his breath, positioning himself to block Kurona. "Come on, take me down if you can!"

"Two-on-one, two-on-one," Kurona muttered, his sharp gaze locking onto Rin as he turned to initiate a pass.

Just as his foot moved, Reo suddenly darted forward, blocking Kurona's side. "I knew it! You're aiming for that guy, right?"

"Gotcha—wait, what?!"

Kurona, mid-pass, suddenly smirked with an air of triumph.

With a sly pull of the ball back under his feet, he spun effortlessly, breaking free from Reo's defense.

In the next instant, he unleashed a powerful strike at the goal.

"Sorry… but I'm an egoist too, after all."

2:0 → 3:0

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