Several hours later, in the Third Round Selection waiting room...
Yoichi Isagi slowly opened his eyes from a deep sleep, muttering in confusion,
"Huh... what time is it?"
He rubbed his eyes and headed for the door.
"I figured I had some time before the third match started, so I took a nap."
"Feels like it should be starting soon..."
But when he reached the media room entrance, he froze—
the room was completely packed.
"Huh... what?"
"Oh, Isagi, you're up," Yo Hiori called out, noticing him first.
Hearing Hiori's voice, a few others turned and greeted him as well.
"Morning, Isagi!"
"Sleepyhead————!"
"The third and fourth matches are already over————"
Still confused, Yoichi Isagi turned to Nijiro Nanase.
"There are so many people..."
"Did I sleep that long?"
Grinning, Nanase held up both hands to show a "12."
"Yep, about twelve hours!"
"You must've been exhausted. I tried waking you, but you were totally out, so I left you."
Isagi scratched his head in embarrassment. "No way... I missed the matches..."
"You can watch the replays later," Nanase assured him, then pointed at one of the screens.
"Match stats and scores are over there."
Isagi followed the direction of his finger and saw the summaries for Matches 3 and 4.
(Team A is undefeated...)
(Well, with Ryūma and Rin together, I honestly can't imagine how they'd lose.)
Nanase then pointed toward the live-feed screen, interrupting Isagi's thoughts.
"Oh—Match 5 is in the final moments."
"Perfect timing. It's the decisive point!"
On screen, Rin Itoshi was dribbling forward alone, luring Tabito Karasu and two teammates into pressing him.
With a chain of seamless feints, Rin created an angle and sent the ball straight into the undefended center of Team C's midfield.
Rin Itoshi single-handedly outplayed three Team C players!
And the exact spot he passed into—
was where Ryūma was sprinting.
Without giving Team C any chance to recover, Ryūma struck the falling ball in one motion.
A long-range, sky-piercing shot—killing the match instantly.
GOAL!! Team A 5 : 2 Team C
A mechanical voice sounded:
Beep~ Beep————!
Match over!!
Final score 5–2, Team A wins!!
"That was awesome, Ryūma!"
"Haha, easy, easy. Calm down, Bachira. Haven't I always been this cool?"
"Yeah! Yeah!"
The one running toward him with a huge grin was indeed Meguru Bachira.
"But your goal was really cool too," Ryūma added. Then he waved toward Rin Itoshi, who was walking over.
"Hey, Rin! That was a beautiful pass!"
"When we play the U-20 Japan Nation National Team, send me balls just like that!"
Ryūma reached out to sling an arm over Rin's shoulder—
"Get lost."
Rin dodged, shot him a cold glance, and walked straight toward the exit without looking back.
"Huh? Why does Rin always snap so fast?"
"Haha, maybe your mouth really is annoying, Ryūma."
"What? Really? Bachira, you think I'm annoying too?"
"It's fine, it's fine~" Bachira said, hands behind his back, heading toward the exit as well.
But just then, Jinpachi Ego's voice echoed through the speakers:
"The Adaptive Training is complete."
"In six hours, I will announce the starting lineup for the match against the U-20 Japan Nation National Team."
...
One hour later, in the Central Cafeteria...
"Hey, Ryūma, Rin—congrats on staying undefeated!"
"Yo Hiori? Come sit!" Ryūma pulled out the chair beside him.
Once Hiori sat down, Ryūma grinned.
"So, Hiori—feeling confident about getting selected?"
"Uh... maybe a little."
"Come on, be confident! You're strong and talented."
Ryūma remembered clearly—during the match with the U-20, Yo Hiori had been one of Ego's chosen substitutes.
"Thanks, Ryūma."
"Relax. You scored at least one goal. You've got a really good chance."
Hearing their conversation, Yoichi Isagi—eating alone nearby—thought to himself:
(I also... scored one!)
(Among the players outside the TOP.6, the scorers were me, Bachira, Barou, Reo, Hiori, and Yukimiya.)
(If that's a selection criterion... I still have a chance!)
(Whatever position I end up playing—)
(I hope I get selected!! I want to face the U-20 JapanNation National Team!)
(I want to fight on that field where I can change my destiny with my own hands!!)
...
Meanwhile, in a monitoring-room-like office...
Jinpachi Ego sat cross-legged on his chair, tapping repeatedly on his tablet, clearly deep in thought.
A woman in business attire with wine-red hair walked in and asked,
"Have you made your decision, Mr. Ego?"
"Hmm..." Ego scratched his head, thinking. "Too many captains sink the ship, Anri."
The woman questioning him was—Anri Teieri.
"Huh?"
Anri blinked at him in confusion, waiting for him to clarify.
"I mean, to win, I have to cut some talent."
Before she could respond, her phone vibrated.
She answered, listened for a moment, then turned serious.
"You have a call, Mr. Ego."
"Who is it? Calling at such a critical moment?"
"It's President Buratsuta."
...
Ten seconds until the starting lineup announcement!
Third Round Selection — Central Hall...
Voices buzzed throughout the crowd:
"Waaah—"
"I'm so nervous!!"
"If my heart jumps out, I'm eating it."
"Is Kudō still recovering?"
"Yeah, he fainted again in Match 4. Not sure if he's awake yet."
"Haha, his stamina is seriously terrible. If he gets selected, he'd probably collapse before halftime."
"Hey. Who are you saying has terrible stamina?"
"Uh… you're here, Kudō..."
...
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