After hearing Isshiki Iroha's explanation, Shirase finally understood what everyone was planning.
In short, because his speed and explosive power far outclassed the rest of the team, and the soccer club's overall level was still pretty average, they wanted to build a strategy around him—relying on his physical advantage to compete with stronger schools.
The idea was simple: a few players would pass the ball downfield, while Shirase started from another position to chase it. The final teammate would then launch a long pass to test just how fast he really was.
No one seriously thought Shirase could catch the ball; they just wanted to see his real top speed for themselves.
After all, both Hayama Hayato and the captain knew well—Shirase was improving day by day.
Once everyone took their positions, Isshiki Iroha stood at the sideline, her expression unusually focused.
Not far away, Hiratsuka-sensei and Yukinoshita Yukino—who had just left the Service Club—instinctively stopped when they spotted the setup on the field.
"What are they planning to do?" Hiratsuka leaned forward curiously.
"I'm not sure," Yukino admitted. She'd occasionally watched the soccer club's practices before, but she'd never seen them form up like this.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from behind. Both turned to see a girl with waist-length hair and a star-shaped hairpin in her bangs.
Yukino recognized her right away—Nakano Itsuki.
The Nakano quintuplets were well-known, and her older sister Ichika had been trying to cozy up to Yukino recently under the pretense of "friendship."
"Hiratsuka-sensei? You two came to watch practice?" Itsuki blinked, clearly surprised to see them there.
"Just taking a look," Hiratsuka said with an easy smile. "How about you?"
"I have something to talk to Shirase about," Itsuki replied, pouting a little. "I wanted to catch him during home ec earlier, but he ran away too fast—I couldn't even catch up!"
Hiratsuka chuckled. "Maybe he used match-level speed just to shake you off?"
"Eh?" Itsuki froze, then immediately scowled. "If that's true, I'll definitely give him a piece of my mind later."
Yukino cast her a sidelong glance, thinking dryly, Even I find him hard to keep up with in conversation—you think you can out-argue him?
A sharp whistle suddenly cut through the air. All three girls looked toward the field at once. Isshiki Iroha was standing on the sideline, whistle between her lips, signaling the start.
As soon as her arm dropped, the first player passed the ball to Hayama Hayato.
And the instant the ball started rolling, Shirase—already coiled like a spring—exploded into motion.
The muscles in his thighs tightened, power surging with every stride.
He shot forward like an arrow released from a fully drawn bow.
"So fast," Hiratsuka murmured without thinking.
Her voice hadn't even faded when Hayama, who had just passed the ball, felt a gust of wind tear past him, whipping his hair into chaos and forcing his eyes shut.
When he turned, Shirase was already gone—only a spray of dirt and grass, kicked up by his feet, hit Hayama square in the face.
But he didn't care. He was too stunned.
Shirase, who had started behind the ball, had already caught up to the third player.
Bang.
The third player kicked again, launching a long pass forward with all his strength.
Everyone knew Shirase was fast, and that this was just a one-time test to measure his absolute top speed.
Depending on the results, they might plan future strategies around his pace—using him as the team's spearhead when the game turned tough.
As the ball spun through the air, drawing a bright arc against the sunlight, every eye on the field followed it—and then widened in disbelief.
Because Shirase didn't just catch the ball.
He overtook it.
"Wh—what the hell… this has to be a joke, right?" Hayama stammered, trying to force a grin, but the shock in his eyes gave him away.
Was the gap between them really that huge?
And could a high schooler even move that fast?
"This is… professional-level acceleration and speed," Isshiki whispered, clutching her data notebook tight, her heart hammering in her chest.
"Shirase's that fast?" Itsuki and Hiratsuka both exclaimed almost in unison, eyes wide.
Among the three, Yukino was the first to recover.
Recalling his past matches, she quickly concluded, "He's faster than before."
Itsuki murmured, "So that thing Nino always complained about—Shirase joking that he has a 'Perfect Form' for amateurs and an 'Ultimate Form' for real matches—it was actually true?"
"What joke?" Yukino asked, calm but curious.
Itsuki rubbed her cheek, still amazed. "Nino said he always bragged about that line. So… has he already hit his Ultimate Form?"
A faint question mark might as well have appeared above Yukino's head.
Hiratsuka laughed. "That's from an anime reference. I used to watch it too."
Only then did Yukino nod, her gaze returning to the field—to Shirase, now slowing to a stop. And unexpectedly, an odd impulse flickered through her mind:
She wanted to watch his next match. In person.
On the field—Shirase caught the falling ball with a smooth trap, turned it under control, and looked up at his teammates. "Was that speed good enough?"
The entire team was silent.
Shirase tilted his head. "Why so quiet? Was I not fast enough?"
"Hey, that's just bullying!" someone finally yelled.
"Your name's not Shirase—it's gotta be Echizen! Otherwise, how can you be this strong?"
"What the hell is 'Echizen-ze'? Echizen Ryoma plays tennis! You mean Ozora! He's Captain Tsubasa's reincarnation!"
"Captain Tsubasa? Seriously? How old are you, man? Are you secretly a middle-aged dude pretending to be a high schooler?"
"That speed's insane!"
"…"
Complaints flew from every direction, but beneath the noise, the team's excitement was undeniable.
Because they all knew—Shirase was theirs. He was their teammate.
The captain jogged up, grabbed Shirase's hand, and shook it vigorously. "I was nervous about the next match at first, but seeing this—seeing you—I'm totally relieved! You're a monster, man!"
Shirase immediately pulled his wrist free. "Watch your phrasing."
Hayama stepped up beside them, nodding seriously. "The captain's right. Most animals probably couldn't outrun you."
Shirase shot him a deadpan look. "…You've changed, Hayama."
---
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