Chapter 26: You and I Are Similar
No!
Team Y's players watched in horror as Isagi Yoichi charged forward with the ball, their defensive core, Ikki Niko, caught out of position. Niko had been ready to receive the ball and launch a counterattack, but Isagi had intercepted it with uncanny precision.
For the first time, Team Y's backline faced Team Z's onslaught without Niko anchoring them. Their defenders tensed, their formation wobbling under the pressure.
"Hold your positions! Don't panic!" Niko shouted, sprinting back to rejoin his teammates, his voice cutting through the chaos like a lifeline.
His command steadied Team Y's nerves, their defensive shape snapping back into place.
But Team Z wasn't about to let this golden opportunity slip away. Kunigami Rensuke, Bachira Meguru, Gagamaru Gin, Raichi Jingo, and the rest of Team Z's attackers pressed forward, throwing their weight against Team Y's defensive line, fighting to carve out a shooting lane for Isagi.
Isagi, dribbling toward the left side of the penalty area, kept scanning the field. Team Y's entire defensive setup unfolded in his mind like a bird's-eye view, a clarity he couldn't quite grasp.
'What is this?' he wondered, but there was no time to think. A flaw in Team Y's defense caught his eye: the goalkeeper, still recovering from his earlier charge out of the net, hadn't fully returned, leaving a narrow, unguarded shooting path on the left.
'Right here! If I shoot now, it's in!'
Isagi stopped his run, planted his foot, and swung his right leg back for the shot.
"I absolutely won't let you score!"
Niko, in his number 7 jersey, appeared like a ghost from the left, lunging forward and stretching his right foot out, just grazing the ball.
The shot's trajectory shifted, veering off course.
"This guy?!" Isagi gasped, stunned. He'd been ninety percent sure that shot was a goal, but Niko had chased him down and disrupted it with pinpoint timing.
Niko exhaled in relief. 'Good, I made it.' Isagi's speed wasn't overwhelming, giving Niko just enough time to catch up and block the shot. More importantly, he'd seen the same shooting lane Isagi had spotted and moved to intercept it.
A brilliant defensive play.
Team Y's players sighed in relief, their tension easing for a moment—until Niko's instincts screamed. Kira Ryosuke had vanished from his field of vision.
A sinking feeling gripped him.
"Watch out for that white-haired guy!" Niko yelled, spinning to scan the penalty area.
Too late.
Isagi's deflected shot had changed the ball's path, and Kira, ever the predator, had been tracking its potential landing spots from the moment Isagi began his dribble. As Niko's block sent the ball astray, Kira was already moving, sprinting toward the new trajectory.
Kira reached the ball first.
He raised his foot and unleashed a familiar, textbook volley. Team Y's defenders, drawn to Isagi's initial attack, were caught off guard. No one had noticed Kira's relentless, seemingly random runs around the goal area, positioning himself in impossible spots to receive a pass.
But the ball landed right there.
Boom.
Team Y's net rippled as Kira's shot buried itself in the goal.
Score: 2-1. Team Z takes the lead.
"Yeaah! Another goal!" Team Z's players roared, their cheers echoing across the Central Pitch.
Kira sprinted toward Gagamaru, leaping onto his back in a burst of celebration, hanging on like a kid as he waved his arms wildly. Gagamaru, puzzled, let Kira cling to him, figuring it was just the scorer's high.
What Gagamaru didn't know was that he'd eyed the same space for a run but held back when he saw Kira lurking near the goal like a poacher. And yet, Kira had stolen the spot and scored. Kira's playful leap was his way of smoothing things over, knowing he'd cut into Gagamaru's intended position after anticipating Isagi's shot would be deflected.
If Gagamaru knew, he'd probably shrug and mutter, 'Humans and their games… I'd rather trust my wild instincts!'
'He scored? Covered my shot again?'
Isagi stood frozen, a mix of emotions swirling as he watched his teammates celebrate. That should've been his goal. Why couldn't he finish? Did he always need Kira to bail him out?
"You've taken the lead again…"
Isagi turned to see Niko beside him, drenched in sweat but calm, analyzing the play even after the conceded goal. "I planned to score on that counter and end this match," Niko said. "I didn't expect you to see through it."
"Your counterattacks won't work at will anymore. I'll stop them," Isagi shot back, his voice firm.
Niko chuckled softly. "You and I are similar. We both have unusual vision. But you can't beat me. I'm the one who controls the match."
"What if you add me into the equation, Long-Bangs guy?"
Kira appeared between them, flashing his harmless, charming smile with a dangerous edge.
Niko flinched, visibly startled. After a tense pause, he said, "Monster. I'll prove it to you. The limits of what an ordinary person can achieve will open your eyes."
Niko still felt confident facing Isagi, but Kira was like facing a beast from another world. Not wanting to linger, he turned and jogged back to his team.
"Defeat him, Isagi. I believe in you. No one can beat the two of us combined!" Kira said, giving Isagi an encouraging grin before jogging off leisurely.
Isagi watched the two retreating figures, taking a deep breath. 'I must score a goal. Prove myself.'
…
Monitoring Room
Ego Jinpachi was absent, sidelined by a stomachache from yesterday's snack overload. Anri Teieri sat alone, pen in hand, scribbling notes as she watched the match feed with intense focus, tasked with recording every detail for Ego's later analysis.
"Wow, Team Y's defense was so decisive! The goalkeeper rushed out like that!" Anri muttered to herself. "The ball's going to number 7—eh, intercepted! It's Isagi Yoichi!"
She sighed as the play unfolded. "What a pity. Isagi's shot was blocked again… that's his second miss today. It always feels like he's just missing that little something!" Her voice lit up as the action shifted. "Well done, Kira! Perfectly timed run, precise follow-up shot."
The more Anri watched Kira, the more she was convinced he was a future superstar for Japanese football. 'It's got to be him!'
…
Central Pitch
The match raged on, both teams locked in a fierce struggle.
Team Y held possession, the ball circulating patiently in their backfield. But it always ended up at one player's feet: Ikki Niko.
Everyone in Team Z knew it. Everyone in Team Y knew they knew it. It was an open secret.
Niko was Team Y's orchestrator, the only one with the vision to launch their deadly counters. No one else could match his ability to distribute the ball.
Before, Team Z hadn't focused on Niko, caught up in their own attack. But now, things were different.
Isagi shadowed Niko relentlessly. Whenever Niko touched the ball, Isagi was there, pressing hard, choking his space. He'd pushed so far forward he was no longer a midfielder but a forward harassing Team Y's backline.
Kira, reading the shift, dropped back to cover midfield defensively. In his eyes, the match was all but won. The key now was how much Isagi could grow from this game.
Niko felt the pressure mounting. Isagi's marking made it impossible to adjust for a long pass to Hibiki Okawa. 'This won't do. We'll lose.'
'Do I have to use that?'
Niko raised his right hand high, a signal cutting through the tension.
In the distance, Okawa saw it, his expression turning grave. He abandoned his position in Team Z's half and sprinted back toward his own defense.
Kira, observing from midfield, caught the subtle change. 'It's coming,' he thought, his pulse quickening. Team Y's final, desperate counterattack before the end.
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