Chapter 47: The Same Trap
"Great pass, Kira!"
Bachira controlled Kira's pass and immediately scanned his surroundings.
A triple press?
Because of the equalizer, Team V was pressing even more aggressively. With time running out, they had to fight harder than ever to seize their chance. Bachira desperately wanted to drive forward, but he noticed his breathing was becoming ragged.
His stamina was failing him. This match was too intense; the physical exertion immense. Especially for a dribbler like Bachira, each fancy move to beat his man took a massive toll. His mind wanted to keep going, but his body refused to obey, forcing him to pass the ball again.
His target was Isagi, who was making an off-the-ball run.
The ball flew through a gap between the opposing defenders, and Isagi perfectly received the pass.
Isagi felt a surge of excitement. Everything so far was unfolding exactly as planned. Every player's move had fallen into place within his mental scenario.
Now, the next step — face Reo's defensive cover!
"Don't even think about getting past me! I've seen right through your plans!" Reo appeared, his eyes flashing with a sharp glint.
"So you finally came…" Isagi's lips curved into a grin as he began dribbling, looking as though he was ready to challenge Reo head-on.
"Tch, don't think I don't know what you're up to," Reo said confidently, convinced he had completely deciphered Isagi's intent. "From the moment you passed to Chigiri, you anticipated that Nagi would intercept. You also knew that your teammate Kira would read that interception point. So, after making that pass, you immediately began your run."
"After Kira and Chigiri pulled the defenders away, you knew Kira's best option was to pass to Bachira on the right flank. With Bachira's skill, he'd attract multiple defenders, and all you had to do was appear here in the center — the open gap in our midfield would become your golden scoring chance."
"Unfortunately for you, I've seen through it all! You won't get a single shot off today!"
"Not bad. You guessed most of it," Isagi said. "But who said I was going to shoot from here? What if I'm passing instead?"
With that, Isagi Yoichi swung his leg with power.
No way.
Reo's jaw dropped. 'A pass? Damn it, did he even predict that I'd be here providing cover?!'
As Reo followed the ball's trajectory, he noticed something familiar about it — the same kind of topspin he'd used to feed Nagi earlier.
'A topspin pass? No way… could it be?!'
"Nagi, watch out Kira!!" Reo shouted.
Nagi had already begun his run, but Kira had moved a step earlier. Kira was clearly faster.
Still, Nagi didn't panic. He'd analyzed the pass; it was an extremely difficult ball to control. Confidently, he thought, 'Aside from me, no one on this field could possibly trap that cleanly and shoot right away.' He could already imagine Kira fumbling it and the ball rolling out of play.
But the next second shattered that expectation.
Kira's legs pushed off the ground, launching his body into the air. For a brief instant, he seemed suspended mid-air. Then, with the outside of his right foot, he stopped the spinning ball dead! As he landed, he twisted and fired a powerful volley.
Boom!
Team V's defenders froze. The goalkeeper stared blankly as the ball rocketed into the net.
You've got to be kidding me!
Who could've predicted it — let alone stopped it?
The Team V goalkeeper just stood there, stunned. 'What did I do to deserve this?'
Score: 5–4.
Team Z took the lead again.
"Great goal, Kira!!!" Igaguri yelled from afar, having witnessed Kira's flawless trap and finish.
Isagi grinned. Sure enough, Kira hadn't lied — he could handle even the most difficult passes. 'What a monster.'
While Isagi marveled at Kira's skill, he also recognized something stirring within himself. Everything that had just unfolded on the field had followed his vision perfectly. 'If I can orchestrate a path for Kira to score… then I can create one for myself too.' The thought sent a thrill down his spine.
"Beautiful pass, Isagi!" Kira ran over, high-fiving him in celebration.
Meanwhile, Kira was quietly astonished.
'This Nagi's talent is absurd. Just now, it felt like I broke free from gravity. I could control every muscle in my body, down to the smallest detail — legs, torso, balance — everything. So this is how Nagi manages to use his tall frame for those impossible traps.'
Reo stared, dumbfounded, at the celebrating Team Z players.
'That Kira… he just pulled off the same trap as Nagi?! And his speed, technique, dribbling, and passing — all better? How's that even scientifically possible? How many gifts did God give this guy? Leave some talent for the rest of us!'
Reo felt his sanity slipping. None of it made sense.
Nagi was equally stunned. Until now, he'd always won by putting in minimal effort. But today, even his full strength might not be enough.
And yet — unlike Reo — Nagi felt no urge to retreat. Instead, he was exhilarated.
'So this is what makes football fun, huh?'
"Reo, wanna answer them with a goal?" The fighting spirit in Nagi's eyes hadn't dimmed one bit.
"Huh? Nagi?" Every time Reo started to question reality, Nagi's voice pulled him back.
"I said… let's answer them with a goal!"
Reo's expression snapped back into focus. "Alright, I'm with you!"
Second half. Five minutes remaining.
Team V's goalkeeper sighed internally. 'Honestly, I wanted to clock out ages ago. We've already qualified, so why are we still fighting?'
'I've been eating goals all match," he thought miserably. 'I swear, I feel like one of those nameless mob background characters in a manga — just standing there, doing my job, getting scored on while the main characters shine and look cool!'
But he didn't dare say it aloud. The rest of Team V hadn't given up yet. So, he gritted his teeth, picked up the ball, and threw it to Reo.
"Charge, Reo!"
Having done his part, he silently prayed for the match to end so he could finally grab a drink. He was so thirsty.
After receiving the ball, Reo quickly assessed the field.
A huge kick forward — a long pass launched from their own half into enemy territory!
Team Z's players were caught off guard. The kick was on par with what they'd faced from Niko's Team Y. As expected of the all-round prodigy Reo Mikage — he wasn't lacking in any area.
Isagi immediately saw through Reo's intention. The long pass wasn't meant for the speedy Zantetsu.
It was for Nagi!
Isagi turned his head — Nagi was already ahead. Team Z had barely finished celebrating their goal when the opposing keeper restarted play with lightning speed. It seemed Team V's keeper had a knack for reading the flow of the match. 'One wonders what he'd think if he heard that compliment.'
Isagi started sprinting to catch up.
Nagi slowed his pace slightly. Just as Isagi was analyzing whether he'd control with his left or right foot, Nagi used his back to cushion the incoming ball — then kept dribbling forward.
'A back trap…?! No way!'
Isagi was stunned. In all his time playing football, he'd never seen anything like it. 'You can even trap the ball with your back?!'
In an instant, Nagi bypassed Isagi and surged ahead alone. Team Z's defenders hadn't recovered in time.
Just when it looked like Nagi would have a one-on-one with the keeper, Kira appeared out of nowhere.
A sliding tackle.
Precise. Clean. Perfect. The ball was cleared out of bounds.
"Tch, you again. Why are you always getting in my way…" Nagi frowned slightly.
Kira brushed the dust from his shorts and stood up. "Maybe stop being so flashy all the time."
At that moment, Nagi finally recognized Kira as his strongest opponent yet.
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As I promised, here's your extra chapter...