Chapter 58: The Colosseum
'Eyes can deceive you?' Isagi Yoichi carefully pondered Itoshi Rin's words, realizing why Rin had taken that direct shot from the corner: no one had been marking him, leaving the angle completely open. Kira and Aryu had drawn the entire White Team's attention.
"Oho, this guy's performance is even more stylish than mine." Aryu elegantly applauded, showing genuine admiration for Rin. Any previous competitiveness had vanished, replaced by complete respect.
Kira mentally replayed the scene. In front of the goal, Chigiri was tightly marking Aryu, while Bachira stuck to him just as closely. Isagi, the only one who could potentially defend against Rin's shot, was positioned between him and Aryu. Kira understood Isagi's reasoning—to provide cover for both of them. But this left Rin's corner kick completely unmarked.
'What if Isagi had directly marked Rin instead?' Kira ran a mental simulation and concluded the Red Team would likely still score. Whether it was Aryu or himself, neither could be fully contained by a single defender alone.
'No solution.' The current White Team simply lacked the capability to handle that scenario.
'Itoshi Rin... is really strong.' Having sorted through his thoughts, Kira's gaze toward Rin grew more solemn. The gap between them was real.
"One more goal from them, and we lose..." Chigiri murmured, sweat beading on his forehead. Aside from the goal he and Bachira had scored together, they'd had no other real chances.
"You're right, Chigiri. But if we score four goals in a row, we win, don't we?" Bachira's excitement hadn't faded; his fighting spirit burned as brightly as ever.
"Alright! Counterattack!!!" Isagi roared, readying himself for the restart.
White Team's possession.
Though all three White players were brimming with determination, the skill gap left them struggling for options. Isagi still tried to advance using triangle passes, but Bachira was still relentlessly marked by Kira.
'What to do?'
"Hey, how long are you going to keep passing like that?" Rin's voice cut through, cold and close. "Playing like that... can you even call yourself a striker?"
Isagi broke out in a cold sweat, instinctively shielding the ball as Rin closed in silently from behind. 'Rin's defending more seriously now!'
'Don't underestimate me. You're marking me so tightly, your back is full of gaps.' Isagi's eyes pinpointed the weakness, his mind issuing a silent challenge.
Bachira, near Kira, noticed the subtle shift and began dropping back, disengaging from his tussle with Kira. Seeing Bachira retreat, Kira didn't pursue.
"Bachira!!!" Isagi moved his feet, sending a diagonal back-pass to the retreating Bachira.
The moment he received the ball, Bachira didn't hesitate. He fired a pass aimed directly at the space behind Rin. Simultaneously, Isagi accelerated, bursting forward.
'I'll use this pass to pierce through the Red Team's defense.'
'I have to create the [premonition] of a goal myself.'
This was the conclusion Isagi had drawn about his own football. He couldn't just observe with his eyes; he had to actively create the scenarios where his vision could be used. This was the lesson he'd learned from Rin's corner kick goal.
"Not bad. You seem to have found a decent opening?" Rin's voice was laced with mockery.
'Huh? He caught up again?'
Isagi found Rin turning and keeping pace right beside him, their bodies now pressed close together.
"Let me teach you how to use your eyes properly! Waste of space!" Rin suddenly accelerated, instantly gaining a step on Isagi.
'How did this happen? Didn't I just get past him from behind? Why is he here? This shouldn't be possible!' Isagi's mind raced with confusion until a terrifying thought struck him.
'Unless... my [Spatial Awareness] has been completely seen through...'
'But even if he saw through it, how does he know my movements?'
'Unless... that opportunity to create a goal premonition wasn't something I found myself, but something he deliberately showed me?'
'I've been dragged into the future of the battlefield he envisioned?'
Despair filled Isagi's eyes. This was bad. With his current understanding, he couldn't even begin to measure the gap between himself and Itoshi Rin.
'Are we going to lose?'
"You two seem to be having fun."
Just as Isagi teetered on the brink of despair, a figure intervened. It was Kira. He had reached the ball before Itoshi Rin.
"You're interfering with my battlefield?" Rin's eyes were icy, his planned future disrupted by Kira's intrusion.
"Since we're guaranteed to win anyway, how about a contest? Let's see who scores this final goal first!" Kira's expression was brimming with excitement.
He too had seen the future of this play, even further than Isagi. He recognized the trap Rin had deliberately set for Isagi to fall into. Teammates or not, Kira couldn't resist stepping in to seize the ball first!
Simultaneously, he thought: 'Use Itoshi Rin Trial Card.'
[Itoshi Rin Trial Card activated successfully!]
[Vision +30 (Continuous decay)]
[Dribbling +20 (Continuous decay)]
[Shooting +20 (Continuous decay)]
[Speed +20 (Continuous decay)]
[Duration: 10 minutes]
"I don't mind playing along. Just don't waste my time like they did," Rin coldly accepted Kira's challenge.
"Hey, hey, hey, seriously, you two! Look at the situation! We're still in a match! But this is just too stylish." Aryu's eyes also shone with excitement; he'd never seen anything like this. "You two go ahead and have your contest. I'll protect our goal!"
The battle between #3 and #1. A duel this stylish was something Aryu felt compelled to facilitate.
"What... what does this mean?"
"These two are ignoring us? They're starting a 1v1 right now?" Isagi couldn't believe it.
Chigiri and Bachira watched with equally astonished expressions.
…
Monitoring Room.
"Hey, hey, Ego-san! Look! Itoshi Rin and Kira are facing off! Aren't they on the same team?" Anri was baffled. The match was all but won, so why were two teammates suddenly becoming so competitive now?
"Interesting." Ego Jinpachi watched the screen, a grin slowly forming on his face. "Ku-ku-ku... fascinating. Kira and Rin are just too interesting!"
"Anri, have you heard a certain saying?"
"What?"
"There's a saying that goes, 'Two alphas can't share the same field.' That's exactly what's happening in the Red Team right now. Both Itoshi Rin and Kira are exceptional. Rin instinctively believes he is the team's core. Meanwhile, Kira, who has always aimed to be the team leader—the locker room alpha—would never accept Rin's self-proclaimed king status. That's why he issued this challenge."
"Then why isn't Aryu participating in this contest?" Anri still didn't quite get it.
"That relates to his characteristics. In Aryu's eyes, only what's 'stylish' matters. Whoever makes the team more 'stylish' earns his support, regardless of whether it's himself or someone else."
"I see." Anri finally grasped the logic of these intense teenagers.
…
On the Pitch.
Kira planted his foot on the ball, and his entire aura underwent a subtle shift. From Isagi's perspective, Kira's expression grew colder, his eyes emitting a chilling intensity, devoid of their usual sunny warmth.
"If you still think I'm just playing around, be careful not to trip and fall," Kira said coldly.
"Less talk. Bring it on," Rin responded just as coldly.
Nearby, Isagi felt his heart leap into his throat. He seemed more nervous than they were. It was as if he were a spectator at a gladiatorial colosseum, forgetting that he, too, was still in the match.
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