Chapter 54: What, You Get Triggered Just From a Little Trash Talk?
"What was that? What was that move just now!?"
Team Z stood frozen in disbelief, unable to process Nagi's impossible touch-and-shot.
This was the gap—
The difference between a genius and everyone else.
"See now? You guys can't possibly beat us. My Nagi is a once-in-a-lifetime genius—
a genius among geniuses.
You, Ryosuke Kira, might be strong for Team Z, but compared to my Nagi?
You're nowhere close."
Reo walked right up to Kira, grinning provocatively, not even bothering to hide his contempt.
But Kira remained perfectly calm.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. That goal was clean…
but bro, you do know you didn't score it, right?
Why are you so excited?
Someone who doesn't know better would think you were the one who scored."
"…Huh?"
Reo's eyebrow twitched violently.
"And another thing—you keep saying 'my Nagi, my Nagi' like you can't live without him.
Are you obsessed or something?"
Kira's tone was mild, steady—deadly.
In the original story, Reo really did turn into a walking madness engine over Nagi.
Trash talk is part of competitive sports.
It lifts your own morale—and cracks the opponent's.
And Reo's mentality was notoriously fragile.
Besides, after only one goal, Team V was already acting superior.
Kira had no reason to stay silent.
"Well said!"
Bachira chimed in, laughing.
"You little—!"
Just two lines were enough to crack Reo's composure wide open.
He lunged forward, ready to headbutt Kira, but Zantetsu grabbed him.
"Calm down, Reo. This is a match.
If you get a yellow card now, that'll be a problem."
Zantetsu's words forced Reo to regain control.
Then he immediately plastered a sneer back onto his face, hurling more trash talk:
"I'll show you the gap between us!
Football's so-called 'treasure'?
I'm going to crush you under my feet!
Nagi's goal should've made the difference clear!"
"Yeah? Then come try."
Kira smiled lightly and turned to his teammates.
"You saw Nagi's trap-and-shot, right? Anyone scared?"
"It was crazy strong, yeah.
But that just makes it fun, doesn't it?"
Bachira grinned.
"That means we beat them fair and square."
Kunigami's expression stayed firm.
"We're not necessarily losing."
Isagi clenched a fist, eyes burning.
If they were the old Team Z, that goal would've destroyed their morale.
But not anymore.
Now, Nagi's display only fueled their hunger for survival—
and victory.
Advancing didn't matter.
Winning this match did.
"These guys… They're pissing me off.
They seriously think they can win."
Reo felt himself grow increasingly irritated—
Team Z's spirit hadn't been crushed.
If anything, it burned even brighter.
"So troublesome.
More and more troublesome."
Nagi murmured lazily.
"Alright.
Then it's our turn to attack."
Kira narrowed his eyes, locking onto V Team's goal.
Team Z began pressing forward again.
Bachira dribbled, with Kira and Isagi offering support.
"So Kira's joining the offense?
This is Team Z's first real coordinated attack."
Despite his earlier arrogance, Reo did not slack off in the actual match.
He analyzed the field sharply.
The triangle of Kira–Bachira–Isagi formed a threatening shape.
Reo searched for the weak point.
Kira was undeniably strong—
but the others were weaker.
"If I just cut Kira off from the play, that's enough!"
Reo calculated coldly:
"Isagi's vision is good, but his dribbling and speed are mediocre.
He's only a relay point in this triangle."
"So the best move is to double-team Bachira and force the pass—
he'll pass either to Isagi or to Kira."
"Isagi can't attack on his own.
He'll have no choice but to return it to Kira."
"Therefore, as long as Kira is locked down,Team Z has no threat."
His lips curled.
Reo lunged toward Kira and signaled his teammates to surround Bachira, cutting every passing lane toward Kira.
"Ryosuke Kira!
You'll never touch the ball in front of me!
I'll make you see the gulf between us!"
Reo hissed in Kira's ear.
"In the match against Team Y,
someone said the exact same thing."
Kira turned slightly, gazing at Reo with quiet confidence.
Even with every path blocked, he looked utterly unfazed—
still moving in a straight line toward the goal.
"You're bluffing."
But Reo could sense it—
This man wasn't bluffing.
Wait—
A gust of wind brushed past him.
Kira had moved.
In the blink of an eye, he exploded forward with terrifying speed, sweeping past Reo as if he weren't even there.
"What!?"
Reo's mind went blank.
He knew Kira was fast.
The footage and the earlier play had already proven that.
But now he had the positional advantage.
The passing lane was cut off.
He should've completely shut Kira down.
But—
He was wrong.
Kira was faster—
much faster
than Reo had imagined.
Even faster than when he chased down Zantetsu.
"What is this guy planning!?"
For the first time, panic flickered across Reo's face.
"PASS OVER THERE!"
And in Bachira's ear—
the voice of a monster roared again.