Team Z sat gathered in the meeting room, all eyes on the tactical board.
Kuon was leading the session.
"Our next opponent is Team W."
"They've lost twice, once to Team V and once to Barou's Team X so they're sitting in fourth place," he explained.
"So that means they've got no chance of finishing top two," Isagi reasoned. "The only way anyone from their team advances is if their top scorer gets picked."
"Exactly," Kuon nodded. "And that means they'll play desperate. The key figures for W are these two the Samejima brothers."
The screen lit up with two faces that looked almost identical yet hilariously different. One had practically no eyebrows and a goofy grin; the other's brows were so thick they looked angry at the whole world.
The moment Ryan saw them, he burst out laughing.
"Pfft these two are comedy gold! One's got no brain, the other's got no chill!"
Everyone tried to hold it in … and failed. Laughter rippled around the room before they forced themselves back to seriousness out of courtesy even if the twins' faces were objectively funny.
Only Chigiri frowned, his eyes widening slightly. He looked like he'd seen a ghost.
Ryan noticed immediately.
"What's up, Chigiri? You know those two?"
Chigiri hesitated, a hint of bitterness flashing across his face before he finally nodded.
"Yeah … they were my seniors on my old team. Back before my injury, I earned my starting spot by beating them. After I got hurt, though, they never stopped mocking me. I wasn't innocent either. I used to look down on everyone because of my talent. I guess getting kicked while I was down was my punishment."
Ryan crossed his arms and smirked.
"Well, that's pretty mature of you being able to face your own flaws. Guess that injury wasn't all bad, huh? You grew from it. Look at me I've never once let my overwhelming talent make me arrogant. Always humble, always polite. When you reach my level of enlightenment, that's true growth."
Chigiri gave him a deadpan look.
"Everything you said up until halfway was fine then you started sounding like a fifty-year-old monk. You're only like a year older than me, not decades older. And let's be real, you're the most arrogant, impolite guy I've ever met."
Ryan gasped dramatically.
"Chigiri … you bad man! How could you expose me like this in front of everyone? Now they'll think I'm a fraud, a liar I … I can't go on living like this … boohoohoo …"
He covered his face and fake-cried loudly.
Everyone knew he was faking, but none dared say it; they all joined the act to humor him.
Isagi was the first to step forward.
"Honestly, Chigiri, how could you say that to Ryan? He's so kind, so selfless, so powerful, a true big brother who always encourages us! It's not like he beat up everyone on the first day, or destroyed us all on the second … and yet you made him cry! You'd better apologize with a seppuku of repentance!"
Chigiri immediately went along with it.
"I'm sorry! I spoke ill of such a noble soul! I'm not worthy to live! Nothing I do can atone for my sin, so … I must commit seppuku right here!"
"No, don't! I forgive you, Chigiri! Please, live on!"
Whatever the others thought, Ryan was clearly having the time of his life. Man, he thought, if I ever quit football, I could win an Oscar in a heartbeat.
He leaned close to Isagi and whispered,
"Next time, use more adjectives when you praise me. That speech barely scratched the surface of my brilliance."
"Sorry," Isagi muttered, scratching his head. "Japanese wasn't my best subject."
Ryan waved it off.
"Never mind. I'm not a petty guy. Just, you know, work on it."
Kuon cleared his throat, bringing the meeting back on track.
"The Samejima brothers' specialty is coordination. They dominated Team Y, the same team with Niko and scored four goals between them. Their chemistry, timing, and positioning make them deadly together."
"But," Kuon continued, "alone, they're powerless."
"So," Isagi said, "we cut their link."
"Exactly," Kuon nodded. "That's the key to victory.
Also, we need to fix our coordination issues. Last game's nine-man rotation wasted too much time on poor sync. So next match, we'll run a three-forward system, thirty minutes per rotation, three sets total.
Ryan will stay as our free agent, moving however he wants, linking up with the trio or going solo.
This new setup where every trio shines in turn is called the 3×3 All-Star Strategy!"
"…That's the lamest name I've ever heard," Isagi said flatly.
"Yeah," Nariyoshi added. "You thought hard about that and came up with this?"
Igarashi patted Kuon's shoulder.
"I think it's great."
"You … you get me, Igarashi!" Kuon's eyes shimmered.
From the back, Iemon raised a hand.
"Uh, am I seriously gonna be goalkeeper forever?"
"If you want to switch, sure," Kuon replied.
Ryan chimed in casually.
"Igarashi could try it. He's tall, flexible, quick on reaction."
"Me?" Igarashi blinked.
"Yeah, try it. Think about it, Iemon's been stuck in goal two straight matches even though he's a forward. It's tragic. If you take his place, you'd be doing him a huge favor."
Ryan's voice was honeyed persuasion.
"…You're right," Igarashi said slowly. "Iemon does look pitiful. Alright, I'll do it! …Though something feels off about this …"
"Off? No way! You're making a noble sacrifice for the team, a true act of friendship. We'll all remember it, won't we, Iemon?"
Iemon nodded eagerly.
"Yeah! I'm really grateful, Igarashi!"
Isagi watched the whole exchange, thinking Ryan could probably start a cult if he wanted to people would follow him anywhere.
Kuon turned back to Chigiri.
"By the way, Chigiri, since you know the Samejima twins personally, got any extra intel on them?"
Chigiri shook his head.
"No, you've covered everything. Kuon, your analysis is spot-on. You'd make an amazing coach someday."
Kuon blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh, uh … thanks."
Ryan leaned over with a sly grin.
"See, Kuon? Look at him pretty face, long hair, soft voice. When he says something like that, what guy could resist? You blushing already?"
Kuon froze. "W-What no!"
Chigiri's eyes narrowed. "Ryan, you bastard! I still haven't paid you back for that time you peeked at me in the shower!"
Ryan threw up his hands defensively.
"H-hey, that wasn't my idea! You obviously look like a guy! It was … Kunigami! Yeah, he said, 'Is Chigiri really a dude?' and made me check! He's huge if I refused, he'd have beaten me up! I had no choice!"
Everyone turned to Kunigami. His face went scarlet.
"Ryan, you liar! I would never say that! I'm a hero of justice! I'd never order anyone to spy on someone showering!"
He stood up, fists clenched.
"Say that again and I'll knock you out!"
Ryan immediately bolted, circling the table to keep distance.
Chigiri joined the chase, furious.
Then Bachira, who had been napping in his chair, woke up groggily.
"Huh? What are you guys doing playing tag? I wanna play too!"
He jumped in, joining the chaotic pursuit.
The once-orderly meeting room erupted into chaos.
Isagi watched the scene Ryan being chased by three people around the room and sighed.
"This team's doomed."
In the end, none of them managed to catch Ryan.
Panting and triumphant, he struck a victory pose.
"Hahaha! I told you I'm invincible! You'll never catch me! Eat my dust!"
Laughing like a maniac, he strutted out of the room, his laughter echoing down the hallway.
Bachira chuckled softly. It had been a long time since he'd laughed that freely, not the joy of football, but the simple, childish joy of playing with friends.
Chigiri and Kunigami sat on the floor, out of breath and blank-eyed.
It had just been a bit of horseplay but watching Ryan leave so smugly felt more humiliating than losing ten matches in a row.
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