Team Z vs. Team W
Score: 1 - 0
The game restarted. The air on the pitch felt heavy, thick with the invisible slime of collusion.
Isagi stood near the sideline, his eyes narrowed into slits. The "Grid" in his mind was active, but it was showing him something disgusting.
Look at them, Isagi thought, watching the Wanima brothers moving up the field. They aren't even looking at the ball. They're looking at Kuon.
Team W possessed the ball. The younger Wanima brother, Keisuke, dribbled slowly.
Raichi charged at him. "I'll take that!"
Keisuke passed instantly to his brother, Junichi.
They moved around Raichi like water flowing around a rock.
But then, something strange happened.
Junichi had a clear path to the goal. But he stopped. He waited.
He looked at Kuon, who was "defending" near the penalty box.
Kuon made a subtle hand gesture. Not yet. Me first.
Junichi smirked and "accidentally" kicked the ball too far ahead.
It rolled right to Kuon's feet.
"I got it!" Kuon shouted, acting the hero. "Counter-attack!"
Kuon sprinted down the field.
Isagi watched with cold detachment. The Team W defenders were running alongside Kuon, pretending to jostle him, but Isagi saw the gap. They were leaving a corridor exactly one meter wide—perfect for Kuon to run through.
It's a red carpet, Isagi thought. They might as well throw confetti.
Kuon reached the goal. He shot.
GOAL.
Team Z: 2 - Team W: 0
"Yes!!" Kuon pumped his fist. "That's two! We're crushing them!"
Igarashi jumped on Kuon's back. "You're a god, Kuon! You're carrying us!"
Isagi didn't move. He stood at the halfway line.
Bachira trotted over to him. "Isagi... it feels weird."
"It's a script," Isagi muttered. "He needs three. One more."
Kickoff.
Team W gave the ball away immediately.
Kuon picked it up. He ran. He shot.
GOAL.
Team Z: 3 - Team W: 0
Hat-Trick.
The Team Z bench went wild. "3-0! We win! We're definitely winning!"
Kuon stood in the center, basking in the applause. He wiped "sweat" from his brow.
"I did my part, guys!" Kuon beamed. "I'm exhausted though... I might need to rest on defense."
Isagi felt a vein pop in his temple.
There it is. The exit strategy.
Kuon had secured his 3 goals. Now, he was the top scorer of Team Z. Even if Team Z lost 3-4, Kuon would be the survivor.
"Alright," Isagi whispered, cracking his knuckles. "The play is over. Now comes the tragedy."
Team W restarted the game.
Suddenly, the Wanima brothers changed. Their eyes sharpened. Their speed doubled.
They weren't jogging anymore. They were sprinting.
They tore through Team Z's midfield.
Raichi was bypassed. Gagamaru was beaten.
They reached the defense. Kuon was the last line of defense.
"I'll stop you!" Kuon yelled, diving in.
He "slipped."
He fell flat on his face, leaving the path wide open.
"Oops!" Kuon cried out.
The Wanima brothers ran past him, laughing.
One-two pass.
Shot.
GOAL.
Team Z: 3 - Team W: 1
"Don't worry!" Kuon yelled from the ground. "My bad! We still have a 2-goal lead!"
Isagi stared at Kuon lying in the grass.
You're a terrible actor, Kuon. Your center of gravity was perfectly balanced. You threw yourself on the ground.
Isagi looked at the clock.
They have plenty of time to score three more. Unless I kill their script.