"Attention!" announced Jin Ford, gathering the players from Dormitory 212. "In the next match, you'll be playing with the Joker."
A brief murmur passed among the players. Playing with the Joker meant going in with one extra — five against four. A rare advantage.
Moments later, the ball was placed at the center. The whistle blew.
Dormitory 127 didn't waste a second. Four passes happened before anyone from 212 could even get close.
"They're fast…" muttered Tanaka, rushing to cover the wing.
There were no dribbles. No individual brilliance. But each player seemed to know exactly where the others would be. The short, agile passes looked rehearsed — as if they'd been playing together their whole lives.
"Watch the position switches!" shouted Yuta.
Even outnumbered, Dormitory 127 played like a single unit — compact, cohesive, calm.
Kira clenched his teeth. They weren't brilliant. They were organized. And sometimes, that was worse.
Dormitory 127 advanced with calm and precision, their quick passes slicing across the field like a well-trained current. Four touches, and they were already at the edge of the opposing area, ready to strike.
Tanaka saw the cross coming in toward the top of the box.
Without hesitation, he slid in with a precise tackle — not too strong, not too soft. The ball was stripped cleanly from the attacker and rolled straight to Yuta.
"Go!" shouted Tanaka, already rising and moving.
Yuta accelerated. A defender came in front, but he cut inside with a sharp dribble. Kira approached on the right.
"Here!" he called, already moving before the pass.
Yuta sent it, and Kira returned it instantly, as if he already knew where Yuta would be.
Yuta dashed down the flank, spinning past a defender. Before another could arrive, he sent in a low cross toward the box. Min-jun, like an arrow, got in front of the defender and reached the ball with a quick touch.
With a light pass, he rolled it to the center — There he was. The Joker. Alone, face-to-face with the goal.
He blasted the ball. It flew like lightning. But before it could hit the net — a hand appeared.
Daichi Watanabe. The goalkeeper from Dormitory 127 leapt like a wild cat and deflected it with his fingertips.
"No way…" Kira muttered in disbelief.
"WHAT A SAVE!" shouted Min-jun.
Daichi wasted no time. With a precise long throw, he found the forward from Dormitory 127 already advancing down the wing.
The forward received it, took a quick look toward midfield, and passed it.
Without even looking back, the midfielder returned a through ball.
There was another attacker from 127, sprinting alone toward the open goal.
He charged forward, controlled the ball with mastery, and finished with precision.
Goal for Dormitory 127. 1–0.
Silence fell over Dormitory 212 as the opposing team celebrated their unexpected lead.
The ball started with Min-jun, who made a quick pass to Tanaka.
Tanaka moved forward and passed to Yuta, who quickly found Kira open in midfield.
Kira held the ball for a moment and sent it to the wing, where Min-jun was already in position.
Min-jun received it and, with a swift touch, passed it back to Yuta.
Without delay, Yuta sent a precise pass to the Joker, who was positioned just outside the box.
The Joker adjusted his stance and launched a powerful shot, aiming for the top corner.
It looked destined to score — But Daichi Watanabe, once again, flew with feline reflexes and deflected it.
Corner for Dormitory 212.
Kira calmly placed the ball and crossed it into the box.
The opposing defense seemed relieved, thinking the ball would fly too far.
But Tanaka rose higher than everyone and headed it down, aiming for the bottom-right corner.
The keeper dove and managed to palm it away at full stretch.
But before he could get up, Yuta arrived quickly.
The goalkeeper jumped to his feet and moved forward, trying to block the angle.
He expected a powerful shot.
But Yuta simply gave a soft tap upward.
The ball floated... and fell like a feather into the net.
The keeper could only watch.
At the last moment, Yuta smiled, watching the stunned goalkeeper still frozen.
The scoreboard now reads: Dormitory 212 — 1, Dormitory 127 — 1.