"Our opponent today is Koshigoe International High School. They made it to the national competition last year as qualifiers from their prefecture, though they got knocked out in the first round among the top 48 teams. Even so, their level is still far above our school's previous performances!"
"Most importantly, they have a third-year student named Fujita Shuu who's recently caught media attention. According to my research, it's mostly small tabloids writing about him, but all those tabloids call him Koshigoe International's genius."
Isshiki Iroha had clearly come well-prepared, even pulling out a photo of Fujita Shuu and pinning it to the tactical board.
"He looks kinda scrawny," Hayama Hayato commented instinctively.
Shirase Haruto also chimed in, "Even if the media tends to exaggerate for hype, being called a genius by tabloids probably means he's got some talent."
Isshiki glanced his way, her pretty eyes glinting softly as she smiled, "That's what I thought at first, but last night I found out something else. Fujita Shuu fractured his calf last year during the qualifiers. Ever since returning, he's been playing more and more cautiously. I've also heard his relationships within the team aren't great. Maybe we can exploit that."
"Playing cautiously?"
Shirase and Hayama exchanged a glance.
"I'll mark him," Hayama immediately volunteered with his usual gentle smile. "If that intel's accurate, I'll constantly pressure him physically."
Shirase had planned to say the same, but Hayama beat him to it.
Coincidentally, Hayama then turned to Shirase and added lightly, "You're stronger than me anyway. You should focus your efforts on attacking. Leave the defending to us."
"Even the strongest attacker can't do everything alone," Shirase reminded.
"I know. I'll do my best to support you," Hayama nodded seriously.
Though he said this with confidence, inwardly he wasn't so sure.
Because during recent club practices, not only Hayama but all the other club members had clearly noticed Shirase's individual abilities rapidly growing.
Whether it was stamina—which was already leagues beyond theirs—or speed, agility, even short bursts of explosive power, Shirase had pulled further and further away from the rest.
"We're gradually losing sight of his back." This was the quiet thought everyone shared.
Hayama wasn't exactly fired-up or nervous about this match crucial to the soccer club's survival, but since the captain and everyone else desperately wanted to win, he wouldn't ignore their expectations either.
To everyone else, he always appeared this way: calm, friendly, never letting anger or frustration slip.
Unlike the rest of the club, who took Hayama's calm demeanor for granted, Shirase gave him a thoughtful look but said nothing.
Isshiki's briefing reached its conclusion. "Today, we have home-field advantage, so we don't have to play at their school, but nobody should let their guard down."
"Relax, manager. None of us dares to slack off now," the captain responded tensely, his forced smile looking especially stiff.
Isshiki chuckled softly, then, as everyone began heading out, she quickly caught up to Shirase and whispered, "Make sure you win this match, Shirase."
Why don't you say that to Hayama Hayato instead?
Shirase eyed the serious-looking girl with mild confusion but eventually nodded in response.
Isshiki let herself drift to the back of the group, her eyes fixed on Shirase's figure, occasionally furrowing her brow, occasionally sighing softly.
Lately, he rarely replies to my messages anymore.
Thinking this, she couldn't help but let out another sigh.
Is it because we aren't friends yet?
But he doesn't seem to dislike me either, so shouldn't we already count as friends?
Filled with complicated feelings only a young girl could have, Isshiki hurried to catch up.
Noticing the captain was still visibly anxious, Shirase remarked casually, "The match is about to start. Don't get so nervous you can't even see the ball clearly—that'd be embarrassing."
The captain forced another smile. "I know. It's just that…"
"You'd already prepared yourself for the regretful dissolution of the soccer club, and now you find that not only is the club still alive, but it might even have a shot at nationals. Am I right?" Shirase interrupted calmly.
"…Yeah."
Seeing the captain awkwardly admit it, Shirase understood. After all, this was the captain's final year.
At this moment, another teammate suddenly whispered, "Captain, if you're really nervous, you could always sneak off to the bathroom and jerk one out first."
The captain instantly froze, as did Shirase and Hayama, both turning their heads to stare at him.
The teammate chuckled quietly, "Don't look at me like that. That's just how I usually relax. We're all guys here; there's nothing to be shy about."
"You serious?" Shirase couldn't help himself.
"I use this method to calm down all the time. How else do you think Everest got so white?"
Shirase: "...You sure know how to relax."
This guy's a madman.
A heaven-defying madman.
Shirase was speechless. Even knowing the other was joking, he still felt compelled to comment inwardly: Understanding Heaven is easy; opposing Heaven requires this man.
As the group walked out onto the field, they saw figures in uniforms already warming up.
Clearly, the Koshigoe High team had arrived early.
"We'd better hurry and warm up too," the captain immediately became serious upon seeing this.
No one disagreed.
Although it was after-school hours, most students had chosen to stay—except those uninterested in soccer or busy with other activities.
And most of those who stayed were girls.
Everyone knew very well they'd remained specifically for Shirase and Hayama.
Originally, Isshiki should have had to recruit cheerleaders herself, yet before she even lifted a finger, a large group of girls—clearly coveting Shirase and Hayama—had already eagerly volunteered.
From this alone, the allure of popular students in school was unmistakable.
Among the spectators, Shirase spotted the Nakano quintuplets and waved lightly. Aside from Nakano Miku, the other four enthusiastically waved back.
He soon noticed Hikigaya Hachiman at the back of the crowd and smiled inwardly: As expected, he stayed after all.
Kojima Kana and Kirisu Mafuyu stood near the sidelines. As sponsors and supervising teachers for the soccer club, naturally, their attendance was mandatory.
Just as Shirase finished tying his shoelaces, sizing up the supposed genius from Koshigoe High across the field, a delicate fragrance drifted toward him.
Turning around, he was surprised to find Yukinoshita Yukino beside him.
"You're interested in soccer too?" Shirase was genuinely surprised she'd stayed behind.
Yukinoshita shook her head. "My sister dragged me here to watch the match."
Haruno-san?
Shirase paused. He had no interactions whatsoever with that black-bellied older sister, did he?
At this moment, Yukino spoke softly, "My sister asked me to pass you a gift. Fujita Shuu from Koshigoe isn't actually a genius. All the tabloids' coverage about him comes from his parents paying for publicity. They desperately want professional clubs' youth academies to notice him, so they've kept buying hype to generate attention."
Shirase thoughtfully considered this. "You mean Fujita Shuu's a fraud?"
Yukino gave a faint smile. "According to my sister's research, he has some skill, but nowhere near the professional level. That's why major media outlets have stayed quiet, waiting to see more proof. Also, he has a poor relationship with teammates. Maybe because he's arrogant and lacks emotional intelligence. He had conflicts with teammates as early as last year, but the school intervened heavily to suppress them temporarily."
"Thank you for the intel," Shirase said sincerely. This was information Isshiki hadn't uncovered.
Yet Yukino's gaze suddenly grew complicated. "If you really want to thank someone, tell that to my sister after the match. But…"
She hesitated briefly, her expression somewhere between helpless and annoyed. "I should warn you: she's not easy to deal with. If you're even slightly careless, she'll wind you around her finger, and in the end, you'll just become a toy she plays with."