You Call Yourself a Genius, but You're Nothing Special

"Nagi Seishiro's Super Ball Control has already reached the level of a monster... and Kira Ryosuke's astonishing headers are the same."

Teieri Anri couldn't help swallowing hard.

"This is basically a match between two monsters, isn't it?"

"That's right. They're both monsters, but only one of them will survive the fight to the end."

As Ego Jinpachi spoke, his right leg began to tremble uncontrollably.

In reality, after only a few exchanges of offense and defense, Ego Jinpachi was already burning with excitement.

This match was more thrilling than every match that had come before.

"What a shot!"

"That was so cool, Kira! You caught even that!"

"Looks like Team V isn't all that impressive after all!"

The other members of Team Z rushed over, surrounding Kira Ryosuke as they cheered and celebrated together.

"Don't celebrate too soon. It's not over yet."

Kira Ryosuke replied calmly,

"Nagi Seishiro is probably about to get serious. We can't let our guard down yet."

Kira Ryosuke raised his head and looked over—

At that very moment, his gaze met Nagi Seishiro's.

"Damn it, what the hell is that guy?"

Mikage Reo ground his teeth, the corners of his eyes twitching.

This was the first time he had felt a sense of crisis, as though failure were waving to him right in front of him.

From childhood onward, Mikage Reo, the son of a wealthy family, had always been able to obtain whatever he wanted. Victory was no exception. He had never experienced the feeling of failure.

But now, he had lost his certainty. His intense pride made it impossible for Mikage Reo to accept failure as the outcome.

He had to win.

Nagi Seishiro turned his head and shifted his gaze to Mikage Reo. It was the first time he had seen Mikage Reo make such an expression.

That also made Nagi Seishiro take a little interest in the match.

The previous matches had been too boring for Nagi Seishiro. The biggest reason was that they offered no competition at all. Victory had been nothing more than something he could pick up effortlessly.

Barou Shoei's individual ability was decent, but his team was a complete mess and posed no threat. As for the other two teams, neither had anyone who could make Nagi Seishiro feel even the slightest sense of danger.

Just like a game—only challenges made it fun.

And now, Nagi Seishiro felt challenged for the first time. Kira Ryosuke was like a boss he needed to conquer himself.

This was getting a little interesting.

"Reo, pass to me more from now on."

Nagi Seishiro spoke to Mikage Reo.

"Nagi..."

Mikage Reo was somewhat surprised. This was the first time Nagi Seishiro had taken the initiative to express his desire to participate in the attack. He quickly nodded.

"Okay, I'll find a way to create opportunities! We'll definitely show that Kira Ryosuke what we're capable of!"

"Yeah."

Nagi Seishiro nodded.

Team V launched another attack, but this time, it was no longer Mikage Reo who dribbled the ball. It was Nagi Seishiro.

Nagi Seishiro had finally gotten serious.

He blew past Isagi Yoichi at incredible speed. Bachira Meguru immediately came over to cover, but Nagi Seishiro easily slipped past him with a nutmeg.

"Is this guy really that good at dribbling too?!"

Raichi Jingo couldn't help exclaiming in amazement.

Just as the others moved in to defend against Nagi Seishiro, he suddenly hooked the ball with his right foot and passed it to Tsurugi Zantetsu on the wing.

"Sorry for the trouble."

"This is the first time I've seen you make a request."

Tsurugi Zantetsu smiled faintly, then immediately surged down the wing at top speed.

Nagi Seishiro also began making an off-ball run, heading straight for Team Z's goal!

You Call Yourself a Genius, but You're Nothing Special

"Stop him!"

Chigiri Hyoma had already positioned himself in front of Tsurugi Zantetsu at top speed, preventing him from shooting.

But Tsurugi Zantetsu had no intention of shooting. Instead, he passed the ball—with just as much power behind it.

The target was Nagi Seishiro!

"There's no way he can catch it from that angle!"

The members of Team Z immediately formed a wall in front of Nagi Seishiro. Catching this pass was even more difficult than the previous one!

And even if Nagi Seishiro used his powerful ball-control technique to bring it down, he shouldn't have any room to shoot!

But what Nagi Seishiro excelled at most was creating possibilities out of the impossible.

He leaped high into the air and caught the ball midair—but in the next instant, the ball merely touched his heel before bouncing up again. It was completely different from his earlier touch, which had made the ball stick to him as if absorbed.

"Did he mess up?!"

Kuon Shosei, defending directly in front of him, thought this was the perfect opportunity to steal the ball.

But Nagi Seishiro's expression remained completely calm.

This wasn't a mistake. He had done it deliberately.

Nagi Seishiro spun his body in midair. His incredible jumping ability gave him ample hang time, allowing him to perform a series of unimaginable movements!

At that moment, Nagi Seishiro seemed to be dancing in the air.

Spin, then shoot!

This was a position close to the blind spot, but Nagi Seishiro still seized that brief opportunity.

His powerful kick sent the ball flying with pinpoint accuracy like a cannonball!

Iemon threw himself forward at once, but the tricky angle allowed the ball to slip past his fingertips.

No one could have imagined that Nagi Seishiro would be able to shoot from this position at such an angle!

In the original story, Team Z had been able to defeat Team V not only because they had awakened and fought with their backs to the wall to finish the match in extra time, but also because Nagi Seishiro hadn't taken the first half seriously at all. He had only begun playing seriously after the second half was already more than halfway over.

If Nagi Seishiro had gone all out from the beginning, the outcome might have been impossible to predict.

But now, with the first half having only just begun, Nagi Seishiro had been affected by Kira Ryosuke's performance and entered a serious state.

A serious Nagi Seishiro was virtually unstoppable!

"No!"

Iemon shouted in regret. If Team V equalized at this moment, the match would definitely become much more difficult.

But just then, a figure suddenly appeared behind Iemon.

Kira Ryosuke!

He understood Nagi Seishiro's ability better than anyone. The position just now had not been suitable for cutting off the pass, so Kira Ryosuke had rushed toward the goalmouth at top speed.

Nagi Seishiro's shot had found the only blind spot—

And Kira Ryosuke was the final barrier!

Using the explosive power granted by Thunderclap and Flash, Kira Ryosuke threw himself into the air. He twisted his body sideways and blocked the ball at the instant it was about to cross the goal line!

Clearance successful!

"Kira!"

Iemon shouted Kira Ryosuke's name as though he had narrowly escaped death. If not for Kira Ryosuke, Team V would have had a chance to equalize.

"How is that possible? He could clear even that shot?!"

Mikage Reo cried out in disbelief. Kira Ryosuke's clearance should have been completely impossible.

Nagi Seishiro also widened his eyes as he watched the ball fly away.

This was the first time one of his shots had been stopped.

None of the teams in the previous three matches had managed to do that.

Kira Ryosuke was the first.

But Nagi Seishiro didn't feel discouraged at all. Instead, a little more excitement began to burn in his heart.

"Soccer... seems pretty interesting after all."

He muttered to himself.

After Kira Ryosuke cleared the ball, it soared high into the air. Igaguri, tall and powerfully built, won possession and immediately passed it to Bachira Meguru!

Team V's attack had failed. Now it was Team Z's turn to counterattack!

"Defend it no matter what!"

Mikage Reo shouted. Now, they were the team being forced into a desperate situation.

If Team Z scored again, the score would widen to 3–1. Turning the match around in the second half would then become much more difficult!

No matter what, they had to keep the score from getting any worse.

"Counterattack!"

Bachira Meguru had only just dribbled the ball past midfield when, in that instant, he instinctively felt a chill run down his back, as though every cell in his body were warning him that an extremely dangerous presence was behind him.

He turned his head slightly and saw Tsurugi Zantetsu charging toward him at terrifying speed.

"Absolutely—absolutely not letting you attack however you want!"

Tsurugi Zantetsu spoke with an unusually serious expression, an exaggerated sense of pressure radiating from him.

"What a persistent guy!"

Bachira Meguru said with a grin. The stronger the opponent, the more excited he became. He deftly controlled the ball at his feet and spun around to prevent Tsurugi Zantetsu from stealing it from behind, then quickly passed it away.

Kira Ryosuke had quietly arrived in the center!

"Just what position are you playing in this match!?"

Mikage Reo stuck tightly to Kira Ryosuke. Even defending alone had already drained a considerable amount of his stamina.

Kira Ryosuke had appeared on the defensive line earlier to make the clearance, but now he was charging forward alongside the attackers.

In Mikage Reo's eyes, Kira Ryosuke seemed like an all-rounder.

What puzzled Mikage Reo most was Kira Ryosuke's terrifying stamina.

He had sprinted from almost the goal line in his own half all the way to midfield, participating in both offense and defense. That should have consumed an enormous amount of energy. Even Mikage Reo was nearly exhausted from merely marking Kira Ryosuke, yet the other boy still seemed to have stamina to spare.

This guy was a monster!

Mikage Reo now realized that everything he had said earlier was completely wrong. He had seriously underestimated Kira Ryosuke.

That guy had entered the same realm as Nagi Seishiro.

Kira Ryosuke leaned forward and suddenly looked as though he were about to accelerate. Mikage Reo instinctively shifted his center of gravity backward:

"This time, there's no way I'm letting you get past me!"

But Kira Ryosuke didn't break through with speed. It looked as if he were carrying the ball forward, but he pressed the tip of his foot against its side, making it spin and roll backward.

It had only been a feint!