The locker room of team B smelled of ambition. Kaito observed Ren Tsukimoto by the reflections in the mirror - the boy pretended to stretch while counting how many steps each player took between the shelves.
Now, with the decisive test against the first team starting in 20 minutes, Ren approached like a shadow trail:
- They will play in the classic 4-4-2, he whispered, the glasses reflecting the diagram he had drawn on the forearm with a ballpoint pen. "The left steering wheel is a little slow - press him that the defense falls."
Kaito arched an eyebrow:
- "Since when do you see tactics?"
Ren smiled - for the first time, a calculated, not nervous gesture:
- "Always. But geniuses need sheep to sacrifice, don't they?"
The whistle echoed.
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15' - First Goal: The Ricochet Trap,
Ren "stumbled" on the side like a beginner, his clemsy body turning 270 degrees. The ball rolled aimlessly - until:
- 0.3s before the defender arrives, his "accidental" foot created a perfect 37-degree ricochet
- The impact on the opponent's heel sent the ball in a blind arc
- Kaito was already running at the exact point where she would fall.
Without adjusting the step, he connected a dry shot. Stuffed net before the goalkeeper blinks.
33' - Second Goal: The Physics of Illusion
In a counterattack, Ren "missed" such a grotesque pass that:
- It seemed destined for the stands until it bounced on the referee's shoulder
- The unpredictable trajectory deceived even the people who watched the match
- She fell dead on Kaito's left foot
The volley scraped the crossbar with an inverted effect - a technique that only Haruto had taught him.
Interval - The Game Within the Game
While the other players spit blood, Ren drew on the ice of the bottle:
- "They are testing your endurance, not your talent."
Kaito spat on the floor:
- "So let's put on a show."
78' - Third Goal: Checkmate Calculated
Ren faked a dramatic cramp. When the doctor examined him, he whispered:
- "Cai... left... now."
Two passes later:
1. His "desperate kick" hit the pole at the perfect angle
2. The ball returned to the expected trajectory
3. Kaito finished on the rebound
The goalkeeper fell to the left - his injured knee betrayed him exactly as Ren had predicted.
Final Score: 3x2 - Defeat choreographed with surgical precision.
Coach Nakahara bit the whistle:
- "You are either the worst actors or the best players I've ever seen."
- "Nakahara called everyone in a corner and spoke"
- "Everyone went well, they're all approved!.
- Everyone gave a smile from the corner of their face.
- So Nakahara commented.
- "Don't be so happy, he said with a smile on his face, I asked the opposing team to take it easy on you."
- "That's not the main team, but the reserve of the reserves, that is, even if you played everything you know, they wouldn't win or the starting team"
- "Everything you will learn they already master and very well".
- Everyone was amazed and angry at what he said, Takeshi Saito got up, went near the technician and pulled him by the shirt and spoke in a loud and clear tone
- "You bastard!, are you underestimating us? , so why did we pass this test?
- Nakahara smiled and said
- "You were better in this test than those who are in the professional, with me in charge you will overcome them and become the best Japanese generation that this country and the world has seen so far!
- Then Takeshi lets go of him with his back and with a slight smile says
- "So I can't wait to end everyone who crosses my path!
- Nakahara sighed, and congratulated them
—" So guys for today that's it, I'll see you at tomorrow's training!".
---
At the exit of the stadium, under the Osaka rain, Kaito cornered Ren against the concrete walls:
- "Who the hell are you?"
Ren took off his glasses (lenses without degree, just to disguise) and revealed sharp eyes like razors:
- " you are... "The Great Prodigious midfielder of our generation." - Ren played a 10-page report about Kaito -
"You're an interesting guy, I have a lot of expectations of you, don't disappoint me Kaito Shirogane, and maybe you are
"...The only striker who will be worth my passes."
The document included up to:
- Your breathing pattern during dribbles
- The exact angle (47 degrees) of your finishes
- How many steps did he take before spitting on the lawn?
- "Why the theater?"
Ren smiled like a satisfied predator:
- "Because legends need to prove that they deserve the top."
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