[96] A Demon with Brains

Beep——!

Team Shinichi: 2 Team Rebel: 0

"You've got to be kidding me. What kind of synergy was that?" In the viewing room, Raichi gaped at the screen, pointing at the two players from Team Shinichi giving each other a high-five. "The way they spun the ball—football can actually reach that level? And they understood the secret behind the opponent's passing right from the start. Instead of relying solely on their individual strengths, Shinichi adjusted perfectly to his teammate's passes... What's going on with those two?!"

"They've improved again, Hiori... Hiori." Kurona's eyes sparkled as he stared at Hiori.

Like Hiori, Kurona had struggled to shine in previous matches. He originally thought that by improving himself enough to evolve from a satellite into a planet, he could match Shinichi's pace. But in the end, he failed.

That game was almost entirely a showcase for Shinichi.

"I can't fall behind either..."

...

"They're incredible... It must be so much fun to play alongside teammates like that," a voice muttered from a shadowy corner of the viewing room.

Sitting with his knees hugged tightly to his chest, Bachira watched Shinichi and Hiori high-five, his face filled with envy. His excitement was so intense that faint wisps of smoke began to rise at his feet, but they dissipated before fully forming.

The monster in Bachira's heart... had already been slain by Shinichi.

"Maybe this is my fate..." Bachira murmured, burying his face in his arms. "Maybe I'll never find that monster again. Maybe... I'm just not cut out for Blue Lock."

At that moment, footsteps approached from a distance, finally stopping in front of Bachira.

"Bachira, what's wrong? Why aren't you up front with everyone else?" Isagi asked curiously, extending his right hand toward Bachira. "Come on. Don't sit here all alone."

"Isagi..." Bachira raised his head, his eyes flickering with a glimmer of hope as he looked toward the others.

"How... how do you all manage to coexist with the monsters inside you?"

"The monster... inside?" Seeing the others' confusion, Bachira hurriedly explained, "It's probably the kind of football I wanted to play deep down. After that match with Shinichi, the monster inside me was... destroyed by him. Now I feel lost..."

"Heh, being crushed by the strong and struggling in despair is the fate of ordinary people," muttered Karasu, who had been overpowered by Shinichi multiple times, his voice dripping with mockery. "If your passion for football was so easily shattered, it just proves you're nothing more than a mediocre player."

"The monster inside? I don't need something like that," growled Barou with a cold snort. "I'll play football the way I want to, without being influenced by anything else."

"That kind of foolish desire to 'find something' is completely meaningless," Rin added, his voice tinged with irritation as if reflecting on himself. "Without a clear, personal goal, you can't walk the path to becoming the best in the world."

"A personal... path?" Rin's words left not just Bachira but everyone in the room silent, each pondering the deeper meaning behind them.

Beep——!

The sharp whistle from the screen interrupted their thoughts. The match was still ongoing.

"Tch... got played. And it wasn't even Shinichi himself who did it," muttered Nagi, his face full of frustration as he stepped away from marking Shinichi, instead moving toward Hiori.

"This guy... I remember his weapon is his genius-level ball control ability. But the current situation is different from when we were defending against Jyubei," thought Hiori.

He didn't let a single successful pass get to his head. His eyes continued to scan the field constantly, pushing his prediction ability to its limit.

On the field, Ishikari was steadily advancing with the ball, using his physical strength to overpower Nanase bit by bit. Even when Nanase tried to force his way through and press him, Ishikari easily shielded the ball and held his position.

"The tallest high schooler, Yukio Ishikari, along with Rensuke Kunigami, Jyubei Aryu, and Seishiro Nagi... All of them have physiques above average. Compared to them, Nanase and I are at a disadvantage in both height and strength. Are they trying to turn this match into a battle of physicality?" Hiori analyzed silently.

However, not everyone on the field had the patience for this slow-paced, grinding style. Shidou, notorious for his impulsive temperament, couldn't tolerate such a turtle-paced game.

Abandoning his mark, he charged directly toward Ishikari. "Hey! You're taking way too long with the foreplay!"

"Patience is the mark of a mature man," Ishikari replied, smirking as if he had been waiting for this moment.

The instant Shidou lunged at him, he passed the ball to Kunigami, who had darted into an open space. "Being too hasty won't make you popular, you foul-mouthed virgin."

"Beautiful!" Kunigami smoothly received the pass, but Nanase had already switched defenders and was right on his tail.

"I might not fully understand Hiori's strategy," Nanase muttered to himself, "but at the very least, I can handle basic switches like this when Shidou loses his position."

"I'll do whatever I can to contribute," he resolved.

"This guy... he's someone who does the practical work for the team, huh? To think there's still someone like this left at this stage of Blue Lock!"

Kunigami gritted his teeth.

Though he had a physical advantage, unlike Ishikari, who could steadily push forward at his own pace, Kunigami's job was to score. And scoring while facing physical pressure, with a shot strong enough to beat Blue Lock's goalkeeper, was no easy task.

'But with Shidou's speed, he'll be back on defense soon. I could adjust and take on Nanase to get into my best position, but I don't have that much time. The distance is a bit far, but I've managed it during training.'

Kunigami charged forward, his brain working furiously.

'If I can just take care of this guy... None of them have played against me before, which means they don't know about my left-footed shot. They'll naturally assume I'm right-footed!'

Using this information gap to mislead their judgment, I'll score! With this in mind, Kunigami came to an abrupt halt, shifting his weight to feign a shot.

"Don't fall for it! He's left-footed!"

Just as Nanase was about to block Kunigami's right side, a voice suddenly called out from behind.

Without having time to process the reasoning behind it, Nanase instinctively braced himself on Kunigami's left side, pressing against his shoulder.

This slight physical confrontation completely disrupted Kunigami's shooting stance.

Though the shot looked powerful at first, its trajectory was way off, and the Blue Lock goalkeeper easily caught it.

Shidou, who had rushed back from behind, tapped his temple with his index finger.

"Don't mistake me for a brainless demon. Those little tricks of yours? I can figure them out just by reading your subconscious movements when I'm up against you."

"Now then, it's my turn to explode!"

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