[4] 3-0, A Turning Point?

Shinichi frowned as he noticed Isagi looking somewhat dazed.

According to Ego Jinpachi's theory, when a goal is set too high, anxiety disrupts the balance with focus, making it difficult for someone to reach their optimal state, the so-called "flow."

"Maybe I'm putting too much pressure on him? No, I can't think like that." Shinichi quickly dismissed the thought.

He'd already held back as much as he could.

Sure, if he eased up further, Isagi might find it easier to get into the flow, but displaying talent only under those conditions wouldn't be worth the effort it would take Shinichi to truly push himself against.

Shinichi had to admit he'd been a bit too presumptive. Isagi's current skill level was simply too lacking, and he had no real understanding of his own "weapons."

Even though Isagi had evolved once in the story and could properly use his spatial awareness, to someone like Shinichi, with the "strategist" trait, it was of no value.

"Based on my own assessment, my control over the field should be second only to surpassing vision itself. It's possible that even Rin can't satisfy me now. After all, Rin's current field control isn't much different from the newly awakened Egoist, Isagi, and in the end, he could only rely on luck to win."

Shinichi shook his head. "A mistake. Then let's not waste time. Let's finish this quickly."

After waiting so long for this, Shinichi, having his expectations dashed, irrationally decided to take out his frustration on Isagi. "Let's see how resilient you are. Don't let me break you, Isagi."

...

"The difference in individual strength is too obvious. Plus, the 'parking the bus' defensive strategy has locked us out of any possibilities. And even if we manage to break through Shinichi's defense, it's not like that would guarantee victory."

Isagi gritted his teeth, his mind racing.

In his daze, pieces of a puzzle seemed to come flying at him, but every time they neared, they shattered in midair.

'The half-field isn't that big. Although most of the defenders are concentrated on one side, with so many players clustered together, it's just a matter of time before someone comes back to reinforce...'

'There's no way to break through. After all, even top teams have difficulty cracking a defense as solid as a parking the bus when facing a lower-tier team...'

"Isagi! What are you thinking!?"

The sudden roar snapped Isagi out of his thoughts. He hadn't even realized the ball had been passed to him. Instinctively, he received it, but at the same moment, Shinichi was already closing in.

'Damn it! I shouldn't have zoned out at a time like this. No, I can't take it forward from this distance. I have to pass. Should I put more force into it this time?'

Isagi kicked hard to cross the ball, but just as he did, Shinichi, who had seemed poised to intercept, suddenly stopped his forward momentum, swiftly adjusted his position, and jumped to block Isagi's passing lane, easily intercepting the ball.

Again! Every time I try to pass... but wait!

Isagi's thoughts were racing as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. "This is different from the last pass. The previous one, Shinichi intercepted after seeing me pass and used his ridiculous physical attributes to halt and change direction to chase the ball. But this time, he made his move the instant I passed the ball, intercepting it directly."

"I... I was only thinking about passing because I thought I'd be intercepted if I kept dribbling! The pressure from his forward momentum and overwhelming personal strength made me panic. I instinctively passed the ball!" Isagi had a sudden realization.

Shinichi's actions triggered a reaction from his opponents, and by predicting their response, he was able to anticipate their movements perfectly and act accordingly.

"Shinichi predicted our actions and completely controlled the entire field!" Isagi couldn't believe his eyes as Shinichi jogged back to his half after another goal.

The calm, emotionless face of Shinichi almost seemed to carry a hint of mockery in Isagi's dazed state.

Thin, puppet-like strings seemed to descend from the sky, attaching themselves to the limbs and heads of everyone on the field.

But those puppet strings weren't static.

They emitted shards that came together to form the image of victory.

Isagi widened his eyes, studying Shinichi's movements.

"Shinichi isn't omnipotent! Before he can predict our movements, he's still one step behind the pass. Sure, after predicting, he locks down not just the nearby attacking routes but even the pass itself. But if I can make him fail in his prediction, his interception attempt will become a mistake!"

"In other words, if I can break free from his control, even Shinichi won't be able to recover in time after his interception attempt!"

Shinichi, eager to end the game, was no longer holding back.

But despite his increasingly aggressive approach, the results were different from what he expected.

Instead of overwhelming Isagi, Shinichi found himself facing a surprising resistance. Isagi wasn't just passively reacting—he was actively thinking, evolving.

To escape from Shinichi's predicted moves, Isagi needed to act differently.

How could he break Shinichi's predictions? Was it a matter of habit?

Isagi had relied more on ball control and breakthrough play throughout the game, but there had to be something he missed—something Shinichi was anticipating.

With a sudden surge of determination, Isagi made an unexpected decision.

He approached the ball and, instead of trying to dribble, made an audacious long pass to a teammate.

The pass surprised everyone, including the defenders, who scrambled to block it. His teammate managed to secure the ball, barely avoiding a turnover.

This was the beginning of breaking the cycle. By acting unpredictably, Isagi was taking the first step toward defying Shinichi's control.

Isagi felt a cold sweat run down his back as he registered the complete lack of reaction from Shinichi. "No movement at all? Even after I made that absurd move? Is he not reacting to my feint? Does this mean it's a split-second judgment from him?"

He couldn't help but question it. "Would a person trust their own instant judgment that much? Without a hint of hesitation, just changing their course of action?"

But, he had already taken a step forward. Now that he knew Shinichi's method of judgment relied on immediate responses, Isagi decided he could adjust his own actions in real-time too.

"But how does Shinichi exactly make his judgments?" Isagi thought, scrutinizing every possible factor. "Is it based on leg movements? The ball carrier's gaze? The direction of the body? Which change can throw him off? But if I don't try, I'll never know!"

With that thought, Isagi shouted out, "Here!" and sprinted towards the midfield, quickly stopping to control the ball.

He smirked to himself, thinking, "As expected, even Shinichi wouldn't come all the way to the midfield. And considering his usual timing of rushing forward, once I'm about 10 meters from the midfield line, he'll start applying pressure."

Isagi figured that if he positioned himself near this area, he could keep testing and learning the secrets behind Shinichi's preemptive actions.

With a sudden burst of speed, Isagi drove the ball forward, raised his leg as if to shoot, but the moment his foot connected with the ball, he abruptly halted. No reaction? How about now?

He then exaggerated his movement, pretending to cross the ball, with his entire body leaning into the motion.

This time, his feint was more exaggerated than before, but still, no reaction from Shinichi.

It was as if Shinichi saw right through Isagi's plans. "You seem to have figured out where I'll defend and are trying to test it," Shinichi said with a slight smirk. "But you haven't even made it past the midfield line, and your teammates aren't in position. A shot from that distance or a pass with no options is completely harmless. What do you want me to do? Am I supposed to applaud your little clown performance?"

Isagi froze for a moment, feeling a surge of frustration at Shinichi's calm, almost mocking assessment.

Shinichi wasn't even fazed by the feints or the apparent testing of his defense.

It was as though he already knew exactly what was coming, having anticipated it before Isagi even moved.

But now, Isagi realized something crucial: The true challenge wasn't just about breaking Shinichi's defensive read—it was about finding a way to make him react to something unexpected, something outside of his calculations.

Isagi felt a twinge of embarrassment.

He had been so absorbed in his conclusions that he hadn't taken into account the fact that his earlier attempts had been attempts to break through with multiple players.

In those situations, whether he continued driving the ball or passed it, the threat was clear, which is why Shinichi had chosen to actively defend.

"So it looks like I'll need to take a riskier sprint to test it out," Isagi thought. "No choice. The score is against us, so I have no other option but to go all-in!" With determination, he charged forward, knowing that once he passed this critical range, Shinichi would inevitably start pressuring him. So, the time had come—

With a quick flick of his left foot, Isagi gently tapped the ball, pretending to change direction to the right.

But as he did, his right foot immediately took control of the ball and started a sharp maneuver, shifting his body weight rapidly to throw Shinichi off.

Gotcha! Isagi thought. With this, surely he'll have to react. Now that I've figured out your prediction... I'll break through!

However, what followed completely caught him off guard.

Shinichi didn't hesitate for a moment.

No matter how Isagi changed his dribbling technique—adjusting his touch, shifting his center of gravity, twisting his waist—Shinichi seemed to have calculated every movement.

He read Isagi's real intentions with chilling accuracy and positioned himself perfectly to block his path forward.

Isagi's heart sank.

Every effort, every change of direction was met with an equal and opposite response from Shinichi.

It was as if Shinichi wasn't just reacting to his moves, but had anticipated each and every one of them before they even happened.

The feeling of being trapped in his own moves was overwhelming, and he couldn't help but wonder how much more he could adapt before Shinichi's defense would completely shut him down.

The gap between them continued to shrink—5 meters... 3 meters... 2 meters! There was no time left, so Isagi decided to try one more feint, the "cow tail" trick.

"Isagi, you're surprisingly single-threaded," Shinichi remarked, his voice almost casual as he intercepted Isagi's awkward feint, breaking the control Isagi had over the ball.

With a swift move, Shinichi danced around Isagi, who hadn't even fully turned around before Shinichi had already surged past the midfield line.

'Damn it, I didn't manage to test him at all. What the hell is this guy using to judge my movements?'

Isagi's frustration mounted.

'I thought I was fairly agile, but against him, my turns feel as clumsy as an aircraft carrier trying to make a U-turn.'

The referee's whistle blew, signaling another goal. 2:0... now 3:0.

"Ah... this guy's a monster. What a bad draw to be on the same team as him..." one of his teammates muttered, defeated.

'You guys are...'

"Yeah, there's nothing we can do," another teammate sighed. "For us, just making it this far is impressive."

'What are you guys saying...' Isagi thought bitterly.

"Yeah, after all, we're up against the guy who even beat Kira Ryosuke. Losing to him is just normal, right?"

'Are you guys really just going to give up? The game's just started... wait... give up?*' Isagi suddenly paused, deep in thought.

Bits of his fragmented thoughts began to come together as his focus sharpened.

Yes!

Isagi realized.

'If it's all based on immediate judgment, then it's always tied to the senses, especially vision! While I still don't fully understand how Shinichi judges my moves, I don't need to fool him. All I need to do is "escape" so that his "vision" can't track me!'

At that very moment, Isagi felt it—the scent of a potential goal in the air for the first time in this match.