A Chaotic Start

"I hope you will entertain me more this time." Karasu mocked. 

His words were clearly targeted at both Akira and Jude. 

"For now all I've seen is Team X pathetically losing and making excuses." Karasu added with a smile. 

"Don't come crying once you lose." Akira replied with a frown. 

His smile widened as his eyes met Akira's.

He has found Team X's weak link. 

His winning formula was to abuse the opponent's weak link until it breaks the whole chain. By targeting Team X's most energetic player, he was hoping to affect the whole team's morale. 

That was part of his plan since the start, and he expected to see the effects of his work. But a slight look of surprise could be seen on his face as he looked at Team X's players. 

Those weren't the faces of scared players, all of them had a resolute look in their eyes. Karasu immediately understood that mind games wouldn't be so easy.

The team's morale was already at an all time high. 

Breaking up such a strong bond wasn't something easy, but he didn't let himself get discouraged and instead simply went back to his position. 

The kickoff was in Team X's favor. 

Jude stood with his foot gently placed over the ball. He looked a lot more calm than usual. 

A slight glow could be seen in his eyes the moment he heard the mechanical whistle, signaling the beginning of the match. He immediately passed the ball back to Yanagi and ran forward. 

He didn't bother looking back. 

For the first time in a game, he was no longer thinking rationally, he let his instincts take over and guide him. He was too engrossed in his own feelings, his blood boiling with excitement as he rushed through Team Y's field. 

Behind him, Yanagi was also advancing at his own pace. He was followed by the two siblings who were supporting him from either side. 

"Looks like you're the one who'll keep me company for the remainder of the match." Yanagi sneered. 

He noticed that the tall player — appearing to be Team Y's striker — had his grey eyes glued on him ever since he touched the ball. He also ignored every other player running forward and only focused on him. It couldn't be a coincidence, this was probably part of their strategy, he was the one designated to stop him. 

This realization made Yanagi smile inside. 

He was ecstatic to be guarded so closely, looking at Aiki Himizu rush towards him, Yanagi couldn't be more happy. The weapon he was the most confidence in was his ability to win duels.

That's what allowed him to get so far. 

Without a second thought, Yanagi sped up. He and Himizu reached their top speed simultaneously.

Yanagi hesitated for a second, before feigning a run on the left. Himizu caught on to the bait and moved his body in front of him to block him, but at the very last moment Yanagi switched his pace once again and drifted off to the right. 

That was enough to leave anyone in the dust. Himizu should've been unable to react. 

However, against all odds, Himizu was able to launch his long leg in Yanagi's way, which successfully blocked him and almost made Team X's first offensive come to a stop. 

"Fuck." Yanagi cursed. 

Noticing the unfavorable match up, Yanagi passed the ball to Ichikawa in a desperate attempt to preserve the current rhythm. 

"Team X is surprisingly predictable, or maybe Karasu is just that scary." Himizu voiced out. 

His words left Yanagi puzzled — or at least that was the case until he noticed that two of Team Y's players were already positioned to intercept any pass Yanagi might try to deliver in the siblings direction. 

In a split second, many emotions flashed in Yanagi's eyes. From relief, to despair, to relief once again. 

"My guess was on spot." Miyata flashed an awkward smile as he intercepted the ball right in front of Team Y's player. 

Shortly after the beginning of the match, Miyata was the first to notice that something was off. He had observed all of Team Y's previous matches, so he was immediately alarmed when he noticed the sudden change in pattern.

This led him to swiftly retreat and come to Yanagi's support, thanks to his flexible mind and intelligence he was able to determine that Team Y was going to try to block Yanagi after noticing that most offensives began from him. 

"That was quite the smart guess though." Hiori praised. 

Hiori never expected that someone would be able to predict their moves and stop them. He finally understood why Karasu asked him to guard that brown haired boy in particular, he might not look like it, but he was extremely dangerous. 

"A guess will always be nothing more than a guess." Miyata replied with a smile before hurling the ball with strength. 

Hiori was taken aback by such a fast reaction speed, Miyata didn't even hesitate for a second before passing the ball forward. Hiori's respect for Miyata grew by the minute.

He believed that Miyata's confidence and lack of hesitation came from his belief in his own talent.

He couldn't be any more wrong. 

Miyata himself knew that he lacked that sort of talent, the reality was that he had observed Team V's matches enough times to tell that he had no chance against the young boy standing in front of him. 

Although Hiori might look innocent and weak, Miyata knew better than to trust his appearance. 

The ball curved high in the air, forming a beautiful half circle, before finally coming down. Two of Team V's defenders jumped up to trap the ball, but Akira jumped in between them and used his physique to push both of them out of the way and trap the ball with his chest. 

With the ball now at his feet, Akira was about to sprint in direction of the goal but was immediately stopped in his tracks. 

"Barely 5 minutes went by, you guys are getting too fired up." 

"You fucker, you keep getting in my way. I will destroy you." Akira spat out.