[The teams of Shotoku and Matsukaze stepped onto the field, and possession went to Matsukaze. Only a few seconds remained before the start of the penultimate match of the Japan National Qualifiers Finals.]
The stadium lights shone intensely over the massive soccer field while the deafening roar of the crowd echoed throughout every stand.
Flags waved endlessly, supporters’ chants blended across the stadium, and the pressure of that match seemed to weigh heavily in the air.
The atmosphere was completely different from the other qualifier matches.
This felt like an early final.
The players slowly walked across the pitch, some staring directly at their opponents, while others focused only on their own breathing as they tried to maintain concentration.
The giant screen displayed the faces of the key players, drawing reactions from the crowd whenever one of the aces appeared on screen.
The narrator and presenter, Goto Usahi, spoke while watching the teams enter the field.
[It’s worth remembering that this may become the most contested match of the qualifiers! Shotoku has been an extremely powerful and unusual team. Their Ace, Haise Sasaki, has been showing potential comparable to that of Ryousuke Kira.]
Beside him, Mikoto Mikami carefully watched the players warming up from the broadcasting booth.
[But there’s a subtle difference between them, isn’t there?]
Goto let out a small laugh.
[You mean the way they play.]
[Exactly.] Mikami replied as he crossed his arms.
[Kira is almost perfect in execution, not to mention his finishing ability. But Haise Sasaki… he’s a different case. His technique is downright cruel compared to Kira’s. The level between the two is completely different. Like the distance between Heaven and Earth.]
The cameras immediately focused on the two aces.
Ryousuke Kira maintained his calm and elegant posture as he walked across the field.
His movements were natural and precise, radiating absolute confidence.
On the other side…
Haise Sasaki seemed disconnected from the rest of the stadium.
His white hair contrasted with his natural black roots, creating an unusual appearance.
His violet eyes carried a cold and empty gaze, while his longer upper eyelashes further emphasized his indifferent expression.
The black earrings on each ear reinforced his dark appearance.
Even while standing still, there was something heavy about him.
Something unsettling.
‘He’s got a pretty gothic style…’ Kira thought as he walked toward Shotoku’s Ace.
Even so, he maintained his polite smile.
It was typical of him to act that way toward any opponent.
Stopping in front of Haise, Kira calmly extended his hand.
“Good game.”
For a brief moment, Haise simply stared at him.
His violet eyes slowly lowered toward the outstretched hand, and the silence between the two lasted only a few seconds, yet it felt far longer amidst the noise of the crowded stadium.
Then, Haise simply walked past him.
As if Kira wasn’t even there.
The calm footsteps of Shotoku’s Ace echoed across the field as he headed toward his position without even looking back.
The stands immediately reacted to the strange tension between the two, murmurs spreading throughout the crowd.
Kira remained still for a few moments with his hand still extended.
His smile slowly disappeared, and his fingers gradually curled into a fist.
His calm expression changed slightly, almost imperceptibly, but enough to reveal the irritation he felt.
Then he lowered his hand and turned away, silently walking back toward Matsukaze’s side.
From his position as a forward, Kira quickly noticed that Haise also played up front on the attacking line.
That caused his gaze to shift slightly.
Another unfortunate coincidence.
The two of them were the aces of their respective teams.
The main goal scorers.
The offensive centerpieces of extremely powerful squads.
Even the media seemed determined to constantly place them side by side.
Kira subtly pressed his lips together.
It was starting to bother him more than it should.
Meanwhile, on Shotoku’s side, Haise let out a small tired sigh as he adjusted the collar of his uniform.
The sound of the crowd felt distant to him.
‘Why do they keep comparing me to him?’
His violet eyes observed Kira standing on the opposite side of the field.
‘In many ways, Shotoku really has matched Matsukaze… but between me and him, there’s an enormous difference.’
His gaze sharpened as he noticed the referee bringing the whistle to his mouth.
PIII!
The referee’s whistle echoed throughout the stadium, signaling the start of the match.
Matsukaze began with possession.
Kira quickly passed the ball back to Kazuma behind him, starting the team’s offensive buildup.
“Let’s go, Matsukaze!” Kira shouted loudly, his voice spreading across the field.
“Yeah!” x5
The players responded immediately, surging forward across the pitch with speed.
The crowd erupted along with the start of the play.
Haise watched the attack take shape while remaining still for a few seconds.
His calm expression began to subtly change.
His violet eyes moved rapidly from side to side, analyzing the players’ positioning, the open spaces, the direction of each player’s body, and even the rhythm of the passes.
Then, Kazuma advanced a few meters before passing the ball to Tsurugi, the second forward on the front line.
Tsurugi controlled the ball with precision and immediately accelerated forward.
“Get past them!” someone in the crowd shouted.
With a quick cut, he dribbled past a Shotoku player who tried to intercept him, pulling the ball to the side before lifting his head.
Kira was already moving into the attacking area.
Without hesitating, Tsurugi passed directly to him.
The ball skimmed rapidly across the field.
Kira moved forward to receive it, however—
“I’m better than you, Treasure of Japanese Football.”
A cold voice emerged from behind him.
!?
Kira’s eyes widened slightly as Haise blocked his vision, and before the ball could even reach Kira, he quickly spun his body, stealing the ball in the same motion as he passed right beside him.
‘How did he…?’
Kira’s eyes widened as he quickly turned his body to chase after Haise.
The image of the steal kept replaying in his mind.
Haise hadn’t simply appeared behind him by coincidence.
He knew exactly where the ball was going to arrive.
‘Wait… he used my blind spot.
He knew the pass was coming to me… but how did he read that so fast?!’
While Kira tried to understand what had happened, Haise advanced across the field with the ball under control at his feet.
His speed was high, but the strangest part was how natural he made it look.
There were no exaggerated or unnecessary movements.
Every touch seemed calculated.
“You seem confused,” Haise commented without even looking back.
“I thought that, as the Treasure of Japanese Football, something this simple would be easy to understand.”
Kira frowned slightly upon hearing that, but continued chasing after him.
At the same time, Kazuma and Tsurugi moved in to intercept the attack before Haise could reach the offensive zone.
“Stop right there!” Kazuma shouted.
“Take the ball from him!” Tsurugi closed in from the other side.
The two completely blocked Haise’s path, forcing him to slow down for a brief moment.
However, in the very next second—
Foosh!
Haise quickly pulled the ball to the left while leaning his body in the same direction.
The two defenders reacted immediately to block his advance, but it had only been a feint.
Using the outside of his foot, Haise slowed the ball down and instantly changed direction, cutting back to the right in an extremely fast movement.
Kazuma and Tsurugi went straight past him.
Neither of them even managed to touch him.
“A Marseille Turn?!”
“And that fast?!”
The crowd immediately reacted to the absurd dribble.
Even Kira, who was right behind him, was left in disbelief after witnessing the flawless execution of that move.
‘What insane control…’ Kira thought as he watched Haise advance.
‘It takes incredible technique to pull that off at high speed without losing control of the ball… is he really just a high school player?’
Then the commentators’ words resurfaced in his mind.
“His technique is downright cruel compared to Kira’s.”
Kira’s eyes narrowed slightly.
‘Technique… so that’s what they meant.’
Meanwhile, Haise continued advancing across the field without slowing down.
However, more Matsukaze players began closing the spaces around him, trying to stop his advance before he could push any farther.
Haise let out a small scoff while one of the Shotoku players smiled.
“You guys shouldn’t have done that.”
“Huh?”
Foosh!
The first defender lunged in to steal the ball, but Haise reacted instantly.
His foot moved over the ball in a quick feint to the right, causing the marker to shift his body in that direction.
But Haise went the opposite way.
In the very same instant, he lifted the ball with a perfect Rainbow Flick, sending it soaring over the opponent’s head.
“WHAT?!”
Before the ball could even fully fall, Haise softly cushioned it with his right foot while continuing to run.
Then, without losing speed, he let the ball slide through the next defender’s legs before bursting forward again to catch it on the other side.
The defender was left completely frozen.
And Haise simply went past him.
Haise kept advancing across the field after leaving yet another defender behind, but then another presence emerged, completely blocking his route.
It was Ryousuke Kira.
The Matsukaze forward had appeared in front of him after desperately sprinting to keep up with the play.
His breathing was heavy from the effort.
“Uff… finally caught up to you…” Kira said between breaths as he positioned himself.
Haise slightly raised his gaze toward him.
“You want a reward for that?” His voice remained calm and indifferent.
“Standing in front of me won’t stop me.”
The stands erupted into screams as the two aces finally faced each other directly for the first time in the match.
“Stop him, Kira!”
“Haise, pass the ball!”
Their teammates shouted at the same time.
Kira felt a small surge of motivation upon hearing his team supporting him.
However, on Shotoku’s side, Haise didn’t even react to his teammates calling for a pass.
He simply ignored them.
His violet eyes remained focused solely on Kira.
Then Haise slowly began moving the ball from one foot to the other in front of him, almost as if he were playing around.
His movements were smooth and controlled, making it difficult to predict which direction he would choose.
Kira tried to maintain his stance.
‘I can keep up…’
But then—
Haise pulled the ball behind his left leg.
The movement automatically drew Kira’s body in that direction, making him believe the dribble would continue that way.
But in the very next instant—
TOC!
Haise’s foot struck the ball in an unexpected manner, violently sending it to the right.
Kira’s eyes widened.
‘An outside-foot elastico?!’
His body completely lost its balance.
The Treasure of Japanese Football stumbled on his own and fell onto the field in front of everyone.
The crowd was left in shock.
And while Kira was still trying to support himself off the ground, Haise had already gone past him.
Without hesitation, Shotoku’s forward pulled his leg back.
THUMP!
The shot came out clean and powerful.
The ball tore across the field at high speed before slamming into the back of the net.
GOOOOOAL!
The stadium instantly exploded.
Shotoku [1] – [0] Matsukaze
Shotoku’s supporters screamed like mad from the stands while Matsukaze’s players remained frozen in shock.
Haise stood in front of the goal for a few seconds as the wind lightly swayed his white hair.
Then he slowly turned his face toward Kira, who was still on the ground.
His eyes carried insane black spirals, while his expression remained as serene as the sea.
“Treasure of Japanese Football… Funny how that title works just like a Christmas ornament. Pretty to hang up, great for drawing attention, but in the end it only serves as decoration. Because there’s always someone like you to show off the label… but never to prove on the field why you deserve it.”