"Eh?" Oka was surprised to see Aoi suddenly running on the opposite side after the enemy winger performed a clip pass to pass the Kaga.
He was about to sprint in the hope of stealing the ball, but he was puzzled by Aoi's action.
'As if… as if he knows they will lose the ball possession and we can counterattack.'
Surprisingly, Kaga's team lost the ball after seeing the curly right eyebrow obstructing Kaga from getting the ball and kicking it to their side, giving them a chance to counterattack.
The enemy side lost most of its players to defend the counterattack, for they were deep on the enemy line - midfielders going deeper in the hope of scoring a goal or assisting Kaga - and were left with four defenders to defend against two wingers and three midfielders.
The other midfielders of Oka's team quickly got into action, one of them receiving the ball and sprinting towards the enemy side.
Oka, as agile as he was, quickly caught up with Aoi, but Aoi pushed him away.
"Go fight that guy!" Aoi pointed at the bald player, whose face turned sour.
With his other three teammates, they had to face the counterattack of two wingers and four midfielders.
He could neglect the latter, for they were quickly being caught up by their midfielders as well as his other teammates, but the two wingers were a problem.
They were running deeper so, at most, he could communicate with one of his defenders to restrain Aoi while he would be the one hampering Oka's attempt to pass them.
The other two defenders would stop the opponent's midfielders – at best, hindering their progress until their teammate's midfielders could catch up.
He did not know about Aoi, but he saw him suddenly emerging, obtaining the wrath of Nakahara, obviously not a good sign for a player who wanted to enter the football club.
He had also been observing Aoi, and he admitted he was surprised and enigmatic, but that should only be it.
From what he knew, Oka was the only dangerous player on the high school team – from the past year's achievements.
Furthermore, the player he relied on to defend against Aoi was the best after him, so the situation could still be resolved.
Oka was still puzzled, but since Aoi told him to fight against the bald player, he must have some plans.
'It doesn't hurt to trust that guy.' He smiled.
Facing against the bald player, he was lost for words.
He shook his head and thought, 'I just have to play like myself.'
The bald player was still a first-year, yet he could defend even Oka, who was known for his dribbling skills and agility.
The football club this year would surely be entertaining, according to Oka.
He was ecstatic, thinking he could evolve further as long as he could bypass the bald player.
Now, a fire burned in his heart…
***
"Pass it to Oka! Believe in him!"
One of the midfielders shouted at his teammates, who were dribbling the ball.
After all, the remaining two defenders finally managed to obstruct them, and their momentary pause was sufficient for the opponent's midfielders to catch up, eventually slowing down their progress.
They could not afford to let it happen, they have to be hasty.
Since the other free midfielders were on the further side, passing to them would eventually slow down their advancement.
Since there were only two of them in the middle of the field, and with the defenders of the enemy team catching up to them, they could only rely on themselves… or the wingers.
They did not know about Aoi, but they did not feel good about him.
After all, how could they trust Aoi, who got scolded by Nakahara earlier?
Although Oka had been defeated by the bald player many times, successfully tackling him after one single goal of Oka, they knew the latter must have adapted and could finally overcome the massive hurdle.
They just have to trust their striker… who else could they trust to score the goal?
Their goalkeeper?
So, without hesitation, as the defenders were nearing them, apparently hearing their plans, they quickly tried to obstruct any chances to pass the ball forward.
However, the midfielder was by no means an average football player as he instantly created the chance and executed an Outside of the Foot Pass.
The ball had a slight curve on it, successfully going around the defenders who failed to tackle it just in time.
Oka had been waiting for the chance for the midfielders to pass the ball, but he did not expect the Outside of the Foot Pass.
The normal pass was Inside of the Foot Pass, which was a short, quick pass to maintain possession.
However, he realized he was a bit far from the midfielder, and with the defenders about to arrive before the midfielder, it was wise to execute the Outside of the Foot Pass indeed.
But then, the pass was not accurate, so he had to adjust, slowing down his advancement, going further to the left - as he was on the right side of the football field - and successfully receiving the ball.
He stopped the ball by putting his shoes above it and gazed intently at the bald player who maintained his calm temperament, focusing on the ball below Oka.
Oka was hesitant to execute the dribble technique he had been practicing lately, for he had a fifty-fifty chance of succeeding.
Nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to try.
He suddenly performed a series of step-over moves, and the bald player was stunned, and his calm temperament was swayed.
He did not know which foot would kick the ball.
Since Oka was performing scissors, it was now impossible to determine which direction the ball would roll, depending on which foot kicked it.
As the bald player was calming his nerves, concentrating on deciding which foot would kick the ball, as each was rotating around the ball, he suddenly reacted.
He moved his left limb forward to stop Oka's right foot from kicking the ball on the right side, but it was actually a feint.
Oka was stunned, quickly positioning himself to kick the ball on the left side.
Controlling the ball, he swiftly passed the bald player, and a gleeful smile was painted on his face.
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