The whistle didn't blow but half the opposing backline raised their hands anyway.They were sure it was offside
It wasn't
Ren kept running.The ball had already left Kei's foot before Ren broke the line.Perfectly timed.Perfectly invisible
The net rippled
But the referee's hand stayed down
Goal
The opponents froze
The crowd roared late like their minds had to catch up
And Kei?He just jogged back
Amano caught up to him breathing hard
"You baited them into that call didn't you"
Kei didn't smile
"I gave them what they expected.So they acted before confirming"
It wasn't just football anymore
It was theater
They were planting false expectations not just with passes but with tempo and posture and even mistakes
Dazai had intentionally overhit three crosses earlier just to make the defenders ease up on the fourth
The fourth became an assist
It was all part of a pattern
A fake one
And the opponents had bought it
By the 80th minute their formation looked tight but their spacing was riddled with second-guessing
Kei watched their eyes not their feet
They weren't chasing the ball anymore
They were chasing ghosts
"Keep the illusions going" he muttered
Because sometimes winning didn't mean overpowering
It meant misdirecting so well that even the truth looked like a lie