The tempo shifted again but it wasn't a rise or fall.It was like the match was breathing
Kei moved slower now on purpose not because he was tired but because he needed the others to move faster
He let the pressure build
Let the passes come late
Let the opponent grow bold
Because boldness leads to openings
Ren kept glancing back expecting the usual cue from Kei
It didn't come
Instead Kei pointed
Once
To empty space
Ren trusted
Ran
Didn't ask why
And the moment he reached that void the ball was already there
It looked lucky to the crowd
But luck didn't repeat
Not twice
Not three times
By the fourth time the opponent knew
Kei was stalling the game not to slow it
But to stretch it
Every second dragged made each movement more valuable
And every touch was more precise than the last
Amano called it "Borrowed Time"
Because it felt like Kei was taking seconds that didn't belong to him
And spending them perfectly
By the 74th minute the opponent was chasing shadows
Even though the score was still close
Kei wasn't trying to win with goals
He was trying to break their rhythm
Crack their confidence
And he was doing it without flash
Just tempo
Just control
Just time
That wasn't even his to begin with
Yet somehow
He made it his weapon