Ryan Howard rushed forward, but was dribbled past by Olivia Lee.

　　"This time I'm really serious!"

　　"Again!"

　　"Very well, woman, you've successfully angered me. You will pay... the price for this!"

　　"Keep going! I just don't believe that I..."

　　"Hey!"

　　"Oh, come on..."

　　……

　　Ryan Howard tried every trick he knew, even using American football moves several times—trying to tackle Olivia Lee with his hands—but Olivia Lee was as agile as a butterfly, always dodging away before he could touch her. The result was that not only did Ryan Howard fail to catch Olivia Lee, he ended up falling flat on his face, his school uniform covered in mud, looking utterly disheveled.

　　※※※

　　After Ryan Howard fell to the ground once again, he didn't get up. Instead, he sat there in silence, no longer as loud and boisterous as before.

　　Olivia Lee felt like she was just getting warmed up and was waiting for Ryan Howard to continue, but then she saw his uncharacteristic behavior.

　　Looking at Ryan Howard sitting on the ground with his head down, she suddenly wondered if she had gone too far.

　　Then she remembered what Ryan Howard's deskmate had said to her during PE class that afternoon.

　　If football doesn't bring you any joy, would you still like it?

　　Ryan Howard could never get the ball from under her feet, so it was normal if he suddenly didn't want to play anymore.

　　Thinking of this, Olivia Lee felt a pang of guilt and dribbled the ball over to Ryan Howard, wanting to comfort him a little—after all, if you don't count physical contact, there aren't many people who can take the ball from her, so Ryan Howard really didn't need to feel discouraged...

　　"Hey, are you mad?" she asked cautiously.

　　"No."

　　Ryan Howard kept his head down, but from his tone, Olivia Lee still felt that the boy in front of her was probably upset.

　　"Um, don't be..." Olivia Lee was about to continue comforting him, but suddenly saw Ryan Howard, who was sitting on the ground, prop himself up with both hands behind him, and his body sprang forward like a spring. At the same time, his right foot shot out toward the soccer ball at Olivia Lee's feet!

　　Olivia Lee and Ryan Howard were only a step apart, so close that it was almost impossible to dodge, and with Ryan Howard's sudden burst, this move was sure to succeed!

　　But Olivia Lee's body reacted instinctively—her left foot quickly nudged the ball to the right, just barely dodging Ryan Howard's right foot!

　　"Now's the time!" Ryan Howard shouted, pushing off the ground with his hands again, twisting his body like a pretzel, and swinging his left leg around from the outside!

　　It turned out his right foot was just a feint; this left-footed move was his real intention!

　　He used the feint to force Olivia Lee to react hastily, so when his left foot swept in, Olivia Lee would surely be unable to dodge.

　　But just as his left foot was about to reach the ball, the tip of Olivia Lee's right foot subtly flicked upward, deftly lifting the ball that his left foot was sweeping toward. Then her right foot followed the ball upward, and because they moved at the same speed, it looked as if the ball was hovering on the instep of her left foot.

　　Just as her right foot lifted, Ryan Howard's left leg swept in, passing under Olivia Lee's foot and grazing the sole of her shoe.

　　This made Olivia Lee stumble a little when she landed, but she didn't lose control of the ball.

　　To guard against any further attacks from Ryan Howard, Olivia Lee turned and dribbled the ball five meters away before finally letting out a long breath: "Wow! Sneaky!"

　　Because of that last attempt to steal the ball, Ryan Howard rolled on the ground, and now his clothes and pants were smeared with black mud all over—although the sun had baked the ground all day, only the surface moisture had evaporated. After the two of them had messed around, the open space looked like a muddy vegetable patch.

　　Looking like a mud monkey, Ryan Howard seemed very frustrated: "Why can't I get the ball even like this..."

　　Olivia Lee didn't let her guard down, but continued to stand at a distance and said, "It would be strange if you could. Your body coordination is too poor, your movements aren't fluid at all."

　　"Nonsense! I'm a striker, how could a striker be good at stealing the ball!" Ryan Howard, still sitting on the ground, argued.

　　Olivia Lee simply kicked the ball over to him.

　　Ryan Howard was stunned for a moment, not expecting her to give the ball back so easily. He had thought he would have to take it from her feet.

　　"Come and dribble past me," Olivia Lee said to Ryan Howard.

　　"You said it..." Ryan Howard got up from the ground, pointed at Olivia Lee, and said, "I'm actually really good at..."

　　Before he could finish, he suddenly charged at Olivia Lee with the ball.

　　Then he stepped to the left, but Olivia Lee didn't move.

　　Sure enough, Ryan Howard's left foot swept over the ball without touching it.

　　Then his right foot moved toward the ball.

　　Olivia Lee still didn't move.

　　This time, Ryan Howard's right foot touched the ball, but instead of dribbling it, he stepped right on top of it, which broke his turn to the right. The momentum made him lose his balance, and he toppled to the ground.

　　He ended up sitting on the ball.