Chapter 17: Sorry

Speaking on behalf of the silent Junichi, Keisuke tears into his own Team W back line for their poor marking. Play resumes with Team Z a goal to the good. Junichi holds the ball but plays without any real intent, and his flat touch lets Kunigami rob him clean. The loose ball reaches Bachira, who picks out an unmarked Kuon and slides it across, and Kuon tucks the finish away to double the advantage.

Half an hour into the opening period, Team Z reshuffle so that Gagamaru, Raichi, and Naruhaya lead the line. Desperate to halt Naruhaya as he carries the ball, Junichi grabs a fistful of his shirt, conceding a free kick. Rather than strike at goal himself, Bachira floats the set piece to a height only one teammate can reach, and Kuon rises to head it home for a third. Every one of Team Z's goals now belongs to Kuon. At the interval the squad trade jokes and grins, sure the win is theirs, and Isagi feels the group hardening into something stronger. On the way back out he asks Chigiri whether he still intends to walk away, while Chigiri, alone among them, takes no pleasure in the scoreline.

The second half turns on Kuon. He asks Raichi for the ball, promising to return it, but the moment he receives the pass Keisuke steals in from behind and dispossesses him, drawing a furious rebuke. Keisuke drives at keeper Iemon, who backs himself to cope, only for the ball to be slipped to Junichi, who fires past him. Urging his teammates to stay calm, Kuon then plays a pass to Isagi so short that Junichi cuts it out and scores again. Raichi rounds on Kuon for the recklessness, yet Kuon offers such a heartfelt apology that the others let his errors go. Once they scatter, Isagi catches Kuon smirking to himself and is left wondering why a player would smile after handing the opposition two goals.

Kuon personally accounts for all three of Team Z's goals. Chigiri stands apart from his celebrating teammates, indifferent to the lead. Across the second half Kuon's repeated mistakes allow Team W to score twice and close the gap. The chapter ends with Team Z clinging to a 3-2 advantage, and Kuon's cunning smile after his apology leaves Isagi uneasy and confused.

This is the 17th chapter overall and the fourth of Volume 3, set during the First Selection Arc. It ran in Japan on November 28, 2018 in Issue 2018-52, with the English edition arriving May 18, 2021. Episode 6 of the anime covers the chapter. The Japanese title ごめん romanizes to Gomen. Muneyuki Kaneshiro writes the series and Yusuke Nomura illustrates it. Chapter 16 precedes it and Chapter 18 follows.