Chapter 9

Gathered in their room, the members of Team Z name what each of them does best. Bachira points to his dribbling, Raichi to his shooting, and Gagamaru to close-range work, while Naruhaya covers ground quickly and Iemon handles a bit of everything. Igaguri leans on stubborn grit, Kunigami on a powerful left foot, Imamura on speed and skill, and Kuon on his leaping. That leaves Isagi, who cannot pin down his own strength and asks for time, and Chigiri, who flatly refuses to share his, which Raichi reads as arrogance.

Kuon steps up to organize things, arguing that everyone must wring the most out of their talents. To keep the squad from repeating the greedy, disjointed mess that sank them against Team X, he proposes an approach he calls being the next number nine, giving each player a ten minute window to lead the line and show off. The team then drills together to fuse into a unit.

Later at dinner, Isagi eats his usual natto and mulls over his weapon until Kunigami joins him. Thanking Isagi for the earlier pass, Kunigami says he plays to become a football superhero, a conviction Isagi feels he lacks. Kunigami shares a plate of steak, explains the goal-exchange rewards system, and asks why the ball went to him rather than to an open Raichi. Isagi admits it was pure reflex, prompting Kunigami to suggest his gift might be an instinct for smelling out the goal.

Team Z identifies every member's individual weapon, though Isagi still cannot recognize his and Chigiri declines to reveal his. Kuon's rotating striker scheme becomes the new strategy. The reward structure is laid out, trading scored goals for perks: one point buys a 300g sirloin steak, three earn a phone back, five a quality bed, and ten a day outside.

A running detail notes that Isagi has eaten natto since arriving at the facility, and Kunigami states plainly that he chases the sport to be a superhero. He also guesses aloud that Isagi's talent is an ability to sense an approaching goal.

Superhero is the fifth chapter in Volume 2 and the ninth of the overall run, part of the First Selection Arc. It debuted in Japan on October 3, 2018, and reached English readers on April 20, 2021. The material is adapted in the fourth anime episode.