Chapter Twenty-Nine: If You've Given Up, Why Did You Come Here? / Chapter Thirty: I'll Guard the Back of the Team

Besides, Rice Spirit could also be combined with Thunderclap and Flash. Even while moving at high speed, it allowed for dazzling dribbling maneuvers that ordinary defenders absolutely could not keep up with.

"Rice Spirit can be combined with Thunderclap and Flash. Even in its normal state, it should provide outstanding dribbling ability. Although it itself is only mildly affected by Total Concentration Breathing, combining it with Thunderclap and Flash in that state should allow me to create some unbelievable dribbles and goals."

Kira Ryosuke muttered to himself,

"But if I use all three skills together, the strain on my stamina will probably become even greater. Training in this space should also preserve the improvements to my physical abilities."

There was no time to waste. Kira Ryosuke immediately focused his attention on training.

He opened the System Interface and placed several moving dummies in front of himself to simulate defenders. Then he quickly dribbled forward.

Total Concentration Breathing, Thunderclap and Flash, and Rice Spirit!

Kira Ryosuke charged toward the goal at incredible speed. He lightly trapped the ball between his feet, flicked it up, and sent it soaring into the air—

Then he volleyed!

The ball shot into the goal with pinpoint accuracy like a heavy cannon!

"It really works!"

Kira Ryosuke clenched his right fist and nodded firmly.

He used his breathing technique to increase his strength for physical confrontations, Rice Spirit's nimble footwork to dribble past opponents and change direction—and finally Thunderclap and Flash to finish.

Rice Spirit made his shooting footwork more flexible, allowing Kira Ryosuke to create more shots that defenders would never expect.

The combination was viable, so Kira Ryosuke began practicing again.

Just as he had told Ego Jinpachi, all he sought was victory. Winning against Team X was only the beginning.

Kira Ryosuke wanted to keep winning, to win again and again.

An hour passed quickly. Without the limitation of physical exhaustion, Kira Ryosuke's training efficiency increased severalfold. In that hour, his proficiency with Thunderclap and Flash and Total Concentration Breathing increased by more than 20%, while his proficiency with Rice Spirit exceeded 40%.

[Time's up. Returning to the real world]

The instant the timer above the field reached zero, the scene around Kira Ryosuke changed once again.

In the blink of an eye, he returned to Blue Lock's training grounds.

Kira Ryosuke quickly took out his phone. Just as the system had explained, time in the Combat Space was independent. No matter how long Kira Ryosuke stayed inside, as far as everyone else was concerned, he had not made a single other movement.

"If I upgraded Rice Spirit, I should be able to further improve my dribbling proficiency and enrich my repertoire. In a sense, this is probably what people call 'ball control.'"

Kira Ryosuke pondered this while preparing to try the combination of techniques again in the real world.

However, after completing the combination, a distinct soreness returned. It was even worse than after using Thunderclap and Flash during the match, so Kira Ryosuke had no choice but to rest briefly and do some stretches.

"As expected, using all three techniques at once makes the soreness even more obvious... Improving their proficiency and strengthening my stamina are still the top priorities. I'll do some extra training later."

Just as Kira Ryosuke was preparing to continue training, someone approached from behind.

Chigiri Hyoma.

Although Blue Lock was filled entirely with male players, Chigiri Hyoma possessed delicate beauty that surpassed that of most girls. He also wore his hair long and looked just like an actual girl. With his somewhat aloof and willful personality, he was known as the young lady of the team.

"Are you still practicing, Kira?"

Chigiri Hyoma walked over beside Kira Ryosuke and asked curiously.

"Yeah. I'm planning to do a little specialized stamina training before going to sleep."

Kira Ryosuke replied. Looking at Chigiri Hyoma, he felt that the other man seemed to have something to say.

"Is that so? Kira, you're truly both talented and hardworking."

Chigiri Hyoma pursed his lips. He seemed to want to say something, but the words stopped at his mouth.

He had once been the star player of his high school, possessing unparalleled speed. But after being injured, he no longer had the courage to run again, and a shadow had already fallen over his heart.

Although Chigiri Hyoma believed that he had lost his passion for soccer, he had ultimately accepted Blue Lock's invitation, preserving that tiny spark within him.

During the match, he had neither fought for the ball nor attacked. He had merely planned to shrink back at the very end of the defensive line and pass the entire game without participating. But after seeing Kira Ryosuke's figure racing across the field, the spark in his heart seemed to burn brighter.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: If You've Given Up, Why Did You Come Here?

That rapid charge had looked just like his former self. At least in that moment, Chigiri Hyoma had once again felt the urge to play soccer.

That feeling was like a seed taking root, making Chigiri Hyoma curious. He felt that perhaps he could learn something from Kira Ryosuke and regain the form he had once possessed.

"Weren't you once an unrivaled genius player yourself, young lady?"

Kira Ryosuke said with a smile.

"You've heard of me?"

Chigiri Hyoma opened his eyes in surprise. In less than a year, he seemed to have been forgotten by the world. No one paid attention to the once-glorious player he had been, and it seemed that no one in Blue Lock even noticed his existence.

"You were the star player of Luo Gushi Industrial High School, right? You were famous for your ridiculous speed, but then you suffered an injury..."

Kira Ryosuke naturally knew this information.

"You haven't shown much in Blue Lock because of your injury, right? Logically speaking, your injury should have healed long ago. But it was an injury that could threaten your career, so you must still be very concerned about it. You have a hurdle in your heart that you can't get over, don't you?"

Chigiri Hyoma hesitated. He had not originally wanted to bring up this matter, but faced with Kira Ryosuke's question, he ultimately nodded. Kira Ryosuke had indeed exposed the thoughts in his heart with a single sentence.

"That's right... I feel that my path in soccer is basically over."

"Do you believe what you're saying?"

Kira Ryosuke smiled and patted Chigiri Hyoma on the shoulder.

"If you were truly prepared to give up soccer, why did you come here?"

"I just..."

"Whether you're willing to seize the opportunity is up to you."

Kira Ryosuke shifted his gaze to the field.

"But if you want to give it another try, you can just say what you're thinking. As long as you feel ready."

Most of the players on Team Z were decent people. Even Raichi Jingo, who had the most explosive temper, was actually straightforward by nature. Kira Ryosuke got along quite well with them and regarded Team Z as a team. If they needed help with anything, he would lend them a hand.

They had put in the effort, so naturally, they deserved to receive something in return.

Besides, helping them would not only improve the team's cohesion, it would also allow Kira Ryosuke to obtain more Combat Points. Combat Points were related to the strength of his opponents and teammates—the stronger they became, the more Combat Points Kira Ryosuke would receive.

"Want to train together? It'll be a good chance to see how well your body has recovered. Maybe you'll be able to return to the field very soon."

Kira Ryosuke patted Chigiri Hyoma on the back again.

Chigiri Hyoma thought for a moment before agreeing.

"Yeah."

For the first time since coming to Blue Lock, he revealed a smile despite his usually expressionless face.

At that very moment, outside Blue Lock, at the Aida residence.

Aida Reiko had burrowed beneath her blankets, burying her head in her pillow.

Everyone present had heard everything she had said to Kira Ryosuke... but that was not the important part!

The most important thing was that the others had mistaken her for Kira Ryosuke's girlfriend!

Her attempts to explain had done nothing. If the other people in Blue Lock were ever given the chance to leave... wouldn't this matter spread everywhere?

"Could this cause some trouble for Ryosuke...?"

Aida Reiko's face flushed bright red. Her fair, slender legs kicked against the bed as though she were swimming.

"I wonder how things are going for Ryosuke... And scoring ten goals probably won't be easy..."

"Our school term is about to start too. There'll definitely be plenty of things to deal with in the Seirin basketball club. Should I show Ryosuke around Seirin then...?"

"Ugh, I'll definitely be busy by then... But when exactly will Ryosuke be able to come out?"

Blue Lock, the monitoring room.

"Mr. Ego, how do you think the first selection went?"

Teieri Anri had returned after attending the press conference and asked Ego Jinpachi.

"Everything went smoothly."

Ego Jinpachi ate instant noodles while staring intently at the screen, watching a replay of a certain match.

It was the match between Team X and Team Y.

"Maybe a monster really did sneak into Blue Lock."

Ego Jinpachi said this.

"Who?"

Teieri Anri frowned in confusion.

"You'll know when the time comes."

Ego Jinpachi bit through the noodles, still staring intently at the screen.

"By the way, the association president said that a little more could be added to the budget."

Teieri Anri remembered something and told Ego Jinpachi.

"But there must be conditions. To him, soccer is nothing but a business. That's why the soccer of this country has rotted to the core. Without changing that, winning the World Cup is impossible."

Ego Jinpachi's expression did not change at all.

"Tell me, Anri. What does he want?"

"Only the recordings of the first-round matches."

Teieri Anri took out a USB drive.

"I heard that someone very important is interested in our Blue Lock project..."

Soon, another three days passed.

During those three days, Kira Ryosuke used the 10 Combat Points he earned from training each day to exchange for more training time in the Combat Space, gaining additional practice time.

At present, Kira Ryosuke already possessed three skills. Having too many skills meant needing more time to practice and improve their proficiency, which would instead reduce the efficiency of his training while also accelerating the consumption of Combat Points.

Therefore, Kira Ryosuke felt that, for now, he should maintain his three skills and use the 10 points he earned each day to exchange for time in the Combat Space and improve their proficiency. Once their proficiency had reached a suitable level, he could use the large number of Combat Points earned from matches to upgrade them. That alone would be a considerable expense.

After raising these skills to a certain level, Kira Ryosuke would prepare to unlock more skills.

As the matches in Blue Lock gradually became more intense, the number of Combat Points earned from each match should also increase. There would be no rush to unlock other skills until then.

Chapter Thirty: I'll Guard the Back of the Team

During this period, Kira Ryosuke also led the other members of the team in tactical training. In everyone else's eyes, Kira Ryosuke had completely become a training fanatic.

They had also genuinely begun treating Kira Ryosuke as the team's leader, believing that he could lead them even further.

"We've finished playing the third match as well. Team W defeated Team X, 4–1."

There was still an hour before the match began. Everyone was preparing for the next game in the locker room, while Kira Ryosuke briefed them on the situation in Blue Lock.

Team X losing to Team W was only to be expected. Team X had originally had only Barou Shoei with any outstanding ability, and the others would never go far. After their crushing defeat against Team Z, the others' mental states had collapsed even further. Combined with Barou Shoei's irritable behavior in the first match, the entire team had completely fallen apart.

Their team had essentially no chance of escaping elimination. Barou Shoei could only rely on his status as the team's top scorer to advance to the next round.

"Our next opponent is Team Y. Although they suffered a crushing defeat in the first round, that doesn't mean they're a weak team. Oogawa Hibiki may look like their main attacking point, but Niko Ikki is actually the most important player. Don't forget that."

Kira Ryosuke continued,

"They've already lost one match. Losing another would essentially mean elimination, so Team Y will definitely fight this match at any cost. We can't let our guard down either."

"Is Niko Ikki really worth worrying about?"

Kunigami Rensuke, standing to the side, was somewhat puzzled.

"From the footage, although he didn't score any goals, every dangerous attack came from Oogawa Hibiki."