Blue Lock, I, Kira Ryosuke, Obtain Thunder Breathing at the Start

Nagi Seishiro had never actively participated in offense or defense before.

"We can't lose."

Nagi Seishiro replied very seriously. It was only then that the others noticed that Nagi Seishiro was sweating for the first time in the match.

"Yeah, we absolutely cannot lose."

Tsurugi Zantetsu pushed up his glasses. He was covered in sweat, but there was no sign of fatigue on his face. Instead, his fighting spirit was even higher.

"We're going to win this match with a perfect record. Although we're currently trailing by two goals, there's still a chance. We just need to turn the score around in one go."

"Mhm."

Mikage Reo finally calmed down, let out a long breath, and shook his head.

"That's right, we still have a chance. We absolutely cannot accept a humiliating defeat..."

His mind raced as he thought about how to break through the deadlock.

"Then, for the offense, it's all up to Nagi. And you, idiot Zantetsu, you'll be responsible for the dirty work."

"Hey, don't call me an idiot. Just tell me what I need to do."

"Tether Kira Ryosuke. Restrict him by any means necessary, both offensively and defensively."

Mikage Reo said, "Kira Ryosuke connects the entire team. We absolutely cannot let him play freely. Idiot Zantetsu, on defense, you must use your speed and reflexes to pester him, don't let him get comfortable. And on offense, you also need to cover for Nagi, find a way to block Kira Ryosuke, and don't let him defend easily. You must hold your position. In terms of physique, you should still have a slight advantage, right?"

"Yeah."

Tsurugi Zantetsu nodded.

"In short, it's up to you to wear down Kira Ryosuke's stamina. I don't believe he still has the energy to handle both offense and defense! Everyone else too, do you hear me!"

While Mikage Reo was speaking, Nagi Seishiro was also thinking, recalling Kira Ryosuke's movements just now.

It was like memorizing the attack patterns of a boss in a game.

Meanwhile, in Team Z's locker room, everyone's morale was soaring to unprecedented heights.

"Kira was so cool! Did you see how flustered Mikage Reo looked?!"

"Nagi Seishiro is strong, but our Kira is even stronger!"

"If we play steadily in the second half, victory will be ours!"

Kira Ryosuke smiled and nodded as he looked at everyone's fighting spirit.

They, who should have been a disorganized mob, had now pushed Team V to the brink.

However, Kira Ryosuke knew that Team V would not surrender so easily. They were equally eager for victory and would fight until the very last moment.

He couldn't afford to be careless.

After all, Nagi Seishiro was someone who could create miracles.

But even so, Kira Ryosuke would never hand over victory to someone else.

After all, he had promised Aida Reiko.

At Seirin High School, Aida Reiko was leading the basketball club members in their final sprint training.

They were about to participate in the qualifying rounds, and only by breaking through the qualifiers could Seirin earn a spot in the next round robin.

She picked up her phone. She had sent Kira Ryosuke a simple "good luck with your game" message that morning and hadn't sent anything else since.

The night before, Kira Ryosuke had already told Aida Reiko that they would have their final match against another team today, and that team was the strongest overall.

Although Aida Reiko desperately wanted to know how Kira Ryosuke was doing, she forcefully suppressed her curiosity and didn't send him any messages.

She had also rarely bothered Kira Ryosuke these past few days, allowing him to fully immerse himself in training for his final match.

She didn't want to affect Kira Ryosuke's game condition, and Aida Reiko knew that if he won, Kira Ryosuke would definitely contact her immediately.

"You must win, Ryosuke!"

Aida Reiko couldn't help but clench her fist.

Chapter 59: Second Half Begins, Team V's Counterattack!

"Alright, take a five-minute break, then we'll move on to the next set of drills."

After watching the team complete a set of drills, Aida Reiko let them rest for a moment.

"Ah, I'm so tired."

Izuki Shun lay on the ground, panting heavily, almost completely drained.

"If you get tired from this level of training, that won't do. The training intensity I'm giving you is less than half of what Ryosuke is doing!"

Aida Reiko said sternly.

"Poor Ryosuke."

Hyuga Junpei, standing nearby, said with a smile, "But because of Kira, the basketball club has become inexplicably popular. We've gotten a lot of new members and new sponsors."

Ever since Kira Ryosuke appeared at Seirin High School's basketball club last time, the school's attention towards the department seemed to have increased significantly.

"It's a good thing Kira plays soccer, otherwise our jobs would be on the line,"

Kiyoshi Teppei said, lying on the bench.

"He's handsome, talented, and diligent! Can't you guys learn from him?"

As Aida Reiko spoke, she couldn't help but think of Kira Ryosuke's appearance again, and a smile appeared on her face.

"That's obvious favoritism!"

Hyuga Junpei sighed, "And because of Kira, your attention has also increased quite a bit, Reiko."

Aida Reiko's previous intimate actions with Kira Ryosuke were seen by others, which led to her being treated as a rival by many girls.

Although Aida Reiko and Kira Ryosuke had confirmed their relationship now, only her close friends and the members of the basketball club knew about it. It hadn't been fully publicized.

If the crazy fangirls at the school found out, the consequences would likely be unimaginable.

"By the way... is it true that Kira is participating in the Blue Lock project?"

Kiyoshi Teppei asked. The public announcement of the Blue Lock project had already caused quite a stir, but the officials hadn't revealed any specific details.

"Mhm."

Aida Reiko nodded, "Last time, it was because he met a certain condition that he was able to come out for a day."

"It's really like a prison..."

Hyuga Junpei swallowed, shaking his head at the same time.

"The careers of the losers are basically ruined. If it were me... I probably wouldn't risk participating in this program..."

"But Ryosuke went, and he will definitely succeed in breaking out from there."

Aida Reiko said with absolute certainty, her gaze becoming very serious.

"Because he promised me he would keep winning."

"Here we go again, showing off your affection in front of the team members!"

"Exactly, exactly! You haven't stopped talking about Ryosuke for the past few days!"

"More than that, more than that! Look at my notebook, Reiko has said Ryosuke's name 121 times in three days!"

"You guys!"

Even though she was now Kira Ryosuke's rightful girlfriend, Aida Reiko still blushed with embarrassment whenever this point was brought up.

To hide her embarrassment, Aida Reiko could only resort to more drastic measures!

"You guys, break time is over! Start the second set of training immediately!"

"Hey! It hasn't been five minutes yet, it's only been two minutes!"

"I said it's over, so it's over!"

The halftime break ended quickly, and everyone returned to the field, ready for the second half of the match.

Team V was now on the edge of a cliff; they could only give their all to find a way to advance from this desperate situation.

The members of Team Z also couldn't let their guard down. Any carelessness could erase their previous advantage.

The whistle blew for the second half, and the game resumed, with Team Z attacking first!

"Maintain the lead! Play steadily!"

Bachira Meguru, who had possession of the ball, shouted, directing his teammates.

On the other side, Tsurugi Zantetsu, following Mikage Reo's orders, stuck close to Kira Ryosuke with the other defenders, tightly marking his position.

Even though Kira Ryosuke was constantly moving off the ball, they didn't give him any chance to touch it.

However, this was not easy.

Tsurugi Zantetsu initially thought he had a significant advantage in height and build to suppress Kira Ryosuke—but when it came to actually positioning himself, he realized that Kira Ryosuke's strength far exceeded his physique.

"What's with this guy's strength?!"

Tsurugi Zantetsu used all his might but couldn't gain an advantage in physical contact.

However, under the encirclement of Tsurugi Zantetsu and the other defenders, Kira Ryosuke indeed didn't get a chance to touch the ball.

"Kira is drawing so much attention from the defense, we absolutely cannot waste this opportunity!"

Bachira Meguru judged this and immediately found an opening, passing the ball to Kunigami Rensuke, who was ready to receive it.

"Good opportunity!"

Kunigami Rensuke took another step, preparing to shoot—

And in that exact moment, a phantom-like figure suddenly appeared at his side!

"What?!"

Nagi Seishiro!

"If it were Kira, he'd probably do this."

Nagi Seishiro caught up to Kunigami Rensuke at top speed, completely shutting down the shooting angle.

"How did this guy do that?"

Kunigami Rensuke was dumbfounded; the opponent's speed seemed to have increased.

And in the instant he was stunned, the ball at his feet was instantly snatched away. Mikage Reo seized the opportunity and completed the steal.

"Counterattack! Nagi!"

Mikage Reo shouted loudly, following Nagi Seishiro at top speed towards the opponent's half.

Kira Ryosuke was preparing to fall back on defense, but Tsurugi Zantetsu rushed in front of him at maximum speed.

This burst of explosive power consumed a lot of stamina, but Tsurugi Zantetsu had no choice but to go all out now!

Even if it meant draining every last bit of his stamina, he had to stop Kira Ryosuke here, even for a second.

Besides, there were other defenders around to help block. This quality of defense far surpassed their match against Team Y!

This was Mikage Reo's strategy.

Even if he used the defenders and Tsurugi Zantetsu as decoys, he had to restrict Kira Ryosuke!

Although this would lead to a disadvantage in numbers and stamina, Mikage Reo believed that Nagi Seishiro's individual ability would allow him to easily deal with the remaining players.

Everything was left to Nagi Seishiro!