Chapter 10: Just Now… Did You Call Me a Scapegoat?
"The lowest rank goes first, huh? Fine! Just don't hold grudges when you lose!"
Igarashi stood with one foot on the ball, eyes darting nervously around the room, looking for an easy target.
The game hadn't even started, yet sweat was already streaming down his face.
After nearly ten seconds of hesitation, Igarashi finally moved—dribbling clumsily into the crowd like a headless fly.
But whether it was his physique or his technique, he was easily the worst among them; no matter how he tried, he couldn't hit anyone.
Kira knew exactly what would happen next. Everything so far was unfolding exactly as in the original story.
After wasting nearly a full minute, Igarashi finally spotted a target—Meguru Bachira, still lying on the floor.
Just as he drew his leg back to kick, Bachira suddenly sprang up and, with a mischievous spin, kicked the ball straight into Igarashi face.
"Hey, hey, hey! That's a foul! You'd get a red card for that!"
"The only thing banned was handballs."
Bachira replied, still half-asleep, his expression as carefree as ever.
"Don't use such sneaky tricks! Fight fair and square!"
Kunigami placed a hand on Bachira's shoulder, clearly disapproving of the underhanded move. But before he could finish speaking—
The ball struck him square in the chest.
"Namu Amida Butsu!" Igarashi cackled, sticking out his tongue in triumph. The screen changed from Igarashi to Kunigami.
"You bastard! I'll crush you for that!"
Kunigami's veins bulged in anger as he drew back his leg, ready to unleash a furious strike.
Panicking, Igarashi looked around wildly for cover. He needed a human shield.
And standing closest to him—was Kira.
"Found my scapegoat!"
Like a monkey, Igarashi lunged forward, clinging to Kira's back and wrapping his arms around him, trying to restrain his movements.
"Kira!"
Isagi called out, worried—Kira was the only person in the room he knew even a little.
But in that moment, Igarashi's grin faded.
The second he grabbed Kira, he realized—he might as well have latched onto solid stone. The man's arm didn't even budge.
The body beneath his grip was terrifyingly powerful—no weaker than Kunigami's.
He didn't know that this strength came from Kira's relentless training combined with the Thunder Breathing Technique.
When Kira turned his head slightly, their eyes met—and Igarashi froze.
Gone was the polite young man from before. What stared back at him now was something primal.
Who… what is this guy?
Instinctively, Igarashi let go and bolted in another direction.
Bachira, watching from a distance, couldn't help but grin.
"Ran away? Like a monkey spotting a lion… interesting."
[TL: Whatever that is. My condolences, this lowly mortal can't discern the greatness of Heaven, having eyes but not able to see Mt.Tai.]
His gaze followed Kira, eyes shining with anticipation.
"Ahhh—!"
Kunigami's furious shot tore through the air. The ball was too fast to dodge, screaming straight toward Kira. Anyone with a weaker body would've been knocked flat.
But Kira didn't even flinch.
He caught the ball directly against his chest, absorbing the force with a subtle lean, letting it fall at his feet before stepping on it.
"Just now," Kira said quietly, eyes locking onto Igarashi, "did you say I was your scapegoat?"
His gaze was like a lion's—fixed on its chosen prey.
In the original story, Igarashi was a mix of cowardice and dumb luck—always freeloading his way forward through luck and others' strength. Kira never liked his type.
And now, after using him as a shield—Igarashi had crossed the line.
This round required one elimination. The survivors would form a temporary team to compete for advancement.
Since a target had already chosen himself, Kira would simply follow the path of highest probability—the surest route to victory.
Raw power, paired with cold calculation. That was how one survived here.
And Gurimu Igarashi, utterly useless, was the logical choice for elimination.
From the moment Kira entered this selection, Igarashi's fate had already been sealed.
Catching Kunigami's shot had served another purpose: to test the limits of his body when combined with Thunder Breathing—and to secure possession of the ball, ensuring he decided who would be eliminated.
In Blue Lock, filled entirely with strikers, Kira knew he didn't need to seize leadership to survive.
Teamwork was still necessary for now—at least until the next, far crueler round.
And it also prevented unnecessary chaos—especially from free spirits like Bachira.
If Bachira had gotten the ball, he'd have come straight for Kira just for fun. Better to avoid that trouble altogether.
"What kind of strength is that…?"
Everyone in the room was stunned—especially Isagi.
He had faced Kira once before and already knew the man was strong…
But this—this was something else entirely.
Back in last week's match, Isagi's team had lost only because they failed to capitalize on their comeback. Even then, he'd thought Kira was leagues above him.
Now, he realized the gap wasn't just wide—it was astronomical.
The name on the screen changed again.
Ryosuke Kira.
"Looks like no one's getting that ball from you, huh? Kira, this is getting boring!"
Bachira scratched his head, sounding disappointed.
Time ticked down.
Kira still hadn't moved—because he didn't need to.
Everyone knew who his prey was.
Gurimu Igarashi.
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〔TL〕
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