Chapter 11: Ryosuke Kira — The Overlooked Beast
"It was just an accident, don't be so hostile, okay?"
Igarashi Gurimu forced a smile, realizing he'd just made a terrible mistake. Everyone had seen through his little trick, and now they all kept their distance — no one was letting him use them as a human shield again.
'Damn it…'
His heart pounded wildly, as if about to burst from his chest. Using the corner of his eye, he kept watch on the countdown on the screen.
Ten seconds left.
'Looks like Ryosuke Kira plans to strike in the final second… That way, I'll have no chance to fight back. But if I dodge it — then he's the one who gets eliminated! There's still hope! And not a small one either! The shorter the time, the easier it is for me to predict his kick! The distance between us isn't that close — I can react in time!'
That thought reignited a spark of confidence in Igarashi's chest.
Eight.
Seven.
The seconds ticked away.
And then Kira finally spoke.
"I know what you're thinking," he said calmly. "You think I'll attack in the last second so you can't counter."
Six.
Five.
"But really, I just wanted to tell you — hitting you is effortless for me. You might think you can react from this distance, but you're wrong."
His voice was steady, not a trace of anger in it.
Four.
Three.
Two.
Kira stepped forward — entering the state of Total Concentration Breathing once more.
His heartbeat quickened, his breathing intensified, and blood surged through his veins like boiling water.
Everyone around could feel it — the overwhelming aura radiating from him. For a moment, they forgot how to breathe. No one dared to blink, afraid of missing that critical instant.
Igarashi's legs went weak.
At the final second, Kira's right leg swung in a graceful arc — and the ball shot forward like a bullet.
He didn't use Thunderclap and Flash this time, but with Total Concentration Breathing empowering him, it was more than enough.
Even before acquiring that skill, Ryosuke Kira had the strength to surpass most players his age. Now, that strength was amplified, and this "shot" carried terrifying power.
He wanted to show everyone on Team Z what he was truly capable of.
The ball's immense force gave it unbelievable acceleration. It smashed into Igarashi's chest before he could even react, sending him flying several meters backward before collapsing helplessly onto the floor.
Zero.
Time's up.
The screen froze — the name displayed was Gurimu Igarashi.
A harsh buzzer echoed throughout the room, announcing the end of the match.
"All right, young football gems — the result is final. The loser is Gurimu Igarashi. You can get lost now. You've lost your qualification."
The screen shifted again — filling with Jinpachi Ego's shadowed face.
"T-This...! How could this kind of ridiculous game decide my career?! It's absurd!"
Igarashi protested desperately, trembling with emotion, grasping for any final chance to stay.
But Ego's cold, mocking voice cut him down.
"Didn't you realize? This room is the same size as the penalty box — this entire game simulates a striker's activity within it: reaction time, dribbling speed, and shooting under pressure! It's authentic football training, idiot. And you failed. You got toyed with — hunted like prey."
Ego's gaze shifted briefly toward Ryosuke Kira.
"I… I…"
Igarashi stood frozen, unable to speak. Bitterness and regret churned in his chest, choking his voice until all that came out was a low, broken groan.
In that steel-walled room, every eye was fixed on him.
He knelt there, motionless — like a puppet with its strings cut, his face shrouded in shadow, jaw clenched tight, yet unable to utter a single word.
To be eliminated from Blue Lock meant his football career was over.
He had joined this program to change his fate — his family wanted him to become a monk, and his only way out was to succeed in football, to reach the national team.
But now, Ryosuke Kira had shattered that dream completely.
The metal door slid open, urging him to leave.
Shaking, unsteady, like a man waking from a nightmare, Igarashi staggered out of the room.
Only eleven players remained. A strange silence settled over them.
"Congratulations, young gems," Jinpachi said with a grin. "You've passed the selection. You now qualify to live in Blue Lock. Eleven players remain — from now on, you'll live as a single team. Sometimes helping each other, sometimes betraying each other… You are Blue Lock's Team Z."
He smiled faintly.
"In the coming days, you'll undergo fitness tests. Enjoy your time in Blue Lock."
With that, the screen went dark.
---
Inside the Blue Lock central control room, Jinpachi Ego leaned forward in his chair, eyes glued to the grid of surveillance feeds before him. His glasses nearly touched the screen.
"What is it, Ego-san? Someone caught your attention?"
Beside him stood Anri Teieri, the new JFA official who had partnered with Ego to launch the Blue Lock Project. Her elegant figure and refined features contrasted sharply with the cold hum of the monitors.
"No," Ego replied, leaning back and adjusting his glasses. "They're all just raw stones — unpolished, without brilliance. Nothing worth noting."
But even as he said that, his gaze lingered — just for a second longer — on one player's image.
Ryosuke Kira.
'So… there's a beast in Blue Lock I hadn't noticed before.'
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〔TL〕
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