Thirty minutes before kickoff.
Team Z was already on the field, stretching and warming up. One by one, the players from Team W walked in.
The Samejima Brothers immediately spotted a flash of bright red hair among the crowd. It only took a second for them to realize who it belonged to, their old "friend," Chigiri Hyoma.
Back when they'd known him, Chigiri's hair hadn't been nearly this long, so they might not have recognized him right away if they hadn't already watched the replay of Team Z's match against Team Y. In the video, that red-haired speedster had stood out like a flare. And now, seeing him in person, there was no doubt left.
Their "fragile genius" had returned.
The brothers swaggered over with smug grins.
"Hey, bro, look who it is, our little glass-legged prodigy," said the younger Samejima. "Still chasing that old glory, huh? Couldn't let go of the past?"
The elder brother didn't speak, just gave his sibling a glance. The younger one seemed to understand instantly.
"Oh, right. You're saying it's hilarious he's running again, huh? What if that glass leg of his shatters again? As your senior, I'd say your soccer career's already over, that's what my brother means, too."
Chigiri's eyes flickered with irritation, but he quickly composed himself and replied coolly,
"Yeah, I'm running again. And if my leg breaks, then so be it. Because in a few minutes, I'll crush you on the field just like before."
Before the brothers could fire back, a deep voice came from behind Chigiri.
"Hey Chigiri, since when did Blue Lock start hiring clowns for pre-match entertainment? Didn't know you were so well-connected with the circus."
It was Ryan, stepping up beside him with a smirk.
"Ah, my bad," Ryan continued. "Didn't realize you two were players. I mean, who could tell with those faces? One looks brain-dead, the other looks constipated! Hahaha! Sorry, sorry I just have a low laugh threshold. Anything funny, and I can't hold it in."
Then, his smile sharpened.
"But what's really funny is this your team's about to be eliminated, and instead of worrying about scoring, you're wasting time talking trash. Confidence is great and all, but I've never seen anyone this delusional."
The older Samejima clenched his fists and stepped forward, but his brother stopped him.
Ryan's grin only widened.
"Now scram before I lose my sense of humor."
The brothers glared but backed off, muttering curses under their breath.
Ryan turned to his team.
"Alright, change of plans. Since those clowns decided to mock Chigiri, we're gonna make sure he scores. Here's the setup: once the game starts, I'll mark the big brother so hard he won't be able to breathe. Without him, the little brother's useless.
You guys get the ball, I'll push forward and draw their defense, then send it to Chigiri. From there it's all you, man."
Chigiri twitched a little. This "strategy" didn't sound particularly well-thought-out… but knowing Ryan was doing this to stand up for him made his chest tighten. He'd just have to deliver and prove that the genius they once mocked was back.
Kickoff
Team W had the first touch.
The elder Samejima started things off, passing back to his brother as the whistle blew.
"Let's go, bro! Tell me when you want it, what kind of ball you want, and it's yours!"
But when the younger one turned his head to look for him the elder was gone.
Or rather, he wasn't gone. He was just completely sealed off … by Ryan.
The elder Samejima tried to move, but Ryan shadowed him perfectly, cutting every lane, every angle. It was like there was an invisible wall between the brothers.
The younger Samejima tried again to pass, but every time, Ryan's body shifted, blocking him off like a one-man fortress.
"Damn it! We can't use our combo move if we can't connect!"
Without his brother, the younger one was like a car missing its wheels completely useless.
And before he knew it, Kunigami swooped in and stole the ball.
Ryan saw it immediately.
"Pass it! To me!"
That shout drew nearly the entire W-team defense toward him. They'd watched the tapes they knew Ryan was the heart of Z's offense, capable of scoring five or six goals a match.
In an instant, four or five defenders swarmed him.
Kunigami hesitated instinct told him to pass to Ryan. But he remembered the plan. Instead, he sent a perfect through-ball down the right wing.
Straight to Chigiri.
The younger Samejima's eyes widened.
"Stop him! Don't let him run!"
But it was too late. With most of their defense sucked into the middle, the wing was wide open, a runway built just for him.
The Red Comet had launched.
"Watch carefully, you nobodies," Chigiri thought. "The genius you mocked is back."
He kicked off, accelerating like lightning. The wind screamed past his ears as his cleats tore into the turf.
For the first time in so long, he felt it the joy of pure speed.
"Stop him! Foul him if you have to!"
The defenders charged from the box.
Chigiri glanced up then suddenly, passed the ball forward into empty space.
"What the hell?!" the younger Samejima shouted. "He's lost it, he's got no teammates in the box! Wait… he's he's passing to himself?!"
Exactly.
Faced with closing defenders, Chigiri didn't dodge, he passed to where he'd be three seconds later.
As one defender lunged, Chigiri vaulted over his outstretched leg, landing at full sprint.
Only in the moment I break free… can I trust myself.
Another defender reached out to grab him, but Chigiri only sped up so fast the man tripped and fell behind him.
Faster.
Faster.
FASTER!
It wasn't thought it was pure instinct. A burning passion propelling him forward.
"Keeper! Step up!" a defender screamed.
The goalkeeper dove out, trying to smother the ball.
But Chigiri was already there. He leapt, toes meeting the ball first.
THUNK.
The ball soared past the keeper straight into the top corner.
GOAL!!!
The Samejima brothers froze, eyes wide in disbelief.
Chigiri clenched his fists, shouting with joy then laughed, pure and loud, the sound of freedom. His teammates ran to him.
Ryan reached him first, ruffling his hair with a grin.
"Nice one, Chigiri. I knew you'd pull it off."
The others swarmed around.
"That move was insane, passing to yourself mid-sprint?!"
"You're so damn fast, Chigiri they couldn't even touch you!"
The rest of the match was no contest. Team Z steamrolled Team W.
Final score: 11–0.
Ryan – 5 goals
Chigiri – 2 goals
Kunigami – 1 goal
Bachira – 2 goals
Isagi – 1 goal
After the game, Chigiri caught up to Ryan.
"Ryan, honestly… I don't even know how to thank you. You're the one who pushed me to start running again. You believed in me. You helped me find my dream again. If it weren't for you… I might've already given up."
Ryan scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Wait, Chigiri, those sound exactly like the lines a heroine says right before confessing to the main character."
He grinned.
"Hold on… am I the anime protagonist? Super strong, surrounded by beautiful people, loyal companions, natural charisma… yeah. Yeah, it all makes sense. I am the main character."
Chigiri sighed, exasperated.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?"
Ryan blinked, snapping out of his delusion.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you. But seriously, that's what I'm here for, you're my most trusted teammate, after all."
He stretched and started walking off.
"Anyway, I'm all sweaty time for a shower. Wanna join?"
"Absolutely not."
Chigiri's tone was flat as he turned and walked away.
Ryan watched him leave, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Those words of gratitude… were heavier than he expected.
Even a smooth-talker like him didn't know how to respond so he did what he always did best: played the fool and laughed it off.
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