The last thing Riku Hayami remembered was the sound of rain against his window.
The next thing he felt was grass.
Cold. Artificial. Too perfect.
He sucked in a sharp breath and sat up, panic spiking as stadium lights burned overhead. A crowd—no, not a crowd. Players. Teenagers in identical Blue Lock uniforms stood scattered across a massive indoor field.
"What…?"
His voice sounded wrong. Younger. Lighter.
Riku looked down at his hands. Athletic. Calloused. Not his.
A memory slammed into him—foreign but complete. Training. High school matches. A recommendation letter. Blue Lock.
"I'm… already here?" he whispered.
A giant screen flickered on.
Ego Jinpachi appeared.
Japan's future striker project began exactly as Riku remembered from the anime. The rules. The threat. The declaration that 299 of them would fail.
The fear in the room was real.
Someone scoffed loudly. "This guy's insane."
That was Bachira Meguru, grinning like this was all a game.
Near the back, Kunigami stood rigid, jaw clenched, heroic ideals practically radiating off him. Chigiri avoided eye contact, unconsciously brushing his leg. Isagi Yoichi looked overwhelmed—eyes darting, absorbing everything, already thinking too much.
And Riku?
His stomach twisted.
This is real, he realized. Not a story. Not a screen.
When the first test began—the tag game—panic broke loose exactly as it had in canon. Players ran unthinkingly. Someone screamed when the ball slammed into their back.
Riku didn't move.
Not because he was brave.
Because he was terrified.
If I mess this up… I'm gone.
He watched Isagi hesitate. Watched Bachira dance. Watched fear split the room into hunters and prey.
Then—A voice spoke where his thoughts should be.
SYSTEM INITIALIZINGHOST: RIKU HAYAMISTATUS: DORMANT (OBSERVATION MODE)
Riku froze.
His heart pounded so hard it hurt.
No. Not now. Not here.
The ball whizzed past him. Someone barely missed tagging him. His body moved on instinct—turning, slipping, surviving by inches.
When time ran out and the first player was eliminated, silence crushed the room.
Isagi stared at the exit, shaking.
Riku swallowed.
This wasn't hype.
This was a loss.
That night, back in the dorm, Riku sat alone on his bed, hands trembling. The weight finally hit him—new body, stolen life, no second chances.
The lights flickered.
SYSTEM ONLINEWELCOME TO BLUE LOCK
Riku exhaled shakily.
"…So this is how I survive."
Outside, laughter echoed down the hallway.
Inside, Riku stared into the dark, knowing one truth with terrifying clarity:
Blue Lock hadn't started breaking him yet.
But it would.