Over an hour later at the training ground...
Both of them lay on the ground, panting heavily. In the end, neither had managed to stop the other.
"Hey, does this count as a draw?"
"I won. I got past you one more time."
"Huh? Don't talk nonsense, Rin. I clearly remember I got past you one more time."
"Heh. Only weaklings use excuses to cover their failures."
"What? Sounds like you little brat who only knows how to run to his big brother is asking for a beating."
"Uh, I didn't mean it like that, Rin. I… uh…"
As soon as Ryūma finished speaking, he realized he'd messed up. Awkwardly, he didn't know how to smooth it over, so he cursed himself in silence.
(Damn it, Ryūma, why can't you keep that mouth shut?)
The training ground fell quiet. Rin Itoshi didn't snap back—he just lay there, lost in thought.
Ryūma, lying on the other side, felt the silence grow unbearable. He forced himself to speak.
"Uh… that tempura yesterday was really good. Oh, and that steak wasn't bad either."
"Brother…"
"Hm? What are you saying, Rin?"
Ryūma sat up, walked over, and sat beside Rin in confusion.
"How much do you know about me and Sae Itoshi?"
"Huh? Just a little—I only heard bits and pieces."
That much was true. In his past life, Ryūma had skimmed through the Blue Lock manga flashbacks, so he really only knew a little.
Rin gazed at the sky, silent for a while before speaking.
"When I was little, my brother was everything to me..."
"My brother… was always so handsome."
"My brother… was amazing."
"My brother… was gentle."
"My brother… was strong."
"My brother… was invincible."
Hearing this extreme brother-worship, Ryūma couldn't help but cut in.
"Seriously? You're just a total bro-con."
"Shut up, brainless idiot. That was when I was a kid. Just listen."
Ryūma was about to keep teasing, but Rin shut him down with a single line. Then Rin continued:
"Later, my brother and I started playing soccer together. As a striking duo, we were unstoppable."
"As long as he was there, I felt invincible."
"My dream was simple—become the best in the world with my brother."
"But… then he went to Spain, to join the youth academy of the world's top club at the time, 'RE·AL.'"
Ryūma froze, then turned to Rin excitedly.
"What?! Hey, could you get in touch with him? If I get eliminated here, maybe I could use his connections to get into that club?"
"You brainless fool! Interrupt me again and I'll kick you off this training ground!"
"Uh… heh, okay, okay. Keep going. I swear I won't interrupt."
Rin took a deep breath and continued.
"After my brother left, I felt lonely. Or rather, on the pitch there was no one who could replace him—no one who ran to the spots I needed."
"I even wanted to take his place myself, to make that team Japan's number one."
"But when he came back… everything changed."
Rin slowly sat up now, his tone heavier.
"I remember that day. Everyone else had left, but I stayed to practice a bit more—just to catch up to him sooner."
"Snowflakes were drifting down. I still remember the sting of that icy air in my lungs."
"My brother, after four years away, surprised me by coming back early. I was so happy then."
"But his eyes no longer had that confidence, that invincibility. He seemed like a different person."
Rin paused. His voice carried anger now.
"He actually told me his dream had changed."
"He said the world was bigger, and there were players stronger than him."
"He said he didn't want to be the world's top striker anymore. He wanted to be the world's best playmaker."
"I kept asking him, 'Aren't you a striker? What's the point of being the best at something else?'"
"And he said only someone who's never seen the world would think like that."
"How could he say that? Just abandon our dream like that? He said he wanted me to be the best striker, while he became the midfielder?"
"Then, just like us tonight, he challenged me to a one-on-one. He said if I won, we'd keep chasing our dream together."
"But if I lost, then our dream would end there."
"The result was obvious. The gap between Sae, training at the world's top club, and me back then was like heaven and earth."
"I lost. Without a doubt. And after that, I couldn't find any reason to keep playing…"
After a long silence, Rin's voice came back, heavy with anger and even hatred.
"To him, I was just a training partner. Once I lost my value, I was discarded."
"All that kindness and gentleness—just an act while I was useful."
"What chasing dreams together? Sae Itoshi threw my life into chaos."
"And yet, he still went off to chase his dream like it was his right."
Rin's voice gradually steadied, as if he had vented it all. He looked at Ryūma.
"You asked me why I play soccer?"
"From then on, there was only one reason."
"To destroy Sae Itoshi's dream."
Hearing this, Ryūma remembered what he'd read in the manga in his past life. The sense of déjà vu grew stronger.
(Man, these brothers really sound like that pair from the clan with the fancy eyes. Don't tell me Rin's nickname is 'Sasuke' or something.)
Jokes aside, Ryūma quickly sobered, speaking with sudden clarity.
"I don't think what really pisses you off is that Sae ruined your life or used you."
"What you can't stand is that your amazing big brother started spouting defeatist crap, giving up so easily—that's the real reason you're mad."
"And think back. When Sae came back early, he went to see you first. If he didn't care, why would he?"
"Sure, you say he lost his old confidence, that his dream changed. But what mattered most to him was still you."
"Rin, think carefully. He didn't stop fighting alongside you. He didn't stop chasing dreams with you."
"He wanted you to become the world's top striker, and he wanted to be the world's top playmaker—to support you."
"But you didn't get it. You even started thinking you had no reason to play."
"No wonder Sae scolded you. If it were me, I would've too. He was counting on you to be the best striker."
"Instead of aiming for that yourself, you clung to being the little brother chasing dreams with him."
"That's why you're too green. Your brother's aiming for the top. He wanted you to do the same—make being number one your goal."
"Not some excuse about chasing dreams together."
"You don't know how lucky you are. If I had a big brother like Sae to back me up, I'd be laughing in my sleep."
As Ryūma finished, he immediately drifted into a daydream—imagining Sae Itoshi supporting him as he scored goal after goal.