"Hey, wait a second."
"Let me enjoy this afterglow of style for a bit."
Jyubei Aryu pressed a hand to his forehead, savoring the lingering excitement of the match while striking another pose he thought looked cool.
Seishiro Nagi tilted his head, watching Aryu's exaggerated pose.
"Huh? Superman?"
"Haha, don't mind Aryu, Nagi. Who do you wanna pick?"
"Well, I guess I still want to choose…"
"Shut up! I'll pick!"
Rin Itoshi turned toward Team White, ready to speak—but Ryūma Banjō cut him off.
"Rin, I know you're fired up, but slow down."
"I think we should talk this through first."
"Ryūma, I want to choose him too."
"Uh…"
Hearing Nagi's words, Ryūma could only sigh and shake his head helplessly before turning back to Rin.
"Fine, fine. You decide then, Rin."
(I was actually thinking of picking Chigiri, but since Nagi also wants Isagi, I'll just go with that.)
Rin raised his right hand, curling it like a claw. His gaze shifted from his fingers to Yoichi Isagi, who was still kneeling on the ground.
"That last goal… I didn't predict it at all!"
"Since entering Blue Lock, this is the first time I've felt this kind of frustration!"
"Damn it… another person I need to crush."
"I won't let you fade away."
Extending his right hand toward Isagi, Rin hooked his finger and called out,
"Come on, Yoichi Isagi!"
"I want you close enough to witness me become the best in the world!"
『Blue Lock』 Second Selection — 『Rivalry Battle』
Rin Itoshi · Ryūma Banjō · Seishiro Nagi · Jyubei Aryu · Yoichi Isagi
These five players advance!!
After the announcement, Rin didn't look back at Isagi again and walked straight toward the exit.
Isagi remained kneeling, unmoving. Even after hearing Rin's words, he couldn't bring himself to stand.
(Why me? Why was I the one chosen?)
(That last shot—I read Rin's trajectory perfectly.)
(I was ahead of him!)
(But… the ball fell to Ryūma's feet...)
(Once again, I couldn't fully defeat Rin.)
(What was I missing? What could I have done differently?)
(No one could have predicted where the deflected ball would land.)
(So in the end… the only difference between us was just a little bit of "luck"?)
"Get up, let's move, Isagi!"
"Yeah, yeah! Why are you still sitting there, man?"
Nagi spoke first, and Ryūma—acting as familiar as ever—grabbed Isagi by the arm and pulled him up.
Isagi didn't resist and followed the two toward the passage to the next stage.
(My head's a mess right now...)
(We lost the match, yet I was still chosen...)
(So this… is what it feels like.)
Halfway down the tunnel, Isagi suddenly turned around and shouted to the three remaining members of Team White,
"Ah—everyone, sorry!"
"We were so close to beating the Top 3!"
"That last goal was just luck!"
"We didn't really lose to them!"
Before he could finish, Hyōma Chigiri, breathing heavily with his hands on his knees, interrupted him.
"We don't need to hear that!"
"Huh?"
"Rin chose you. That's the reality!"
"Shut your mouth and go!"
Shōei Barō's forehead veins bulged as he glared furiously at Isagi.
"Yeah! And if I see your face again, I'll kill you!"
"Now get lost, you damn scrub!"
Bachira, on the other hand, wore a bright, genuine smile.
"Go on, Isagi. I can fight on my own now."
"Next time we meet, we'll be opponents—and I won't lose to you!"
Looking at the three of them, Isagi's chest tightened.
(Without Bachira, Chigiri, and Barō… there's no way I'd have made it this far.)
(This whole journey—it was pure fire.)
(Fighting side by side with Barō, Chigiri, and Bachira...)
(It's my pride!)
Isagi's gaze burned with determination as he looked at them.
"You guys better make it! Next time—we'll face each other again!!"
With that, he turned and followed Ryūma and Nagi into the passage leading to the next stage.
After Isagi left, the remaining three finally let go of their composure and collapsed onto the ground.
"Damn it… damn it! DAMN IT!!"
"This can't… end like this!!"
"Yeah, revenge... revenge~"
Bachira, Chigiri, and Barō returned to the third stage...
Inside the passage to the fourth stage...
"Welcome aboard, Isagi!"
"Uh, Ryūma just gets overly friendly. You'll get used to it."
Nagi glanced at Ryūma, who had his arm draped over Isagi's shoulders, talking nonstop. It reminded him of how he himself had first gotten close to Ryūma.
Jyubei Aryu combed his hair, shooting Isagi a sideways look.
"Honestly—"
"I wanted the stylish one, Hyōma Chigiri."
"But your heel shot was pretty stylish too."
"Welcome, Yoichi Isagi."
Isagi gave a polite nod.
"Ah, thank you."
Ryūma chuckled.
"Well, to be honest, I also wanted to pick Chigiri."
"Not that I don't recognize your talent, of course—it's just that Chigiri's got an insanely gorgeous older sister."
"If I get close to him now, how far would I be from becoming his brother-in-law, huh?" [Now it's fantasy time~]
Isagi could only force an awkward smile, unsure how to respond.
Then, as if remembering something, he looked up at Rin walking ahead and called out,
"Hey, Rin!"
"Tell me—why did I lose to you?"
"In that match just now, what was I still missing?"
"Huh?"
Rin turned his head, clearly baffled by the stupid question.
Ryūma looked confused too—but his confusion was about something else.
"Wait, shouldn't you be asking me, Isagi? You lost to me, didn't you?"
"Uh, no… I was wondering about luck..."
Rin suddenly turned back around, his voice laced with mockery.
"Ha! Even a monkey could tell."
"It was luck."
That simple answer obviously didn't satisfy Isagi.
"Wait! An unstable thing like luck doesn't explain it!"
"To grow stronger, I need a more concrete reason!"
Rin stopped again, sweeping his bangs aside with his right hand.
Seeing that, Ryūma sighed inwardly.
(Seriously, kid... ever thought about getting a haircut?)
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser