Chapter 62: Goodbye! Naruhaya!
Second Selection, Second Stage.
Barou was gasping for breath, staring at the score: 5-4.
He and Naruhaya had lost.
Lost to Isagi and Chigiri?
Barou couldn't quite accept it. Was this where he was going to fall?
Naruhaya, his face a mask of despair, replayed Isagi's final goal in his mind.
When Isagi and Barou had been fighting for position...
Isagi had replicated Naruhaya's own off-the-ball movement.
He exploited the blind spot Barou created the instant he turned to check the ball, running into open space.
And in that same instant, Chigiri had judged Isagi's direction.
He'd delivered a perfectly timed pass.
Isagi received the pass and blasted a shot, ending the match.
'Why wasn't it me?'
Naruhaya knelt, pounding his fists against the ground.
Before that, if his own shot right in front of the goal had gone in...
...they would have been the ones who won.
"Why? Why?!"
Naruhaya screamed, venting all the unwillingness in his heart.
"It was just a hair's breadth, wasn't it, Naruhaya? It could have gone either way," Isagi stepped forward, trying to console him.
They had been part of Team Z, after all.
They'd spent all that time playing together.
"No... no... it's not like that..."
Naruhaya already understood the gap between himself and Isagi.
"I needed a scoring ability, so I tried to copy your Direct Shot. But it was just a cheap imitation..."
"Just a last-minute scramble. But you're different."
"In a single moment, you devoured what was mine and turned it into your own weapon."
"That must be because you aren't afraid to change. You and Kira... you're both people who are destined to go further..." Naruhaya's tears flowed uncontrollably.
If he had only learned to change sooner, today's outcome might have been different.
"So, Isagi, who are you picking?" Chigiri wiped the sweat from his face, asking the inevitable question.
"Yeah. I know, Chigiri. We have to keep moving forward. Come on, Shoei Barou. You shouldn't be ending things here!"
Isagi announced his answer.
Shoei Barou was chosen for Team Isagi.
"Naruhaya, I..." Isagi turned, wanting to explain.
"Don't say it, Isagi. I get it." Naruhaya stood up, his spirit completely broken.
"Naruhaya, I'll carry your part with me and keep fighting!!" Isagi suddenly yelled.
Naruhaya's form froze. He sneered, "Are you pitying me? Shut up. I don't need anyone's pity."
"Besides, Isagi... 'my part'... right now, in this very instant..."
"...it's already over!"
Hearing Naruhaya's words, Isagi winced slightly.
He was right. For Naruhaya, it was all over.
Isagi and Chigiri nodded, then turned toward the next gate.
Barou glanced back at Naruhaya, his mouth opened, as if to say something.
In the end, he said nothing and followed after Isagi and the others.
The group walked on toward their new future.
Leaving only Naruhaya, standing alone, completely stunned.
"Looks like my dream ends here. Some dreams really are impossible to achieve, huh."
"Kira... Isagi... you geniuses... you better keep winning, for me!"
With that, Naruhaya tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling as tears streamed from his eyes.
Blue Lock Second Selection, Asahi Naruhaya, eliminated.
***
Several days later.
Fourth Stage Training Room.
For the past few days, Kira had come to practice with Rin for ten minutes every day.
Kira had also noticed that Bachira was acting strange lately.
He seemed to have something heavy on his mind.
"What's wrong, Bachira? I've noticed you seem to be spacing out a lot." Kira couldn't help but ask about his situation.
"It's nothing... Maybe just bored from not having a match in so long." Bachira immediately put on a smile and explained.
To Kira's eyes, that smile looked anything but natural.
Kira didn't press the issue.
Bachira must have run into something he needed to figure out for himself. If he wanted to talk, he would.
Kira decided to give him space and let Bachira find his own answer.
After training, the two of them went to the cafeteria together.
"Wow, more and more people are making it to the Fourth Stage." Bachira was scanning the crowd.
"But there's still not a single team willing to play us." Aryu looked disappointed.
"At this rate, when are we ever going to advance?"
Kira scanned the room. Strange, not a single familiar face had arrived.
'What's everyone doing?'
'It's been days. Haven't Isagi's or Nagi's teams made it through yet?'
Screech.
The cafeteria doors opened.
A group of people appeared.
"Kira, it's Isagi and his team."
Kira's gaze shifted. Sure enough, it was them.
[Detected attribute that can be absorbed!]
[Vision +10 (Continuous decay)]
[Shooting +10 (Continuous decay)]
[Passing +10 (Continuous decay)]
[Duration: 10 minutes]
[Retention Time: 24 hours]
[Absorb?]
[Detected absorbable attribute!]
[Strength +15 (Continuous decay)]
[Shooting +15 (Continuous decay)]
[Dribbling +10 (Continuous decay)]
[Duration: 10 minutes]
[Retention Time: 24 hours]
[Absorb?]
[Detected absorbable attribute!]
[Speed +20 (Continuous decay)]
[Passing +10 (Continuous decay)]
[Shooting +5 (Continuous decay)]
[Duration: 10 minutes]
[Retention Time: 24 hours]
[Absorb?]
[Detected absorbable attribute!]
[Dribbling +10 (Continuous decay)]
[Passing +10 (Continuous decay)]
[Trapping +15 (Continuous decay)]
[Duration: 10 minutes]
[Retention Time: 24 hours]
[Absorb?]
Four consecutive attribute notifications popped up. Kira looked at these values, inwardly astonished. 'Did they just fight their way back from hell?'
Isagi, Chigiri, Barou, and Nagi?
"Kira, I'm back." Isagi's entire aura had changed.
He had faintly become the center of their four-man team.
"Ready for a match the moment you see me? Not gonna eat first?" Kira gestured to the empty seats in the cafeteria.
"Starving. We just finished stealing this guy..." Chigiri pointed at Nagi.
"Interesting. Nagi, you lost again, even with Reo?" Kira asked curiously.
"Yeah... It seems I can't get any stronger if I just stay with Reo." Nagi, too, had shed his previous laziness and spoke with seriousness. "I originally wanted to catch up to you and beat you, but I ended up losing to Isagi's team."
"But this works out perfectly. I can finally challenge you again. I won't lose this time."
"I look forward to our match," Kira replied with equal gravity.
"Yo, you know these two new faces as well...?" Aryu asked Kira curiously, as he had only seen Isagi and Chigiri before.
"Yeah, we were in the same building." Kira pointed to Barou and Nagi.
Aryu nodded. "You really are well-connected. It seems there are many stylish things about you I still don't know."
"You'll find out, eventually..."
"Chow time, chow time! Let's eat first and talk later..." Bachira was starving.
And so, everyone began to eat in the cafeteria.
***
After the meal.
Isagi once again formally issued a challenge to Kira.
"Kira, let's play. Our team against yours."
"I'd be happy to." Kira agreed with a smile.
A fighting spirit ignited in everyone's eyes. This was the moment they had been waiting for.
----
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