Chapter 29: If You Were Going to Give Up, Why Come Here At All
That rapid, charging sprint—its sharpness, its decisiveness—looked exactly like the version of himself from long ago. At least in that fleeting instant, something stirred deep within Chigiri Hyōma's heart, something he had believed long dead. A faint impulse, a desire to run again, to chase the ball again, ignited like a tiny spark.
It felt as if a seed had been planted inside him, and Chigiri could not ignore it. He wondered whether he might be able to learn something from Kira—something that could help him recover the version of himself he had lost.
"You know, 'Princess,' weren't you once a peerless prodigy yourself?"
Kira spoke with a light smile.
"You've… heard of me?"
Chigiri blinked, genuinely surprised. Not even a full year had passed, yet it felt as if the world had already forgotten him. The glory he once carried had vanished like smoke. Inside Blue Lock, no one paid him any attention; his existence felt transparent, insignificant.
"You were the star striker of Rokusatsu Industrial High School," Kira continued calmly, "famous for absurdly explosive speed. But then you were injured…"
He said it as if simply reciting facts.
"Your recovery should have been complete a long time ago, though. The real problem is that the injury could have ended your career. So you started obsessing over it, grew terrified of pushing your body again, and built a wall in your own mind you can't cross. Am I wrong?"
Chigiri hesitated. He had no desire to revisit this topic at all—but Kira's words pierced straight to the truth. After a moment of silence, he nodded. There was no point denying it. Kira had hit the mark perfectly.
"…You're right. As far as I'm concerned, my path in football is basically over."
"And do you actually believe that?"
Kira chuckled softly and gave his shoulder a light pat.
"If you were truly done with football, why would you have come here?"
"I just…"
Chigiri's voice faltered.
"Whether you seize your chance or not is up to you," Kira said, turning his gaze toward the field.
"But if you do want to try again—you can just say so. Whenever you feel you're ready."
Most members of Team Z were genuinely good people. Even Raichi—loud, hot-blooded Raichi—was simply a straightforward, passionate guy. Kira got along well with everyone, and he already saw Team Z as a proper team. If any teammate needed help, he was willing to lend it.
And besides, strengthening teammates strengthened Kira's own future: the stronger his team became, the more points he would ultimately earn. Those points were calculated based on the strength of both opponents and teammates. Stronger players meant greater gains.
"Want to train with me?" Kira added. "We can check your current condition. Who knows—you might end up back on the pitch sooner than you think."
He tapped Chigiri's back again.
Chigiri thought for a moment… then nodded.
"…Alright."
For the first time since entering Blue Lock, a faint smile appeared on his delicate, beautiful face.
...
Meanwhile, outside Blue Lock—at the Aida household.
Riko Aida had burrowed herself deep into her blanket, face buried in her pillow, legs kicking weakly like a flustered swimmer.
Everyone had overheard what she'd said to Ryosuke… but that wasn't the problem!
The real problem was—
Everyone now thought she was Ryosuke's girlfriend!
She had tried to explain, but none of them believed her. And if the day came when those Blue Lock players earned temporary leave… wouldn't the rumor spread everywhere!?
"Is this going to cause trouble for Ryosuke…?"
Her cheeks were scarlet, her slender legs thumping against the mattress in embarrassment.
"What if things are awkward for him right now…? And scoring ten goals just to get one day out—that sounds really hard…"
"School's starting soon too… The Seirin basketball club will get busy again… Should I bring Ryosuke to tour the campus when he gets out…?"
"Aahhh… things are going to get so hectic… But when will Ryosuke even be able to leave…?"
...
Inside Blue Lock, in the surveillance room.
"How was the first-round selection, Ego-san?"
Anri Teieri, fresh from the press conference, returned and posed her question.
"Smooth."
Ego slurped instant noodles while watching match footage with intense concentration.
He was replaying the match between Team X and Team Y.
"It's possible… that a real monster has slipped into Blue Lock."
"A monster? Who?"
Anri frowned slightly.
"You'll know soon enough."
Ego snapped another bite of noodles, eyes glued to the screen.
"Oh, by the way," Anri suddenly remembered, "the president of the Football Association said the budget can be increased again."
"There must be conditions," Ego replied flatly. "To him football is just business. That's exactly why this country's football rotted to the core. Without changing that, a World Cup is a fantasy."
"No drastic conditions," Anri said, pulling out a USB drive.
"He only wants the recordings of the first-round matches. Apparently someone very important is interested in the Blue Lock project."
...
Three days passed quickly.
During those three days, Kira used all ten points he earned daily to purchase more practice time in the Competitive Space, gaining precious hours of training beyond physical limits.
At present, he possessed three skills. Unlocking too many skills at once would only dilute his training efficiency and consume points too quickly.
So for this phase, Kira decided the optimal approach was simple:
Keep only three skills active, pour every point into training time, rapidly raise proficiency—
and once their levels were sufficiently high, then invest the large amount of competitive points gained from future matches to upgrade them.
Only after that would he unlock new skills.
As matches in Blue Lock grew more intense, the points earned each round inevitably increased as well. Unlocking additional abilities could wait until then.
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〔TL〕
Every 100 powerstones = 2 bonus ch.
Every 2 review after 100 ps = 1 bonus ch.