Chapter 10: What Is Your Weapon?
Middle of the Night, Room Z
The air in Room Z was thick with exhaustion after the grueling entrance exam. The players had rolled out their futons, collapsing into much-needed rest.
Snore! Snore!
The room echoed with the chorus of heavy snoring, but Isagi Yoichi lay wide awake, his mind racing. He couldn't shake the image of Kira's unreal reaction speed during their combined assault with Kunigami and Bachira. That pinpoint banana shot. The explosive outside-foot volley.
Just thinking about it made Isagi press a hand to his forehead, a dull ache forming. 'How am I supposed to catch up to a guy like that?'
His eyes drifted instinctively toward Kira's futon. In the faint moonlight spilling through the room, he saw it—empty.
'No way…'
A wave of dread hit Isagi. 'Is Kira out there training right now? At this hour?'
'Maybe he just went to the bathroom or to wash up,' he reassured himself. 'No way he's that dedicated. He's already a beast—why would he need to grind harder? If he's putting in this much work, how's someone like me supposed to keep up?'
Isagi squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to sleep.
Five seconds later, they snapped open. 'No! I have to check. I'm already miles behind him. If I don't match his effort, I'll never close the gap.'
No time to waste. Isagi threw off his covers, moving quietly to avoid waking the others.
…
Training Room
Kira stood panting, sweat dripping from his brow. He'd just burned through an Itoshi Rin Trial Card, pushing himself through drills on the field. Now, with the card's effects faded, he took a moment to reflect, dissecting his movements and mindset during its ten-minute duration.
Unlike Shidou Ryusei's card, which amplified raw power, Itoshi Rin's sharpened his observation and ball control. 'They're completely different beasts,' Kira thought, marveling at the contrast.
But the gap between himself and those titans was painfully clear. The trial cards gave him a temporary boost, leaving faint traces of improvement afterward, but it wasn't enough. Ten minutes of borrowed brilliance couldn't carry him through a full 90-minute match. He needed to grind his core skills—fast.
[System Notification: Host has completed the entrance exam. System upgraded.]
[System can now absorb and store four attributes.]
Kira's lips curved into a grin. The upgrade came at the perfect time. With a few days before the inter-room matches, he could leverage the attributes absorbed from Room Z's players and train relentlessly here.
"Ki… Kira! You're really here?!" Isagi's voice broke the silence, tinged with disbelief.
Kira turned to see Isagi in his Blue Lock uniform, staring at him wide-eyed, like he'd caught a ghost in the act.
"Yo, Isagi. Not resting? Here to train?" Kira flashed his signature sunny grin.
"Aren't you the same?" Isagi shot back, thinking, 'Good thing I came. If I'd slept through this, I'd be dozens of minutes further behind this guy.'
Kira scratched his head, chuckling awkwardly. "Haha, I'm just too wired to sleep."
"From your big performance today, right? I get it—back in high school leagues, I'd be too pumped to sleep after scoring a goal." Isagi's tone was light, but his eyes searched Kira's face. "You killed it out there. Gotta be hyped, huh?"
"Nah, not really."
Kira tilted his head, gazing at the ceiling. "Isagi, what's your goal in football?"
"Y-Yeah…" Isagi hesitated, a flush creeping up his cheeks. Talking dreams with someone he barely knew felt painfully awkward. "I want to go pro, for sure."
"I want to be the world's number one striker."
Isagi blinked. 'This guy just says it? That's some chuuni-level confidence…'
Kira's voice stayed firm, unwavering. "The better my skills get, the more I realize how massive the gap is between me and that goal. If I don't seize every second I've got, I'll only drift further away. Don't you think so?"
Isagi froze, Kira's words hitting like a freight train. 'He's right. Isn't my dream to be the best striker in the world too? Anyone can dream big, but… can I actually do it? I'm ranked second-lowest in Blue Lock, just above Igaguri. If I just accept that, why did I let Ego Jinpachi drag me here?'
After a moment of silence, Isagi made up his mind. He bowed deeply, voice resolute. "Kira, please teach me how to play football!"
Yes! Kira cheered inwardly. His chuuni speech had worked like a charm.
He'd planned this from the moment he saw Isagi. Beyond the two monsters—Itoshi Rin and Shidou Ryusei, his main attribute targets—Isagi Yoichi, the original protagonist, held the greatest growth potential in Blue Lock. Unlocking that potential early and absorbing his attributes was key to Kira's strategy. He'd baited Isagi into this mindset to spark his drive.
Keeping his cool, Kira played it off. "Why should I teach you? We're teammates for now, but we're still rivals in the end."
"Uh…" Isagi hadn't expected pushback. He'd pegged Kira as the nice-guy type who'd agree without a fight.
But then, Isagi straightened, his voice rising with conviction. "If your goal is to be the world's number one striker, you'll need rivals who can push you, right? I might be average now, but if you teach me, I'll grow into someone who can match you. I'll force you to get better too." He locked eyes with Kira. "Or what, Kira Ryosuke—are you scared of a nobody like Isagi Yoichi, from the same nowhere town as you?"
Kira nearly laughed out loud. 'Reverse psychology? Bold move, Isagi.'
He feigned irritation, narrowing his eyes. "You…" Then, with an exaggerated sigh, he composed himself. "Fine, Isagi Yoichi. Let me ask you something first."
"Have you ever thought about what your weapon is?"
"Weapon? What do you mean?" Isagi's eyes widened, looking like a lost kid.
Kira's face practically screamed exasperation, black lines of frustration forming in his mind. He took a deep breath, forcing patience. "Every top striker in the world has a unique strength. Everyone in Blue Lock has one too."
"Like Kunigami—his raw physique and deadly long-range shots."
"Or Bachira—those slick, unpredictable dribbling skills."
"Me? I've got sharp passing, precise shooting, and killer positioning."
"So, Isagi Yoichi—what's your weapon?"
"My weapon…?" Isagi's voice trailed off, his mind blank. 'Everyone's got something they're great at. Kunigami, Bachira, Kira… but me? What's mine? A gut feeling? Finding weird passing lanes? None of that feels right.'
Kira watched Isagi sink into thought, chuckling inwardly. 'Think hard, Isagi, you naive little protagonist.'
With a dramatic wave, Kira turned to leave, tossing a final line over his shoulder. "Come find me when you've got an answer."
He strode out, leaving a cool silhouette in his wake as Isagi stood alone in the training room, lost in a daze.
…
Blue Lock Monitoring Room
Slurp!
Ego Jinpachi crouched on his chair, noisily devouring instant noodles. Anri Teieri bustled nearby, tidying the chaos Ego had left in his wake.
"Ego-san, can't you at least try to keep this place clean? You've been here less than a day, and it's already a disaster!" Anri grumbled, scrubbing at a stray noodle splatter.
"We agreed from the start—I'm here to train and select players. Nothing else," Ego replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Anri clattered dishes loudly in protest, her frustration echoing through the room.
Moments later, Ego's eyes were glued to the monitors, scanning each room's feed.
"Still watching? Not resting?" Anri asked, peering over his shoulder. She noticed Kira Ryosuke on the screen, grinding away at practice. "Wow, this kid's just like you, Ego-san! Crazy dedicated, training at this hour."
Ego didn't respond, but a faint, satisfied smirk crept across his face.
Soon after, Isagi appeared on the monitor. The conversation between the two played out, unfiltered, for Ego and Anri to hear.
Anri glanced at Ego, catching the slight twitch of his eyebrow.
She knew why. While organizing Ego's teaching materials earlier, she'd seen his upcoming lecture plan. One of his key questions for the Blue Lock players was: What is your weapon?
"Ahh, looks like this kid stole your line, Ego-san," Anri teased.
Ego sighed dramatically, slurping another noodle. "Not again."
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