Chapter 128: The Promise
"I've played football for a long time, but that's the first time I've ever felt the fire literally nipping at my heels."
Oliver Aiku let the tension of the first half wash over him. He looked like a man who had just survived a shipwreck and was already looking for a bigger boat.
Sae tilted his head, looking at Aiku with a cold, analytical gaze. "The realization comes too late. Without me, none of you are capable of matching them."
"Is that so? I think there's still a way to save this," Aiku replied. He looked toward a dark corner of the room. "We still have a demon in reserve, don't we?"
The eyes of the U-20 squad shifted to the shadows. There, Shidou Ryusei was standing, looking completely detached from the gravity of the situation.
"Hey, hey. You finally noticed I was here?" Shidou stood up, his movements fluid and cat-like. He stretched his limbs, his joints popping with a satisfying sound.
"So, genius. Am I an organism worth your time yet?" Shidou asked, his voice dripping with chaotic confidence.
Sae looked at Shidou, then back at Aiku. A slow, predatory smile touched Sae's lips. "I see what you're doing, Captain. Clever."
"Fine, you rookies. If this is how it's going to be, I'll play along for one more round."
***
Meanwhile, in the Blue Lock locker room.
"That was insane! Kira, everyone, you guys are absolutely killing it out there!"
Nanase's eyes were practically sparkling with hero worship.
"It's making my blood boil," Jingo Raichi grumbled, his face twisted in a permanent scowl. "I'm sitting here with all this energy and no one to hit. Put me in, damn it!"
"Nagi, good half. Here's a towel."
Mikage Reo handed the towel to Seishiro Nagi, who was slumped on a bench.
Nagi nodded his thanks. "I still haven't scored. It's a bit of a drag."
"Listen up, you diamonds in the rough."
The room went silent as Jinpachi Ego walked in, adjusting his tie with practiced indifference. Anri Teieri followed close behind, clutching a tactical tablet to her chest.
Ego scratched the back of his head. "To put it bluntly, that 2-0 lead rests entirely on Kira's shoulders. He carried the momentum."
"But don't expect the second half to follow the same script. Popping the champagne at halftime is a loser's move. The National Team is wounded, which makes them dangerous."
"The formation stays. The objective stays. I have only one command: Total annihilation."
"HELL YEAH!"
The roar of the strikers echoed off the lockers. Ego gave a small, satisfied nod and walked out, hands tucked into his pockets. Only Kira noticed the subtle, crooked smirk on the coach's face before he turned the corner. The old man was enjoying this more than he let on.
In a corner of the room, Itoshi Rin sat with a towel draped over his head. He was motionless, his thoughts spiraling. Sae's words were playing on a loop in his mind.
'If you keep defining yourself as my brother, you'll never be on my level.'
What did that even mean?
Rin closed his eyes, drifting back to a time when football was simple. As a kid, he had been captivated by the sight of his older brother on the pitch. To him, Sae was a star—invincible and flawless. The house had been a museum for Sae's trophies. Rin had followed him like a shadow, a loyal follower.
Back then, Sae had a singular dream: to become the world's best striker.
Rin had carved that dream into his own heart. He loved the football because Sae loved the football. They had made a pact—a sacred promise—that they would conquer the world together as the ultimate scoring duo.
Everything changed the night Sae returned from the Real Madrid academy in Spain.
"My dream changed. I don't want to be the world's best striker anymore."
They hadn't seen each other in four years, and those were the first words out of Sae's mouth.
"I'm going to be the world's best midfielder."
Rin had stared at him, his world shattering. "What are you talking about? You're a striker! Being anything else is a waste of time! It's meaningless!"
"Shut up," Sae had snapped, his voice cold and foreign. "Only a child who has never seen the real world would say something so pathetic."
Rin couldn't understand. In four years, his brother had become a stranger.
"Don't give up on us! You said we'd fight side-by-side! You said you'd make me the second-best player in the world, right behind you!"
"Exactly," Sae replied, his face a mask of indifference. "I'll be the world's best midfielder, and you can take the striker spot. It's a logical evolution."
"No! I don't want that! I'm the brother of the world's best striker!"
Rin refused to let the dream die. Finally, Sae had proposed a bet. A one-on-one. If Rin won, Sae would continue pursuing the dream of being a striker. If Sae won, the childhood promise was officially dead.
Rin had played with every ounce of his soul, but he had been dismantled. Sae's final words to him that night were a scar that never healed:
'You make me sick. Don't ever use me as your reason for playing football again.'
For Rin, those words had stripped the meaning from his life. Every goal he scored, every drop of sweat he shed in Blue Lock, it was all for one purpose: To destroy Sae's new dream.
"Rin... second half is starting. Move it."
Kira's voice pulled Rin back to the present. Rin ripped the towel off his face and stood up. "I'm ready, Kira. Let's go."
'I play football to ruin you, Sae,' Rin thought, his eyes burning with a dark, focused ego.
***
"Blue Lock leads 2-0 as we head into the second half!"
"The atmosphere is electric! Will the National Team find an answer, or is this the beginning of the end for the U-20?"
The announcers were feeding off the crowd's energy as the teams retook the pitch.
"Tch... great. The freak is finally on," Rin muttered.
He immediately spotted Shidou standing at the center circle. The pink-haired demon was staring up at the stadium lights, his eyes closed as he seemed to absorb the vibration of the crowd.
'Look at this guy,' Kira thought, half-impressed and half-annoyed. 'He's got the whole stadium watching him, and he hasn't even touched the ball yet. Why didn't he teach me how to pose like that? Some partner in crime he is.'
"Who the hell is the guy with the pink hair?"
"Is he meditating? In the middle of the pitch?"
"I don't know, but he looks wild. He's got this raw, primal energy about him..."
The whispers in the stands grew into a low hum. Suddenly, as if triggered by a silent signal, Shidou snapped his eyes open. He locked onto Kira and began walking toward him.
"Well, well, well... Kira. You've been busy, haven't you?"
Shidou leaned in close, his face inches from Kira's. "You look like you're having a blast. I think it's time I got a taste of that excitement too."
Kira stepped back, looking disgusted. "Get some boundaries, Shidou. We're on opposite sides now. Don't expect any favors."
He was genuinely worried Shidou's brand of insanity might be contagious.
"Hey, pink-haired freak. Step back. The game is starting," Rin spat.
There was a natural, chemical repulsion between Rin and Shidou. Whenever they shared the same air, it seemed to crackle with hostility.
Shidou turned his gaze to Rin, then tapped his temple as if trying to remember a boring detail. "Oh, right. I remember you. You're the little brat who can't stop talking about his big brother."
"This is a conversation for real players, Rin. Don't interrupt me while I'm talking to Kira."
"What did you say?" Rin's temper flared instantly.
Kira saw the explosion coming and gave Isagi a sharp look. The two of them jumped in, physically prying the two hot-heads apart before the referee could get involved.
"The U-20 has made a tactical substitution, bringing on Shidou Ryusei for Wakatsuki," Atsuto Tereasa announced. "Shidou is a complete unknown. He's never appeared in a National Team kit before. Natsuki, who is this guy?"
Over on the Blue Lock bench, Anri's expression was tight with concern. "They're actually using him. They've unleashed Shidou."
She had seen the footage from the internal matches. She knew exactly what Shidou was capable of when he was given a stage this big. The second half wasn't just a game anymore—it was a countdown to an explosion.
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