But having just gone through a brutal reality check, Shuto Sendo didn't notice anything strange. Instead, he took the hand Ryūma offered him.
With a firm pull, Ryūma lifted him back to his feet. Shuto even politely muttered a "Thanks" at the end.
"Huh? One match and you've turned into a good kid?"
Shuto didn't respond. He just shot Ryūma a glance, then walked off without looking back.
"Uh… did I beat him into shutting down?" Ryūma muttered quietly as he watched Shuto's retreating back.
"Don't worry, I'll go check on him later. And don't take what he said at the gathering to heart," Oliver Aiku said.
"He's our ace, so he's always been full of pride. Getting humbled like this is actually good for him."
"Oh right—let's properly introduce ourselves. Oliver Aiku, captain of the U-20 National Team."
Ryūma raised an eyebrow at the sight of Aiku extending a hand with a calm, charming smile.
(Interesting. As expected of the U-20's king of social skills.)
(With a smile that handsome, I'd want to meet him too.)
"Haha, I wanted to introduce myself back at the meeting point."
"But I was caught up with the one-on-one challenge. Now it works out—if you didn't come to me, I was planning to go to you."
"After all, it's rare to find another guy with heterochromia who's also a looker like me!"
"Ryūma! Nice to meet you!"
Ryūma reached out and shook Aiku's hand.
Aiku actually froze for a moment. He thought a genius like Ryūma would be aloof and cold—more like Sae Itoshi.
But Ryūma's enthusiasm left him momentarily confused.
Still, Aiku had seen plenty in his career, so he quickly recovered.
"Yeah. Glad to meet you too."
"Haha, no need to be so formal, Aiku." Ryūma slung an arm over his shoulder. "I'm easy to get along with."
"We're teammates from now on—how can we work together without trust?"
"And I can only attack with peace of mind if I trust the defensive line you four make up, right?"
As he spoke, Kazuma Nio, Miroku Darai, and Teppei Neru walked over.
"How'd you know the four of us would be the backline? I don't remember telling you that."
"Ah, not important. I'm counting on you guys back there." Ryūma hurriedly changed the subject—no way could he say "the manga told me."
"Don't worry. We'll hold the line."
Ryūma nodded and turned to head back to his room for more sleep. But just then, Sae Itoshi stepped in front of him, holding a sheet.
"This is your next training plan. I need to correct some issues in your play."
"For example, your shooting form still isn't clean and sharp enough. Your field awareness doesn't update fast enough. And when you dribble past opponents, you add unnecessary micro-movements."
"And your running-dribble posture—you learned it from Loki, right? But all you did was imitate it. You didn't make it your own."
"You probably studied it from videos. His posture suits his body perfectly. But everyone's physique is different."
"With your build, copying his form actually suppresses your speed."
"You won't fix it in a day, though. It's already become a habit, so change it gradually."
"And also—"
Sae went on for over ten minutes. By the end, Ryūma felt completely petrified.
When Sae finally stopped, Ryūma needed a few seconds before he managed to respond seriously:
"Wait, Sae? I really have that many issues?"
"Yeah. From my perspective, you do."
"…So what should I work on first?"
Sae handed him the sheet, then continued, "Just follow the order listed there."
"Your dribbling posture has to be fixed slowly. Bit by bit."
"I don't even know what posture is best for you. You'll have to figure that out."
"As for reflexive thinking—that's even harder. It depends entirely on your talent."
Ryūma nodded, half understanding. Sae had said so much, and he hadn't fully processed all the important parts yet.
"Then Sae, I'm gonna go take a nap and let my brain cool down."
"Go."
...
Meanwhile, inside the Blue Lock training grounds...
Everyone was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily—yet not a single person complained.
Thankfully, the mechanical female voice finally rang out, saving them.
Ding-dong, ding-dong——
Morning training complete. Everyone, take a break!
But two people chose to continue training.
One of them was Yo Hiori, sweating as though he'd been drenched in rain. He wanted to give one thousand percent on match day—defeat Ryūma head-on, and pull him back out of the U-20 national team.
"Hiori, take a break. Don't push yourself too hard," Nijiro Nanase said worriedly.
"I'm fine, Nijiro. Just one more hour, then I'll rest. I know my body better than anyone."
"…Alright. Then I'm staying here to watch you. One hour, and you must rest."
The other was Rin Itoshi, driven by his deep obsession with surpassing his older brother.
Having just finished his own training, Yoichi Isagi walked down the corridor, thinking:
('As long as I crush them', huh?)
(If that's the case, my current ability still isn't enough.)
(That powerful state brought on by 'Focus'… it only happens sometimes. Pure luck.)
(How do I use that skill reliably?)
Before he knew it, Isagi had arrived near another training room. He heard equipment moving inside and peeked in out of curiosity.
"Rin?!"
Seeing Rin Itoshi inside, Isagi approached him. "Hey, it's break time. You should breathe a little."
"Huh?" Rin stopped and glared at him, panting. "Don't compare yourself to me."
"If you're here to get in my way, get out, Yoichi."
Isagi froze for a moment, then hurried to explain, "No, that's not what I meant!"
"But if you push too hard and wreck your body—"
Before he could finish, Rin ground his teeth and said, clearly and forcefully:
"If I wreck it, it just means that's my limit!"
"I finally have the chance to face my brother—Sae Itoshi!"
"To defeat him! To surpass him!!"
"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this moment?!"