"Aiku!"
"Aiku!"
"Aiku!"
As the crowd roared, the commentators Atsuto Tereasa and Harutaro Natsuki exclaimed with excitement:
"Unbelievable! Oliver Aiku with a critical clearance!!"
"Mr. Natsuki, your thoughts?"
"As expected of the captain of the counterattack specialists—the 'Diamond Generation'!!"
"It gave me chills!"
(Too strong. Only by judging Yukimiya's pass at the exact moment could he have cut off Nagi's shot so perfectly.)
(That reaction speed… that terrifying awareness of the entire field… it's overwhelming.)
Though Yoichi Isagi thought this, there wasn't a hint of fear in his eyes.
Instead, they burned with fighting spirit as he stared at Oliver Aiku.
Blue Lock ball. Rin Itoshi prepares for the corner kick.
For Rin, there was no option except to shoot.
He adjusted his angle, swung his right leg back widely, and struck—a razor-sharp corner shot curling straight toward the U-20 goal.
But unfortunately for him, Ryūma was right there.
He had predicted Rin's direct corner shot.
Jumping high, Ryūma easily headed it away.
"Counterattack!!"
Kazuma Nio sprinted to the ball immediately.
But just as he was about to pass, he felt something clamp down hard on his shoulder.
"What?! You—!"
"NOW—this is it!"
"FLY, EVERY CELL IN MY BODY!!"
Yes—using Nio's shoulder for leverage, Ryusei Shido swung at the ball in an impossible angle!
[BOOM!!]
"DRAGON SPIN!!"
GOAL!! Blue Lock 3 : 4 U-20 National Team!
"WOW!! Number 13—Ryusei Shido!"
"A shocking strike in the chaos! Blue Lock pulls another goal back! The score is now 3–4!"
As the commentary and audience roared around him, Shido's face flushed with excitement.
"Hahahahaha! My adrenaline's exploding!"
"Ahhhhh—I'm reaching the peak♡"
"Hah… hah… hah—♡"
Kudo Tõya walked up beside him, deadpan.
"Enough. Can you stop being insane, Ryusei?"
"You don't get it, Tõya! I told you—soccer is the ultimate life activity! Just now I was—"
Kudo Tõya cut him off immediately.
"Stop. Stop. I know what you want to say, but I'm not hearing that twice, okay?"
Yoichi Isagi came running, excited to celebrate—but froze the moment he saw Shido's deranged expression.
He couldn't understand a thing, but he was absolutely overwhelmed.
…
On the other side, Ryūma walked alone back toward his half, unusually quiet.
(Nagi… Isagi… Shido… all entering Awakening Moment one after another.)
(It's getting troublesome. Honestly, if they just win like this, that's fine too…)
(I'll return to Blue Lock someday anyway. Blue Lock won't disappear.)
(Wouldn't that be good for everyone?)
(And even if we lose, it's not my fault. All four goals were mine. If my teammates were the Blue Lock guys, we'd already be ahead.)
Without realizing it, Ryūma had begun resenting everyone except Sae.
He even started thinking his current teammates existed only to drag him down.
The truth was—Ryūma cared deeply about winning and losing.
Even while trying to convince himself losing was fine—his heart rejected it.
A creeping emotion rose in him… a fear that if he lost today, he would keep losing forever.
Standing in the center circle, staring at the Blue Lock players, his thoughts drifted to a distant past.
…
In his previous life, his name was Zhan Longwo.
With family connections, a hefty payment, and considerable talent, he eventually made the national team.
Back then, he hadn't yet quit and become just another office worker.
[National Team A: Longwo, training again? I don't get why you push yourself this hard.]
[National Team B: Rookie vibes. First day here and he thinks he'll lead us to the World Cup. He hasn't tasted reality yet.]
[National Team C: And you better not score too many. After two goals, stop. Or you'll face the coach's wrath.]
Remembering those moments, Ryūma felt his heart tighten painfully.
He could have won.
But he had to lose.
His family's expectations, the huge reward for that match—he had no choice.
And once you've accepted losing once…
it becomes easier to lose again.
Unless you quit the national team, that cycle never ends.
He endured three years.
Then he retired.
He earned enough money to repay his parents.
In those three years, he lost countless matches he could've won—
and won matches he should've lost.
Eventually, he forgot what winning or losing even meant.
Then one day, he read a manga called Blue Lock.
Pure, egoistic football—it captivated him.
Then, unbelievably…
he reincarnated into that world.
In this life, before and after joining Blue Lock, Ryūma had never lost a single match.
He'd watched all kinds of people fall before him—
some in pain, some in regret, some unwilling to accept defeat,
some walking a path toward strength because of him.
Here, he rediscovered victory and defeat.
And so—
he refused to lose.
…
U-20 ball. Ryūma steps up for the kickoff.
"No matter what—I'll keep winning!!"
"I'll destroy the old me!!"
The moment he shouted, Ryūma drove forward alone—releasing his full speed.
Even Sae stared at him in disbelief.
Ryūma had been acting normally until now.
Why the sudden recklessness—completely ignoring the plan?
The Blue Lock players were just as confused.
"He's mine. You guys mark the others—he might suddenly pass."
Before anyone could respond, Kudo Tõya was already sprinting straight toward Ryūma.
(I won't think about anything else anymore, Tõya.)
(In all our past clashes, I always wondered what to do after getting past you.)
(How to outmaneuver you elegantly… how to create the perfect shooting lane.)
(But that only held me back. So now—no matter the method, I'll only think about how to beat you!!)
(After that… I'll leave it to pure instinct!)
...
Happy New Year to all my readers!
Wishing you good health, peace of mind, and a year filled with positive energy and strength.