The morning in Blue Lock did not begin with the chirping of birds or the warmth of the sun. It began with an electronic screech that tore through the eardrums of every sleeping player in Building 5.
BZZZZZT.
Renzo opened his eyes, staring at the concrete ceiling. He didn't flinch. His internal clock had woken him up three minutes before the alarm. He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, and watched as the rest of Team V groaned and writhed in their misery.
"Turn it off…" Nagi mumbled, pulling his pillow over his head. "It's too loud. I'm gonna die."
"Wake up, genius," Reo said, already out of bed and doing stretches. "Today is the day. The real thing starts now."
Renzo stood up, stretching his arms until his spine popped.
The balance training from the night before — and the mental sparring with Leo — had left his body feeling lighter, more responsive.
As the team shuffled into the center of the room, rubbing sleep from their eyes, the massive monitor on the wall flickered to life.
Jinpachi Ego's face appeared, looking as sleep-deprived as ever. He was slurping instant yakisoba from a plastic container.
"Good morning, unpolished gems," Ego mumbled, chewing loudly. "I hope you slept well. Because your comfortable little training camp ends now."
He tapped the screen, and a diagram appeared. It showed five pentagonal buildings.
"You are currently in Building 5," Ego explained, pointing his chopsticks at the screen. "There are twenty-five teams in total, divided into five strata. You guys are in the 5th stratum. Meaning, out of the 300 players I invited… you are the bottom of the barrel. The leftovers."
A murmur of irritation rippled through the room. Reo frowned. Zantetsu adjusted his glasses aggressively. Renzo just listened.
"To survive the First Selection," Ego continued, "you will play a round-robin league against the other four teams in your building: Teams V, W, X, Y, and Z. Only the top two teams will advance."
Ego's eyes narrowed.
"The top scorer of the losing teams will also advance. Everyone else? Gone. Game over."
The stakes hung in the air.
"Win, and you move up. Lose, and your career dies here. Oh, and one more thing."
The screen changed to show the cafeteria menu.
"Your food quality is now tied to your team's success. If you want steak, if you want protein, if you want to build a body capable of conquering the world… then win."
"I had a question," Renzo asked.
"Shoot," Ego said, looking at him.
"I saw the vending machine in the cafeteria has other options, which we can exchange for points. How exactly do we get these points, and what all can we do with them?"
Hearing this, Ego smiled, "Excellent question. The point system is to reward you for your brilliance. Each point is worth one goal. As for what all you can do with it? You can get premium food, along with your phone, for 5 points and a day out for 10 points."
Hearing this, a soft smile appeared on Renzo's face, 'Well, at least I will be able to talk with that redhead soon.'
The screen clicked off.
Silence reigned for a moment, broken only by Reo clapping his hands together.
"Alright," Reo said, his voice commanding. He stepped up to the whiteboard in the locker room, grabbing a marker. "You heard him. We're the 'bottom' according to him. But we all know that's bull. We're going to crush everyone in this building."
Reo drew a soccer pitch on the board.
"We need a formation. A system that maximizes our talent."
Reo looked around the room. His eyes lingered on Zantetsu, then Nagi, and finally settled on Renzo. The tension between the three "top dogs" was palpable.
"Zantetsu," Reo started. "You have explosive acceleration. You're on the right wing. We need you to cut inside and stretch the defense."
"Understood," Zantetsu nodded sagely. "I will be the arrow that pierces the atmosphere."
"Right," Reo muttered, ignoring the weird phrasing. "Nagi and I will take the front. Nagi's trapping ability is god-tier. I can get the ball to him anywhere. So, we play a two-top system."
Reo drew two circles at the front. Then he drew a formation behind them.
"3-4-3 is too risky defensively," Reo mused. "4-4-2 is too rigid. We have individual brilliance. We should use it."
He sketched a 3-4-1-2.
Three defenders: Retsu Nerima, Rikiya Hohai, and Sota Nemoto. Four midfielders, with Zantetsu wide right and Shuhei Ebina wide left. Two holding mids to anchor the play. Two strikers: Reo Mikage and Seishiro Nagi.
That left one spot. The spot right behind the strikers. The hole. The link between the defense and the attack.
Reo hesitated. He looked at Renzo.
Renzo was leaning against the lockers, arms crossed, watching Reo with an unreadable expression.
"Renzo," Reo said, his voice tight. "You're the anomaly. You have vision, passing, and… finishing." He gritted his teeth slightly. "We need you in the center. Behind Nagi and me. An Offensive Midfielder. You feed us, and if the defense collapses on us, you clean up."
Reo picked up a jersey from the pile of uniforms Anri had delivered earlier. It had the number 10 on the back.
He held it out.
"This gives you the freedom to move anywhere on the field," Reo said. "But don't forget, we are a team. Pass the ball."
The room went quiet. Everyone watched to see if the "Demon" would accept orders from Reo.
Renzo pushed off the locker. He walked over slowly, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the silence. He took the jersey from Reo's hand. He looked at the number 10.
The number of Leo.
Renzo smirked.
"Freedom," Renzo repeated, testing the word. "I like the sound of that."
He pulled the jersey over his head. It fit perfectly.
"But get one thing straight, Reo," Renzo whispered, leaning in close so only Reo could hear. "I'm not taking this position to be your delivery boy. I'm taking it because from here… I can play any way I want."
Reo stiffened, but he didn't back down. "Just help us win."
"Sure," Renzo shrugged, stepping back. "As long as you two don't bore me."
One Hour Later. The Pitch.
The tunnel leading to the field was dark and cool. The sound of cleats clacking against the concrete floor was a rhythmic war drum.
"Our opponents are Team Y," Reo announced as they walked. "Based on the data Anri-san sent to our tablets, they are a defensive team. They don't have any standout physical monsters, but they're organized."
"Weak," Nagi mumbled. "Sounds like a hassle to break down."
"I will speed past them before they can organize," Zantetsu declared, adjusting his glasses.
Renzo walked in silence at the back of the line, adjusting his shin guards.
The field was magnificent. Artificial turf that looked more real than grass, blinding LED floodlights, and a silence that felt heavier than any crowd noise.
'They put quite some money into this facility.'
On the other side of the center circle, Team Y was waiting.
They looked… unimpressive.
There was a guy with a messy undercut — Hibiki Okawa. He looked confident, likely their ace. There were a bunch of forgettable faces — Ashime Suzuki, Hyuga Koshiba, Mareto Takeyama. And then there was the tiny guy with the bangs covering his eyes. Ikki Niko.
Renzo's eyes lingered on Niko. The kid was standing in the back, observing. He wasn't looking at Reo or Nagi. He was looking at Renzo.
'Interesting', Renzo thought.
The referee drone hovered overhead, buzzing like an angry hornet.
"Team V vs. Team Y. First Selection. Match 1. Kickoff in 10 seconds."
The teams took their positions.
Renzo stood in the center of the attacking third, the number 10 on his back, feeling like a target. Behind him, Reo and Nagi stood at the center circle for the kickoff.
Team Y was in a tight formation. They were already packing the defense, preparing to park the bus.
"Don't fall asleep, Nagi," Renzo called out over his shoulder.
"I'm awake," Nagi yawned.
BEEP!
The game began.
Nagi tapped the ball to Reo.
Immediately, Team Y dropped back. All eleven players seemed to retreat into their own half, forming a dense wall of bodies.
"Catenaccio?" Reo scoffed, dribbling forward slowly. "Cowards."
Reo scanned the field. Zantetsu was making a run down the right, but two defenders — Soshi Kagura and Juraki Ito — were already closing the lane. Nagi was marked by Fuma Rokkaku, a tall defender who was practically hugging him.
Reo looked for an opening. He needed to assert dominance early. He needed to show that Team V was superior.
He saw a flash of blue hair moving in the pocket of space between the midfield and defense.
Renzo.
Renzo wasn't running. He was drifting, finding the eye of the storm. He raised a hand, pointing to his feet.
Reo didn't hesitate. He drilled a sharp, ground pass through the gap between Shinichi Konan and Iori Sato.
Renzo received the ball.
The trap was magnetic. The ball hit the inside of his left foot and died instantly, sticking to him as if it had found its home.
"Get him!" Hibiki Okawa shouted, dropping back to help the defense.
Three Team Y players converged on Renzo instantly. Tobio Madoka from the left, Okawa from the front, and Niko watching from behind, ready to intercept the pass.
They expected him to pass. He was the midfielder. He was the Number 10.
Renzo looked at the wall of defenders closing in.
Balance, the voice of Leo echoed in his mind. Anchor yourself.
Renzo didn't pass.
He dropped his shoulder. A subtle, almost imperceptible dip to the left.
Tobio Madoka bit on the feint, shifting his weight just an inch too far.
That was all Renzo needed.
He exploded to the right. It wasn't just speed; it was a violent shift of momentum. He pushed the ball past Madoka with the outside of his boot and glided past him before the defender could even turn his hips.
"He's going solo!" Okawa yelled, rushing in to tackle.
Okawa came in hard, shoulder-first, trying to use his physicality to knock the smaller playmaker off the ball.
Renzo didn't brace for impact. He absorbed it.
Just as Okawa made contact, Renzo spun like a Roulette wheel. But not a flashy, high-spinning one. It was low, tight, and efficient. He used Okawa's own momentum to spin around him, shielding the ball with his body.
Okawa bounced off Renzo's back like he had hit a wall.
Renzo emerged from the spin, leaving two defenders in the dirt.
He was now at the edge of the penalty box.
Ikki Niko was there. The boy with the bangs. The final line of defense before the keeper. Niko wasn't rushing. He was waiting, watching Renzo's eyes, trying to predict the pass to Nagi or Zantetsu.
Renzo noticed Niko analyzing him.
'You think you can read me?', Renzo thought, and raised his leg to shoot.
Niko lunged to block the shot lane.
But it was a fake.
Renzo didn't shoot. He chopped the ball back onto his right foot — La Croqueta. He slid past the sprawling Niko with effortless grace.
Now, it was just Renzo and the goalkeeper.
The keeper rushed out, screaming, trying to make himself big.
Renzo didn't blast it. He didn't use power.
He gently scooped the ball.
A chip shot.
The ball floated over the keeper's desperate, flailing hands. It hung in the air for a second, a beautiful, agonizing arc, before dropping softly into the back of the net.
The net rippled.
GOAL!
Team V: 1 - Team Y: 0
The silence in the stadium was shattered by the buzzer.
Renzo stood in the penalty box, watching the ball settle in the net. He didn't celebrate. He didn't run to the corner flag. He didn't scream.
He simply turned around and walked back toward the center circle.
Team Y was stunned. They were still on the ground, looking at each other, trying to process how their entire defensive structure had been dismantled by one guy in ten seconds.
Reo ran up, a mix of excitement and frustration on his face. "Nice goal, Renzo! But Nagi was open on the — "
Renzo walked past him, his eyes looking straight through Reo.
He stopped near Niko, who was picking himself up from the turf. Renzo looked down at the boy with the bangs.
"Your eyes are good," Renzo said, his voice flat and devoid of warmth. "But watching me won't save you."
He turned to his own team, raising one finger in the air.
"That's one," Renzo announced to the silent field. "I need at least four more."