The days in Blue Lock blurred together, a relentless stream of artificial light, sweat, and the constant, grinding pressure to evolve. There were no weekends, holidays, or breaks. There was only the next match.
Team V Locker Room.
The air was filled with the scent of Deep Muscle Rub. It was quiet, save for the rustling of fabric and the clacking of cleats against the concrete floor. Team V was preparing for their second match of the First Selection.
Their opponents: Team W.
Renzo sat on the wooden bench, lacing up his boots. He pulled the laces tight, feeling the familiar pressure against the top of his foot. It was a ritual. A ritual he did before every game.
Beside him, Nagi Seishiro was struggling. The white-haired genius was slumped over, staring at his unlaced boots as if they were a complex calculus problem he didn't want to solve.
"Renzo," Nagi murmured, his voice heavy with sleep.
Renzo didn't look up, focusing on a double knot. "What is it, sleepyhead?"
"I was thinking," Nagi said, pausing to yawn. "If I score five goals... and get five points... I can get my phone back, right?"
Renzo's hands froze on his laces. He turned his head slowly, giving Nagi a look of utter disbelief.
"Dude," Renzo said flatly. "You were in the room when Ego told us about that."
Nagi blinked slowly, his grey eyes void of recognition. He scratched the back of his head. "I don't remember him saying that. I think I was sleeping with my eyes open."
Renzo stared at him. "Wow."
"It's a hassle," Nagi sighed, finally reaching down to grab his laces. "But if I get my phone... I can play games. If I play games, I won't be bored. So, I need three more goals."
Just then, Reo Mikage walked over, draping a towel around his neck. He looked at the two of them and shook his head with a wry smile.
"Don't waste your breath, Renzo," Reo said, patting Nagi on the shoulder. "Nagi has a selective memory. If it's not about football or video games, his brain automatically deletes the file to save energy. You'll get used to it."
Renzo looked at Nagi, who had given up on tying his shoes and was now just staring at the ceiling again.
"He deletes files to save energy?" Renzo chuckled, shaking his head. "I respect that."
"It's annoying," Reo corrected, kneeling to tie Nagi's shoes for him. Nagi didn't even protest; he just let Reo do it like a king being attended to by a servant.
"Hey, Reo!"
Sota Nemoto called out from the whiteboard, holding a marker. "What formation are we running today? Same as last time?"
Reo stood up, finishing Nagi's knot. He turned to the team's strategist. "Zantetsu, what do you think? Team W plays a counter-attacking style based on combination play."
Zantetsu Tsurugi was adjusting his glasses in the mirror, ensuring his look was intelligent enough for the upcoming battle. He turned around, his expression severe.
"We should maintain the status quo," Zantetsu declared. "However, there is a variable we must address."
Zantetsu pointed a finger directly at Renzo.
"Renzo Takamine. Will you be quitting at halftime again as you did in the previous match? It is mathematically inefficient to play with ten men for fifty percent of the game."
The room went quiet. Everyone looked at Renzo. It was a fair question. Renzo had walked out on them against Team Y, leaving them confused and momentarily leaderless.
Renzo stood up, stomping his boots to settle his feet. He stretched his arms above his head, a relaxed smile playing on his lips.
"Nah," Renzo said casually. "I'm staying for the whole ninety minutes today."
"Oh?" Reo raised an eyebrow. "Change of heart? Decided to be a team player?"
"Not exactly," Renzo smirked. "I did the math. A day out of this prison costs ten points. That means I need ten goals. I only have zero points right now because I bought my phone. So..."
Renzo's eyes gleamed with a mix of mischief and determination.
"I need to rack up a serious score. If I don't get that day out soon, a certain redhead is going to break into this facility and kill me."
The locker room was silent for a beat. Then, a collective wave of envy washed over the rest of Team V.
"A girlfriend..." Retsu Nerima whispered, tears welling up in his eyes. "He's fighting for love while we're fighting for survival. It's not fair."
"I want a girlfriend who threatens to kill me," Shuhei Ebina muttered, clutching his chest. "I'm so jealous."
Zantetsu nodded sagely, ignoring the emotional turmoil of his teammates. "3-4-1-2. Renzo in the hole behind the strikers."
"Agreed," Reo said, clapping his hands. "Let's go. We crush them 10-0, just like Renzo said."
****
The Pitch:
The transition from the dim locker room to the brightly lit stadium was always jarring. The artificial turf was a vibrant, aggressive green under the LED floodlights.
Team V walked out, looking every bit the favorites. They held their heads high, radiating the confidence of an 8-0 victory.
On the other side, Team W emerged.
They were a strange bunch. But the ones who drew the most attention were the two players at the front.
The Wanima Twins.
Junichi and Keisuke. They walked with a synchronized swagger. They had heavy brows and sharp teeth, giving them a prehistoric appearance.
As the teams lined up for the opening ceremony, the twins broke formation and walked straight up to Renzo.
"Well, well, well," the older twin, Junichi, grunted. His voice was rough, like gravel in a blender.
"Look who it is," the younger twin, Keisuke, chimed in, his voice slightly higher but equally grating. "The Ichinan genius."
Renzo looked at them, his expression unbothered. He recognized them immediately.
"You bastard," Keisuke sneered, leaning in close. "We watched the tape of your last game. You were holding back at school, weren't you? Passing to us... playing that boring defensive midfielder role..."
"You made us look like idiots," Junichi growled. "You could have played like a monster the whole time, but you looked down on us."
Renzo just smiled, a polite, closed-lip smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Nice to meet you too, guys. You look healthy."
"Don't mock us!" Keisuke spat. "We're going to crush you. We're going to show everyone that the Wanima brothers are the real deal."
"Meh, whatever," Junichi shrugged, turning his back. "We're going to beat you anyway. Let's go, Keisuke."
"Yeah, Aniki!"
Renzo watched them go, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "They're as lively as ever."
Nagi drifted to Renzo's side, looking at the retreating backs of the twins.
"You know those guys?" Nagi asked, sounding mildly curious.
"Yeah," Renzo nodded. "We were on the same high school team. They have this telepathic connection. When they get going, they're a pretty deadly duo."
Nagi tilted his head. "Deadly? So... should we be concerned? Is it going to be a hassle?"
Renzo turned to Nagi. The polite smile was gone. In its place was the 'Crazy Smile' — the one that had terrified Reo a few days ago. It was a baring of fangs, a look of pure, unadulterated arrogance.
"Nah," Renzo dismissed. "They're just noise."
He leaned in closer to Nagi.
"Hey, Nagi. You want to get your phone back, right?"
Nagi blinked. "Yeah. Obviously."
"How many goals do you have right now?" Renzo asked.
"Two," Nagi replied. "From the second half of the last game."
"Okay then," Renzo whispered, pointing toward the Team W goal. "When the kickoff happens... just run. Run straight toward the goal. Don't look back. Don't worry about the defenders."
Nagi looked confused. "Run? Without the ball? That sounds tiring."
"Just do it," Renzo said, his voice firm. "Trust me."
Nagi stared at Renzo for a second. He saw the confidence in those teal eyes. It was the same look Renzo had when he destroyed Team Y.
"Okay," Nagi sighed. "I'll run. But if you don't pass it, I'm going to sleep on the field."
Kickoff.
The buzzer sounded. BEEP!
Reo touched the ball, passing it back to Renzo.
The game was live.
Immediately, the Wanima twins charged. They didn't press individually; they moved as a single unit, cutting off passing lanes and converging on Renzo like a pair of jaws snapping shut.
"Get him!" Keisuke yelled. "Crush him!" Junichi roared.
They were fast. Faster than they had been in high school.
Renzo didn't pass. He didn't retreat. He stood his ground in the center circle, the ball resting calmly at his feet.
"Die!" Keisuke slid in from the right, aiming for the ball (and Renzo's ankles). "Block him!" Junichi came from the left, using his shoulder to body-check Renzo.
It was a perfect pincer attack. There was no escape.
Renzo moved.
He didn't run away from the tackle. He stepped into it.
Using the balance training he had obsessed over, Renzo dropped his center of gravity. As Keisuke slid in, Renzo rolled the ball backward with his sole, letting Keisuke slide harmlessly past him.
Simultaneously, as Junichi slammed into him, Renzo spun. He used Junichi's own momentum against him, pivoting on his left foot and rolling around the older twin's body.
It was a beautifully fluid 360-degree turn.
The twins collided with each other, stumbling as Renzo emerged on the other side with the ball still glued to his feet.
"What?!" Junichi gasped, trying to regain his balance.
Renzo didn't stop. He kept dribbling, maneuvering the ball with intricate, delicate touches. The twins scrambled to their feet and chased him, panting and cursing.
"For how long do you plan to play this game?!" Junichi yelled, grabbing at Renzo's jersey.
Renzo swatted the hand away without looking. He wasn't even breathing hard. He was toying with them. Dueling two players at once and making it look like a dance.
Just as Keisuke opened his mouth to taunt him again —
"Right now," Renzo said.
The playful dribbling stopped instantly.
Renzo planted his left foot. He pulled the ball back sharply, creating a yard of space between him and the twins. They stumbled forward, their momentum carrying them past him.
Renzo looked up.
He wasn't looking at the goal. He was looking past the defensive line of Team W.
In the distance, a white-haired figure was sprinting. Nagi Seishiro was running, just as he was told. He was lazy, but his stride was long and surprisingly fast when he actually tried.
He was entering the penalty box. A Team W defender was tracking him closely, confident he could intercept any pass.
Renzo's eyes locked onto the back of Nagi's head.
I see you, Genius.
Nagi didn't look back. He just ran, trusting the voice that told him to go.
Renzo swung his leg.
BOOM.
It was a long ball. A laser-guided missile launched from the center circle. The ball soared over the heads of the midfield, over the desperate leap of the Wanima twins, and arced beautifully toward the penalty area.
Time seemed to slow down for Nagi.
He sensed the ball before he saw it. The sound of the wind cutting around the ball. He looked up.
The ball was dropping out of the sky, directly in his path. It was coming in hot, spinning violently.
The defender, Tokita, saw it too. "I got it!" Tokita yelled, jumping to head the ball away. He was faster. He had the positioning.
Nagi didn't jump. He didn't panic.
He simply extended his right leg.
He caught the ball in mid-air.
It wasn't a normal trap. He didn't just stop the ball; he absorbed its entire kinetic energy. The ball hit his toes and died instantly.
But Nagi didn't let it drop to the ground. In the same motion, he pulled his leg back, cushioning the ball and flicking it over the head of the jumping defender.
Tokita flew past him, heading nothing but air, crashing into the ground.
Nagi landed softly. The ball was now floating gently in front of him, spinning perfectly for a volley.
The goalkeeper stared, frozen in horror. He had never seen a first touch like that. It was magic.
Nagi swung his left leg.
BANG.
The volley tore into the net before the keeper could even raise his hands.
GOAL.
Team V: 1 - Team W: 0
The stadium was silent. The Wanima twins stood in the midfield, mouths agape, watching the replay on the giant screen. They hadn't just been beaten; they had been bypassed entirely.
Nagi stood in the penalty box for a second, looking at his foot. Then, he slowly turned around to face the center circle.
Renzo was standing there, hands in his pockets, smiling.
Nagi raised his hand and gave a lazy thumbs-up.
"Yeah," Nagi said, his voice echoing in the quiet stadium. "This is fun."
Renzo chuckled. "One down. Nine to go."