Blue Lock. Team Z Locker Room.
The steam from the showers filled the room, smelling of sweat and cheap soap. The sound of water hitting tiles was drowned out by the raucous laughter of Team Z.
"We did it! Two wins in a row!" Igarashi shouted, dancing naked with a towel on his head. "We're actually gonna survive this!"
Raichi was scrubbing his hair aggressively. "Don't get ahead of yourself, you bald monk. We barely scraped by."
"Barely?" Bachira hummed, standing under the cold water. "I thought it was pretty easy. Right, Isagi?"
Isagi Yoichi stood under the hottest shower head, letting the scalding water run over his face. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't celebrating. Inside his mind, he was replaying the match against Team Y on a loop, frame by frame.
I won, Isagi thought, his eyes closed. But I relied on a pass.
He clenched his fist against the wet tiles.
To beat Niko, I needed Gagamaru to make that run. I needed the ball to spill loose for my final goal. My Metavision allows me to see the future, but I still need someone else to hand me the pen to write it.
In this timeline, Isagi wasn't satisfied with just "winning." He wanted domination. He wanted to be able to create a goal from zero, all by himself, like Barou. But he lacked the physical specs. He wasn't fast like Chigiri. He wasn't strong like Kunigami.
"Isagi, you okay?" Chigiri asked, drying his red hair nearby. "You look like you're plotting a murder."
Isagi turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist. His blue eyes pierced through the steam.
"I'm fine," Isagi said coldly. "Just realizing how weak you all are. If I hadn't read Niko's last pass, we would be packing our bags right now."
The room went silent.
"Hah?" Raichi snapped. "You cocky little—"
"Save it," Isagi cut him off. He walked to his locker. "If you want to stay in Blue Lock, stop celebrating mediocrity. Next is Team W. They have the Wanima brothers. If we play like we did today, we lose."
Later. The Monitor Room.
Isagi sat alone on his bed, staring at the screen on his sleeve.
RANK UPDATE.
Isagi Yoichi: Rank 210 -> Rank 199.
He had broken into the top 200.
"Still trash," Isagi muttered. "I need to be Number 1."
He looked around the room. Most of the team was asleep. But one person was awake.
Kuon Wataru.
The tall, friendly guy with the slicked-back hair was sitting at the small table, writing in a notebook. He looked up and smiled when he saw Isagi watching him.
"Can't sleep, Isagi?" Kuon asked, his voice dripping with synthetic kindness. "I'm just brainstorming strategies for the next game. Team W is tough."
Isagi narrowed his eyes.
His Metavision didn't just work on the field. It worked on people. It picked up micro-expressions, shifts in posture, the rhythm of breathing.
When Kuon smiled, his eyes didn't crinkle. His shoulders were tense.
He's hiding something, Isagi analyzed instantly. That smile... it's a mask.
"Strategy?" Isagi asked, walking over to the table. "Let me see."
Kuon hesitated for a fraction of a second—a micro-flinch—before sliding the notebook over.
"I was thinking... since we have so many strikers, we should take turns. Like a rotation. Everyone gets a chance to be the top scorer for 30 minutes."
Isagi looked at the diagram. It was a fair, democratic formation.
It was efficient. It made sense.
But it smelled wrong.
Why would you want to rotate? Isagi thought. In Blue Lock, only goals matter. Sharing playing time is a loser's mentality. Unless... you have a guarantee that you'll score.
Isagi looked up at Kuon.
"You're a nice guy, Kuon," Isagi said, testing him.
"Thanks!" Kuon beamed. "I just want us all to win together! Team Z forever, right?"
"Right," Isagi lied.
Liar, Isagi's inner voice hissed. You're planning something. I can smell the rot on you.
Isagi handed the notebook back.
"Good plan. Let's use it."
Isagi turned and walked back to his bed. He pulled the blanket up.
Go ahead, Kuon, Isagi thought, a dark grin forming on his face in the shadows. Try to trick me. I'll be watching your every move. If you step out of line... I'll crush you.