[9] Campus Tour (2)

Izumo walked around, hands in his pockets as he took in the scenery while humming a melody to pass the time.

It had already been several minutes since he sneaked out and he was still trying to familiarize his way into the school.

Usually, he'd be annoyed by right now but...

Frankly, he was finding it quite relaxing since the environment of the school was, to say the least, refreshing.

'I admit... I might have underestimated this school'

Izumo thought as he took in the fresh air breezing on his smooth face with satisfaction.

He couldn't help but take a liking to this school due to how great its environment and atmosphere were.

He thought it'd be crowded with how famous the school was but strangely, it wasn't.

Most of the students seemed modest and calm, some were quite nonchalant and others were just like him, enjoying the scenery.

It had the sort of college or university atmosphere that one would have, even though this school only goes up to high school.

"Hmm..."

While Izumo was strolling aimlessly, two students happened to run past in a hurry and almost bumped into him.

"Ah! Sorry!"

One of the students turned around and apologized, bowing his head at Izumo before the other student called out to him impatiently.

"Hurry up! The match is about to start!"

"Alright, alright... I'm going!"

The two students then proceeded to hastily run away, leaving Izumo behind with a curious look on his face.

"A... match, you say?"

Izumo smirked and covered his mouth, staring at the two students fading away in the distance before deciding to follow them behind.

It took some twists and turns before they finally arrived at a large field of grass with fences and multiple stands at the side.

"Ah...!"

Izumo instantly realized where he was and beamed with a smile especially seeing the large gathering of students and visitors at the stands.

"What perfect timing"

Izumo grinned and felt delighted that he'd get the chance to see the strength of the best team in Kansai in person.

He initially planned on just watching over their practices and training for today but this...

An actual match instead is a hundred times better.

Without wasting any time, Izumo headed toward the stands and found an empty seat to sit upon.

'It'll be great if I had some popcorn on me'

Izumo thought with disappointment but alas, he never expected there to be a match schedule today.

'Oh well...'

Izumo just shrugged his shoulder and stopped caring about it as he waited patiently for the match to start.

"Hey"

"Hm?"

Hearing an unfamiliar voice at his side, Izumo turned his head to his left and saw a kid staring at him with popcorn in his hands, looking quite the same age as him.

"Is that seat taken?"

The kid asked and pointed at the empty seat right beside Izumo.

"No"

"Cool"

The kid didn't wait for a moment as he instantly sat in the empty seat and began munching on his popcorn.

Meanwhile, Izumo just gave a glance at the kid before he turned around and focused on the match.

Still, for some reason, he felt a sense of familiarity at the kid's face but couldn't point it out and decided to put the thought at the back of his head for now.

Whistle!

A blaring whistle abruptly echoed throughout the field, signaling the start of the match.

The first kickoff was given to the opposing team as they instantly kicked the ball and started it off with high offense plays.

"Oh?"

As the match started, Izumo couldn't help but feel impressed and raised his right eyebrow, looking at the opposing team with interest.

"They're good"

Izumo commented, seeing the Aoba team actually having a hard time dealing with the enemy team's attacks.

"Of course, they're good"

The kid beside him suddenly spoke, making Izumo surprised for a bit as he turned his head and stared at the kid.

"Do tell"

Izumo smiled and had an intriguing look as he encouraged the kid to explain further.

On the other hand, the kid turned to stare at Izumo with a slightly perplexed expression.

"Do yer not know who they're playing against with?"

"Hmm... not really, no"

The kid kept staring at Izumo as he took a moment to think before he turned his gaze away and focused on the match.

"They're from the Osaka Academy n' they've been the rivals of Aoba Academy ever since"

"Oh... they're not just some nobodies then, huh..."

Izumo muttered but it seemed his voice was loud enough for the kid to hear as he could feel a very deep gaze staring at him.

"Ehem... so, how strong are they exactly?"

Izumo cleared his throat, trying to hide his embarrassment as he asked the kid, intending to change the atmosphere.

"They've always placed in the top 3 in every tournament"

The kid answered calmly as he kept eating his popcorn while Izumo nodded in response with an understanding look.

They then proceeded to watch as both teams tried to take possession back and forth until the first half ended.

1 - 2

Izumo glanced at the scoreboard and saw the Aoba being in the lead with a score of 2 points while the Osaka had 1 point.

'I have to say... for a match with elementary students, it's surprisingly entertaining to watch'

Izumo thought after seeing the high-level plays both teams did as well as the great teamwork they had.

'Especially that buzz-cut guy from Aoba, he's really good'

Izumo had seen how the guy always seemed to be in the pivot of their defense.

If Aiku was like the sword that strikes the enemy then that guy was the shield that protects the team.

Of course, the Osaka team also had great players but it just seems lackluster compared to players like the buzz-cut guy or Aiku.

Whistle!

A whistle resounded throughout the field, signaling the start of the second half with Aoba Academy having the ball this time.

"Oh?"

Just as Izumo thought that the match was going to stay the same, he suddenly watched as Aiku started acting strange.

He saw as Aiku ran towards the enemy's goal with the ball in his feet but that wasn't the strange part...

It was the fact that he hadn't once looked away at the goal net at all, not even sparing a single glance at his teammates.

He didn't even try to assist or pass the ball, he just kept staring at the enemy goal with hunger.

"Haha! This guy..."

Izumo couldn't help but laugh in amusement making the kid beside him glance and stare at him as if he was some lunatic.

And not long after, Aiku easily drove his way in and scored a goal with ease just as Izumo expected.

'What an amusing ego... he really shouldn't have given up being a striker'

Izumo thought and felt it was such a shame that a player like him would turn out to become...

'Pathetic? No... a womanizer, maybe?'

Izumo couldn't think of a word to describe the Aiku in the future.

Sure, the guy turned out to become a professional player in the future. Even Izumo had to admit that Aiku was perfect to be a defender but still...

It was sad to see Aiku's full potential be wasted just like that.

After all, a striker isn't limited by a position but rather by how skilled a player is at scoring a goal.

Whether Aiku was a defender or not, he had the skills necessary to become a top-notch striker, and if he's still not satisfied...

He could always change things up and play as a fullback who specializes in both offense and defense.

'Indeed, just like Ashito Aoi'

Izumo thought, feeling even more sure that Ashito's playstyle would be a perfect fit for Aiku.

Whether it be eagle eyes or spatial awareness...

Or even the skills to be able to scan or analyze the field...

Aiku had it all...

In fact, now that Izumo had thought about it, Aiku was starting to feel more like a better version of Ashito.

After all, the guy had the same skill set as Ashito except for the photographic memory but that alone could be made up for through practice.

'I wonder... what if I guide him? No... maybe nudge him a bit on this path, yeah?'

Izumo thought and smirked, feeling quite satisfied at the idea.

After all, Aiku was already a menace but if he were to suddenly start playing like a Blue lock player...

Wouldn't that be an interesting sight to see?

Not only will Blue Lock have to deal with two absolute monsters in the future, Itoshi Sae and Ryusei Shido...

Now they had to deal with another one, Oliver Aiku.

A player with national-level defense as well as the scoring capability not lacking to any other strikers.

'Now that... I wanna see'

Izumo internally proclaimed with excitement and felt anticipation at the chance of defeating a stronger version of Aiku alongside Sae and Ryusei.