Chapter 29: If you give up, why did you come here?

The sight of the rapid charge reminded Chigiri of his former self. At least in that moment, there was a genuine urge within Chigiri to play football again.

It felt like a seed had been planted, making Chigiri somewhat intrigued. He believed that he might be able to learn something from Kira Ryosuke, something that could help him rediscover his former state.

"Chigiri, weren't you also a remarkable prodigy player at one point?"

Kira Ryosuke said with a smile.

"You've heard of me?"

Chigiri widened his eyes in surprise. In less than a year, it seemed like he had been forgotten by the world. Nobody seemed to notice the once glorious him, and even in the Blue lock, it seemed like nobody paid attention to his existence.

"Previously, you were the star player of High School, known for your exaggerated speed. However, later on, you suffered an injury..."

Kira Ryosuke naturally knew this information.

"You haven't shown much in the Blue lock. Is it because of your injury? Technically, your injury should have healed long ago, but it was an injury that could jeopardize your career. It's probably because you're very concerned about your past injury and have a mental barrier that you can't overcome, am I right?"

Chigiri hesitated for a moment. He didn't really want to bring up this matter, but facing Kira Ryosuke's question, he eventually nodded because the other person had indeed hit the nail on the head.

"That's right... I feel like my path in the football field has come to an end."

"Do you believe that statement yourself?"

Kira patted Chigiri's shoulder with a smile.

"If you're really ready to give up football, then why did you come here?"

"I just..."

"Whether you're willing to seize the opportunity is up to you."

Kira shifted his gaze to the field.

"But if you want to give it another try, you can simply voice your thoughts directly. As long as you feel ready."

Actually, most of the members in Team Z are good people. Even someone as hot-tempered as Raichi, deep down, he's straightforward. Kira gets along quite well with them on a regular basis and sees Team Z as a team. If they need any help, Kira is willing to lend a hand.

They put in the effort, so it's only natural that they should receive rewards.

Moreover, helping them not only strengthens the team's cohesion but also allows Kira to earn more points. points are related to the strength of opponents and teammates. The stronger they are, the more points Kira can gain.

"Do you want to practice together? It's a good opportunity to see how well your body has recovered. Who knows, you might be able to get back on the field soon."

Kira Ryosuke patted Chigiri's back again.

Chigiri thought for a moment and agreed.

"Yeah."

For the first time since arriving in the Blue lock, he smiled.

...

At this moment, in the Aida household outside the Blue lock.

Riko buried herself in the blanket, with her head covered by a pillow.

Everyone heard what she said to Kira, but that wasn't the point!

The crucial point was that she was mistaken for Kira's girlfriend by the people present!

Her attempts to explain had been futile. If one day, the other people in the Blue lock were granted the opportunity to go out... wouldn't this matter spread?

"Will this cause trouble for Kira...?"

Riko's face turned red, and her fair and slender legs kicked on the bed as if she was swimming.

"I wonder how things are going on Kira's side... And scoring ten goals, that must be quite challenging..."

"Our new semester is about to start, and there will definitely be a lot going on in the Seirin Basketball Club. Should we bring Kira to visit Seirin then?"

"Ah, I'm sure I'll be busy then... But when will Kira be able to come out?"

....

Blue lock, surveillance room.

"Mr. Ego, how do you feel about the first round of selection?"

Teieri, who had just finished the press conference, returned here and asked Ego.

"Everything went smoothly."

Ego ate instant noodles while staring at the screen, replaying a particular match.

"It's possible that a real monster has infiltrated the Blue lock."

Ego said so.

"Who?"

Teieri frowned in confusion.

"We'll find out soon enough."

Ego bit into the instant noodles, still fixedly staring at the screen.

"By the way, the president of the Football Association said that we can add a bit to the budget."

Teieri thought of something and said to Ego.

"But there must be conditions attached. After all, for him, football is just a business. The football in this country has decayed to its core, and without changing that, winning the World Cup is simply impossible."

Ego's face showed no change in expression.

"Tell me, what does he want?"

"Just the recording of the first round match."

Teieri took out a USB drive.

"I heard that a very important person is interested in our plan for the Blue lock..."

...

Soon, three more days had passed.

During these three days, Kira used the 10 points he gained from his daily training to exchange for extra practice time in the practice space, allowing him to have more practice time.

Currently, Kira already possessed three skills. Having too many skills meant needing more time to practice and improve proficiency, which would affect the efficiency of training and also accelerate the consumption of points.

Therefore, Kira believed that at this stage, it was best to temporarily maintain three skills and use the 10 points he earned each day to exchange for practice time to improve their proficiency. When the proficiency reached a certain level, he could then use the large number of points earned from matches to upgrade the skills. This would already be a considerable expense.

Once the levels of these skills were raised to a certain degree, Kira would consider unlocking more skills.

As the matches in the Blue lock intensified, the points obtained from each match should increase. At that time, it wouldn't be too late to unlock other skills.