MrBlackWing
patreon
❖ Chapter 110 ➠ Next Stop, Esperion! ❖
🕑 Added 2025-05-14 17:41:23 +0000 UTCIt was evening when Ryōsuke and Riko finally returned home.
During this time, he had been staying at her house.
"Huh, Dad's not home?" Riko asked, puzzled.
Just a few minutes later, the front door slowly opened and Kagetora returned.
"Dad, where did you go?"
"Just went for a little walk." He said with a smile.
'You were obviously following someone!' Ryōsuke thought sarcastically to himself, pretending not to notice while deliberately ignoring the knife handle protruding from Kagetora's pocket.
However, he noticed traces of blood on Kagetora's fist.
Standing by the window, he turned his head slightly to look outside and spotted someone lying on the ground floor.
'Judging by the hairstyle... that must be Shidō...' Ryōsuke kept quiet, understanding what had likely happened.
Ryūsei was probably the second stalker pervert, targeting him — but Kagetora had misunderstood the situation and dealt with him harshly.
Serves him right!
Ryōsuke cheered inwardly.
After returning to his room, his phone vibrated — it was a call from Anri.
"Hello, Miss Anri, what can I help you with?"
[Hey Kira, are you free tomorrow?]
Her voice came through from the other end of the phone.
"Yes, I should be. What's the matter?"
[Well Kira, Mr. Ego would like to meet with you tomorrow!]
"That should be fine, but do you know what it's about?" Ryōsuke asked curiously, not having seen him since the match.
"I don't know the details. Mr. Ego only mentioned it's something important and involves one of his friends."
"Alright then, I'll make time to visit Blue Lock tomorrow."
"Great, thanks! I'll pick you up tomorrow!"
"Wait!" Before Ryōsuke could decline her offer, she had already hung up.
Having to... (almost die) ride in Anri's car again....
'Well, never mind that for now.' Ryōsuke wondered what Jinpachi wanted with him.
And that guy has friends?
He couldn't recall Jinpachi having any connections outside of Blue Lock. The thought of him having friends was surprising.
Could it be Noah? Perhaps about Blue Lock's future development? Though it seemed too early — they shouldn't have arrived at Blue Lock yet.
These questions would have to wait until tomorrow. For now, time for extra training!
He quickly picked up the dumbbells in his room.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
The next morning, Ryōsuke arrived at the nearest intersection at the agreed time.
With traffic delays keeping Anri away, he decided to make use of his waiting time to practice.
❖ Transparent World! ❖
Ryōsuke concentrated and activated his eye ability!
Everything around him seemed to slow down. Since he wasn't in a match and didn't need much energy, Transparent World lasted longer than usual.
Pedestrians moved at a snail's pace, and he could clearly see the expressions of drivers and passengers in passing cars. Using this ability was always a unique experience.
Suddenly, two massive objects appeared in Ryōsuke's vision, swaying like waves on the ocean.
Startled, he quickly realized what he was seeing and deactivated his ability.
"Kira! There you are!"
Anri came running up to him, breathing heavily, her athletic form in motion.
"Miss Anri, why did you run here?" Ryōsuke asked, puzzled while processing the unusual sight he had just witnessed.
In all his previous uses of Transparent World, he had never experienced anything quite like this. This woman certainly possessed unique physical qualities.
"The car was hard to park over there, so I just ran over!" Anri said with a smile.
"Hard to park... so where did you park it?" Ryōsuke's eyebrow twitched.
"I didn't park it anywhere — there's traffic, you see! So I just got out to come get you!" Anri's expression beamed with pride, as if expecting praise.
Ryōsuke froze, then turned toward the road where a chorus of car horns blared in the distance.
"So you just abandoned the car?"
"Yep, that's right!" Anri nodded energetically, "Hurry up! Before the traffic police find us!"
"Okay, okay." At a loss for words, Ryōsuke could only follow her back to the car.
"Hey, do you even know how to drive!"
"I'll kill you!"
"Hurry up! Don't leave your car blocking the road!"
Amid a wave of angry shouts, the two quickly ducked into the car.
The moment he got in, Ryōsuke immediately fastened his seatbelt and sat up straight.
'I can activate Transparent World to react at the first sign of danger... yes, that's right...'
For him, Anri's driving skills and Riko's cooking were unforgettable traumas in his life.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
After a bumpy ride, Ryōsuke finally returned to Blue Lock.
Despite the perfectly smooth road, it felt like he had just been through hell.
"Thank you, Miss Anri..." After thanking her, he followed the directions to Blue Lock's monitoring room.
Upon entering, Ryōsuke noticed many buildings under construction, presumably in preparation for the competition's second phase.
Opening the door, he saw Jinpachi sitting in a chair, intently watching the large screen. It displayed the match between U-20 and Blue Lock — footage he had been studying for several days.
"Interesting. Strong individual ability brings out the potential in players on both sides, triggering a series of new miracles — this is your creative power, Kira."
Jinpachi slowly rotated his chair, fixing his gaze on Ryōsuke.
"Isagi, Niko, Mikage... each of them unleashed potential they never knew they had. Isagi's performance and actions completely exceeded my expectations, and his behavior differed entirely from my philosophy. He acted without restraint, focused solely on victory — just like your philosophy of making the right choices purely to win."
After speaking, he pushed up his glasses and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So, I admit my philosophy was wrong, and you, Kira, were right. That's why I think Blue Lock's second phase should involve you."
After saying this, Jinpachi worked on a nearby computer for a moment, and a list appeared on the large screen.
The screen displayed candidates for the second phase, including renowned stars like Michael Kaiser, Alexis Ness, and Don Lorenzo, as well as Noel Noa — the world's top player.
Julian Loki, who had previously competed against Ryōsuke, was also among the selected participants.
"What do you think of this list?" Jinpachi asked with grave seriousness.
"No issues."
These people meant little to Ryōsuke.
He recalled that Michael, Alexis, and the others were troublemakers with bizarre personalities. Still, he didn't mind — as long as they kept their distance.
If they dared provoke him, Ryōsuke wouldn't hesitate to "retaliate".
In the second phase, Blue Lock would launch a Neo Egoist League — organized by five major clubs and broadcast globally — which would generate significant international attention.
This meant Ryōsuke could earn more Competition Points. He eagerly anticipated the start of Blue Lock's second phase.
"Additionally, I plan to invite the U-20 team to participate in the second phase." Jinpachi added.
"Hmm, that sounds fine." Ryōsuke nodded, noting this matched the original story.
"After this league, we'll select the most suitable players for the U-20 World Cup in a few months. Winning the championship isn't just a goal — it's a necessity." Jinpachi's intense gaze fixed on Ryōsuke as he spoke.
"Understood."
Jinpachi paused, as if considering something, "This was my original plan..."
"Is there another plan?"
"Yes. I recently met an old friend, and based on some previously gathered information, I'm planning to add more candidates for the official U-20 team." He said deliberately.
"Oh?" Ryōsuke's eyebrows twitched slightly — this wasn't in the original story, "Who is it? And does Mr. Ego even have friends?"
"What hurtful words."
As Jinpachi spoke, the monitoring room's door slowly opened, and a somewhat familiar figure appeared before them.
"Nice to meet you, Player Kira. I watched your match, and you performed excellently! To be honest, you're the most impressive player I've ever seen."
The man appeared to be around Jinpachi's age, though his unkempt stubble made him look older. His slippers and wrinkled clothes gave off a slovenly appearance, yet his eyes were sharp and piercing like a lion's.
Though Ryōsuke had never met this person before, something about him felt familiar.
"Thank you very much. My performance was only possible thanks to my teammates' cooperation. May I ask your name?" He inquired politely.
"Tatsuya Fukuda, I'm a supervisor at a certain club."
"Tatsuya Fukuda? The supervisor of Tokyo City Esperion FC?" Ryōsuke was surprised, recognizing the name.
He wasn't a member of Blue Lock, but rather a figure from Ao Ashi.
Tatsuya was a former national treasure-level player who had competed in top overseas leagues.
After injuries cut short his competitive career, he moved between several clubs before retiring to become head coach of Tokyo City Esperion FC. Under his leadership, the team rose to become one of Japan's top clubs.
Ryōsuke hadn't expected Tatsuya to know Jinpachi, though it made sense given their ages. After all, Jinpachi had also played in European leagues alongside Noel.
"It seems you know me! I'm truly honored!" Tatsuya said warmly, his gaze fixed on Ryōsuke.
His performance on the field had been perfect and powerful — exactly like Tatsuya's ideal player.
"Fukuda wants to invite you to observe and guide their youth team as a special guest, and to identify potential candidates for Blue Lock's second phase. He's been pestering me about this for days." Jinpachi said slowly, "Of course, it's entirely up to you, Kira. There's no pressure. If you agree, Fukuda will provide generous compensation — and during the second phase, I'll personally ensure any requests you have are accommodated."
"I understand."
After a moment's consideration, Ryōsuke smiled and nodded.
"Very well, I accept."
