Blue Lock: I, Ryōsuke Kira, Start With Thunder Breathing

Upon arriving at the monitoring room, Anri looked at Ryōsuke, her face immediately breaking into a smile.

"You played so well today, Kira!"

She lavished praise on him without holding back, as his performance in the previous match had been truly outstanding.

"Just got lucky."

Ryōsuke replied modestly, while beside him, Ashito nervously looked at Anri and Jinpachi.

Although he had been at Blue Lock for some time, he had never met them before. After all, they were the creators of the Blue Lock project — truly remarkable people.

"Nice to meet you, I look forward to working with you!" However, his nervousness lasted only briefly; Ashito quickly returned to his usual self and politely greeted them.

"I'll get straight to the point — you'll be going to a scheduled city tomorrow for activities. The venues will be various universities, and you'll basically be doing some interaction and interview sessions. It's nothing major." Jinpachi spoke directly, "I don't like these kinds of activities. Many players focus too much on off-field commercial activities which affects their athletic condition — but I have to admit, such activities are necessary. They enhance a player's commercial value and are essential for promoting our Blue Lock project."

"What about match schedules?" Ryōsuke asked, "If we go to participate in these activities, it will take at least a few days, which might affect our competitive state and tactical coordination for the next match."

"Indeed, that's why the intervals between matches will be extended, and we won't have two matches in one day anymore." Jinpachi pushed up his glasses, "Those capitalists are clever; they know how to pace things. Extending the match schedule can further increase the audience's anticipation and prolong the influence of the matches. Besides, although you're participating in commercial activities, you can engage in free activities afterward. The Mikage Group has also prepared a special gymnasium nearby for you to practice on your own."

"They even built a dedicated gymnasium nearby?" Ashito's eyes widened in disbelief, indicating just how powerful the Mikage Group's financial resources were.

At the same time, a new question arose in his mind.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ego, why am I also invited to participate in this activity?"

Ashito was confused. It made perfect sense for Ryōsuke, Blue Lock's star player, to attend. But before coming to Blue Lock, he himself was just an unknown player, and he didn't understand why he qualified to participate alongside his star teammate.

"Because your club's sponsor is also an important sponsor of our Blue Lock project." Jinpachi answered.

The parent company behind Ashito's Esperion club was the largest electronics company in the region, with financial power comparable to the Mikage Group. This was a perfect opportunity for them to join forces and further enhance the influence of both companies.

Gaining support from these giant corporations was also very important for the Football Association, so the Association's chairman had instructed Jinpachi to cooperate with them fully.

As a member of Esperion who had performed quite well in two matches, Esperion's executives decided to use this opportunity to support Ashito and promote him further.

"The relevant staff will work with you. Just follow their instructions, and try not to do anything strange during your free time." Jinpachi said.

"Understood." Ryōsuke nodded, thought for a moment, then continued, "But I have one more question: will it just be me and Ashito participating in this activity, or will there be others?"

"Of course, whether it's Sae Itoshi or others, they'll also be participating in this activity, just in different areas. Even some coaches will take this opportunity to engage in activities." Jinpachi paused briefly, then continued, "This time, Prince's schedule should overlap with yours, so you might participate in some activities together."

"With Chris?" Ryōsuke felt a bit of a headache.

Although Chris was somewhat narcissistic, he wasn't too difficult to get along with on a daily basis...

However... Ryōsuke had just defeated Manshine City, completely ruining that guy's plans. Since Chris was a petty person, their next meeting would likely be quite awkward.

But that was just a possibility.

"Well, that's all for now. You don't need to prepare anything else; others will prepare everything for you."

After chatting with Jinpachi for a bit, Ryōsuke and the others returned to their dormitory.

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After the two matches concluded today, various TV channels aired the training footage from Blue Lock as scheduled behind-the-scenes content.

This program had a significant impact because the one-on-one confrontation between Michael, Alexis, and Ryōsuke was featured as the highlight.

In the past, Bastard München's executives would have edited out such footage, as it would affect the club's image and significantly damage Michael's reputation — they had been grooming him as Noel's successor, so they valued him highly.

But now things were completely different; they had found a far superior replacement: Ryōsuke.

Moreover, through reports from Noel, Bastard München learned about Michael and Alexis's behavior in Blue Lock — forming cliques and maliciously stealing the ball from teammates. Such behavior, once exposed, would severely damage the team's image, so they were already considering abandoning Michael and elevating Ryōsuke instead.

Ryōsuke had brought enormous commercial influence to the entire world, and Bastard München along with other sponsors planned to use this incident to generate publicity for him.

As expected, after the video was released, it immediately caused an uproar online.

"Does Kaiser deserve to be called a professional player?"

"Especially Ness, his behavior is so disgusting! Just like a bootlicker!"

"These two are unbelievable. No wonder they were kept on the bench in the latest match. Well done, Ryōsuke!"

The true nature of Alexis and Michael was now known to the whole world, and their market value was significantly affected as a result.

On one hand, the German team had won both matches, but the two of them had barely contributed. On the other hand, a player's personality is also an important factor considered by clubs. Players with excessively bad attitudes not only tarnish the club's reputation but may also disrupt team chemistry.

This isn't just in football — many athletes across various sports never achieve success proportionate to their talent due to personality issues.

Michael and Alexis had been very good at hiding their true selves from the media, but this time they were completely exposed. Although their salary rankings in Blue Lock hadn't changed, in the eyes of other clubs, their value had greatly diminished.

Michael's market value might drop to 250 million, while Alexis could fall below 30 million.

Both of them learned about this development that evening, but it was already too late. They could only use injury as an excuse to temporarily withdraw from the Second Phase of the Blue Lock project.

But everyone in the football world knew that they had essentially been shown the door by Bastard München.

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The next day, early morning.

Ryōsuke and Ashito arrived early at the designated spot, where they would soon depart together by car.

Ashito had a smile on his face, his eyes full of anticipation, as he had never participated in such activities before. Now, he finally felt that his efforts had been rewarded.

"Kira-senpai, why do you look so gloomy?" Ashito turned to look at Ryōsuke, noticing his serious expression.

"Because I'm not sure whose car we'll be taking..." Ryōsuke replied slowly.

He knew that someone from Blue Lock would be responsible for taking them to the event location, and it was at this moment that he suddenly had an ominous premonition.

While he was still anxious, a slender figure approached with light steps.

"Good morning, Kira, Aoi!"

It was Anri.

Today, she wasn't wearing her usual formal suit that she reserved for official occasions. Instead, she looked more casual — a uniform with a tie on top, and a plaid skirt with black over-knee stockings below. With her somewhat youthful face, she looked just like a high school girl.

A bright smile lit up Anri's face.

"Good morning, Miss Teieri. You look very happy today."

"Haha, because I have a chance to go to the beach today... No, no, no, I'm just happy to represent Blue Lock at the event!" Anri replied with a laugh.

In reality, she was treating this trip as an opportunity to go out and have fun.

After all, she hadn't been to the beach since childhood. During her school years, she focused solely on studying, and after starting work, she had thrown herself completely into football.

This so-called business trip was essentially giving the people in Blue Lock a few days of relief from their high-pressure environment.

"Miss Anri... will you be driving?" Ryōsuke swallowed and asked uncertainly.

"Yes, of course! I'll be in charge of your activities this time!"

As she gave her answer, an extremely dark shadow fell across Ryōsuke's face.

"What's wrong, Kira-senpai?" Ashito noticed the change in his expression and immediately asked.

"Nothing, nothing..." Ryōsuke shook his head helplessly, "You'll find out soon enough."

"Let's go then!" Anri quickly led the two to the car, ready to head to their destination.

The moment they got in the car, Ryōsuke fastened his seatbelt at top speed, which surprised Ashito, who hadn't expected him to be so safety-conscious.

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The distance between the two locations wasn't particularly far, about a few hours' drive.

During those few hours, Ashito deeply understood what Ryōsuke had been worried about.

Anri's driving skills were simply terrifying. Even though they were on the highway, she chatted with Ryōsuke and the others about the sea, occasionally getting so excited that she gesticulated wildly, taking both hands off the steering wheel.

Not only that, but even when her hands were on the wheel, keeping the car in a straight line seemed difficult for her.

This made Ashito feel like he was constantly lingering at the gates of hell, sweating profusely just from sitting in the car. It was as if the Shinigami and Grim Reaper had united to watch the scene and wait to see whose soul they would claim.

"We're here!"

After several hours, the car finally reached its destination. Ryōsuke escaped from the car as if he'd been liberated, while Ashito felt his legs go weak, finding it difficult even to stand.

"We've booked a nearby five-star hotel for you. You'll be staying there during this period. Rooms and everything else have been arranged — food, accommodation, everything! One floor has been temporarily converted into an indoor football field for your practice."

After finishing her explanation, Anri quickly led them to the nearest hotel.

With sponsorship from many of the world's top football clubs and renowned companies, the Blue Lock project had abundant funding. Booking an entire hotel was just a minor expense for them. They could even renovate the hotel, creating an indoor football field to facilitate their practice.

"Wow..." Looking at the luxurious interior of the five-star hotel, Ashito couldn't help but let out an exclamation of amazement.

This was his first time setting foot in such an environment.

At that moment, he saw a familiar face surrounded by several bodyguards, walking out from inside the hotel.

"That's... Prince, isn't it?"

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