"What's wrong, Rin? I was just encouraging them. Why the cold stare?"
"What are you planning? Blue Lock doesn't allow violence!"
"Hey, someone grab him—Itoshi Rin's about to snap!"
As soon as Ryūma Banjō shouted that, he bolted, giving Rin no chance to react.
"You idiot, get back here!"
Yo Hiori quickly stepped in, holding Rin back.
"Forget it, Rin. I have something more important to tell you—something else I remembered about Tabito Karasu's ability."
Rin snorted, gave Hiori a sidelong glance, then turned away and headed toward the exit.
"No need. Whether I know their abilities or not doesn't matter. I have more important things to do."
"Huh? It's already past ten. What could be more important?"
At the door, Rin replied flatly:
"Cool-down yoga and meditation."
"Uh…"
Hiori froze, staring at the door, at a loss for words.
...
Inside Team V's room.
I yawned and looked around.
"Where's Hiori? Still lost in tactical analysis?"
"By the way, who left last? Anyone know what he's up to?"
"No idea, Partner. After you and Rin left, he slipped out on his own not long after."
"I thought he just went back to his room."
"And Rin? What, is he still doing yoga at midnight?"
Just as I was about to gossip behind Rin's back, the door creaked open. Rin walked in, gave me a freezing glare, and ignored me completely.
Not long after, Hiori came back too, rescuing me from the awkward silence.
"You're back, Hiori. What were you doing out this late? Don't you usually sleep at this hour?"
"You weren't still buried in tactical study, were you?"
"No, Ryūma. I went to the training ground. I wanted to test my long-range Passing again."
"But no matter what I try, I can't find that feeling. It's not flowing like before."
"Huh? You feel that too? Same here!"
"It's not like I can't fire off my Heavy Cannon shot—it's just that it doesn't feel right most of the time."
"My move only works in a perfectly straight line, and even I don't know how fast the ball will fly. Will it get blocked? Who knows."
"Once I shoot, it's completely left to fate. That's the whole point—the Heavy Cannon thrives on being unpredictable!"
"Even I can't predict it~"
"I'm worse off than you, Ryūma. I can't even pull off my Remote Control Passing anymore."
"Yo~ Yo! Long time no see, everyone! It's me, Jinpachi Ego!"
(Holy crap! You scared the hell out of me! Does this creep seriously monitor us 24/7? That's straight-up perverted!)
Ego's sudden appearance made me jolt. I glared at the big screen as his voice carried on.
"Well, if you can't replicate your Passing or your scoring, that only proves you haven't found your formula yet!"
"Take your shot, Ryūma Banjō—pure luck, completely out of your control."
"Same for Yo Hiori. A couple of lucky goals, nothing more."
"Your playstyles are worthless."
(Not again. How the hell is Ego eavesdropping on us this time?)
Before I could even finish the thought, he kept going.
"The qualities of the world's top striker are simple…"
"The ability to replicate goals and to control shots."
"Yes, spectacular goals leave an impression…"
"But countless players around the world faded after one moment of brilliance."
"Why couldn't they replicate it? Because those goals and passes were pure chance."
"Especially shots like yours, Ryūma. If you can master it, fine—but if not, it's garbage."
"Hey! Are you targeting me—"
Ego cut me off without hesitation.
"What you need now is the formula for creating goals."
"Break down exactly when and under what conditions your Weapon works."
"How far were you from goal? From teammates? How many defenders were in front of you?"
"Where did you strike from? What did it feel like at that instant?"
"Analyze it. Recreate it. Build your own formula for scoring."
"Positioning, shooting, Passing, dribbling—construct the unique formula that makes you shine."
"Every world-class striker has their own scoring formula. You can't survive on luck forever."
"Understand this: only by consistently recreating success and mastering your Weapon will you have a future."
"Football is unpredictable. On a battlefield that changes in an instant, only those who prove their formula can become the world's best striker."
"Don't win by luck—win because it's inevitable."
...
I closed my eyes, pretending to meditate. Honestly, I only half-listened.
(Win by luck? My shots are meant to be unreadable—no one can predict the trajectory!)
(Still… he has a point. If even I can't control it, that could be trouble down the line.)
(But how do I control it? Ease up on the power? Then it's just a normal shot…)
(Ah, forget it. I'll think about it tomorrow. I'm exhausted…)
And with that, I drifted off to sleep.
...
5 a.m., Team V's training ground.
[Thud!]
(Huh? Someone's already training? Don't tell me it's Rin again…)
(But when I got up, I saw him still asleep…)
Still half-asleep, I dragged myself over and found Hiori alone, drenched in sweat, gasping for breath.
"Oh, it's you, Hiori. Why so early? Don't tell me Karasu and Otoya got to you."
"Worried Rin and I can't beat them?"
Hiori steadied his breathing, then smiled.
"No. I'm not here out of pressure or worry about you and Rin losing."
"It's because after Ego spoke, I couldn't sleep. I was itching to try again."
"So I came here around four, hoping to recapture the feeling of that Remote Control Passing. No luck yet."
"But yes… there is some pressure. I want to replicate it."
"That way, when you face Karasu and Otoya, I'll be able to help too."