Chapter 86: Loki's Invitation
Go to France to play?
Be teammates with Loki?
Kira hadn't expected Loki to invite him directly. It indirectly showed just how much weight Loki's voice carried within his team. To be able to represent the team and extend an invitation personally... was this the future of French football?
However, Kira shook his head.
Loki looked a bit taken aback.
"Thanks for the offer, Loki. I'm genuinely happy you invited me."
"But my performance today wasn't good enough, and I was just lucky. I still want to hone my skills here in Japan for a while."
"When I'm ready, I'll definitely come to Europe to find you."
Kira politely declined Loki's invitation.
"That's a pity." A flicker of disappointment crossed Loki's face, but it vanished quickly. He wasn't overly emotional about Kira's refusal. This world had plenty of geniuses.
It also had many who faded away prematurely.
Among monsters like Loki himself, how many could actually stand at the peak of the world in the end? The football world had seen too many flashes in the pan.
Loki simply appreciated talent, that was all. He waved his hand to bid Kira farewell.
"Kira... he... he actually refused."
(Aryu acted as the translator for the rest.)
Isagi asked himself honestly: if it were him, could he refuse with the same determination as Kira?
With Loki's return, The World Star Team disappeared into the tunnel.
***
Inside the tunnel.
"Hahaha! Loki, that guy actually turned you down." Silva gloated, practically reveling in it.
Even Blake couldn't help but snicker, constantly glancing at Loki's expression.
Loki gave a faint but didn't say anything.
"Alright, alright. Geniuses all have their own ways of thinking. Let's just go back, take a nice shower, and enjoy our vacation," Luna said kindly, smoothing things over for Loki.
Cavazos, however, looked back thoughtfully at Kira one last time.
I hope that guy doesn't get seduced by domestic capital and end up rotting in the Japanese league.
In Cavazos' mind, the professional league in Japan wasn't just a star or two below the top five European leagues—it was worlds apart.
***
"Phew."
After Team World Five left, Bachira flopped down onto the turf. The others followed suit, lying down one by one.
Five boys lay on the grass, looking up at the ceiling.
"Dammit..."
Kira turned his head and noticed the look of pure unwillingness on Rin's face.
Blue Lock Third Selection, First Mission: 'World Selection Match'
Team Blue Lock lost 2-5.
***
Several hours later.
Blue Lock Special Strategy Meeting Room.
"One hundred million yen for each world-class player, plus a one million bonus for every goal scored?"
An important member of the Japan Football Association looked utterly incredulous.
"Just how much more money are you going to waste on this project?"
"And there was no way they could win."
"What is the point of doing this?"
"Explain yourself to us clearly!!!"
"Hey, and another thing—can you sit properly? We are in a meeting."
Criticism of Ego's arrangement echoed through the conference room.
Jinpachi Ego sat cross-legged on his chair, responding to their doubts with a slouching, nonchalant attitude.
"A diamond cannot be polished without friction."
"I just wanted them to experience world-class standards firsthand, while they're still at that sensitive impressionable age."
"I don't expect old geezers like you, who have already learned to give up, to have any dreams left. So shut the fuck up."
Instantly, the conference room exploded.
"Hey, hey! Watch your attitude, you brat!"
"Who the hell do you think you are…?"
"Terminate the project! Terminate it immediately!"
Ego looked completely indifferent.
At the head of the table, a balding middle-aged man waved his hand, signaling everyone to stop arguing.
The noisy room quieted down instantly.
He was the President of the Japan Football Association, Hirotoshi Buratsuta.
Ego tilted his head, waiting for this fossil to speak.
"Ego, we've received many complaints from the parents of the high school students participating in the project."
"Your project lacks transparency from start to finish. Even now, we can't see the full picture."
"More importantly, you haven't produced any results so far."
"Continuing this project will only become a stain on the Japan Football Association. We can no longer support you fooling around like this."
The President spoke with earnest concern, as if he didn't want to terminate the project but was forced to by circumstances.
"Heh." Ego scoffed inwardly at that old geezer's nonsense.
"Then I'll show you the results right now."
Ego turned and signaled to Anri.
Anri turned on the conference room screen, which began playing the video of the match between Kira's team and the World Select Team.
"Ego, what are you trying to prove with this surveillance footage?"
"Does this have any value or meaning?"
"You've been tinkering for months, and this is what you came up with?"
The association members in the room started chattering again.
"Shut up and watch carefully..." Ego finally lost his patience and snapped.
After a while.
The entire conference room suddenly fell silent.
In the video, Kira's performance had exceeded their expectations.
"This... is Kira really this good?"
"This is already at the level of a world-class professional player, isn't it?"
"My god, how old is he? Promote him! Get the media to blast his name everywhere. This could definitely make a lot of money."
The room buzzed with discussions about Kira.
Ego suppressed the nausea rising in his gut. These guys only cared about money.
"Ego..."
The President tapped his finger thoughtfully on the desk, and the room went quiet again.
"Producing one decent player is indeed a commendable achievement."
"But it's far from enough. Do you understand?"
"One star player... the profit is too small. It's not worth additional investment from us."
Hirotoshi Buratsuta's attitude made the Association's determination to terminate the project clear. Kira was excellent, yes. But it wasn't enough.
Ego knew it would come to this.
He adjusted his glasses and said, "Then let's stage a major event, President. The time has come for Blue Lock to change Japanese football..."
"Oh?" Hirotoshi Buratsuta's eyes lit up. He could smell the money, so the proposal immediately caught his interest.
***
Meanwhile.
Third Selection, five-person room.
The five of them had washed up and were lying on their respective beds, replaying today's match in their minds.
"We really couldn't fight back at all..." Isagi reflected on his performance. He had been basically useless.
"Yeah. I thought I had gotten stronger coming to Blue Lock, but now I've been rudely awakened to exactly how much I weigh," Aryu sighed as he managed his long hair.
"But, I don't know why... this is probably the first time I've lost and felt completely convinced by the defeat," Bachira said while toweling his hair dry.
Hearing this, Kira offered his own opinion. "That's probably what Ego wanted us to realize..."
"After fighting against stars we only see on TV, the concept of 'World's Number One' feels real now. Otherwise, it would have just remained a slogan."
"Put that way, I think I understand. It feels like the World's Number One Striker isn't just a fantasy in our brains anymore."
"Yeah, even if it is still far away." Isagi nodded.
"Hey, Kira?" Itoshi Rin suddenly spoke up.
Everyone stared at him.
"Why didn't you accept Loki's invitation? You must have been tempted deep down, right?"
Rin seemed very perplexed by Kira's refusal.
Hearing this, everyone else in the room looked at him with curiosity.
Internally, Kira was speechless. He knew they would ask this.
But he couldn't exactly tell them the truth: I want to absorb enough attributes to actually reach world-class level before I go.
What should he say?
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