Chapter 49: A Sudden Confession in the Middle of the Night
Within the next half hour, the dishes on the table were wiped clean.
Although Riko's "creation" could only be described as avant-garde culinary art, she had poured her heart into it, and Kira still forced himself to finish every bite.
At least the ingredients themselves were safe.
Fortunately, the rest of the dishes were made by Kagetora and tasted good enough to suppress the lingering trauma from the giant block of "special formula beef."
Once dinner ended, it was already late. After helping clean up, Kira got ready to leave.
"Alright, I'll head home now! Thanks for dinner, Uncle, Riko!"
"Mm."
Beside him, Riko nodded. Her lips parted slightly—as if she wanted to say something—but after struggling for a long moment, she finally spoke in a small voice:
"Um… I wanted to go for a walk anyway. Want to go together?"
"Sure."
Kira replied with a smile, and the two walked out side by side.
They moved along the quiet street, neither speaking at first, but both unconsciously slowing their pace.
"Um…"
Riko's voice sounded hesitant.
"What's wrong?"
"You're leaving tomorrow morning, right?"
"Yeah. I'm only allowed outing for twenty-four hours. I'll have to go back by noon."
"I see… that's so soon…"
Riko pursed her lips.
Half a month wasn't long, but for some reason it felt oddly stretched to her.
Thinking about how long it might be until Kira returned again made her want to treasure every possible moment with him.
"So… you can only come back after scoring ten more goals, right?"
She raised her head, her eyes locked on him.
"In theory, yes. But since we've already secured advancement, the match schedule will probably change after the next round. I can't say exactly when I'll be back."
In the original plans of Blue Lock, after the first round ended, there were a few scattered assessments—
and the second round had completely different rules, shifting from full 11-a-side matches to far smaller selection rounds.
"Oh…"
Riko replied softly.
"But I'll definitely score those ten as fast as I can. Don't worry—I'll be back before you know it. Didn't you guys say you'll have a match soon? Make sure to save me a ticket, alright?"
Kira grinned.
"Really?! You'll come watch?!"
Riko's eyes widened, a spark of excitement lighting up her entire expression.
"Riko, you look really happy."
Kira teased gently.
"Ah—!"
Realizing she'd reacted too strongly, her face flushed red. She lightly tapped his chest with her fist.
"H-hmph! You can say that again after you actually show up!"
She puffed her cheeks in a rare, adorably flustered expression.
Their hands brushed lightly—perhaps accidentally, perhaps not.
"Oh, right… Ryosuke, um…"
Riko hesitated again, as if gathering courage.
"Do I… ever bother you?"
"Bother me? What do you mean?"
"I mean… w-well… when people misunderstand us… and think we're… you know… dating…"
Her cheeks reddened as she lowered her head.
Kira blinked, then laughed quietly.
"Why would that bother me? It doesn't. I'm not dating anyone anyway."
"Really? That's… great!"
A flicker of happiness stirred in Riko's chest.
Something she'd been holding back rose again, burning at the back of her throat, begging to be spoken.
"What's wrong, Riko?"
"N-nothing! Nothing at all!"
"This is my home. Thanks for walking me back."
"No need to thank me—I wanted the walk anyway."
But as she looked at the house beside them—Kira's home—
she realized she was out of time.
If I don't say it now… I might never be able to again.
Come on, Riko! You never chicken out like this during training!
Clenching her fist behind her back, she forced herself to ask:
"Um… Ryosuke… what kind of girl… do you want to date?"
"Me? Well—"
"How about… someone… like me?"
Before he could finish, Riko blurted it all out in one single breath.
Her overly logical brain had short-circuited from nerves.
And once the words escaped, she instantly realized how bold they were.
Her face turned scarlet, and she lowered her head until her bangs hid her expression.
Her hands trembled.
Her heartbeat roared like thunder.
She regretted it.
Deeply.
After spending these days together, she'd undoubtedly grown fond of him.
That was why she'd been so emotional earlier at the gym.
But the more she thought about it, the more impossible it seemed.
Kira was already a rising star, gaining fans the moment he set foot in Seirin High—
practically the definition of perfect.
Meanwhile, she was just… Riko Aida.
Not cute like other girls, nor sexy, not even focused on girlish things—her entire life revolved around sports.
[TL: For some reason, s sounds cringey to me.]
Compared to him, she felt painfully ordinary.
He'll refuse me, won't he? Almost definitely…
She was already worrying about how awkward things would become afterward.
"Sure."
"I'm sorry, Ryosuke, I didn't mean to make things awk—… eh?"
Riko froze mid-sentence.
"What did you say?"
"I said—sure."
Kira smiled warmly.
The Riko standing before him—flustered, red-faced, trembling, trying so hard to be brave—
was a side of her he had never seen before…
And one he found impossibly endearing.