Sae was arrogant and cold, disdaining even family ties, though he had the credentials to back up his pride.
His tremendous ability had earned him countless fans, and even the Football Association Chairman had to curry favor with him. In a recent interview with the largest local TV station, he openly expressed his disappointment and contempt for Japanese football.
That same day, Sae discovered the Blue Lock Project's existence and, finding it intriguing, had his agent monitor developments.
Now, two people sat beside him — domestic agent and the Football Association chairman, Hirotoshi Buratsuta. The chairman was an obese man with a face full of excess flesh, clearly someone who enjoyed life's luxuries but neglected exercise. His fawning smile only made his already greasy appearance more repulsive.
To Hirotoshi, football was purely business — performance meant nothing as long as profits increased. And Sae Itoshi represented a goldmine; if he could convince the young star to stay and play, ticket sales would soar.
Though Hirotoshi deeply resented Sae's arrogance, he had no choice but to please him. Meanwhile, Sae hadn't bothered to give him a proper glance.
Hirotoshi handed a USB drive to Sae's agent, clasping his hands together with a smile. "These are the match recordings I obtained from Jinpachi Ego. They've only completed a few rounds of matches, but remember — these recordings are for your eyes only!"
He had used his authority to acquire the recordings from Jinpachi solely because of Sae's interest in the Project.
In truth, Hirotoshi was deeply dissatisfied with Blue Lock. He'd initially supported it as a money-making venture, but hadn't anticipated that "thin guy" would drain the entire budget. The facility's construction costs had been astronomical.
'I need to shut down the Blue Lock Project. But with Sae Itoshi interested, I'll wait to see if I can profit from it first.' Despite these thoughts, he smiled and said, "If you're interested in Blue Lock, I can arrange a tour. After all, they answer to me."
His words reeked of self-importance.
At this point, Sae rested his head on his hand, casting an indifferent glance at the old man.
"You seem to have misunderstood something. I'm merely curious to see if this weak football nation can produce anyone decent. I won't waste time watching matches of incompetent players — these recordings are just something to pass the time."
His tone dripped with arrogance, showing complete disregard for Hirotoshi.
The agent beside him was sweating profusely, inwardly lamenting. This was Japan's Football Association Chairman, whose power in the sports world was absolute — yet Sae dared to speak to him like this?
However, Hirotoshi showed no sign of anger. Though seething internally, he knew this kid was potentially his cash cow, so he absolutely couldn't offend him.
"Haha, I understand. If you need any more recordings later, just let me know!" He said with a smile.
Sae said nothing more and simply left his seat, while his agent took the USB drive, offering an apologetic smile before following.
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Inside Blue Lock, the match continued.
After Team Z scored, Team Y maintained their counter-attacking strategy but failed to convert any chances.
Hibiki, their sole attacking option, found himself completely neutralized by Ryōsuke.
When he faced off against Ryōsuke again, the result was identical — he couldn't even attempt a shot before being stopped. Every dribbling technique he tried was read like an open book.
After several futile exchanges, Hibiki's confidence crumbled. He no longer dared to launch attacks when facing Ryōsuke.
With Team Y's only offensive weapon now blunted, they were merely awaiting their inevitable defeat.
Each time Hibiki's attack was thwarted, Ryōsuke transformed it into a counter-attack opportunity. Despite Team Y's tight defense, they couldn't stop everything, and Rensuke eventually found his chance.
Before the first half ended, the score became 2-0.
As the halftime whistle blew, players from both teams retreated to their respective locker rooms.
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In Team Y's locker room, the atmosphere was thick with tension.
"What's the deal with Ryōsuke Kira?"
"Even Okawa can't get past him?"
"How is he so good at defense when it's supposed to be his first time..."
Ikki's expression darkened. His strategy had backfired, giving their opponents one scoring chance after another.
Ryōsuke was far more formidable than he'd anticipated. Even in defense, he displayed devastating dominance.
Even Hibiki, their strongest offensive weapon, couldn't break through.
Ikki glanced at their star striker.
Hibiki sat with a towel draped over his head, sweat streaming down his face. His usual confidence had evaporated, replaced by pure disappointment.
Ryōsuke had utterly defeated him.
'We can't rely on Okawa alone — he can't get past Kira. With our ace striker neutralized, team morale will only deteriorate further. We're just one goal down, but if we can't score, we're doomed to a slow defeat.'
Ikki knew this with crushing certainty.
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