"Five hundred million?!"
Seeing Ryōsuke's market value, everyone present was stunned.
It was an incredibly high offer — one they had never seen before!
{T/N: At the date this chapter was posted, the approximate conversion of the amount in Yen (¥) to US Dollar ($) is $3,414,519.22. $1 → ¥146.43. For reference, Cristiano Ronaldo earns practically 10x this amount just from his club payments, $348.2 million. That's almost ¥51 billion...}
Just then, Jinpachi's face appeared on the screen again:
[It's been a while, everyone. I must say, this match was truly spectacular.]
His gaze swept across everyone before finally settling on Ryōsuke.
[And the one who has caught everyone's attention is you, Ryōsuke Kira. Exceptional individual skill, unparalleled field vision, and remarkable passing ability — you're someone who can change the future of world soccer. This is how those soccer club representatives evaluate you, Ryōsuke.]
Everyone's eyes fell on Ryōsuke, but his expression remained unchanged.
"Such high praise..." Ashito inwardly marveled.
To receive such acclaim from owners and scouts of the world's top clubs — one could imagine how highly they regarded Ryōsuke.
He turned to look at his teammate, eyes full of admiration and aspiration. Ashito also wanted to become a player of this caliber.
Ryōsuke was now being discussed alongside the world's top players!
[That's all for today. Both teams only have one match left, right?] Jinpachi continued slowly, [After that, the rankings will determine the final roster. Only the top twenty-three players will be selected for the national team to compete in the U-20 World Cup. Keep working hard and seize this last opportunity.]
After he finished speaking, the screen went black again.
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After the match ended, everyone freshened up before returning to their dormitory.
Upon entering his room, Ryōsuke noticed several large suitcases.
"What's this?"
He walked forward curiously and saw an envelope on the cases left by Anri.
{ Ryōsuke! These are from Riko Aida! I'm exhausted from carrying them! }
That's what was written on the envelope.
While Ryōsuke and the others were playing their match, Anri had single-handedly moved these cases into the dormitory.
"From Riko?" Ryōsuke smiled and opened the suitcase.
Inside were various sports supplements, both familiar and unfamiliar to him. Beside these supplements was a handwritten note from Riko explaining how to use everything.
The content was extremely detailed — densely packed with over ten thousand characters and adorned with cute stickers she had carefully attached. It looked very charming.
Riko must have spent considerable time preparing all this.
Riko had provided not just supplements, but also high-end equipment from her father — ice therapy devices, heat therapy devices, and more. Her preparation was incredibly thorough.
Though she couldn't be there in person, Riko still did everything possible to support him.
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With the match concluded, everyone now had almost two weeks of rest.
This time, Ryōsuke and the others wouldn't need to leave Blue Lock for commercial activities; they only needed to shoot advertisements and give interviews within the building.
Among these was a collaborative advertisement with Chris. Beyond Prince Mineral Water, Ryōsuke had been chosen as spokesperson for many other brands including glasses, watches, and clothing.
Ryōsuke was enjoying unprecedented popularity — practically at the level of a global celebrity. His athletic physique and handsome features made him perfect as a brand ambassador.
Although Chris was quite displeased with him, off the field he was a shrewd businessman who knew how to maximize his interests.
Chris actively sought collaboration with Ryōsuke for advertising, recognizing him as a money tree with tremendous commercial appeal.
"OK, good work." After the photo shoot ended, Chris shook hands with Ryōsuke, smiling.
This was only because cameras were filming them — he had to maintain his public image.
As they shook hands, Chris leaned forward, bringing his mouth close to Ryōsuke's ear, "You ruined my starring role, Ryōsuke."
His voice, audible only to them, barely contained his anger.
"I'm truly sorry, but for Bastard München, victory is essential." Ryōsuke replied quietly with a relaxed smile.
"Then see you at the World Cup."
Chris didn't say anything more, just patted his shoulder and left.
Though displeased with Ryōsuke, he had to acknowledge his formidable abilities.
"Ryōsuke!" After the advertisement shooting, Anri Teieri waved at him with a smile. She was essentially acting as his manager now.
"Ms. Anri."
"Next is the press interview. Are you ready?"
"Yes." Ryōsuke nodded and followed her to the interview room.
However, as soon as he opened the door, he was surprised to see dozens of reporters inside from major publications around the world.
This was completely different from the previous TV interview — this was essentially a full-scale press conference.
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Meanwhile, in the Blue Lock monitoring room.
"Excuse me, Mr. Ego."
Kenyū had just arrived, summoned by Jinpachi.
"You're here, Kenyū Yukimiya." Jinpachi sat in his chair, turning to face him, "Black spots appear in your vision when you're fatigued, narrowing your field of view — an eye condition that can only be maintained, not improved. You've been hiding this from me, haven't you?"
"I'm sorry... I didn't want others to notice this issue." Kenyū bowed his head guiltily, "I never thought that Mr. Ego and Kira already knew about this."
"When selecting candidates for Blue Lock, I conducted thorough investigations on all of you. It's only natural that I would know these things." Jinpachi continued, "And Ryōsuke, as Blue Lock's star player — without him, Blue Lock wouldn't have reached this stage. As compensation for his willingness to represent the U-20 Team, he has a certain degree of influence over Blue Lock's development direction, so he's also aware of the relevant information."
"I understand."
"You can speak freely here. This conversation won't be heard by anyone. I'm not so low as to disclose someone's most private matters." Jinpachi's face showed little expression.
Ryōsuke hadn't told anyone else about Kenyū's eye condition. In the previous match, he had used the excuse of fatigue to let him rest, and no one questioned this reason.
"Thank you very much... I'm truly sorry for concealing this." Kenyū bowed apologetically.
"Now for the main point — I sent your medical report to the clubs that made offers for you. When signing a professional contract, these matters are standard procedure."
What Jinpachi said was correct. When players sign with clubs, physical condition is a crucial factor that affects performance and directly impacts a player's value. Concealing injuries or health issues could potentially lead to serious consequences.
"I understand..."
"And their response is that they very much want to help treat your eye condition, with all treatment expenses covered by them. Your talent has that kind of value." Jinpachi said slowly.
Hearing this, Kenyū was surprised; he hadn't expected the club to offer such favorable treatment.
"Whether it can be completely cured is uncertain, but they plan to use the most advanced medical technology. This is a major watershed moment in your football career. Due to the special nature of your injury, you can accept their nomination now and report directly to the club. What will you do? Will you accept the nomination?"
Jinpachi slightly narrowed his eyes, waiting for his answer.
Such treatment was tempting for Kenyū... But he didn't hesitate, shaking his head firmly.
"Sorry, I can't accept it for now."
"Oh?"
"If I accept the nomination, I won't be able to continue growing — I want to see, after this Neo Hero League, just how far I can push myself." Kenyū's gaze became incredibly resolute, "Besides, I also want to continue playing football with Kira and the others."
"Continue playing with Kira?"
"Yes, by his side, I've learned so many things, and I've also found the direction I want to take with football." Kenyū's face broke into a smile.
"Is that so." Jinpachi looked at him, feeling the determination in his gaze, "That will be all for today then. You may go."
"Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Ego."
After saying this, Kenyū left the monitoring room.
Jinpachi turned his head to look at the large screen, which displayed footage compiled since the beginning of Blue Lock.
Yoichi, Kenyū, Ashito, and Yō... Everyone who had been on Ryōsuke's team had undergone a very obvious change.
The core philosophy of Blue Lock was now completely different from what Jinpachi had initially envisioned... But precisely because of this, he became even more interested in Blue Lock's future.
Just how high could they reach?
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After finishing the interview, Ryōsuke hurried back to his team's building to begin his daily training session, despite the late hour.
No matter what, training could not be neglected.
When he arrived at the training ground, Ryōsuke found others already engaged in intense extra practice. His dedication to training had spread like a virus, unconsciously influencing his teammates.
"Don't stop! I'll kill anyone who stops!"
Jingo shouted hysterically from the treadmill, his voice hoarse and trembling.
"Understood, Raichi-senpai!"
Beside him, Ashito continued exercising, his forehead glistening with sweat as he enthusiastically responded to Jingo.
On the other side, Yō was doing squats.
Previously, he would only complete the required training, rarely adding extra sessions. But after the last match, his passion for football had been fully ignited, motivating him to put in more effort.
"You guys, wait for me a bit." Ryōsuke said with a smile.
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Meanwhile, at the training ground in the French Stratum.
"I'm so excited! I'll finally get to meet little Kei-kei soon!" Ryūsei exclaimed.
"You tentacle pest, stop acting crazy here. You sound like some weirdo." Rin remarked as he picked up a cup, took a sip of water, and lifted his head.
Their next match would be against Ryōsuke and his team.
For Rin, this was a revenge match. He had already lost to Ryōsuke too many times — and worse, his beloved brother Sae Itoshi only had eyes for that guy.
This was what mattered most to him. In the next match, he was determined to complete his revenge.
"In the next match, just do your job properly, you tentacle pest, as my puppet that I control." Rin said slowly to Ryūsei.
"Oh? Puppet? It's you, lower-lashes Rin Rin — try to make some decent passes. Don't make me feel bored on the field." Ryūsei replied with a smile.
The two had completely incompatible personalities, but they had reached a consensus on winning the next match.
Their relationship on the field was completely different from the twin guns of Shōei and Kojiro.
Rin, as the puppet master, controlled everyone's movements with invisible strings. Ryūsei willingly became the puppet, fully displaying his boundless offensive ability under Rin's precise passes!
Moreover, besides these two, there were other formidable presences in the team.
Zantetsu Tsurugi, Tabito Karasu, and Ryoma Hino.
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