Chapter 48: Facing Death Bravely — Riko Aida's World-Ending Cooking
By early evening, Kira and Riko had returned to her home, which was located just above the gym.
The moment they opened the door, a thick aroma of food drifted out, instantly triggering Kira's appetite.
Even though he ate higher-grade meals than most participants thanks to ranking first in Blue Lock, the menu there never changed.
Half a month of the same thing every single day had already numbed his tastebuds.
"Welcome home, my precious Riko!"
Hearing the door, Aida Kagetora—wearing an apron—charged out with a beaming smile. The second he spotted Kira, however, his face immediately tightened.
"Tch. It's you again, brat."
"Uncle Aida, you're cooking again? Smells amazing."
Kira greeted him with a friendly smile. During his urgent training days at the gym, most of his meals had been made by Kagetora.
Riko occasionally prepared something herself… though her cooking usually focused on nutrition alone, completely ignoring flavor and appearance.
Her dishes were far ahead of modern tolerance. In a bad way.
"Flattering me is useless! I only cook to feed my precious daughter. It's just your luck you get to freeload."
"I know, I know. Thank you, Uncle Aida."
Despite the gruff tone, Kagetora was a kind man. Kira's training would've been far more miserable without him.
And without Kagetora's cooking, Kira would've probably starved to death from Riko's "nutritional experiments."
"Perfect timing! Dad, you finished prepping the ingredients, right? I've been practicing a specialty dish these days—Ryosuke, you HAVE to try it! Wait here!"
Riko practically hopped into the kitchen.
Kira glanced toward the sofa and saw several thick cooking books spread out.
It was obvious she had tried to prepare for his return.
"Hey kid. Got time to talk?"
With his daughter busy in the kitchen, Kagetora signaled for Kira to sit with him.
"Sure."
Once they settled on the sofa, Kagetora's expression hardened.
"You've heard about Blue Lock's plan. Pretty insane, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
Kira nodded.
"So, what's your view on it? That man—Jinpachi Ego, right?"
As a former national team player, Kagetora knew the truth behind Blue Lock—its purpose was to bury 299 careers to produce a single superstar striker.
"I don't agree with his methods."
Kira answered calmly.
"Sacrificing 299 careers to produce one super-striker… I can't approve of that. It's disrespectful to every athlete involved—not only the players in Blue Lock, but to all players in every position. Soccer and basketball are not sports decided by one person alone. Teamwork is everything. I'm staying in Blue Lock to prove his ideology wrong."
"Good."
Kagetora nodded, satisfied.
They continued discussing Blue Lock's inner workings until—
"Ta-daaa! Behold, my masterpiece! I just learned how to make beef-and-potato stew!"
Riko proudly marched out, carrying a steaming dish.
Kira stared at it… and could not speak.
The smell was normal.
The ingredients were correct: beef and potatoes.
However—
The "beef" was one massive, uncut slab of meat.
And the "potatoes" were two whole potatoes, unpeeled, boiled as-is.
It seemed Riko had misunderstood the meaning of "beef-and-potato stew."
"Uh… Riko… did you get this recipe from those books?"
Kira's voice trembled slightly.
"Yep! I followed the seasoning section exactly! The rest was too complicated, so I didn't read it!"
"…"
"Well then! Let's eat!"
The three sat at the table.
Riko's mother was away on a business trip, so it was just them.
"I'll taste my precious daughter's cooking first!"
Kagetora lifted his chopsticks, aiming for the beef—
Only to have his chopsticks instantly blocked by his daughter.
"The beef is for professional athletes, Dad. It's full of protein. You eat the potatoes."
She flicked away his chopsticks with a clean motion and dropped the entire hunk of beef into Kira's bowl.
"Ryosuke, eat! Dad can have the potatoes."
"Thank you… very much."
"Potatoes are fine!"
Kagetora grabbed an entire potato and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing vigorously.
One second later—
His expression froze.
His face went pale.
His mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"What's wrong, Uncle Aida?!"
Kira leaned forward anxiously.
"N-nothing…! Th-this is… exactly what I'd expect from my… precious… daughter… ugh… urgh… her cooking is… truly delicious… ughh…"
Despite his words, the agony on his face was unmistakable.
Kira could swear he saw the man's soul rising out of the top of his head.
"Uncle… I'm pretty sure you just gagged."
Kira stared, stunned.
He hadn't expected Riko's cooking to have this much destructive power.
If she followed the recipe, even sloppy cooking shouldn't be this lethal.
"Riko… you did follow the seasoning instructions, right?"
"Of course."
He believed her.
"That's strange then…"
"But I added extra nutrition! Protein powder, electrolyte solution, creatine chewables, and some other healthy supplements!"
"…That explains everything."
Kira finally understood.
He turned his head toward Kagetora—
who was desperately pounding his chest to force the potato down, his facial features twisted beyond recognition.
In that moment…
He truly looked like a man facing death with heroic resolve.