038 Blue Lock: System Ten Years Early

"Hey, hey, I can't pretend I didn't hear that. I said he's the opponent I want to defeat, right?" Aryu Jyubei stopped the two who had declared war on their own.

"What do you mean by ignoring the gorgeous me without permission?"

"Stand down, Aryu. I'm not interested in opponents I've already beaten once." Shinichi spoke first, cutting in before Itoshi Rin, who was already close to going berserk.

"If you still want to fight me, then before the next opportunity comes, declare war ahead of everyone else."

"...I see. I was already a loser to begin with, and now I'm a step behind again. It's only natural that you wouldn't want to fight such an ungorgeous me." After a brief silence, Aryu Jyubei sighed.

"That's the right of the victor. I have no objections."

"But I'll catch up to you in an even more gorgeous way. Until then, you'd better wait properly."

Tokimitsu Aoshi, who had already been inside for quite a while, carefully hid to the side.

"These people are all so full of fighting spirit. Someone like me can't compare at all. Society is ruled by life winners like them. A guy with no confidence like me will definitely get crushed!"

"Hey! What are you muttering over there? Come here." An irritated Itoshi Rin shouted directly at Tokimitsu Aoshi, scaring him so much that he jolted and ran behind Rin.

"Eek! Y-yes... ugh, being scolded by a dominant person. As expected, someone like me is just meant to be treated like this."

"What's with that guy?" Hiori Yo looked at Tokimitsu Aoshi in confusion. "From my perspective, that trial was actually a bit difficult. He cleared it so quickly, so his strength shouldn't be weak. Why is he so lacking in confidence?"

"Some people are just more eccentric. It's nothing." Shinichi said with a smile. "Rather than thinking about that, how about guessing who the next one to come in will be? Wanna bet a steak? I guess the next one is a boy."

"There's zero sincerity in that bet." Hiori Yo disdainfully pushed Shinichi away, and right at that moment, the big door opened...

"So many people already. Looks like I came a little late?" Nishioka Hajime walked in while loosening up his body. "Shinichi, I've finally met you, bastard!"

"Get over here! Don't you dare act so cheap. Explain clearly what you said that day!"

"Ahahaha, sure. Perfect timing." Shinichi grinned as he dodged Nishioka Hajime's pounce. "I've already agreed to have a match with those guys over there. You go instead. If you beat me, I'll tell you."

"..." After looking in the direction Shinichi pointed, Nishioka Hajime turned his head away with an annoyed snort.

"You think I care that much? Not at all! Fine, don't tell me... Besides, that's Itoshi Sae's younger brother, right? I've seen some reports about him. Even if I win with him, there's nothing glorious about it."

"I'll beat you on my own. Until then, go ahead and be smug." Nishioka Hajime turned away in a huff and stopped looking at Shinichi. Shinichi helplessly shrugged at Itoshi Rin, as if to say there's nothing I can do.

"One after another, all of them are trash with no sense of urgency." Once again refused a team-up, Itoshi Rin's anger pool continued to build at an impressive rate.

"So then, who will be next?" Aryu Jyubei was feeling miserable after being refused a match; Nishioka Hajime was sulking; Rin was so angry he wanted to kill someone—getting close earned you a death glare, and Shinichi even felt that if Rin could enter the Legendary Athlete System training camp, he'd probably instantly awaken a similar trait; Tokimitsu felt uncomfortable all over whenever this extroverted presence came near; and Hiori Yo had nothing in particular to talk about after being separated for just a short while.

Thus, with nothing better to do, Shinichi could only prop up his chin and stare intently at the tightly closed door. Finally, the door opened again. Reddish hair tinged with pink was combed into a short braided strand at the temples, hanging down, as Ranze Kurona stepped out from the passage.

"Um, is something wrong? You keep staring."

"Ah, sorry, sorry. We're forming teams, you see." Shinichi smiled as he explained to Ranze Kurona.

"We've put together a setup—once the two teams are formed, if there's a chance to play a match, we'll fight. How about it, interested? Over there, that guy with the face as dark as if everyone owes him money and that big guy are opponents. On my side, it's me and the blue-haired one behind me."

"Forming a team quickly isn't bad." After a brief moment of thought, the expressionless Ranze Kurona nodded slightly at Shinichi.

"Then I'll join your team. That one over there... feels a bit unsuitable for me."

"Yes! Rin, I filled my team before you!" Shinichi cheered loudly, raising his voice to shout at Itoshi Rin. Rin replied with a murderous glare.

"Shut up. Don't call my name. And I'll definitely destroy you later!"

"Oh my, scary... Come on, come on, what was your name again? Let's introduce ourselves." Shinichi put on a frightened expression, then warmly slung an arm around Ranze Kurona's shoulder and walked off to the side.

At this point, half the room was filled with cheerful mutual introductions, while the other half consisted of Itoshi Rin brimming with killing intent, Tokimitsu Aoshi trembling in the corner, and two silent, sulking losers. Truly harmonious.

Tanaka Shingen, sporting an afro, walked in with a puzzled look amid this atmosphere.

"Team up with me!" The moment he entered, Itoshi Rin rushed over and coldly commanded him.

"Ah... o-okay, teaming up is fine, but what's going on here?" Startled, Tanaka Shingen raised both hands to his chest and stepped back half a step as he asked instinctively. But Itoshi Rin clearly had no intention of explaining and walked straight to the door of the next stage.

"Open it."

The door opened. Itoshi Rin turned back to look at Tokimitsu Aoshi and Tanaka Shingen. "Follow."

"Then let's go too." Shinichi also stood up, and as he passed Tanaka Shingen, he sympathetically patted him on the shoulder.

Completely bewildered, Tanaka Shingen looked at Tokimitsu Aoshi, who was biting his finger and trembling beside him, his face full of dark lines.

"So, is anyone going to explain to me what the hell is going on?!"

...

"Yo, we meet again, you raw gems of talent." As they entered the room of the next stage, a familiar figure appeared on the big screen right on time.

"Just as you guessed, the third stage is battles between properly formed three-person teams."

"Impressive, you guessed right." Ranze Kurona expressionlessly gave Shinichi a thumbs-up, while Ego Jinpachi continued his explanation. "At this stage, the football field will be reduced in size, and the goalkeeper will be a virtual person from Blue Lock. The first team to score five goals wins."

"Additionally, here are the special rules for this stage. The winning team can choose one person from the opposing team and take him, forming a brand-new four-person team."

"Then, with each stage you advance, you'll add one more teammate. Once you have five people and clear the fifth stage, you will have passed the second round of selection."

"As for the losing teams, they will return to the previous stage with their remaining lineup. Then, if they also lose the 2v2 match, the last person who wasn't chosen will be eliminated."

"That's the full picture of the second round of selection. You must compete for rivals—seize the enemy and decide it in battle. Also, you may choose your match opponents freely, but both teams must agree for a match to take place."

"Are you done talking?" Itoshi Rin stepped forward and cut off Ego Jinpachi's nonstop explanation.

"I've had enough. There are two teams here that agree to fight. Don't waste time—start already."

"Since Itoshi Sae, this is the first time I've wanted to crush someone this badly."