Chapter 91: The Top 6
"Replacing the U-20 National Team? They actually agreed to those conditions?"
"No way. That's insane. I can't even imagine it."
"We could become National Team members just like that?"
The crowd in the Blue Lock connection room buzzed with disbelief.
In the monitoring room, Ego took in everyone's expressions.
He calmly took a sip of water from his cup and continued.
"Because the association geezers think there's zero chance they'll lose..."
"After all, their opponents are just a ragtag group of 35 high school students."
"And when they heard our side is entirely made up of strikers, they laughed and agreed on the spot."
"Their goal is to crush the Blue Lock project and use the National Team hype to attract viewers and make money..."
On the screen, Ego continued his speech.
Kira scanned the reactions of those around him.
Kunigami and Chigiri both looked angry. Rin and Shidou, however, showed no emotional fluctuation.
Kira also noticed a gaze constantly sizing him up.
It was Tabito Karasu in the corner.
Karasu noticed Kira looking back. He smiled and nodded at Kira, a silent greeting.
'Why does this guy keep watching me?'
Kira had some doubts, but he nodded back with a polite smile.
"I can tell you calmly and realistically..."
"With your current abilities, you are enough to overturn the Japanese football world. However..."
Jinpachi Ego shifted the topic, and the image of Itoshi Sae appeared on the screen.
Kira felt Rin's breathing hitch noticeably beside him.
"That being said, the opponents are coming with the determination to win."
"They have called up Itoshi Sae to the U-20 National Team."
"Itoshi Sae?"
"That genius midfielder playing in Europe?"
"I heard that guy is terrifyingly strong..."
Gasps erupted in the connection room. The U-20 National Team was already hard enough to deal with. Add Itoshi Sae to the mix, and the pressure on Blue Lock instantly skyrocketed.
"A match against the U-20 National Team?"
Isagi stared at Ego on the screen, his mind already wandering far away.
He recalled that not long ago, he was just a nameless nobody. Now, if they won, he could join the U-20 National Team!!
A match where he could change his life with his own hands.
Isagi's breathing quickened involuntarily.
This was why he came here. To change his boring, dull life.
"Hey, hey, hey. Glasses, wait a second..."
Raichi's loud voice echoed through the room.
"I get that this is an opportunity, but how are the starting eleven players going to be arranged?"
"Don't tell me the midfielders and defenders are going to be chosen from us too?"
"Of course," Ego answered matter-of-factly. "We can only use strikers to build a makeshift team to fight."
"Furthermore, the goalkeeper will also be chosen from among you."
(Gagamaru: I have a feeling he's talking about me.)
Tokimitsu turned pale with shock and started panicking again. "That... that's too reckless. The opponents are professional defenders."
Aryu looked interested. "This kind of do or die drama is stylish..."
"That's completely unreliable."
"Do we really have a chance to win like this?"
The others in the room began to discuss noisily.
"Alright, shut up. I'm not an idiot without a plan."
"I will build the team representing Blue Lock around the next six people I call."
"They are currently the Top 6 based on comprehensive evaluations. To build a team in just three short weeks, this is the most logical gamble."
"Those whose names are called, step forward."
"First, ranked Number One..."
Ego paused, a slight evil smile appearing on his face. He had a feeling that as long as this guy was around, their chances of losing against the Football Association were very slim.
Isagi held his breath involuntarily.
He was genuinely curious about this ranking. Although he had a candidate in mind for first place, he couldn't help but be nervous.
"Ryosuke Kira!"
Ego announced the name of the Number One player.
'As expected.'
Isagi had anticipated this. He looked at Kira with excitement.
Kira looked baffled. 'Why is Isagi more excited than I am?'
Hearing his name, Kira walked out of the crowd expressionlessly.
"I knew it was him." Chigiri watched Kira's back with a complex expression.
"As expected of Kira. Stylish!" Aryu's eyes lit up.
"That fake is ahead of me again." Barou clenched his fists.
No one was surprised by Kira's selection. At the same time, it ignited their fighting spirit.
Ego flipped through his notebook. "Next is Number Two..."
"Ryusei Shidou."
Hearing his name, Ryusei Shidou looked up with a grin. "Coming. Ta-da."
He walked over to stand beside Kira with a flamboyant swagger.
He looked at Kira mockingly.
Kira couldn't be bothered with him. He turned his head away, pretending not to see him.
"So Number One is you... the kid everyone was fussing over just now."
Shidou struck up a conversation with a grin.
Kira rolled his eyes and didn't respond.
"Huh? I thought that guy was tough" Igaguri found it ridiculous.
"Just as I thought. skill and character aren't related."
Kunigami looked at Shidou with eyes full of fighting spirit. He hated guys like Shidou who bullied the weak.
"Second place isn't Rin?"
Isagi was surprised. Was that guy named Shidou actually better than Rin? Isagi didn't believe it.
Rin didn't seem to care much about the ranking. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking from his face. Ever since Sae's participation was announced, Rin had been distracted.
"Number Three, Itoshi Rin."
Hearing his name, Rin stepped forward expressionlessly.
"Number Four, Tabito Karasu."
"You know your stuff, four-eyes." Karasu walked out coolly, hands in his pockets.
"Though, the ranking is lower than I thought. I figured I'd at least be top three."
"Number Five, Eita Otoya."
Otoya didn't say much. He just acknowledged it and stepped forward.
"Top 6... that means there's only one spot left."
Isagi desperately wanted to be one of them.
"Finally, Number Six, Kenyu Yukimiya."
Ego announced the final member of the Top 6.
"Present. It's an honor." Kenyu Yukimiya, a tall, handsome guy with glasses, stepped forward calmly.
"These are all the Top 6 candidates."
Isagi felt a wave of disappointment. He hadn't been selected.
"Um... Ego-san. For future reference, I'd like to ask a very direct question."
Among those who stepped forward, Yukimiya raised his hand.
Ego nodded, signaling him to ask.
"Why am I sixth? What is the gap between me and the person in first place?"
Ego scanned the connection room. Clearly, everyone was looking at him with curiosity. The unselected players needed answers too.
Ego understood the question perfectly. Or rather, he understood the reason behind asking it: these boys still couldn't see the gap between themselves and others.
He began to explain. "It's simple. Out of 35 players, only two managed to score against the Team World Five."
"Ryosuke Kira and Ryusei Shidou."
"Shidou scored one goal. Kira scored two."
"Scored two?"
Shidou's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing Ego's words.
The way he looked at Kira changed completely.
Karasu's expression also revealed shock.
Images of Loki, Blake, and Luna's exquisite skills flashed through his mind.
To score two goals while playing against monsters like that?
The stats he'd built for Kira in his mind skyrocketed instantly.
Yukimiya, who asked the question, was also stunned. If that was the case, he was truly convinced.
"Hahaha! As expected of Kira! I knew it!"
"He was in the same room as me before!"
Igaguri shouted proudly, constantly showing off to those around him.
This made Kira, standing in the distance, lower his head in embarrassment.
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