Chapter 59: The Second Half Begins—Team V Launches Their Counterattack!
"Alright, five minutes of rest, then we start the next drill."
As the players finished a set of training, Aida Riko signaled for a short break.
"Man, I'm wiped…"
Shun Izuki lay on the ground, gasping for breath, looking completely exhausted.
"If this level of training makes you tired, that's not acceptable. What I make you do isn't even half of what Ryosuke gets."
Riko scolded them sharply.
"Poor Kira then."
Hyuga Junpei laughed.
"But thanks to him, the basketball club became strangely popular. We got new members… and new sponsorships too."
Ever since Kira Ryosuke showed up at Seirin's basketball club, the school's attention toward the team had increased significantly.
"Good thing Kira plays soccer, or we'd be out of jobs."
Kiyoshi Teppei said from his spot on the bench.
"He's handsome, talented, and works hard! Why can't you all learn from him?"
While Riko spoke, she couldn't help picturing Kira in her mind again, her lips forming a faint smile.
"That's some obvious favoritism!"
Hyuga sighed.
"And because of Kira, your popularity has gone up too, you know."
Riko's earlier closeness with Kira had been noticed by others, and girls around the school had begun treating her like a rival.
Although Kira and Riko were officially together now, only her closest friends and the basketball team knew. It wasn't publicly announced.
If the crazier fangirls at school found out, the consequences would be disastrous.
"By the way… is it true Kira joined the Blue Lock Project?"
Kiyoshi asked. Ever since the program went public, it caused a huge stir, though the government never revealed details.
"Yes."
Riko nodded.
"He got out for one day last time only because he met a certain condition."
"So it is like a prison…"
Hyuga swallowed nervously.
"Losing means your career is basically over. If it were me… I definitely wouldn't take that risk…"
"But Ryosuke went—and he will break through that place."
Riko said firmly, eyes shining with certainty.
"Because he promised me he would win. Always."
"There she goes again—showing off in front of the team!"
"Right, right—these days she can't get through three sentences without mentioning Kira."
"Not just three sentences! Look at my notebook—Riko said Kira's name 121 times in the last three days!"
"You guys—!!"
Even though she was officially Kira's girlfriend now, Riko still blushed whenever they teased her.
To hide her embarrassment, she resorted to harsher measures.
"You three—break's over! Start the second set!"
"What? Five minutes aren't up! It's only been two!"
"If I say it's over, it's over!"
...
Halftime ended quickly. Both teams returned to the field for the second half.
Team V stood on the edge of a cliff—only by going all out could they climb back from near-elimination.
Team Z couldn't relax either. One careless mistake could erase all their previous advantage.
The whistle blew.
The second half began—Team Z had the first attack.
"Maintain our lead! Play steady!"
Bachira shouted as he dribbled forward, coordinating the team.
On the other side, Zantetsu followed Mikage Reo's instructions. Along with the other defenders, he tightly blocked Kira Ryosuke's movement.
Even though Kira was constantly running off the ball, they didn't let him get anywhere near a pass.
But this wasn't easy.
Zantetsu originally thought his height and size gave him an advantage—but when he actually tried to hold Kira back, he realized Kira's physical strength far exceeded his expectations.
"What is with this guy's strength?!"
Despite using his full force, Zantetsu couldn't overpower him.
Still, surrounded by multiple defenders, Kira had no chance to receive the ball.
"Kira is pulling that much attention—we can't waste this opening!"
Bachira quickly judged the situation and immediately passed to Kunigami, who had found space to receive.
"Nice one!"
Kunigami took a stride forward, preparing to shoot—
But in that very moment, a ghost-like figure slid into his path.
"What?!"
It was Nagi Seishiro.
"If it were Kira, he'd probably do this."
Nagi caught up to Kunigami in a flash, completely shutting down his shooting angle.
"How did he even—?!"
Kunigami stared in disbelief. Nagi's speed was even faster than before.
Before he could react, the ball was stolen cleanly. Mikage Reo seized the moment, completing the interception.
"Counter attack! Nagi!"
Reo yelled loudly, sprinting forward with Nagi toward Team Z's half.
Kira began to retreat on defense—but Zantetsu and the defenders rushed in front of him.
That burst of explosive speed burned stamina rapidly—but Zantetsu had no choice left.
Even if it drained everything he had—he had to stop Kira here.
Even one second was enough.
And with other defenders helping him block Kira's path, the defensive wall was far stronger than in the match against Team Y.
This was Reo's strategy.
Even if Zantetsu and the defenders had to be sacrificial pieces—they had to restrict Kira at all costs.
Even if it meant a huge gap in stamina and numbers, Reo believed that with Nagi's individual ability, he could easily beat the remaining players.
Leave everything to Nagi.
And Zantetsu's defense was effective—he completely shut down Kira's retreat path.
Even if Kira tried running around them, they had already bought Nagi and Reo enough time.
Team V's counterattack surged explosively into Team Z's half!