Soon, Ryōsuke hailed a nearby cab to Seirin High School. The short distance meant it wouldn't take long to arrive.
In the car, he opened his system interface.
He had 160 Competition Points — just enough to upgrade another skill.
— — — — — — — — — —
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - Third Form: Thunder Swarm | Status: Locked | Cost: 150 Competition Points & Rice Spirit Unlocked 〛
— — — — — — — — — —
He immediately chose to upgrade this skill, and new memories flooded his mind.
— — — — — — — — — —
〚 Skill: Thunder Breathing - Third Form: Thunder Swarm | Status: Unlocked | Level: 1 | EXP: 0% 〛
— — — — — — — — — —
With his remaining 10 Competition Points, he could enter the Competition Space once more — a realm where neither time nor location restricted his practice.
The scenery shifted instantly, transporting him from the taxi to a football field.
Not wasting a precious moment, he immediately used the Third Form on the ball at his feet.
The ball shot out—
Unlike Thunderclap and Flash, this time the ball curved through the air instead of flying straight.
A curved shot!
This technique made the ball spin by striking specific spots on its surface. The rapid rotation altered its path through the air, creating seemingly impossible shots and passes, particularly during free kicks.
While curved shots proved challenging to execute in actual matches due to the precise ball control required, Thunder Swarm gave Ryōsuke exceptional mastery over these shots.
"This skill is very useful in matches for creating deceptive shots, though it lacks speed and power. Perhaps combining the Third Form with the First could produce interesting effects."
Thinking this, he tried combining Thunder Swarm with his previous skills.
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After an hour of practice in the Competition Space, Ryōsuke's consciousness returned to reality, back in the taxi. In the real world, no time had passed at all.
The cab pulled up to his destination — Seirin High School. The newly established school boasted impressive educational facilities.
He messaged Riko to let her know he had arrived. She replied that she needed to finish some business with the basketball club and asked him to wait.
As Ryōsuke stood at the school gate checking his phone, passing students began to notice him.
"That guy... he's so tall and handsome!"
"Wait, I know him! He's that soccer star from the neighboring school! Ryōsuke Kira!"
"So that's Ryōsuke Kira? I've heard of him!"
Before he knew it, a crowd of girls had gathered around him.
"Are you Kira?"
"Kira, I'm your fan! Let's take a photo together!"
"Kira, what brings you to Seirin? Could I get your contact information?"
Within minutes, he found himself completely surrounded, managing only an awkward but polite smile.
Meanwhile, Riko had just finished assigning training tasks to her team members. She hurried toward the school gate, worried about keeping Ryōsuke waiting too long.
When she arrived, she stopped short, stunned by the scene before her.
"What's going on?" Riko wondered at the crowd gathered by the school gate.
Then she spotted Ryōsuke at its center, immediately understanding the commotion.
Without hesitation, she dove into the crowd.
"Excuse me! Coming through!" She pushed her way through and grabbed his hand.
"Riko?" Ryōsuke said, noticing her for the first time as she pulled him away, both of them sprinting toward the basketball gymnasium.
"Who's that?"
"I've seen her before — a first-year, I think."
"The one from the basketball club?"
Keeping her head down to avoid meeting anyone's gaze, Riko felt the crowd's eyes following them as they ran.
Minutes later, they reached the safety of the gymnasium.
"Good thing they didn't follow us." She glanced behind them before turning to Ryōsuke.
"Thanks, Riko, you really saved me there." He said with a smile, "I would've been trapped there forever without you."
"It's my fault — I should have come earlier!" Riko said, studying his face.
Though only half a month had passed since their last meeting, it felt much longer. An unexpected warmth filled her heart at seeing him again.
But she also realized she'd felt a twinge of annoyance earlier, seeing him surrounded by that crowd.
She pushed the thought aside. Looking at him now, she wanted to say so many things, yet could only manage:
"How have you been over there?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to kick herself. She'd been asking him this same question nearly every day since he'd gotten his phone back.
Still, somehow, asking in person felt completely different from asking over the phone.
"Mm, everything's fine." He nodded with a smile.
"Let's head inside — everyone's training right now, and you can watch!" Riko said, "After practice, we can go home for dinner..."
Realizing how that sounded, she quickly clarified.
"I mean, to the gym! I already told my dad, and he's prepared lots of ingredients. I heard the food at Blue Lock is pretty plain, so yesterday I made sure to get lots of delicious and nutritious ingredients!"
"Sounds good!"
"Come on in — you can rest on the sidelines or watch their training. Maybe you'll even pick up something useful!"
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