章節 14: [14] Mutual Expectations
"11:0... They're completely on different levels."
"You've got to be kidding me. How have we never heard of such a monster before?"
"Dammit! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?! I quit track and field to switch to football, and now you, of all people, have come over to play too?!"
...
Faintly, Shinichi seemed to catch some interesting gossip.
But when he turned to glance at the guy who looked utterly broken—possibly the same person he had crashed into once before—he muttered, "Hmm... doesn't ring a bell."
Initially, he thought someone capable of excelling in two sports and catching Ego's eye to join Blue Lock must have something special about them.
However, if they had competed before and left no impression on him, then it didn't matter.
Shrugging it off, Shinichi grinned and threw an arm around Hiori's shoulders.
As for any prior disdain?
What disdain?
Who, me?
Hiori Yo has always been my best bro.
You know, the energy he holds inside him is unimaginable.
I can't wait to accomplish something big with him.
"Yo, yo! To all you 'diamonds in the rough,' your second match at Building Five has just concluded. Team V defeated Team Y with a score of 6:3." Ego's obnoxious face appeared on the screen at just the right time, alongside several snapshots of players scoring goals.
Looking at a few familiar faces, Shinichi nodded slightly. "Jyubei Aryu, Karasu Tabito, and Otoya Eita... seriously? Aren't these all players who shine bright in later rounds? Two of them are even in the top six, and they're all grouped together already."
"Too bad they're a team we can only face at the end. Unlucky. There's plenty of valuable weapons there." Shinichi flipped through the match schedule.
This round, His Team had no game, and coincidentally, their next match was against Team W—an opponent they had no information on.
"That being said, it seems none of you fully understand what it means to create football from scratch. Kanzaki Shinichi, you especially, pay attention," Ego called him out by name, ensuring he wasn't zoning out, before continuing.
"Unlike baseball, where every player has clearly assigned roles, football allows players to move freely across the field. With constant transitions between offense and defense, and frequent physical contact, merely fulfilling your role is far from enough."
"If you want to win, you need individuality. You need your personal ability to shine. Shinichi, do you have a question?" Noticing Shinichi obediently raising his right hand, Ego displayed an unusual amount of patience.
"Mr. Ego, in the match just now, didn't I already rely on my individual ability to secure the win? How is that any different from what you're saying?"
"I thought being called a genius meant you'd have some unique insight, but you're just as clueless as this pile of dead wood," Ego said, dramatically shaking his head. "Sure, your individual ability helped unite your team and bring order to the field. But your goals aren't enough to spark a revolution."
"In a football match, the battle for goals is equivalent to disrupting the opponent's organization. In other words, a striker is a disruptor, and scoring a goal is a revolution on the field—aimed at dismantling the enemy's order!"
"However, none of your goals truly disrupted the opponent's defense. You were still caught by their defenders. All you did was find a way to get the ball in front of the goal, relying on your physical attributes to win one-on-one or even one-on-many situations."
"If you face defenders who are just as strong as you, or if your speed isn't enough to outrun them, can you still score?"
To others, these words might have sounded like nitpicking, but Shinichi listened intently, enjoying every bit of it. "So, you're saying I either need to completely dismantle the opponent's defensive formation or develop a special technique that lets me score no matter how they defend. Is that right?"
"Exactly! Don't let your imagination limit you. To create one out of nothing, you need to develop your own 'weapon,' strikers!"
"You must read the game, toy with the opponent's structure, subdue it, destroy it—all with a weapon that's uniquely yours. Think carefully! Use your body and your brain to figure out what you can do."
"The revolution of scoring goals will always be sparked by your weapon!"
The screen turned off, leaving everyone exchanging bewildered looks.
"Is he serious? Either completely bypass all defenders or score while tanking through them? Does he even know what he's saying?"
But Shinichi's eyes lit up as he turned to Hiori. "Come on, let's go practice."
"Uh, Shinichi, you're not seriously taking Mr. Ego's words to heart, are you?" Even Hiori thought Ego's statements were a bit over the top. "That's completely unrealistic. If anyone could actually do that, wouldn't they be invincible? It's like cheating—it's impossible!"
"How do you know I'm not cheating?" Shinichi replied, seemingly joking, though it was the honest truth.
To him, there was nothing strange about it.
Didn't Isagi often dodge defenders and score in the anime?
Plus, as long as the opponent hadn't figured out a way to counter his weapon, every shot really could go in.
In Shinichi's eyes, this was no different from signature moves in sports—like Jordan's fadeaway jump shot.
Once he took the shot, whether it went in or not had nothing to do with the defender; it was an unstoppable technique.
"Besides, you mentioned 'invincible,' didn't you, Hiori?" Shinichi, walking ahead, turned back to look at him.
The playful expression he wore moments ago suddenly vanished, replaced by a chilling seriousness.
His hollow, spiraling eyes locked onto Hiori.
Hiori instinctively froze in place.
Only when Shinichi broke eye contact did the suffocating atmosphere dissipate, and the air seemed to move again.
Hiori clutched his chest, gasping as though he'd just been saved from drowning.
Under that terrifying gaze, he had almost forgotten how to breathe.
"If you want to reach the very top, then being 'invincible' is something you must achieve. I hate how you let yourself be bound by common sense. If you share the same goal as me, don't use an ordinary mindset to measure yourself."
"'Impossible'—I don't want to hear that word a second time."
...
Leaning against the wall, Hiori finally managed to steady himself after a long moment.
He gazed at Shinichi's figure fading into the distance, a bitter smile forming on his lips as he realized just how laughable his earlier resolve had been.
"So domineering... and so far away. The gap between us is immense." Hiori clutched his chest, pressing down on his heart, which had nearly stopped under Shinichi's overwhelming presence.
The pain was the only thing keeping his nerves sharp. "His resolve is on a whole other level. It makes sense—up until now, I've just been a lifeless puppet, moved only by the expectations of others."
"Before all this, even the goal of being the world's best felt impossibly distant. But now, just by witnessing someone else's ambition, someone else's brilliant ideals, I shamelessly latched onto their dream, following in their footsteps like a puppet."
Recalling the moment on the field when Shinichi dominated everything, Hiori gritted his teeth. "I see now... It wasn't just his aura that crushed me. It was also expectation. When I entrusted myself to Shinichi, placing my hopes on him, his expectations fell on me as well!"
"I'm afraid—afraid I won't be able to keep up, afraid I'll disappoint him!"
"I've always avoided facing expectations because, in this relationship, only one side has ever put in the effort. I've been the one running away!"
"If we can't meet each other halfway, it won't work! I need to start expecting more from myself. I'll merge my dreams with his!"
Shinichi's figure grew smaller, almost disappearing around a corner.
Taking a deep breath, Hiori finally broke into a run, chasing after that distant back.
"You're so slow. I was just about to leave you behind," Shinichi said, arms casually resting behind his head, his carefree demeanor a stark contrast to the sharp intensity from earlier.
"No way. You're still carrying my ambitions, remember!" Hiori grinned, giving Shinichi a playful punch before extending his hand.
"I swear I'll help you become the greatest in history—a true legend!"
"Of course. That's a given; no need to state the obvious," Shinichi replied, as if Hiori was overreacting. But he still reached out and dapped up Hiori's hand.
Clap!
The crisp sound of their dap echoed in the corridor.
Standing side by side, the two youths strode forward together toward the training room, ready to pursue their shared dream.
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