(Damn it! Slow down! Give me some time to think!!)

Ryūma watched as Tabito Karasu and Eita Otoya sprinted toward their positions, his mind racing to figure out what to do. He even found himself wishing they’d just slow down.

“Damn it!!!”

His blood boiled, his heart pounded faster and faster, and adrenaline surged through his body. The purple glow in his eyes began to shift—slowly turning into a dazzling, pure gold. The purple flames swirling around him transformed into golden fire. Ryūma’s unblinking gaze fixed straight ahead, and in that moment, the world before his eyes truly began to slow down!

(Huh? They actually slowed down?)

(Ah~ I can see every single move they’re making. Karasu’s getting ready to jump, huh?)

(And Otoya... he’s jumping too? But looking at his form, he’s not going too high—he’s holding back, preparing for a second block.)

“Eh?”

【Thud!!】

Without realizing it, Ryūma had already planted his right foot and fired off a shot!

“What an arrogant monster—shooting from there?”

Karasu scoffed, leaping toward the ball, but it barely grazed his forehead and soared over him. Ryūma’s Heavy Cannon didn’t care for that small deflection—its power remained undiminished as it roared toward the goal.

“Leave it to me!”

Before the words had even left his mouth, Otoya leaped after the ball. Unfortunately, it still brushed past his shoulder. But then—midair—Otoya twisted his body with brute force, swinging his right leg upward and barely managing to block Ryūma’s shot.

As Karasu saw the ball deflected and was about to call for a counterattack, a cold voice cut through the air.

“Hmph. It’s over, insects!”

【BANG!!】

The entire Team X was still caught up in Ryūma’s shot and the incredible defense by Karasu and Otoya. None of them expected the ball, just knocked away, to be fired straight back again—by Rin Itoshi!

That icy voice belonged to none other than Rin himself.

By the time Karasu landed and steadied himself, Otoya was still sprawled on the ground, and the rest of Team X—including the keeper—hadn’t even reacted yet.

They lost that crucial point.

GOAL!! Team V 5–2 Team X

Ryūma didn’t celebrate like before, nor did he complain about Rin’s follow-up goal. Instead, he dropped to his knees, bracing himself with both hands as he gasped for air. In that instant, exhaustion hit him harder than ever, and he slowly began to understand what had just happened.

(I... I entered the “FLOW” state just now, didn’t I?)

(So my “FLOW” state slows the world down in my vision—but the side effects are brutal!)

(With my physical stamina, to feel this tired... this is the most exhausted I’ve ever been in a match.)

(And I wasn’t even used to the slowed perception. Otherwise, Otoya wouldn’t have blocked my shot.)

(I read both their movements perfectly, but somehow I still landed my foot too early...)

(No... wait a second...)

(I misunderstood!)

(It’s not the world that slowed down—it’s just my perception! I thought I was moving slowly, but I was still at normal speed!)

(That’s why I ended up shooting while I was still analyzing the angle—what a blunder!)

(Sigh... and this isn’t something I can just enter at will. How the hell am I supposed to master my “FLOW” state?!)

...

On Team X’s side...

Karasu walked over to Otoya, shaking his head with a sigh.

“Ah... we lost, huh? Those two are the only geniuses I’ve met who match your level.”

“Blue Lock, huh? I’m really looking forward to what comes next!”

Otoya glanced at Karasu’s battle-hungry grin and replied coolly,

“Next time, I won’t lose.”

As his words fell, the mechanical female voice echoed through the field.

Beep~ Beep! Match over!

Team V wins, 5–2!

All matches in Building 5 have concluded. Now announcing the results of the first-round selection.

From the five-team round-robin league, the final standings are:

First place: Team V – 11 members!

Second place: Team X – 11 members!

Plus the three top scorers from the eliminated teams.

A total of 25 players advance from Blue Lock’s Building 5 first-round selection!

The large screen lit up, showing the faces of the three players:

Tōya Kudo, Yukio Ishikari, Shingen Tanaka.

“Haha, Ryūma! We won! And in first place, too!”

This time, Yo Hiori threw aside all restraint, tackling Ryūma to the ground while he was still lost in thought.

“I’m in too, partner! We’re number one! Haha!”

“Ryūma, we partners won’t hold back either!”

Ryūma finally snapped back to reality. Seeing the others clearly ready to pile on, he shouted, panicking,

“Hey! Wait, calm down a bit—”

Before he could finish, the four of them ignored him completely, leaping at him in excitement.

“Pfft! You idiots—get off me!”

“Haha, Ryūma! We’re coming too!”

The rest of Team V shouted excitedly as they joined the pile.

Only Rin remained expressionless, muttering,

“Hmph. Childish.”

Ryūma clearly heard Rin’s remark. Struggling to his feet, he dashed toward him as Rin headed for the lounge. Catching him off guard, Ryūma slung an arm around his shoulder with a grin.

“Still acting like a loner, huh?”

“To celebrate our first-place win, let’s throw a victory party, guys!”

“Hell yeah!!”

Behind him, Team V rose in unison, shouting together.

“Hmph. My victory was inevitable. A party is just a waste of time.”

“Alright, alright~ Don’t mind him, guys. Rin’s just being shy again.”

“Let’s go shower up! We’ll celebrate in the dorm later—don’t be late!”

“Got it~”

Ignoring Rin’s gradually frosty glare, Ryūma finished speaking and headed toward the lounge, the rest of Team V following behind.

...

Team V Dormitory.

“Ryūma, do you think the eleven of us will stay together for the second round?”

“Hmm... probably not. That guy Jinpachi Ego’s got a mind full of tricks.”

“No way he’s going to give us the same type of selection again.”

As Ryūma answered Hiori, a trace of unease flickered in his mind.

(My presence here has already caused a butterfly effect in Blue Lock. Kyohei Shiguma—who should’ve advanced to the second round—was eliminated early.)

(And Kudo Tōya... according to Hiori’s analysis, his ability gives him vision over every player’s movement on the field.)

(But someone that powerful... didn’t even exist in the manga I read in my past life!)

(Which means the second round could turn out completely different from what I expect...)

(Wait a second... could Hōshiki end up getting eliminated?)

...

(35 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / GhostParser