"There's one more thing."
"What is it?"
"Of course, it's about your playing time in the upcoming matches."
Prince said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"The purpose of this Neo Egoist League is to let the young players showcase themselves."
"Your existence has severely disrupted the balance on the field. You're on the same level as me, Noa, and Lavinho, so..."
"So you want me to reduce my playing time from now on?"
Tendou understood.
Prince probably felt that him playing in this kind of match was pure smurfing.
However, as Tendou understood football more and more and perfectly integrated his abilities into the game, his level was no longer comparable to when he first entered Blue Lock.
This was not a bad way to further showcase his stats and uniqueness.
But he couldn't reduce it by too much; he still needed to earn popularity points from Blue Lock.
"Alright, I agree. In Manchester City's next match, the first goal will be scored by them," Tendou said, putting down his coffee and standing up. "I will stay off the field until then, even if Manchester City is shut out and loses the game."
"That's enough," Prince said, very satisfied with this result.
Under his guidance, how could Man City possibly be shut out by an opponent?
...
The chat was over.
Tendou returned to his dorm and immediately dialed Riko's number.
The call was answered almost instantly. Apparently, the girl had been waiting.
"Have you been waiting long?"
"No, I was surfing the web. A lot of people are praising you."
Riko was lying on her bed, her feet swinging back and forth. It was clear she was in a cheerful mood.
It was very strange.
They were discussions praising Tendou, yet she felt happier than if they were praising her.
"Are you a 'love brain' too?"
"What's a 'love brain'?"
"It's like in those TV dramas you used to watch, where nothing matters except love. Even a broken leg isn't important."
"I am not!"
Riko retorted immediately. She was not a love brain.
She just didn't have any experience with love before, so she believed whatever was said.
Now...
Well, she didn't have much now either. That scoundrel, running off to play football after having his way with me.
Damn him!
"Keigon, what do you think about me playing football?"
"Why the sudden urge to play?"
"I just suddenly feel that it's very interesting."
There was a light in Riko's eyes in front of the screen.
Compared to basketball, the moments of scoring in football are few and far between.
And everyone at Teikō was just too strong.
Back then, when she watched Tendou and the others play, she was always on edge.
But watching Tendou's match today, watching him fight against that person named Noel Noa, the moment Tendou took that shot, she jumped up.
It was a pity that it was cleared by the opponent in the end.
In that one moment, her heart was moved.
Tendou saw that she wasn't joking and nodded. "If you want to do it, then do it. I told you, you're free now."
"You're just a normal high school girl now, Amanai Riko."
Yes.
She was free. She no longer had to bear the burden of protecting humanity. There were no dangerous creatures like in the Jujutsu world here. She could try anything she wanted to try.
Riko on the other end was very touched and nodded vigorously. "Yeah! Then remember to teach me how to play when you get back!"
"Of course. My ball control is very steady. You know that."
"You're the worst!"
Riko blushed and playfully chided him through the phone.
The conversation then opened up, and they talked about the trivial things in life.
Mainly, Riko talked, and Tendou listened.
She had been in this world for too short a time and had very few friends, and Tendou was in Blue Lock.
To be honest, she was really quite strong.
When the time was almost up, Tendou reminded her, "Remember to learn English well."
"Why?"
"Because we'll be heading to Europe soon."
...
After the call ended, Tendou went to the training ground.
"I'm still just a little bit short."
"In that moment, I saw Noa's figure, but I couldn't break through his defense."
Tendou arrived at the field and stood in the center of the goal.
He recalled the day's match.
At that moment, Tendou could feel that he was very, very close to Metavision.
But.
Just like the key to the Zone, he couldn't take that final step.
Zzzzt~
Tendou consciously stepped into the realm of the Zone, cutting off all distracting thoughts.
Then, his brain began to spin rapidly, carrying out deep-level simulations in his mind.
After a long time, he let out a breath.
...
It was the same as before. He was still missing the final step.
"Soon. Before the Neo Egoist League is over, I will definitely be able to master it completely."
Tendou exited the Zone and began his extra training.
...
10 days later.
Manchester City welcomed their second opponent.
Paris Saint-Germain.
So far, both Manchester City and PSG had a record of 1 win and 0 losses.
Man City had a bye in the first round, and PSG had a bye in the second.
They were also the only two teams that still maintained a 100% win rate.
Manchester City had defeated Bayern, while PSG had defeated Juventus.
And on Mouse TV, Blue Lock's exclusive channel, there were already several million viewers worldwide.
...
If you were to ask which team in Blue Lock was the most popular right now, it would undoubtedly be Manchester City.
First, there was Prince. Although this guy was the world's number two, he knew how to put on a show.
He would be properly coaching the players, and then suddenly do a magnificent turn and shout at the camera, "Prince Mineral Water! Nourish your body and mind, the perfect water!"
It had caught many viewers off guard.
Then there was Tendou.
This prodigy who had an 8 million Euro annual salary before he even debuted and was being fought over by major giant clubs.
His fame now, among the younger generation, was second only to Loki, Haaland, and super rookies like Foden and Bunny who were already playing on the first-team stage.
Even if people hadn't watched the live broadcast before, through word of mouth, Tendou's fame had spread like wildfire.
Many fans wanted to see for themselves what kind of prodigy could make "their" team value him so highly.
However, the audience who opened the live stream found that Tendou was sitting on the bench today with no intention of playing.
The Blue Moon army was still wearing their classic sky-blue and white kits today.
The jersey was sky blue, and the shorts below were pure white.
PSG also had their classic kit colors.
Manchester City's starting lineup for this match:
Goalkeeper: Luke.
Defenders: Niou Kazuma, Yangu, Damon, Swift.
Midfielders: Arthur, Mikage Reo, Dravus.
Forwards: Chigiri Hyoma, Nagi Seishiro, Agi.
Tendou's absence forced Man City to change their formation again.
On offense, it was a 4-3-3 attacking formation, but on defense, it would shift to a 4-5-1 high press.
...
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