Chapter 91 Football 91 Pre-match Activities
Sae Itoshi's return was like a shot in the arm for the Japanese Football Association. The return of this aloof and talented midfielder not only ignited a frenzy of football interest in the country, but also drove up ticket prices for the highly anticipated U-20 match against Las Vegas to an astonishingly high level.
The association's top executives counted the rolling cash, their smiles almost impossible to hide.
If only Sae-kun could stay in Japan forever...
Privately, such thoughts quietly took root in their minds, carrying an undisguised greed.
Seeing that Sae Itoshi had shown no signs of leaving Japan after several months of absence, the association's appetite grew increasingly insatiable. Their tentative requests quickly escalated into demands that they accept, such as joining the core of the Japanese U-20 national team and leading Japan to a top finish in the World Cup… and so on.
Sae Itoshi was speechless.
These short-sighted pursuits demonstrate that Japan's football environment is indeed barren, lacking the nourishment and vision to truly nurture top players.
"Senior Itoshi".
Kira Ryosuke's gentle voice interrupted Itoshi Sae's turbulent thoughts. A clean white towel was handed to him.
Sae Itoshi silently reached out and took the towel, casually, even somewhat forcefully, covering her sweaty forehead and neck. Her reddish-brown eyes were half-closed under the towel, revealing a deep weariness and detachment.
"Thank you," he replied casually, his voice flat.
He really is... a little brat.
Not far away, the menacing Akito was charging towards him.
here we go again.
Sae Itoshi's eyes narrowed slightly, her annoyance almost palpable.
"My position was clearly better! Why did you pass the ball to him instead of me? My first touch is better, and my acceleration is faster! I don't believe the world's best midfielder couldn't see that. So it was intentional, wasn't it? After a few years abroad, this is all you've learned?" Akito Shantang's expression was unfriendly.
He, Akito Shantang, is a Japanese national team player, a starting striker for the U-20 team, and a super popular football idol with millions of followers on Instagram. In this match, being relegated to the wing and playing second fiddle to a young kid is frustrating enough, but now even his ball possession is being targeted like this?
Shantang Qiuren's face was so gloomy it could drip water.
"Hehe, is that even a question? Of course I'm stronger than you, small forward." Snake Maitreya had somehow gotten close, grinning and stretching out his arm, trying to put his sweaty arm on Shantang Qiuren's shoulder.
As if burned, Akito Shinobu jerked his shoulder away from Jabami's hand. His burning gaze locked onto Sae Itoshi once more, the other's detached indifference igniting him completely. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Don't play dumb!"
Saeko Itoshi's red eyes were completely unmoved, only filled with a cold scrutiny.
In RE·AL, he had encountered far more blatant malice and provocation than this. This so-called "super popular idol" in front of him was nothing more than a hothouse flower spoiled by the domestic environment, possessing only a temper but lacking the composure and instincts necessary for a truly top-class striker.
Moreover, the other party was merely shouting in a powerless rage, lacking even the courage to make a move.
"So what?" Sae Itoshi's voice wasn't loud, but it was like an ice-cold blade, clearly cutting through the noise, carrying a condescending indifference. "The ball is at my feet. I can pass it to whomever I want. As for you, all you need to do is obediently shoot it into the opponent's goal after receiving the ball. If you can't do that, then shut up."
"Huh?!" Shan Tang Qiuren's anger instantly reached its peak at these words, his face turned red, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
Sae Itoshi ignored him completely, casually tossing the towel to Ryosuke Kira beside her. She didn't even bother to look at the enraged striker again, turning around and walking off the field without looking back.
"hateful!"
Shantang Qiuren roared at the departing figure, frantically scratching his carefully styled hair, which instantly became a mess.
"What kind of attitude is that guy?! How dare a midfielder talk to a striker like that?! Who is the most important player on the field?! Doesn't he know that?!"
“Um…senpai, you can’t say that…” Kira Ryosuke carefully approached, holding Itoshi Sae’s towel, his tone clearly reassuring, “Every position on the field is an indispensable cog in the machine. The midfield organizes and orchestrates, the forwards deliver the final blow, everyone’s goal is to win the game…”
Standing to the side, Suoh Koki glanced at Sendou Akito indifferently upon hearing this, his tone as calm as if stating an objective fact, and directly interrupted the topic: "He certainly has the right to say those things. If you are strong enough in this field, you can do whatever you want and it will be tolerated."
The green eyes were frank and direct, without any bias, simply acknowledging the logic of the strong.
"ha?!"
Akito Shando abruptly turned his head, glaring fiercely at Suoh Koki, his eyes seeming to want to devour him. "Whose side are you on? Are you siding with outsiders? Besides, the difference between me and that guy... isn't that big, is it?"
“Of course it’s on our side,” Suoh Hyoki said calmly, his logic almost coldly clear. “We’re a team now. If you keep arguing like this, it will only disrupt the efficiency of teamwork. A striker’s job is to seize opportunities and put the ball in the goal. Other things are not our concern.”
Akito Sendou narrowed his eyes suspiciously, scrutinizing Suoh Koki's overly calm face from head to toe, as if trying to find some flaw. After a moment, he turned to Kira Ryosuke beside him, lowering his voice with a hint of absurd speculation, "Could he have been completely brainwashed by that 'Blue Prison'?"
The Blue Prison's brutal survival rules of "climbing the throne by stepping on 299 others," coupled with the rumor that anyone eliminated would never be able to participate in any more football matches, made the Blue Prison infamous. Its core logic is incompatible with the Japanese tradition of emphasizing teamwork and collective honor.
Moreover, it is seen by many as a distortion of the essence of football.
As a super popular soccer player and surfing expert on Instagram, Akito Flash was naturally familiar with him.
"Don't bring your Blue Prison mentality here; U20 doesn't do that."
Suoh Hyo-hee nodded perfunctorily.
"Looks like Suoh is really motivated, is he ready to make a few million? After all, a goal is worth a million." Otonashi blinked and said lightly, "The association really wants to take over that Blue Prison, I heard they even signed a betting agreement. If Blue Prison loses, then everything they have, including the players, will belong to us."
Yin Che Liuping was full of confidence and didn't think they would lose at all.
"One million?!" Suoh Koki and Kira Ryosuke exclaimed almost simultaneously, their voices rising instantly, their faces filled with pure shock and disbelief.
"You... really don't know?" Snake-coming Amitabha raised an eyebrow suspiciously, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two faces. Their bewildered and deeply shocked expressions certainly didn't seem feigned.
"No way? Then what are you two even doing playing this game for?"
Ryosuke Kira: "The coach said this is a rare opportunity to learn from Itoshi-senpai and all the seniors."
Wang Xiaoxi: "The coach said that China participated."
Snake came and Amitabha shrugged speechlessly, "It really is... a completely different reason."
Yin Che Liuping found it somewhat amusing and said, "Hey, aren't you just like those silly interns who don't want a salary just for an internship certificate?"
Akito Shandou suddenly waved his hand, his eyes shining as he looked at the other three, and announced loudly in an unquestionable tone, "Hey! You guys, stop standing there like idiots! Come with me. I want to see what Sae Itoshi is doing all day long after finishing her training so early."
Actually, I wanted to find his weaknesses and attack him.
"Yay!" Yin Cheliuping raised his hands. "Should we follow him?"
“Boring.” Snake Amitabha refused decisively, putting his hands back in his pockets, clearly having no interest in such an action.
"No." Suoh Hyo-hee's refusal was equally concise and clear.
Kira Ryosuke tried to dissuade him gently, "Senpai, the official match is the day after tomorrow. I think what we need most right now is to get some rest and recharge our energy..."
"rest?"
Akito Flash chuckled, interrupting Ryosuke Kira. He took a step closer and offered his most tempting reason: "Don't you want to see for yourself what the daily training of the 'World's Number One New Eleven' is like? Maybe... you can glimpse some of the secrets to his strength?"
Akito Shantang ended the game with a single sentence.
[A Day's Observation of Following the New Hero Sae Itoshi (crossed out) (Correction)]
6:00: Sae Itoshi gets up on time and performs her basic skincare routine.
6:30: A nutritionally balanced breakfast, eaten quietly and quickly.
7:30 - 11:30: High-intensity, high-precision, and goal-oriented individual training.
...
"Hey! What's going on?!" Akito Sendou scratched his head in frustration, crumpling the piece of paper in his hand that recorded Sae Itoshi's incredibly boring schedule into a ball. "Isn't there even a tiny bit of useful information? Weaknesses? Quirks? There should be something we can use! This guy is practically a robot with inhuman self-discipline, right? I thought I could find some way to break through, like him secretly eating snacks or slacking off in training, and then use that to blackmail him into only passing the ball to me!"
With his back against the wall, Suoh Hyo-hee coldly uttered a few words, "...I knew I shouldn't have come."
Kira Ryosuke stood to the side, his face filled with embarrassment and a hint of apology, and whispered, "S-senpai..."
Not far away, there was Sae Itoshi, who had just finished her morning training.
Her rosy eyes swept coldly over the heads that thought they were well hidden, peeking furtively out from the edge of the training field, before disappearing behind a pillar in the rest area, hiding in what she thought was a concealed corner of her clothing.
He had long since noticed this poor "observation".
Sae Itoshi rolled her eyes dramatically, speechless, then pretended not to see anything and walked steadily past the area where they were hiding.
"idiot."
Sae Itoshi's indifferent attitude was like a thorn, which only further aroused Akito Sendou's rebellious mentality.
"Damn it! I refuse to believe it! This guy... this guy must have a weakness! Just you wait and see!"
He absolutely had to find a fatal weakness in Saeto Itoshi, so that the other party would cry and beg for mercy in front of him, willingly becoming his personal passing machine, while he himself would step over Saeto Itoshi's corpse to reach the pinnacle under the watchful eyes of everyone.
"Ha ha ha ha."
The more Shantang Qiuren thought about it, the more excited he became.
A faint but persistent buzzing sound suddenly came from the locker.
Shantang Qiuren held his breath, gestured for the others to be quiet, tiptoed over, and suddenly pulled open the cabinet door that had made the noise.
"Hahahaha!" Akito Sendou burst into uncontrollable elation, grabbing a vibrating cell phone from the cabinet. The screen was blindingly bright, just like his excitement. "Found it! I finally found it! Sae Itoshi's secret!!"
The screen clearly displayed 23 missed calls, all from the same name!
Flashy Akito's mind raced, a wildly gleeful smile spreading across his face. "Hahahaha, such a barrage of calls! It's definitely his girlfriend! Excellent! As long as I can figure out a way to make them break up, this guy will be devastated. He'll underperform in the match, his strength will plummet, and then... he'll have no choice but to obediently submit to me, Flashy Akito! Hahahaha!"
When Akito Shando finally saw the clearly marked name on the caller ID, his ecstatic expression froze instantly. He uttered a soul-searching question to the screen, his voice filled with the anger of being deceived and the powerlessness of disillusionment.
"Just by looking at the name... you can tell it's definitely not a woman's name!!!"
The caller ID on the phone screen read "Shido Ryusei".
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