After training, Ryōsuke finally let Ashito rest and led everyone to the cafeteria.
Blue Lock's cafeteria had undergone a luxurious renovation, now featuring an extensive selection of international cuisine.
Jinpachi had considered that players from various countries would be joining Blue Lock, and their diverse dietary needs made balanced nutrition essential.
The renovation was also due to Ryōsuke's persistence. Before the Neo Hero League began, he had approached Jinpachi, adamantly insisting on proper cafeteria facilities.
The dormitories and bathrooms could be basic, but the cafeteria was non-negotiable!
Upon arriving at the free self-service cafeteria, Ryōsuke immediately loaded his plate with various dishes and began devouring them.
He ate like someone who hadn't seen food in days, tears glistening at the corners of his eyes.
"Kira-senpai…" Ashito watched in amazement. Though he was quite a big eater himself, he couldn't compare to this.
Little did he know the ordeal Ryōsuke had endured.
Riko had prepared countless bentos and food supplies, which were easy to preserve thanks to the refrigerators and cooking equipment in the Blue Lock dormitory rooms.
Out of respect for his girlfriend's effort, Ryōsuke had spent several days finishing all the food she'd prepared. Consequently, his taste buds had nearly returned to their previously numbed state.
So now, Ryōsuke was eagerly devouring the cafeteria food, wanting to reward his overworked taste buds.
"Um, Kira-senpai, what's going on? Were you really bitten by a dog and got sick? Should we go to the hospital?" Ashito asked, concerned.
"I—" Just as Ryōsuke began to speak, he noticed a camera pointed at him from the corner.
Realizing his words might be broadcast, he quickly swallowed his response.
"I'm just hungry! After all, we just finished the match, and I used up a lot of energy!" Ryōsuke forced a smile.
"Ah, is it because of sister-in-law's cooking?" Yoichi asked, having personally experienced the horror of Riko's culinary creations.
"What are you talking about? I have no idea what you mean, Isagi. Riko's cooking is absolutely the best in the world — I never get tired of it." Ryōsuke responded firmly, rolling his eyes to signal about the nearby camera.
Being quick-witted, Yoichi caught on and played along, "That's right, sister-in-law's cooking is delicious! I was fortunate enough to try some, and it was absolutely mouthwatering! I wish I could eat it for every meal!"
Hearing these words, Ryōsuke's eyebrows twitched.
Though Yoichi had understood his meaning... hadn't he gone a bit overboard?
If Riko heard these words, she might develop blind confidence in her cooking... And if she asked Kagetora to deliver food here...
Ryōsuke shuddered at the thought.
"Hm?" Rensuke looked at the two blankly, unable to forget the taste of that devil's cooking.
For him, it had been quite an ordeal — he'd even been hospitalized for food poisoning during the off-season because of it.
While Rensuke hadn't caught onto Ryōsuke's hints, he couldn't help but admire the two. To be able to call that barely edible concoction "delicious"...
Impressive!
"Isagi, have you also entered Kira's realm? No wonder your abilities have improved so dramatically lately." Rensuke nodded at Yoichi.
"Huh? Yeah..." Though Yoichi didn't understand what he meant, he went along with it.
"Now I'm really curious about Kira-senpai's girlfriend's cooking." Listening to their conversation, Ashito perked up, "It must be amazing from what I hear."
"Yes, it's definitely the kind of cooking you'll never forget for the rest of your life." As he spoke, Yoichi felt a chill run down his spine.
Having been fortunate enough to try that food once, he had felt heaven beckoning.
"Kira's strength definitely comes from his girlfriend's cooking." Rensuke spoke with complete seriousness.
Ashito glanced between them, sensing something odd but unable to put his finger on it. Still, he trusted them — after all, why would they lie about something like this?
"If I get the chance, I'd love to try your girlfriend's cooking, senpai!" He said brightly.
"Yes, I'll definitely let you try it sometime." Ryōsuke's smile held hidden meaning.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
Three days later, the new episode of Blue Lock aired.
Just as Ryōsuke had predicted, their cafeteria conversation made it into the show.
Watching from home, Riko blushed at hearing her boyfriend and the others praise her cooking.
"Ryōsuke loves my cooking that much? I must not have made enough last time! I'll prepare more for him!"
Beaming with pride, she darted into the kitchen like a rocket, calling out:
"Dad, please deliver this to Ryōsuke later!"
"Don't worry, my dear Riko, I'll definitely deliver it to that boy."
Kagetora responded to his daughter — while discreetly pulling out his phone to search for medical insurance information.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
The next day, Ryōsuke was training with the others as usual.
While doing basic exercises, he worked on combining his Transparent World with Metavision. These abilities drained tremendous mental energy, requiring practice to extend how long he could maintain them.
Suddenly, two massive, pure white, soft objects appeared in his vision, undulating like waves under the enhancement of Transparent World.
Ryōsuke immediately sensed something was wrong. This scene felt familiar, and he quickly deactivated Transparent World.
Anri Teieri had arrived.
"Ms. Anri, it's been a while!" Ryōsuke greeted her — he hadn't seen much of her since returning to Blue Lock.
That's when he noticed Anri pulling a huge suitcase, and an ominous feeling crept over him.
"Ms. Anri, what's this..."
"Mr. Ego said someone specifically asked to deliver this to you!" Anri said with a smile, pushing the suitcase toward him.
Ryōsuke took the suitcase and opened it slightly, revealing countless bento boxes.
In the next instant, he slammed it shut...
'I must have opened it wrong!'
After a moment of silence, Ryōsuke opened it again, and the bento boxes lay there like miniature coffins. This was now his inescapable reality.
"Looks like these are loving homemade bentos from your girlfriend! So many of them! How wonderful!" Anri said cheerfully.
"That's right..." Ryōsuke smiled, though his expression seemed strained.
"Well, I'll be going now, Ryōsuke. Oh, and tomorrow you'll need to participate in a commercial shoot!"
"Mm... I understand." Ryōsuke nodded — this was part of what he had previously agreed upon with Jinpachi.
As Blue Lock's influence grew, more sponsors were choosing to join them. Ryōsuke, with his rising fame, was the perfect spokesperson — especially since these sponsors were all well-known brands.
The endorsements would increase his recognition while earning him substantial compensation.
Soon Anri left the field, while Ryōsuke stared at Riko's countless bentos with mixed feelings, lost in thought.
Just then, he noticed two letters in the suitcase.
{ Ryōsuke! I saw the show! If you want bentos, you can just call me directly! Don't worry about troubling me! I don't mind at all! And since I saw your friends really liked them too, I made some for them as well! ❥(^_-) }
This one was clearly from Riko.
Ryōsuke quickly opened the other letter:
{ Kid, I don't know if you've bought insurance or not, but I'm warning you, my precious daughter spent all night cooking, so you better eat every last bit properly. I'm watching you. }
This was obviously from Kagetora, though Ryōsuke noticed some suspicious stains on the paper that looked suspiciously like vomit...
Last night, some new recipe ideas had popped into Riko's head, and she'd made her father the first taste-tester to judge them...
And for Kagetora, anything made by his daughter absolutely had to be eaten completely and given high praise.
Even if it killed him!
Ryōsuke sighed, then dragged the bentos back to his room.
Yoichi was there explaining on-field tactics to Ashito when the half-dead man walked up and opened the suitcase.
"..." Yoichi looked up at him, "I'm sorry."
"It's fine." Ryōsuke gave a meaningful smile, "Riko saw your high praise, so she specially prepared some for you guys this time."
"..." Yoichi met his eyes, knowing he would have to pay for his earlier behavior.
"Oh! Did Kira-senpai's girlfriend send more bentos? Can I try some?" Ashito's eyes lit up as he looked eagerly at the bento boxes.
"Sure, since you asked~" Ryōsuke's eyes narrowed slightly, "But we need to change locations."
A few minutes later, Ryōsuke led Ashito and Yoichi to the bathroom entrance.
"...Kira-senpai, why are we here?" Ashito looked at him with confusion and growing terror.
"Because there are no cameras here." This time Ryōsuke didn't hesitate with his answer.
"Huh?"
Before Ashito could react, Ryōsuke had already handed him a bento box.
Still excited, he quickly opened the lid... In the next moment, he froze.
This was... a bento?
The rice was mixed with unidentifiable substances, accompanied by several whole, unpeeled lemons. It resembled an avant-garde art piece that defied conventional aesthetics.
Ashito looked up to find Ryōsuke and Yoichi staring at him intently, and he realized something wasn't quite right.
'Maybe it tastes good.' He thought desperately, picking up his chopsticks and taking a bite...
"Also, being by the bathroom makes it convenient when you need to throw up—"
"Blegh!"
Before Ryōsuke could finish speaking, Ashito bolted into the bathroom and began retching, the sounds clearly conveying his misery.
Just then, Rensuke happened to walk by.
"You guys..."
He spotted the bento box next to Ryōsuke and heard Ashito's violent retching from the bathroom... his gaze suddenly turned determined, and a smile spread across his face.
"How could you secretly train to become stronger without me! Count me in!"
❖❖❖
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