24 Guide List Confirmation

On the pitch, the intense struggle for possession brought the ball to Igarashi Gurimu's feet. He stood indecisive, torn between passing to Rin or Shidou.

Suddenly, with a roar from Shidou, the ball Igarashi passed was intercepted. Yukimiya swiftly surged forward, utilizing a moment of instability in his opponent's balance to break through Rin's defense. The entire maneuver was executed without a hint of hesitation; his fluid, rapid response perfectly showcased his elite one-on-one prowess.

With sharp eyes locked onto the goal beneath his orange goggles, Yukimiya unleashed a no-lift shot. The ball plummeted rapidly, and though the others realized it was too late to block, Aryu suddenly appeared in front of the goal.

Was such a brilliant shot destined to be stopped after all?

The situation on the football field shifted in an instant. You gripped the railing, heart racing as you waited for the outcome.

At the critical moment, Nagi dashed to Aryu’s side, killed the ball the moment he jumped, and fired a shot—

0:1.

Team A followed up immediately to score, evening the tally once more.

You noticed Reo’s expression was somber, his intense psychic fluctuations impossible to ignore. After the kickoff, he charged straight for the goal, mirroring Yukimiya’s tactics.

You had never witnessed such powerful psychic fluctuations before…

You watched Reo’s movements with curiosity. After the brief surge of psychic energy, he became even more active, the gloom on his face vanishing. It did not appear to be a sign of losing control.

What was this? Was it an evolution of a Sentinel?

The second selection ended quickly, with Team A winning once again.

The third match, scheduled for six hours later, was in the middle of the night. Since Guides were not required to attend subsequent rounds, you prepared to catch up on the recordings after a nap.

By the following afternoon, all five matches had concluded.

Team A was truly formidable, especially the scoring capabilities of Rin and Shidou; they remained undefeated throughout the four matches.

After the games, Ego demanded that the Guides submit their lists within an hour, to be announced alongside the official U20 roster six hours later.

In your bedroom, you pondered the selection and instinctively wrote down the name Itoshi Rin. You had already performed guidance for him several times before.

The second, Chigiri Hyoma.

The third… Mikage Reo. You were curious to see what changes would follow his psychic fluctuations.

Two spots remained. Shidou… you hadn't provided him with guidance yet. Recalling the events that had transpired, you skipped him entirely.

Hmm, in contrast, there was another very polite boy. You felt comfortable chatting with him, perhaps because his aggressive Sentinel traits were not very pronounced; you always felt a sense of familiarity, as if he were a classmate.

The fourth, Isagi Yoichi. As for the fifth… Bachira Meguru would do.

You couldn't think of anyone else you particularly wanted to observe or guide, so you submitted these five names.

Six hours later, the official U20 roster was announced.

You also received a notification from Ego. For this tournament, you would serve as the Guide for Blue Lock’s Itoshi Rin, responsible for his mental stabilization.

"The national team’s Itoshi Sae likely selected you as well. After all, you were bonded for a time."

"…?" Receiving Ego’s message, you looked bewildered. "Can one Guide stabilize two teams?"

"Matches always select Guides with high compatibility, so this situation has never occurred before," Ego said with characteristic brevity. "But there is no rule stating it is forbidden. Wait for the official email."

"Oh…"

You walked out of the office, mulling over Ego Jinpachi’s words.

Did he mean your compatibility with Itoshi Rin was also high?

It wasn't impossible; after all, your compatibility with Sae was quite high, and Rin was his younger brother…

No, no matter how you looked at it, it was too strange for one Guide to stabilize two teams.

The world of Sentinels and Guides was truly profound; even the matter of compatibility left you scratching your head.

Forget it. Since Ego didn't seem particularly concerned, it couldn't be that big of an issue.

It must be that there were higher-level courses you hadn't studied yet.

*

When Itoshi Sae barged into the JFA President’s office, the U20 national team head coach was busy whispering loudly with the President about match buzz and profitability.

"…………"

He had no interest in these trivial matters. With a cold face, he stared at the President’s ugly, sycophantic expression and struck with a verbal blade:

"…The U20 representative team is a bunch of losers, especially the forwards. I want a replacement."

"?! Sae…" The agent wanted to intervene but dared not. He looked between the two, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

The coach was trembling with rage by now, but were it not for the fact that the other party was a top-tier Sentinel and a genius player—the President hurriedly tried to stabilize the situation. His bald pate shone as he concocted a plan to appease Itoshi Sae:

"Player Itoshi, please don't be angry…" he smiled obsequiously. "If you are dissatisfied with this forward, you may recruit anyone you like from across the country."

"Fine."

Itoshi Sae was blunt.

As it happened, there was a forward in Blue Lock who interested him.

Once this grand Buddha was sent on his way, the JFA President immediately contacted Ego Jinpachi, poaching Shidou Ryusei to serve as a forward for the national team.

He had wanted to snatch Itoshi Sae’s Guide as well, as it was far too strange for the lists submitted by both teams to contain the same person.

But Ego seemed to have anticipated this. Faced with the President’s coercion, he used Michael Kaiser as leverage with practiced ease.

"…………"

The plan failed. The JFA President hung up the phone in frustration, scratching his shiny head at the list.

After a moment of scratching, he called the Sentinel-Guide Association.

After hearing the question, the person on the other end began scratching their head too.

"Uh… I'm not entirely sure, but there is currently no rule stating it can't be the same person…"

The President's bald head gleamed again as he found another blind spot and hurriedly pressed, "If the Sentinels are brothers, is it normal for their compatibility with the same Guide to be high?"

The person on the other end was uncertain but sensed the President’s desperate need for an affirmative answer. They gave a non-committal response: "…Theoretically, yes. Sentinels with blood relations have high similarities in their mental pathways."

That was good enough. The JFA President felt as if he had taken a sedative and immediately decided the roster would stand as is, ordering the departments below to send out the official notification emails to the Guides.

"Isn't this the same person? Did someone make a mistake upstairs?"

The staff member who received the notice looked confused.

"No mistake. I just asked the President’s secretary."

A colleague nearby typed calmly at their keyboard. "In any case, we'll just schedule them at different times and in different locations."

"Oh…"

If it was arranged this way, the President must have his reasons.

*Ding!*

—Greetings, Guide. For this U20 tournament, you will be performing mental stabilization work for [National Team: Itoshi Sae]. Time: XX morning, 10:00 AM. Location: XXX Venue, Room 1.

—Greetings, Guide. For this U20 tournament, you will be performing mental stabilization work for [Blue Lock Team: Itoshi Rin]. Time: XX afternoon, 2:00 PM. Location: XXX Venue, Room 3.