Project: Bland King

Chapter 72: Thank You

On the big screen for all to see in Uber's monitor room, Kiyotaka fired off an impossible bicycle kick right in the face of Loki, Noa, and Gagamaru.

The ball swished through the net as Kiyotaka celebrated by taking off his jersey. His team surrounded him, cheering at the top of their lungs for the hat-trick hero.

Sendou: Damn that guy. He pissed me off in the U-20 game and he still pisses me off now. A hat-trick? Seriously?

Aiku: Hehe, what else did you expect? Like it or not, he's number 1. If you want that to change, be like Isagi or Kaiser over there and contest him.

Sendou scoffed and pouted.

Sendou: Now you're just talking crazy.

Barou's eyes gleamed with a spark, a burning flame.

Barou: It's time I changed targets. The spotlight on Isagi is bright, but it doesn't do me any good if he's second fiddle. I don't give a fuck if we helped each other in the past. This ain't personal. I'm coming for you, Masterpiece. If you're the hero of this story, then I'll become your ultimate villain. Because that's exactly the kind of light... I'm chasing after.

...

Auction Round

...

Teams from across Europe's top leagues were displayed on individual screens on Ego's large monitor. Anri was visibly overwhelmed.

Anri: (I just can't get used to this. We went from a hopeless organization led by a madman to the hottest place for rising stars in the world in a matter of months. And the U-20 World Cup is just around the corner... It's like a dream.)

The bids from all the other players in the Neo Egoist League were finalized. The only one left... was the greatest anomaly himself.

Ego: Obviously, I knew there would be drama regarding Kiyotaka's performance in his final match, so the final auction for his contract will now begin.

Paris St. Germain's Manager, Thomas Tuckel, spoke up first, and a red X appeared on their screen.

He sighed.

Thomas Tuckel: Just like with the rest of Blue Lock's prospects brought into our U-20 team, his 210-million-yen bid has been rescinded and made null.

Anri scrunched her hands.

Anri: (Oh no...)

Real Madrid didn't budge.

Zidane: That's fine. Our 210 million yen bid stands unchanged.

*GREEN*

???: 220 million.

Dortmund's manager, Lucian Favre, got the ok from the owners for an increased budget in the Neo Egoist League and therefore, trumped Madrid's offer almost immediately.

Zidane: We'll match that.

*GREEN*

???: 240 mil.

From across the screen, Maurizio Sarri, threw his hand into the fold.

Zidane: Again, we'll match it.

Lucian Favre: 260 million. I can do this all day.

Maurizio Sarri: That's as high as we'll go.

*GREEN*

On the top of the screen, Manchester United fired in a bid which was then matched by Dortmund. Athletico Madrid, Liverpool, and Inter Milan offered exceedingly outrageous offers one after the other as Madrid reentered the discussions.