Chapter 5: Clear Goals!

"So, how about the cost?"

Kira Ryosuke had earned a considerable amount of prize money from his outstanding performances in previous matches, but he was unsure how much it would cost to hire a specialized trainer. After all, even though he had gained some fame, he was still just a high school player and not a professional athlete.

"It's...completely...free..."

Aida Riko raised her index finger and shook it slightly.

"That doesn't seem right. I've heard that hiring a specialized trainer can be quite expensive..."

"Don't worry, because you're quite popular in our area! If you come to our gym for training, it's like indirect publicity! The training costs will be offset by your advertising fees! What do you think of this idea?"

Looking at the enthusiastic Aida Riko in front of him, Kira Ryosuke thought for a moment. At the moment, this was the best solution.

He had only one more week before heading to the Blue Lock, and his physical strength was not yet sufficient to support the use of his system skills.

There, he would be facing a bunch of monsters that were essentially cheating. Compared to them, his original talent didn't give him much advantage. So Kira Ryosuke needed to quickly make up for this shortfall.

He needed to strengthen his body as soon as possible. Although he only had a week, he couldn't afford to waste it.

"Well, thank you very much, Riko!"

Kira Ryosuke nodded.

"Let's go now! Follow me!"

Aida Riko walked briskly, leading Kira Ryosuke to her father's gym.

Soon, Kira Ryosuke arrived at the Aida Gym with Aida Riko. It was still early morning, and there weren't many people there yet.

"Riko, weren't you going for a morning run? Why are you back so soon..."

A well-built middle-aged man came out. He had the same brown hair as Aida Riko but had a rather fierce-looking face, as if his eyes were filled with a murderous intent. He cast a gaze at Kira Ryosuke.

Aida Kagetora, Aida Riko's father.

He was once a talented athlete in his youth and retired to become a professional trainer. Now he operated a gym.

"Are you Kira Ryosuke?"

Aida Kagetora raised an eyebrow slightly. He hadn't expected the local football star to come here.

After Aida Riko briefed her father on the situation, his expression relaxed slightly.

"I see. Then I'll leave it all to you, Riko."

Aida Kagetora looked at Kira Ryosuke, observed him for a moment, and then nodded.

"You can use any equipment in the gym freely."

"Thank you very much."

Kira Ryosuke nodded in response.

"Then, Ryosuke, follow me."

Aida Riko quickly led Kira Ryosuke to a corner of the gym. At the same time, she took out pen and paper from the side and observed his body, analyzing his measurements. Her right hand holding the pen swiftly wrote something on the paper, like a machine.

Aida Riko was completely focused on her work, meticulous, as if nothing happening around her could distract her attention.

After a few minutes, the paper was filled with writing. Aida Riko finally put down the pen and focused her gaze on Kira Ryosuke's face.

"Alright, the plan is almost ready. Ryosuke, tell me, in which aspects do you think you need to improve?"

"Physical strength and endurance, I suppose."

As he spoke, Kira Ryosuke instinctively turned his head to look at his right leg.

"Yes, that's a crucial aspect. But it's not the only one. As I said before, although your physical fitness and training level are already impressive for a high school player, I believe you have further potential. The training methods of your high school team are likely very traditional, but they may not be suitable for you. You need higher intensity and more professional training because I believe you should prepare for a broader future career."

Aida Riko paused, as if she had realized something.

"The reason you're working so hard is because of the upcoming national championship, right?"

"That's correct, but there's another even more important reason. I want to prepare for something else."

Kira Ryosuke then explained about the invitation he received from the Blue Lock. After all, it wasn't much of a secret.

"There will be a special closed training session for that... I'm actually quite curious about what it will entail. But you're training so intensely during this time to ensure that you're in the best condition for the training, right?"

"Yes."

Kira Ryosuke answered earnestly.

"Because I have a feeling that there will be top players from all over the country participating in this training, and I don't want to lose to them."

Although Kira Ryosuke wasn't particularly interested in football at the moment, when it came to being targeted, he would do everything in his power to excel.

Perhaps, it was his persistence as a former manga artist.

Aida Riko didn't respond immediately. Instead, she looked into Kira Ryosuke's eyes, confirming his seriousness and determination. A bright smile appeared on her face, and she handed him the list she had just written:

"Well then, you better give it your all! But I have to let you know, there's no room for carelessness in training. I'm a very strict person, and even though you're a local rising star, I won't go easy on you."

"Don't worry, I'll follow Coach Riko's instructions."

Kira Ryosuke responded playfully.

"Let's get started then."

...

After some preparation work, Kira Ryosuke began practicing according to the exercise list arranged by Aida Riko.

First, there was the core strength section. The so-called 'core' referred to the central part of the body, including the area below the shoulder joints and above the hip joints, including the pelvis. The core muscles played a role in stabilizing balance and transmitting power. They were the main component of overall force production and played a pivotal role in the movement and exertion of the upper and lower limbs. Strong core muscles provided stability and support for body posture, movement skills, and specialized technical actions.

It could be said that core strength was the most important aspect for an athlete.

First, there were regular planks, which were very simple for Kira Ryosuke. However, the difficulty gradually increased with dynamic planks, alternating side planks with leg lifts, side planks with hip raises... These movements didn't appear to be difficult, but performing a certain number of repetitions in a short period of time required enough strength to support them.

Aida Riko had assigned Kira Ryosuke a training program with high intensity and very dense exercises. Since Kira Ryosuke had shown his determination, she couldn't afford to slack off either.