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A stack of envelopes and a gift bag lay on the table in front of Isagi. An assistant from the team had just brought them over to his apartment and a warm feeling grew in his chest like it did every time he got fan mail.
He was gratified that his fans like his playing so much. The publicity he got in Blue Lock had gotten him fans faster than he’d ever expected. It was still hard to believe how many recognized him on the street and asked for handshakes or signatures, especially young children, who Isagi was especially kind to—he wanted to inspire them like Noel Noa did for him.
But the biggest surprise had been the fans who liked him enough to send him letters and gifts. The feelings that gathered in him, knowing that, were ones he’d never be able to describe.
Before Blue Lock, he was a nobody. The Isagi of back then never would have ever pictured himself at this current point in his life, in his amazing career. Now on the national u20 team after having won the u20 world cup with his Blue Lock comrades and rivals.
Isagi read through the fan letters gratefully, a huge smile on his face. Fans talking about loving his play style, his moves and goals, being inspired by him, there was no better feeling in the world. All the eyes on him just pushed him to achieve greater heights.
When he finished with the letters, he set them aside carefully to put away in his box for safekeeping later, and slid the gift bag over to him. Rather than a gift bag, it was a small brown paper bag, tied with a green ribbon.
His family name, Isagi, was scrawled in English on a post-it note that was stuck to the front of the bag. There was no address on it, so the fan must have dropped it off at the headquarters building in person. The thought that a fan liked him that much to go to that effort definitely filled him with extra warmth.
Isagi untied the ribbon and opened the bag, reaching in to lift out a pair of socks. The socks were soft, warm, but not too thick, leaving them the perfect size to fit with in his cleats.
Wow. Wasn’t this a really nice gift?
And it came at the perfect time. Isagi’s current favourite socks were wearing down and had a couple of holes in them already. He’d meant to go buy a new pair soon too, what a coincidence. Isagi smiled down at the gift, equally thrilled and in disbelief. His fans were way too good to him.
Well, he’d just have to use them well, right?
After finishing a round of drills, Isagi picked up his water bottle and took a chug. Practice was intense. They’d qualified for the AFC Cup, and even though it wasn’t until next year, they had to stay in top shape, both with physical strength and team cohesion.
He sat down on a nearby bench of this indoor practice field, stretching his legs out. Just as he did that, Bachira walked by.
“Ooh, Isagi! Are those new socks?”
It took Isagi a moment to realize that his pant leg had rolled up slightly. The socks were definitely different from the ones that he’d been wearing before, easy to notice the change, but they still fit perfectly with their practice uniforms.
“Yeah,” Isagi said with a smile. “They were a gift from a fan. Can you believe it?”
Bachira whistled. “Wow. Good for you!”
Being told that directly, Isagi found himself getting a little embarrassed, but he nodded his agreement.
It was then when he could feel an extra heavy stare, one that was weighted in a way that was very familiar to him.
He turned his head. “What’s up, Nagi?”
Nagi, who’d been staring directly at him, shrugged. “Nothing. They look good on you.”
“Huh? Thanks.”
Before he could say anything else, Nagi ran after a pass that Reo kicked over, trapping it and shooting it into the goal. Amazing. Nagi had been extra motivated for practice lately, huh?
Ever since Bastard Munchen had beat Manshine City, Nagi had stagnated for a while, but before the world cup, something had changed in him, and he’d also been getting better and better since. Isagi couldn’t help but notice, his spirit becoming flared up watching him, a big grin on his face.
As fun as it was to play against the genius, he was also happy to be on the same team with him again. Playing together unlocked so many moves, and their chemical reactions have only gotten better. Nagi and Reo too, their teamwork had also changed, becoming harder to predict, and Reo made his own goals too. With his other teammates including Bachira, Chigiri and others, the current u20 team was nothing to be messed with.
His eyes followed Nagi as he and Reo practiced a few new moves—yep, Nagi was something amazing, alright. He’d always known that, but even though he was a genius, he’d been working harder than he had before, too. He was glad that Nagi had found his own ego, his own motivations for continuing his career in soccer.
The sound of rushing water startled Isagi out of his concentration. He glanced down to see that his water bottle was pointed to the ground and the remainder of the water had poured out of it. Huh? That shouldn’t happen, the lid was…
Isagi lifted the water bottle, large capacity and had lasted him a long time, to inspect it. He pulled the lid off. Yep, something in the lid had broken, ugh. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford to buy a new one, but that was annoying.
Nagi suddenly appeared in front of him, stepping over the water and sitting beside him on the bench. “Did your water bottle break?”
Isagi heaved a sigh. “Yeah, a part of the lid snapped.”
“Here, have some of mine.” Nagi passed his own water bottle over to Isagi.
“Eh? Is that really okay?”
“Yep. Of course.”
Isagi flipped the lid open and tilted his head back as he took a large gulp from Nagi’s water. It was really refreshing as he swallowed it, so he greedily took one more drink. A bit of the water splashed onto his face, and he wiped it off as he lowered the bottle, handing it back over to Nagi.
“Thanks, Nagi.”
Nagi didn’t take the water bottle back, though. He was sitting there, staring at Isagi intently, as if he were mesmerized by something. It made something in Isagi’s chest clench tightly. Nagi always had the most intense gaze of anyone he’d ever met. Eyes that seemed so dull and lightless back when they first met had become so full of so much life, full of fire and passion during the course of Blue Lock. Isagi knew he was the reason for a lot of that—Nagi had told him as much, how he had given him a newfound purpose and motivation, wanting to chase after something for the first time in his life—but it was still impossible to not be surprised when Nagi put the full force of that profound gaze right in his direction.
“Nagi?”
Nagi blinked, and his gaze focused, back into focus. “Yep?”
“Here, your bottle. Thanks.”
“Oh. Sure.” The corner of Nagi’s lip quirked up as he got off the bench and walked back toward the goal.
Something about that small, half smile made the back of Isagi’s neck grown warm. He shook himself out of it and got up again, too. He’d been resting too long already, he also had new moves to work on.
It had only been two days later when Isagi had received another brown paper bag, same green ribbon and post-it note with his name on it. The bag itself had been bigger, leaving Isagi curious so he’d opened it right away.
It had been a new water bottle, very similar to the one that had broken! It was another miraculous coincidence. Truthfully, he hadn’t gotten around to buying a new one yet, so seeing this arrive with his fan mail had left him shocked, gratified, and maybe… guilty? After all, it was quite a gift.
Isagi currently took a sip from his new water bottle. Even though he’d received it just yesterday, he of course washed and used it right away.
“The fans are far too generous,” Isagi was saying to Bachira and Chigiri after they’d noticed the new bottle. “I don’t deserve this much, right?”
After all, a water bottle like this wasn’t that cheap.
“Another gift, huh?” Bachira’s eyebrows were raised in surprise, but he had a smile on his face as he playfully leaned toward Isagi. “You do deserve it, though. You’re the heart of Blue Lock!”
“You’ve always gained fans and admirers everywhere,” Chigiri added. “It’s not surprising. Though I am admittedly jealous.”
“You guys…” Isagi’s cheeks flushed. “That’s kinda embarrassing, but thanks.”
His soccer career was all that he could have wished for—and although he didn’t seek out gifts or anything, he was of course going to be grateful about it. He just wished he could thank the fan in person. But how did they know he needed a new water bottle? Well, if he were to analyze it, water bottles were a clear staple for an athlete, so there was no need to overthink, he supposed.
“Always so humble, after everything you’ve accomplished,” Chigiri said with a smile.
“Yeah, you definitely deserve to be more arrogant off the field,” Bachira teased.
Isagi shook his head, waving a hand in the air. “All of us have accomplished great things.”
Isagi was happy that they felt that way. He did intend on being the best striker in Japan and then the world, despite the rivals on other teams, in other countries, and even on his own team.
A pair of arms draped over Isagi’s shoulders, startling him. He’d been too focused on his current conversation, he hadn’t heard the footsteps. Even though he hadn’t expected the action, there was no need to guess who it was.
“Isagi,” Nagi groused, his voice so close to Isagi’s ear that a shiver went down his spine. “I left my water bottle on the other side of the room. Can I have some of yours?”
A few seconds of silence went by that Isagi needed to calm down and process the situation.
“Geez. Fine, it can’t be helped, then.” Isagi lifted the water bottle back towards Nagi, tilting it so Nagi could drink from the flexible straw.
“Nagicchi, you’re shameless as always,” Bachira commented with amusement.
After Nagi was done drinking, Isagi moved the water bottle away. “Yeah. You should bring your water with you.”
“But you didn’t mind, did you, Isagi?”
“Well no, but…”
“Then it’s fine.”
Isagi chuckled. “I guess so. There’s no winning against you, huh?”
Nagi stayed where he was a moment longer, arms dangling over Isagi’s chest. It was warm, and even though they were both hot and sweaty from practice, it wasn’t entirely an unwelcome sensation. It was a mystery why Nagi seemed more touchy than usual, though.
He cleared his throat, wanting to shake off how flustered he was getting. “Nagi, let’s go practice a few offensive moves at the goal.”
Nagi stepped back, the warmth disappearing. His voice shifted into obedience and motivation underlined his tone. “Yes, sir.”
The gifts weren’t a one or even a two time thing. Yet another gift in the same packaging had been delivered to him.
When Isagi reached into the bag, and pulled out a video game—a sequel to a popular soccer game that Isagi hadn’t gotten around to buying himself yet—he was absolutely gobsmacked. How did the fan know he liked this game and hadn’t bought it yet? A bright smile formed on his face as he stared down at it.
Since all the gifts came in the same packaging style, the same writing of his name in English, that must mean the same fan was sending these gifts. They must be really dedicated, these gifts were really generous. Isagi almost wanted to find out who the fan was so he could give them back, this was all too much.
Just as he was deliberating over this, his doorbell rang. Maybe the manager had forgotten to tell him something?
When Isagi opened the door, the visitor was someone he hadn’t expected.
“Nagi?” Isagi stared. Nagi was slouching at the side of his door, wearing a white hoodie and jeans. “What are you doing here?”
Nagi’s eyes brightened, subtle but enough to be noticeable, as they met Isagi’s. “I had nothing to do today so I thought I wanted to come see you.”
“Oh…” Isagi swallowed over an unexplainable emotion that suddenly came over him. “I see. I’m flattered. Um, well, come in?”
Nagi walked in and immediately sat down on his sofa. This wasn’t the first time Nagi had been to his apartment. Since they’d officially joined the national team after the world cup and Isagi had to move to Tokyo—which was bittersweet since he missed his parents—he’d visited Isagi quite a few times. Isagi had been to Nagi’s place multiple times, too. Usually they'd play games or just watch movies, which was a nice way to unwind on days off or after practice was over.
“Ah,” Nagi said, “let’s play that together.”
Isagi followed Nagi’s line of sight to the table where the gift bag and his new video game were.
“Oh, sure.”
Isagi retrieved the game and loaded it into his PS5. He came back with two controllers and sat down beside Nagi.
They set up the game, each of them choosing a player and going right into it.
This series of soccer games was Isagi’s favourite, he had a lot of experience, so that gave him the edge for a while.
“Woah, how did you do that move?” Nagi asked.
“Practice,” was all Isagi said, smugly.
Though, as they played, something was becoming noticeable. Nagi was a lot closer than he had been when they’d first started playing. His legs were pretty much pressed right against Isagi’s and their elbows bumped into each other. When had that happened? Isagi almost found himself getting distracted.
“Your meta vision works on games too, huh,” Nagi commented.
“Putting it like that, I guess it does - oh, fuck!”
Nagi had distracted him and had stolen the ball! Even though Isagi had the edge, Nagi was no inferior challenger. He caught up with Isagi well in the game, right at his heels every move he made. But playing like this, it was fun. He did like spending time with Nagi, he’d thought that ever since Blue Lock. He was still and always would be a genius, though, sometimes incomprehensible. And he was very good at games… shit.
“Dammit! I won’t let you do that, genius!”
“Have you faltered, Isagi? It was so easy to overcome you just now.”
“No way, that ball, that goal is mine.”
“We’ll see about that, striker.”
The game went on until they came to a natural stopping point. Adrenaline was still pumping through Isagi’s veins as he leaned his head back on the couch to catch his breath—how a gaming session did that to him, it was hard to explain.
Nagi stretched out too, his legs bumping against Isagi’s. It was a wonder, how warm Nagi felt even through their pant legs. Isagi made no move to slide away. It wasn’t like he minded, after all. It was nice. Comfortable.
“Wanna do a different game now?” Nagi suggested. “Do you have any fighting games?”
“Yeah,” Isagi said, “I picked up a couple after that time.”
“That time?” Nagi was silent before he realized. “Ah, you mean after Blue Lock? After you failed so hard at them that you died quickly every tim-”
“Shut the hell up,” Isagi interrupted, narrowing his eyes. “That won’t be the case anymore.”
“Those are big words.”
“Well, it’s true. You’ll see.” He got up and grabbed one of said fighting games from his shelf—it might not be the exact same one, in Blue Lock Nagi’s games had been phone games, but hopefully he could avenge his previous self here and now.
When he sat back down after putting the game in, he naturally sat down right close to Nagi again, their legs bumping together again.
Of course Isagi wanted to win, there was no way he didn’t—but even if he lost, playing like this was still fun.
When Isagi received a new blanket next, a warm throw blanket, he was definitely thinking this was way too much. He was grateful, he was, but… Isagi didn’t know what to do in the face of this complete and utter generosity and dedication. The fan never signed their name so they clearly didn’t want any credit, but it still felt strange, somehow.
“And I did say that I thought it was a colder fall than usual, but… I don’t know. Is this weird, or am I overthinking it?”
Bachira leaned forward, his elbows on the table of the café they were currently at, and smiled. “You should just use the gifts and not think about it so much, Isagi,” he said cheerfully, “I’m sure your fan would want that.”
“I know, but…”
“You’ve said the gifts were all the same, a brown paper bag with a green ribbon. They all must be from the same person,” Chigiri said. “And if there was no name, no address or return address on them, that means they weren’t in the mail.”
“Yeah,” Isagi huffed. “I’ve already figured that whoever the fan was probably just dropped them off at the headquarters. They must live close by.”
“Did you ask the managers?”
“I was told the gifts just show up with the other fan mail, they didn’t see who brought them.”
“Hmm…”
“Anyway,” Isagi said, “this is where I’m confused. The gifts have always been too much of a coincidence. My fans shouldn’t have known when I needed new socks, that I broke my water bottle. And I’ve never mentioned this one game in any interview…”
“So it’s a secret admirer!” Bachira’s eyes lit up, voice excited. “One from closer to you!”
“What?” Isagi was shocked. “How could that be?”
“If they saw you break the water bottle, they must be on the team, right?” Chigiri added.
“Eh?” Isagi dragged out the syllable, his eyes going wide. “That doesn’t seem too likely, guys.”
“Think about it! It could be anyone, really.” Bachira continued. “A lot of people admire Isagi. No, pretty much everyone does. There’s Hiori, Kurona, Nagicchi, Nanase. Even Kunigami. Even Reo! Of course there’s us, too, but we aren’t your secret admirer.”
“Yeah, it really could be anyone,” Chigiri agreed.
Isagi shook his head, face growing incredibly warm. “That’s really embarrassing when you put it like that.”
His mystery gifter… a teammate? It was too surreal to consider seriously. But considering the way the gifts lined up with his current needs, or things he’d said or did, it made a strange amount of sense.
A loud buzzing interrupted the conversation. Isagi grabbed his phone. A text message.
Nagi: come to my place to play a game next time
A warmth spread through Isagi’s body, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“Oh, is that Nagi?” Bachira asked, his voice high-pitched and teasing. “Of course it is, of course.”
His face flushed even more. “Shut the hell up.”
Bachira and Chigiri laughed. Isagi supposed it couldn’t be helped that he was so obvious with his reactions, but it was still embarrassing. Just seeing Nagi’s name light up his screen made him happy.
He sent back an affirmative reply.
The gifts kept coming. In the next couple of weeks he’d received a package of kintsuba, a scalp massager, and a couple of manga volumes.
But one day, there was something else. Something that sent his heart somersaulting, his stomach fluttering.
In the small bag, there was a small box. And in the box, there was a silver pendant of the number eleven—his jersey number. It was shiny, but slim and not that extravagant either, perfectly in line with Isagi’s tastes.
Isagi wasn’t sure how long he spent gaping at it as he held it gently, dangling it in front of his eyes.
It was really nice. Too nice. Isagi didn’t typically wear stuff like this, but he would. He was proud of his number, a number he’d worn multiple times in Blue Lock, too. He could wear it proudly around his neck, he could pin it to his backpack…
Based on the packaging and the writing, it was the same person as the other gifts. All the gifts were generous, were great, but something about this one felt special.
Isagi put the pendant around his neck, put on a light jacket and scarf, and went out to take a walk to clear his head and get some exercise.
He was gratified of course, but also confused. Who would give him such nice gifts?
They were too much, right? Even though he was happy that someone was looking at him so much paying so much attention to him, caring about him, it was embarrassing too. But who could it be? Was it really a fan, or were Bachira and Chigiri right, and it was a teammate? Who else would know those things that he didn’t say publicly?
Well, his jersey number was public obviously, and his favourite sweets were on his official profile, but other than that….
All the gifts were packaged all the same way.
Isagi picked up speed as he jogged down the path, his heart racing. Would he ever figure it out, or would this just be a mystery that he’d have to accept would never be solved?
After Isagi was finished running laps during practice, he approached Nagi. “Are you done with your weight training?”
Nagi wiped his forehead with a towel. “Yep.”
“Let’s practice some moves together,” he suggested. “We haven’t done so in a while, right?”
“Right,” Nagi said, agreeing very easily. “Let’s do it, striker.” It was nostalgic to remember how much Nagi would complain about going to practice, and moving his body back in Blue Lock. Well, not that Nagi was never like that anymore—he still was, just not when it came to soccer as much.
They headed to the goal, and they practiced some passes, and then some offense and defense moves.
It was amazing just how much Nagi’s physical aptitude had grown, how flexible he was not just with trapping but defending too.
There were so many incredible players on their team, and of course teams around the world. But Isagi always had fun playing with Nagi in particular. He was engaging, focused on Isagi, and always had moves that broke Isagi’s expectations. Everyone had gotten better after Blue Lock, Nagi especially.
There was an adrenaline pumping through Isagi’s veins when he was with Nagi, but not all of it had to do with soccer.
When training was over, they joined the other teammates in the shower stalls, and then got dressed and left together.
He and Nagi leaving together didn’t happen that often. He usually left with Bachira and Chigiri while Nagi usually left with Reo, so this was a nice change once in a while.
“Are you not too cold in just that hoodie?” Isagi was unable to help but ask.
Nagi shrugged. “Not really…”
After a moment of silence, Nagi stopped walking. When Isagi stopped too, Nagi looked him straight in the eyes.
“Nagi? What is-”
“Actually,” Nagi said, “it’s pretty cold out.” He held out his arms. “Give me some extra warmth, Isagi.”
A wheeze came out of Isagi’s lungs. How… how shameless was this guy? And it was utter proof without a shadow of doubt just how far gone Isagi was, since his immediate emotional response was to agree.
Just as Isagi stepped closer towards Nagi’s open arms, something caught his eye, a sparkle under the sunlight. Around Nagi’s neck.
Isagi stepped forward and pulled a chain out, a pendant that was tucked under Nagi’s hoodie, against his chest. A pendant in a very familiar style. But it had Nagi’s number, seven on the end of it.
His brain began to whir, puzzle pieces wanting to snap into place, but bumping into each other instead—he wasn’t quite sure.
Was this a coincidence, or not?
Had the same fan gifted it to Nagi, too? There was always that possibility.
“Oh,” Nagi said as Isagi stared at it.
“Nagi,” Isagi said, “was this a gift from a fan?”
“No,” Nagi said, voice quiet. “I bought it myself.”
A new round of thrumming buzzed in his brain—a chaotic explosion turning into his usual processing, this time the puzzle pieces were clicking together normally.
The conclusion was obvious.
It was clearly a match, but…
Wasn’t that just too conceited of him to just assume?
His hand shaking slightly, Isagi reached into his bag, into a secure pocket, and pulled out his own matching pendant.
“Then, by any chance, were you the one…”
Nagi’s eyes were soft and firm. He nodded. “So you’ve finally noticed.”
A burst of emotion, tumultuous and hot, exploded in his chest. His mind went blank to static, his heart speeding faster and faster. Isagi, who was adept at processing things as they happened instantly on the field, was taken off guard in more than one way right here and now. This was definitely beyond any of his expectations.
His voice was hoarse. “It was you? The whole time? The secret admirer?”
Nagi blinked. “Well, it wasn’t like it was purposefully a secret or anything.”
“But,” Isagi said dumbly, “you didn’t sign it.”
“Eh, it just felt like an extra unneeded step.”
“But Nagi, why…”
Nagi’s gaze was a mix of intensity and sincerity. “Well, I wanted you to have those things.”
“That’s it?”
That was unusual to hear from Nagi. He went to all the trouble to go out and buy those things, and take them to where the fan mail was kept before delivery, all of that was so out of the way for Nagi.
“Yeah, that’s it,” Nagi said.
“That’s…” Isagi still couldn’t believe it. “Very generous, Nagi. I can’t believe you would go that far for a teammate-”
“No,” Nagi said. “I wouldn’t, not usually. I only do that for the one I like.”
“Like-” Isagi repeated, his mind going fuzzy again. Was it possible for his heart to pound that quickly? Of course, ‘like’ was a word that could mean more than one thing. But the way Nagi said it, ‘the one I like’, it didn’t leave that much room for doubt as to his meaning. “Was that a confession?”
Nagi stared at Isagi. “Yeah.”
A confession! Isagi had been so focused on soccer that it had taken him until after Blue Lock and the world cup was over to even analyze and figure out the nature of his feelings for Nagi. Now that Nagi was in front of him, after gifted him all those things… Isagi’s face was growing hotter and hotter.
“I accept your confession,” Isagi said, voice coming out shaky, shy. “I like you too, Nagi.”
Nagi’s eyes lit up, shining even brighter than he’d ever seen them, and Isagi’s chest was about to burst. Nagi was so unfair—a genius in so many things, and he was this attractive too.
“Isagi,” Nagi said. “What do I do? I don’t know if I’ve ever been this happy.”
Fuck. So unfair.
“I don’t know,” Isagi said, his face burning. “This is pretty embarrassing… but I’m happy too.”
Nagi reached over and pulled Isagi into a hug. As he hugged back, Isagi’s mind went off onto more tangents. Did that mean they were dating now? Isagi had never liked anyone before, let alone dating. What did dating entail? They could manage it along with their soccer careers, right?
And as for the gifts…
He wanted to get Nagi something in return.
It wasn’t that he thought he owed Nagi it, not really, but gift giving was something couples did, even when it wasn’t a holiday, right? What would Nagi like? A game? Manga? A fluffy blanket?
Nagi pulled back. He stared at Isagi, as Isagi’s mind spun, thinking of the possibilities.
“A kiss would be good enough,” Nagi said eagerly.
“Huh?” Isagi’s brain caught up to what Nagi had said. Had Nagi somehow guessed what he was thinking? “A kiss?”
“Yeah, a kiss. Is that okay?”
“Yeah.” Isagi’s heart jumped as Nagi leaned down, put his hands on Isagi’s shoulder and kissed him.
The kiss was outside of Isagi’s expectations in the best way possible. He could feel his heart pounding, it was a different kind of adrenaline than the one he had when he was on the field, reinventing himself over and over again. In a way, this was similar—he was learning new things, new emotions, all because of Nagi.
Isagi’s hands somehow ended up in Nagi’s soft hair, he didn’t even mind that his hands were cold from the autumn breeze anymore.
When the kiss was over, Isagi caught his breath, unable to look away from Nagi’s face or the adoration that was clear in his eyes. Now that he thought about it, he’d recognized that look in Nagi’s eyes before without ever putting a reason, a definition to it. He smiled. Nagi smiled too, a small but rare one, but it lit up his features all the same.
He’d never imagined he and Nagi’s relationship status would reach this level. Joyfully, Isagi draped the pendant over his neck. “I really like this. I haven’t said thank you yet, have I?”
“You’re welcome,” Nagi said firmly.
“We… have matching items now, huh?”
“Yeah,” Nagi said. “Should we swap them?”
“Swap?” Isagi blinked. “Is that something that couples do?”
At the word couple, Nagi seemed to give off an aura of elation. He nodded. “Probably.”
“Huh… I will have a lot to figure out.”
Nagi shrugged before he grabbed Isagi’s hand. “I don’t have experience dating either. We’ll figure it out together.”
“Ah… ah, alright.” Isagi’s heart jumped again. That was reassuring.
Dating, huh… he didn’t know what it would be like, but with Nagi it would definitely be interesting, and he was looking forward to it.