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Harutaro: And we’re live! Coming to you from the JFU Weekly Roundup! I’m your host, Harutaro Natsuki, and joining me today is my esteemed co-host, Atsuto Tereasa!
Atsuto: Pleasure to be back as usual!
Harutaro: This episode is sponsored by JFU Offices, Mikage Corporation and TV NHK. Thank you for your continued support. And thank you to all the sites streaming our voices to our avid listeners across the country!
Atsuto: Thank you indeed. Now then, Harutaro, it really has been a wild week in the world of Japanese football, hasn’t it?
Harutaro: Indeed it has!
Atsuto: Stay tuned for an update on Taku Asano’s recent ACL injury, a full breakdown of last night’s J-One League qualifiers match, and directions to where you, dear listeners, can pick up your very own 2019 national team jersey… But first…
Harutaro: You’re thinking the same as me. Opening our evening tonight, how can we not talk about one of the most exciting things to happen to Japanese football since the foundation of the league?
Atsuto: I think we very much are thinking of the same thing. The Neo-Egoist League, which we have previously been covering weekly, has come to a close. Perhaps regretfully so. After all, we've become used to watching the intense matches between our country’s under-twenties stars, not just from the national team but from that lightning-in-a-bottle project — Blue Lock — too. To our listeners, for a full breakdown of our thoughts on the conclusion of the Neo-Egoist League, please listen to Tuesday’s episode.
Harutaro: Yes, it’s a shame to see the League and its adjoined streaming service ‘Blue Lock TV’ come to an end. It almost feels like we’ve become close to these spirited young hopefuls. But now, the final roster has been decided and we will have to wait until the under-twenties World Cup to catch a glimpse of their passion again.
Atsuto: We truly are fortunate to have had so much footage released to the public. Video compilations, fan works and memes have all sprouted from BLTV. I doubt we will see anything quite like it for a long time.
Harutaro: I do wonder how the boys feel about being thrust into the spotlight so quickly. I mean, they were largely nobodies a couple of months ago.
Atsuto: We can only speculate. For now, what I’m more interested in is the current lineup. Obviously most of these boys have spent the better part of fifty days playing on completely separate teams. Now, they’re finally reunited. Do you think this is going to have an effect on the dynamics of the team going forwards into the under-twenties World Cup?
Harutaro: Well, it’s hard to say. We know that these boys have been fighting both alongside each other and as opponents since the Blue Lock Project first opened its doors. I’m sure they’re more than used to having competitive dynamics. Seeing some of them reunite as teammates again will be as thrilling as ever.
Atsuto: It surely will! The number one bid of the league, Isagi Yoichi, seems to have a natural knack for making link-up plays with his teammates even when said teammates seem to not be very friendly with him in return.
Harutaro: He will probably become the heart of this lineup, I can already tell.
Atsuto: Speaking about dynamics, are there any that you’re perhaps looking forward to seeing? Whose chemistry do you think will have that natural spark?
Harutaro: It’s hard to say at this stage. Having only known them since their victory in the Under-Twenties Japan versus Blue Lock match, and not having seen many of them play side by side since, most of our hopes can only be considered theories. That being said, I do have a few that I am looking forward to.
Atsuto: Which ones?
Harutaro: Putting the star Isagi Yoichi aside, my eyes are going to the midfield. With the confirmation that Itoshi Sae is returning to Japan to enter the lineup, his chemistry with Shidou Ryuusei cannot go unnoticed. Their synergy in the Under-Twenties Match was near-unrivalled! And I also have my eye on Karasu Tabito and Otoya Eita. From what we’ve seen of the off-field footage on BLTV, those two kept visiting each other a lot. I suspect they have a close friendship behind the scenes. That should do wonders for their teamwork.
Atsuto: Good choices. You could indeed practically feel the synergy between Itoshi Sae and Shidou Ryuusei. And Karasu Tabito and Otoya Eita are the origin of that ‘crow versus ninja’ meme currently blowing up on SNS, so it’s safe to assume they’re also good at working together.
Harutaro: You know what though? I’m also interested in the pairings we haven’t yet seen together. So many players were on different teams that I think we haven’t yet had the chance to uncover the true chemistry between them. Take Itoshi Rin and Hiori Yō for example. We’ve barely seen them speak to each other but something tells me there’s a spark in those two that just needs a little push to realise its true potential.
Atsuto: Itoshi Rin and Hiori Yō? That’s quite the combination. What made you think of that?
Harutaro: Call it ‘commentator’s instinct’. You know how sometimes you can get a feeling for the atmosphere a player gives off on the field?
Atsuto: Yes. I know that feeling all too well.
Harutaro: It’s like that. There’s just something about the way both Itoshi Rin and Hiori Yō play that feels right. For example, look at Hiori Yō’s plays — they seem calm and collected at first.
Atsuto: Very Sae-like, as we discussed in our coverage of the Bastard München versus Ubers match.
Harutaro: Right. Like Itoshi Sae. However, if you take a second to actually follow his plays, there’s this undercurrent of pure, sadistic destruction that feels wholly unique. It’s cold and frigid, like ice, and unforgiving like a blizzard.
Atsuto: As poetic as ever.
Harutaro: And then take Itoshi Rin. He plays with that calm sense of dominance at first, but when the conditions get just right we really see him shine. He practically went on a rampage in the Bastard München versus PXG match. His sadistic streak also runs deep.
Atsuto: I see. I think I understand you. You’re saying this sadistic style of play could work well to enhance these two’s player chemistry, right?
Harutaro: Exactly. And let’s not forget how Hiori Yō was the only person to check up on Itoshi Rin after he was kicked in the face during the Under-Twenties Match. While we have never seen them interact much, you could feel the raw concern in that specific interaction. Whatever those two have the potential to create, I am positive it will blow us all away.
Atsuto: Eloquent as usual. We must remember though that we can only speculate. There’s no saying as to whether those two will go in the direction you envision.
Harutaro: Well then, I’m making a public call to the Blue Lock facility. Itoshi Rin and Hiori Yō could have some of the best chemistry on the entire team!
Atsuto: That’s a rather bold claim.
Harutaro: And one I’ll defend until we have solid proof that I’m wrong. I would go so far as to say that they’re future fated partners!
Atsuto: Fated partners?
Harutaro: A storm and a blizzard are not so different when you think about it. That is what I see when I watch them play. Together, they will create an explosive, destructive tempest that will show the world how powerful Japan really is.
Atsuto: … Well, I guess that means you heard it here, folks! Let’s see if Harutaro’s prediction has a hope of coming true.
Harutaro: You joke now but mark my words, I’m always right. Have I ever predicted this sort of thing wrong before?
Atsuto: You haven’t. Maybe there is credence to your claims, even when they’re seemingly implausible...
Harutaro: Perhaps in Blue Lock this would be called my ‘true ego’?
Atsuto: Figuring out the best chemistry between players?
Harutaro: Precisely!
Atsuto: I’m not going to argue with that. You do have a knack for this sort of thing. Now then, apologies for cutting this a bit short but time is getting on, so how about we pivot over to what’s going on in the professional J-One League this week? Of course, if discussions of BLTV interest you, dear listeners, you can find full playlists with our coverage of the entire Neo-Egoist League online.
Harutaro: Me and my rambling. Time keeps getting ahead of me. So to move on, haven’t we had quite the surprise from some of our nationals qualifiers this week?
-—-
Hiori had to stifle a laugh. It was two in the morning and he didn’t want to accidentally wake up the person he was now sharing a room with. However, the sheer buzz that the new JFU Weekly Roundup episode had caused was now spreading like wildfire online, having had a few hours to ruminate in the minds of listeners around the country.
Reactions to the Blue Lock segment of the episode were what he was online to see. This was the internet, so of course many fans had a plethora of opinions to share rather bluntly about the prediction Harutaro had made. Scrolling through Twitter on his iPad, Hiori read over various responses from a number of avid listeners.
my_baller: Harutaro has lost his mind. Hiori will aid Isagi!
Welcome_Sinner: Well now that Harutaro mentions it, they could work?
Astromartian: Hiori Yō shows similarities to Itoshi Sae. Would that help him with Itoshi Rin?
HadrianKing: I wonder if Hiori Yō and Itoshi Rin even know each other 😭
“Go to sleep…” a voice across the room drawled.
So, Hiori’s bitten back chuckles had been loud enough to wake up his new roommate. Frowning awkwardly, he glanced over at the bed next to his own, which was swamped in darkness outside the glow of the iPad screen.
Rin was lying facing the light, his comforter pulled up to his nose. It was a cute habit Hiori had noticed him do since they had started rooming together. In fact, there were many things about Rin that were cute, or at least Hiori himself found them cute. Most other people probably just found them weird. Things like the way Rin's eyes watered when his nose bled, or the way he scrunched up his face while wincing. Those things were cute, not that the rest of the world likely saw it that way.
“Sorry,” Hiori half-whispered, “I was just seeing what the world thinks of us.”
Rin huffed, rolling his eyes. “Whatever they think doesn’t matter,” he grumbled. “They can say whatever they want.”
“Some of the responses have been pretty funny though,” Hiori said. He scrolled down a bit more. “Listen to this one: ‘Since when do those two even interact? Harutaro is delusional’. Or this one: ‘I will probably eat my own foot before I see those two working together’. They have no faith in us at all.”
“Well they’re idiots,” Rin frowned. He sat up in bed, scowling at the iPad. “None of them have a clue what they’re talking about.”
“We’ll just have to prove them wrong,” Hiori shrugged.
“Okay, then pass to me in our first broadcast match.”
“Ah ah,” Hiori shook his head, “not if it goes against our agreement.”
Rin sighed at that. He swung his legs over the edge of his bed and stood up, crossing his arms. “I’ll embody that destructive drive you want. I have to. You saw it for yourself. You’ll get your fix of violence and destruction, Ultra-Sadist, so don’t worry about me and make sure you give me the winning assist.”
“Good,” Hiori smiled. He then shuffled across his own bed a bit as Rin walked over and rather unceremoniously plonked himself down on the edge of the mattress. “Embody what I want, Rin, and I’ll be sure to pass to you.”
Their closeness was a new development. The internet was right about one thing — the two of them had not interacted very much at all, not until recently at least, however these last few days of rooming together had uncovered the surprising revelation that they were actually rather similar in several ways. They both had a fascination for violence, played the same horror games, preferred to stay out of each other’s way while still occupying the same space, and they even liked to eat the same food — ochazuke. Truly, how they had not become closer sooner was a mystery.
Looking at Rin now, bathed in the blue hue of the iPad screen, Hiori could only feel glad that he had made this connection now, as late as it was. He was looking forward to aiding Rin when the time called for it. He was also looking forward to restricting Rin to no end on the field, aiding Isagi, frustrating Rin, drawing out that destructive nature that led to more and more impressive goals.
That was going to be fun. Hiori shuddered with excitement at the thought of the future the two of them were about to share. The world was not ready for the sadistic destruction they would cause together.
-—-
Rin didn’t know why out of everyone in the universe, it was the cyan-haired boy he had barely spoken to who both understood him and wanted to be his ally. With Sae off the table and Isagi using his understanding to become a rival and an enemy, it had started to feel like Rin really was all alone with only his own desire for destruction, battling endlessly with no one by his side to truly revel in the carnage he caused. Sure, he’d had Nanase as an ally, but Nanase had always been more focussed on his own survival, teaming up out of necessity and otherwise spreading a near-infectious kindness that Rin had only ever been able to stomach in small amounts at a time.
But Hiori was different. He was sadistic. He was chilling in his plays. Like Harutaro had said, Hiori was as cold as ice and unforgiving to the point of frigidity. He possessed the same vision as Isagi and the same plays as Sae, merging aspects of the two people who Rin hated the most in this world… and yet Hiori was somehow still tolerable.
It shouldn’t have made sense. If anything, Rin should have hated him even more by default. But there was simply something about him that made him so difficult to dislike. He was like Isagi and Sae, sure, but he was also kind. Caring. He was somehow able to simultaneously keep his distance while still feeling as though he were keeping a watchful eye, never being overbearing or pushy but still making it clear that he was present.
A part of it was also probably the acceptance Hiori held for Rin’s 'tendencies'. Everyone else had their own ways of ‘dealing with’ Rin, from shrugging off his coldness as an unfortunate part of his personality to fretting that it was too self-destructive. Isagi fed Rin’s fires of anger to facilitate his own evolution. Sae had used to placate it with ice cream and walks by the pier. Nanase had at first cowered from it, then grown used to it like a captive forced to accept their fate. At the end of the day though, it was all nothing more than putting up with a monstrous, insufferable boy who had no idea how to properly behave…
Except, Hiori wasn’t like that. Sure, whenever Rin found himself on the ground during training, his skin scraped up or his nose bleeding, Hiori rushed to his side, telling him they had to go to the infirmary, but there was never a bite of disapproval in his voice. If anything, he sounded oddly excited about it. And he often spared compliments for Rin’s most destructive plays, linking up with them with ease whenever they trained together. It was as if for as much as Hiori contained within him Nanase’s kindness, he also burned with Rin’s own sense of sadistic need for destruction.
Sae, Isagi, Nanase and even Rin himself. The other three were all undoubtably important people in Rin’s life, no matter how much that thought made Rin want to vomit. It was as if taking the ‘best’ (or as Rin would put it, “the most useful”) qualities of all of them, mixing them in a blender and spitting them back out, it would lead to creating Hiori.
How the hell the two of them had gone so long without getting to know each other could only be explained by the fact that they were both chronically standoffish and socially stunted. At least there was now a chance for them to get to know each other a bit better thanks to the training camp before the Under-Twenties World Cup.
-—-
Harutaro’s prediction rang through Rin’s entire being every time he and Hiori trained together. It was a strange feeling, one that twisted into his bones, making a home for itself deep inside his marrow. At first, the prediction had felt like the deranged ramblings of an overly confident commentator who was too far up on his high horse to see reality of the situation…
But every time Hiori dished Rin a killer pass, every time they accidentally ordered the same food at the canteen, every time they sat in silence doing yoga together as a cool down, the atmosphere brimmed with a reluctant acknowledgement that Harutaro had been correct.
Hiori meshed with Rin the way a river flowed to the ocean — a link-up that made so much sense that it became inevitable.
The two of them had shared a room for a few weeks now. Perhaps it had been a random act of chance, or perhaps Ego had also seen the same vision as Harutaro had? Whatever the case, it had ended up working out perfectly for Rin. He had been steeling himself to put up with two or three other insufferable, lukewarm nuisances who would either disrespect his boundaries or force him to socialise. Hiori however did neither of those things. He was quiet, calm and left Rin alone most of the time.
At first it had been a convenient stroke of luck, however now that they had been training together for quite some time, a comfortableness had settled between them.
“Training went well today,” Hiori hummed, drying his hair from a shower while sitting cross-legged on his bed. “Wanna work on coordination against a well-defended team tomorrow?”
Rin grunted, himself on his own bed having just finished a quick meditation session. He pulled his blue sweatshirt over his head. “Why do you team with me so much?” he asked.
It was a question that had gnawed at him for a while. Usually it was easy to tell why others wanted to train with him. Isagi wanted to adapt and evolve. Nanase wanted to survive. Most of the others wanted to formulate strategies that centred around a top striker. But Hiori seemed insistent at times on working together and Rin couldn’t figure out why.
Hiori hummed, glancing at the ceiling. “I guess,” he eventually said, “I wanna be your ‘key’, if that makes sense?”
Rin frowned. “What?”
“My goal from now on is to create the world’s greatest striker,” Hiori explained. “Of course Isagi is someone I work with in that regard too, but his ego could be fostered properly by anyone skilled enough. I just happened to get to him first. But,” he paused, crossing his arms, “say your brother showed up here. Out of me and him, who would Isagi pick?”
The response was obvious. “My brother…” Rin grimaced.
Sae wasn’t training in the facility. Officially he was part of the team but he was only flying in once the under-twenties World Cup actually started, leaving everyone else to have to train together without him. Still, the guy’s inevitable return weighed heavy on everyone, especially on Rin. He still didn’t know how he would react when he saw his brother again. Would his malice be gone now that he had let go of his desire to prove himself to Sae? Or would it flair up worse than ever once he caught glimpse of those cold, unfeeling eyes again?
“Exactly,” Hiori nodded. “I’m just as replaceable to Isagi as he is to me. We can be friends off-field but on-field I am always just going to be a chess piece in his games. I’m fine with that as long as I can be his ‘key’ to success. And it’s the same for you. I want to be the ‘key’ to your success too.”
Rin mulled over the answer. “I’d never pick my brother over you,” he said bluntly.
He meant it. Even though he was no longer playing to capture Sae’s attention, the idea of working with Sae again was too steeped in a sinking sense of dread. No, he wasn’t ready for that. It would be a disaster that would never lead to a decent evolution or satisfying destruction, not as things were.
The response to his words, however, was unexpected. Hiori’s eyes widened. “Oh?” There was a hint of pink in his cheeks… for some reason.
Rin raised an eyebrow. “Just keep feeding me passes like you always do. That’s your job.”
The pink in Hiori’s cheeks deepened. “Well when you put it like that it sounds completely transactional. Not that it really matters. You’re the most sadistic striker in this facility.” He then chuckled. “You’re pretty much the only one here who can properly satisfy an Ultra-Sadist like me.”
It was Rin’s turn to feel heat crawl up his neck and bloom in his cheeks. “In the end I’ll be the greatest striker,” he said, “so you’ll have to be my ‘key’ forever.”
“Sounds like a sweet deal,” Hiori smiled. “We can eat ochazuke every day and play horror games to relax whenever we’re not on the field.”
It sounded so gross and sappy coming out of his mouth but Rin couldn’t help but freeze, his brain momentarily pondering what such a life would look like. Mutual sadism. Mutual interests. Mutual quietness. But also there were drops of care and unwavering support amidst the ruthlessness.
He shook the thought away. The warmth it brought to him was too strange to let linger. “It’s getting late,” he murmured. “Meet me on Field Three tomorrow for morning training.”
Hiori nodded. “Will do. I’ll try to get some actual sleep tonight.”
“No staying up playing Smash Bros on your Switch.”
“That was one time.”
“No it wasn’t.”
“You’ll find that the other times I pulled all-nighters here, I was actually playing Breath of the Wild.”
Rin rolled his eyes. “Technicalities.”
Flickers of banter were a welcome recent addition to their dynamic. Hiori was calm most of the time but he had a sharp tongue and he knew how to speak his mind. It gave Rin a momentary thrill being able to engage with that side of Hiori, one that he never would have guessed existed before.
Going to sleep that night, once again Harutaro’s words came to the forefront of his thoughts. Truly that man had been some kind of psychic. The exact wording he had used escaped Rin but he remembered the gist of it — ‘a blizzard and a storm aren’t so different’. It did seem like an eerily accurate representation of their two souls. A storm raged inside Rin that he had to whip up in order to produce the best goals. Hiori was a blizzard who added shards of ice and snow to the raging wind and rain of Rin’s destructive heart.
Looking at it now, perhaps they were always meant to have found each other?
-—-
Atsuto: And now onto an unexpected segment of today’s episode. Blue Lock performed an in-facility eleven-versus-eleven exhibition match in the run-up to the under-twenties World Cup, featuring Itoshi Sae among their ranks for the first time. It really was a spectacle.
Harutaro: Indeed it was. The two formations were unique but genius in hindsight. Placing Itoshi Sae as the CAM to Isagi Yoichi’s one-top striker created a true burst of chemistry. No wonder their team ended up scoring three goals.
Atsuto: It was such a shame that Chigiri Hyouma’s leg cramped and he needed to be subbed out. I reckon their side would have won were it not for that.
Harutaro: Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that…
Atsuto: Of course you’d say that. I was suspecting you were about to get onto this.
Harutaro: I want to hear it from you first.
Atsuto: Alright, alright. I guess me and many of our listeners owe you an apology. After all, your prediction, it seems, was wholly correct!
Harutaro: Everything plays out as I envision in the end. My True Ego is still shining.
Atsuto: For those just tuning in, the exhibition match concluded with the team captained by Itoshi Rin winning 4:3, perhaps in large part thanks to the expert chemistry shown between striker Itoshi Rin and his CAM, Hiori Yō.
Harutaro: Like a storm and a blizzard marrying in perfect union. Itoshi Rin's hat trick would never have happened were it not for those horrifically sadistic passes dolled out by Hiori Yō. we already covered how Itoshi Rin’s play style favours working solo, however that press he received from Itoshi Sae and Isagi Yoichi was nasty enough to open him up to cooperation. Hiori Yō was the only one in that moment who was able to match the level of play, get on Itoshi Rin’s wavelength, and work to perfectly play out their shared goal vision.
Atsuto: Your analysis is much appreciated. The two of them clearly were working in perfect sync. It was mesmerising.
Harutaro: With duos like these two and Itoshi Sae with Isagi Yoichi, I am confident that this might be the best year for Japanese youth football we have ever seen.
Atsuto: We’ll have to keep watching to see how they fare in the under-twenties World Cup of course, but my hopes are high. Anyway, time has gotten away from us. We’re going to have to end this episode here.
Harutaro: Ah, how unfortunate! I still had so much more to say. But it can’t be helped. Dear listeners, thank you for tuning in to another episode of the JFU Weekly Roundup. Our socials are linked on our website. Once again, thank you to our listeners and sponsors for your continued support. And until you next tune in, farewell and good night!