Chapter Text
Former football player Ego Jinpachi suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Minoru Isagi, walking ahead, noticed that the young man following him had stopped and was no longer behind him. Confused, he turned back to look.
He saw the man staring intently at the empty backyard as if observing something. Minoru, usually reserved and taciturn, didn’t urge him to continue but instead moved to stand beside him.
“The kid in the backyard...” Jinpachi’s dark eyes didn’t blink as he stared ahead.
May in Kanagawa brings cool, warm, and pleasant weather. Sea breezes from the Pacific carry a salty tang, filling the air with freshness. Trees sprout new leaves, and clusters of vibrant flowers bloom along fences, houses, and streets, creating an idyllic atmosphere perfect for relaxation.
The traditional wooden house of Minoru Isagi embodies this charm, surrounded by lush greenery and the fragrant scent of blooming flowers. Nature thrives exuberantly here, and every breath draws in the salty aroma of the sea, refreshing and invigorating—like drinking a bottle of lemon-salt water after hours of outdoor activity.
“He’s my grandson. He’s playing around with a soccer ball. If it bothers you, I can tell him to stop.”
The old Isagi lifted his foot, preparing to head out to the backyard and remind his grandson to stop playing with the ball. Normally, he would let the boy be and continue his therapy session, but today’s patient was different. This young man was a professional soccer player who had been in a car accident in France last year.
A pelvic injury. Completely ruled out any chance of playing soccer again. Allowing him to become agitated would not be wise.
However, just as the former military doctor and rehabilitation specialist Minoru Isagi was about to speak, Ego stopped him. His eyes widened, as if he had just discovered a hidden gem buried in the dirt.
“Why is the boy wearing bandages over both eyes?”
“A soccer injury,” Mr. Isagi replied.
“That’s unfortunate... but he has great potential.”
Minoru Isagi felt a twinge of curiosity.
Why was Ego Jinpachi looking at his grandson with such an intrigued expression, so different from the mindset of a young athlete who had just learned his career was over? How could he remain so composed?
While Minoru was lost in thought, Ego called out to the boy, “Hey, I see you. Don’t hide—come out here.”
From behind the bushes that concealed him, the child stepped out. His lips twitched slightly, but he said nothing. His soft, messy dark blue hair with a tiny sprout-like tuft on top, paired with his round, cherubic face, made him appear irresistibly adorable. However, the medical bandages wrapped around his head told a different story—something dreadful had happened to this child.
Two figures, one adult and one child—one leaning on crutches, the other with both eyes covered in bandages—faced each other.
“Well? Show me again. You were playing with such spirit earlier,” Ego said casually, his gaze fixed intently on the boy.
The child instinctively tilted his head toward the source of the voice but remained silent. Instead, he seemed to be waiting for permission from his guardian.
Minoru sighed as he observed the scene, eventually granting Yoichi permission to continue playing.
That entire afternoon, Ego sat and watched ten-year-old Yoichi play soccer alone in the yard. Occasionally, when the mood struck, he would give the boy pointers and directions. Minoru, seated nearby, said nothing, quietly sipping his tea as he watched the two—one grown-up and one child—engage with an unbridled passion for soccer.
** ** **
Hiding behind the door, Isagi Yoichi bowed politely, listening to the sound of Ego's car driving away. His emotions were a tangled mix of feelings.
**Ego Jinpachi—**
Was that really his coach from ten years in the future?
The tall, borderline-madly confident man, the mastermind behind the Blue Lock project, had once been a patient of his grandfather? The arrogant figure he remembered had also experienced a desperate situation where he couldn’t even move on his own legs.
At that moment—
“Yoichi, come help me prepare dinner.”
A light tap on his shoulder snapped Yoichi Isagi out of his thoughts.
“Yes, Grandfather.”
** ** **
Three months earlier, Yoichi had awakened in the middle of a children’s soccer match, utterly confused about what was happening.
**Thud.**
The sound of the soccer ball colliding violently with his right temple echoed through the field. Isagi staggered and collapsed onto the ground amidst the horrified screams of children on the field and adults watching from the sidelines.
The ten-year-old Isagi lay lifelessly on the ground, his dizziness rendering him incapable of reacting to the world around him.
Inwardly, he cursed. *Just my luck—could this get any worse?*
*Wait… why is my vision turning red?*
The rest became history. The match ended abruptly, and Isagi was rushed to the city’s children’s hospital in an ambulance.
The stretcher carrying him was swiftly wheeled into the vehicle, his unfocused blue eyes catching a fleeting glimpse of his mother—a frail housewife—crying uncontrollably before fainting on the spot.
When Isagi Yoichi regained consciousness, he could hardly believe it.
But the truth was undeniable. Not only had Isagi Yoichi escaped death at seventeen during the U20 World Cup, but he had also inexplicably been transfered into a parallel world seven years in the past.
No, he had died—back in the original world of 2019, Isagi Yoichi’s life had come to an end.
He couldn’t explain what this current situation was or how to make sense of it.
This world appeared incredibly real, nearly identical to his original one, with only one glaring difference: it was now 2009.
Isagi Yoichi hadn’t spent long in this world—just a few minutes—before finding himself confined to a hospital room. His eyes were bandaged, and his days were filled with the sound of his mother’s quiet sobbing as she washed her face with tears. He had no opportunities to explore or investigate his surroundings, but his instincts told him one thing:
The mechanics of both worlds were identical.
The people on either side were also the "same."
Except for him—the one anomaly.
In this world, the first ten years of Isagi Yoichi’s life were no different from those in the original world. After he regained consciousness, he feigned casual conversations to glean information from those around him. Everything matched, save for the aftermath of the soccer match: here, Isagi had sustained an injury.
Everything else aligned perfectly.
According to the doctors, because the injury was located on his head, and the brain is an extraordinarily delicate organ, what should have been a mild concussion lasting only a few hours unexpectedly worsened overnight. With no other options, they had to risk performing surgery.
‘Isagi Yoichi’ didn’t die on the operating table, but he also didn’t wake up—until half a month ago.
Perhaps due to this, Isagi Yoichi used the excuse of "memory loss" to conceal the fact that he had come from the future. So far, it seemed that everyone around him, including his family and friends, believed this explanation.
By the time Isagi snapped out of his thoughts, he was already sitting at the dining table with his grandfather.
With both eyes still covered by bandages, Isagi’s hands fumbled on the table, searching for the spoon to eat his porridge. His grandfather, determined not to spoon-feed his ten-year-old grandson, left him to manage on his own. Accepting his situation, Isagi ate porridge everyday sice he lived with the older Isagi.
He carefully scooped up each spoonful, eating slowly—not because he was sluggish, but because he didn’t want to rush and accidentally spill porridge everywhere.
Minoru finished his own meal and sat back, arms crossed, watching his grandson methodically eat. He didn’t urge the boy to hurry, quietly observing instead.
As a rehabilitation specialist, Minoru had seen far worse situations. But what impressed him most about Isagi was the stark change in the boy’s demeanor.
Before sending their son to live with his grandfather, Isagi’s parents had warned Minoru repeatedly: their son was a fragile child, prone to tears. For years, only soccer had managed to quell his fear of the world around him. However after enduring such a traumatic injury, they were certain the sensitive, tearful Isagi Yoichi would reemerge.
But contrary to their fears, since coming to live with his grandfather, Isagi Yoichi hadn’t shed a single tear. He was unnervingly calm and obedient, almost like a doll. Yet he often sat still in the yard, seemingly ‘staring’ into the empty air.
Not wanting to see the boy remain idle, Minoru had brought him a soccer ball to play with. Ever since, Isagi had taken it out daily to practice alone, even though his eyes were still completely bandaged and he couldn’t see a thing.
Then today, Ego Jinpachi shown up.
As days turned into weeks, Ego would arrive at Isagi's grandfather's house every day as part of his rehabilitation routine, and without fail, he would take a moment to advise Isagi, who was still practice football despite his visual impairment.
Minoru observed from afar, fascinated by the growing bond between the two young men. The boy seemed to enjoy the time spent with him, which was unusual, given that he usually sat alone in the yard, staring into space. He couldn't help but notice the way Ego treated Isagi, not as a pity case or a helpless child, but rather...
** ** **
After weeks of wearing a medical bandage, Isagi finally had the bandage removed. He and his grandfather went to the city hospital to have the bandage removed.
With the removal of his bandages, Isagi's round blue eyes were exposed to the light for the first time in months. The sudden brightness forced him to blink rapidly, trying to adjust to the new sight. But after a few minutes, he managed to adapt to the new environment, only to find that his right eye had a much lighter blue color pupil than the left, with a noticeable blurriness in his right vision
His right eye was indeed weaker, and to cover the weakness, he wore a medical eyepatch with an adorable owl design typical of a pediatric hospital.
'Months at home alone with her grandfather and a strange young man were definitely not good for a child's development.'
After thinking about it, Isagi Minoru took Isagi Yoichi to the park to play with other children. But he met some of his former colleague at the hospital and for a moment, when he was distracted, Isagi had secretly pull his hand out of his grandfather grip and ran away. After months of being locked in the house playing soccer alone made him bored to death. Not to mention, Ego has completed his treatment last week and went abroad on business, no one came to play soccer with him anymore.
His legs worked quickly as he took quick, swift steps to escape, heading to the football field of the park. Once he arrived, he quickly darted behind a tree and watched the other children playing, feeling excited yet a bit nervous to join them. After Isagi Yoichi found the courage to come forward and ask to play with them, he was denied horriblely.
The children refused to let Isagi play with them because they saw that he was wearing a blindfold. One of them even shouted loudly:
"Go play in the sand pit or on the swing set. This is boys' territory!"
Oh yeah, during his recovery, isagi didn't cut his hair, so with his long hair, he looked like a little girl. Isagi tried to argue that he was a boy, but the other kids just continued to tease him and laugh at him.
Isagi's frustration and anger mounted as the kids continued to reject his challenge. Just when he decided to double down and act provocatively, a voice came from behind him. Turning around, Isagi saw a boy who seemed to be the leader of the other kids. The others quickly silenced and made way for this new kid, their expressions turning gleeful as he approached the soccer field.
"Whose sister is this?" The red-bean hair boy looks at his friends, then turn to Isagi "If you come to confess your love, I will have to refuse, I don't have time to be your boyfriend."
Isagi couldn't help but feel even more annoyed as the new boy approached and made a comment about him being a "girl." He clenched his fists, his face turning red with anger.
"I'm not a girl. I'm a boy," Isagi protested, trying to sound firm and serious. "And I didn't come here to be anyone's girlfriend."
"Oh? So why you here? We not take disable as well" The boy shrug.
Isagi's jaw dropped in disbelief as the boy continued to taunt him. He couldn't believe the kid had the audacity to call him "disabled" just because he was blindfolded. Isagi's anger boiled over and he retorted angrily.
"I'm not disabled! I just have a eye patch on. And I came here to play soccer, not to be a part of your stupid fangirl's club." Isagi Yoichi fed up with the other boy's arrogant, suddenly blurted out a challenge: "Then how about a 1v1 match? Just you and me."
The boy seemed surprised for a moment but then smirked, a confident look on his face. "You sure? I don't want to bully the weak."
Isagi's face reddened in anger and embarrassment at the boy's words. He clenched his teeth and retorted defiantly. "We'll see about that," Isagi said through gritted teeth. "Just because my right eye covered doesn't mean I can't play. I'll show you."
Isagi stood on one side of the makeshift field, determination etched on his face. The other kid took his place on the opposite side, a smug expression on his face.
The boy challenged "Whoever scores first wins"
Isagi nodded, accepting the challenge. "Fine. Whoever scores first wins," he repeated.
"Ready to lose?" the boy called out, his voice dripping with confidence.
Isagi took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves and ignore the boy's taunts. "Just start the game," he replied, his voice steady.
The two children fought for the ball for five minutes. The boy continuously grabbed the ball on the right, intentionally aiming at Isagi's covered eye to win the ball but failed. The boy's confident smirk faded as Isagi used the needle technique to score the first goal. The other kids let out gasps of surprise, clearly not expecting the blindfolded boy to outplay the skilled boy.
The boy looked stunned for a moment before quickly re-composing himself in anger. "Lucky shot," he muttered, the words tinged with disbelief and frustration.
"Lucky or not, I still scored," Isagi retorted.
The boy looked like he was about to protest, but then he seemed to accept the challenge. "Again," he said simply, his expression fierce. "I'll beat you this time."
The boy quickly scored an equalizer, "Again, whoever scores 2 goals wins."
"Agreed," Isagi replied. He felt a tingling sensation in his right eye.
The two boys readied themselves once more, each determined to come out on top. The atmosphere was electric as they faced off again. The ball bounced back and forth between the two boys, each making quick and strategic plays to try and score the second goal. The kids watching were all cheering and shouting as they watched the intense match play out.
The boy kept trying to go for Isagi's right side, hoping to exploit his blind spot, but Isagi was ready this time. He anticipated the boy's moves and thwarted each attempt, showing off his excellent senses and soccer skills despite being blindfolded.
The ball suddenly flew up towards the edge of the field, at the feet of a boy with moss green hair. Without hesitation, the boy immediately kicked it into the goal.
"Huh?" Isagi Yoichi bewildered, 'Why is that boy look familar?'
Everyone was stunned into silence as the ball flew into the goal, making a soft thumping sound against the net. The unexpected goal had completely caught everyone off guard, including Isagi and the other boy.
The boy with red bean-colored hair looked confused and annoyed, while the others just watched with wide eyes and dropped jaws.
"Hey, hey!" The red bean-colored boy protested, pointing at the green-haired boy who had scored the goal. "We were in the middle of a match! You can't just barge in like that! BAKA RIN!"
"Rin?" Isagi Yoichi muttering... 'Ehhhh Itoshi Rin? So the guy I been playing with is... is Sae-san?!' The realization hit Isagi hard...
The green-haired boy looked guilty, his expression repentant as he spoke in a soft, steady voice. "Apologies, ni-chan." he said.
"ISAGI YOICHI!"
Isagi whipped around at the sound of his name, surprise and recognition registering on his face at the familiar voice calling his name. "Grandpa?" he whispered.
Minoru is a calm man, but when he realizes that the grandchild he was supposed to keep by his side has disappeared, he panics and goes looking for him. Luckily there was a boy on his way to the soccer field who was willing to lead him there. As soon as the old Isagi arrived, he saw his grandson, who had just taken off his bandage, running around on the soccer field with an owl-shaped eyepatch stained with red dots. Without a word, he signaled to Isagi to come to him.
Isagi glanced at the other kids, who were still watching him with a mix of surprise and curiosity. He knew he ought to go to his grandpa, but there was a part of him that was reluctant to leave the game and the intense atmosphere he had been embroiled in.
Isagi Minoru coldly lifted up Yoichi eye patch. As expected, his right eye was leaking tears and blood.
Isagi winced as his eye patch was lifted up, the cold touch against his sore and sensitive eye sending a sharp jolt of pain. He met his grandfather's cold gaze defiantly, feeling a pang of guilt and shame for worrying him.
"Home." The single word, spoken with firm finality, hit Isagi like a punch to the gut. He knew there was no use arguing with his grandpa. When he used that tone, there was no room for negotiation.
"Yes sir."
The red-bean hair boy ran over "Hey, I'm itoshi Sae, let's come play together next time. I still haven't beat you yet!"
"I'll be back," Despite the pain in his eye, he called over his shoulder to Sae, a determined look on his face. "We'll have a rematch soon."