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Their first meeting was like this.
Yoichi sat on a swing at the edge of the playground, half-heartedly pushing himself. Laughter and shouts filled the air. He peeked shyly through the gap of the swing’s chain. All the other kids were deep in their games and conversations, a warm bubble of belonging with no space for him.
Navy shoes dragged on the ground to slow his rocking, and Yoichi jerked his sleeves in a nervous habit.
Should he try talking to them? Ask if he could join? But what if he interrupted them? What if he said something weird? Or if they thought he was weird?
His throat tightened at the thoughts swirling in his head.
Yoichi pressed his lips together tightly and lowered his gaze. Once again, he began the motions.
Kick.
Rock back.
Swing.
All the while, his heart trembled, hoping that maybe–just maybe–someone would come to him first.
“Hey, you.”
Yoichi doesn’t look up at first. After all, there’s no way that person is talking to him.
“Oi, are you deaf or something?” The voice took on a snappier tone, though it still maintained its flatness from before. “You, with the lobster sweater.”
Yoichi’s eyes unwittingly glanced at the large cartoon lobster painted on his chest. His father had bought it for him the year before, and Yoichi had only wanted it because of the soccer ball the creature was sitting on.
“M-me?” Yoichi finally looked up.
Pink. That’s his first thought. Like cherry blossoms.
Beautiful was his second.
Scary was his third.
“We’re missing a player. You’ll fill in.”
Yoichi clenched the chain tightly. “Um… You want me to play?”
The cherry blossom boy narrowed his eyes impatiently. “Yes or no.”
“Y-yes!”
Yoichi jumped off the swing, the wooden seat jolting from the abrupt dismount, and bumbled over. His whole body buzzed with barely restrained excitement.
“I’m Yoichi! You are?”
“Itoshi Sae.”
Itoshi Sae. Sae.
And maybe… a friend.
“Nice to meet you!” His cheeks stung from how wide he smiled. “Please take care of me!”
Sae seemed startled at the enthusiastic greeting. At least, Yoichi thinks that is the reason for the widening of those green eyes–green like leaves or moss or grass.
Sae’s gaze snaps to the ground. “Just… hurry up,” he grumbled and stomped off.
Yoichi rushed to catch up. Oh no, was Sae mad? He wondered if he did something wrong. Did he accidentally offend his new maybe-friend? Was it something he said?
Those thoughts paused when he caught sight of Sae’s face.
Secretly, Yoichi crossed out scary, and over the scribbles, he wrote: awkward.
No, not quite right.
Cute.
“Psst! Guys, over here!”
“Bachira, if you're trying to be discreet, you're doing an awful job at it.” Chigiri pulled the chair out and dropped his tray on the table. “Maybe try whispering next time instead of yelling across the cafeteria. Just a suggestion.”
Following close behind was Reo who was carrying two trays with a white-haired sloth hanging off his shoulders. Weight training? It was a mystery how he was able to carry all of Nagi’s 190cm’s of dead weight as though he was carrying air.
This has become a common sight. Ever since they made up, Reo very naturally took back his role as Nagi's… friend? Mule? This piggy-backing wasn't even the strangest thing they've done!
But Bachira wasn't interested in unpacking the strange dynamic.
“Did you notice that Isagi's been acting weird lately?”
He was far more interested in the mystery surrounding his very own partner.
At the mention of Isagi, Reo’s hand paused over his chopsticks and his eyes grew dull. A black aura started surrounding him reminiscent of his angst arc in the Second Selection.
“Isagi, huh…”
Strange.
After a super secret meeting that Isagi refuses to tell Bachira about, the two seemed to get on friendlier terms. Maybe too friendly. Reo started inviting Isagi to his practice sessions with Nagi, and Bachira recalled a battle in the baths to scrub Isagi's back.
Of course, with him as the winner.
But, did something happen again? Was Isagi's behaviour related to Reo?
Why Reo and not him?
“What? If you know something, then say it already!” Bachira nearly threw himself over the table to grab the Mikage heir’s collar.
“Hey, watch it, I don't know anything!”
Bachira's fears were doused when Reo finally spoke–
“Whatever it is, though, it's probably related to her …”
–only to be reignited.
Bam!
“What?! He’s got a girl?!” Chigiri slammed his hand on the table, but thankfully remained seated. “Name, age, and information now Mikage!”
“Shh!”
Reo glanced around nervously at the outburst, sighing in relief when no one spared them a glance. It looks like their daily habits of making a scene worked in their favour.
“I don't know much.” He grumbled, brows furrowing deeply as he stared at the table with an intensity that could melt plastic. “Just… during practice this morning, we were talking about the upcoming match against the U-20 team and he suddenly mentioned a ‘Sacchan’.”
The temperature at their table plummeted.
Nagi slowly picked his head up from the table. In his usually indifferent eyes was the beginning of a storm.
“He doesn't use a nickname with me…”
What a kid, was the thought running through everyone’s minds at the table. However, none of them had room to talk.
After all, they wanted a nickname from Isagi too…
“Alright, this calls for a plan.” The four of them leaned close over the table in a huddle. Bachira punched his palm with his fist. “Mission: find out who this ‘Sacchan’ is!”
“And get rid of her!”
“Yeah!”
–
A few seats away, a nervous Yukimiya pushed up his glasses while desperately keeping his eyes focused on his food. He knew he should have sat somewhere else.
“Today’s lively too,” Karasu whistled. Unlike his bespectacled friend, he was shamelessly staring at the source of 70% of the ruckus in the cafeteria with an easy grin on his face. “Doncha think?”
Yukimiya folded instantly under no pressure. So much for minding his own business.
“Should we do something?” He tapped the table with his fingers in a sharp, discordant beat.
He was concerned about that faceless girl who was allegedly in Isagi’s life. With the combined force of Bachira’s chaotic nature, Chigiri’s spite, and Reo’s resources, it was only a matter of time before she was found and wiped from the face of the earth.
Karasu slumped on his chair just enough so that his foot could reach Yukimiya’s.
Clack!
“You worry too much.” He pointed with his thumb at the four carelessly.
“Stop that, they’ll see–.”
“What’s the worst they could do? S’not like they’ll do anything to get hated by Mr. Ordinary.”
Yukimiya’s shoulders sagged. He narrowed his eyes without heat and sighed. “Fine. But if we see a missing person’s report on the news within the week, know that I told you so.”
Mission: find out who ‘Sacchan’ is! was a go. They put their first plan into play that very afternoon.
Isagi’s brows slowly rose up. “You found… my missing uniform?”
He held the shirt up to his chest. Though it was almost the same size, it was a bit longer on Isagi. Not to mention slimmer. Much more suited for someone else in particular.
Isagi gave Bachira a pointed look. “This isn’t mine.”
“Of course it is. Who else could it belong to?”
“It's obviously yours.”
“No, it’s not.”
“It has your name on the tag. Right here.” A slender finger poked at the crudely scrawled name.
“I can’t read.”
“...” Isagi closed his eyes helplessly, asking for patience within his soul.
Realizing he was losing his prey, Bachira quickly did damage control. He reached a hand inside the uniform before pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. Then, with an exaggerated gasp, he held it out to Isagi.
“What’s this? Who would leave such a thing in your clothes, Isagi?”
“You mean yours,” Isagi mumbled absently. He took the slip of paper and read it out loud in case Bachira claimed he didn’t understand what was written. “Let’s see… ‘Do you have a girlfriend? Check yes or no.’”
.
.
.
“What?”
Still reeling from what he read, Isagi flinched when a pencil appeared and blocked the page. He looked up to find Bachira staring at him with unrestrained intent. “Life is mysterious,” he says randomly. “But when the universe asks, you have to answer it.”
This… was weird.
Even for Bachira.
Was it a prank? Isagi has been rather neglectful lately.
After he found out that he was playing against them in the U-20 versus Blue Lock match, Isagi was fired up. Just the memory alone brought a silly grin on his face that he had to consciously push down, though with little success.
Most of his time was in the training room to sharpen his skills in preparation. Unfortunately, that meant not spending as much time with his friends.
The earlier confusion and bewilderment melted into guilt.
“Let’s practice together later, yeah?” He ruffled Bachira’s hair affectionately and smiled. “I need to eat first, though. I’ll be at Training Field 3 at 6. See you then.”
He handed the uniform over to the motionless Bachira. Then, without preamble, walked off in the direction of the cafeteria. It was as he was getting his food that he noticed he was still holding the paper.
“Oops.” He crumpled it into a ball and tossed it into the trash. That was the last he thought about the encounter.
–
“Your plan sucked.”
“Hey!”
“No, Chigiri’s right.” Reo scratched the back of his head when Bachira turned those betrayed eyes his way. “When you said it was full-proof, I… Well, I didn’t believe you, but I thought it would get us some information. But, like–.”
“Are you an elementary schooler?” Nagi finished.
That was a painful blow. Bachira melted to the floor and covered his head with his arms. Still, they could see the tips of his ear burning bright red like a siren. “You’re all just jealous cause Isagi patted my head. We even have a date later!”
“If you could stop being gay for one second, then maybe you’d be more successful,” Chigiri scoffed. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. Rather than a guy trying to find out his friend’s dating status, he looked more like a soldier going to war.
“If you want something done, you’ve got to do it yourself. Watch how it’s done.”
Chigiri’s plan? Manipulation, of course.
“I’ve said it before, but your observation skills are really impressive.”
“Actually, I don’t think you’ve ever said that about me before.” Isagi wiped his forehead with the towel and took a swig of his water bottle. While biting the lid, he gave Chigiri a side-eye. “... What are you planning?”
“...”
Busted immediately.
No, this is fine. The first rule about being called out is deny, deny, deny.
“I’m serious!” Chigiri bumped their shoulders together. He was going to pull away, but the warmth radiating off Isagi’s body was strangely comforting. He leaned closer. “It’s your weapon, but even out of the field, you’re really good at noticing everything. Like, you remembered my birthday after hearing it once or when you picked up on my knee hurting a few days ago.”
“Ah.” Isagi chuckled nervously, his cheeks turning a fetching shade of pink. “Thanks, I guess.”
Chigiri found his focus fading into the back of his head at the sight. “Er, yeah, no problem.”
What was he doing again? Oh yeah.
“Girls really like observant guys. That whole noticing the little things is a real killer. You must be popular outside of Blue Lock.”
“You think so?” Isagi tilted his head and squinted at the ceiling. “The last time I got Valentine’s chocolate was in middle school.”
There!
Chigiri’s spine straightened. He forced his features to show only mild interest. Too much eagerness would be suspicious and Isagi was already on to him from earlier.
“Middle school, huh? That’s not that long ago. Is she…” Nonchalant. Unaffected. He can’t show too much interets. “Your girlfriend?”
“Pfft!”
Water sprayed from Isagi’s mouth onto the pitch, and he started coughing. Chigiri only froze for a moment before hurriedly patting Isagi’s back to help him through the coughing fit.
“G-girlfriend?!” Isagi managed to squeeze out. Tears wet his eyes and his cheeks were flushed from the trauma of choking on water. “No! Besides, Manami-chan moved away a few days later, so it’s not like we had a chance…”
Manami?
There’s nothing about the name that could be ‘Sacchan.’ That’s another dead end.
“Geez, where did that come from? You could have waited until I finished drinking,” Isagi complained. It was without heat, though. He didn’t really blame Chigiri, though the pink-haired teen definitely deserved to be considering his motives for asking in the first place.
Still, it was new information!
“Good talk, really enjoyed myself, but I have to go blow-dry my hair!” Chigiri said all in one breath while running out the practice field to find the others.
Within seconds, Isagi was left alone to sit in disbelief. “Blow-dry the sweat? I don’t understand…”
–
The stuffiness of the broom closet was bad enough, but mixed with the tension in the air, it was almost suffocating.
“At least that ‘Sacchan’ isn’t his girlfriend.”
Reo raised his hands into the air when all eyes turned his way. There was a savage, almost desperate desire in their eyes for an explanation.
The first one to break the silence was Chigiri. “What makes you say that?”
“He was way too flustered about being asked, don’t you think?” Then, to silence protests, he continued, “Bachira’s doesn’t count. If he asked me to fill in a form of whether I had a girlfriend or not, I’d also just dismiss it as a burst of insanity.”
Murmurs of agreements followed his assessment. Even Bachira begrudgingly conceded.
“Fine, no girlfriend.” Nagi’s thumb tapped harshly on his screen. Head-shot. The [You Win] beamed at him, but he felt nothing. “That doesn’t mean she won’t be in the future.”
That… was true. After all, why else would Isagi look like he’s walking on cloud nine even before the Blue Lock team was finalized. Everyone else outside of the top 6 were walking balls of anxiety. Some were even going to Igaguri as though the monk could bring them luck going forward.
Reo pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s fine. The Mission objective is still the same. Let’s find out who she really is before we decide what to do next.” His eyes snapped open. “I have just the plan.”
Clatter!
Isagi raised his head, blinking when he was met with a familiar smug grin.
“Hey there, Mr. Ordinary,” he greeted casually. He dropped down on the chair directly across from Isagi with relish, his grin growing wider. “Mind if I sit here? Place is kinda packed.”
Isagi looked around the empty cafeteria. He then gave Karasu an unimpressed look. “Uhuh. Go ahead.”
He scooped up the curry and blew on the steaming spoonful. If the taller wanted to start something, Isagi wasn’t interested in entertaining him. He was here to enjoy his delicious food after hours of training. The final lineup was going to be announced later that night which had him feeling antsy. There was a lot of excess energy he needed to burn out.
“Let’s play a game.”
“Mhm,” Isagi hummed absently.
“20 questions. Ever heard of it?”
Swallow. “We just ask each other things, right?”
“Smart boy.” Karasu’s pur was downright illegal. He pushed his untouched tray aside and leaned closer, propping his chin with his palm. “Mind if I start?”
Isagi pursed his lips. It should be fine, right? And if Karasu asks something weird, he can just choose not to answer.
“Be my guest.”
“Hm, I’ll start off easy. Don’t want to scare ya’ off now,” he joked. Karasu used his free hand to drum at the table. “What’s your favorite food?”
“Easy. Kintsuba.”
“Are you an old man?”
Isagi scowled. “It’s delicious! What about you?”
“Kelp tea. Next question, when did you start playing football?”
“Wha–?! That’s a drink, not food. Also, I started playing when I was 4.”
“And you still suck? That must sting, huh.”
“Grr….”
It went on like this for a while. Eventually, Isagi began to relax. His shoulders lost their tension, and he was even laughing at Karasu’s lame jokes. The hair-gel guy had a nasty personality, yes, but you can’t say he wasn’t charming.
Finally, they reached their last questions.
Karasu cleared his throat. This was the moment of truth. “So,” he leaned in even closer, his voice low like they were sharing a secret. “Is there anyone you’re interested in? Romantically?”
And then–.
Isagi blushed.
He laughed awkwardly and scratched his cheeks. “It’s… I guess it’s not that big a deal.” Unconsciously, his lips tugged up in a gentle arc and he bloomed. “There’s someone, yeah.”
Gulp.
“Who? Someone outside? Childhood sweetheart? Or in Blue Lock?”
Isagi blinked at the onslaught. Then, his smile turned into something sly. “That was your last question,” he tutted playfully. “It’s my turn. So, what–?”
CRASH!
SLAM!
THUMP!
The loud noise scared him silent. Isagi spun to look at the north entrance where the noise came from, but there was nothing there. “What–?”
“Don’t… Ahem, dontcha worry yer’ pretty head about it.” Karasu quickly tried to get his attention back. “You know how teenage boys are. Always screwing around.”
“I-if you say so…”
–
In the afternoon of the day the Blue Lock team’s final lineup was decided, a rumor spread around the facility. The hallway leading to the cafeteria entrance near Training Field 8 was haunted by the vengeful spirits of fallen players.
Igaguri walked out of his dorm to find that his customer base had increased suddenly.
In the end, they only had what they had started with. The knowledge that Isagi had this mysterious ‘Sacchan’ in his heart.
Isagi got even weirder, too. After they found out that they would be starters for the match, he disappeared for a few hours. No matter where Bachira searched, even going through the vents, he couldn’t find him. Though, to be fair, he did get caught midway through his search by Barou who started smashing the ceiling with the bath floor scrubber.
Good times.
No prodding or ‘subtle’ questioning would give any answers. Nagi’s own genius plan of going up to Isagi and asking him, “Were you meeting someone? Who was it? Tell me,” was met with the raven-head simply brushing it off with a flustered laugh and running off.
Suspicious. So suspicious, and it was making them itch with how much they needed answers.
Unfortunately, the day of the match arrived.
This was game day. There was no room for distraction, and they were forced to put their steadily escalating plans to rest.
Of course, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be scrutinizing the stands for anyone who stared at Isagi for too long.
Too bad they were so focused on the stands to realize they should have been focused on the other team...
–
The match hit a fever pitch.
Players were running back and forth on the field, cleats digging into the turf chasing after the ball. Sae Itoshi, as expected, was a monster on the field. His calculations and skills were leagues above the rest. Even as he outplayed the Blue Lock players, there was this sense that he was bored.
Everyone was at the edge of their seats.
Rin Itoshi, Sae’s younger brother, was performing as expected. However, it was the other player from Blue Lock that had everyone’s attention.
Isagi and Sae. Did they know each other?
They were on opposing teams, but their confrontations were nothing like the usual back-and-forth. It was obvious at a glance. They were reading each other, an anticipation of moves that felt almost prophetic. It was like their minds were functioning on the same wavelength.
Whenever Isagi moved, Sae was always there to cut him off. That’s to be expected. However, it was Isagi’s ability to close down Sae’s angles before anyone else could react that stood out.
Rin found himself… confused.
He froze when he watched as Sae intercepted another one of Isagi’s attacks, but instead of the cold detachment or Isagi’s indignation at being caught, they started talking. He was too far to hear, but Sae said something that had Isagi barking out a laugh.
Was he in another dimension? Rin felt his stomach tightening with an unnamed emotion.
What the hell?
The announcer’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
[A fascinating rivalry between Itoshi Sae and Blue Lock’s offensive midfielder. They seem to be familiar with each other. Perhaps, they know each other off field? Ahem, in any rate, could this mean that Blue Lock has a chance of countering?]
Ugh.
Mood souring even more, Rin rushed toward the duo in a burst of speed. Whatever history they had didn’t matter. His objective was still the same.
He was going to destroy everyone on this field!
–
Bam!
Swish!
The final whistle split the air, and the whole stadium hushed. And then–
[GOAL!!!!]
It erupted into deafening cheers and screams.
Isagi’s chest heaved as he stared at the net where his direct shot made the score. He did it. He actually did it. He, no, Blue Lock won.
“YEAH!”
“Nice shot, partner!!”
“Hah! Who knew ya’ had it in ya’?”
“We did it!”
Isagi’s goal replay played on the large screen. A perfect shot that sealed the match. Swarms of sweaty teenage boys crowded around him and blocked his view, shouting his name and slapping his back. The roar of the crowd made his ears ring.
But through it all, Isagi saw him.
Sae.
He cut through the throng of players. As he passed, the players started quieting down and moving away instinctively, a feeling that something big was about to happen.
This was all periphery. All Sae cared about… was Isagi.
He stopped when there was barely a foot between them. For a beat, the world shrank to just the two of them. Hearts beating in sync, teal and sapphire glittering with something.
A loud gasp came from the crowd, followed by a choked, “SACCHA–!?”
Isagi didn’t hear it. He smirked, breathless but triumphant.
“I won.”
Sae’s lips quirked up, and he nodded faintly.
“Which means I won the bet.” Isagi tilted his head and tapped his lips, pretending to think. “Let’s see… What I want as my prize–.”
“Rejected.”
That wiped the smirk off Isagi’s face. “What!? You can’t do that, I–!”
“I said rejected,” Sae cut off cooly. “That’s not what you really want, anyway.”
Oh?
Isagi narrowed his eyes. He folded his arms and leaned his head back so he could have a better view of Sae. “Fine, then what do you think I want?”
Sae didn’t answer with words.
He took a step forward, closing the remaining space between them, and leaned until their foreheads touched. His gaze pinned Isagi in place. Within his chest, a sliver of satisfaction at putting that dazed look on Isagi’s eyes.
“This.”
And then he kissed him.
.
.
.
The world erupted for a second time, perhaps even louder than when Isagi made the winning goal. Among the screaming, there were wails and the sound of someone(s) being held back from doing something they’d regret on public television.
“ARGH, LET ME GO!”
“M-MY EYES!”
“Sae and Isagi? Damn, who’d have seen that coming?”
“G-guys! I think Rin is having a stroke?! He’s not breathing!!”
For the two lost in their own world, this was but background music.
Isagi pulled back just enough to smile against Sae’s lips. He was radiant.
“Alright, Sacchan. You were right,” he muttered with mock resentment.
Sae smirked, all arrogance and satisfaction. “I always am, Yocchan.”