Chapter Text
@BllkFanGurl.6457 commented
‘I bet Chigiri Hyoma would hate Kunigami I mean they' re complete opposites i could never see them playing together lol’
It was a couple days into their time off from blue lock, the boys had just finished their NEL matches and were sent home for a couple weeks to do some personal training before the under twenty world cup.
Chigiri sat on the edge of a cold, crystal-blue pool, phone balanced in his hand, wet crimson strands dripping against his shoulder. He was meant to be here, Ego’s orders: strengthen his legs in water training.
Instead he scrolled. Fan comments blurred past his eyes until one made him stop.
“Huh? Hate Kunigami?” he muttered, scoffing under his breath. “That’s a joke.”
His thumb hovered for a second too long before he tapped reply.
Without much thought, the boy fueled with a strange anger replies with
@RedPantherChigiri
‘Just so you know, I would never hate him, we used to be very close in the early stages of blue lock.’
No further explanation, it was short and brief but said everything it needed to. Chigiri sighs coldly under his breath before putting his phone off to the side and diving back into the endless water.
What he wasn’t prepared for was how when he opened his phone again, that one little comment had sent the internet spiraling.
@Footballblue286
‘New blue lock news! Chigiri Hyoma just confirmed that he and Kunigami Rensuke used to be friends! Who would have guessed!’
@KunigiriLoverrrr
‘Told yall i wasn’t crazy’
@Bluelockfan35367
‘OMG! THIS IS CRAZY DUDE’
@Nagicomeback244
Friends! I can't believe this! There really is so much we don't know about blue lock lol
Chigiri grumbles as he scrolls through the countless tweet chains discussing theories about their friendship. He rolls his eyes before deciding on shutting off his phone and tossing it into his tote bag, his headphones wrapping his ears.
The train ride was his usual, everyday he would take the train over to the swimming centre before riding it home to get home just before dinner, it was simple, yet suddenly it felt as if all eyes were on him.
It wasn’t just the shocked looks on people's faces that made him feel that way, it was the way he couldn’t even check his digital train ticket without getting his notifications spammed by some random accounts tagging him for answers.
He sighs shakily before turning his gaze towards his shoes, his music blasting into his ears, disassociating him from the world.
Kunigami’s task was to train physically as per usual, after completing several reps, he simply couldn’t ignore his suddenly busy phone. The sound of notifications buzzing against the floor filled the room and it was making the boy start to lose his patience.
Kunigami grumbled, patting sweat off his forehead with a towel as he walked over to his phone. His eyes widened as the sudden spam of messages, comments, posts all being tagged in.
He scrambles through comments, slowly trying to piece together how this was happening, why does the public know, how did they know?
His eyes divert across his screen before he sees a repost of Chigiri’s original comment
@RedPantherChigiri
‘Just so you know, I would never hate him, we used to be very close in the early stages of blue lock.’
Kunigami’s breath hitch, as he mentally checks whether that was actually Chigiri’s user, which it was, before taking a deep sigh in an attempt to calm himself down.
“That red headed idiot” he scoffs before reading through some of the ridiculous theories of the two's friendship.
It's been a couple days since Chigiri posted the initial comment and the internet, to Chigiri and Kunigami’s dismay, the shock hasn’t calmed down. If anything, it's gotten more intense, with even major sport news outlets jumping onto the conversation.
Chigiri’s laying in his bed, it's early morning and he's giving himself some time to wake before heading off to the pool for his usual strength and conditioning. He's scrolling through his emails, sorting them into junk mail and actual important mail before he realises he got an email from ego.
Chigiri grumbles tiredly before opening the email, his eyes skimming the screen, only picking up the key information before jumping to sit upright in his bed.
“The BBC? England? Wait what! Me and Kunigami?” he mumbles recklessly before properly reading the email.
Turns out, Kunigami and Chigiri had been offered an interview by BBC Sport to talk about their time at blue lock, yet everybody knew it would be about their friendship as Chigiri had been very bleak in his comment.
So there they were, just a day later in the first class lounge waiting for their flight. It was just the them, a situation the two never thought they would be in again after Kunigami’s persona change.
Chigiri was mindlessly gulping down some coffee, trying to not let his hatred for early mornings come in between the chance to spend some time with his old friend.
The idea that Chigiri could get back the friend that brought him up when he was down, the friend that he trained for countless hours with, the friend that he senselessly gazed at when he thought no one was looking.
He smiled softly into his coffee cup before taking another sip. Kunigami’s frown said it all. He wasn’t even trying to hide how annoyed he was.
He rolls his eyes at his phone before catching the eyes of Chigiri’s, oh how he hated those eyes of his. Kumigami has always known his weaknesses, he's always been able to be honest with himself and accept them yet there was always something odd about how he felt when Chigiri stared into his eyes, something he never felt he had to fix, something he never wanted to understand.
But Kunigami’s changed, he still feels that weird feeling whenever he catches eyes with the boy, the feeling of never wanting to look away yet his confusion just stirred a deep frustration in him.
“What?” he grumbles coldly, his eyes locked with the now widened eyes of Chigiri’s
“Oh, um nothing” he stumbles out, surprised by the sudden outburst of anger from Kunigami.
Chigiri sighs deeply before looking back at his phone. This short trip already felt endless. And it had barely even begun.
After a long flight stuck next to each other in first class, the two finally made it to England, the home of football and where they would be stuck facing press for the next day.
Thankfully, the two got their own private rooms, with silk bedding and a large display of amenities in the bathroom. After trying to figure out what every little bottle was for, Chigiri mindlessly flopped onto the bed before suddenly being interrupted by a loud bang against his door.
“The bbc sport escorts want us out of here in five minutes, hurry up princess” Kunigami announces into the door.
Chigiri’s head shoots towards the door, replaying the words in his head. “Princess?” he mumbles to himself in disbelief. The last time he had been called that by Kunigami was during his match against Isagi in the second selection, the memory causing a shiver down his spine.
He quickly fixed his hair and grabbed his shoes before heading out the door, surprised to be met with only an escort, no Kunigami.
Turns out, the two had been escorted separately to ‘build tension’ as one of the sport managers explains to Chigiri. Despite being a sport, a large part about football is pleasing the fanbase, so sport outlets jump at opportunities like this, it brings them more publicity while giving the fans more answers.
Their main headquarters was in greater Manchester, so the drive from the hotel was smooth. Kunigami was brought in first, his questions mainly circulating around his time with Bastard Munchen and how it felt to win the NEL league.
Chigiri awkwardly watched from the sidelines of the press room, anticipating his request to enter the room. He wasn’t that nervous, he had done interviews before yet something was different. The idea of having to talk about their past friendship, something that wasn’t real anymore hurt, despite playing it strong for his teammates, he had truly missed Kunigami and was disappointed at how Kunigami still puts no effort into amending what they once had.
“Thanks Kunigami, well we have another special guest joining us today, please welcome, Hyoma Chigiri”
Chigiri swiftly tucks a strand of hair behind his ear before catching the lens of the first camera he saw before walking over to sit near Kunigami.
“Well, it's great to have you two, the whole NEL season was such an anticipating form of football and fans globally enjoyed it” the host announces.
The questions had been light at first, NEL training, their clubs, the upcoming U-20 world cup matches. But Chigiri could feel the room buzzing, everyone just waiting for the messy part. He kept tucking strands of crimson hair behind his ear, pretending he didn’t notice the journalists leaning forward in their seats.
And then it dropped.
“Some fans speculate your falling out had to do with Kunigami’s return from Bastard München. Care to comment?”
Chigiri’s fingers froze against his knee. His throat felt dry as he leaned toward the mic.
“Um… no. We hadn’t spoken long before then, so it wasn’t that.”
The truth stung, but he forced himself to keep his voice steady. When he leaned back, his leg bounced restlessly, betraying him anyway.
The next journalist didn’t waste a second. “Chigiri called you someone he could never hate. Would you say the same about him?”
Kunigami’s jaw flexed. His eyes locked onto the journalist’s, cold and sharp, before slowly dropping to the mic. His knee bounced hard enough to rattle the table, his knuckles whitening against his thigh.
“No,” he said flatly. A pause stretched. His voice dropped just slightly, softer, “I could never hate him either.”
Chigiri’s head snapped toward him, crimson bangs falling into his eyes. His chest tightened. He wanted to ask what the hell Kunigami meant if it was real, if it was just for the cameras but his throat burned too much to form words.
The silence lingered too long.
Another journalist jumped in, sensing blood. “Chigiri, do you miss how things used to be with Kunigami?”
His lips parted, but nothing came out. His fingers clenched the edge of his seat. He couldn’t answer without spilling everything.
Kunigami’s low scoff cut the tension. He leaned sideways, his voice barely audible against Chigiri’s ear. “Princess.”
Chigiri flinched. His ears burned. He fumbled for the mic like he’d forgotten how to use it.
“Oh uh, pardon?”
The room chuckled, cameras flashing. Managers muttered into their headsets: “Please tell me we got that.”
Chigiri’s pulse thundered. He wanted to disappear, but worse, he wanted to look at Kunigami again.