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Chapter Text

It was just meant to be another day in Blue Lock.

The cafeteria is bustling with boys. And unfortunately for Rin, he had been dragged by Bachira to get food and was now stuck in the crowd. 

Made it all the more worse for what happened next. 

"Itoshi Rin, please head up to Ego's office."

All heads turned towards him as he turned on his heel and walked towards Ego's office. Whatever Ego called him for had better be important. (And he was silently grateful that he had an excuse to leave. The crowd had been overwhelming him a little.)

After knocking on the door to Ego's office once, he headed inside before waiting for a response. 

"What do you want?" Rin blurted out.

Ego turned around, and beside him stood a familiar figure. 

A woman, dressed in a fancy attire, with silver-blue hair Rin would recognise from anywhere. Her gaze, as always, pierced his soul, reading him like an open book. In her hand was her trusty whip that she carried everywhere. After the first few times they met, she never seemed to hit him with it anymore. 

She was someone whom he had come to trust. 

Someone he considered a friend. 

"And here I thought your foolish, cold behaviour had changed. Oh well, that's not important now."

In all her pride and glory stood Franziska Von Karma. Rin stared in shock, but quickly recomposed himself.

"Franziska? What are you doing here?"

Franziska eyed Ego, as if asking for permission to reply. He nodded, so she walked over to Rin. 

And trapped him in a hug. 

"I- HEY! Let go of me!" 

"None can do foolish little Rin. It's been a while since we've seen each other anyway, I've been meaning to give you this hug."

"Explain to me first, though."

Franziska smiled as she let go.

"Straight to the point. You are in potential danger of an assassination, as confessed by one of the foolish criminals apprehended last week.
The fool claimed that their foolish little organisation thought it was best to target those who were public figures, famous and all, but who weren't a symbol of hope. 
With a foolish motivation, "To leave only hope for the people." 
And you are a fool, being such a destructive person that you became one of those on the hit list."

Rin stared in shock. "So you're here because..?" 

"I'm here to pick you up and take you to meet the fool who will supervise you. I have my own bodyguard, since the fools are targeting me for being a prosecutor. I'm not sure who this Ego fool has ties with, so I want to see if the fool he assigned to protect you is competent enough to do so."

Rin blinked for a few seconds. 

"Taking a while to process Rin?"

"Shut up." Everything was happening way too fast anyway. How was he meant to keep up? 

Ego interrupted them. "Well, now that's done, please see yourselves out. Rin, I want you back as soon as you meet him. With Von Karma here, you will be going to Yokohama. That is where you will find him. Good luck." 

And with that, Ego kicked them out of his office. The two made their way down towards the exit, but not before going to the cafeteria. Rin hadn't eaten yet, and it seemed that Franziska hadn't either. And they came to the conclusion it was probably safer to eat the cafeteria food from a soccer prison rather than food from a cafe that could get laced. 

Unfortunately, the cafeteria was still pretty crowded. But they couldn't afford to wait for all the boys to leave, so they walked in anyway. Out of everyone, Charles was the first person to run up to Rin.
 

"Yoo, Rin! Why'd ya get called out? And who's she? Your auntie or something?"

Franziska stared at Rin, confused. 

Oh right... Franziska didn't have the earbuds Mikage Corp. had lent them. And she knew he didn't understand French.

"Rin? Rin!! Answer me..." Charles insisted. 

"And if I do, would you leave me alone?"

"Nope!"

Rin sighed. Franziska still had a confused look on her face, so Rin nudged her and pointed to his ear. She hummed in response. 

"Rinrin~ who is shee~" The French boy began to sing. He was throwing a small tantrum, pulling at Rin's arm and begging in his ear. Rin just started walking to grab his food (with Franziska following and Charles being dragged along). 

Franziska had slowly begun to get annoyed at all the foolish pleas coming out of the boy. Especially since it had been annoying Rin as well. 

"I'll have you know that I am Franziska von Karma, the best prosecutor you will see. Since you are wearing those foolish earbuds, I am sure your foolish brain can comprehend what I am saying to you. So for gods sake be quiet, you fool." She flashed her whip at him for good measure.

Charles stared at her with curiosity, then smiled and ran off, satisfied. He probably left to tell someone. Maybe Loki, or maybe Shidou. But that wasn't their problem anymore. 

"That fool usually acts like that, yes?" 

"Yeah."

They quickly grabbed some food, because unfortunately, Rin's presence drew a lot of attention. And both of them wanted to be out with as few interruptions as possible. 

Though you can't dream of the impossible. 

Bachira, who was now with Isagi, had stopped them. 

"Rin!! Why'd Ego call you? Did you get in trouble? Why'd you leave me?? Who's she?" 

"To answer all your questions. That's none of your business." 

Rin grabbed Franziska's hand and made a run for the exit. 

"Wait, Rin, where are you going now?!" Isagi thought, and Bachira voiced out.

Before Bachira could run after them, Isagi grabbed his hand. 

"We can ask Rin later. Right now, didn't you say you wanna get some food? You were going to get with Rin earlier, but he left, so that's why you dragged me."

"Oh yeaah! Let's go!" 

.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡ଘ( ᐛ ) ଓ+..｡*ﾟ+

"I don't get it. Why couldn't the guy just come here? Why do I have to go all the way to Yokohama to grab some guy who's meant to protect me?"

Currently, they sat in the backseat of a car (A train was too risky. Too many people.), nearing the city. 5 tall buildings could be seen clearly from this distance, standing out like a sore thumb. 

"That is a question for the foolish man who locked you all up in a cage for soccer," Franziska replied. 

Rin grumbled.

"Loosen up a little, Rin! Think of this as a holiday!"

"No thanks, detective Gumshoe..."

Franziska looked at Rin, adjusting her grip on the whip she held close. He was a kid only two years younger than her. She always got pissed whenever children like him were involved in any case. 

She hoped this bodyguard that Ego had hired from who knows where could actually protect her little brother close friend. She would not hold back with her whip if anything were to happen to Rin.

As they draw closer to the city, Franziska reminisces about how the two had met, then everything that had followed after. 

A 13-year-old Franziska wandered around the city, curious about the unfamiliar setting. Her Papa and little brother, Miles, had come here for a case, but Papa let her explore for now. 

In his words, "It would be befitting for a Von Karma to develop an understanding of the places they will visit. You can understand the people, and that will make it easier to win the case." 

So far, it had been fairly average. Interesting, but offered just about as much as a city could offer. She wanted to see the ocean. She didn't know why, but the idea of watching the vast sea as the sun set was more interesting than the life of the city. 

From an earlier trip, she knew there was a suburb she could probably get to with the train that was very close to the sea. 

There, near the road, she saw two boys eating popsicles, staring at the horizon. All of a sudden, she was filled with the urge to go there too. 

As she hopped on the train, she wondered about what would happen if Miles were with her right now. He was busy with Papa, talking about the case, probably. Or lessons on prosecuting again. 

After a few stops, she saw a few familiar houses. 'This is surely the place!' she squealed in her head. quickly, she hopped off the train and went towards the direction of the houses, following the road. 

The ocean had been near the road. So if she stayed on the path, she could most certainly get there. 

But after a few streets, Franziska realised she was getting nowhere. Sighing to herself, she turned around. 

'Maybe next time... Papa would surely know the way. If he had the time, maybe we could all go.'

Right as she was about to retrace her steps, a ball hit the fence near her, causing her to jump back a little. Apparently, her flinch was noticed by the one who kicked the ball.

"Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to miss the goal by that much..." 

Looking at the source of the voice, Franziska's eyes widen in shock. 

One of the boys she saw earlier! Sitting near the sea!  This- This was her chance!

"Sorry to interrupt your..." She looked around at the empty field. He had been practising with himself, it seems. "...personal training session. But I wanted to know where the ocean is?"

The boy stared at her, confused. 

Right. Language barriers. She accidentally spoke German. Her Japanese was broken, too.

Hopefully, he could understand English. 

"Sorry, do you know where the ocean is? I want to see it during my time here." 

The boy looked excited. 

"Of course!" Ah, thank god, he knew English as well. Even though she could understand him in Japanese, she appreciated the language change.

"Would you like to come with me? I did not go yesterday as I usually do. My brother just go to Spain."

That was probably the other boy Franziska saw with him last time. 

"Sure!"

She didn't know why she responded so quickly. She was just asking for directions, not a hangout. Though, she was rarely around kids her age, so maybe that was the case.

That was how she ended up with a new friend, Rin, with a popsicle in hand, staring at the water ahead of her as the sun slowly set. 

"Ni- My brother always brought me these, so I wanted to get one for you!" said the kid when he forced her to take it. Rin was way too nice for a stranger he had just met, but they did consider each other friends as soon as the Von Karma had agreed to join Rin on his usual excursion to the sea.

'Time flies, huh...' Franziska thought. 

It's been 5 years. Rin was 11 back then—a sweet, innocent and kind soul. 

She remembers last year, when he was 15, he called her crying over the phone. 

She remembers earlier this year when she did the same. 

Now they sat in the car, in a silence comfortable for Rin. Franziska was used to the chatter of the foolish detective in the background, but Rin wanted silence. He clearly needed to collect his thoughts. 

"We're here!" 

Rin jerked up, startled a little out of his trance. Franziska chuckled. Rin responded with a glare. 

"Mr.Ego said you guys are to ask for a man named... 'Mori Ougai,' tell them Ego sent you, and wait for him outside. He'll then meet you with the bodyguard for Rin." 

Nodding along, she stepped out of the car, Rin trailing behind. The younger looked around quickly, scanning every little thing. Franziska held her hand out towards him as a little reassurance. He grabbed onto the hand a little quicker than he'd like to admit.

Rin couldn't help but feel paranoid. A few hours ago, he was told he was a target for a murderous group, and now is picking up the person who is allegedly going to protect him. 

Speaking of which, he was pretty sure he was standing face-to-face with the guy now. Rin didn't know when he zoned out, but all he could do now was wait silently as Franziska talked with this weird doctor and the two creepy people next to him. One a child, looking like a doll, and one an adult with an empty gaze and a constant cough.

"So, you must be Itoshi Rin? It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Dr Mori Ougai. I want to confirm this, so you were told by Jinpachi Ego to find me for someone to protect you against these assassins?"

"Yes." Rin replied curtly. 

"Splendid!" Rin didn't like this Doctor. Neither did Franziska, based on the scowl on her face. Something was... off. Just like how the child next to him was too perfect, Mori was too. "Originally, I had someone else in mind to protect you, but he is held up by work, so I have Akutagawa here instead."

"Hello." Akutagawa looked like he didn't blink. At all. Too aware of his surroundings.

Which was good for a bodyguard...

"Would you look at the time! I have to go now. Have fun!" Mori turned and left with the blond child. Akutagawa remained, silent as a corpse. 

"Well, now that everything seems to be settled, both of you fools go to the back. I call the front seat." Rin got mad.

"That's not fair Franzisk-"

"My car, my rules. Now come on, we can go get a hot chocolate after Rin." 

They all hop into the car, Akutagawa and Rin at the back like Franziska instructed, and herself at the front (Gumshoe was driving, what other seat would he sit in?)

It was going to be a LONGGG day.

Chapter Text

The car ride back had been silent. They were out of the city when Gumshoe tried striking up a conversation, but the two boys at the back didn't reply. 

Akutagawa had been staring out... somewhere. Rin noticed how dead he looked. From how empty his eyes were to how thin and pale he was. 

And GOD, this man was coughing so much. At this rate, this guy would fall over and die before he could even protect Rin. How the hell was a guy this sick meant to be a bodyguard?

"Stop staring."

Rin glared at him even more. 

"I'm sorry, you look like a vampire on the verge of turning into ashes with how pale you are."

Akutagawa narrowed his eyes at Rin. "Hold your tounge." 

In response, Rin rolled his eyes and spat raspberries at him. Akutagawa clenched his fists, about to say something until-

"Do not start a fight in the car, you fools. I am not about to sit in here and listen to your foolish squabbling. Let us at least make it to the Blue Lock facility before you begin to fight." 

Franziska frowned at both of them. Rin sank back in his seat, making eye contact with his reflection in the car window. Akutagawa nodded slightly while coughing, looking outside the window. Now, they were passing by the ocean. 

"Ain't the water pretty?" Detective Gumshoe said, "I mean, we are surrounded by water. But I never get sick of looking out into the ocean." 

"...I guess if you stop to admire it, it is beautiful. I don't do that often as I work in the Port. I see the ocean enough anyway." Akutagawa coughed in reply. 

"Well, make sure you get a good look at it before it goes. This Blue Lock place is in the mountains, so you won't be seeing it anytime soon." 

Franziska sighed. They just had to stay in the soccer facility because it was practically in the middle of nowhere, and it had such high security. Everything was detailed and monitored by the Ego fool. At least he was good at something - Watching a bunch of screens. Even if it was just to monitor the progress of a bunch of teenage boys in soccer. 

She turned around to look at the two in the back. Rin was trying to sleep, and Akutagawa continued to stare outside. 

Did that guy ever blink? Franziska knows that a bodyguard should be aware at all times, but not blinking felt way too far. 

Franziska sighed as she looked forward to the road again. At least Rin was safe, even with a guy who looked a little too sick. She looked down at the papers she was holding. Before this whole trip, Ego had given her as many details as he was allowed to about Akutagawa. The contents were... interesting to say the least. It was very clear that something was hidden. (She wasn't a lawyer for no reason; of course she could spot these)

Akutagawa Ryuunosuke. 20 years old. Male... All the basic details, except his job, were on here. 

There were a few weird details. Like how he liked figs. He was also extremely light and pretty agile. That means if Rin were in danger, it would be easy to get him out of the situation as soon as possible.

What stumped her a little was the mention of an 'Ability'. The closest thing she ever saw was the Fey clan and their ability that came with being a spirit medium. But this was different. 

Akutagawa wasn't able to talk to spirits or become a vessel for them. He could manipulate fabric. Of all things. Fabric. But when he manipulated it, the fabric would become a deadly weapon. How did that work? Would the fabric become stiff and sharp?

The document said this 'Ability' 's name was 'Rashomon'. She would do some research on what that meant later.

 
For now, she should continue to monitor his behaviour. And so far, other than the petty fight that almost happened between him and Rin, Akutagawa was alright. Something was off, though. 

Franziska would not trust him alone to protect Rin. 

She would be there. 

She would be there till it's all over. Till Rin's life was no longer in danger. 

Foolish criminals. They had no clue what they were doing. Franziska, even if she wouldn't be present for most of the investigation, would make sure they came to justice. These fools would not be protected in the courtroom. 

.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡ଘ( ᐛ ) ଓ+..｡*ﾟ+

Akutagawa was pissed. First of all, the boss had randomly sent him to protect some 16-year-old kid, and second of all, he had to stay with the kid in that televised Blue Lock facility. The Ego guy promised that he wouldn't go on camera, but that wasn't what worried him. 

What worried him was the fact that the facility held a bunch of weird kids with way too much energy. And the adults he saw from clips weren't any better. 

So far, this Itoshi kid he had to protect was a brat, even if he was quiet. He stared at Akutagawa for way too long and dared to insult him. How was he meant to tolerate this teen for the rest of the time he basically has to live with him? The headache was already coming. 

Fortunately, that Von Karma lawyer can get him to stop being annoying for the most part. Akutagawa wondered, if she ever found out about his job as a Mafia member, would she arrest him immediately? Or just whip him to death on the spot as justice? 

Either way, he did not enjoy being in the car. And he knew he wouldn't enjoy being in the facility. If only the boss put Chuuya's workload on him. Then Chuuya would be babysitting this kid instead. Or even Gin. Gin was closer to the kids' age, and she might actually get along with the prosecutor. 

They were in the mountains now, nearing Blue Lock. Akutagawa prayed the detective driver would go slower, just to spare him from his fate. 

Alas, that never happened. The detective continued to drive at the same speed, steadily inching towards the giant soccer prison. (Akutagawa was a criminal, but he was confused as to how this was even legal. The things you could do with money and power, he guessed.)

He glanced at Itoshi again. The teen was in a light sleep, head resting against the car door. 

Suddenly, the urge washed over him to poke his face with Rashomon. However, the boy would probably be pissed and start yelling at him. Akutagawa did not need that. 

The car slowly came to a stop in front of the giant building. Akutagawa sighed, preparing for the worst. 

Gumshoe parked the car, and Franziska hopped out. She went around to open the door Rin had been leaning on, waking him suddenly. Akutagawa watched, slightly amused. 

The trio was left behind at the facility as Gumshoe drove off to help with tracking down the group. After a moment of silence, they dragged themselves into Blue Lock. Ego did need to see Akutagawa in person anyways. 

Chapter Text

Ego always had some idea up his sleeve that surprised people. Or pissed them off. Nobody could ever read him.

Tension hung across the room. Ego sat in his chair unbothered, while the trio glared at him, all for their own reasons. Anri was panicking a little, unsure of what to say. 

Franziska finally broke the silence. 

"So simply put, you want us-" She points to herself, then Akutagawa ", -to socialise with those foolish soccer players and TRAIN them? I am a prosecutor, not some babysitting coach, you ignorant fool."

"While you are a prosecutor, I'm sure you can teach a thing or two about reflexes or just discipline to those boys. With your whip and all." Ego stated. 

Franziska scoffed, pulling out her whip to use against Ego before Anri freaked out and begged her to put it away. While the two women debated on whether or not Ego should be hit, Akutagawa walked up to Ego. 

"And how will you have me train them." 

Ego grinned.

"Your boss doesn't really care what I do with you, so I want you with your... experience and skills to teach and train the boys. Bring out their weak spots, criticise them, destroy them."

Akutagawa narrowed his eyes at Ego. All of a sudden, a sharp tendril came out of Akutagawa's coat right at Ego's neck. 

"You request too much. All this while hiding my ability for some stupid soccer game and soccer players." 

Ego's smile didn't falter. 

"You are lucky I cannot end you right here because of the boss's orders."

Ego replies by simply leaning back in his chair, unblinking. 

On the side, Rin is just shocked. How the hell did Akutagawa do that? Was that some kind of supernatural power? Powers are real? Did that mean Kaiju's and ghosts were real too?

"Rin, close your mouth. You'll start drooling again." Franziska pointed out. 

Rin barely acknowledged her, just sealing his lips and continuing to stare at Akutagawa, interested. Franziska raised an eyebrow at this. She looked at Akutagawa, whose clothes had a faint red aura glowing around them, the black fabric retracting back into his coat.

"Must be the ability, huh..." 

Akutagawa must've felt them staring, as his attention quickly left Ego towards them. 

"Let's get the introductions done with today so we can rest. I'm tired of today." 

Before they exited, though, Ego called out to the Von Karma. 

"By the way, your hired bodyguard informed us that he'll be arriving in around... 2 weeks due to some issues. So you'll be staying a while here."

With that, the three left Ego's office to go see the rest of the teens. 

Rin would just have to store his questions about that ability and Franziska's bodyguard for later. Right now, he had to prepare for the questions he would be asked by the others in Blue Lock. 

There goes a peaceful afternoon. 

.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡ଘ( ᐛ ) ଓ+..｡*ﾟ+

"Rin! Yer back!" 

Nanase was the first to rush over to greet him. 

"And who are these two? Wait, you're the same lady from the mornin', aren't ya? I heard from the others that a stranger came by today and left with ya. You both look like adults. Ya'll aren't soccer players, are ya?" His curiosity and excitement were barely held back.

"Slow down, bumpkin. No, they aren't soccer players. Both here for a different reason. But the bowl-cut freak thought they could train us." 

Nanase lit up and immediately began to question Akutagawa, who was standing closer to Rin when they arrived at the PXG dorms.

According to the Itoshi, the rest could be introduced later. His team had to meet them though, considering his dorm was here. 

Akutagawa felt relieved he didn't have to meet all these teens. But this one had way too much energy, and he wasn't even the worst one. 
Akutagawa had seen Blue Lock TV before. And unfortunately, Itoshi was on the same team as that weird blonde dude. Shidou was it? He did not want to meet him soon.
 

"...anyways, I think I yapped a little too much, what's your name?"

Akutagawa hadn't heard any of what the kid said. Not that he would bother remembering any of it anyway. 

"Ryuunosuke Akutagawa."

"Not that talkative huh?" Nanase chuckled awkwardly. To Akutagawa's relief, the teen didn't pester him any further, now trying to strike a conversation with Franziska, who didn't seem to mind that much. 

Itoshi turned to him, his face saying, 'I know you didn't listen.'

"That was Nanase Nijiro. The most tolerable one here. So if you can't handle his energy, I have no clue how you'll live through the others."

Akutagawa frowned. Was he underestimating him? He would live through the rest of the kids. Probably shut them all up before they could talk. 

Rin, on the other hand, felt a headache coming on. He was hoping Akutagawa and Franziska would handle this all by themselves, but Akutagawa was closed off and hadn't even paid attention to Nanase. That meant he had to help with introductions. Which he did not want to do. 

At least Franziska was fine with conversing with Nanase. Hopefully, she could deal with the rest of his teammates herself. 

He'd probably only get them to meet the Blue Lock PXG members. And their coach, Loki. If the French team wanted to meet them, they could come themselves.

The group of four now walked along to find the other team members, with Nanase's talk about his whole life filling in the silence. 

The first one they crossed paths with was Cho, one of the old U-20 team members. All he gave was a simple nod and went back to whatever he was going to do. Rin was grateful for that. 

The second person- no people, they had come across was Tokimitsu and Yuzu in the gym. Yuzu simply introduced his name, going back to training as soon as possible. Tokimitsu kept on stuttering over his words, becoming slightly embarrassed as Nanase helped him out. 

Franziska felt sorry for the fool. He was way too anxious for this weird soccer prison, and way too freaked out by her whip. This could not be healthy for him. 

Akutagawa, getting slightly annoyed by the amount of stuttering, left the room, forcing Rin to chase after him, followed by Franziska and Nanase on their tail. 

After bumping into a kid named Endoji, Akuatagwa continued to scurry off. Rin continued to pursue him, while Franziska and Nanase stayed back for introductions. Endoji was a bright kid, but Franziska wanted to leave as quickly as possible to run after the two fools she was stuck with. Nanase had to drag her out of the conversation to catch up to them. 

The prosecutor was confused about where they were headed till she realised that this was the way to the cafeteria. The bodyguard must've been hungry. Or simply just lost. 

Soon, they saw Rin, which prompted Franziska and Nanase to slow down. As the two got closer, they realised that Akuatagwa and Rin were being interrogated by Zantetsu and Karasu. Both Rin and Akutagawa looked equally annoyed at the questioning. 

"...so, Mr Akutagawa, what are you doing here?"

"I find no reason to inform you." 

"But as residents of this building, I do think it is a lot much our business. Especially if you are an adult here with miners."

"Minors, Zantetsu." 

"Yes, that."

Nanase was about to butt into the conversation, but the Von Karma stopped the boy. 

"I want to see how this plays out. If it gets bad, I'll smack those fools with my whip, so don't worry." 

The kid looked at her with slight concern, but nodded. Since they had ended up at the cafeteria, Franziska sat down at one of the tables, Nanase following suit. 

"Akutagawa here is with me. That's all you need to know."

Rin stared at Karasu, arms folded. 

"But if he's here with you, then he's with us. We are in the same team, aren't we?"

Karasu leaned in, smirking at him. 

"Mind your own business, crow."

He would've stopped, but Karasu was too invested to drop the topic. Because why would two random people come to Blue Lock? Especially if they had nothing to do with soccer. 

"Karasu isn't a crow..." 

"But why would the number one of Blue Lock randomly bring someone in? It has got to be important, right?" 

If looks could kill, Karasu would have been buried under by now. Rin was clearly getting mad, and Akutagawa, behind him, looked tired and annoyed.

"Fuck off." 

"Can we head to a room now? I need to res-"

Akutagawa was cut off by someone bursting into the cafeteria. He turned his head and saw a tan man with spiky blond hair and- Oh no. The last person Akutagawa wanted to meet, based on his impressions from the rounds recorded.

"Hey Rinrin! Where the hell were ya this whole time? Hidin somewhere training by yourself again?"

Shidou had entered the cafeteria now, with Charles and Loki behind him. 

"Hey! It's that cool whip lady I was talking about earlier!" Charles told Loki, pointing directly to the prosecutor. 

"The renowned Von Karma, here at Blue Lock. How interesting..."

Meanwhile, Akutagawa stood confused. He knew they were speaking French because Chuuya and his sister sometimes spoke that language because of the executive who lived in the basement, but he never decided to learn it. 

Everyone else clearly understood those two. Franziska made sense, but the rest? Especially that dumb Zantetsu kid? How'd they understand it? He knew from the streams of the facility that the kids did play matches with and against other countries, but he never knew that they actually spoke to each other outside of rounds.

Loki turned from Franziska and spotted Akutagawa, who was standing next to Rin with a blank expression on his face. 

"And who may you be?"

The man didn't respond, only slightly turning his head. 

Loki became confused. 'Did he not hear me?'

All of a sudden, Rin gave out a loud sigh. He turned to Loki, with an annoyed expression washed over his face. 

"Ego didn't give him the translators."

Ah. That made sense. Loki checked through his pockets to find the spares he carried on him. Ego made all the coaches carry at least one spare pack of earbuds, just in case any of the players lost theirs. 

Fishing them out, he handed one to von Karma, who oddly declined them, saying something about not relying on foolish tools, and one to the man, who hesitated before placing one in his ear. 

"Do you understand me now?" Loki asked.

Akutagawa flinched. He was not expecting such a clear voice speaking in Japanese just because of some earbuds. Though right after that, he began to cover his ears as Itoshi, Shidou, and Charles started speaking. Very, VERY loudly. 

"Hey hey, I was just asking who this guy is, Lashes. A partner? A long-distance family member? A secret twin?"

"And I told you to drop it. How the hell would he even be my twin anyway? He's an adult." 

"Aw man, just tell us~ No harm in doing so hehe."

"No. Do you want me to shut your mouths?"

"Is that a threat I'm hearing?"

("Are they gonna fight?" Nanase asks Karasu
"Probably if nobody stops em. Get ready to hold em back." He replies)

"Just shut up. Or I will knock out your jaw so that you do."

"Oh I would like to see you try-"

"CUT IT OUT." Loki yelled. Franziska had also gotten up, with her whip out and ready. 

"You fools argue one more time, and I will not hesitate to whip that foolishness out of you."

Rin immediately shut at that, glaring at Shidou as he walked over to Nanase, who had just gotten up ready to restrain him. Shidou just grinned,

"No promis- OW!"

The prosecutor had hit him, then straightened out her whip. 

"I do not make empty threats. Do not foolishly bicker in front of me." 

Shidou sighed, rubbing at the spot she whipped him. 

"Yes ma'am..."

Loki stared at her. Silently begging her not to do that again. Or at least not to him. (He has seen the footage of one of the court trials. She had whipped everyone, INCLUDING the judge. Loki silently hoped that he would never end up like the defence did. Ever.)

Akutagawa began to walk out before Charles stopped him. 

"At least tell us your name! Pleaseee! Pleaseeee! Pretty pretty please!" Charles begged.

Akutagawa quickly replied, not wanting to hear any nagging from the child. 

"Akutagawa Ryuunosuke. Now leave my sight unless you are showing me to the room I'll be resting in."

Loki tapped his shoulder and smiled. 

"Well then, I'll lead the way. Follow me! You as well, Miss von Karma."

Franziska nodded, then beckoned Rin to follow, which he did. Loki felt a little surprised. Did Rin and Franziska know each other? He'd ask later. 

Everyone had many questions to ask, but all could be put off for a better time. Now, it was late in the afternoon, and most people were tired. 

"Nanase, meet me later for training. I'll deal with this first." 

Nanase grinned. 

"Alrighty, Rin!"

With that, Loki, Franziska, Akutagawa, Rin and Charles (uninvited) left, heading to the rooms. Loki pulled out his phone, which Ego had messaged him on earlier. 

"This is where the two new people will be sleeping. Also, try not to talk to Rin's bodyguard while the cameras are running. He doesn't want to be known." 

That was the latest message. 

And a bodyguard... so Rin was one of the victims of that new group of killers that Ego and a few other people warned him about. Loki felt concerned. Media didn't cover this... not yet.

For now, all his thoughts were pushed back as he led the prosecutor and bodyguard to their rooms.