Chapter Text
By the time the afternoon training session reached its final drill, Rin Itoshi had already forgotten how long they had been on the pitch.
The fluorescent lights above the training facility had been burning for hours, bright enough to make every bead of sweat on the players’ skin visible whenever they passed beneath them, while the air had gradually become warmer and heavier from the number of bodies moving across the enclosed field. The sharp smell of artificial turf mixed with sweat and the faint rubbery scent of footballs, and somewhere in the background, one of the staff members was collecting equipment that had already been used during the earlier exercises. None of it mattered to Rin. He had stopped noticing most of it a long time ago.
His entire attention was on the ball.
More specifically, on what he was going to do with it.
He received the pass without breaking stride, cushioning the ball beneath his foot before immediately pushing it forward again. There were two defenders between him and the goal, one positioned slightly too far to his right and the other watching his hips rather than the ball, which told Rin everything he needed to know. He slowed just enough to make the first defender hesitate, then accelerated through the gap the moment it opened.
Behind him came the unmistakable sound of Shidou’s voice.
“Oi, Rin! You’re not seriously going to hog the ball again, are you? We’ve been running this drill for twenty minutes, and every single time you get possession, you act like the rest of us suddenly disappeared.”
Rin didn’t turn around.
“If you want the ball that badly, take it.”
Shidou laughed.
“Oh, I was planning to.”
“Then stop talking and do it.”
“You make everything sound like a challenge.”
“Because everything is a challenge when you’re involved.”
Shidou’s footsteps grew louder behind him, quick and uneven, and Rin could already imagine the expression on his face without looking. That irritating grin, the one that appeared whenever Shidou sensed even the smallest opportunity to turn ordinary competition into something personal.
Rin had learned a long time ago that Shidou did not know how to leave anything alone.
If Rin ignored him, Shidou pushed harder.
If Rin answered him, Shidou became more entertained.
If Rin beat him, Shidou wanted another chance.
If Shidou beat Rin, he would talk about it for the next twenty minutes.
And if either of them became angry enough, which happened more often than either would admit, everyone else had to deal with the consequences.
It was almost impressive that they had managed three whole weeks without fighting.
Almost.
Karasu, watching from farther down the pitch, had apparently come to the same conclusion.
He glanced toward Nanase, who was standing nearby, and muttered, “They’re going to start again.”
Nanase frowned. “You think so?”
“I know so.”
Charles, who had been idly bouncing the ball against his knee, looked over.
“Again? They literally got threatened with being kicked out...”
Karasu gave him a tired look. “You’d think that would matter to them?..”
“It doesn’t?”
“It mattered for about three weeks.”
Charles snorted.
“That’s actually longer than I expected.”
Nanase didn’t laugh.
His eyes remained on Rin and Shidou, and there was something uneasy in his expression. “Maybe they’ll stop this time.”
Karasu looked at him.
“Nanase, they’ve been told three times.”
“Yeah, but -”
“There’s always a ‘but’ with you.”
Nanase fell silent.
Because Karasu was right.
There had been three fights..
The first had been dismissed as an isolated incident,
The second had been bad enough that the coaching staff had been forced to intervene,
The third had ended with both of them bruised and bleeding while Ego stood in front of them with an expression that had made even Shidou stop smiling..
Ego had not shouted.
That had somehow made it worse.
“You have both been given enough freedom to prove yourselves,” he had said, standing behind his desk with his hands folded in front of him. “I don’t care how talented either of you are. I don’t care whether one of you believes the other provoked you. If you fight again, you are both locked off. There will be no discussion, no appeal and no second chance.”
Rin remembered the exact look in Ego’s eyes.
He remembered the weight of the words.
He remembered thinking that there was no way he would be stupid enough to let it happen again.
And yet Shidou was now right behind him, breathing hard from the chase, and Rin could feel his patience disappearing with every step.
“I’m taking it,” Shidou said.
“Try.”
“Oh, I will!.”
Shidou lunged.
Rin pulled the ball away at the last second, turning his body so that Shidou’s foot swept harmlessly past it.
“Too slow.”
“You’re just lucky, Rinrin!”
“That’s not luck.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
Rin pushed the ball forward again.
Shidou followed immediately.
They were close now, close enough that Rin could hear the change in Shidou’s breathing, and close enough that every movement mattered. Rin shifted his weight left; Shidou followed. Rin slowed; Shidou slowed. Rin suddenly accelerated, and Shidou responded almost instantly.
It wasn’t simply annoying.
It was exhausting.
Because Shidou was good.
Infuriatingly good.
Rin hated admitting it, but there was a reason they were constantly drawn into these clashes. Shidou could keep up with him in ways most players couldn’t, and whenever they were both focused on the ball, neither of them seemed willing to accept the possibility of losing.
Rin pushed forward again.
The goal was becoming clearer.
He could see the angle.
He could see the defenders.
He could see exactly where the ball needed to go.
His mind began arranging everything automatically.
One touch.
Two.
A slight adjustment.
Then the shot.
He planted his left foot.
His right leg pulled back.
At that exact moment, Shidou lunged..
He wasn’t trying to hurt him!
..That was the worst part.
He wasn’t thinking about Rin at all,He was thinking about the ball.
His foot swung forward with enough force to send the ball flying if he connected properly, but Rin moved at the same instant, and the timing was catastrophically wrong.
Rin’s boot was already planted when Shidou moved.
He had seen the ball and nothing else. The opening had appeared for barely a second, and Shidou reacted on instinct, throwing himself into the challenge with the same reckless confidence he brought to everything else. His leg swung forward with enough force to send the ball flying, except Rin shifted at precisely the wrong moment, and instead of striking leather, Shidou’s boot connected brutally with the side of Rin’s leg.
The impact was loud enough to make several players turn their heads.
Rin’s body jerked sideways.
For a moment, he remained upright purely because his momentum had not yet caught up with what had happened. Then his injured leg buckled underneath him, and he dropped hard onto the turf, catching himself with one hand while the other immediately went to his leg.
Pain tore through him.
It was sharp, deep and completely unlike the ordinary soreness he had grown accustomed to after months of training. It travelled from his lower leg upward, almost making his vision blur, but Rin bit down hard on the inside of his cheek and refused to make a sound.
He wasn’t going to give Shidou the satisfaction.
He wasn’t going to give anyone the satisfaction.
“Rinrin.”
Shidou was beside him almost immediately, the usual grin completely gone from his face. “Shit, I didn’t see you move. I was going for the ball, and you stepped across at the exact moment I kicked, so I-”
“Don’t.”
Rin’s voice was low.
Shidou stopped.
Rin pushed himself upright, although his fingers dug into the turf for support as he did. He deliberately kept his injured leg slightly raised, hoping nobody would notice the way his muscles were trembling.
Shidou noticed.
“You can’t put weight on it.”
“I can.”
“You literally just tried and almost fell over.”
“I said I can.”
“Rin, I’m not trying to piss you off right now. I’m telling you that I hit your leg hard enough that you shouldn’t be standing up and pretending nothing happened.”
Rin finally looked at him.
“I don’t need you to tell me what happened to my own leg.”
Shidou’s jaw tightened. “Fine, but I’m still saying I’m sorry because I know that looked fucking awful, and I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because you keep talking.”
Shidou stared at him for a second before letting out a short, disbelieving laugh. “Seriously? I kick you by accident, you nearly eat shit because your leg gives out, and somehow I’m the annoying one because I’m trying to apologize?”
“I heard you the fucking first time.”
“Then accept it!”
“I did.”
“No, you didn’t.”
Rin slowly stood.
The moment his injured foot touched the ground, pain shot through his leg again, and for half a second his expression tightened. He immediately forced it away, straightening his back as though nothing had happened.
Shidou saw it.
“You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Pretending you didn’t just almost collapse,”
“I didn’t collapse.”
“You’re seriously going to argue over the definition of collapsing right now?”
Rin’s eyes narrowed. “I’m fine.”
“You’re limping.”
“I said I’m FINE.”
“You’re not.”
“I don’t remember asking you.”
Shidou stepped closer. “You don’t have to ask me. I can see you.”
“And I can see you too, which is exactly why I’m telling you to get out of my face.”
Shidou’s expression changed.
“You know what? I said I was sorry, Rin. I admitted I fucked up, and I’m not going to keep apologizing every five seconds because you’re pissed off and looking for someone to take it out on.”
Rin stared at him.
“You kicked me.”
“By accident.”
“I know.”
“Then what exactly do you want me to do?”
“Nothing…”
“Then stop acting like I’m supposed to stand here and let you treat me like I deliberately tried to injure you.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t have to.”
Rin’s jaw clenched.
“You’re making this about yourself.”
“Because you’re making it about me!”
“I got kicked.”
“And I apologized!”
“And?”
Shidou blinked.
“And what?”
Rin’s voice became colder.
“What do you want, a medal? And a fucking microphone to scream that you apologised?”
Shidou’s eyes narrowed.
“I want you to stop acting like saying sorry means nothing.”
“It doesn’t fix my leg shidou.”
“I know that.”
“Then stop expecting it to.”
For a moment, Shidou said nothing.
Then he muttered, “You’re being a real pain in the ass.”
Rin’s eyes snapped toward him.
“What did you say?”
“You heard me.”
“I did. I just wanted to make sure you were stupid enough to say it again.”
Shidou’s mouth curled upward.
“There you are.”
Rin’s expression darkened.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“That attitude! You were acting all quiet for a second, but now you’re back to being yourself.”
“You think this is funny?”
“No.”
“Then stop smiling.”
“I’m not smiling because you’re hurt.”
“Then why are you?”
“Because you’re getting angry over everything I say.”
“Maybe because everything you say is irritating.”
“Maybe because you like arguing with me.”
“I don’t.”
“You do.”
“I don’t.”
“You’ve been fighting with me since the first fucking week we met.”
“Because you’re an idiot.”
“And yet you keep talking to me.”
Rin stepped closer.
“You really don’t know when to stop.”
“Neither do you.”
Rin shoved him.
Hard.
The movement was so sudden that Shidou stumbled backward.
The entire pitch went silent.
Karasu’s eyes widened.
Nanase immediately looked toward the coaches.
Shidou slowly straightened.
He looked down at Rin’s hand, then back at Rin’s face.
“You seriously just shoved me?”
Rin’s breathing was heavier now, partly from anger and partly because his leg was screaming at him every time he moved, but he refused to let either show.
“You were annoying me.”
Shidou laughed once, but there was no humor in it.
“I was annoying you?”
“You heard me.”
“So what, you’re allowed to hit people whenever they piss you off?”
“You’re the last person who gets to lecture me about that.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
“I don’t owe you an answer.”
Shidou stepped forward.
“You know what your problem is? You think because you’re Rin Itoshi, you can do whatever you want, say whatever you want, and everyone else is supposed to just stand there and take it.”
Rin’s eyes sharpened.
“And you think because you’re Shidou Ryuusei, every time you do something reckless, everyone is supposed to laugh it off because you didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I said it was an accident.”
“And I said I know.”
“Then stop acting like I’m your fucking enemy.”
“You’ve been acting like mine since you got here.”
Shidou’s expression hardened.
“You want to know why? Because every time I challenge you, you act like I’m insulting you just by trying to beat you.”
“Because you don’t know how to compete without turning everything into a fight.”
“Funny coming from you.”
“At least I know when to stop.”
Shidou laughed bitterly.
“You literally just shoved me.”
“And I’ll do it again.”
That was enough.
Shidou grabbed the front of Rin’s shirt.
Rin immediately knocked his hand away.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Then stop provoking me.”
“You started this.”
“I kicked you.”
“Exactly.”
“And I said sorry!”
“I don’t care anymore.”
“Then why are we still talking?”
“Because you won’t shut up.”
Shidou’s eyes flashed.
“Then make me.”
Rin’s fist connected with his jaw.
The sound echoed through the facility.
Shidou’s head snapped sideways.
For a second, nobody moved.
Then Shidou slowly turned back.
Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He wiped it with the back of his hand and stared at the smear across his knuckles.
Then he looked at Rin.
“You really shouldn’t have done that.”
Rin raised his fists.
“Come and stop me.”
Shidou grinned.
“There you are.”
He swung.
Rin ducked beneath it, but his injured leg betrayed him when he tried to pivot, causing his balance to falter for half a second. Shidou noticed immediately and hesitated, but Rin recovered before he could react and drove his fist into Shidou’s ribs.
Shidou grunted.
“You’re hurt.”
“Shut up.”
“You’re actually fighting me while you’re injured?”
“You’re the one who wanted to fight.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t expect you to be stupid enough to keep going.”
Rin grabbed his shirt.
“I don’t need you worrying about me.”
“You think I’m worrying?”
“You are.”
“I’m trying not to make your leg worse, you idiot.”
“Then don’t touch me.”
“You’re making that difficult.”
Rin shoved him backward.
Shidou stumbled, then lunged again.
This time they collided completely.
Rin’s shoulder slammed into Shidou’s chest, Shidou grabbed him around the waist, and they went down together. Rin twisted immediately, striking him across the side of the face before Shidou could pin him.
“Rin!”
Nanase rushed toward them.
“Stop! Both of you, stop! Ego literally said the next time you fight, you’re both gone!”
Rin ignored him.
Shidou did too.
Karasu grabbed Shidou from behind.
“That’s enough! Get off him!”
“Let go!”
“You’re going to get both of you locked off!”
“I don’t give a shit!”
“You will when you’re sitting outside Blue Lock with your bags!”
Shidou fought against his grip.
Across from them, Nanase tried to pull Rin back.
“Rin, please, you’re already injured! You’re going to make it worse!”
“Get off me!”
“You need to stop!”
“I said get off!”
Rin tore himself free.
His injured leg nearly collapsed again.
Shidou saw it.
“Rin!”
Rin looked at him.
“Don’t.”
“Your leg-”
“Don’t fucking look at it.”
Shidou’s expression changed.
For the first time since the fight began, he looked genuinely frightened.
But Rin mistook it for pity.
And that only made him angrier.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Because you’re bleeding!”
“So are you!”
“That’s different!”
“How?”
“Because you can barely stand!”
Rin’s face twisted.
“Then maybe you should’ve thought about that before you kicked me.”
Shidou went still.
“Don’t put that on me.”
“I didn’t.”
“You just did.”
“I said maybe.”
“You know what? Fine. You want to blame me? Go ahead. But don’t expect me to stand here and watch you destroy yourself just because you’re too fucking stubborn to admit you’re hurt.”
Rin stepped toward him.
“You don’t know anything about me.”
Shidou’s voice dropped.
“I know enough.”
Rin raised his fist again.
Before either could move, a voice cut through the entire facility.
“Enough.”
The word wasn’t loud.
It didn’t need to be.
Ego’s voice carried across the entire training facility with such complete authority that even Shidou stopped struggling against Karasu’s grip, while Nanase immediately released Rin and stepped backward. For several seconds, nobody moved. The only sounds left were the faint hum of the lights overhead and the uneven breathing of the two players who had just spent the last several minutes trying to beat each other into the ground.
Ego stood in the doorway, his hands resting loosely at his sides, his expression almost unnervingly calm.
His eyes moved slowly over the scene.
First, Shidou.
The blood at the corner of his mouth.
The swelling already beginning around his cheek.
The torn collar of his training shirt.
Then Rin.
The bruising forming along his face.
The blood on his knuckles.
And finally, his leg.
Ego’s eyes remained there for a moment longer.
Rin noticed.
He immediately straightened.
“I can walk.”
Nobody had asked.
Ego looked at him.
“I didn’t ask whether you could walk.”
Rin’s jaw tightened.
Shidou glanced toward him.
“Rin-”
“Don’t.”
Shidou stopped.
Ego stepped onto the pitch.
“You two have apparently forgotten the conversation we had after your last fight.”
Neither answered.
“Would you like me to remind you?”
Silence.
Ego continued anyway.
“I told you that the third fight would be your final warning. I told you that if either of you lost control again, you would be removed from Blue Lock. I explained the consequences clearly enough that even Shidou managed to understand them, which means there is no possibility that either of you can claim you didn’t know what would happen.”
Shidou looked down.
Rin remained still.
Ego’s eyes narrowed.
“And yet you fought again.”
Karasu cleared his throat.
“Ego-san, they were training when it started. Shidou kicked Rin by accident, and then-”
“I know what happened.”
Karasu stopped.
Ego looked toward him.
“Thank you, Karasu, but I don’t need an explanation. I watched enough of it from the doorway to understand exactly how quickly the situation escalated.”
His gaze returned to Rin and Shidou.
“The accident is irrelevant.”
Shidou frowned.
“What?”
“The initial injury was an accident. The fight wasn’t.”
That silenced him.
Ego’s voice remained cold.
“You had several opportunities to stop. You could have walked away. You could have listened when the others tried to separate you. You could have remembered the warning you were given. Instead, you chose to continue.”
Rin’s fingers curled.
Ego noticed.
“Do you disagree?”
Rin looked away.
“No.”
“Good.”
Ego glanced toward the staff.
“Get medical personnel in here.”
Shidou looked at Rin immediately.
The anger that had filled his face only moments earlier had disappeared, replaced by something much more uneasy.
“His leg needs to be checked.”
Ego looked at him.
“I am aware.”
“It’s swelling pretty badly.”
“I said I am aware.”
Shidou fell silent.
The medical staff entered a moment later, and Rin immediately stiffened when one of them approached.
“I don’t need-”
“You do,” Ego interrupted.
Rin looked at him.
“I can stand.”
“You’ve been compensating for your injured leg since the moment you stood up. Stop pretending I haven’t noticed.”
Rin’s expression hardened.
“I said I can walk.”
“You may be able to walk. That doesn’t mean you should.”
One of the staff members crouched beside Rin.
“Can you tell me where the pain is strongest?”
Rin hesitated.
Then he pointed toward his lower leg.
“Here.”
“Does it hurt when you move your ankle?”
“A little.”
The staff member looked at him.
“A little?”
Rin’s eyes narrowed.
“Yes.”
Shidou muttered under his breath, “He’s lying.”
Rin immediately looked at him.
“Shut the fuck up.”
“You’re fucking terrible at pretending you’re okay.”
“I didn’t ask.”
“You’re barely standing.”
“I’m still standing.”
Shidou opened his mouth.
Karasu grabbed his shoulder.
“Don’t.”
Shidou looked at him.
“What?”
“Just don’t.”
Shidou exhaled sharply and looked away.
Rin tried to shift his weight.
Pain shot through his leg again.
His face tightened.
The medical staff saw it.
“Don’t move.”
Rin stopped.
“We’re taking you to the hospital.”
“I don’t need a hospital.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I said-”
“And I’m telling you that you do.”
Rin looked toward Ego.
“I’m not leaving.”
Ego raised an eyebrow.
“You’re not in a position to negotiate.”
“Training isn’t finished.”
Shidou actually stared at him.
“Are you fucking serious?”
Rin ignored him.
“I can continue.”
“You cannot.”
“I can.”
“You are injured.”
“I’ve played injured before.”
“Not like this.”
Rin’s eyes hardened.
“You don’t know how bad it is.”
“That is precisely why you’re going to the hospital.”
For the first time, Rin had nothing to say.
Ego turned toward Shidou.
“And you.”
Shidou looked up.
“What??”
“You’re going with him.”
Shidou blinked.
“….Me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you caused the injury.”
Shidou’s expression darkened.
“I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“I know.”
“Then why-”
“Because whether you intended to injure him or not, you were involved, and because the two of you have demonstrated an extraordinary inability to behave like civilized human beings when left alone together.”
Charles snorted quietly.
Karasu covered his mouth to hide a laugh.
Shidou glared at him.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re laughing.”
“I said nothing.”
Ego continued.
“Both of you will be evaluated at the hospital. After that, we will have another conversation.”
Rin’s stomach tightened.
He knew what that meant.
Shidou seemed to realize it too.
“Ego.”
Ego looked at him.
Shidou hesitated, then glanced toward Rin.
“Are we… actually done?”
Ego didn’t answer immediately.
The silence was enough.
Shidou’s expression slowly changed.
Rin looked down.
Karasu’s face fell.
Nanase looked between them.
“Ego-san…”
“Get them to the hospital.”
The staff began helping Rin toward the exit.
Rin tried to walk normally.
He couldn’t.
His leg gave another sharp pulse of pain, forcing him to slow down.
Shidou noticed but said nothing this time.
He simply walked beside him.
After several steps, Rin quietly muttered, “Don’t look at me.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were.”
“I was making sure you weren’t falling.”
“I wasn’t going to fall.”
“You almost did.”
“I didn’t.”
Shidou sighed.
“Fine.”
They continued walking.
Neither spoke again until they reached the doors.
Then Shidou quietly said, “Rinrin.”
Rin stopped.
“What?”
Shidou looked at him for a moment.
“I’m still sorry.”
Rin didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed ahead.
Finally, he said, “I know.”
And this time, he meant it.
But neither of them understood yet that those three words would be the last uncomplicated thing between them for a very long time.
Because the hospital was waiting.
The scans were waiting.
The diagnosis was waiting.
And beyond all of that waited Ego’s final decision.
The fourth fight had happened.
The warning had been broken.
And Blue Lock had no intention of forgiving them for it.
The hospital was quieter than Rin expected..
The automatic doors slid open, and cold air immediately hit his face, carrying the faint smell of disinfectant and something sterile that he couldn’t quite place. The fluorescent lights overhead were painfully bright after the darkness outside, and for a moment Rin stood completely still at the entrance, his eyes adjusting while one of the staff members approached with a wheelchair.
“I can walk.”
The nurse looked at his leg, then at him.
“You don’t need to prove that to me.”
“I said I can walk.”
“And I said you don’t need to.”
Rin’s jaw tightened.
“I don’t want a wheelchair.”
Shidou, standing behind him with one hand pressed against his bleeding lip, muttered, “Just sit down before you fall over and make this even more embarrassing.”
Rin turned his head.
“I’m going to fucking hit you again.”
“You can try, but considering what happened the last time you tried to stand on that leg, I’d recommend waiting until you can actually walk straight.”
Rin glared at him.
The nurse sighed.
“Please, both of you, just cooperate.”
Rin eventually sat.
He hated it.
He hated the helplessness of it even more than the pain.
The nurse pushed him down the corridor while Shidou walked beside him, and neither of them said anything for a while. Rin kept his eyes fixed ahead, refusing to look at the people passing them, refusing to look at Shidou, and most of all refusing to look down at his leg.
He already knew it was bad.
He didn’t need another reminder.
After they reached the examination room, the nurse helped him onto the bed, and a doctor began checking the injury while another staff member examined Shidou’s face.
“Does this hurt?”
“No.”
The doctor pressed slightly harder.
Rin’s fingers curled into the sheets.
The doctor noticed.
“You can tell me if it hurts,itoshi”
“It doesn’t.”
“You’re gripping the bed.”
“So?”
“So it probably hurts.”
Rin looked at him coldly.
“Just finish.”
The doctor didn’t argue.
He continued examining the leg, asking questions while Rin answered as briefly as possible.
“When did the injury occur?”
“About thirty minutes ago.”
“Did you hear a popping sound?”
“I don’t know.”
“Were you able to put weight on it afterward?”
“Yes.”
Shidou looked over.
“You almost fell.”
Rin immediately snapped, “Nobody asked you,cockroach.”
The doctor looked between them.
“You two know each other?”
“Unfortunately,” Rin said.
Shidou grinned despite the cut on his lip.
“Yeah, we’re practically best friends.”
“Shut up.”
“There he is.”
The doctor sighed.
“I’m going to need an X-ray and an MRI. We need to determine the extent of the damage before we discuss anything further.”
Rin nodded.
“Fine.”
The word came out much calmer than he felt.
The scans took longer than Rin expected.
By the time they were finished, the pain medication had dulled the worst of the injury, but the anxiety had only become worse. He sat on the examination bed with his arms crossed while Shidou remained in the chair beside the wall, one ankle resting over the opposite knee.
His lip had been cleaned, and there was a small bandage above his eyebrow.
He looked less injured than Rin.
That irritated Rin for reasons he couldn’t explain.
Eventually, Shidou broke the silence.
“You’re staring.”
“I know.”
“At my face?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“Nothing.”
“You’ve been staring at the floor for like twenty minutes.”
“Maybe I like the floor.”
Shidou snorted.
“You’re weird.”
Rin didn’t answer.
A few seconds passed.
Then Shidou said, “You know, you don’t have to pretend you’re okay with me.”
Rin looked at him.
“I am okay..”
“We both know that’s Bullshit.”
“I don’t need you deciding how I feel.”
“I’m not deciding. I’m watching.”
“Then stop watching.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
Shidou hesitated.
“Because I kicked you.”
Rin’s expression hardened.
“You already apologized.”
“I know.”
“So stop.”
“I wasn’t apologizing again.”
“Then what are you doing?”
Shidou leaned back.
“Trying to figure out why you’re acting like you’re about to explode.”
Rin looked away.
“I don’t like hospitals.”
“That’s not it.”
“I don’t like doctors.”
“Not that either.”
“I don’t like you.”
“You definitely don’t like me, but that’s not new.”
Rin’s mouth twitched for half a second before he forced the expression away.
Shidou noticed.
“There. You almost smiled!”
“I didn’t.”
“You did.”
“You imagined it.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
Rin looked at him again.
“Shidou..” rin mumbled
“What?”
“I’m trying not to think about my leg.”
Shidou’s expression changed.
“Oh.”
Rin looked away again.
“Because every time I think about it, I start thinking about football, and then I start thinking about what happens if I can’t play, and I don’t want to do that until I know what’s actually wrong.”
Shidou nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
“So don’t keep asking.”
“I won’t.”
“Good.”
They fell silent again.
This time, Shidou actually kept his promise.
The doctor returned a few minutes later, carrying a folder containing Rin’s scans, and the moment he stepped into the room, Rin immediately straightened. Shidou noticed it too; whatever exhaustion had settled over him disappeared as he leaned forward in his chair, his eyes following the doctor as he pulled another chair closer to the examination bed.
“I’ve reviewed the MRI and the X-rays,” the doctor began, placing the scans where Rin could see them. “I’m going to explain exactly what we’ve found, because I don’t want you leaving this hospital without understanding the extent of your injury.”
Rin’s eyes moved toward the scans.
“What is it?”
The doctor pointed toward the first image. “The impact caused severe trauma to the structures around your knee and lower leg. The most concerning part is the damage to the ligaments responsible for stabilizing the knee. There’s also considerable soft-tissue damage and swelling surrounding the joint, which is why you’re experiencing so much pain when you try to put weight on the leg.”
Rin stared at the image.
“How bad is the ligament damage?”
“Bad enough that we cannot treat this as a simple sprain or strain. Several of the stabilizing structures have been significantly damaged, and your knee is currently much less stable than it should be.”
Rin’s expression remained unreadable.
“So you repair it.”
The doctor paused.
“In some cases, surgical reconstruction is possible. However, surgery isn’t something we can simply perform and then expect you to walk out and return to football. Even if the reconstruction is successful, you’d be looking at months of rehabilitation just to restore basic strength and stability.”
“How many months?”
“It depends on how your body responds to treatment, but we’re talking about a long recovery. You would first need to control the swelling and allow the initial damage to settle. Then you’d begin carefully controlled rehabilitation to restore your range of motion, followed by progressively heavier strength work. Only much later would we even consider running, and returning to a sport involving explosive acceleration, sudden changes of direction, jumping, kicking and physical contact would be the final stage.”
Rin’s eyes remained fixed on the scans.
“How long until I can run?”
The doctor hesitated.
“Normally, several months at minimum, assuming there are no complications.”
“And football?”
The doctor didn’t answer immediately.
Rin looked up.
“Football.”
“I need you to understand that returning to professional football is a completely different question.”
“Why?”
“Because your leg doesn’t simply need to heal. It needs to withstand the demands you place on it as a professional athlete. Football requires repeated sprinting, abrupt stops, cutting movements, twisting through the knee, striking the ball with force and absorbing contact. Every one of those movements places stress on the structures you’ve injured.”
Rin’s jaw tightened.
“So I strengthen it.”
“That may improve your function considerably.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that there is no guarantee your leg will tolerate professional-level football after this.”
Rin stared at him.
“No guarantee?”
“Correct.”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t.”
“No. It doesn’t.”
“Then I’ll play.”
The doctor looked at him seriously.
“Rin, you’re sixteen. You have your entire life ahead of you, and right now you’re understandably thinking about football because it’s the most important thing in your life. But I need you to understand something: if you return too early, or if the damage doesn’t heal properly, you could make the injury significantly worse. In the worst-case scenario, you could cause permanent instability or chronic pain and reduce your ability to perform even ordinary physical activities comfortably.”
Rin’s expression changed.
“Permanent..?”
“Yes.”
Shidou’s posture stiffened.
The doctor continued, choosing his words carefully. “That’s why I’m not going to tell you that you can simply push through this. You can’t train through structural damage like this. You can’t decide that you’re determined enough and force the tissue to repair itself faster. Your body needs time.”
Rin’s eyes hardened.
“I’ve played through injuries before!”
“I believe you.”
“I can handle pain….”
“This isn’t about whether you can tolerate pain.”
“Then what is it about?”
“Whether the injured structures are physically capable of doing what you’re asking them to do.”
Rin fell silent.
The doctor pointed toward another part of the scan.
“There’s also substantial swelling around the joint. Right now, we need to reduce that and monitor how the leg responds. Depending on how your condition develops, the orthopedic team may recommend surgery. Afterward, you’d need a structured rehabilitation program, and you would not be allowed to simply decide when you’re ready to return. We’d have to test your strength, stability, mobility and function repeatedly before clearing you for increasingly demanding activity.”
Rin swallowed.
“And if everything goes perfectly?”
The doctor looked at him.
“If everything goes perfectly, you could potentially regain a very high level of function.”
Rin’s eyes sharpened.
“So I can play..?”
The doctor sighed.
“I said you could potentially regain a high level of function. I did not say I could guarantee a return to professional football.”
Rin’s frustration was becoming obvious now.
“Why do you keep saying that?”
“Because I don’t want to give you false hope.”
“I didn’t ask for hope.”
His voice was colder.
“I asked whether it’s possible.”
The doctor was silent for a moment.
Then he answered honestly.
“I cannot tell you that returning to professional football is impossible. But given the severity of your injury, I also cannot tell you that you will be able to do it.”
Rin stared at him.
His fingers slowly tightened around the edge of the bed.
“So there’s a chance.”
“There is a chance.”
“Then I’ll take it.”
Shidou looked at him.
“Rin-”
“No.”
Rin didn’t even look at him.
“I’ll do whatever rehabilitation you tell me to do. I’ll have surgery if I need it. I’ll spend a year recovering if that’s what it takes. I don’t care how long it takes.”
The doctor nodded slowly.
“That determination will help you during rehabilitation, but you need to understand that rehabilitation isn’t a competition. Pushing harder doesn’t necessarily make you recover faster, and ignoring pain doesn’t make an injury heal.”
Rin’s expression hardened.
“I understand.”
The doctor looked at him for a long moment.
“I hope you do.”
He gathered the scans together.
“For now, we’re going to immobilize the leg, manage the swelling and pain, and have orthopedics evaluate you more thoroughly. You’ll need follow-up imaging, and we’ll determine whether surgery is necessary once the swelling has settled enough for them to make that decision properly.”
Rin nodded.
“Okay.”
The doctor stood.
“And Rin?”
Rin looked up.
“Don’t try to walk on it again just to prove that you can.”
Rin said nothing.
The doctor glanced toward Shidou.
“Make sure he listens.”
Shidou raised an eyebrow.
“Why are you looking at me?”
“Because he clearly isn’t listening to me.”
Shidou looked toward Rin.
“Yeah, that’s probably fair.”
The doctor left.
The door clicked shut behind him.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Rin continued staring at the scans.
His face was completely blank.
Then, very quietly, he said, “He said there’s a chance.”
Shidou nodded.
“Yeah.”
“So I’m not done.”
“No.”
Rin swallowed.
“I’m not done.”
But even as he said it, his hands were trembling.
Because somewhere underneath all that determination, Rin had understood the part of the doctor’s explanation that mattered most.
For the first time in his life, football was no longer something he could simply fight hard enough to keep.
There was a possibility that his body could take it away from him.
And that frightened him more than any opponent ever had.
..So Rin remained standing.
He didn’t move.
He didn’t cry.
He simply stared at the closed door as though waiting for the doctor to come back and say that he’d made a mistake.
Nothing happened.
Seconds passed.
Then a minute.
Then another..
Shidou didn’t speak.
Finally, Rin whispered, “He’s wrong.”
Shidou answered quietly, “Maybe.”
“He’s wrong!”
“Maybe he is.”
“He has to be.”
“I know.”
Rin turned toward him.
“You don’t know.”
Shidou looked at him.
“No. I don’t.”
Rin’s eyes were beginning to shine.
“I can’t stop playing.”
“I know.”
“I can’t..”
“I know.”
“I have to beat Sae.”
Shidou swallowed.
“Yeah.”
“I have to.”
His voice broke.
“I spent all this time trying to catch him, and now I’m supposed to just stop?”
Shidou stepped closer.
Rin shook his head.
“No.nononononono No, I can’t do that.”
“Rin.”
“I can’t! I CAN’T!”
His breathing became uneven.
“I can’t go home and tell everyone that I’m done. I can’t look at Sae and tell him he was right. I can’t spend the rest of my life watching football because I can’t play it anymore. I can’t-”
His voice collapsed.
He covered his face.
“I can’t….”
Shidou stood there for a moment, clearly unsure of what to do.
Then he quietly said, “You don’t have to figure out your whole life tonight.”
Rin didn’t answer.
“You don’t have to decide anything tonight. You don’t have to accept what that guy said, and you don’t have to pretend you’re okay with it either.”
Rin’s shoulders shook.
Shidou moved closer.
“I know you’re probably going to hate me for saying this, but you’re still Rin. Even if you can’t play tomorrow, even if you can’t play next month, you’re still you, and I’m not going to stand here and watch you decide that your entire life is over because one doctor told you something you don’t want to hear.”
Rin lowered his hands.
Tears were running down his face now.
“I don’t know what to do.”
Shidou looked at him.
For once, he didn’t have a joke.
He didn’t have some ridiculous answer.
He simply opened his arms.
Rin stared at him.
Then, after several seconds, he stepped forward.
Shidou wrapped his arms around him tightly.
Rin grabbed the back of his shirt.
His voice came out muffled against Shidou’s shoulder.
“My dream is over…”
“No.”
“It is.”
“You don’t know that.”
“The doctor said-”
“I heard him.”
Rin cried harder.
“All that w-work is gone!”
Shidou tightened his arms around him.
“No.”
“I can’t beat Sae.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I can’t even play.”
“Not yet.”
Rin pulled back slightly.
Shidou looked directly at him.
“Listen to me. I’m not promising you some miracle because I don’t know if one exists, but I swear to God I’m going to look. I’ll find another doctor, another specialist, another fucking hospital if I have to. If there’s one person somewhere who knows something that guy doesn’t, I’ll find them, and if there’s even the smallest chance you can play again, I’m not letting you throw it away.”
Rin stared at him through tear-filled eyes.
“You can’t promise that.”
“I just did.”
“You’re an idiot shidou.”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t even know where to start..”
“Nope.”
Rin let out a broken laugh that immediately turned into another sob.
Shidou held him tighter.
“But I’ll figure it out, I swear.”
And for the first time since the injury, Rin stopped trying to convince himself that he wasn’t terrified.
He simply held onto Shidou and cried.
By the time they returned to Blue Lock, neither of them had anything left to say.
The drive back had been almost completely silent, which was unusual enough that even the staff member sitting in the front seemed to notice. Shidou had spent most of the journey staring out of the window, his forehead occasionally resting against the glass whenever the car slowed at a traffic light, while Rin sat beside him with his injured leg secured and elevated as much as the cramped space allowed. The medication had dulled the worst of the pain, but it hadn’t touched the strange heaviness settling inside his chest.
His leg hurt.
His face hurt.
His hands hurt.
And Shidou wasn’t exactly doing much better.
The bruising across his ribs had already begun darkening beneath his shirt, making every deeper breath uncomfortable, while his lower lip was swollen and split where Rin’s fist had caught him. There was a bandage above his eyebrow, another small cut along his cheek, and his knuckles were scraped and beginning to swell from the fight. Every time the car went over an uneven section of road, Shidou’s expression tightened for half a second before he turned his face toward the window again, pretending it hadn’t happened.
Neither of them mentioned it.
Neither of them needed to.
The pain was there, sitting between them alongside everything neither knew how to say.
But none of that compared to the thought that kept circling through Rin’s head no matter how hard he tried to push it away.
What if the doctor was right?..
What if he can’t play football anymore.??
He will go back to being just a useless kid with no idea how the world works…
Just like everyone said..
Rin hated the questions so much that he eventually stopped allowing himself to think
Instead, he stared through the window..
The familiar landscape outside gradually changed, buildings becoming more recognizable as they approached Blue Lock, until finally the enormous structure came into view against the darkening sky.
Rin’s stomach dropped.
He had spent months inside those walls.
He had trained there.
Fought there.
Lost there..
Won there.
He had entered Blue Lock believing that if he worked hard enough, if he continued improving, if he became strong enough, there would eventually be nothing left in the world capable of stopping him from reaching his goal.
Now he was returning through its gates with a bandaged leg and a future he could no longer be certain about…
Shidou must have been thinking something similar, because when the car finally stopped, he didn’t immediately move.
The staff member opened the door.
“You two need to come inside. Ego is waiting.”
Shidou let out a quiet breath.
“Of course he is..”
Rin said nothing.
The door opened fully, and cold air entered the vehicle.
Rin looked toward the entrance.
For a second, he couldn’t make himself move.
Shidou noticed.
“You good?”
Rin’s eyes remained fixed ahead.
“No.”
It was the first honest answer he’d given all evening.
Shidou didn’t joke.
“Yeah..” (me when I ask sm1 if their okay and they say no😬)
Rin finally reached for the door.
“I can walk.”
“I know.”
“I don’t need help.”
“I know.”
“Then stop looking at me like that.”
Shidou sighed.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Fine. I’m looking at the wall.”
Rin glanced at him.
Shidou deliberately turned his head toward the opposite direction.
“There. Happy?”
Despite everything, Rin almost smiled.
Almost.
Then he stepped out.
His injured leg immediately protested.
He ignored it.
Shidou climbed out after him, immediately pressing one hand against his ribs when he thought Rin wasn’t looking. His face briefly twisted from the pain before he straightened again, forcing his usual expression back into place.
Rin noticed anyway.
He said nothing.
Neither did Shidou.
They just started walking toward Blue Lock together.
Ego was sitting behind his desk.
The room was dimmer than usual, the computer screens casting pale light across his face. Several files were spread across the desk, and a monitor behind him displayed footage from the afternoon training session.
Rin’s stomach tightened.
Ego had recorded everything.
Of course he had.
Neither boy spoke.
Ego looked at them for several seconds.
Then his eyes settled on Rin’s leg.
“You’ve been medically evaluated.”
“Yes,” Rin answered.
“And?”
Rin hesitated.
“The injury is serious.”
Ego’s gaze shifted toward Shidou.
“And you?”
Shidou shrugged, although the movement immediately pulled at his bruised ribs and made him wince almost imperceptibly.
“Bruised ribs. Cut lip. Few cuts and bruises. They ruled out a concussion.”
Ego’s eyes briefly moved over Shidou’s face, taking in the swollen lip, the bandage above his eyebrow and the bruising beginning to spread across his cheek before returning to his eyes.
“Your ribs?”
“Hurting like a bitch, but I’ll live.”
“Were you given pain medication?”
“Yeah.”
“Then don’t pretend you’re uninjured.”
Shidou clicked his tongue.
“Didn’t say I was.”
Ego nodded once.
“Good. Then we understand the condition both of you are in.”
He folded his hands.
“I want you both to understand something before we continue. I am not interested in hearing excuses.”
Shidou’s expression tightened.
“I know.”
“I don’t think you do.”
Ego tapped a key.
The footage began playing. (Ou shii their fried 😂😂✌️)
The room filled with the sound of their own voices.
Rin watched himself on the screen.
He watched the challenge.
The kick.
His fall.
Shidou running toward him.
The argument.
The shove.
The punch.
Then the fight.
Rin’s jaw tightened.
Seeing it from the outside somehow made it worse.
It looked stupid…Pointless…Destructive.
And yet he remembered exactly how angry he’d been.
Exactly how frightened he’d been.
Exactly how much his leg had hurt.
Shidou watched himself take Rin’s punch, then watched his own fist connect with Rin’s face afterward. His expression slowly became more serious as the footage continued, and by the time Ego paused the recording, there was no trace of his usual grin left.
Ego looked between them.
“You were warned three times.”
Neither answered.
“You were explicitly told that the next physical altercation would result in both of you being locked off.”
Shidou looked down.
Rin stared straight ahead.
Ego continued.
“I don’t care that the initial injury was accidental. I don’t care that Rin was angry. I don’t care that Shidou apologized. None of those things change what happened afterward.”
His voice became colder.
“You both made a choice.”
Silence.
“You chose violence.”
Rin’s fingers tightened around the edge of his chair.
Ego looked directly at him.
“Rin.”
Rin raised his eyes.
“You understood the consequence.”
“Yes.”
“And you still threw the first punch.”
Rin didn’t answer.
“That was not a rhetorical question.”
“Yes.”
Ego nodded.
“Shidou.”
Shidou looked at him.
“You continued the fight despite knowing exactly what would happen.”
Shidou’s jaw shifted.
“Yeah.”
“You could have walked away.”
“I know.”
“You didn’t.”
“No.”
Ego leaned back.
“Then there is nothing left to discuss.”
Shidou’s expression changed.
Rin’s stomach dropped.
Ego reached toward the side of his desk and pulled out two sealed envelopes.
He placed them on the desk.
One in front of Rin.
One in front of Shidou.
“Your Blue Lock contracts, identification, personal belongings and phones have been prepared.”
Shidou stared at the envelope.
“Wait.”
Ego said nothing.
Shidou looked up.
“That’s it..?”
Ego’s expression remained completely emotionless.
“You were warned.”
Shidou glanced down at his injured hands, then back at Ego.
“But the injury wasn’t intentional.”
“I know.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
“I know.”
Shidou’s voice became quieter.
“And now he’s hurt so badly he might not even be able to play again.”
Rin’s eyes flickered toward him.
Ego remained silent for a moment.
Then he said, “That is precisely why the situation is as serious as it is.”
Shidou swallowed.
“I know I fucked up.”
“I know.”
“But you’re seriously locking us out because we fought after?”
“Yes.”
Shidou stared at him.
“That’s fucking insane.”
“No.”
Ego’s voice was quiet.
“What’s insane is receiving three warnings, understanding that your place in this project depends upon discipline, and still deciding that your anger is more important than your future.”
Shidou opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Ego looked toward Rin.
“And you.”
Rin’s eyes lifted.
“You’ve spent your entire time here claiming that your only objective is to become strong enough to surpass everyone standing in your way.”
Rin remained silent.
“Yet the moment your emotions became inconvenient, you allowed yourself to lose control.”
Rin’s jaw tightened.
“I know.”
“No. You don’t.”
Ego stood.
“You think being locked off is punishment. It isn’t. It is the consequence of your inability to meet the standards required of the environment you’re in.”
Rin looked down at the envelope.
His name was printed across it.
For some reason, seeing it made everything suddenly feel real.
This was it.
No more training tomorrow.
No more waking up in Blue Lock.
No more matches.
No more trying to become the best striker in the world from inside these walls.
And, worst of all…
No more chance to prove himself on the pitch.
At least, not for now.
Ego’s eyes shifted toward Rin’s injured leg.
“And given your current medical condition, your ability to continue competing at the level required of this project is already uncertain.”
Rin’s head snapped up.
His voice came out immediately.
“I’m going to recover.”
Ego didn’t respond.
“I don’t care what the doctor said. I’ll recover.”
“Perhaps.”
“And when I do, I’ll come back.”
Ego’s expression didn’t change.
“You won’t.”
Rin froze.
“You don’t get to decide that.”
“I just did.”
Rin’s eyes hardened.
“I’ll prove you wrong.”
Ego stared at him for several seconds.
Then he said quietly, “I hope you do.”
Rin blinked.
That wasn’t what he expected.
Ego continued.
“But Blue Lock will not wait for you.”
Rin looked away.
Shidou stared at the floor…
Ego returned to his chair.
“Take your belongings.”
Neither moved.
“Your time here is over.”
The words settled heavily in the room.
Shidou reached for his envelope first. His fingers trembled slightly, and when he pulled it toward himself, the movement made his injured ribs ache enough that he briefly shut his eyes. Rin noticed, but this time he said nothing.
Shidou opened the envelope.
His phone.
His wallet.
His identification.
His clothes.
Everything that belonged to the life he’d had before Blue Lock.
Rin opened his own.
His phone lit up the moment he touched it.
Dozens of notifications appeared.
Messages.
Missed calls.
Updates.
People who had no idea that his entire future had just been ripped apart.
He turned the screen off.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
There was something strange about that silence, because only a few hours ago they had been trying to beat each other into the ground, and now they were sitting beside one another in Ego’s office with their belongings returned to them, knowing that they wouldn’t be walking back into this room tomorrow.
They wouldn’t be waking up in Blue Lock.
They wouldn’t be training together.
They wouldn’t be fighting over possession of the ball.
They wouldn’t even be seeing the same people every morning anymore.
Shidou eventually shoved his phone into his pocket and stood, wincing when his ribs protested.
“Guess that’s it.”
Rin remained seated.
“For us, at least.”
Shidou looked at him.
Rin’s eyes were still fixed on the envelope in his hands.
Shidou gave a quiet, humorless laugh.
“That’s a pretty depressing way of saying it.”
“You want me to make it sound better?”
“No.”
Shidou looked away.
“I don’t think you could.”
Rin finally stood.
His injured leg immediately protested, and he instinctively grabbed the edge of the desk for balance before forcing himself upright again.
Shidou noticed.
“You sure you can walk to the exit?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to prove anything right now.”
“I said I’m fine.”
Shidou stared at him for a moment before sighing.
“Yeah. Whatever.”
They started toward the door.
This time, neither of them argued.
When Rin reached the doorway, he stopped for a second and looked back at Ego’s office.
The desk.
The monitors.
The room where he’d been told, once and for all, that he was no longer a Blue Lock player.
His chest felt painfully tight.
Shidou was already a few steps ahead when he noticed Rin wasn’t following.
“Rin?”
Rin looked at him.
“I’m coming.”
They walked through the corridor together.
The building seemed different now.
Not because anything had actually changed, but because Rin knew he was seeing it for the last time.
The familiar halls that had once felt suffocating now seemed strangely difficult to leave. Every corner carried some memory, whether it was a training session, an argument, a match, or one of the countless moments when he had stood on the pitch convinced that he was getting closer to the person he wanted to become.
Shidou seemed to feel it too.
He walked with his hands shoved into his pockets, his usual restless energy completely absent.
When they reached the main entrance, the doors opened automatically, allowing the cold night air to rush inside.
Both of them stopped.
Outside, two separate vehicles were waiting.
One would take Rin toward Kamakura, back to the Itoshi household in Kanagawa.
The other would take Shidou toward Tokyo, where his own home was waiting for him.
For the first time, the fact that they didn’t actually live anywhere near each other became painfully obvious.
Shidou looked toward Rin.
“So…”
Rin glanced at him.
“You’re going south.”
“I’m going home.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Shidou rubbed the back of his neck, clearly struggling to find something to say.
It was strange.
They had spent months screaming at each other, insulting each other, provoking each other, fighting each other, and somehow, now that they were being separated, neither could figure out how to say goodbye.
Shidou eventually gave him a crooked smile.
“Guess this is where we split.”
Rin looked at him for a moment.
“Looks like it.”
“You better actually recover that leg.”
Rin’s expression hardened slightly.
“I will.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
Shidou nodded.
Then, after a moment, he added, “And don’t let some doctor telling you that you can’t play convince you that you’re finished.”
Rin’s eyes shifted away.
“I won’t.”
“You’d better not.”
Rin looked back at him.
“You’re one to talk.”
Shidou laughed quietly.
“Yeah. Fair.”
The laughter disappeared almost as quickly as it came.
Neither moved.
Then Shidou stepped closer and held out his fist.
Rin stared at it.
“What?”
“You know what.”
Rin sighed.
“You’re an idiot.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just do it.”
After a moment, Rin lifted his hand and bumped his fist against Shidou’s.
Neither smiled.
It wasn’t really a celebration.
It wasn’t forgiveness.
It wasn’t even an agreement that everything between them was suddenly fine.
It was simply an acknowledgement.
We’re leaving.
We’re both fucked.
But we’re still here.
Rin looked at him before turning around
Shidou turned toward the vehicle waiting for him.
Hey took several steps before stopping and looking back.
“Hey.”
Rin raised an eyebrow.
Shidou hesitated.
Then he said, more quietly than usual, “I’m still sorry.”
Rin stared at him.
For a moment, he didn’t answer. The words brought back everything from earlier- the impact of Shidou’s boot against his leg, the fight that followed, the hospital, the doctor’s explanation, and the way Shidou had stayed beside him when everything he’d spent years working toward suddenly felt like it was slipping through his fingers.
Rin lowered his eyes.
“I’m sorry too.”
Shidou blinked.
Rin’s fingers tightened around the strap of his bag as he forced himself to continue, the words clearly not coming easily to him.
“I shouldn’t have let myself lose control like that. I was angry, and I was scared, and instead of walking away, I let it get worse. You didn’t mean to hurt me, and I knew that, but I still let my anger take over and started the fight anyway. I knew exactly what Ego had told us, and I still threw the first punch.”
Shidou stared at him.
Rin swallowed before adding, quieter, “So… I’m sorry too. For letting my emotions get the better of me and for making everything worse when it didn’t have to become a fight.”
Shidou’s expression softened.
“Rin…”
“Don’t make it weird.”
Shidou let out a small laugh.
“Wasn’t going to.”
Rin looked away.
“Good.”
There was another silence between them, but this one didn’t feel as uncomfortable as the others had.
Shidou eventually nodded.
“Okay.”
Rin looked back at him.
“Okay.”
Shidou turned toward his vehicle again, but after a few steps, he stopped once more.
“Take care of yourself, Rin.”
Rin watched him for a moment before answering.
“You too.”
And this time, when Shidou finally walked away, neither of them looked back.