The afternoon sun hung lazily in the sky, casting a warm glow over the soccer field. The rhythmic sounds of cleats striking the turf and the sharp calls of the coach echoed through the air as the Blue Lock players moved in sync, their bodies weaving effortlessly through drills.

Nagi Seishiro, as usual, played lazily, not even trying, moving only when necessary and still managing to make it look effortless.

Reo, on the other hand, was going full throttle, his intense focus contrasting sharply with Nagi's half-hearted movements.

"Oi, Nagi, stop slacking!" Isagi called as he sprinted past him, nudging the white-haired striker with his shoulder.

Nagi sighed, stretching his arms over his head. "I want to sleep..."

Bachira, ever the ball of energy, grinned as he dribbled past them. "C'mon, Nagi! If you don't move, I'm stealing all your goals!"

Reo rolled his eyes. "You already do that anyway."

The practice session carried on, the players falling into their natural rhythm. Chigiri's speed tore through the field like a red blur, Rin remained as cold as ever, and Shidou... well, Shidou was being Shidou, aggressive, weird, and annoyingly good.

Nagi was just about to zone out when something, or rather, someone, caught his attention.

By the bleachers, standing near the edge of the field, was Y/N.

She was scanning the players, looking for someone, until her eyes landed on him. She raised a hand and called out, "Nagi!"

A few heads turned at the sound of her voice, but Nagi barely acknowledged them. With an exaggerated sigh, he began making his way over, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Reo watched him go, then exchanged a look with Bachira.

"Who's that?" Bachira asked, tilting his head.

Reo smirked. "That, my friend, is the only person I've seen actually make Nagi do work."

Bachira's eyes widened in mock horror. "No way."

"Way."

Meanwhile, Nagi strolled up to Y/N, stopping just in front of her. "Haaah... what now?"

Y/N crossed her arms, unimpressed by his usual lethargic tone. "Relax. I just wanted to talk about the project."

Nagi blinked, his eyes trailing back to the field where the other players were still running drills. "Now?"

"Yes, now."

Nagi sighed. "So annoying..."

Y/N gave him a deadpan stare. "You do realize we need to finish it, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." He yawned. "What's the plan?"

"We'll finish it this weekend," Y/N said, pulling out her phone. "Saturday afternoon. Your place again."

Nagi tilted his head. "Ugh... weekend plans?"

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "You were just going to stay in bed all day, weren't you?"

Nagi didn't even bother denying it.

"Exactly," she said, tapping at her phone. "So now you have something productive to do. Be grateful."

Nagi groaned dramatically. "So much effort..."

Y/N shot him a look. "Not as much effort as dragging you through this project, trust me."

Before Nagi could come up with a lazy excuse, the sharp whistle of the coach rang through the air.

"Oi, Nagi! Quit slacking and get back here!"

Nagi turned his head, nodding lazily before glancing back at Y/N. "Alright, alright. I'll see you on Saturday."

"Good," Y/N said, slipping her phone back into her pocket. "Now go back before your coach yells at you again."

Nagi sighed and turned to leave, but before he could even take two steps—

"Wait a minute," a smooth, mischievous voice cut in.

Y/N frowned as two figures approached, Shidou and Otoya.

Shidou grinned, eyes scanning her up and down like a predator assessing its prey. "Who's this?"

Otoya smirked, flicking back a stray strand of his white hair. "Didn't know Nagi had a girl waiting for him after practice."

Y/N's eye twitched. "I'm not his—"

But before she could finish, Nagi casually threw an arm over her shoulder, looking utterly unbothered.

"She's my project partner," he mumbled. "That's all."

Shidou leaned in, his grin widening. "Damn, and here I thought you had some hidden game, Nagi."

Otoya clicked his tongue. "Shame. A cute girl like this shouldn't be stuck with someone who barely moves."

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "And I suppose either of you would be a better choice?"

Shidou smirked. "Obviously."

Otoya chuckled. "We'd actually give you attention, for starters."

Y/N looked at them for a long moment before turning to Nagi. "Your teammates are worse than you."

Nagi hummed. "Told you."

Before the conversation could go any further, Reo and Bachira finally jogged over, wearing matching mischievous grins.

Bachira leaned in close. "Ooooh, Nagi, who's your little visitor?"

Reo crossed his arms, smirking. "Didn't know you had someone special dropping by."

"She's not—"

"I'm not—"

Both Y/N and Nagi spoke at the same time, but the damage had already been done.

Isagi, Kurona, Yukimiya, and Hiori, who had all been practicing nearby, had noticed the commotion and were now watching with amusement.

Yukimiya smirked. "Nagi, since when do you get visitors?"

Hiori chuckled. "Guess there's a first time for everything."

Kurona shot Nagi a knowing look. "She's pretty."

Meanwhile, Rin, standing off to the side, simply rolled his eyes. "Idiots."

The teasing didn't stop there.

Bachira draped an arm over Nagi's shoulder. "So, Nagi, how long have you and Y/N been secretly dating?"

Reo grinned. "Yeah, you keeping secrets from me now?"

Y/N's face deadpanned. "Oh my god."

Nagi sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You guys are so annoying."

Otoya smirked. "Hey, don't blame us. We just call it how we see it."

Shidou grinned. "And what I see is an opening."

Y/N had had enough. She took a step back. "I'm leaving."

Nagi raised a lazy hand in farewell. "Later."

Bachira snickered. "Awww, leaving so soon?"

Y/N shot him a flat look before walking away. As she disappeared, the teasing only grew worse.

Reo nudged Nagi. "You should've at least walked her out."

Nagi sighed dramatically. "Too much effort."

Bachira smirked. "Suuuure. You're totally not interested."

Shidou clicked his tongue. "Tch. Waste of an opportunity."

Otoya nodded in agreement. "Shame. I could've made things interesting."

Nagi yawned, stretching his arms. "Haaah... you guys are exhausting."

Bachira snorted. "Yeah, well, welcome to the team."

The teasing continued as the players returned to practice.

And through it all, Nagi remained as unreadable as ever.

But if one looked close enough, they might've noticed the slightest hint of a smirk on his lips.

—

The next day, Y/N sat near the back, flipping through her notes, her brow slightly furrowed in concentration.

It was a peaceful moment, one of the few she got during the school day.

Until something landed on her desk with a small thud.

She blinked, glancing up from her notes. A chilled can of peach soda sat beside her open textbook, condensation forming tiny droplets on the metal.

Y/N frowned. She definitely didn't buy this.

Curiously, she lifted her gaze, only to find Nagi Seishiro standing just a few steps away, hands shoved into his pockets.

His white hair looked as untamed as ever, slightly messy but somehow still suiting him. His half-lidded gray eyes, usually filled with boredom, flickered to her for a moment before looking elsewhere, as if he didn't really want to be here.

"Nagi?" Y/N tilted her head. "Did you—"

"Haaah..." Nagi let out a sigh before she could even finish her sentence. "Yeah, yeah. I got it for you."

Y/N blinked again, staring at him in mild disbelief. She had known Nagi for a little while now, and he did not seem like the type to buy anyone anything unless there was some ulterior motive, or unless Reo was involved.

"Why?" she asked bluntly, narrowing her eyes.

Nagi scratched the back of his neck, shifting his weight lazily from one foot to the other. "Dunno. Thought you might want one."

Y/N stared at him for another second before crossing her arms. "Okay, seriously. What' is it?"

Nagi sighed again, clearly regretting his life choices. "Tch. So annoying..." He paused, then exhaled heavily. "It's 'cause of yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Y/N echoed.

"You know, the teasing," Nagi muttered, still not meeting her eyes. "Reo, Bachira, and the others kept messing around, and you got dragged into it. Thought that might've been annoying for you."

Y/N raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. "You're apologizing?"

Nagi's lips pressed into a thin line, his expression unreadable. "I guess."

She tilted her head, eyeing him suspiciously. "And the drink?"

"Reo said if you mess up, you should at least make it up to someone properly," he said, shrugging. "Figured a drink was the easiest way."

Y/N looked at the peach soda on her desk, then back at Nagi. It was such a simple gesture, but coming from him, it was unexpected.

This was the same guy who actively avoided unnecessary effort, yet here he was, standing in her classroom, offering her a drink like some sort of peace offering.

She reached for the can, pressing her fingers against the cool surface before giving him a small smirk. "Huh. Didn't think you cared."

"I don't," Nagi said immediately. "It's just... too much effort if you got mad and started ignoring me."

Y/N rolled her eyes. "Wow, what a heartwarming reason."

Nagi shrugged again, unfazed. "Being ignored is a pain."

She popped open the can, taking a sip. The sweet, carbonated taste of melon filled her mouth, and she sighed contently. "Well, I wasn't mad. Your teammates are just idiots."

"Agreed." Nagi pulled out the chair next to her, flopping down as if standing had exhausted him. He leaned back, his posture as lazy as ever.

Y/N glanced at him. "You skipping class?"

"Not yet," he muttered. "Just don't wanna go back yet."

She snorted. "You really don't like putting in effort, huh?"

Nagi yawned. "It's exhausting."

Y/N took another sip of her drink, watching him for a moment. He wasn't as unreadable as people thought, he was just selective about what he cared about.

And for some reason, today, he cared enough to apologize.

She nudged the drink slightly with her fingers. "Thanks, I guess."

Nagi hummed in acknowledgment.

The classroom bustled around them, students coming and going, but for a moment, the two of them just sat there, the quiet surprisingly comfortable.

And Y/N had to admit, maybe Nagi wasn't as impossible as she thought.