06. HERO

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IT'S

hard for you to realise what time it is by now. Since there aren't an abundance of windows here in Blue Lock, you either have to check your phone (which in itself, is something you aren't really used to doing) or just plainly guess based on how tired you are. Right now, of all times, you are feeling really tired. So, it must be late.

You check your phone. 9:57 pm.

But you can't go to sleep, not yet. Your duty as a manager comes before sleep—but not before eyebags—and this is your duty. You write down your notes as fast as you can—trying to keep up with their conversation—which ends up looking more like scribble than actual handwriting.

A conversation like this was not one you could easily spark up, nor was it one that you could involve yourself in (not like you could involve yourself in many conversations, anyway) so this opportunity was rare—legendary, even. A conversation about skills. For once, you did not need to use your master deduction skills to work out who is good at what, and you can finally hear it straight up from them with no extra work.

You needed to use this.

Isagi is unsure of his ability, and ignoring a rude comment from Raichi, you move on to the next person—writing down their name...

Chigiri. Kuon peers over at your notebook—as he was generally the one you felt you could trust the most—and asks Chigiri what his talent is.

"I'm... not saying," he mumbles, digging his face into his knees.

"What the hell man? If pretty boy here wants to be selfish, let's keep going," Raichi hisses narrowing his eyes at Chigiri, then at the next person.

You peer down at your notebook, reading the words over and over until a shifting catches your eye. While the others talk, Bachira is dead asleep, laid across multiple beddings and his head right next to your knee. He shifts a little, clearly still sleeping, so his cheek is pressed right up against your bare calf. It wouldn't be as uncomfortable if you were wearing pants, but tonight (of all night) you decided to wear shorts.

You shift away, paying no mind to it, until he moves closer again.

You shift backwards. And he follows.

Again. And again. And again. To the point, you seriously doubt if he is sleeping or not, and you feel so fed up with him that you just stop moving, and let him get what his (maybe) unconscious self wants. It's too much of a bother to keep moving back—and you don't want to draw any weird attention.

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A routine that you have had for a couple of days now, was eating with Kyouka. You weren't too sure when this thing had started, but it wasn't unwelcome. You enjoyed her company, even if a lot of the time, you two just sat in silence and enjoyed each other's company.

You would usually wait at the same table each day for her, but today, she was nowhere to be found. It was strange to be eating alone—a little miserable—however, you just ended up using your phone. This place had really great internet and wifi, despite how many people didn't have their phones. You watched a few stories on Instagram, mostly of your previous classmates, and watched how they lived their lives in the outside world.

You suddenly felt isolated.

You were stuck in this strange place, with barely anybody you knew. You had accepted this fact a while ago, but it still felt strange. It was all so strange. There was loud, boisterous laughter, and you looked over to the table across from you, and you saw Pixie cut, sitting with a bunch of guys from her team, enjoying herself and their company. You don't catch yourself staring, at least, not until Pixie cut does, meeting your gaze and giving you a confused look.

You quickly snap your head away, looking down at your food and nibbling. A flush rises up your neck, and you close your eyes to try and block out the sound. It was loud—everything felt too loud—and suddenly it was like each of your nerves were pulsing in your head. 

I can't...—

A sudden touch on your shoulder makes you jolt back, almost flying off your seat and gaze lifting to see whoever it is. The first thing you see is their bright pink eyes, and then a head of long, shiny hair, and then...

It's... Chigiri. Why...?

You shouldn't be surprised, because probably, better than anyone in Blue Lock (because, despite your brief conversations, you do end up spending a lot of time with him whenever you two happen to meet at night when nobody else is around), you can see how much Chigiri sees things—and maybe, he can even see how you think.

He wordlessly takes a seat next to you, and you see his dish. Plain rice, with stir fry and water. You look at your food—a bowl of instant noodles with an egg, and a bowl of sliced strawberries with a packet of orange juice—and compare it to his. You pop half a strawberry in your mouth and chew, still looking at your phone. 

After you swallow, you look over at him, and see that he's staring at a dirty spot on the table with a fierce intensity—and something tells you he doesn't just really hate dirt. You purse your lips before speaking, "Do you... want some strawberries?"

His eyes quickly dart to yours', and he blinks owlishly in response. He looks confused that you'd ask him this, but regardless, he nods, and you nudge your head towards the bowl. He picks a half up, slowly and cautiously, then pops it into his mouth, slowly chewing. Then, his lips turn up, and he stares down at the fruit with a soft look.

"It's—been forever," he chews between the words, covering his mouth with his hand. "Since I had fruit."

You smile a little, eating a strawberry of your own, "As long as we request what we want the day before, we can get almost anything... even if it is taken out of our paycheck. If you'd like... I can ask for fruit for you. I wouldn't mind."

He shakes his head, and a long piece of his hair falls over his shoulder, "It's fine. I don't—"

"I wouldn't mind," you repeat, a little more forceful this time. He groans a little, looking to the wall opposite you, head turned so you couldn't see his face.

"... If you wouldn't mind."

You nod—even though he doesn't see—and you feel a little satisfied, "Okay then."

He doesn't say anything after this, so—after emptying your bowl of noodles and passing your strawberries to Chigiri—you choose to just sit there in silence with him, enjoying his presence more than anything.

Over these past few days, you feel like you have been growing closer to him, and you've been feeling a strange sense of fondness towards him ever since that night. You didn't want to say too much, but...

You felt glad that he was here.

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The next day, you didn't have much to do regarding your managerial responsibilities either. They all decided to train all day and you didn't feel like taking part in it so you spent almost the whole day in your room, either sleeping or on your phone. The day had slipped by before you knew it, and when you checked the time on your phone—it was 10:36 pm. Talk about late.

To your defence, you had just woken up from a nap you didn't know you had taken—music blasted into your ears from your headphones and your vision was blurry as you rubbed your eyes. Before anything else, however, your stomach growls. You're hungry.

You put on some long, fluffy pyjama pants and a form-fitting navy blue shirt, slipping on some socks before you stumble your way into the kitchen. Using your ID card to walk in, you grab your food while still yawning as you walk out and place your phone on the table. It's empty in here. You aren't surprised, given the time—most people would either be training or sleeping or both by now.

You slip into your seat, and slouch at the table. You had blueberries, intending to share them with Chigiri, but now, you doubt he would be willing to come to the cafeteria at this time. You also had a bowl of shrimp with rice and a spicy sauce.

You switch on your phone and scroll through a few videos for a bit, shoving a few bites into your mouth as you mindlessly watch.

Until there is the sound of beeping and footsteps. Bare feet—but footsteps, nonetheless. Your attention is quickly drawn, and you look up.

"[name]? You're eating this late?" Isagi blinks, slowly walking over to you with a tray of his food, which is just rice and natto. You look up at him with a full mouth, cheeks puffed out as you wave at him. He looks around the lifeless room and then back at you. His cheeks grow pink and he avoids eye contact by looking down at the floor, "Um... do you—... can I sit with you?"

He splutters out, then smiles when you silently nod—too engrossed by a video you were watching to care. He sits down next to you, and takes a bite of his food, scrunching up his face when he does. "I'm so sick of natto."

He glances over at your food, letting out a long, drawn-out dreary sigh. "You guys get treated well."

"Well, it does get taken out of my paycheck." You shrug, shoving a shrimp into your mouth.

"Good work today, Isagi," a pointed, deep voice rings out beside you, and you don't bother to look. Isagi does, though, and you can hear the smile in his voice when he speaks. 

"Kunigami!"

Kunigami's nose scrunches up, and he stares at Isagi's platter in disgust, "Natto? Still eatin' that stuff?"

The boy just laughs nervously, staring blankly as he takes another hellish bite, "That's how it is when your rank's low." He then looks back up at the blonde, head tilted towards him, "Hey, have you eaten yet?"

"Yeah, earlier. I came down here to talk to you."

Curiosity gets the better of you, and you switch off your phone and tilt your head closer so you can listen. It seems that Kunigami either hadn't noticed you or doesn't care if you hear, because he keeps talking.

"Well, I never said thank you the other day. Now I am." He rubs the back of his neck, and he swallows thickly—like he is embarrassed by what he's saying. 

Isagi stares dumbly. "For what?"

Kunigami grins, "The pass, thanks."

"You mean our game against Team X? Is that is?" Isagi scoots his body around so that he's facing Kunigami, and you seriously doubt that the blonde hadn't noticed you at this point, because you were clearly peeking over Isagi's shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm a firm believer in handling things the correct way. Anyway, that's it. So, goodnight." Kunigami starts to walk away, hands shoved into his pockets and shoulders slumped. Isagi balls his fists up, and suddenly steps out of his seat—the noise making Kunigami stop and turn around.

"I've gotta know... why do you play soccer?" He asks with determination—so much so, that it almost makes you snort. You scarf down another shrimp.

"That... was out of the blue."

You do snort at this, covering the lower half of your face with your hand and looking away. Kunigami peers behind Isagi (due to his greater height, he can just look over) and gives you a confused glance. Isagi's eyes widen, and he takes a shaky step back, "Oh... I meant—it's just... you have lots of weapons that I don't... like your shot power and your strong frame. The amazing player is you... Sometimes, I wonder what goes through your head."

Isagi scoffs, then smiles nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, "Oh man—what am I even talking about? I'm sorry, it feels like I'm embarrassing myself here—forget I asked! I'll see ya later."

Kunigami spins on his heel so he is facing Isagi, staring him dead in the eye with no visible expression. "Man, that's easy to answer. The reason I play is to become a superhero. I always idolized strikers—warriors who ran on green pitches, scoring goal—winning games. Those players were real-life superheroes that left me feeling inspired—full of excitement, courage. That's who I want to be—why I play."

"Are you... being serious right now?" Isagi, being the people person he ever is, asks insensitively, staring at him like he had just dropped the biggest bullshit in history.

"Yeah, deadly, and I don't care what anybody else thinks. Or if they laugh at me. Because I'm not embarrassed of my dream. And to make it come true, I'm ready to fight the whole world, fair and square." Kunigami says plainly, shuffling his feet on the floor. Isagi smiles and mumbles something under his breath that neither of you quite catch. Kunigami starts to walk away when you speak, and he peers over his shoulder. 

You swallow a bite of rice you took. "I think that's a pretty cool dream." A simple, honest sentence makes a smile form on his lips and he steals one more glance at you before he walks away.

You don't look up, until there is a wafting smell that you just can't ignore, and a plate is placed on the table in front of you, still steaming and hot. You look up, and Kunigami is grinning, cutting the steak into strips.

"You fed me that shot—it took both of us to make that goal," Kunigami says, not looking away from the meat. "So, technically, this also belongs to you."

"Well..." Isagi grins nervously, taking a seat. He looks over at you, and you look right back, a confused expression etched on. He smiles even wider when he turns to Kunigami. "I think... that [name] was the reason I even went for it. When she yelled at us that it didn't matter who scored... I think it kind of snapped me back to reality. So... I think that [name] also deserves some too."

Kunigami nodded, thoughtfully placed his chin in his hands, "You know what, Isagi? I agree. I mean—she is our manager, after all."

You scrunch up your face at them, placing your phone face down on the table before scooting your chair away. Isagi laughs at your expression, grabs ahold of the back of your chair and tugs you closer, "[name]! Don't make that face!"

"I didn't do anything. I was just being a good manager," you deadpan, but you don't resist when Kunigami slides a third of the meat onto your plate. "Seriously. I don't..."

"Just eat it," Kunigami groans before he takes a bite—face lightening up like it was the first time he had ever tasted it. Drool seeps through the corner of Isagi's mouth, and he chews it slowly.

"Red meat, I've missed you—!!"

You make another face at them, chewing on your piece. You can't deny it tastes better than the meat they give you, but you don't get the same effect.

Kunigami chews a little longer, before he swallows and looks at Isagi, "That pass, instead of Raichi. You chose me. In terms of position, he was more open. I had someone guarding right next to me. I was wondering what made you think that was the right play."

"Well, it was sorta unconscious, y'know? Like a reflex, or something. Even if I had ended up passing to Raichi, it wouldn't change the fact that Barou was right in front of us. Basically, guess you could say I smelled a goal, just needed to set up a shot." Isagi says with a mouth full of food, and you squirm in your seat, head moved away from him. 

Kunigami cocks a brow, tilting his head towards Isagi, "You could smell a goal? Ever think... that's what your weapon is? Being able to make those split-second decisions... that's an impressive skill."

Isagi's smile widens, and he lets out a joyful laugh, "Hey, thanks, Kunigami. This really cheered me up! You're cool, and nice too!"

Kunigami's face flushes pink, and he looks back down at his plate. "... Shut up. I didn't do it to be nice."

"This was pretty nice of you," you lean your cheek on your knee, propped up on your seat. Both Isagi and Kunigami both look at you, blinking in surprise. "Both of you. I can't say I really did anything... but you both included me anyway."

You take your last bite of the steak and chew thoughtfully, then peer at them from the corner of your eyes. "I'd say that's pretty nice of you."

"[name]! I thought you were super blunt, but you're actually really sweet!" Isagi grins, cheeks glowing pink. Kunigami nodded, eyes closed as he sighed.

"Kinda thought you just didn't want to be around us."

You furrow your brows, "I'm just not that good with people. You guys are..." You pause, swallowing and feeling your face heat up. "You guys are cool, I guess..." Your voice drops to a low murmur, and you turn your head away from them.

"Woah!" Kunigami points at your plate and your untouched bowl of blueberries. "You get fruit?! What's up with that?"

You shrug, "We get to choose whatever. It gets taken out of my paycheck, though." A sigh escaped your lips. "I got these for Chigiri, but I didn't want to bother him because I woke up late."

"Seriously?!" Isagi's jaw drops, and he glares at the floor. "Chigiri's seriously been getting special treatment from you?! That's totally unfair!"

"I wouldn't mind giving you some either?" You side-eye him, resting your cheek on your hand and prop it up on the table. "He asked. You didn't."

You slide your bowl over to them, and they waste no time eating the fruit and savouring the taste on their tongue. You hug your knees into your chest and feel a strange feeling in your stomach.

"You're the best, [name]!" Isagi gives you a bright grin, and you look at him dumbly, unsure of what to say. Your lips part slightly and you squeeze your eyes shut. 

"Whatever. It's not that big of a deal."

"Nah—you really are the best," Kunigami nods affirmatively, lips coiled up into a smirk. "I'm glad you're our manager. I wouldn't rather anyone else."

That strange feeling comes back into your stomach, and you suck in a deep breath, before letting your smile widen. You laugh soundlessly, shoulder shaking. "Seriously, if you keep saying stupid things like that, then it'll be even worse when we part."

"Then we just won't part! We'll totally win—so we can all stay in Blue Lock and win, together!"

Both Kunigami and Isagi fist-pump and Isagi glances at you, nudging over to where their fists connect with his head. You avert your gaze, ears burning hot, but still, lean over Isagi and connect your fist with theirs in the middle, and they both grin.

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