17. PLEASE TAKE CARE OF ME

note: would u guys believe me if i said. i have written up to chapter 30. lol. and there is only one kiss between one character ugh so sad (I'm going to try and make it so it isn't just irrelevant omg yay they kiss lolol more like it actually affects the relationship between characters?? maybe?? idk). more coming soon. ill try to keep updates regular tho.

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BEFORE

you know it, the first player walks in, hair fallen between his eyes and a distant expression that separates each of you from him in an instant. He looks annoyed at everything—very clearly wanted to be left alone with such a scowl. He looks like he's going to punch the next person that dares to speak to him.

The name pops up on the white screen above his head—Rin Itoshi, with a little icon next to the name of his face in an abstract art style. He tosses a soccer ball under his arm and stands next to the entrance he came from, eyes focused on a single spot on the floor, but you find your gaze keeps getting drawn back to him.

He still looks pissed, though, you think, and you notice how he refuses to look up and even risk the chance of making eye contact with any of you.

But it seems that the girl with such fiery red hair can't tell when she's about to throw fuel into an open flame—seeing as she can't read the blatantly obvious look of disdain on his face when he hears the chatter that comes from the other girls. She bounds up to him, face bright with overbearing friendliness, and she immediately tries to strike up a conversation with him.

Both you and Kyouka give each other a look at how he very clearly makes a point to not respond to a word she says—not until she finally asks the big question. She looks up at him with big eyes, and smiles, "So? Whaddya say? Want to team up?"

He looks at her like she's gum on a shoe—a cockroach in the kitchen—or even a pile of shit lying on the sidewalk. Such a look makes the humid room suddenly feel ice cold, and goosebumps trail down your neck when you finally get a good glimpse at his icy blue eyes. They look strangely familiar, in a way you can't possibly describe.

He doesn't seethe—nor does he even raise his voice, he only looks her dead in the eyes with a blank expression and says in the most monotone voice, "Who do you think you are? I don't need you. You're a lukewarm leech."

Your lips unconsciously part in shock at his sheer audacity, and the fact he doesn't even give her a second glance before he walks over to the other side of the room, expression stone-cold and completely unchanging. The redhead's jaw drops to the ground, eyes bulging out of her skull in complete and utter silence—now, nobody else would dare to approach the man.

Kyouka tugged on your sleeve, her soft eyes narrowing at the new number 1, who was now toying with the soccer ball under his foot, "It says his name is... Rin Itoshi. I... I don't know that much about sports, but I've definitely heard of the Itoshi name before. I just can't remember where..."

"So he's already a pro?" You squint your eyes at him, brow raising in confusion. He looks younger than you. Why is he even in Blue Lock if he's already a pro player? A voice seems to hear your mental call—behind you, and having the answer to all your questions—a girl with a split dye job, half purple, half white, and a septum piercing.

Her voice is deep and calm, and if you listen hard enough, you think you can near a low note of a song playing from the one earbud stuck in her ear, "Wrong Itoshi. His brother's probably Sae Itoshi. That's the pro player. Pretty famous. Part of the Under 20's national league." She shrugs, and she blows a bubble with gum. You have no idea where she even got something like that in Blue Lock, where candy is all but a dream.

It pops beside your ear, and it bothers you, so you give her a look from the corner of your eye. The girl giggles and hides her black-painted lips behind her hand as she walks away. Weirdo, you think, shuffling your feet on the floor.

Soon, two more players come in, and it seems that Rin Itoshi doesn't have any time for games or anything ridiculous like that, because they quickly all form a group (despite the clear hesitance of the boy in third place, who really does look like he's about to cry). One of the girls goes up to the boy in second place—the one with chubby cheeks and dyed milk-pink hair—and surprisingly enough, it seems like that boy agrees to take her along with him.

Kyouka watches with her fish-like expression as she waves goodbye to her sector partner and those four all walk into the next room—awaiting the next sets of teams. She turns to you, eyes wide in wonder, "Do you think they knew each other? That guy... he seemed pretty happy to take her with him!"

You place a finger on your lip in thought, brows furrowed as you stare at the place where they had left—the white screen above the exit showing their four names, and you note that the girl's name is Komi. "I think so."

You think back to the interaction between Rin Itoshi and the girl with fire hair from before, and you note how awkward it seemed to be. Nobody would want a person they barely know trying to leech off of their success. "We should probably do that too. I'd like to be stuck with somebody I know, rather than a random player who I have no idea what their abilities are."

Kyouka seems to consider your words for a little bit, then nods eagerly, hand resting on her chin, "That's a... good idea. Okay. Who do you want to choose?" She peers back up at you. You pause, and stare back at her for a minute, before looking away. More people are coming in now. You catch a glimpse of bright purple hair and his snow-white buddy.

"I'll have to decide when they get here." Kyouka nods at your answer—seemingly satisfied—before she waves to Nagi and Reo, both of you walking over to them as they observe their new, unfamiliar surroundings.

"Hey, Kyouka," Reo says, a small grin on his lips. He turns to you, scrunching his brows, before a new smile appears back on his face. "I don't know your name."

You nod in understanding, a hand resting on your hip, "[name]. It's nice to see you again, Reo. Nagi." They both nod, but only Reo says something back. Nagi only stares wistfully—like he's in a daze, or something. His black-hole eyes meet yours, and he finally speaks.

"Hi, [name]."

It's a simple phrase—but it knocks the wind out of Reo's lungs all the same. He turns to his buddy in shock, mouth wide open and eyes widened. Kyouka laughs at his expression, and looks at you, smiling bright and pearly, when she abruptly looks over her shoulder and points, "Oh hey! Weren't those guys on Team Z?"

You twist your head around, and you meet the eyes of Yoichi Isagi. He grins your way, and you grin right back, walking up to the two. Bachira waves his arm around and gives you an excited greeting, to which you respond in kind, "You two made it." 

Isagi nods, still smiling, and places a hand on your shoulder, "Yeah—we're going to team up together."

You nod, but then give him a confused look—a brow raised and head slightly tilted back, "Okay... but wait, who's your third?"

They don't have time to respond, because soon, there are heavy footsteps behind you and Nagi is walking to your side. He doesn't glance at you—more so, he looks to Isagi, blinking froggishly, "Hey, Yoichi Isagi. Wanna join our team? You should play with us."

Reo, standing a little bit behind his buddy, turns his head towards Nagi, confusion evident in his expression. Clearly—Nagi hadn't consulted with his other teammates beforehand, despite being much more forward than he usually acted. "What are you doing, Nagi? Is this seriously the guy you think we should team up with?"

"Yeah, he was the most impressive guy on the field when we played his team. I wanna see what soccer is like with him." Nagi glances at Reo when he humours him with a response, but quickly diverts his attention right back to Isagi—so he doesn't catch the look of sheer shock that passes Reo's expression.

Bachira—who has been uncharacteristically silent while listening to Nagi—tilts his head at Isagi, eyes wide with wonder, "Interesting... so, what will you do? It's your call."

Isagi doesn't miss a beat as he replies, brows furrowed in determination, "It's not gonna happen. We're staying teammates." Bachira looks evidently pleased with his response, grinning widely. "Sorry, Nagi, I'm not leaving Bachira behind," Isagi apologises.

"That's that," Reo shrugs and leans back on his heel while yawning. Nagi's quiet when he observes Isagi and Bachira, eyes clouded with thought until he points at them, voice assertive.

"I see. Then... I'll join the two of you instead. That solves the problem." 

Isagi and Bachira gasped in shock at his revelation—but nothing could truly compare to the look of pure terror on Reo's face when those words fell out of Nagi's lips. He defensively steps forward, Nagi still not breaking his eye contact with Isagi even as Reo comes up next to him and asks in disbelief, "What are you talking about, Nagi?! Think straight—you're teaming up with me, not those guys! You going crazy?! You can't do this—!!!" His voice grows more and more angry with each word, and he sounds desperate—a thing you didn't expect from somebody like Reo.

Nagi tilts his head back to look at Reo—expression just as blank and monotone as always—a stark contrast to the betrayed face Reo's currently sporting, "Reo. I appreciate that you taught me how to play the game. We'll still become the best in the world, I'm certain about that. Thing is, we played them and lost. We weren't the strongest players. They frustrated me—and that's not something I've ever experienced before."

Reo's face grows more and more hopeless—and you almost find yourself feeling bad for him, from your spot next to his ex-buddy. Nagi continues, "I want to understand it better. Cause now—I want to give this my all."

The purple-haired heir's lips tremble, and his jaw clenches tight. He visibly bites back words—you can tell by the way he swallows thickly—before he lowers his head, looking down at the floor. "This is a joke. Do what you want." His voice grows more strained in his second sentence.

Bachira, with pouted lips and a dumbfounded expression, turns to Isagi, "What do you think, Isagi?"

It takes a few seconds for Isagi to properly respond—and you can see on his face that he's considering something important. He then looks up, a determined look etched across his being, and he revives the eye contact with Nagi, "Okay. Join us."

"Solid roster," Bachira giggles, hands resting behind the back of his neck. Abruptly—he then turns to you, peering at you through his lashes, "What about you, [name]? You gotta choose somebody to stick with, right? So... who will it be?"

You almost forgot about that part of the second selection—if not for the fact that it was plastered in bright colours on the white screen. You should choose somebody strong, that you have a good connection with, and somebody that won't fall if they're pushed. You make eye contact with him—knowing that really, he was your first option from the start.

"Isagi," you say, and you look into his deep, blue eyes. He looks a bit taken back in shock, lips parting slightly and irises widening. "Will you let me accompany you?"

He swallows thickly before he responds, but it doesn't look like he's considering the thought of saying no. He nods, "Okay. Sure." The words make a smile spread across your face, and you nod right back.

"That's good. I promise I won't try and drag you down."

He laughs, a wonderfully joyous sound, and the tips of his ears turn bright pink, "I'll be counting on that."

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