𝐋𝐚𝐳𝐲; Blue Lock

01

Aoi Ego
Home, 5:00pm

As I open the apartment door, a surprised gasp escapes me as I realize something.

"What's the matter now?" She ask with a sigh.

"Remember those guys we saw at the bowling alley?" She nods. "Turns out they were the blue lock players." I blurt out.

"Huh?"

"I can't believe I didn't recognize them right away." I complain, slumping onto the couch.

"Was Sae among them?" She queries, taking a sip from her chilled glass of water.

I shake my head. "No, he wasn't."

"Then I don't care." She shrug.

"We were supposed to meet up at three." Ego emerges from his room, his usual bitterness evident.

"Ego-san, how have you been?" Hana greets him with a smile.

"Shut up! Instead of rupturing my eardrums, you all should be apologizing." He groans, heading for the kitchen.

"We're not that late." I say in a calm tone.

He gives me a sidelong glance. "Sorry." I hastily apologize, avoiding his gaze.

Opening a cabinet, he reveals an endless stash of instant ramen. "I hope you guys read the information I sent."

I exchange a glance with Hana, suppressing a smile. "Aoi said it wasn't necessary since you'd explain it anyway." Hana reveals, playfully exposing me.

I chuckle nervously. "Really?"

She raises her hands defensively. "To each their own troubles."

Ego glares at me, raising an eyebrow. "It was five pages long," I exclaim.

"You had a good ten hours to read five pages in less than ten minutes."

"Alright, true, I could have read it, but I was exhausted. Could you please give us a summary?" I ask calmly.

Grabbing a pair of chopsticks, he heads back to his office. "Let me know when you're done reading." He states before closing his door.

Hana lets out an exasperated sigh. "This is all your fault. I don't even know why I listened to you." She shoots me a glare.

"Shh! I'm reading." I tease her.

~

"Objections!" I blurt out.

"Yeah, I object too." Hana chimes in.

Ego lets out a sigh. "What's this about?"

"Why do we need to pretend to be guys?" I question.

"And why can't we choose the team we want to join?" Hana adds.

"And I want to eat whatever I please!" I slam the fives pages onto his desk.

"I also want to have my phone with me!"

He pinches the bridge of his nose. "I wish I knew other people who were better than you two."

"But you don't. So we insist on being able to set some of our own rules." Hana asserts with a serious expression.

"What she said." I nod, crossing my arms.

"Alright, fine. We can make some adjustments, but the disguise remains." He concedes.

"But why?" I grumble.

He raises an eyebrow. "You genuinely don't understand why?"

I shake my head. "Let's say I allow you both to join Blue Lock as girls. What do you think will happen?" He rises from his seat.

"As you're aware, I established Blue Lock to groom the finest male striker globally. So, if you play as girls, be prepared for comments like 'oh, she's a girl, let's go easy' or 'don't play rough, don't want to hurt her.' " He elaborates.

Hana and I share a glance. "If you want to avoid gender-based discrimination, it's wiser to disguise yourselves as males and sidestep those kinds of remarks."

"It's still absurd that we need to go to such lengths just to be taken seriously." I roll my eyes.

"Unfortunately, that's the reality of life."

"Ugh! I'm already fed up with this." I groan, leaning my head back.

"Alright, now that we've settled on an agreement, when does it all begin?" Hana inquires.

Ego glances at his calendar. "Tomorrow."

"What?!" Hana and I exclaim in unison.

"It's clearly stated on the paper. Right here." He points to the last line of the fifth page.

"But we just got here today." I mutter, disbelief evident in my voice.

Ego raises an eyebrow. "And?"

"I haven't even had a chance to explore the city, try out different arcades, or go to Matsuya." I complain.

"Do I look like I care?" He gestures toward his face.

"Well, I still have time. Bye, guys." I rush to the exit.