red quinn 赤 | blue lock

chapter twelve

❪𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊❫
•••

"This is the first time I've seen you here," the man spoke as the two of you walked towards the meal room.

After bumping into a strikingly pretty guy who helped you, you engaged in a brief conversation, discovering that he was late for breakfast because no one had woken him up. Due to your own recent delay, you both decided to head to the meal room together. Despite his quiet demeanor, his chuckle only added to his allure.

"This is also the first time I've seen you here," you replied as you both sat down with your plates. "Aren't you going to train, though? The scheduled content around this hour is machine training."

"The same question for you," he chuckled again, enhancing his charm.

"...I will skip it for today," you simply replied, earning an amusement from him.

"You're into skipping?"

"Not really ," you responded, contemplating how frequently you skip the machine sessions. It's mainly because that's the only time when you can sneak in a quick bath. It's not your fault if someone happened to walk in a while ago – probably just woke up. But hey, it's not your problem.

As you talk, you can't help but think about it. Skipping machine training has become a daily routine for you here in Blue Lock, ensuring you get a chance for a relaxing bath. Getting a regular bath at 7 in the morning is usually out of the question, as the bathroom is usually occupied by other boys at that time. Today was like any other day, just a bit off due to someone showing up late.

You dismiss any feelings of it being your fault. You know how to navigate the daily plan, and this minor change is just a blip in your usual routine.

As both of you enjoyed your breakfast, you subtly observed the other people in the room, opting to ignore them, assuming they were also skipping something. The silence between you two was surprisingly comfortable, with occasional glances revealing the depth of his thoughts.

"Hey," you called, breaking the quiet as he looked at you. "Something's wrong?"

He blinked and sighed afterwards. "Does my face tell everything?"

"Yes, clearly."

"...right."

You waited for him to continue, sensing his hesitation. Although you'd only just met, talking seemed uncomfortable for him.

"We had a match a while ago," he started to spoke, and you hummed to indicate your attention. "We won."

"That's good," you commented, continuing to enjoy your meal.

"...What is your weapon?" he suddenly asked, causing you to pause. Is this guy really asking about a weapo— "In playing soccer." Oh...

"I don't know," you answered. "I play in my own way depending on the field."

"Why did you come to Blue Lock?" he asked again, making you feel like you were in an interview. "Aren't you scared of losing your dream?"

Scared?

Being scared can be paralyzing, preventing many from pursuing their dreams. But by consciously choosing not to be scared, you free yourself from the shackles of this fear.

"If I get scared, then that means I'm losing, and that's the last thing I want to feel," you responded, thinking about your father. "Because why fear this place taking away your dream when you can use it to move upward?"

"We're different; I came here to find a way to give up my dream," he admitted, making you raise your brow in disbelief. "After seeing one of my teammate's goals, I feel like I'll be able to give up."

"And now you're using your teammate as an excuse."

"You don't know anything—"

"I don't," you cut him off. "Listen here princess, if you're just here to give up your dream, why did you even accept the offer to come here in the first place?"

"Really? You're calling myself a princess? Coming from you?"

"Now what? Hey, that's not the point!" you exclaimed in frustration. "There are eleven people on the field, and you're an idiot if you let those ten grab the goal before you do."

"You don't really understand—"

His words were cut off when you stood up, grabbed your backpack, and announced, "I'm going now; I still have something to do." Without waiting for his response, you left the dining room, leaving the pink-haired male behind.

He's such an idiot.

But I didn't even get his name.

Nah, his name is princess.

•••

"Where the hell have you been?!"

"W-we were so worried, Kei-san!"

You deadpanned at Tokimitsu and Aryu after pondering their questions. They sounded like concerned parents nagging their child for not being at home.

"It's not my fault that I lost at the stadium," you replied, moving towards your team currently occupying the training hall.

"You lost?" inquired a voice behind you, seeing Rin all sweaty from training. "Being lost in this small stadium? What an idiot."

"Hey, what did you just say?!" you growled, ready to confront him when Aryu and Tokimitsu stopped you, holding both of your arms.

"We have a match tomorrow, so you should train and stop wasting time on lukewarm activities that won't help us win," he added.

"So you're saying you need my help?" you smirked, teasing Rin, who only gave you a plain look.

"Are you stupid?"

"What?"

"Did you lose your mind after being lost in the stadium?"

"Hey, your mouth is running wild today, Rin. Want to use that for something better?" you yelled, grabbing his collar. Annoyed by his words, you wanted to punch him, but the surrounding silence caught your attention. Turning around, you found everyone staring at both of you.

"Are they for real?"

"Shocks, so they're really in a relationship."

"I can't believe they're doing that thing."

What?

Tokimitsu was sweating in disbelief, deadpanning at how you didn't even realize the double entendre in your words. Everyone seemed to have interpreted it with a certain meaning.

Turning to Aryu and Tokimitsu, you found them in the same stare as everyone else until Aryu spoke.

"Gay."

What?!