𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 | Michael Kaiser ( ✓ )

08. DEBUT

UPON MEETING the other girls for the first time, they all clicked pretty easily after a small game of 20 questions — a game where each one asks the other 20 different questions to find out more about them. It was fun and it established their friendship early on. They all found it relieving to have each other to rely on.

"Aashi-chan, I have to ask," Yuki looks toward her friend/colleague while mixing her soup and rice, "Are you an Indian?"

The tall girl looks up towards Yuki and smiles, "Haha, I am. It's already pretty obvious, no?"

Yuki laughs sheepishly, "Well, back in Munich...I had friends that admired Indian culture, and they wore those red dots on their foreheads." She glances at Aashi's forehead. "What are they called?"

"Oh, they're called bindis," Aashi notices [Name] walking towards their cafeteria table, "[Name]! Over here!"

[Name] smiles, "hey there." She walks over and sits beside Yuki,  placing her tray down. "What's up?"

Yuki grins at [Name], excited to have her join their conversation. "We were just talking about Indian culture, and I was asking Aashi about the red dots some people wear on their foreheads. Bindis?"

[Name] nods, taking a bite of her food before answering. "Yes, they're called bindis. They hold cultural and religious significance in India, often worn by women as a symbol of tradition and beauty."

"Yep," Aashi agrees, taking a bite of her food, "my mother is Indian while my father is Japanese. Even so, my mother still encourages me to embrace her heritage."

"Cool..." Yuki's eyes shimmer, "Aashi-chan, how do you maintain such long, thick hair?"

"I don't."

"Huh?" Yuki stiffens.

Aashi sighs, "I'm doing my best to bear with it until twenty-five. If anything, I need your haircare routine, Yuki."

Yuki chuckles nervously, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Oh, um, well, I guess I just use a lot of conditioner and try to avoid heat styling as much as possible."

Aashi nods in understanding, running her fingers through her own hair thoughtfully. "That's smart. I should probably take better care of mine too, but it's just so much to deal with sometimes."

[Name] interjects with a supportive smile, "You both have beautiful hair, no matter how you maintain it. But if you ever need any tips or tricks, I'm here to help."

The two girls grin at the younger Isagi.

"Awwww...thanks, [Name]-chan!" Yuki coos.

"By the way, how do you think training is going?" Aashi asks, "your brother seems to be improving each second."

"He is?" The way [Name]'s eyes shine when someone mentions her brother makes Aashi giggle. "You've seen him?"

"Haha, yeah," The Indian girl answers, "I was called to watch the training this time and monitored their progress. He moved up four places to 17th place."

[Name] smiles, "that's great...!!" She looks down with a dopey smile on her face. "I'm so proud of him..."

"However, to play as a regular, he has to make it to the top 11. In the span of these nine days, no one from Blue Lock made it as a regular. I think this only occurred in the German stratum." Aashi finishes.