Disclaimer: I own none of the original characters nor plot of Blue Lock
Warnings: cursing, possessive ML
UPDATED TIMELINE
Pre-high school
- Reina (6) moves to Japan; Yoichi Isagi (7) gets rejected from J Youth
- Reo (12) and Reina (11) meet
High school
End of August:
-Isagi POV: Saitama Prefectural Final
-Reina POV: Annual Social Event between Hakuho (kf business; Reo and Nagi's school), IMS (kf Social Studies/Law and Soccer; the school Reina attended for a month before transferring; the school Rin currently attends), Shibuya Academy (kf math; the school Reina currently attends at their girl's only campus.) To clarify, Reo/Nagi & Reina do NOT go to the same school, but these three elite schools (Tokyo Trifecta) have a social event once a year for their students to network.
Early September: Blue Lock starts, cannon happens up until the U-20 game.
Mid-late November: U-20 game.
Late November (2 week break from Blue Lock between U20 game and NEL):
Day 1 – Boys freed from Blue Lock. Itoshi "family dinner" where Reina says Sae praised Isagi's performance in front of Rin.
Day 2 – BLE & U20 bowling in Shibuya. Isagi meets Reina (Rin & Sae's half-sister) and Megumi-san (barista)
Day 3 – Isagi (17) and Reina (16) meet up for a second cup of coffee, Iyo (his mom) helps him with laundry, Yoichi and Issei (his dad) have a mini-heart to heart.
Day 4 – Reina's late to the duo's third meeting because of an interview, Isagi asks Bachira/Nagi/Chigiri for some girl advice. Iyo gets more curious about his 'new friend'
Day 5 – YCA volunteering (Mei the cutie-pie introduced), on his way walking Reina back home they encounter Reo (17).
Day 6 – Reina and Isagi meet his parents. On his way to drop her off, they save Melissa (an exchange student from Spain) from a drunk salaryman and Isagi saves Reina from going splat because of a wayward tool box.
Day 7 (Friday) – Momoji Festival
Day 8 (Saturday) – Isagi walks her home, chats with his mom re: her suspicions on Reina's homelife (and other things lol), dream Ego with white specter in his uniform. Has conflict with his dad over Reina being temporary, and heads to the gym. Reina tells Sae she's going to Shibuya to meet Megumi but meets Isagi instead. Incident where girls from her school are mean to her and Megumi and Isagi give them sour drinks. Reina gets angry at Isagi.
BIG HUGE GINORMOUS THANK YOU TO MY AWESOME BETA
*ALCHAZAR*
AND MY AMAZING REVIEWERS:
KindOfScenic, Isagi loves thighs, TheTruth3910, 102602, Hesthel_00, FadedFreddie, OliviaStone, barbatosfavoritenun, Guest; ElvenMatter, AlphaBeast101, Danakinran, AnonymousTJ, FeelSpyre, Fotballgang, and special shout out to ***Golden Wind God*** who took the time to review on multiple chapters :')
Thank you all SO much for taking the time to review! You were all the reason this chapter came out despite the delay. Detailed responses in notes below!
A/N: I am SO sorry for the delay. I promise this story isn't on hiatus. I've just had so much stuff going on at work the past two months that I've barely had time to eat and sleep, let alone write. Honestly, work is still super hectic and ngl I definitely considered putting a hiatus announcement but I saw the reviews and so I will try my very best to get another chapter up in hopefully around 4-6 weeks. Tysm for still reading and reviewing!
A/N 2: Some parts of this chapter may seem a bit "boring"/unnecessary, but it's one of those chapters that if you come back to after the fic is over then you'll understand why I wrote some of this stuff in. If you're someone who likes foreshadowing, I'd love to hear your theories after you read this chapter ;)
O n i k ko
{鬼っ子}
chapter 10 part two – a little lie
It's a very long fifteen minutes before Reina comes back inside the café. Yoichi already pre-emptively poured their drinks into to-go cups ten minutes ago, and has spent the past five minutes ignoring the multiple half-apologetic/half-pitying glances that Megumi has been shooting his way.
"Hey, Isagi-san?"
Yoichi glances up from the to-go cups to see the barista now standing next to his table. "I called my little sister to ask about those three. I guess some of those girls... well, their families are friends with Reina-chan's dad? They're all younger than me, so I didn't recognize them." Megumi pinches the bridge of her nose. "Based on what Mina told me, we might have just gotten Reina-chan into a lot of shit…"
The striker sighs. "Yeah, I figured as much after how she reacted."
"For what it's worth," Megumi-san frowns. "I think that what we did was well-deserved and long overdue. That crappy crowd my parents and her dad are a part of… them and their evil spawn are all stinking piles of turd. They're a bunch of entitled assholes who never face any consequences for their spiteful actions, and they all go out of their way to cover up each other's sketchy shit. It's why I left that toxic cesspool as soon as I hit eighteen." Megumi shakes her head. "But with Reina-chan… her situation is different. She doesn't have a choice; she can't run like I did. Actually, she's probably stuck until-"
The door chimes as Reina enters. Megumi immediately walks over to the noticeably subdued genius. Even though the two girls are too far away to overhear, Yoichi can tell from her body language that Megumi's apologizing. He sees Reina offer a small, forgiving smile back.
Yoichi stands when the younger girl approaches their table. "Reina, I'm sorr-"
She cuts off his apology with a sudden hug. "No," she mumbles into his shoulder. "I'm sorry I got mad. I shouldn't have taken out my stupid family stuff on you."
His arms come around her immediately, exhaling in relief that she's not still angry at him. "I'm still sorry for what I said to you." His grip on her tightens. "I didn't mean it."
("Why are you apologizing?" The voice chastises. "Fair is fair, striker. She hurt you, so you hurt her. It's her fault for bringing up Reo.")
"I really do appreciate that you cared enough to want to stop them. I do." She says quietly, her words garbled since her face is still buried in his shoulder. Yoichi brings one hand to the back of her head, his fingers sinking into her messy hair to lock her in place. He doesn't want her to see his expression when he asks his next question (he doesn't trust that he'll be able to keep his emotions from showing.) He stares straight ahead at the large glass windows of the cafe as he speaks. "Was Reo able to," the words feel sharper than razors, slicing into his throat as they force their way up, "help you out?"
Reina turns her head, nodding against his neck. "Yeah," she mumbles. "He said he would fix it for me."
This should be a good thing, but instead, her answer makes Yoichi feel even worse: guilty, jealous, frustrated and just a bit self-doubting. (There's a purple-eyed monster blinking at him from the window, smirking as it reaches for the girl's reflection.)
His grip on her tightens. 'She's mine. Stay away.'
Reina suddenly turns her face up, and the abrupt motion draws his attention back to her. She gives him a soft smile. "I still have just over an hour before I have to go. Did you maybe, umm, want to walk through Gyoen Park with me for a bit?"
("How nice," the voice coos. "What a pretty background for a farewell scene.")
Yoichi's chest twists, remembering how her eyes shined with tears in the alley. 'It's just a temporary farewell; she'll understand,' he tries to reassure himself as his gut sinks. 'She'll... she'll forgive me eventually, right?' He squeezes her tighter. "Yeah, let's go."
Fifteen minutes later and the pair are showing their student IDs to the garden gate operators.
"One of the few things that will suck once we finish high school," Reina sighs, sliding her card back into her purse. "No more student privileges."
"I'll definitely miss the free transit pass," Yoichi agrees, sliding his wallet back into his pocket before grabbing her hand in his. Three shopping bags dangle off his other elbow, while that fist hides in his jacket pocket. The wind is chillier than before.
"Well, I still have a few years left to enjoy the perks. You not so much, jiji-chan*," she heckles with a teasing glint in her eyes and a sideways smirk that makes her squishy cheek puff up. So really, she shouldn't be surprised when he pinches it. Her fault, really, for having such round and pinch-able cheeks. 'Biteable, too,' he thinks before he can stop himself.
She swats his hand away. The one at her cheek, at least. His other hand stays wrapped with hers. His thumb brushes over the back of her hand, an odd coarseness over her knuckle.
"Actually, about that…" Yoichi starts. "Last night you said that your birthday was on December 24th… if you're already 16, doesn't that actually make you older than Rin?"
She gives him a funny-looking smile. "Oh, that... I'm just rounding."
He raises a brow. "Rounding?"
"Well yeah." She swings their joined hands between them. "Going off the exact birthdate on my ID would technically make me about… hmm…" she pauses briefly, "15.958-ish years old right now, give or take a decimal. So, with rounding, I'm 16."
He gives her a deadpan look at her convoluted reasoning. "That's so not how age works, genius."
"Shh," she brings a finger to her lips. "Indulge my crazy quirks sometimes, 'kay Yocchan?"
("So she'll still only be sixteen when you turn eighteen." The voice chuckles. "Good thing you're saying goodbye now, otherwise in a year you'll have a manacle to match hers.")*
But the striker doesn't hear the voice's warning. Yoichi's too busy looking at the shape of Reina's lips, and wanting to replace her finger with his mouth.
Gyoen Park is famous for its gardens, which are each named after a different country.
The duo walk through a small part of the Japanese gardens first, coming to a crossroad where they have to choose between heading to the American or French gardens. Reina takes half a step towards the American side, but Yoichi pulls her to the French side instead. ("The American gardens are so far – they're totally on the other end of the park," he explains, pointing to the map. "Let's see the French ones first. We can just see the American ones at the end.")
However, after they stroll through the French gardens, they somehow end up in the English ones next. "Oh look!" Reina points. "Those are los claveles. " At his confused look she explains. "Red carnations; they're the official flower of Spain."
'Does she know everything?'
She giggles. "Don't look too impressed, Yocchan. I'm not a floriography expert. We just had a mandatory Ikebana workshop at school a few weeks ago. Even still, the only reason I know about los claveles is because Sae-niisan complained about them so much when he first moved abroad." She smiles fondly. "Apparently they were growing everywhere near his first apartment. He was mildly allergic, so had a perpetually stuffy nose and everything." She giggles before turning contemplative. "Hmm, I wonder why these ones were placed in the English gardens, though?"
Yoichi couldn't care less about flower locations. "Maybe they ran away," he offers distractedly. He entirely overlooks her concerns, busy looking ahead. His thoughts are occupied searching for a spot near the tree-line that they can use.
"Ha ha, very funny," she says sarcastically.
He shrugs flippantly, still focused on looking around. "Stupid questions get stupid answers."
She elbows him before bending down towards the flowers. "Why run to England? Them 'running away' to Spain makes way more sense. Hmm, maybe they're still in the process of escaping?" she says in a playful way that conveys she's just talking nonsense to continue his initial silliness. "Oh, there are some striped carnations next to them too! Interesting pick. Did you know that striped carnations mean-"
Yoichi finally notices a spot near some thick-trunked trees that looks like it's sufficiently far away from the other evening garden-viewers. "Come on," he interrupts, "I found a spot." He tugs her up from her crouched position and pulls her behind him until they reach the spot atop the mini-hill. He plops down, putting the multiple bags at his side and then sitting so his back rests against one of the trees.
The normal thing to do next would be to pull her beside him, but instead, he drags her onto his lap. She squeaks as he presses her back against his chest, trapping her arms with his.
He'd never be doing this if it wasn't for this being their last night, but he's braver now because of it.
"Y-Yoichi? W-what ar-"
He buries his face into her neck. "Just let me hold you for a bit, okay?" He whispers against her skin. 'I want to hold you for a while before I have to let go of you.' "You don't mind. Right, Reina?"
("Why bother asking when her answer doesn't matter?")
The striker feels her inhale and exhale deeply, before she finally nods and relaxes in his hold. She, rather miraculously, remains quiet. But that means he has nothing to distract him from his racing thoughts, or the foreboding echo of a ticking clock. How does he tell her he can't stay for now, but that he'll come back for her after he's done reaching his goals? How does he convince her to wait for him?
But, even more importantly…
How does he make sure she doesn't let anyone else touch her while he's gone? (The thought of someone else holding her like this sends ice through his veins: a chill that burns, burns, burns.)
She breaks the silence, interrupting his inner turmoil with a laugh that bursts through her nose. She quickly silences herself, but barely a moment later she's laughing again. It's a sweet sound. There's even a snort (or four) that should be unattractive, but it's hard to find faults in her right now when she seems so happy.
"Okay, chuckles," he smirks against her soft neck. "What's so funny?"
"Their faces. Sorry, I know I shouldn't laugh at what you two did but," she snorts again.
"I thought it was hilarious." He murmurs against her soft skin. "Laugh as much as you want; they deserve it."
She moves forward and for a stressful moment he thinks she's leaving (it hadn't even crossed his mind, the idea of her leaving him before he could leave her). His gut twists, and he reflexively tightens his grip on her before she can get up. "I just want to turn," she reassures him softly, as she gently taps his tense forearm with her hand.
Yoichi loosens his grip only just enough to let her spin his arms. She climbs up a bit in his lap, so now it's her face buried in his neck, as she hugs him tightly. (And he likes it, so much, just like how he likes how it feels as she presses her chest against his. She's nestled in his arms and her legs are cradled on either side by his. (He likes holding her like this, he likes feeling like she's entirely his.)
"Thank you." She whispers against his neck, and fuck, her lips feels so good against his bare skin. "For everything. I'm really glad I met you."
His arms tighten around her in response, his hands digging into the fabric of her fancy-looking sweater. She's so… huggable. He's never felt this before, such an overwhelming desire to hold and touch someone else. It's almost dizzying, the sheer amount of pure longing he has for her.
(She's fucking perfect. He never wants to let her go.)
"You're a really good…" she hesitates. "Umm… f-friend?" She sounds uncertain about the label, and becomes almost bashful as she suddenly tries to turn away and get off of him.
But he catches her before she can, one hand tangling into her messy hair and pulling her back into him, so his mouth can speak right against her ear.
The idea comes easily, naturally. He's surprised he didn't realize the solution before; he knows the best way to ensure she waits for him.
"I can be your… friend. I can make myself okay with that," Yoichi says the words easily, kindly, even though he doesn't mean them at all. (Because she isn't allowed to sit in his lap and move her lips against his neck, and then call him her friend.) "Or you can come with me on a date tomorrow, and we can be more than that."
His heart thud, thud, thuds in his chest. When he doesn't get an immediate yes, the thudding stutters. Apprehension fills his gut like lead. The striker pulls his face away from her ear, in order to gauge her expression.
Instead of smiling like he expected, she's frowning. It looks like he's 0 for 2 on predicting her moods tonight. 'But, wait.' No, she's not just frowning, she looks… hurt? "I don't need a pity date." She hisses, and then angrily starts trying to push herself off of him. Of course, he doesn't let her. Instead, he uses an arm across her back to stop her stubborn wriggling and keep her in his lap, then he uses his right hand to cup her cheek and forcibly tilt her face back up to meet his.
'What a stupid genius,' he thinks, exasperated by her. This whole low self-esteem schtick is getting annoying. It will be something they work on when he comes back for her, he decides. (He fixed Chigiri, he can fix Reina too.)
"You're so wrong, you stupid genius." He sighs. "It's not pity, it's selfishness." At her confused looks he knows he'll need to elaborate.
God, he can't believe what he's going to say next. He takes a breath, feeling a weird mix of embarrassment and excitement as he looks into her wide eyes. "I want…" he swallows thickly. "I want to kiss you, so I have to take you on a date first, right? So I figured… that if our date goes well…" His thumb brushes against her lip.
"Is that all you want me for?" Her voice hardens and her eyes narrow. "A kiss?"
Yoichi shakes his head, gripping her tighter. "No, idiot. I want you." He stares unblinkingly into her wide eyes. 'And I don't want you to ever let anyone else touch you.' He gently brings his forehead against hers, his right thumb unconsciously pressing harder into her bottom lip. "I want to be the only one who ever gets to be with you like this."
She moves her hands up. One wraps in the fabric of his collar, the other grips tightly onto his right forearm. It's hard to tell if she's pushing his arm away or keeping it in place. "You won't just... get tired of me… or…" she whispers as her nails dig into his sleeves. "You won't just leave me one day, right?"
His thumb moves from her mouth to rub along her soft cheek, over the spot he'd pinched earlier. "Why would I ever leave someone as perfect as you?"
("Liar. You already have one foot out the door.")
So what? It's just a little lie. Not even a full one, really. While it's true he's going to leave her once this week is over (since he won't have time for stupid things like cafés and walking through Gyoen Park when he's done with Blue Lock and busy training for the U-20 World Cup, or while he's focused on the steps towards his dream that will come after.) He'll only be leaving her temporarily. Once he reaches his dream, he'll come back for her.
But until Blue Lock restarts… he'll use the time he has left with her to convince her to wait for him. And now he knows how.
'I'll make you fall in love with me.'
Kaasan had said she fell for Tousan in an hour or something, right? He can make Reina fall for him in a week. 'It can't be that hard, right?' He'll just practice any second he isn't with her. And even when he is with her, they can do useful things together. Like she can watch him practice while she studies on the stands. They can go over game reels together again, and she can help him improve with her eyes. Or she can even go to the gym with him (no more silly stuff like festivals and late night movies.) She already said she'd set up that whole nutritionist thing for him right? So as long as he ensures she stays useful, and as long as he doesn't let her distract him anymore, then he can keep her. (For now and for later, at least. She will just have to wait for him, in between.)
(The voice growls. "This isn't what we agreed to. What happened to saying goodbye tonight?")
It's settled. He has a week to make her fall in love with him. And once she loves him, then he'll make her swear that she won't let anyone else touch her while he's gone. It'll be a few years, but she can busy herself with her research, or whatever, in the meantime. He exhales. 'A way to have both soccer and her; it's a perfect plan.'
("You'll regret this. I'll make sure of it." The voice turns menacing. "You may want both, but I just want our dream. I gave you so many chances to use her then get rid of her. I've clearly been too lenient. Did you think I was bluffing when I warned you that I'd hurt h-")
Reina's beaming smile drowns out the voice. She buries her face in his shoulder again, and mumbles out a bashful. "Well look at that, Isagi-oji can be as suave as a prince when he tries." She burrows even closer into him. He can feel her stifling a grin against his shirt.
"That doesn't sound like a no," he says lightly, biting his cheek to stop himself from smiling stupidly. 'I knew it. I knew you wouldn't say no to me.'
"Yes ... I would… I would really, really like to go on a date with you." She whispers into his shoulder. And then she turns her face and he turns his, and their mouths are so, so close.
Maybe once she loves him, she'll let him do more than just hug her? And of course, once she loves him, she'll never reject him for someone else.
(And she'll never mention Reo again.)
Reina goes home for dinner.
Yoichi heads to the field and practices until the park lights turn off.
As the striker walks home afterwards, he considers the voice. It's been quiet for the past few hours, which is... weird. Usually the voice would have kicked up a fuss all night long over him not letting Reina go.
Maybe the voice is gone?
Maybe he tamed it?
(:) No, he didn't. The voice is still there - seething, plotting, and simmering just below the surface. But Yoichi won't realize that until later. (:)
'What's the last thing it said again?' Yoichi can't remember. He shrugs. 'Whatever, it must not have been too important. Now, what can I do to improve my corner kick?'
The striker enters the house late, so he's surprised to see his dad still awake and reading a book in the living room. Yoichi almost reaches the stairs before his Tousan speaks up.
"So how did your chat with Reina-chan go?" The man asks, a book still open on his lap even though the older man is clearly no longer reading.
Yoichi immediately darts his eyes away from his father's piercing gaze. He's unsure about how to face his dad after this afternoon. The striker can't even remember the last time the two of them have had anything remotely resembling a fight. "We're… going on a date on Monday." (She couldn't tomorrow because of that stupid event at her house.)
His dad's eyebrow raise is audible. "Oh, really? I'm surprised she agreed after you told her about your intentions." He says in a way that implies he doubts Yoichi informed her of anything.
The younger Isagi glances at his dad and immediately regrets it. The striker fucking hates how his dad is looking at him right now. As if Yoichi is some slimy piece of scum. "I'm… I didn't… I don't think I meant… umm… what I said about her… umm… this morning."
Well, that was convincing.
"You sure sounded like you meant it." His father cuts in sharply, closing the book with a heavy thud.
Yoichi clenches his fist around the end of the stair's railing. (He bets there's a fancy name for the curly end part, and he bets Reina would know it.)
His dad's tone hardens. "She's a nice girl who clearly cares a lot about you. And you're being incredibly cruel in stringing her along when you already plan on endi-"
"I'm not stringing her along." Yoichi bristles. "Will you get off my case already, Tousan? I just need to focus on soccer for a bit but then I'm-" The striker cuts himself off, unable to voice his plans for Reina aloud. Even though it made so much sense in his head earlier, the words refuse to form. Or maybe he's worried his dad will think he's crazy. Because he must be, right? To feel so strongly for someone he's known for a week.
But… Yoichi just knows. It's just like how it is with soccer.
(He knows he is made for soccer, and he knows Reina was made for him.)
Tousan sighs. "Yoichi, you can't write off every selfish whim as excusable because you're chasing your goal. The world doesn't work like that. I like to think your mom and I have taught you at least that much. We're flexible on a lot of things, but we raised you to be a considerate and kind person."
Yoichi's gut squirms at the mention of his mother. He doesn't want his mom to look at him the way his dad is right now. The striker's gaze drops to his feet. "Did you… tell Kaasan… about…umm… this morning?"
"Of course not." His dad says sternly. "I'm hoping she never sees what I saw in you today."
Yoichi flinches.
Tousan stares as if he isn't quite sure where his parenting went wrong. "This afternoon you were an entirely different person; someone cold, callous, and utterly unrecognizable to me."
The striker's fists clench. "Can I go upstairs now?" The younger Isagi really doesn't want to stay here anymore.
"Can you sit down, please?"
"Why?" Yoichi scowls, remaining standing by the stairs. "So you can keep telling me what a horrible person I am?"
His father exhales deeply. "Yocchan, I don't think you're a horrible person. Not at all. I think you're very ambitious, so sometimes you don't see anything outside of your goal, including the collateral damage you cause while storming towards it. If you're intentionally letting Reina get closer to you when you already set an end date that you're not telling her about, that's selfish and cruel. One day, it's going to really hurt her and you."
"I'm coming back." Yoichi blurts out. "I…" won't let anyone else have her "... I don't have time for her right now. But after I win the World Cup..."
His father's eyes widen in disbelief. "She's not an accessory, Yoichi, she's a person. You don't honestly believe she's going to be okay with you hanging her on a shelf until you decide you can 'make time'?" His dad pauses, then shakes his head at whatever he sees on the striker's face. "You actually think she's just going to put her life on hold for however many years, just patiently waiting for you to come back?"
'Seems reasonable to me.'
Yoichi doesn't get why his dad sounds so doubtful. "She would if I asked her to."
' She would if she loved me. And by the end of this week, she will.'
His father sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Just because she will do something for you, doesn't mean it's right of you to ask it of her."
"I'm going upstairs." Yoichi announces, entirely done with this conversation. (And with all the annoying feelings swirling in his gut because of it.)
"Yoichi, we're not fini-"
"Goodnight Tousan."
The next morning, Yoichi leaves the house before either of his parents wake up. He grabs a protein bar for breakfast and then goes to fill his water bottle. He's surprised to see a note taped onto the fridge. It's from his dad and says that there's a bento lunch for him in the fridge.
The striker sighs, remembering how he acted towards his dad last night. 'I suck.'
A few hours into morning practice on a nearby field, he's practicing dribbling when he suddenly realizes he's never been on a date before. The ensuing panic is how he ends up eating his bento while on a Pacetime call with Bachira and Chigiri (and somehow Igarashi).
"No Nagicchi this time?" Bachira sing-songs.
Chigiri snorts. "He's so lazy, he's probably still sleeping."
Igarashi balks. "It's eleven."
Bachiri snickers. "Not in NST. You gotta convert."
Yoichi's eyes widen. "Nagi's traveling this close to Blue Lock restarting?" The striker frowns, then plops a piece of tamagoyaki into his mouth. 'Actually, now that I think about it, what country uses NST as its time zone?'
"NST isn't for a place," Bachira chimes. "It's for a person: Nagicchi standard time."
Yoichi literally face palms.
Chigiri huffs out an exasperated laugh. "So what's the emergency, Isagi?"
"Yeah," Bachira chirps. "Why the 119?"
Maybe Reina's dramatics are rubbing off on him a bit. Yoichi answers, almost bashfully. "I… umm… that girl from last time, I... umm… got a date with her." He then rushes to clarify. "A real one, this time."
Bachira whistles while Chigiri chuckles. Igarashi's eyes widen. "That's the emergency?"
Yoichi pouts. "No, the emergency is I don't know what to do on a date. Where am I supposed to take her?"
Bachira tilts his head. "You've never been on a date?"
Igarashi raises an incredulous brow at the boy with the bob-cut. "You have?"
"Nope." Bachira shakes his head. "But I definitely assumed Isagi would have."
Yoichi tenses. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"You just seem…" Bachira tilts his head again, and motions to the others to finish his thought.
"Easily approachable?" The redhead suggests.
Yoichi raises a surprised brow. "As opposed to what?"
"Barou." The trio on the screen deadpan in tandem.
'Okay, point taken.'
To be honest, Yoichi's surprised that his teammates see him that way. They, like Reina, claim he's easy to read. Which is so strange to the striker, because his classmates and previous teammates never thought that way. Aloof seemed to be their favourite word for describing young Yoichi.
The last time a girl even confessed to him was back in the first year of middle school (he'd politely declined, citing he was too busy with soccer for a relationship. The girl had immediately gotten teary, bolted away, and he'd felt awkward for the rest of the year anytime he saw her.) Actually, now that he thinks about it, maybe that's where his aloof reputation started. Back in middle school, mere weeks after the confession fiasco, he'd gotten some chocolates on Valentine's Day. Since it was years before Blue Lock, he still enjoyed sweets entirely guilt-free, and was super happy whenever he received them. He came back home with his delicious-looking gifts, ready to delve in. But, his dad had stopped him, saying Yoichi should only accept the gifts if he planned on reciprocating the gesture on White Day. Which, of course, younger Yoichi had no plans on doing. He had to practice, he didn't have time to make treats for other people (even if he could bake, which he couldn't.) So Yoichi had returned the unopened chocolates the next day to each of the four girls who had gifted them, along with the apology his dad had made him rehearse the night before. One of the girls had burst out crying when he returned the gift, which had freaked him the fuck out. Annoyed and embarrassed by the entire affair, he'd returned home grumpy, only to see his dad waiting with a plate of kintsuba, a patient smile, and "it's the most considerate thing to do, Yocchan. You should always try to be mindful of others' feelings, and you shouldn't make promises to people you can't keep."
Yoichi shakes away the memory. Thinking about his dad reminds the striker of his dad's expression last night, and Yoichi doesn't want to think about that at all right now. The striker tunes back into the Pacetime conversation. "So where do you guys think I should take her?"
"Well if you wanna do something fun," Bachira grins, "just practice soccer with her!"
Igarashi snorts. "This is why none of us are surprised that you haven't been on a date."
"She isn't very…. athletic." Yoichi remembers her lack of aim at the Momoji festival, not noticing the fond smile that takes over his face. (The other three certainly do.)
"Well, what does she like then?" Chigiri tries.
That's easy. "Stars, sci-"
"Stars?" Igarashi interrupts. "Like celebrities?"
"No idiot, like the sky." Yoichi rolls his eyes at the monk. "She also likes science, math, and just school in general, I guess. She even takes extra courses at the university for fun in her free time since-"
Igaguri bursts out laughing. "Why'd someone so smart agree to go out with an idiot like you?"
"Shut up, asshole." Yoichi flushes (but he's had that thought more than once himself, hasn't he? Each time she uses a word he doesn't know, or when she and Reo played that stupid question game that went entirely over his head.) "And coffee, she really likes coffee. Sweets too, especially chocolate, cookies, and western style sweets." He recalls the design on her shirt the first day they met, and the stickers decorating her laptop. "She's pretty into that hero anime too – the new one with the super powered kids that go to a hero school? With that really popular opening song that plays everywhere?"
"No idea what you're talking about." Bachira tilts his head. "TV's boring."
'Unsurprising, Bachira doesn't seem like the type to spend time watching TV.'
Igarashi deflates. "No TV's allowed at the monastery."
'Equally useless on and off the field,' Yoichi thinks, feeling particularly uncharitable towards the monk after his earlier insult. (Igarashi's words had touched a raw nerve, one that buzzes anytime Yoichi considers that maybe Reina's too good for him. It's the same nerve that zings with the word unworthy every time the striker remembers being rejected from J-Youth).
Chigiri responds more helpfully. "Oh, you mean Our Hero Academy? It's a good show, I follow it."
Yoichi remembers then, that commercial he saw at the gym the first day he met her. "Hey, there's a new movie out for it right?"
Chigiri nods. "There's an idea, just take her to see a movie. Simple."
"Oh, and feed her too." Bachira chirps. "I don't need to date them to know that girls are sc-ar-y when they're hungry."
"Amen," Igaguri nods, wide-eyed.
The four talk about a few other things before parting ways. Three of them even agree to meet on Tuesday to practice (Igaguri can't because of his monastery duties). Yoichi offers to pass the message on to Nagi during his waking hours. Chigiri mentions he'll ask Hiori and Raichi to join in, so they can have the numbers for some three on three scrimmages.
After ending the call and finishing his bento, he leaves the field for the gym. He's midway through a rep when he gets a call from his mom, so he lets it go to voicemail. She calls again right away. Thinking it could actually be something important, Yoichi steps away from the machine and picks up the phone.
"Kaasan, is it important? I'm b-"
"Busy at the gym or practicing, I know. Sorry to ask, honey. But it's important. Your Tousan called me and-" Yoichi's eyes widen for the millisecond before she continues. "Apparently a bunch of his catering team caught some sort of flu, and they have that big event tonight. They reassigned the people they had available, and managed to scrounge up some other help, but they still need another person to help wash the dishes on site. He actually called me to ask Himiko's son to help cover as a dishwasher. And then I thought, why on earth would I burden another person's kid when we have our very own child who owes us for bringing him into the world? Your dad said something about not wanting to bother you while you were practicing or some nonsense, but-"
'Tousan didn't want to ask me?' Yoichi feels something weird twist in his stomach (he hears but doesn't process his mom saying "But I know you'll find this event especially worth your time.") 'Maybe if I help cover tonight, things won't be so weird between Tousan and me anymore…'
Yoichi's already practiced and worked out for seven hours today, he can spare some time for this. "I'll help."
"Excellent! I knew I could count on you, sweety. Oh, and don't worry, we'll have a nice long chat about you letting me go to voicemail when you get home. Love you!"
And that's how Yoichi Isagi ends up staring at the imposing walls of Kiniro again, for a second day in a row.
After the restaurant van drives past the overly dour and stern guards, the parking arm of the barrier gate closes behind them. The sound triggers an epiphany, and pieces start clicking together for the striker.
His dad sitting next to him on the couch on Monday ("A big Tokyo law firm opened up a new branch in downtown Saitama… they liked my dishes so much, they want us to cater for another event they're having after the Momoji festival.")
His parents in the living room on Thursday. ("Like the Itoshi International Corporate Law firm…The one with that new big building in downtown Saitama?...That was the private event our restaurant hosted just a few days ago, that evening I had to work late… the man who runs it comes from one of those old, important families…")
Reina at his side yesterday as he walked her back. ("He's hosting a business party at our house tomorrow evening.")
And lastly, his mom's throwaway comment from earlier today about how this event would be especially worth his time…
Yoichi turns to the woman at the wheel. "Hey, Emi-san?"
"Sup' Chibisagi." Emi Fukukada, one of his dad's apprentices, responds.
The striker tries not to be too irked by the stupid nickname, especially considering he definitely had more than a few inches on her now. But Emi-san has known him since pre-growth spurt, something she seems keen on never letting him forget. The Blue Lock player shakes away his annoyance. "What's the name of the family who's hosting the event?"
"Oh, we got a super fancy contract this time. It's a dinner party at this big lawyer guy's family home." She tilts her head. "What was the name on that sheet that I showed the guards again…. Etomi? Moshi? No, that's not it." She puts a finger to her chin (despite being the driver), before snapping her fingers. "Oh, yeah! The name was Itoshi!"
Hope you enjoyed! please consider leaving a review/comment/kudo/vote if you did : )
Asterisk Notes
*Ginza main strip – per Google, it's closed off the street to motor vehicles on weekends and holidays from noon until sunset (which I changed to 10:00 until 6 for this story.)
*Jiji-chan = Teasing way of saying "old geezer"
* re "manacle" comment - the voice is referencing that Yoichi could be charged for being physically intimate with her when he turns 18. This is based on my understanding of Japanese law (which is straight up just through googling: world/japan and . ) Essentially, if an 18 year old has sex with someone less than 18, the 18 year old can be tried for statutory rape. Apparently, if there's even any physical intimacy when it's not deemed a "sincere romantic relationship" (which apparently involves consent from the parents of the younger one), the 18 year old can be charged for "corruption of minors" and breaching "obscenity statutes." (I'm assuming this is sort of like the drinking laws in the USA. Technically we can't drink unless we're 21 but sororities/frats etc break that law all the time and no one actually gets charged because it's so prolific. Like I'm assuming high school seniors date sophomores in Japan, are physically intimate, and not being charged (because that happened in my high school without anyone being charged that I know of, but maybe I'm wrong.)
*Also, the Valentine's Day bit isn't canon, but I needed to create an explanation for how an absolute kind and considerate teletubby like Yoichi didn't get any Valentine's Day chocolates last year (according to the Egoist bible)
Preview for future chapters of Onikko
"How… interesting. My son's praise comes so rarely." The man looks Yoichi up and down, and the striker can almost feel the suited man's eyes zero in on the small stain on his collar. "Well, you certainly weren't what I was expecting."
/-/
...So you better get lost, because Sae-niisan's back, and he will kill you for coming near me again."
/-/
As he steps into her room, he leaves the door open.
(He'll realize how much of a mistake that is later.)
Responses to Reviewers
Thank you SO MUCH for for your reviews, I always enjoy reading (and re-reading) them for motivation :)
Golden Wind God - First off, thank you SO Much for taking the time to review so many chapters! I enjoyed reading every one! Yay Im so glad you like how their relationship is being built, I was really nervous about how reader reception would be since she's an OC. Ahhh omg I'm so annoyed at myself for getting that wrong, google totally let me down. I'll change it to Kollywood on AO3 and then when I go back on my next grammar check through the other sites I'll change it on those too! Tysm for pointing it out! Even as the author I was disappointed they didn't kiss, but I'm holding myself back for the specific scene I want their first kiss to be in (hopefully it'll be worth the wait!). This boy is definitely a teenager lol with his back and forth. You'll definitely get more random bits of wholesome in between the messy possessive bits I promise :) Tysm for taking the time to read and review!
ElvenMatter - guilty as charged lol. I'm glad he still seems in character in some parts even if I know I'm def stretching it with the possessive bits (for my own self-indulgence, of course :P ) Oh these darn teenagers, all moody balls of sexual frustration and insecurities - so much fun to write hehe. No Chigiri Bachira POV but hopefully you enjoyed their cameos :) Ty for taking the time to review :D
AlphaBeast101 - tysm for reading and I'm so glad you're enjoying it so far! When I first started I was definitely putting up content around once every 1-2 weeks, but then it slowed down to every 4 weeks which is what I was planning to continue with but then things at my work just got crazy demanding over the last two months. I'm going to try my absolute best to try to post something every 4-6 weeks though!
Danakinran - sorry for the delay but the update is here! :) I haven't given up yet, promise, I'm just slowly chipping away at it since work has been so demanding the past two months. Tysm for taking the time to read and review 3
AnonymousTJ - OMG I am SO happy you are enjoying it! Literally one of the best compliments ever tysm! I'm feeling so flattered I'm just grinning at my computer like a loon. I'm so glad you're enjoying the OC since I was so nervous writing a fic with one. The grind is SO REAL but so worth it when I hear how much readers are enjoying it :') Omg the puns, I love it! You are so "write" about the struggle, sometimes scenes write themselves and other times I'm just sitting in front of a desk for thirty minutes with nothing to show for it *sighs* Thank you so much for your review it was such an amazing motivator to push through my hectic work schedule and actually write!
FeelSpyre - Yay! I'm so flattered and so glad that you are enjoying. Tysm for reading and reviewing 3
FotballGang - Tysm for reading! Re: update schedule, please see my response to AlphaBeast101 above :)
Guest - Tysm for reading and reviewing!