Blue Lock: 13 Steps

A Pointless Fruit

Third Stage: Public Bath Area

The mist-filled room kept both Bachira and Baro unable to see the ground below them. Each took small steps forward until Bachira gasped, "I found it. The bath is over here."

Equipped with nothing more than a towel, covering his private area, and a small brush, Baro followed the sound of Bachira's voice towards the lukewarm bath.

"To your right!" Called Bachira, gesturing his hand towards him.

"Thanks." Awkwardly and silently said Baro before laying his towel onto the wooden ledge next to him and lowering himself into the bubble-filed hot tub.

"Nya ha, they were so tough, my arm muscles grew," chuckled Bachira, referring to their competition and flexing his biceps.

"Put those noodles down. You're not impressing anybody," sighed Baro, laying his head back against the wall.

"You know if any other games are happening tonight?"

"What makes you think I know you, idiot."

"Whatever," exhaled Bachira, dipping his head into the warm water, "Watch this."

He put both his index and middle fingers together in a cross before lowering himself into the water and saying, "Kage Bushin No Jutsu," all the while blowing bubbles.

"Stop spitting in the bath!" Shouted Baro, pointing him out.

The mist-filled room made it hard to see what he was doing but, he audibly heard the light splashes in the water. Then suddenly, the figure of a tall player emerged from the mist.

"That disgusting behavior isn't very stylish," commented Aryu, as he emerged from the fog, filing his black painted nails.

"You're always fashionably late — will you ever show up on time? My fingers are starting to get pruney!" Grumbled Bachira, looking at his poor fingers.

Aryu kept filing his nails down while he ignored Bachira's remark. He hesitantly dipped his toes in the water below before sitting atop a wooden ledge, immersing his lower half into the warm water. The ends of his long mid-back length black hair followed his lower extremities into the water as he covered his groin with a towel.

"That's your fault. Have you never stayed in a hot tub for more than ten minutes?" Asked Aryu, blowing on his filed nails

"Of course not. I was too busy outside," answered Bachira, getting out of the warm bath, "We've got fifteen minutes until the next game starts, so I'll see you guys in the monitoring room."

"Remember that promise you made right before I picked you?" Cryptically asked Baro, "You won't break it, will you?

"Of course not. A person as stylish as me would never break promises," replied Aryu, nervously looking away from Baro.

"Let's hope not," said Baro, stepping out of the warm bath and grabbing his towel from the wooden ledge next to him, wrapping it around his waist. He followed Bachira's footsteps out of the mist-filled room as he grabbed another towel from a nearby rack and wrapped it around the top of his head.

-(Scene Break)-

From the inside of the room, Bachira heard a faint knock on the steel gate behind him. He pranced up to the entrance and strugglingly opened the metal gate to the monitoring room, ushered everyone in, and gestured them to take their seats. With the remote in hand, Bachira powered the one hundred-inch monitor on and went through the only three channels in Blue Lock until he found a channel broadcasting a digital clock. The digital clock rhythmically counted down from ten minutes as everyone in the room got comfy in their seats.