Betrothed

Chapter 11

Isagi felt as if the air from his lungs were knocked out from him the moment his gaze landed on Nagi and Reo's spot in the café.

There was a pang within his heart that he couldn't seem to shake off when he spotted them conversing with each other.

He studied their expressions very carefully. Reo sported a serious yet solemn look on his face while holding Nagi's hand. But Nagi's expression were inscrutable as usual. He couldn't get a thorough read on him. Even if Isagi prided himself on being able to read the emotional states of other people with their expressions alone, he admitted that Nagi was one of the most difficult people to read because of the usual blank expression plastered on his face and his taciturn nature despite being somewhat laidback and disinterested most of the time.

There were a million thoughts running inside his head but the one question that plagued through his mind was, "why are they here?" followed by "what are they talking about?"

His eyes peeled away from the sight and tried to calm down himself even though the sudden anguished that took over him was slashing through his heart and soul.

So, what if he saw Reo and Nagi together hanging out? It's not like Reo was obligated to tell him anything from his personal life anyway. He could hang out with anyone he likes even if it's Nagi himself. They don't even have a bona fide relationship for Pete's sake! Isagi should get over himself and these stupid emotions that threatened to overwhelm him.

If he acted hard enough to pretend that he didn't see them today, he could probably survive this—

"Is that your husband over there?" His thoughts came into a screeching halt upon hearing his manager's voice.

He was dreading for this situation to come through.

To acknowledge their presence that day. With no other choice provided to him, Isagi turned around again to where his manager was pointing at and saw Nagi and Reo still conversing with one another but Reo's hand was no longer holding Nagi's own but instead it was clasped to the sides as if they were listening intently with one another.

But it didn't make the sting bearable to him as the burn of agony was still there every time, he saw them together.

"Oh yeah. That's Reo and Nagi. A casual hangout together because they're former teammates back at the Manshine City." Isagi replied in a casual yet careful manner. He didn't want any emotions to leak on his voice nor on his expression that could probably create an issue or jeopardize their marriage to the others and that included his manager. Even if it's for a show, Isagi wanted to retain some dignity and respect within himself and he wasn't about to have some breakdown because he just saw Reo and Nagi hanging out together in a café.

"I remembered on how formidable their duo was. They're a force to be reckoned back at the Manshine City. If Reo didn't retire early, his career and popularity could be on par or even surpassed Nagi's because of his amazing 'The Chamelon' technique." His manager commented with an air quote.

"Yeah..." Isagi could only muttered from afar, inwardly sighing as he now resigned himself to probably spent half of his conversation with his manager discussing the previous careers and soccer skills of the infamous duo in Manshine City.

He forced a smile on his lips. "They really blended well together even back then during our Blue Lock days since Reo was the tactician and Nagi was the lazy genius who executed their plays perfectly." Isagi added in a calm and neutral voice.

His manager nodded in assent and was about to respond when he paused as he noticed that Reo's eyes darted over their direction.

"Oh, your husband noticed us here. How about we head over there to greet them?" His manager suggested as he gave a simple yet friendly wave to their table.