BLUE LOCK - a place where soccer is more than just a sport and a future of worldwide glory is within grasp. Desperate to prove her worth and break barriers, Keiko Iteya fights to hold her own in a rigorous competition against 299 young men in Japan...
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I finished tying my cleats in the locker room and began pulling my hair back. As Kuon was explaining the game plan, I was trying to French braid my hair and it wasn't going well. My fingers kept letting my hair slip every time I tried to cross the strands. I let out a small frustrated sigh and started over from scratch.
Suddenly someone sat behind me and lightly pushed my hands away. I blinked, looking over my shoulder in surprise to see Chigiri grab my hair and begin to braid it successfully in the way I had been failing.
"Don't look at me like that," he muttered at me. "I'm only helping you because you won't stop grumbling under your breath. It's annoying."
I smiled. "T-Thanks!"
"It's whatever."
My hair was finally braided and Team Z began down the hallway, heading for the field. This time I was less nervous and more determined. We were going to win. I could feel it in my bones. So I proudly walked with my team and emerged on to the field that would decide our fate. We were there first again. I crouched low to the grass, stretching my legs and letting my fingers slide on the artificial turf.
"There they are," Raichi spoke up.
A team of boys in red jerseys approached, looking equally as determined as we did. "Team Y," Kuon said to everyone. "Like us Team Y lost their first match, so their backs are against the wall. They'll be desperate. We need to keep a close eye on their Number 9." I looked across the field at the boy standing in the middle with the spoken number, his black hair split down the middle with a yellow mohawk. "His shooting's off the chart. Kumamoto prefecture's top scorer: Okawa Hibiki."
"Let's go guys!" Okawa shouted out to his team.
"Yeah!" they cheered out in response.
Team Z gathered in our own group huddle. I was wedged in between Bachira and Isagi, feeling their arms draped on my back as we all put our heads down and leaned in.
"This time, we concocted a plan. Let's have faith our practice will pay off," Kuon told us. "Even if we have to die for it, we will win, Team Z!"
"Yeah!" I cried out along with the rest of the boys.
Kunigami stood at the center line, his foot on the ball. He looked to Bachira on his left and then passed. It had begun. I ran forward from my position in midfield, getting into formation behind Kunigami and Igaguri for support. Bachira got through two players before he quickly became cornered. He passed to Igaguri, but the opposing team was still on top of Bachira even when he didn't have the ball. In the goal, the enemy goalkeeper was shouting commands and everyone was communicating. This team was well put together. It was a little worrying.
Igaguri passed back to Bachira, who had someone made himself free again. The ball was passed back and forth and even once to me, Bachira lobbing the ball over in my direction in a place I shouldn't have been able to reach, but we had practiced this. I leaped up and caught the ball with my chest, my boobs once again giving me the advantage of cradling it just right.
