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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Never in my life had I worked so hard for anything. I was going beyond all my personal records in an attempt to train up my body for this upcoming match. Because, this was the one shot I had to prove to the world what I could do on this level. And it would not so easily slip through my fingers.
Two weeks flew by as we trained in the morning, discussed strategy in the afternoons, trained more in the evening, and finally rested to just do it all again the next day. However, I didn't mind the hard work or the taxing efforts in this preparation. I was enjoying it. I actually felt closer to my teammates more than ever before. We were all taking it seriously and encouraging other to work harder. What more could you ask for in a team?
I had no doubts that I had made the right choice in rejecting Sae's offer. We were going to win this match.
On the last day, Ego cut off our schedule after the strategy session, giving us some encouraging words and telling us to rest or do whatever else we needed to do for the game the next day. So I opted to shower, sneaking in there immediately after the meeting. I turned the water onto high heat and let it run over my conditioned body. I felt ready for the match physically and mentally. All I had to do was get to tomorrow and give it all I had.
I heard the bathroom door open and I silently cursed, not having the privacy I wanted anymore. There was a curtain on the shower, but it still wasn't very private. It had happened a few times since we merged into one big Blue Lock dorm that someone walked in while I showered, but I usually stayed silent and waited until whoever left so I could finish up. Then I heard the door open again and I sighed in annoyance.
"Karasu," I heard Otoya greet and I wanted to cringe. These were the worst people to get stuck in the bathroom with. "How are you spending the rest of your time today?"
"I thought I'd just review videos from training again. To make sure I didn't miss anything."
"Again?"
"I like to be thorough."
"Yeah but you've been doing it all week."
They continued to talk more about this for a few more minutes and I just stood in the shower, staring to get overheated from the hot water. There were a few chuckles from the boys as they discussed their plans for the afternoon. And finally, they left, the door sounding behind them. I turned it off, wrapped my towel around myself, and stepped out after pulling the curtain aside.
Quickly, I pulled on my pants and my sports bra before anyone else could wander in, standing by the mirror and using a towel to dry my hair. The door opened again and I looked over my shoulder to see Reo wandering in with his phone in his hand. His hair was down, faming his face and swaying as he moved. His purple eyes looked up at for a moment at me.
"Oh... hey, Iteya-chan," he said quietly.
"Hi Reo-kun," I greeted and turned back to the mirror, trying to squeeze more water from my hair.
