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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Following the biggest game of my life.... I was given abrupt freedom.
Anri kicked us all out of Blue Lock for two weeks as a reward for our efforts, which would be fine.... except I didn't want to go home and deal with Hikaru. So I sat on the curb with my friends, nervously waiting for my father to come get me as everyone else was also picked up and taken home. My father finally pulled up in his gray car and I sighed, standing to my feet and wearing the clothes I had walked in with on day one.
"I'll text you!" Bachira promised me as he waved me goodbye. He, Hiori, and I were one of the last ones to be picked up. "See you soon to hang out, Keiko-chan!"
"Okay! Bye Sunshine! Bye Hiori-kun!" I told him with a small smile and waved back as I walked around the car to the passenger's door. Taking a breath, I slipped inside, immediately fastened my seatbelt.
"I'm so proud of you Keiko!" my father told me as he began to drive away from the facility I had called home for three months. "You played so well."
"Thanks father," I said nervously, looking out the window as I gripped the seat.
"I'm happy to see you! These next two weeks will be good for you after so long in that place. You're ready to come home, right? I'm sure it will be much less busy and more relaxing with just the two of us instead of so many boys. Though, I might have to work overtime to make up for the hours I missed, so you may have the house to yourself some days."
"Huh?" I blinked, turning to look at him. "What do you mean just the two of us? What about Hikaru?"
"Hikaru has been attending this rehabilitation program since you left for Blue Lock," my father explained with a small smile. "He's made some drastic improvements and started walking with crutches again. Two months ago, he was advised by his physical therapists that his recovery would be faster if he lived on campus. So he hasn't been home in some time either."
"Oh..." I softly murmured and gave my father a sad look. "So you've been alone?"
"Yes, but I honestly think it's been good for me," he quickly assured me with a warm expression. "I've had time to grieve and think. And then I was able to catch up with bills and go back to work full time! I have honestly been doing very well. So don't worry about me, kid." He lifted one of his hands from the steering wheel and put it on my shoulder lovingly. "We're all okay now."
I smiled lightly at him. "As long as you are okay.... But please put your hand back on the steering wheel."
My father sighed but did as I asked after a moment. "After all this Blue Lock business, we should get you some therapy."
I hummed and went back to staring out the window, Blue Lock growing distant in the side mirror. "Yeah...."
We got home and I walked inside my house slowly, looking around. It seemed very empty to me, a once safe place that had grown stale over time. A place I didn't want to be. I almost forgot that this was my actual life. Blue Lock was just a temporary illusion. This was a reminder of that. A sigh left my mouth and I moved to my bedroom, the floors creaking under my weight.
