Tie a Knot|| Blue Lock

Chapter 25

For the past few months, [Name] made sure to keep himself busy at all times. It was a constant switch between school and his career, and although it was a bit tiring, he'd rather it be like this than to drown in the quietness of his mind.

He's gotten more involved with different projects and activities during school hours, wanting to help around where he could now that Reo was gone. After that, he drops by the recording studio and lets himself get lost in composing and recording before the day ends.

If he wasn't doing any of those, however, he was most definitely checking up on his mom. Ever since he realized he's gotten so busy to the point of forgetting to meet up with her, he's made it a point to drop by when he could on certain weeks.

[Name] hummed as he sat on a comfortable corner in the lounge room of the recording studio the company he works for owned. He had his legs outstretched in front of him as he stretched out his body, not wanting to turn sore from sitting down too long.

His manager had stepped outside some time ago in order to answer a call. As she went ahead to tend to it, she told him to take a break and rest.

He didn't know what time she stepped out specifically but...his gaze turned to the ticking wall clock. He could at least tell it's been quite a while now.

As he continued to stretch silently, the only sound to be heard being the airconditioning situated inside the room, a small whine rang out causing [Name] to turn his head to the small dog near him. 

A smile appeared on his face as he lifted a hand as if silently beckoning the dog over. In response, the dog stood up and ran up beside his legs, his tail wagging behind him as [Name] patted his head.

Although pets weren't typically allowed inside the company building, let alone any of its rooms, an exception was made for their one and only mascot; Poku.

"I wonder what's taking her so long..." [Name] wondered out loud as he stared at Poku's beady eyes, all wide and sparkly. "Right, Poku? Aren't you curious too?~" He couldn't help but baby-talk the dog, causing him to jump around in response.

Coincidentally, as he spoke about her, Ms. Kai finally walked back inside the room with a visibly tired expression on her face. Poku, who had been trying to jump onto his lap, was quick to abandon him in favor of approaching the older lady.

Kai, as exasperated as she was, bent down to pick up the small dog before heading over to collapse on the plush couch inside the recording studio.

"What happened to you?" [Name] raised an eyebrow as he looked up at her. While she was technically his superior, given how long they've known each other, they've eventually gotten close enough to drop any sort of formalities when they were alone. "You look like someone drained away your soul."

To him, Kai seemed like an older sister he could both rely on and annoy. He wasn't sure if she felt the same way and saw him as a little brother but he supposed he couldn't do anything about it if she didn't.

"It feels like it too," She groaned before sitting up properly after a few more seconds. She had a hand on her head, her fingers carding through her burgundy hair. 

"So...what happened?"

"Well, for starters, you're being invited to perform." She started off vaguely, causing [Name] to raise an eyebrow in response. "There's this big football match going to be hosted soon and they want you to perform the national anthem or something like that."

"I don't see how that's such a big deal. I've performed in front of a lot of people before." 

"It's not the offer that's problematic," She took in a deep breath, her eyes closing momentarily, before staring into [Name]'s eyes seriously. "It's the fact that the people I talked to are assholes."