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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The following morning started like the one before except with one minor twist.
Unknown: This isn't a game. Give it back.
Unknown: I'm serious.
Unknown: Tell me where it is.
I sipped my breakfast tea, quietly listening to Reo tell a story about his current league team to the table. My phone was upside down to ignore the unwanted text messages, but occasionally it would vibrate. I was sitting between Ellis and Kunigami, trying not only to ignore the phone but also the awkwardness between me and Bachira. The black and yellow haired boy had been making attempts to talk to me all morning, with which I replied politely. The talk between us was small. I wasn't sure how to speak to him yet, but I could tell he had been trying to seek help from Isagi about how to reconnect with me. Next to Bachira, the blue eyed boy was giving his close friend sympathetic smiles after my short and quick responses.
I tired to pay attention to my friend's story as we finished up breakfast. As soon as Reo finished speaking, Callista fixed her eyes on me with a pointed gaze. She abruptly changed the topic. "Who is texting you so much, Keiko?"
"Nosy much?" Eme teased our younger teammate but then also looked my way as she leaned into her palm. "But for real, your phone has been going off all morning."
"Sorry. It's just someone who is really annoyed about something I did. It's not important," I dismissed, moving to pick up my tea cup again. The less details known, the better. But my friends weren't ones to drop curious things so easily.
"Who did you annoy? And when? You've been with us the whole time," Ellis pointed out with a slight tilt of her head.
"Is it Sae?" Eme questioned, raising an eyebrow in concern. "It took a while for you to come back to the room last night when he called."
I sipped my tea from my cup very slowly, purposely letting the suspense linger as the girls stared in curiosity. The boys looked interested in my answer as well. A moment later, I lowered my cup and said, "Close... It's his direct blood relative and arrogant little brother."
Callista blinked in confusion. "Who?"
"Oh, Mr. Mascara," Eme said, almost making me spit out the tea at the hilarious new nickname. "What does he want?"
I explained a moment later, "He wants the only soccer ball on the ship. I stole it from him last night and hid it where he wouldn't be able to find it." Putting down my tea cup, I shrugged. "Like I said, it's not important."
"Wait, there's a soccer ball on the ship?" Bachira piped up, eyes wide.
"I'm surprised there's not more, given that this ship is full of soccer players," mumbled Kunigami.
