strange way to love (rewritten ver.) - bllk

Over again

"So, how's life been treating you?" He asked, staring into her eyes curiously, finally reuniting.
"Uh... it's been alright I guess." She sighed profusely, [Name] decided she was going to speak up loud and direct regarding the predicament they are in. "What have you done recently? I mean, you disappeared out of nowhere without telling me only to come back to the news that you're an uprising celebrity of some sorts alongside the "treasure" you always bragged about. You know, I thought you would have forgotten about me by now."

Reo visibly stiffened at the mention of the "treasure" and his friend noticed as well, not wanting to indulge on the topic anymore. Something had happened in the time him and Nagi had been away from [Name], though it was only up to him if he wanted to share what the situation was; she would never pressure him to speak up though— for now, her only worry was to rebuild the friendship and trust they had before he disappeared. Their only obstacle was the clock that ticked nonstop, screaming at them that their time was running up. Reo chuckled in an attempt to wear the awkwardness off.
"Of course not," He added, "Sorry I should've definitely told you before, because well, you see... things happened and now Nagi and I, we're not as close as we were before." She only irked an eyebrow in confusion, and hadn't quite gotten the severity of the situation yet.
"Mind telling me what happened there? Of course, if you want to— no pressure here."
"I might or might not be too 'clingy'? And well, that only got me to him calling me a pain in the ass before choosing this guy called Isagi."
"Oh..."

Eventually, the two of them continued walking in silence; just the chirping of the barn swallows and the rustling of the snow below their feet with every step. Their eyes took in the rare occasion of getting to admire the crystalline sky and a clearer view of Mt. Fuji during their stroll. "Reo," [Name] said, "Are you sure about this? About this 'winning the World Cup' ideal even if you still have to go down the path without your miracle guy."
"Huh? What do you mean? Of course I am sure." He replied, trying more to convince himself than trying to convince her. "You may not believe it right now, but one day I'll be holding that lustrous trophy. And you'll be there won't you?"

She nodded. "If I could then of course, but don't let the new fame get to your head, alright? It was already enough bragging about this guy you found one day and adopted like a stray cat. Besides, you and your team won against the u20 like two days ago, so congrats for that— you know I don't like being so much of a pessimist and not even now that we've got to see each other after months. So I think I should warn you; if you aspire to get better, do not expect to be fully accompanied at all moments. If one day, you climb the ranks and get to be the number one striker as you dreamed of: you will be drowning in solitude up there. Naturally, you'll face even harsher challenges than the ones that made you the Reo you are right now. Don't let a single win fool you, I'm sure you know that already."

Reo did not utter a single word, listening intently and coming to the realization that she might be right. No matter how willing he was to share the first place with Nagi, there is only one actual winner, and it was going to be him, regardless of his love for his companion. He also inferred that Nagi would also share that train of thoughts, just not outwardly. After all, they are both strikers under Blue Lock, whose entire philosophy is based on forgetting the selflessness they once had and striving for themselves and themselves only.

"I don't think you're completely right, [Name]."
"How so?"
"For starters, I will not be alone. I can tell you for a fact, that Nagi will someday acknowledge how dull it would be without my company, and he'll come back to me. So don't bother speculating about us going separate ways, it's all experimental... or so I would like to believe." He ranted, his tone indicating that he was so full of himself, though he whispered the last part to himself with a hint of uncertainty.

[Name] could not help but wonder; why was he talking so much about him? She got there first. She despised that Nagi guy despite not having talked to him even once. It was like her friend's only thoughts were about him. Was his love for the sport and his companion greater than the friendship— or so she thought —, they had built over the years? And all for someone he met not less than a year ago.

"This is my stop," She halted the conversation, in front of a bus stop. At that point, all the strings of words that came out of Reo's mouth felt as unbearable as having someone screeching right into her ears, but she would not say it out loud. "It was nice hearing about you after a while, Reo. Let's meet some other day, I'd like to hear more about your time in that training camp some other day, you still got my number somewhere I believe".How horrible. The way she talked to him not like a friend, but as a stranger was painful to some extent, to the both of them. Her voice was barely showing any emotions, the lively face he remembered was now unphased. Not like he remembered her to be, in a span of a few months, she managed to grow into a more mature version of herself, probably more mature than he has ever been. While he was away, the [Name] he knew died— and it was his fault.

Soon enough, he watched her figure get inside the bus and disappear into the distance, realizing everything that had gone wrong since he left.