𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝

𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐠𝐨𝐬

❝𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐠𝐨𝐬❞ (not coc guys)

As the room settles into the aftermath of your introductions, you hear three sets of footsteps entering. Each pair has a distinct cadence, accompanied by the sound of familiar breathing patterns and heartbeats. You can tell right away who one of them is—it's definitely Nagi.

You turn towards the sound of his quiet steps and ask, "Nagi, is that you?"

"Yeah," he responds lazily, his voice echoing across the room. "Too tired to walk over, though."

Typical Nagi. You can't help but grin at his response. "Who else is with you?"

"Teamed up with Isagi and Bachira," Nagi answers, almost like it's an afterthought.

Before you can question why he didn't team up with Reo, Papas voice cuts in, the monitors flickering to life again. He explains the rules of the Third Stage: it's a 3vs3 mini-game with a "Blue Lock Man" as each team's goalkeeper, and the first team to score five goals wins. The winning team then gets to steal a player from the losing team and form a four-man team. The process repeats for the 4th and 5th stages, where the teams become four-man and five-man teams, respectively, and the five-man team that wins clears the second selection. As for the losing teams, they go back a stage, and if they dwindle down to a two-man team, they play against another two-man team to avoid elimination.

Bachira's voice pops up, sounding way too enthusiastic for the current situation. "So it's kinda like Red Rover, huh?"

Papa ignores the comment and continues, saying that teams are free to choose whom they play against, but both teams must agree to the match. He then adds a kicker: to help them make their choices, he'll now be announcing the new Blue Lock rankings.

"Rin," you call out, turning your head slightly toward his direction. "What's my ranking?"

He sighs, the irritation obvious in his voice. "You're number 2."

You smirk. "And the others?"

Rin's tone stays flat as he lists off the ranks: "I'm number 1. Aryu is number 3, Nagi is 7, Isagi is 15, and Bachira is 16."

Aryu chimes in, his voice full of pride. "We should be aiming for the 4th, 5th, and 6th ranks. Beating a team like Isagi's wouldn't make me look beautiful."

Rin's voice snaps like a whip. "Shut up. I don't care who we face. I'm here to win. You and she are just filling the numbers." He shoots a glance at you before continuing. "I formed a team with you two because you cleared the stage first. But you're all just stepping stones on my way to joining the U20. My only goal is to surpass my brother."

You march over to Rin, your annoyance brimming as you reach up and yank on his ear. "Don't talk to me like that," you scold.

He slaps your hands away with an annoyed grunt, his cold gaze narrowing at you. "Knock it off."

Just then, Isagi takes a deep breath and steps forward. "Rin, if you really don't care who you play, then my ego tells me we should go against you." His voice is steady, but there's a rhythm in his heartbeat that speaks to something deeper—a challenge, a burning desire to prove himself.

The room goes quiet for a moment as the tension lingers. You feel a smirk curling on your lips. This could be interesting.

₊˚ʚ 🌱 ₊˚✧ ﾟ. 『𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐤: 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞!』

As the teams head to the field, you find yourself walking beside Rin, while Aryu trails slightly behind, adjusting his hair for the umpteenth time. The atmosphere is tense, filled with the anticipation of the upcoming match, but you're not one to let silence reign for too long.

"So, Rin," you start, breaking the ice, "since we're a team now, we should at least get to know each other a little. Even if I'm just a 'stepping stone'." You don't wait for his approval before continuing, "What do you do when you're not being such a prick?"

Rin's eyes stay focused on the path ahead, his tone flat as he replies, "Watch movies."

You raise an eyebrow, slightly surprised at the simple answer. "What kind of movies? Please don't say rom-coms."

"Horror," he replies without hesitation. "The scarier, the better. My favorite is The Shining."

You grin, impressed. "I've heard it's good. I'm not a big fan of things I need to see."

Aryu's voice suddenly chimes in, sounding as though he's posing for an imaginary camera. "So stylish, Rin! Even your taste in movies is sophisticated."

Rin doesn't acknowledge the compliment. You decide to keep the conversation going, curious about this quiet teammate. "Alright, next question. What's your favorite animal?"

"Owl," Rin answers curtly.

"Huh," you reply, tilting your head slightly. "Didn't think you were a bird guy. Why an owl?"

"They're quiet, the opposite of you."

Before you can respond, Aryu jumps in again, looking genuinely curious this time. "How many Valentine's chocolates did you get last year?"

Rin's silence stretches for a moment, and he finally answers with a slight shrug. "I don't remember. I gave them all back."

You burst out laughing. "No way, all of them?"

Rin glances at you. "Why would I keep something I didn't want?"

Aryu gasps dramatically. "So stylishly cold-hearted!"

You grin at Rin. "You're not secretly good at calligraphy or something, are you? I bet you're one of those annoyingly talented people who's good at everything I can't do."

Rin responds without missing a beat, "No. I suck at it."

"Good," you say, chuckling, "because I'd hate to be teamed up with someone who's perfect."