THE PAIN - Inazuma Eleven Go Fanfic

CHAPTER 68: TIME TROUBLE

The world was still wrapped in gray.

Inside the dorm building, the halls were silent, save for the soft hum of air vents and the occasional creak of wood settling. In each room, Raimon's players lay curled beneath thin blankets, their breathing steady and deep. The exhaustion from the previous day's training had pulled them into a rare, dreamless sleep. Even the early risers hadn't stirred yet—each of them trapped in the weight of recovery.

The sky beyond the dorm windows was beginning to shift, trading the pitch of night for the soft, pale promise of dawn. No birds sang yet. No wind rustled the trees. The world was holding its breath.

Down in the lounge, a single lamp had been switched on, casting a dull golden circle across the low table and couch cushions.

Kariya Masaki sat on one of the far couches, body slouched but eyes wide open, staring at the middle distance like it might offer answers he wasn't asking for.

But there was nothing.

No thought.

No emotion.

Just stillness.

He had woken up without reason—no bad dream, no noise to disturb him. Just a restlessness that curled beneath his skin. So, he got up, wandered barefoot down the hallway, and settled in the lounge. And now, he sat like furniture—silent, expression unreadable, arms loosely draped over his knees.

There was something off about seeing Kariya this still. This quiet. Like a storm pretending to be a cloud.

A moment later, Kurama Norihito appeared in the entryway, hair ruffled and eyes only half-awake. He wore a hoodie over his training shirt, the sleeves too long on him at this hour. He paused when he saw Kariya sitting there, eyes still open but unblinking, bathed in the warm glow of the lamp.

"...You look like a ghost," Kurama said flatly, his voice rough from sleep.

Kariya blinked once. Then twice. Slowly, he turned his head toward his roommate.

"...You look like a mop," he replied, voice low and empty of bite.

Kurama raised an eyebrow, then rubbed his eyes. "Why are you up?"

Kariya shrugged with one shoulder. "Couldn't sleep. Thought I'd wait for the sun to catch up."

Kurama moved toward the kitchen area, grabbing a glass and filling it at the water dispenser. The sound of trickling water was oddly loud in the quiet lounge.

He walked over, glass in hand, and sat on the opposite end of the couch.

For a few moments, neither of them said anything.

The silence wasn't heavy.

It was... shared.

Kurama didn't look at him right away. He leaned back into the couch, tipped his head against the backrest, and stared up at the faint lines in the ceiling. "You seriously woke up just to sit here?"

Kariya shrugged. "Guess so."

A pause.

Then Kurama said casually, "You okay?"

Kariya blinked, slightly caught off guard by the question. He turned his head just enough to glance at him. "You're asking that?"

Kurama sipped from his glass. "You're the one sitting in the dark looking like an abandoned puppy."

Kariya scoffed but didn't deny it. "Wow. Thanks."

Kurama shrugged. "Just saying what I see."

"How about you?" Kariya asked, eyeing him now with vague curiosity. "What are you doing up so early?"