ATTENTION: Outfits at the end of the chapter if y'all need to visualise them.
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"Blue Lock, being the hot topic of the moment, has been invited to the Japan sports gala to be held tomorrow night at the Sports Palace."
The boys, at least some of them, rejoiced, excited to be able to attend the event they usually only admired from behind the television screen.
Nicole, sitting next to Oliver in the cafeteria, raised her impassive, calm gaze to the monitor on which Ego's face was portrayed, resting her own cheek on the palm of her hand.
Oliver, who was secretly stroking her thigh from under the table, also shifted his attention to the project director.
"The matches will be interrupted until the next update. I would prefer that you maintain a proper behavior, since you will be surrounded by major sports celebrities from all over the world. I have too many lawyers wanting to cut my throat for you to cause me more problems." the 30-year-old explained, disappearing from the monitor and making portraits of some of these personalities appear instead.
"The sports gala is your opportunity to make contacts with extremely important figures. You won't be able to make a name for yourself yet, but at the very least you will be able to start saying the first syllables of it to others." he continued, showing the image of Kaiser and Yukimiya's faces.
"You probably know that even in this selection there are people who are already quite well known, like these two boys. Know that you are not yet at their level of popularity, but you're very near to reach it thanks to the fact that you are basically characters of a tv show."
The images changed, and on the screen appeared the five master strikers who were inside the building at that moment.
"As you can see the two I showed you earlier are less popular than these five, and they will probably be less popular than a great many of the other characters you will have the opportunity to meet." he stated as extremely familiar faces scrolled across the screen.
The smiles on the boys' faces widened, some of them pointing to people they favored or who had inspired them since they were children. Unfortunately for them, the enthusiasm was short-lived.
"Basically you, compared to everyone, are nothing."
The blunt sentence was like a bucket of ice water right in the face.
"I would like you to be aware of your position. It's true, in the Neo Egoist League you have come into contact with five of the strongest football players in the world, and therefore you are already self conscious of your unpopularity." Ego's tone was calm and stiff, serious and blunt.
"But there are people in that place who would have the right to regard you more as dogs than as human beings..."
Hanyu Yuzuru, Shohei Ohtani, Rikako Ikee, Naomi Osaka... and as he kept going showing some of the most loved Japanese athletes, they started to feel conflicted between not wanting to go and wanting to see all those iconic stars.
And then-
"Nicole Vinciguerra will also be there." that name was able to take their breath away.
Nagi raised his head from the table on which he was trying to sleep as soon as he heard the girl's name. He did not quite understand: would she be in the same place as both Nicole Vinciguerra and Nicklaus Vinciguerra?
She was good at making things disappear, but he did not believe to that extent.
Some people's eyes shifted to the red-haired figure, who sat far away from them, noting the indifference on her face.
For some reason, the idea of seeing in a normal situation the redhead's true identity after discovering it on a tragic occasion made them anxious. Would they be able to keep quiet about the connection between her and the fake male in that room with them?
"She is definitely a more unique character than all the others: her abilities, as well as her ego, are not limited to one specialty. I advise you not to approach her if you don't want to be devoured by her with just a glance."
Damn, really?
Nicole smiled slightly, amused by the words the 30-year-old was saying to keep Blue Lock candidates away from her and reduce the likelihood of her identity being revealed as much as possible.
"Stay away from that hot chick? You're spitting bullshits, four eyes-" suddenly interrupted a voice, and the boy to whom it belonged put his elbows on Nicole's shoulders, leaning on her from behind.
"What would you do if you met her, guygal?" asked Shidou in a teasing tone, whispering aloud with his lips almost brushing her left ear.
Oliver, on her right, rolled his eyes at the blond man's attitude. His grip on the redhead's thigh did not loosen. In any case, from their position no one could notice it but the tan-skinned boy behind them.
Nicole sneered slightly, putting her hand on Shidou's face and pushing him away from her.
"No words can describe it, punk." she replied slyly, and her red eyes clashed with pink ones, evidently amused by the response.
"I guess we'll have to find out then." countered the other, shamelessly lowering his attention to the red lips pulled into a mischievous grin.
"I guess..." she murmured defiantly, aware of Shidou's unspoken words.
"No guess, just shut up you two." Ego interrupted the duo, forcing the blond to sit next to the redhead and the latter to return her attention to the man.
As soon as the black and red irises met, it almost seemed as if he was scolding her for her recklessness.
"Anyway, get ready to enter a world you will be a part of from now on. Study them, understand how those who are superior to you behave..."
The room fell into silence, and the candidates placed serious, focused expressions on their faces. Ego's eyes were equally serious and focused, but there was an evil, sadistic grin on his face.
"...and aspire to crush them with your selfishness."
A grin that was aimed at only one of them.
Skip time
Somewhere in Blue Lock
Nicole played with a lock of damp hair, her body relaxed against Oliver's.
His fingers were drawing imaginary circles on the skin of her stomach. They were both wet after the shower they had taken, and they had been still in that position for a few minutes now: she was lying by his side, her head on his chest.
They had not spoken up to that point. They had confined themselves to the usual routine of showering, fucking, and wound care.
"Let me be your date to the gala." Oliver suddenly broke the silence, grabbing the same lock of hair Nicole was playing with and starting to twirl it around his index finger.
"People have already seen us together." his voice was warm and made the chest on which the girl had laid her cheek and ear vibrate imperceptibly, allowing her to enjoy the depth of his tone even more.
"Mhm..." was Nicole's only response as she squinted her eyelids slightly and shifted her attention to his sculpted abs, beginning to outline them slowly and distractedly.
Oliver stared at the ceiling above them, carefully pondering his words. He was well aware that the girl next to him was known for her independence and kinda dandy character, and he wanted to avoid crossing a certain line he knew better not to cross.
"We're not going to make a scandal. You've already explained to the public what our relationship is like." even if you didn't tell the whole truth.
He sighed when the redhead gave no hint of wanting to respond, and his gaze shifted from the ceiling to her face, looking at it from above. He brought a hand to her cheek, gesturing for her to give him her attention.
"And even if it is scandalous, then let's make sure we are the most outrageous couple they will ever see together." he affirmed with confidence and tension as he sought her gaze.
He knew what kind of words she wanted to hear... and it was so tempting to just say yes.
Nicole lifted her chin, resting it on the boy's chest, and her red eyes darted into his two-toned ones.
"I want to be your chaperone, Nicole." his eyes were serious, his voice was earnest.
His lips we had never said a more sincere thought than that before.
Nicole looked at him for a few moments without saying anything, and slowly the hand that was on his abs went up, grazing his stomach, then his pecs, his neck, and finally his jaw, until it rested on his lower lip.
"But I don't want you to, Oliver."
His eyelids fluttered open at her words so cold and her tone so sweet, not knowing what to say as she lowered her own rubies on the lip she was testing with her fingertip.
"Not this time." she said in a soft, biased tone, moving her ephemeral fingers from the mouth she had tasted so many times to his cheek.
"Why not?" asked Oliver in a deep, slow tone, as his emerald and amethyst irises stared into those eyes that instead scrutinized every inch of his skin touched by her hand.
"I have to do something first." she did not explain what, much less with whom.
Then her red gems shifted again to the boy's. Slowly she rose from her lying position, only to bring one leg to the other side of his muscular body and her hands to the sides of his head, wedging him under her. Her long red hair shielded both her and his faces like a cascade of blood, forcing him to look at her and only her.
"But you don't have to worry about anything, my dear Oliver. Although you can't be my chaperone..."
Her tempting lips came close to his tempted ones, and at the mere touch, the boy had to close his eyes to restrain himself from cave in to that sinful temptation.
"...you can still be mine."
The night after
Sports Palace
The two prodigies were silent in the back seats of the limousine, one looking one way and the other looking the other way.
The dividing glass between them and the driver was up: the man had wanted to give the two of them their last moments of peace before chaos broke out.
They were ready, both mentally and physically. They had discussed what would happen that night: Nicole had made her demands and Sae had agreed without asking the reason behind them.
"You are beautiful. I forgot to tell you." Sae interrupted the silence, but without turning his gaze toward her and keeping it on the window instead.
Nicole averted her bloodshot eyes from the glass beyond which she was distractedly looking, shifting her attention to the boy's profile.
She admired him silently.
"My color suits you..." she murmured as she brought her fingers to the necklace, slowly caressing it and brushing against the bare skin of his chest.
Sae turned at those words, and his teal eyes saw her crimson ones aimed at the ruby that, unbeknownst to him, had been given to him by the same monster who was to receive yet another gift that night.
"It makes you even more beautiful than you already are." Nicole affirmed, and finally her half-closed eyelids opened, and her pitch-colored pupils rose, colliding with his.
Sae sighed slowly, bringing his hand around the girl's, and shifting his attention to the ring he had given her for her birthday.
He sensed under his fingertip the decorations of the laurel leaves in gold, and the hardness of the perfectly crafted red stone.
The fact that they had the same stone on them would create a scandal, but he didn't care: it created a bond between them that he was more than happy for others to see and envy.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Sae in a low and seemingly cold tone, without shifting his attention from the ring he was caressing.
Nicole did not answer, however, bringing her free hand to his jaw, slowly raising his face and forcing him to bring his beautiful crystalline eyes on her.
"I should be the one asking you that. Once you enter my hell, Sae, there is no chance for you to go to heaven." she warned him in such a melodious tone that she did not seem to be talking about the possibility of ruining his life forever.
Sae stared at her without ever looking away, sinking slowly into that warm blood in her eyes that seemed to suffocate him gently.
Suddenly a myriad of lights and flashes shone past the window behind the boy's back, so numerous and so dazzling that he seemed to be in the midst of a cloud of fireworks.
Sae admired her tanned face as the lights of many colors behind him illuminated her eyes and skin in different shades, making him realize that under each spotlight she would glow in the same way.
He slowly lowered himself to her, but did not dare brush his lips with hers.
It was not yet the time.
"I don't believe in a hell, much less in a heaven, Nicole Vinciguerra." he whispered in a hoarse, icy tone, looking, staring, admiring, scrutinizing those retinas into which seemed to flow that warm crimson liquid that since ancient times was an object considered sacred.
"Good for you, Sae Itoshi..." and with those words, he walked away from her, finally opening the door and closing it behind him.
They would not go out together.
Nicole stood still, watching boredly as the flashes of reporters and paparazzi suddenly became more numerous than they already were, allowing her to see the boy's figure recede into the backlight.
The previously raised partition glass lowered, and the driver shifted his gaze to the girl still sitting in the back seats.
"Miss Vinciguerra, there is still time to withdraw..." said the man thoughtfully and sweetly, who by now had learned to love the Italian woman who for so little had stayed with them and so much had affected their lives.
"Withdraw..." repeated the girl under her breath, as a cruel but sweet smile appeared on her lips, redder than usual.
"...I never had such an option."
Meanwhile, outside the limousine the atmosphere was decidedly more animated and lively.
"Itoshi Sae, please look this way."
"Could you smile for us?"
"Are you planning to stay in Japan to continue your soccer career?"
"Could you describe us your outfit and tell us why such a choice?"
The boy paraded without looking at any of them, as his black polished shoes stepped on the bright red carpet beneath him.
His hands in his pockets, his gaze bored and impassive, his bearing regal and nonchalant at the same time. His skin glowed under the lights of their cameras, people admired his princely appearance that almost resembled that of a model.
The dress he wore looked tremendously good on him. An asymmetrical draped blouse made with organic silk, featuring batwing sleeves and a plunging shawl-collar neckline that showed off his sculpted chest. Its eggshell or ivory color contrasted perfectly with the violent ruby red color at the level of his sternum, which could not fail to attract the attention of many eyes.
Across the street, behind the large windows on the second floor of the building, a man with a champagne glass was watching the entrance of the Japanese prodigy with a sly, wicked smile on his lips.
"The orphan bitch actually chose to play my game uh..." asserted the old man, bringing the goblet to his lips and sending all the sweet and slightly carbonated liquid down his throat in one go, a wine that theoretically should be sipped.
"Seems like the outfit you picked for that useless prodigy looks good, Abigail."
The girl named, wearing an outfit chosen by the master, and therefore uncovered and tightly fitted in such a way as to make her look like his escort, pointed her weary eyes at the boy who was walking down the red carpet.
She had been the one to choose what Sae Itoshi should wear. Simply because the master had not the slightest intention of committing to having to look for a suit for someone he was not interested in; he had merely ordered her to find something that would make it clear that Sae Itoshi and Nicole Vinciguerra were a couple that night.
The only thing the man had chosen was the necklace that shone under the many flashes of reporters, shifting the focus of so many paparazzi to that important detail.
Exactly what he wanted.
The old man licked his lips as his hungry eyes of others' shame and 'humiliation shifted from the prodigy to the car from which he had exited, which didn't move.
She was there.
"What is this mess?" asked Isagi Yoichi curiously, who just like all the other Blue Lock boys, with the exception of Nicklaus, was inside the Sport Palace.
Bachira smiled excitedly, resting his hands against the glass and trying to see who had arrived among the many celebrities to provoke such a reaction.
"Oh, it's Itoshi-San." he exclaimed with his cheek pressed against the window, drawing to himself the gaze of the poor staff members who had had to clean all the glass in the building for that event.
"I'm here, you idiot." exclaimed Rin boredly, bringing his annoyed, cold eyes to Bachira's back-turned figure.
"Not you, the other Itoshi." countered the dribbler, with no loss of enthusiasm in his tone.
Rin opened his eyelids slightly wide at that answer, quickly approaching the window and trying to look in the direction of the flashes as well.
He felt a tightness in his chest as soon as the brother who had neglected him appeared in his view, and resentment and anger burnished inside his heart.
"Of course that asshole is here..." but with who?
Rin had noticed a detail in his I'm the better brother moment: the limousine from which Sae had exited had not left.
He focused his gaze on the closed car door. Until then, the only one who had caught the pinkish haired young man's eye was Nicklaus Vinciguerra.
So who had managed a second time to stir the typical Japanese prodigy's disinterest and detachment?
"She's here..." whispered Anri, dressed in an elegant and simple green dress that perfectly complimented the brown of her eyes and hair.
Ego sighed at the woman's words, bringing the champagne glass to his lips and sipping it slowly. His black, seemingly bored eyes focused on the figure of Sae Itoshi, suddenly standing immobile outside the building's entrance.
The director was wearing an all-black suit, which slimmed his slender figure even more.
"Let's see what she's gonna do now." he stated coldly and impassively, hiding his nervousness, bringing a hand in his pocket and staring intently at the limo door.
Sae Itoshi's teal eyes remained on the car, waiting for the bringer of chaos to come out and make her victorious show.
The flashes kept dazzling him like stars too close and too bright in the sky, and he almost wished that darkness and silence would fall on all of them at the same time, making those too-many stars and those too-noisy enthusiastic screams die.
Suddenly, his chauffeur got out of the limousine and went around the car, standing in front of the damn door.
The anxiety, tension, anticipation, and any other kind of emotion became so strong, expelled by such a large myriad of people in the same place, that Sae could almost smell their stench.
The boy met his chauffeur's gaze and, after a nod, the latter lowered the handle.
The cameras turned
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