𖧧࣪ . ִֶָ๋

"So...Who are we picking?"

There was silence for a second, 'It's between Kagawa and Ai but I'm leaning more on Kagawa's side.' 

You kept thinking for a few minutes. You could tell by Ai's body language that she was feeling tense about the whole situation. There was a part of her that was scared you wouldn't pick her, but she tried not to show it to you. 

"I couldn't care less; pick whoever you two want," Aya rolled her eyes, brushing her bangs to the side. The brown-haired female looked at you, expecting you to say something. 

 'I've left her side to experience more people; it would be rather stupid if I picked Ai, and there's no way I'm going to pick Fukushima even though she might work...I guess I'll pick her.' You looked at the one you chose.

"I have decided who I want to pick." You declared. Team White's ears perked up; Ai looked at you with glossy eyes, not wanting to hear you say another person's name other than hers. "Then you go ahead and choose for us, [name]," Aikawa shrugged.

You extended your hand to the person who you had picked. "Come, Kagawa." She looked at you, confused, and then at Fukushima, who gave her a thumbs up despite being on the verge of tears. You were adamant about what you wanted but also scared at the thought of change. 

You couldn't even bear to look at Ai. "I'm sorry." Those two words escaped your mouth like an exhale. Did you feel guilty, or were you not taking responsibility for your actions again? "Aki, I promise to steal you back." They both nodded as a goodbye, and Kagawa took your hand.

"Let's go, you three." You looked back to see Aya already walking towards the exit door. You and Kagawa walked silently but together, "..Thanks for picking me." You glanced at her momentarily and kept walking, "It's nothing. I picked who I thought was the best."

'I don't want to admit I picked her by default but I feel like she won't take it well if I were to tell her just now...Maybe later if a situation comes.' You rubbed your forehead.

Upon exiting the hallway, the four of you were greeted by another part of the building, "Are we supposed to find our rooms now?" Aikawa made a tired face and Aya was already on the hunt.

"Ah, it's this room." The blonde-haired female pointed out. It was fairly noticeable since it had Team 1 written boldly in colors. Upon walking inside, the room was way larger than it seemed from the outside.

There were two spacious beds and two bunk beds stationed off in their respective corners. 'Bunk beds? No way those two are taking those.' And you were right. You and Kagawa were now bunk bed mates, and Aikawa and Aya had their beds.

'Yeah, there is no point even in talking about it with them.' You weren't particularly mad; back in the orphanage, you were bunkmates with several other children, so you were quite used to the whole experience of it.'But then again, having my bed would have made things better.'

Surprisingly, the Blue Lock staff had already moved your stuff to the room with all the essentials needed. "I'm going exploring. Anyone want to tag along?" You asked the three girls lounging in the room.

"Count me in." Kagawa closed her book and climbed out of her bed. The two of you went straight out in search of the cafeteria. "Are you hungry?" You asked the blond-haired female, "Not particularly, but we could check out the menu." 

Kagawa was a calm but strong person. She knows how to act accordingly with different people, it was as if switching her personality to please the other, 'She's quieter than usual.'

Upon entering the cafeteria, you were a bit mad to find it was the same layout as the previous one, 'Who am I kidding, Ego is always going to be a boring bitch.'

The blonde-haired female walked towards the display screen, which had the menu. "Look, this time they changed a bit." Your eyes scanned the food items. "Yeah, there's more variety of dishes this time. I guess this is to fit the taste of the higher ranks?" 

"Oh! It says you can eat the food whenever you want." She grinned, "So I can finally have a midnight snack? That's great." You also saw that there was a desert button at the bottom for the girls on their menstrual cycle.

'This must have been designed by Anri because there's no chance he would be this generous.' The two of you scanned your ranks and were presented with steaming and delicious dishes. Yours was (F/F), and Kagawa got curry with ramen and side toppings. 

Both of you sat down and quietly started to annihilate the food. "Fukushima would be crying if she had gotten a taste of this." Kagawa reminisced about her friend but abruptly went quiet after looking at you.

"No, it's okay; you can talk about her. I don't hold any particular hatred, just rivalry." You reassured the girl, "Why?" Kagawa asked, "Huh?" You set your bowl down and looked at her in confusion.

"Why did you pick me? AI was your previous teammate, and Fukushima is better than me." Now you got it. She was insecure about her plays and underestimated herself. "I told you earlier that I only picked you because you are a strong team player and would be a great person to form reactions with."

"...I still don't believe you." That sentence pricked you a bit, "You're undermining my judgment by a long shot. Do you think that much or little of yourself, or do you miss Fukushima? Word of advice: grow up." 

Maybe that came out a little meaner than you had expected, but it was the truth. She can't keep crying even though she got herself a great deal. 'I mean playing with the top three is not the worst right?'

"It's not about her; I just... feel lost." Kagawa pushed her meal aside. "During the match, I saw that you were fixed on Fukushima, and even in the first selection, she had caught your eye the most. So I just don't understand why. I'm not special. The only thing I know is how to dribble, and that's the bare minimum."

"I don't have what it takes to be an egoist. I just simply can't abandon others for my own good...That's just my nature from the start. I can't understand how everyone simply wants me to throw it away in a heartbeat."

"You're so stupid it makes me feel good about myself." You laughed out loud, "Do you seriously think having a good weapon is it?" You put your feet up and sat in a cris cross position, "What?"

"Yes, Fukushima may be a great strategist, but that doesn't mean anything. Her actual playing skills are barely average. You could have the world's greatest imagination stirring in your mind but you would also need the talent of executing that story and make it a reality." You explained to her.

"And before you say, Yes. Ai also has a significantly better skillset than you but neither of them have what I'm looking for." You sighed, "And what exactly are you looking for?" 

"A puppet and you, Kagawa Aki are the perfect puppet that could be present in Blue Lock as of right now." You noticed your words hitting her nerves.

"Sorry if that had caught you off guard. I know it sounds crazy and sadistic, but try and understand. I desire someone who has the capability of doing whatever the hell I want on the field. Please, by all means, take this as a compliment and nothing else." You innocently smiled at her.

"Stop running your godforsaken mouth. I knew something was wrong with you since the start I saw you, and I stand corrected. I'm not your damn puppet or a dog who's here to do all your 'dirty' work on the field. " Kagawa glared at you.

"Correct. Welcome to Blue Lock." A smirked your mouth, "You're too naive to think Fukushima was not using you." You cocked your head to the side and looked her directly in the eyes, "Everyone you meet just wants the best player alongside them. You were the perfect stage player for her, always following her orders with no brain, but don't worry; I won't let your potential go to waste."

"What? Fukushima would never do that to me; she's my friend. but I don't think a person like you has had many of those to begin with." Kagawa snapped, her eyes filled with rage.

 "If that's the case, then why didn't she utilize your abilities properly? Why didn't she dedicate time to your weapon? Here in Blue Lock, you can't make friends, no matter how hard you try. In the end, everyone's playing for themselves and trying to outshine one another."

"Then you're also not my friend, right?" She deflated, her back hunched. "Nope. I told you, I just want to make use of you. Polish you and make you mine. I've had my fair share of problems so think of how fun it would be if I gave Fukushima a reality check using you out of all people."

"So how about this: you let me do whatever the hell I want with you, and in return, I'll make you one of the best players in here?" Your body language didn't change. You sat still, staring into the girl's amber eyes. You could see her shaking in anger but then succumbed to defeat.

"Fine, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you toy with me anytime you want. Do remember that I'm still waiting for her to steal me back." She trashed her plate and looked at you in disgust. "Sure, I'm fine with that."

"What a freak..." You heard the girl mumble before she walked out, 'Was it right of me to tell her? No, if she had caught on, it would have been impossible in the future. No one will refuse a tempting offer like that...Everyone but those two.'

You weren't here to make friends. The moment you trashed the most important relationship you had cherished, that label expired for you.

'I'll shower and then sleep.' Upon entering your shared room, seeing Aya lying on her bed comfortably with headphones on wasn't a huge surprise. 'I wonder what she's listening to.' Grabbing your stuff, you glanced at her again and walked out.

You walked around a little and found the bathing area, "Ah, [Name]. Also here to take a relaxing bath?" Aikawa greeted you with a small smile, her hair tied up in a loose bun with a few hair streaks falling out.

She placed her skincare bag over the sink. It was bejeweled with rhinestones and hot pink glitter, with cute Sanrio stickers plastered all over it. On the other side were her face masks laid out in a clean pattern alongside her pimple patches. 'That's a lot of stuff,' she said.

"Mhm, I just wanted to soak in for a hot bath to wrap up today." You placed your towel on the sink with your essentials like a pore cleansing facewash with retinol and SPF and a small moisturizer to go along with it, "What the hell?" The brown-haired female gasped.

"Huh?" You averted your eyes and looked at the large difference between the amount of supplies the two of you used, "You're kidding me; I waste so much fucking money, meanwhile people like you win the genetic lottery. This sucks !"

"...Uh, I'm sorry?" Aikawa slapped her towel on the ground and strutted away. 'That is not my problem.' You were caught off guard by her sudden change of attitude: "She's more jealous than what she lets off."

After the well-worth bath, you headed towards your room. As you were walking, you saw more players filling up the lonely and blank hallways. 'Looks like more people have started to progress onto the next stage.'

You grinned, and a glint of excitement flashed in your eyes. 'Oh wait, we still have to wait for Fukushima to catch up and challenge us.' Your smile dropped, and a grimace took over. Your heart pounded as you rounded each corner, hoping you would see her again. 'What the fuck am I thinking?' You smacked yourself and scurried off.

This time everyone was in the room, unpacking their belongings. 'I should get started as well.' You looked at Aya, who was reading a book; Aikawa was rolling up her hair, and Kagawa was scrolling on her phone.

"Do your guy's parents bother you by spam calling?" Kagawa sighed, switching her device off, "...Not really. come to think she hasn't texted me a single thing, and neither have I. I'll give her a call tomorrow." You sat down on the bottom bunk.

"I didn't have my phone till the first three matches in the first selection, and after that things just got so busy I completely forgot to text them back." The blond-haired female climbed down off her bed and sat on the matted floor. "They probably think we're dead or something."

You looked at Aya who didn't want to participate in the group talk but you unfortunately were feeling a little too social, "What about you Aya? Do you talk to your parents?"

"...They both are businessmen and women who have too much time for their sons." The three of you went quiet, 'I mean if my older brother was Itoshi Sae, the best mid-fielder in Japan, I would feel the pressure too.'

"Sons? You have another brother?" Aikawa asked with a hint of curiosity in her tone, "Yeah, younger." Now that was something new to talk about, "Really? Please show us a picture of him!" 

"No, fuck off. Im not letting you guys ogle at my younger brother like a creep." The girl's stare alone was enough to make Aikawa back off, "Oh man, then at least tell us his name." Aya closed her eyes and sighed.

"Itoshi Rin." She mumbled and pulled the sheets over her head, "Well that's enough socializing for her." You noticed Aikawa frantically typing on her phone, "What are you looking up?" You sat up and looked at her screen. 

"Her brother's face." She whispered back, your eyes widened, and looked at Aya who had thankfully not heard the brown-haired female, "Woah! He's hot as hell!" She murmured as you and Kagawa looked at each other and gulped, 'I guess a peek does not harm...Right?'

Well, the peek did do a lot of harm...To your heart, "Holy shit, are all Itoshi's god's favorite creatures?!" Kagawa whispered-yelled, "Both Aya and he look very similar because of the hair and eye color ."

"Not to mention the genetic staple of long under-eyelashes." Aikawa sighed and you continued to study the younger Itoshi's face. He had a sharp jawline with teal-colored eyes and the signature under eyelashes. His hair was quite shabby and the bangs reached his nose.

"The more I look at this picture the more I think life is unfair." Kagawa made a sour face. You scrolled down and saw the picture came from a small in-town sports news article, "...' The youngest Itoshi, another prodigy in the making..." You read aloud the heading.

"So he's hot and famous, I mean with those looks what couldn't a man get?" Aikawa handed her phone to you and continued to work her hair, now in a more angry way. Kagawa scotted towards and continued to read the article.

"This says his skills are very on par as too Sae's, I want to see a match between those three." Kagawa nodded, "That would be very tense, I could just imagine the atmosphere of it." You looked at Aya who seemed to have fallen asleep.

"I think Aya will win against them both." Your gaze still fixed on her, "I mean...There's no telling. Aya is strong but think about how strong Sae would be but not doubt the match would be legendary."

"We should sleep now, my beauty sleep is going to be harmed if I don't." You placed Aikawa's phone back on her bed and got up, "Yeah, I'm tired anyway." Yet the night was long and the stress was catching up to you.

You tossed around in your bed, the whole day recounting in your head again and again. The thoughts you hadn't even bothered to dwell upon were slowly coming back to haunt you. You could feel small beads of sweat forming.

Suddenly you heard a thud and saw none other than Aya walking out of the room, 'Where is she going out this late?' It couldn't be the restroom because there was one stall in your room for immediate use.

'...I can't sleep either way.' You held your breath and slowly got out of your bed, "No...I need that last limited edition Birkin bag!" Aikawa's sudden sleep talk scared the shit out of you, 'Holy fuck.' You creeped out of the room, this time more nervous than before.

'Now, what the hell do I do?" You fished your phone out of your pajamas and looked at the time, 'How is it already one in the morning?' You opened Pinterest out of boredom and started scrolling to pass the time while walking awkwardly in the corridors.

'I sure do hope I don't come across anyone I know.' As you were walking, your gaze fell on an opened door that had light coming from the inside. Reading the sign said ' TRAINING ROOM ' in bold letters.

'Who the hell wants to play at this time?' You pepped into the door, 'Oh.' You weren't surprised to find Aya taking laps in the field, 'Well good for her but no way I'm joining her. ' As soon as you were about to walk away from that, the two of your eyes met.

'Ah, shit.' Your body quickly jerked back and now your back was to the door. Your heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to burst out of your chest, 'Should I just run awa-'

"What are you doing here?" 

'Well never mind.' You sighed and straightened yourself, "I um...I was just walking around." You looked at the black-haired female standing at the door but something about her looked different, 'She looks... Softer?'

"..." Aya looked at you with a questioning look before going back in, 'Should I go or?' You stood there, contemplating and frankly, you were too nervous to talk to her. Something about Aya made your brain shut down.

"Are you coming in or what?" Her annoyed expression made you snap back in, "Yeah." You slowly walked in, muttering a small 'excuse me'. The training room was huge as compared to the previous one you had.

Aya started to go back to her jogging, 'If I can't sleep then I'll tire myself out.' You placed your phone back in your pocket and joined her in your pajamas. She was silent and you had no idea what to say, ' I can't tell her about the three of us checking her brother out.'

"I know." Your eyes widened, "What?" You broke out into a sweat, "I know the three of you were checking my brother out on her phone." You looked down, your face beet red from the embarrassment.

"...I think you're more pretty than him." You wished you could slap yourself for saying that, "..." You slowly looked up, 'What the.' You were more than surprised to see the female pale-colored cheeks become coated