Chapter Text
“Goal,” Isagi exclaimed as that final goal was taken. The once quiet, tense audience was screaming with excitement at that one unbelievable goal.
“Blue Lock comes back from behind,” the sports commentators added with their narrative. The final whistle blowing as everyone screamed with joy and excitement. “The only one… The only one who stayed behind in the goal area, No. 11! Isagi Yoichi’s direct shot pierces the net!!”
Isagi jumped in excitement, screaming with joy after finally scoring his goal. Nagi, who was under him, held Isagi up as he continued to roar as the hero of the field.
“And there goes the whistle at the end of the game,” the commentators finally added. Blue Lock ran towards Isagi, pumping with excitement, as they trampled him down. “Score is 3-4, and the Blue Lock XI wins!”
Japan’s U-20 stood there, panting from the amount of sweat they broke out in. Shidou walked over to Sae, talking about a deal they made earlier, Aiku walked up to Isagi, adding his own comments and congratulating Isagi and Blue Lock for their win.
Everyone was having their moments. U-20 just sat or stood there, panting for air. Everyone was happy it was over. Everyone. Everyone, but Rin. The supposed core player of Blue Lock. Or so it was supposed to be.
He sat there as he realized everything came to an end, gritting his teeth as his thoughts were scrambled with the thought that Isagi Yoichi had beaten him. He stole the goal. He stole his goal.
His lips quivered as his thoughts scrambled, realizing he didn’t get any better. He probably was more of a lukewarm to his brother’s eyes now. His hands shook violently, as his face leaned down to cover his face with his fringe, dark green hair.
“Rin,” a voice called out from behind. Rin’s eyes softened almost immediately, his ears twitching with recognition as he recognized his voice. He looked up, eyes softening as he saw him standing there, tall and unamused. Sae. His one and only nii-chan.
“I’ve misread it,” Sae continued, walking up to Rin’s side. Rin continued staring at his kind nii-chan, waiting for him to continue. What did he have to say?
“I didn’t think Japan was capable of producing a decent striker,” Sae spoke. Rin’s eyes widened at that remark. His eyes softening as he looked up at him, making himself hope.
“Nii-Chan…,” Rin called out, eyes wide with hope. Could it really be time? Was he really finally going to say it? Were they finally going to relive their dreams together…?
“The one who has awakened your instincts and the soccer of this country,” Sae continued, not bothering to reply to Rin’s call out. Rin’s eyes glimmered with hope as he waited, anticipated, for his brother to finally acknowledge him.
“It might be that egoist, Isagi Yoichi,” he finally finished. Rin’s eyes widened with astonishment this time, confused by what he said. What? What did he- “This country can still change.”
Ah. This was never about him, was it? Isagi Yoichi. His teeth gritted with anger, still processing everything Sae had just dumped onto him. Isagi Yoichi. Yoichi. Yoichi. It was that darn Yoichi.
This was the second time he lost to that Yoichi. Why? Why was it him? What did he have that he didn’t? How was it so easily possible for him to get the praise he longed for? He received it from THE Sae as well. The Sae, who was supposed to be his nii-chan.
Sae walked out after his comments, not bothering to say goodbye to his brother in any way. Rin sat there for a while, thoughts still piling up, processing everything, teeth gritting. It was only a second later before he stood up to leave.
He didn’t bother to stay behind and bow to the audience for appreciation. He saw no use. His fist tightened as he walked past Ego, sitting on the side bench. The others went up to bow towards the audience, the U-20 players doing the same as well.
Ego didn’t bother stopping him. He was already fond of Rin’s awakening, so he saw no fond of asking him about his woes. Rin was thankful Ego didn’t stop him. His anger still boiled within, and he had no plans of talking with him either.
Rin sat in the locker room, towel over his head, as his head was covered with thoughts. He didn’t hear anything. Even as the others walked in, chatting about their victory, Rin said nothing and heard nothing.
Ego came in later to give his speech about their victory and whatnot, but Rin didn’t listen to any of it. He sat there, face covered and darkened. No one noticed the state he was in. Well, only one did.
As everyone left to go enjoy their luxurious dinner for the win, Rin stayed behind, eyes still dazed. It wasn’t a second later before Isagi walked back in and stood in front of Rin.
“Rin,” Isagi called out, head lowered to meet Rin’s head. “Without you, my goal wouldn’t have been possible. In that moment, I was the only one who believed you’d beat Sae, and that was the outcome.”
“Shut up,” Rin thought, head circling with thoughts as Isagi continued his speech about his gratitude. “Go away. You don’t know anything. Leave me alone. Go home. Leave. Get out.”
“Since I lost to you and learned the mechanism of luck,” Isagi continued. Rin sat still, head unwilling to look up at Isagi. “That's why I was able to grab that chance. Thank you, Rin. That goal belongs to you and me.”
The silence thickened for a while. Nothing was said after Isagi finished. Believing Rin wouldn’t say anything, Isagi turned, ready to leave before the harsh voice broke the room.
“Shut up,” Rin spoke, making Isagi’s eyes widen in surprise. He turned slowly to realize the pent-up anger that surrounded Rin, still holding onto a certain grudge that Isagi didn’t know of. “Die already, Isagi. You’re going to pay for this. From this moment on, you are my rival.”
“Huh,” Isagi muttered, confused by the sudden burst of aura surrounding Rin. He never expected a response so… intense
“Don’t forget,” Rin continued, eyes darkening as he met Isagi’s eyes. “It means I’ll kill you, no matter what.”
Isagi’s face hardened at Rin’s final remark. Realizing that that was how Rin was. This was a battle between those two, and Isagi understood.
“Yea,” Isagi finally responded, eyes heavy with certainty. He turned to walk out, understanding what Rin wanted. “Go ahead and try.”
Rin sat there and watched as Isagi left. This left Rin all alone. Hah. Why did that even matter? He was always alone, was he not? His head lowered as he went to meet his hand.
His eyes shook as he saw the obvious shake in his hands. He gritted his teeth with more anger as he thought about Isagi’s last comment, his fist tightening with anger. Hah… How half-baked he was… How did he lose to.. Isagi? His fist loosened, letting out a sigh of disappointment.
He didn’t have to go out for the dinner, did he? He had no appetite to eat at the moment. The only thing that spiraled in his head was how he had to improve. He was still too half-baked. Who was Ego to drag him out to eat? Right, he wasn’t that type, so it really didn’t matter.
His eyes stared at the blank ceiling, waiting to see if someone came to fetch him. No one. Absolutely no one. Hah… who was he to expect someone to come? He was just a half-baked loser who was just the same as in the past. Gosh, he hated that feeling.
He gritted his teeth hard as he packed up his stuff, roughly drying off his damp hair before leaving the room, with a towel that was roughly stuffed in his bag.
—
After the U-20 match, Blue Lock were given two weeks off to return home and have a break from practice. This was thanks to their big victory and making Blue Lock more well-known to the public. It truly was the birth of Blue Lock.
“Rin,” Isagi called out, walking towards Rin, who was grabbing his things, ready to leave for the two weeks. His head didn’t turn, but his gaze did, and it pierced through Isagi’s deep blue eyes. “You wanna go out with us? We’re planning to do a bowling match against Japan’s U-20.”
Isagi stared, waiting for an answer, though he expected him to say no if anything. Rin glared at the question, finding it completely useless to ask such a question like that. His breath came out harsh and annoyed, turning his gaze back towards his things as he fully picked them.
“Why would I go bowling with you half-baked NPCs?” Rin responded as he stood up to leave the place. Isagi’s brows twitched at the nicknames he was referring to himself and the rest. Hah. Well, it was Rin. What was Isagi supposed to expect?
“Well,” Isagi stated, causing Rin to pause in his track, right in front of the door. “Have a good break, Rin. Don’t let yourself get hurt or anything… Only because I wanna beat you, and I can’t really do that if you’re hurt.”
Rin let out a light “tsk” as he heard the second comment. Who was he to decide if he got hurt or not? Well, he wasn’t necessarily wrong. They were rivals now. And Rin would do anything to beat him.
“I could say the same for you,” Rin responds, finally taking off towards the exit. Isagi stared for a while, holding his breath, patiently waiting till he knew Rin was gone. He let out a big sigh of relief afterwards, covering his face at that interaction.
“What was that?” Isagi thought, his face reddening with embarrassment. Hah… What an idiot Isagi was. “Why did I add that second comment? No, why did I even comment in the first place? Hah… So embarrassing.”
He cleared his throat, walking back to pack his own things, too embarrassed to think of it again. Well, that was something. What was he thinking about anyway? Rin? Getting hurt? That would be like a one in a million… Rin would never get hurt.
–
Rin walked out in hurried steps, his face reddening as he realized what Isagi had told him. What was Rin thinking? No, what was Isagi thinking, saying that to him? Hah. What an imbecile… Rin shook his head quickly, trying to relax his face from the thoughts.
His eyes trailed down as he realized he had to go home. Home… Would Sae be staying over? Well, he most likely would be. He stopped in his tracks as he realized that. Sae was gonna be… home. Hah… Well, wasn’t this gonna be awkward for him? He really didn’t wanna face that poor excuse of a brother… But what could he do? He was still a minor and had no place to stay other than his home.
Rin gritted his teeth as he thought more about the idea of returning home. He didn’t wanna go back. Well, he didn’t have to go home at that moment… His moment was slow but with purpose, slipping out his phone from his pocket, looking up for a nearby cafe. Perhaps, stopping by to have some sweets wouldn’t be such a bad idea… I mean, it was better to go home… For Rin at least.
–
As Rin walked along the streets of Japan, he saw the number of kids hanging out with their families, laughing and smiling. They seemed like they were in paradise. He turned his head back down towards his phone, not necessarily wanting to think too much about it.
The cafe was quite nearby. He just had to head straight and turn right at the turn. His eyes wandered around the stores, praying not to see any families together, happy. Thankfully, that did work. He saw stores selling new game consoles, new clothes, and food. They were quite literally selling everything.
His movement stopped as he saw the TV playing within one of the stores. It was the U-20 match. Rin stood, watching the game occur once more. With people beside him watching with amusement and gasps. Well, Rin already knew the outcome, so what was the point in staying behind? As he turned to leave for his original destination, an unfamiliar voice called out from behind.
“Papa,” a kid exclaimed, leading to Rin turning around in confusion. There, he saw a boy, around 10, pointing at him with much enthusiasm. “I-Isn’t that him? The guy from the TV!”
Rin’s eyes widened as he realized he was recognized, not quite knowing what to say. The audience around him grew as they soon saw that Rin was there. Their eyes widened with astonishment, and their smiles grew big as they realized who he was.
“Aren’t you Sae Itoshi’s younger brother?” one particular adult asked, most likely a soccer addict. Ah. His brother. Rin’s eyes widened at that comment, not quite wanting to cause a ruckus, but also not wanting to be referred to as that man’s brother.
“I think you’re confused,” Rin stated as he turned to leave the forming crowd. The crowd stared in confusion, as his face was quite literally appearing on TV. “I’m not him. I may look like him, but I’m not. I’m sorry for the confusion, but I’m just a normal civilian.”
With that, Rin turned to leave, causing the previous crowd to disappear as they groaned in frustration. And here they thought they hit big. Guess they were wrong.
Rin was glad he was able to get away from that. He didn’t wanna cause a scene, nor did he wanna do anything like take photos or autographs with people; it seemed too much of a hassle.
As he walked down the street and made his final turn, his eyes softened with relief as he made it to his destination. A small cafe, not big, but had good enough reviews for him to go and enjoy. He walked in, head hanging low, hoping no one would recognize him.
“Welcome,” a staff called out from behind the desk. Rin’s head tilted up, inspecting the area to see if there was anyone there, and to his surprise, there were none. “Just you today?”
Rin nodded at that question, thankful there was no one around. He was also quite thankful for the hospitality the staff members showed him. Either they didn’t realize who he was, or they respected his privacy, which he was thankful for.
He knew the cafe didn’t serve any ochazuke, his favorite, so he just ordered some Anmitsu to enjoy. It was nice to have some sweets every once in a while; it also helped him cope with everything that occurred. Hopefully, things didn’t get messy at home.
—
Rin left the cafe quietly, not causing a scene nor asking for more later. He paid for what he ate and left to go… home. He didn’t want to, but that was really the only option he had.
His walk home was quiet. He walked head low, trying hard not to show his face to the other civilians. He had yet to want another scene to occur. He didn’t bother looking at anything; he just had his head low, staring at his phone as he went home.
He arrived home quite earlier than expected. He stood at the front door, hands shaking in front of the knob. He’d use to walk behind Sae, following him in as he opened the door for both to enter. That was the good old times. But now…
His mind wandered as his hands hesitated to grab onto the knob. As he finally made his decision to enter his own home, his hand missed the knob as the door swung open. He fumbled on his feet for a sec, startled by the sudden swing. When he composed his balance, he looked up to see the person who swung the door open abruptly. Sae. His nii-chan.
Rin’s head began spiraling as he saw him in front of him. What was he going to say? Hello? Welcome back? But… Was there even any point in saying all that? As his eyes drifted down to face the ground, Sae walked past him, bumping his shoulder on his way.
Sae didn’t bother to utter a word, his mind fixated on leaving. Ah. So, even at home, Sae didn’t have the courage to say a stupid “hi” to his own little brother. How laughable.
Rin gritted his teeth as he saw Sae leave, his fist tightening with fury. He didn’t bother calling out to him. He looked front, and walked inside, plopping his stuff in front of the entryway.
“Who’s home?” a voice called from afar as Rin bent down to take off his shoes. It was his mother.
“It’s me, Mom,” Rin responded, picking up his shoes and putting them nicely away in a cabinet. Nothing was muttered after that. Rin picked up his belongings, walking straight to his room, not bothering to greet his parents.
When he arrived, he plopped his things on the ground, not bothering to unpack, and slumped his body on his bed. His mind spiraled with thoughts, not quite wanting to get up to change, shower, or do anything really. He lazily turned his body over, face looking up at the plain ceiling, not uttering a word.
His eyes wandered, body still, world completely silent. He should’ve said something, honestly, but nothing was said. He laid there, still trying to grasp everything that had occurred over the past few days.
“Nii-chan,” Rin muttered softly under his breath. His fist tightened on top of his stomach, not wanting to go out to do anything. Ah. How tiring life was. It was like it was out to get him. He wanted to let go, to stop… To be free. Ah. Free. Free.
“Life is so pointless,” Rin thought, hands reaching up to stare at. He flexed his fingers out and in, looking at the palm and back of his rough hands. “I’m thinking like a lukewarm again. …But what if… What if life really is pointless? If it is…”
His thoughts paused as he sat up to clutch his two hands together. Hah… Who would’ve thought those stupid thoughts of his returned? But what if that was what he needed? …What he needed… His mouth opened slowly, shaking quite violently as he thought for a while.
“I want to… die,” Rin finally muttered. Right. He wanted to die. To die. … Death. That didn’t sound too bad right about now. What if he killed himself right then and there?