EMPLOYEES ONLY // bllk

Traitor Among Teammates

A flash of anger burned through your chest when the Wanima brothers of Team W taunted Chigiri, reminding him of an injury from his past. Some former teammates they are. Chigiri froze under their scrutiny leaving any ounce of confidence he has left drowning in uncertainty.

Just as fed up with their words, Isagi dove for the ball, causing the silent Wanima brother to trip over his leg and eat grass. Keisuke spoke for his brother, "What the hell are you trying to pull?"

His voice changed, "That was a blatant foul! is what my bro would be yelling if he didn't have a mouth full of grass."

Their heads turned to you, the elected primary referee of today's game. While you weren't familiar with every aspect of soccer, you—along with the rest of your fellow employees—were trained briefly on basic referee calls. Even if you are unsure of a call, Ego and Anri make the final call from their footage room.

Isagi smirked when no call comes from you or the speaker system. "I know it was borderline, you psycho-siblings, but they didn't call it, which means it's legal." Isagi kicked the ball to Imamura, and circled back briefly to have a word with Chigiri.

Chigiri didn't take to Isagi's words kindly, given the scowl on his face.

It was obvious to everyone Chigiri preferred to be alone during his free time in Blue Lock. Even during team practices and meetings he often kept to himself, but seeing him visibly angry was new to you. This was not a spontaneous burst of anger towards Isagi. This was the consequence of a previous encounter that you had not been in attendance for.

Kuon shouted for the ball from the goal area, nudging the Team W players guarding him.

After helping Team Z with their practices, you've learned about each of their weapons, even assisted them in developing their skills. So, you knew when Igaguri spotted Kuon and hurled the ball into the air, Kuon had the best chance to get the ball into the goal.

He sprung into the air, slammed his head into the ball, and shot the ball into the net. Team Z erupted into cheers, the weight of the scoring the first goal off their shoulders. You let them bask in the moment before signaling them to get to their kick-off positions.

"Hey look out. They're coming in from the side." Kunigami caught on to the Wanima brothers' strategy as they started with the ball and slunk down the field. He rushed at Junichi to kick the ball from his feet and direct it right towards Bachira.

"Eyes on the prize or you'll lose it, "With a smile, Bachira took possession of it as he teased, "I'll take that."

"What did I tell you? Get your head in the game!" Keisuke reprimanded his brother. If Team Z could get into the heads of the strongest players on Team W, they would have a chance of taking the game.

Bachira dribbled the balls down the field, prepared to pass to anyone open near the goal. "We got a new target man. Who knew it would be Kuon?" He kicked, "Kind of high, but since jumping is your weapon, you can reach that."

As if it was a repeat of their previous goal, the ball pushed into Team W's net and rendered their goalie speechless.

"I can feel it, I'm on fire today!" Kuon celebrated. Team Z jumped around with enthusiastic grins on their faces. Finally, a game was going as planned. All their hours of hard work and practice were paying off.

Soon after the next kick-off, you blew your whistle. It echoed loudly, following the sound on the speaker system. You glared at the silent Wanima brother, who just a moment ago yanked Naruhaya's shoulder in a fit of frustration.

You dropped the whistle from your mouth. "Foul by Junichi Wanima. Team Z gets a free kick."

They took their positions while you checked with Naruhaya. He looked alright, more startled than hurt. "Naru—" You paused, "Number five, are you okay?" Your planted feet itched to cross the boundary line and inspect him yourself. You're surprised at your own concern despite the relatively harmless foul. Naruhaya caught the shift of your personal tone of voice to more professional and gave you an assured smile before taking off towards the rest of this teammates.