Tie a Knot|| Blue Lock

Chapter 19

For some reason, he couldn't help but feel just a bit excited to see how he'd react to him visiting again after so long.

"Unfortunately, Rin-Rin is currently in practice right now," Hana gave an apologetic smile as she glanced at [Name]. "Feel free to wait by his room though, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

[Name] thought about for a second before reusing the offer with a smile. "I'll just walk around until he gets back. I need to stretch my feet anyways."

"Alright then, dear!" Hana smiled at him as she waved him off.

"Be careful!" His mom called after him as well.

He nodded at both mothers as he left through the backdoor of the house. Even this place remained the same, he thought as he observed the area.

Eventually, he had reached the familiar road he had walked on with Sae and Rin. A small smile couldn't help but appear on his face as he recalled the memories.

If he squinted hard enough, he could probably imagine all three of them happily walking down the road when they were children.

He turned to his left and enjoyed the beautiful view of the sea. No matter how much he's seen it in the past, he could never get over the beauty it held.

He took a deep breath of the fresh air the blew past him, the scent of the salty ocean lingering in the breath he in took. Although his home will always be where his mom is, he could argue that this area would be a close second in his heart.

Eventually, he turned away from the view as he kept walking with a particular destination in mind. He was in no rush to reach it, however, as he enjoyed the walk through slow steps.

A few cars has passed by but other than that, the area remained quiet and peaceful with only noise being the sea crashing onto the shore.

A couple of minutes passed by before he eventually saw the back of the convenience store he got dragged to everytime he came here. A nostalgic smile appeared on his face as he sped up just a bit.

He entered the place through the front door, causing the bell chimes on top to ring.

"Oh my," An elderly voice called out as [Name] smiled at the familiar lady behind the counter. Despite her old age, she's still kicking all these years. "I haven't seen you in a long while."

It was honestly admirable.

"I've been quite busy lately," [Name] smiled as he approached the freezer that remained in the same spot throughout the years, right beside the counter.

"I can see that," The old grandma smiled as she recalled how different [Name] was as a child. "I've been hearing about you through the few customers that still visit here."

"Do you now?" [Name] mused back a reply as he grabbed a cherry popsicle from the freezer.

"Yep, I've even seen videos of your performances." She smiled as [Name] handed her the popsicle. She scanned the item and printed out a receipt. "I must say, you have a bright future ahead of you."

"Thank you so much." [Name] bowed as he gave her a giddy smile, feeling a bit happy at the compliment. He then fished out for some money in his pockets before handing it to her in exchange of the popsicle. "You can keep the change."

The old lady's eyes widened in disbelief. He had handed him a bill far too big compared to the price of a singular popsicle. "Oh, I couldn't-"

"Consider it as payment for all the popsicles you've given to us for free." A charming smile displayed on his face causing the store owner to sigh in defeat.

"Very well," She smiled gratefully as she put away the large bill. "Thank you so much, lad."

"It's no problem at all."

[Name] was about to leave until the lady began to talk again. "I'm surprised you guys didn't come together today."

[Name] looked at her in confusion before realizing she probably meant Rin. "Oh, he's still in practice. That's why I came over here to kill some time."

"I see. But I'm talking about-"

A loud truck passed by causing the old lady's voice to get cut off. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows.

The old grandma simply smiled with a sigh as she shook her head. "No, nevermind. It's nothing."

[Name] gave her a suspicious state before shrugging it off. "If you say so..." He turned around and began unwrapping his popsicle. "I'll be off now, grandma! See you next time!"

"Good bye, do come back again soon."

"Will do!" [Name] yelled back as he threw away the wrap onto the trashcan near the door before fully leaving the store with a wave.

He plopped the popsicle into his mouth before shoving his hands inside his pockets. He was heading towards the other side of the road in order to watch the sea while eating.

At least, that was the original plan.

[Name] couldn't help but freeze as he stared at the familiar person that stood with his back towards him. His heart immediately began to pick up as he began to hope this is who he thinks it is.

He pulled out the popsicle as he whispered a name he hasn't uttered in years.

"Sae?"