45. THE CAGE THAT IS BLUE LOCK
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YOU
glare at Ego, eyes narrowed hard. You hope he understands what you're feeling at this moment, from how sharp your glare is. "Are you serious?" You ask, with more venom in your voice than you intended.
What you really want to say to him is—"Are you fucked in the head?" But you guess that saying that to your boss, who can fire you at any time, isn't the greatest idea.
"Deadly." Ego answers, voice as nasally as always, and it sounds more like a shriek for help than anything. "If you refuse, I will not choose you to be the starting manager. The whole reason for your existence within Blue Lock is to make their lives as easy as possible—but to also reign them in when they are out of line. Shidou Ryusei is out of line. I don't believe he will behave himself-at least, without you there."
His explanation makes too much sense to you that it pisses you off even more. But still, all you can do is grit your teeth and keep your head down so he can't see your expression. As if living with him for a few days wasn't bad enough...
Ego explains further—you're listening, but barely—"Sae Itoshi picked him to be in the u-20 team, out of everyone in Blue Lock. You won't be there for the entire time—you will be switched out for another manager after a selected amount of time and you will return back here in Blue Lock."
Anri speaks up, voice nervous and cheeks flushed, "O—Only a day or three at most. We don't want to give you too much of a workload. You guys already make our lives so much easier."
You like Anri—she's nice, she does nice things for you managers, and she even allowed you a single day above Blue Lock whenever you want it, which is a lot for a place like this and somebody like Ego—but right now, all you can think is, Of course, we do.
I mean—you and the other girls do all the cooking. You manually wake up Nagi. You deal with the physical fights (your most frequent visitor is Ryusei Shidou himself). You also deal with injuries. You oversee training, and games. And at the end of the day—you crash into your bed, deep into a slumber, before it repeats all over again. I feel like I'm underappreciated by Ego sometimes. To stick me with Shidou again... he must despise me.
"If Shidou causes too much trouble, he'll be dropped, then the game will be cancelled, and Blue Lock will be finished." Ego explains morbidly—as if Blue Lock being cancelled wouldn't ruin your entire life—"Think of this as extra responsibility not just for him—but yourself, too."
Fuck you.
He's right, and you hate it.
I really hate my boss.
Your silence is taken as begrudging agreement—Ego turns around in his spinny chair—sitting like a gremlin with his bare feet propped up and his knees to his chest, "Good. Now, go pack whatever you wish to take with you. You're both leaving as soon as soon as he gets that little shit from the punishment room."
The name alone gives you chills—but you don't show it. You simply turn on your heel and walk out of the room, fists clenched so hard you're sure they may break. Anri looks at you, then Ego, then you—then finally turns to Ego.
"Isn't that a bit cruel? She did seem stressed out from dealing with Shidou already." She holds her clipboard close to her chest, bright red eyes peering down at her boss. "You can't be too harsh with her, not like you are with the players. Women are much more fragile than men, and it's not like she has an ego, or whatever you were speaking about—"
"Shut up." An offended gasp leaves Anri's lips when Ego curtly speaks to her. "It's nothing a manager should not handle. Besides..."
Ego slurps ramen, chewing messily. "Ryusei Shidou will listen to her. It's not just an option anymore—and I'm sure he knows that."
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This is ridiculous. This whole thing is ridiculous, you think. As soon as you woke up from yesterday, and after recalling the events of last night, you were called down and informed you were to accompany Shidou on his trip to the U-20 team.
Why?
Because you've dealt with him all this time, already.
You shove your facial products into a bag much more violently than you should've and huff loudly—even though you're the only person in the room. Rin was training somewhere or eating breakfast—you don't remember and don't care to. It's not like he was your problem anymore—you have a much bigger issue to focus on now.
Shidou.
Fuck.
You don't like cursing.
But fuck.
After folding a few more differently coloured undershirts, and many matching pairs of blue tracksuits, you finally think you're done. All that's left are your shoes. You only have a few pairs, anyway, because it's not like you're going out of Blue Lock, so it's easy to bag them up and stuff them in your suitcase.
Your room felt a lot more empty now—but you guessed it was for the best. Your phone, a pack of chewy mints, and the taser button rested in your pockets.
You sling your cooler bag over your shoulder—your beloved cooler bag was something you'd never leave behind, not for the life of you—and check your phone for the time.
6:54 am. Anri said Sae Itoshi would be here at 7 am on the dot. Not a minute late.
You walk out of your room, suitcase in tow and bag in your possession. This felt surreal—are you really leaving Blue Lock? Even for just a short amount of time—this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
It takes about five minutes to reach the dreaded Punishment Room, and all you can think is—I want to leave. The mere thought of finally escaping this dreaded place brought butterflies to your stomach and a smile onto your face. Even if it is with Shidou—I get to go! Maybe I can convince them to go sightseeing.
You hear footsteps and, with the sound of clicking heels, you're sure it's Anri with Sae in tow. You have to admit, it feels kind of nerve-wracking to meet the older brother of the man you had kissed so harshly yesterday—but he and Rin didn't have the best relationship, so it was fine. He probably wouldn't ask, right?
You must have been a detective in your past life because you were spot on. There stands Sae Itoshi—he's shorter than you expected—and Anri right beside him, saying, "And this is where Shidou is. [name], a manager here, will accompany him and make sure he isn't too much trouble. Shidou has quite the... unique personality, so this is heavily encouraged."
Sae looks you up and down, with a scrutinizing gaze and sharp teal eyes—oh yeah, he definitely shares Rin's DNA—before he scoffs while looking towards the closed doors. "I don't care. As long as that demon is there, I'm fine with anything."
Anri laughs nervously, and you can see her tug on the collar of her shirt, "Right." This is really awkward. You lower your head a little, in a greeting motion.
"It's nice to meet you."
He glances at you, red brows furrowed—but doesn't say anything more, walking forward in front of the door. He pauses—and you can faintly hear the sound of Shidou screaming from inside (even with the supposed sound-proof walls). You quickly rush forward and unlock the door for him—no matter how degrading it feels—and you both step inside—Shidou's voice dying out when the door creaks.
He first looks at Sae Itoshi, brows furrowed and nose scrunched, but then, his eyes suddenly meet yours. From under his muzzle (he really does look like a mutt now, ironic) you can see his lips turning up into a wide grin, and he starts thrashing around like it'll get him out of his restraints, "Manager-chan, is that you?! I knew you would come to save me~!"
You hiss lowly through your teeth—thankfully, you have no need to reply, since Sae Itoshi steps up forward, for you, and it looks like Shidou's incessant thrashing isn't enough to deter him, "She isn't, but I am. Hello, my little demon."
Shidou's face drops, and he scowls—pink eyes glowing brightly in the darkness and you can clearly see his distaste, "Huh? And who the hell are you?"
Sae promptly ignored Shidou's question in favour of stepping forward—leather cleats tapping against the hard stone floors, "Blue Lock is a cage much too small for you. I will free you. I want your ego. Go wild for my sake."
Shidou's expression is nothing short of confused, teeth grit hard and brows raised. You look at Sae, silently and small—He really does sound similar to Rin.
I wonder...
What happened between them?
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The bus ride there was nothing short of exhausting. You and Shidou were successfully transported onto a bus after much difficulty trying to just get Shidou off of you, and also without Sae, who had his own private ride to travel there. You load your bags onto the bus and look at Shidou.
"Where's your things?"
He shrugs, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets as he walks down the aisle, towards the back of the bus. "Got none. Only some clothes and my phone."
You can't imagine it. You couldn't go anywhere without your stuff. Whatever, not like it's your problem. "Okay. Just... stay put."
You thank the driver for carrying your things with a bow, and walk across the aisles, down to where Shidou is sitting, legs propped up on the seat in front of him with a wicked grin. "Ohoho~ you're sitting next to me?"
"There's nobody else here but us." You deadpan, shuffling around and making yourself comfortable in your seat. Maybe this was a bad idea... but still. You needed to keep a very close eye on Ryusei Shidou.
You look out the window—Shidou got the window seat, goddammit—and you see the bright sunshine poured everywhere, and green shrubs littering every corner. Shidou dives closer to you, practically giving you a side hug, "Well, don't mind if I do ♪!
You scowl, ears burning hot with his shamelessness and you see how the driver is now eyeing the two of you wearily, "Ugh—no touching."
"Nawww, c'mon." From where your hand pushes back on his cheek (and how he's trying to place his face in a big no-no area on your chest), he looks up at you with the cutest expression he can muster. Even with big, sparkly eyes, Shidou still appears as a demon to you—spoiler alert, it doesn't work.
You let out a heavy sigh, tilting your head upwards. "If you... behave yourself... I'll think about it. If you cause any trouble I'll be mad at you. You nearly got me fired already. If you don't care about how others see you... then care about how they see me, at least."
Shidou raises a brow, so you sigh once more before speaking, "Please?"
His smile falls, and he stops trying to resist your pushing, shuffling backwards. "...Fine. Can't promise anything, though."
A smile spreads across your lips at his serious expression, and you place your hands in your lap. "Thank you, Shidou."
You plug in your earphones to your phone and swipe through your playlist until you find a song you like. Curiosity gets the better of the demon—he looks over at your screen and pokes at it. You hide your screen away and glare, "What are you doing?"
"Your music taste is shit."
You scoff, "Well, excuse me."
"Lemme show you a good song," he snatches your phone out of your grasp before you have a chance to protest or even react—searching on Spotify for the song. He presses the play button—and immediately, you're blasted at full volume with loud, hype beats and Japanese rap. You wince at the noise, but it gets a little more tolerable when he rips one earbud out of your ear to put it in his own. "Isn't it cool as fuck?!"
He grins widely, and you make a face—scrunched up nose and weak smile. His grin falls and he gives you a sneer, "Whatever. You just really lack taste."
"No," You shake your head. "I was just listening to that one before because I had nothing else. I like music like this—" You show him a song and artist that you enjoy, pressing on play and watching how he squirms uncomfortably in his seat.
"Ew, why is her voice all fucked up like that?" He glares at the screen, then at you.
You deadpan again, placing your phone screen down on your lap. "You know, you ought to be a little nicer. You'll get in trouble when you grow up."
"I'll fight everyone who has an issue with me."
"You can't do that in society!"
"Yes, I fucking can!"
"Your music taste is just as messed up as you are."
Throughout the bus trip, the driver listens to your bickering and slams his head on the steering wheel, ears ringing and head pounding.
Since when have you been so talkative?
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note: shidou and name are my roman empire. i love them my sillies