𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻

"I'm going to choose, and there will be no objections."

Confirmed- the fucking emo king does not enjoy compromises!

Considering the fact the game was over, per the rules, you had to choose someone from Team White to join you guys on Team Red. Bachira was about to offer his input on someone to select, before Rin declared it would be his decision. Talk about a team player.

He walked in front of Isagi, who was crouched on the ground in defeat, "Come, Isagi Yoichi. You can have a front row seat to my ascension to the world's number one," he beckoned him. Dramatic as hell.

Bachira cheered silently from beside you, must have worked out the way he wanted it to. Isagi stood up straight and followed the rest of you through the exit. This was definitely the shittiest part of the second selection. Seeing teams be built, just for them to be picked apart.

As you all walked down the narrow corridor, Tokimitsu turned to the team's new addition, "G...good to have you, Isagi!" he stuttered out over his shoulder. "It's so cool you got picked by Rin!" Not really. "I was gonna pick you too!"

"Ah, yeah, thanks," Isagi smiled politely.

Second Selection's gotta get another .5 stars deducted for this part as well. Trying to make conversation after ripping someone away from the team they were attached to? Yikes.

Or not. Bachira and Isagi delved into pretty easy conversation, while your attention was more focused on Rin's back. You straightened your pointer finger, aiming it forward him, before poking him swiftly and retracting it back to you. You waited a solid two seconds for a reaction. 

Nothing.

So you tried again. And again. And again. And ag-

"Stop that before I rip your fucking skin off with my teeth."

"Lame."

Isagi spoke up before Rin could respond again, "Oi, Rin," he called out.

Rin stopped walking to face him, "...Ah?"

"Why...Why was it in our match, that I lost? What was I missing?"

Rin turned back around to continue walking in the door, "Hah. It was so obvious even a monkey could tell. It was 'luck.'"

Isagi looked like he was going to yell something back, but by that time you were all already through the door. Standing in yet another room with freakishly tall walls, Ego's face was displayed on the screens attached to each of them. "What is 'luck'..." he started, "As a reward for clearing the stage, I'll teach you the mechanism of luck."

Fuuuuuck. Not another goddamn lecture.

It was in fact another goddamn lecture. And now you were stuck in a small room with four guys listening to some maniac spew bullshit about lottery tickets or something. Not that you were paying attention.

You'd been zoned out for a while, and this fool was still going. How did he always find more stuff to go on about? A talent, really.

Rin and Isagi started to have some dispute about beating each other, you were staring at the wall. Which was blank, by the way.

Ego seemed to be bringing his rant to a close, "Now then, with that, your second selection is over. In twenty four hours, you'll enter a training camp with several world-class players."

"This is bad, real bad, y'know!" Tokimitsu shouted from his seat on his bed.

He'd listed off the player's you guys would be against tomorrow, and you were pretty sure you'd seen them at some stupid football conference before. Tokimitsu was pissing his pants about the fact that these were the best strikers in the world. Not to mention the fact this guy knew way to much football trivia off the top of his head. It was a little scary.

You knew you guys wouldn't win tomorrow. No way in hell. So why sweat it?

"Chill out, man, it doesn't even count toward Blue Lock itself," you reasoned as you laid back on a bed next to Bachira.

Bachira nodded, "Yeah! It's scary and exciting, right?"

Isagi was next to Aryu on one of the other beds, "You're right, but that buzzcut guy seems kind of unknown."

"K...Kazuma, have you ever met him?" Tokimitsu asked shakily.

Dead silence.

You slowly sat up from your lying position and grit your teeth, "What do you mean? Why would I have ever met him?" you asked him stiffly.

Everyone's eyes were on you as you held a deadlock stare with Tokimitsu, him shivering in his seat. His eyes quickly flitted to Isagi, and his entire face dropped in realization. "I-I don't know! I, um, you seem like you'd be- popular?"

You almost hit your palm to your forehead from the sheer stupidity from that attempt of a save. "Uh-huh. I bet," you sighed and stood up, walking toward the door. "I'm gonna go get a water."

"I'll come with you!" Isagi called after you, following your path into the halls. 

You guys walked down the linoleum side by side, and you glanced at the boy beside you from the corner of your eye, "...Why'd you come?" you asked after a long silence. 

He rubbed the back of his neck, seemingly in thought, "I had a question to ask you, I think."

"You think?"

"Yeah, I might just be reading into things."

"Well?" you raised your brow. "What is it?"

He shook his head, "Right, um, well I guess, sometimes you act really weird. I know that sounds rude, but like- hear me out. There was that one night on the field when you wouldn't face me, the way you'd be nowhere to be found during showers or when we're changing, and right now. I just can't piece it together, it's bothering the hell out of me."

Huh. This is shitty. It was like there was too much was coming to light too fast for you, like everything was unravelling and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Just Bachira didn't bother me, but this many people feels like too much to much to control.

No. It's Ego's fault.

Even so, it was probably in your best interest to figure out a way to evade his question. You already had three people in this place who had you figured out, now was not the best time for a fourth, either. 

"That's just how I am, bro," you huffed amusedly. "Judging me, are you?"

He tucked his fists into his pockets, sighing slightly toward the ceiling, "I'm not dumb."

"Whadda you mean? Of c-"

"Just tell me already. I won't let it go."

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why is everyone in this place so determined to give you premature wrinkles? Although, the real question was how the hell you were supposed to answer.

You bit your lip, opening the door to the cafeteria once you two finally reached it. Once you closed it behind you, you just gave up. The perseverance was pretty pathetic, really.  "Ah! Fuck, you got me, man. Red-handed, I guess."

He pushed his cup under the water dispenser, looking toward you with a questioning expression. "Elaborate?"

"I don't feel like explaining this for what- the fourth time? Me? Girl. Not boy."

His eyebrows only managed to furrow his brows deeper at that response, head tilting bewilderedly, "So why are you here?"

"Striker. Good."

"Anri!" you called as you shut the door to the staff room behind you.

"Over here!" she hollered back from the couch, magazine set in front of her. You padded across the room, getting comfortable in a loveseat across from her. Her brows were knitted tightly and her lips were turned down, a focused look in her eyes. 

You propped your feet up on the coffee table. "What's wrong?"

"Ah, you know," she sighed. "Funds and things. That man is insane."

There was probably no other sentence in the world you could agree with more. Ego is absolutely batshit. It's not even an opinion, just fact. 

"I don't think he's ever heard the idea of financing in his life."

She cracked a smile, finally, "Honestly...I shouldn't expect anything else though, of course." After she closed her magazine and quickly brushed her fingers through her hair, she looked back up at you. "Well, what'cha doing here?"

You pulled your feet down to the ground and leaned over your chair, "So, actually, I was hoping we could discuss some renovations to the interior design of this hellhole."

"Right!" she nodded furiously, opening up the laptop on the table, "Come here, come here. I have this one really good catalog."

"Thank god!"

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sorry i didnt update yesterday it was my birthday lol

also for the next like week n a half i probably wont post every other day bc even though my exams are over ive got a bunch of big projects to do that are p time consuming but ill still update a few times fs :o