All the forwards want me all to themselves - Chapter 10

Chigiri Hyoma tentatively moved his right foot.

After a period of rest and recovery, Icarus had announced that he could begin simple rehabilitation. Following the rehab schedule Icarus provided, Chigiri started his independent training.

He was performing lunge exercises in a specialized rehabilitation room, completely unaware that someone had quietly entered.

As he finished a set, Chigiri wiped the sweat from his face. Turning around, he saw Icarus leaning against the wall, smiling and waving at him.

“Icarus, you’re here,” Chigiri greeted him, taking the towel Icarus offered.

“How does it feel?” Icarus asked, his eyes scanning Chigiri’s knee.

“Yeah, I’ve pretty much found my rhythm again,” Chigiri laughed, sounding as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Even with Icarus’s reassurances, Chigiri knew he would never truly know how well his knee had recovered until he actually started physical therapy. Having harbored a faint worry, Chigiri had finally received permission today to enter the rehab room and couldn’t wait to start.

“Of course. Look who your primary surgeon was,” Icarus said, proudly putting his hands on his hips.

“Icarus, how old are you?” Chigiri asked curiously.

It wasn’t that he wanted to doubt Icarus’s medical skills, but the youthful innocence in the doctor’s features when they first met had made it difficult to feel entirely at ease.

Icarus, seeing right through Chigiri’s thoughts, gave him a sidelong glance. “If I were a middle-aged man in his fifties or sixties with a balding ‘Mediterranean’ hairstyle, would that make you feel better about my surgery?”

Icarus’s face was written with the words ‘I can’t believe you’re such a superficial person,’ making Chigiri cough awkwardly.

“My mistake, my mistake,” Chigiri said smoothly. “Then, in order to repay the skillful Icarus, what should I do?”

Regarding payment, Chigiri had once asked Ewan while Icarus was away. The reply he received was that Icarus couldn’t be bothered to collect money and that Chigiri should just focus on recovering.

Ewan had added: “If we actually charged you, I’m afraid selling you off wouldn’t be enough to cover it.”

Having had surgery before, Chigiri knew that an operation with such miraculous results would normally cost a fortune. Since Icarus didn’t want monetary compensation, what could he do to repay him?

The black-haired youth had mentioned “becoming the world’s number one forward,” and Chigiri would certainly work toward that. But in the meantime, he wanted to do something more immediate.

“Repayment, huh…” Icarus waved his hand, about to say that recovering well was enough, when his nose caught a sudden scent.

It was radiating from the person in front of him.

The boy, fresh from exercise, was radiating heat. His healthy heart was pumping blood rapidly to every corner of his body, and that scent rose with the steam to tickle Icarus’s nose.

Icarus’s eyes went still.

Oh. Oh ho.

That smells good.

Icarus swallowed, though he tried not to make it obvious. No, I can’t be too blatant.

Icarus said poisedly, “Then, let me draw a bit of your blood.”

“Draw blood?”

“That’s right. I have some research projects that require blood samples,” Icarus said righteously. “It’s definitely not for drinking ahem, I mean, it’s not for wasting.”

Chigiri agreed immediately.

In his mind, if Icarus wanted his blood, he could have easily taken it while Chigiri was unconscious. The fact that he was asking for permission showed a great deal of respect.

Chigiri felt a warmth in his heart.

Icarus felt a warmth in his heart too and in his stomach.

Great! I have snacks now!

Since Chigiri’s training session was ending, they went to the infirmary. Icarus disinfected the skin on Chigiri’s wrist with alcohol and chose the smallest needle to take 200ml of blood.

“Is that enough?” Chigiri asked, looking at the needle as it was withdrawn.

“Enough, enough.” Icarus skillfully placed the blood into a cooler kept at 4°C.

It should taste good cold, too! I wonder what Chigiri tastes like.

Seeing the involuntary smile on Icarus’s face, Chigiri couldn’t help but smile along. Although he didn’t know what experiment his blood would be used for, he was glad he could help Icarus.

After saying goodbye to Chigiri, Icarus headed cheerfully toward the cafeteria. It was time for his daily “forward observation!”

He sneakily sat in a corner by himself, mimicking the others by approaching the automated meal machine. Today, he had specifically told Ewan not to arrange his meal; he wanted to see what the cafeteria food tasted like. Unable to win against the headstrong Icarus, Ewan had no choice but to step back.

It was currently dinner time. Although some had already gone to shower, the cafeteria was still crowded. Icarus, not wearing a training uniform, stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens. Despite his efforts to stay low-profile, he was as bright as a star in the night sky to everyone else.

Karasu Tabito had noticed the black-haired youth long ago.

Much like his namesake, the crow, Karasu was an expert at hiding in inconspicuous places to observe others, keeping everything within his sight from the shadows.

Karasu was the type to observe before acting, and he had quickly categorized the residents of Blue Lock. There were the eccentric loners like Barou Shoei, small cliques like Nagi Seishiro and Mikage Reo, and then there was Icarus.

This mysterious youth didn’t wear a uniform and always looked relaxed, seeming completely out of place in the high-pressure environment of Blue Lock. He would randomly “spawn” in the cafeteria at noon or evening. Usually, he was followed by that blond boy, but for some reason, he was alone this time.

With the hound guarding the treasure gone, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to approach.

Karasu watched Icarus standing frozen before the machine and sauntered over.

“Hello there~ Need some help?”

A Kansai accent rang in Icarus’s ear. He looked up at the person. The man had purple hair styled like a bird’s wings and a beauty mark at the corner of his left eye. As the 183cm tall man blinked, the mark moved slightly.

“Sure,” Icarus accepted readily.

He watched as Karasu quickly operated the machine.

“The food we eat is tied to the ranking on our clothes. You don’t have a rank, so I didn’t know if—”

Karasu trailed off into silence.

He stared at the tray the machine produced. It was packed—from the main course to the side dishes, all the way to a post-meal dessert. It was the first time he had seen a tray piled so high! Since when did Blue Lock provide dessert?

“Is something wrong?” Icarus asked, peeking out from behind him.

“It’s nothing. Here’s your dinner.”

Karasu’s gaze was complicated as he helped carry the tray out. “It’s a bit heavy; let me carry it for you. Where do you want to eat?”

“How about with you?”

Karasu raised an eyebrow but said nothing, leading the way to his original seat.

Once they sat down, Icarus glanced at Karasu’s tray and asked politely, “Would you like to help me share some of this?”

Since the other had just helped him, Icarus decided to return the favor. Karasu was about to decline, but his eyes swept over a steaming cup of kombucha on Icarus’s tray, and he paused.

“Do you want this?” Icarus noticed his gaze and pushed the kombucha toward him.

Karasu blinked, then smiled. “Giving it to me just like that, is that really okay?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Icarus shrugged. “Food is made to be eaten. It makes no difference if it’s you or me.”

“In fact, it’s better if it’s eaten by someone who appreciates it.”

Karasu looked at the kombucha pushed before him, a hint of a smile dancing in his eyes. “Then I shall graciously accept.”

Lately, Nagi had been acting strange.

Mikage Reo frowned at the clock as it struck midnight, watching Nagi Seishiro head out the door once again.

Ever since they lost to Team Z, Nagi had started going out to practice in the middle of the night. At first, Reo thought it was just a temporary drive fueled by frustration, but as the physical training round neared its end, Nagi was still maintaining his nightly schedule.

Just a few days ago, Nagi wouldn’t even go back to the dorm unless Reo carried him…

Reo moved, following Nagi with a feeling he couldn’t quite name.

On the other side, Nagi was thinking about the mysterious black-haired vampire he had met two nights in a row. He had basically mastered that extreme “banana ball” curve yesterday; what would he learn today?

He felt as if he could still feel the sensation of being bitten on his neck, and the spot where he had been fed upon felt slightly warm.

I really want to.

The giant “Miffy-chan” stood on the pitch. Unsurprisingly, the training ground was empty at this hour. Nagi didn’t mind and began his independent practice.

Hidden in the shadows, Reo watched Nagi practice his shots, waiting silently.

Did Nagi find someone else to practice with? Is it more fun than practicing with me?

Reo was waiting for an answer.

As time passed, Nagi looked up at the clock above the pitch. It was 1:00 AM.

Is that person not coming today? I guess there was no formal agreement to meet again.

He wiped the sweat from his face and turned around, only to meet the dark purple gaze of Mikage Reo standing in the shadows.

“Reo…”

“Nagi, are you alone?”

Seeing the smile on Reo’s face, Nagi’s sixth sense made him change what he was about to say.

“Yeah…” He wasn’t supposed to be alone, but for some reason, the person hadn’t shown up.

Was it because Reo was here? Is he like a ‘field sprite’ that only appears when someone is training alone?

“You’ve been working really hard lately, Nagi!” Reo stepped out from the shadows and punched Nagi’s shoulder. “We’ll definitely run into that Isagi Yoichi in later training. We have to crush him then.”

“Yeah.”