Chapter Text
"No." The words hit hard against Jimpachi Ego's head, and Sae saw the reaction the other was trying to hide behind a mask of indifference.
It was all the same to Sae, honestly. He didn't want to play nice with this failed star of football soccer. He made his research—well, made Dabadi do the research for him—and what he found left him wishing for more or for something better.
There wasn't even a sad background story when it came to Ego Jimpachi and his failure in regards to football soccer. He was like everyone else who managed to rise and shine when it came to Japanese football: they managed to fall and burn as well. Way before they even reached the top of the hill.
"He has potential," Ego said, black-circled eyes looking at him without blinking.
It was weird, and it would have been intimidating, if it weren't for the fact that Sae already experienced and lived through heavy trauma himself and came out mangled, but alive and victorious. He saw it with his own eyes, felt the pain of it all.
What could Jimpachi Ego beat him at when it came to intimidation and manipulating others with sad backstories?
No one.
"Maybe. But can you guarantee me that the bunch of talentless idiots you are going to scrounge up in here are going to be chivalrous enough to play under the best ethics possible?" He asked, leaning his cheek against the knuckles of his hand and looking at Jimpachi Ego's eyes.
Sae was sure his own weren't betraying an inch of anything in his.
He saw the doubt creeping inside those soulless eyes.
Maybe not so soulless if he was thinking of his answer. Sae wasn't about to cave while the silence stretched over them, and Jimpachi seemed to be thinking about something or the other. Sae wasn't going to cave for the sake of playing nice.
"And if I can guarantee no physical fight will threaten your brother?" He asked softly, looking inside Sae's eyes as if he was a puzzle to be solved in the quickest way possible.
"Can you now?" He asked, arching an eyebrow and peering down at his watch.
Rin was nearly out of his school day, and he wanted to catch his little brother before Rin got lost inside some obscure manga store. Sae wasn't sure how, but Rin had a penchant for losing himself in the most seedy places Kamakura has to offer.
"I can." Ego said, surely of himself, passing a folder to Sae. "I can guarantee your little brother's safety as long as it doesn't involve a foul ball." Ego stated with a lot of confidence in his own words.
Sae didn't open the folder, but let it rest at the tabletop.
"How many of them?" Sae asked, looking outside the window. This was turning into one boring trip. He couldn't believe he had to spend his time listening to garbage coming out of Jimpachi Ego's mouth when all he wanted was to drive home and hug the living daylights out of Rin.
Ego sighed heavily, and something cold gripped Sae's heart. That wasn't the sound he wanted to listen to, especially when it concerned his little brother's well-being, because Rin was bound to be confined in that fancy-looking jail known as Blue Lock Facilities, and Sae... Sae has seen the kind of ugly darkness the world has to offer.
Rin had always been a kid that feels too much and wears all his emotions and feelings on his sleeve. And worse... on his face. Sae might think that after living a true horror movie trapped inside a hideous nightmare, Rin might stop being so sensitive, but...
But he didn't. Rin still smiled in that way that makes the sun stay still to watch and shine on that smile. His eyes still grow big when he sees something new, filling with childlike wonderment whenever he achieves something new. When he sees Sae doing something new and impossible through the TV screen.
Rin still blew up his phone after a game. His voice trembling but growing with excitement. His big brain reducing the instinctual sport to something that only could be oabeled as: physics in the most accurate way. And a thing that gives Sae a headache, because unlike Rin he isn't good at anything else but football.
But Rin is.
Naturally, Sae knows that Rin doesn't need this Blue Lock nonsense to be scouted. Hell, Dabadi has been nagging his ass just this year about European football clubs asking him if he had a way to get them in contact with Itoshi Rin, Sae's little brother, before Re Al, all of them thinking it would be nice to snatch up both brothers.
"Two hundred wannabe strikers." Ego said lastly. "Take or add a few."
That summoned Sae's curiosity.
"Wannabes?" Sae asked. It was a logistic nightmare for him. Rin, his frail, little brother, confined in this prison with 199 wannabe strikers and a crazy, sleep-deprived man as the one directing such youth...
No. Definitely no. I refuse to let Rin live in this place for a year. He blinked at Jimpachi Ego and lifted his head from his knuckles in a soft, bored motion.
"If you are the only one in charge of all of them, I would prefer to gorge an eye out first than let Rin here with all of them while you are in charge. Even if you can keep them in line—and I trust you have a method to do so—I will not leave Rin under the care of a man that can barely take care of himself." Sae stated, ready to rise from his seat and march the hell away.
But, Ego's hand darting forward stopped him in his tracks.
"Anry, come here for a moment." The man said to an intercom. In barely nothing, a woman with pink-reddish hair walked in. "This is Teieri Anry." Ego said, a hand pointing towards her. "She can be in charge of your precious otōto." He said softly. "Doesn't she look competent enough?"
And Sae asked himself how many mental troubles did Jimpachi Ego overcome in that sole moment.
Sae took his time for his gaze to go from Ego to this Anry person. And when his eyes landed on her, he started analyzing her. And maybe it was the reddish hair that made him think of his own mother, but a small spark ignited in his chest.
Still...
"Her CV," he stated, extending his hand in askance.
"My CV?" She asked, eyeing Jimpachi with a bit of nervousness. A nervousness that was feigned if Sae was reading her fine. And he was, because one must if one wants to stay alive in a hostile environment.
"This is Itoshi Sae, the older brother of the prodigy I talked to you about: Itoshi Rin." Ego said without missing a beat.
Teieri Anry extended her hand towards him, taking the same step with her foot as she had with her hand.
"I'm Teieri Anry," she stated softly. Her lips painted a soft shade of pink, and her face was devoid of makeup.
How interesting.
"Sae," he stated without wasting much more time. "I will take your CV and see if you are capable enough." His cold eyes fell on her.
"Capable enough?" She asked softly, letting go of the bigger, warm hand of Itoshi Sae and blushing the next moment.
"To handle Itoshi Rin," Ego stated as if it was a fact of life. "She is competent, Itoshi. How can I get these boys anywhere if I am surrounded by idiots?"
Sae left Anry's image to center his eyes on Ego and the new folder that was being shoved his way.
Sae only blinked and took a small breath through his nose.
"A good flock of incompetent people has made it high in life. Just look at that folk directing the Youth National Team. Do you think he should be so high in life? He is a talentless idiot that inherited a stupid amount of money." He said. "And I am not leaving Rin's care under the hands of a flock of incompetents." Sae rose from his chair, folders secured under his arms, and marched outside the door. "Stop with the calls. And nothing about tempting Rin with this. Or I will snatch him out of your grubby hands before you can even call him." His words were cold, his posture rigid.
"Fine." Ego said. "You have ten days to give me an answer, otherwise I will tempt Itoshi Rin myself. Not with a letter or a call, but with my presence."
Sae huffed out a laugh.
"I don't think Rin even knows who you are. After all, he has never looked up to inconsequential people." And then, he was going, and the door was shutting itself behind his body.
This was a waste of time and energy. Ego Jimpachi looked like some man-child he wasn't sure he wanted close to his little brother. Ego looked like the kind of person that will mock a teenager just for the sake of it—and maybe, under the premise of making them better, even while knowing it was an utter lie.
Sae walked over the white-tiled floor and under the harsh, blinding lights of the ceiling. His thoughts still analyzing the kind of preposterous ideas Jimpachi Ego was trying to sell to him to snatch Rin from his careful gaze. It was eerily annoying in ways Sae couldn't still word for himself.
Would Rin resent me if he ever finds out?
He kept his face devoid of any emotions, very aware of the fact that Jimpachi Ego—the crazy director—was following his every step through the dozens of cameras that were hidden on walls, ceilings, and God knows where else. But as an older brother, one that is protective of his own treasure, he could understand this crazy old man. Jimpachi Ego was as protective and obsessed with this Blue Lock Project as Sae is protective of his own little brother.
Therefore, showing even an ounce of something that isn't complete boredom could be used against him... and against Rin. Which he wasn't ready or happy to let happen. He would rip Jimpachi Ego's heart out of his ribcage than let Rin suffer, than let those big, teal eyes fill with salty tears again.
The sky was calm, showing only a few clouds—white and fluffy, like everything he saw when he was a kid and his storybooks were open over rug-covered floors. The tatami made it more plush and soft for Rin to lay down, tummy against the plush surface to try and read only by the vibes he was getting from the many drawings on the cardboard pages.
Though, right this moment, the clouds were missing that golden hue he used to see colored on those drawings.
I wonder if they saw golden clouds everyday of their lives.
Above them, the sun was shining as if it had been crowned God itself. Though, maybe it was. Rin lamented the fact that he was stuck at school instead of at home where he could do the laundry and leave the clothes to air-dry and enjoy the smell of laundry soap, Downy Fresh Pearls, and fabric softener. He loved that specific combination.
He loved the scented pearls more. It helped hide...
The odor of antiseptic and metal that still clings to him and to his nose certain days. It helped chase the past of open wounds, phantom pains, and the faces of many bruises while he grew up. It helped chase away the sadness etched in Sae's eyes.
Without thinking much, Rin brought the sleeve of his uniform against his nose to smell the fabric softener and the scented pearl aroma that was left in his clothes. He took a deep breath, his lungs expanding under the onslaught of comfort and wellness, his mind coming back to the present.
The murmur of his classmates, reading something or the other, made him feel safer in a way. Long gone were the hours of silence, the pleas of many passing people for others to keep quiet or lower their voices. The moments when even the child-friendly anime would be shut down to favor the needs of others but not Rin's.
He blinked his eyes and inched the fingers of his left arm towards the patch of sun that was scorching his skin through the fabric of his uniform. Spring was being soft and amiable this year. And Rin was loving all of it.
"Rin." The sound of the teacher speaking to him brought him out of his reverie and grounded him in the now. "Can you please read poem 5 for us?"
His focus snapped back to the teacher, who was now tapping a pen against the whiteboard. Rin realized he'd zoned out again, lost in the soft geometry of domesticity. Lost in a place where laundry smell and well-behaved classmates can exist all at once.
He hated these small moments of lapse, where he presented himself as distracted. But he loved the way it kept him in the now.
Perfection was his anthem and his philosophy. But softness and self-discovery were the only things his heart was craving.
"Of course, Miss Young." He said, raising his body with care.
His fingers curled around the book's hard-cover. Rin took a deep breath and squashed down the wave of shyness he felt creeping up his spine when a classmate looked his way. She had long, blond hair and dark eyes that were way too gentle for this world.
Rin wondered if she could see the blush rising from his chest to his neck.
Still, he glanced down and willed his brain to change its gears to English. Miss Young was patient and lovely when everyone was behaving. But soft erasers tend to fly around her classroom when everyone is misbehaving. Which shaped the way the class was behaving right then: quiet and respectful.
Miss Young had an amazing aim. Rin was sure she could be an amazing striker, if they could replace the ball with an eraser and make a concession about using hands instead of feet.
Rin took a deep breath again and started:
"Two Poems of Innocence. By William Justema." The air left his lungs and his fingers curled a bit too hard on the material. Rin hadn't broken a book in nearly a year.
"Nothing is lost,
though there may be, in a lace forest
there be small jaguars,
too young to know what they are.
Not until claws draw blood
do we taste livelihood,
lick our wounds and say:
'Whatever I am, is good.'"
For a moment he heard Sae's cry inside his head. But that was then, and here is now. And Sae didn't sound like a child anymore. His Nii-chan is even of age to drink and sign all Rin's paperwork to take him to Spain during winter break.
"Rin?" The teacher called him.
So, he took another breath and continued:
"Yet, in those forests
scene and persona the same,
what if a jaguar
at once knew his name?
No hunter, however fierce,
could slay him and eat him.
The Ego of your brother
is a terrible food.
Better in a lace forest
we pretend to be lost.
He who cries 'Jaguar' first
may first cry 'ghost.'"
Rin blinked a few times and sat down.
"I really love when you read poems, Rin-kun." The teacher said. "Morisaki-san, you are next." She stated, blinking the fascination out of her eyes and smiling to encourage Morisaki. It was sweet in a way. Morisaki had a stutter and who failed a grade because of the bullying he received because of it.
Rin wondered if he could kick those assholes as his Nii-chan taught him when he was a kid.
If I'm not around, kick them, Rin. I will be all the way in Spain. But kick them. Do you understand?
Yes, Nii-chan. His words had been small and breathy.
Good. Sae's were stronger. I will make sure mom and dad don't give you a hard time because of it.
So, Rin sat down and listened to Morisaki-san reading. The stutter of his voice made the sad poem, stuttered out, sound like a symphony of words that were able to bring out the best in Morisaki, and somehow, Rin thought that the poem was helping him know Morisaki better.
I wonder if Miss Young is aware of how much she has made us bare ourselves to our peers.
Knowing Miss Young, and with her being the only reason for Sae to put Rin's ass in that school, he was sure the teacher knew what she was doing. If she was anything like Sae, then she would be enjoying all of this, even when it didn't show in her beautiful visage.
Sae didn't show his emotions either. He lived in a perpetual state of boredom, feigned indifference, and a blazing love for football. The Nii-chan he adored so much, the one whose facial expressions resemble a mushroom, is the same Nii-chan that encouraged Rin to make friends, to chase after a ball until he saw the goalposts, and patted his head when he scored.
Sae would never be the one yelling his name. He wouldn't be the one dogpiling over Rin. No. He would be the one standing aside, nodding in Rin's direction, evaluating his progress and buying him a popsicle to replace a trophy until they were given the real deal and their parents would buy them pizza and ice-cream as a treat.
Rin would always take the nightly hug as a trophy, though. Now, at least. In the past he would accuse his Nii-chan of being too sweet and yucky. But life has eerie ways of teaching, and of making one learn, even the lessons no one wanted to study. He learned the value of those tight hugs when he was unable to give them anymore.
When Nii-chan's smell was away, Sae's bed devoid of his warm body and straightened sheets. When Rin's heart was throbbing at the same time as his shoulder. All of it timed with beeps and whispers and tears.
"Thank you, Morisaki." The teacher said, clapping her hands softly and smiling at the stuttering boy who was sitting slowly. "For next class, everyone will bring a drawing, or a few sentences, a PowerPoint, or a song that links to what you understand of your poem." She stated softly. "You have 48 hours for this. And you will present the same at the end of the course. Stewing or living with it might change your mind about it." And then, Miss Young was smiling. "You can start packing your things. The bell is about to ring in a minute."
Rin nodded silently, unlike many of his bubbly peers and their ever cheerful Miss Young. He wrapped his fingers around the hard-covered book and slipped it to the gaping hole that was his backpack. His pencil and his pen were next, and if Rin noticed an additional chip in the corner of his desk and the smile it evoked in him, then no one was the wiser.
Except him and the warmth feeling traveling up his spine to his brain, where an enzyme would be working tirelessly to transport dopamine to the receptors of his brain to make him feel like this out of nowhere but the simple reminder a chipped piece of wood summoned inside his head.
For a moment longer, Rin asked himself how well made the human was and specially the human body. He wondered if it was God or evolution. If it was only adaptation or the stupidest type of love to ever roam on Earth and whatever it is that is above Earth.
At the end, Rin decided that it was both: adaptation and the love of some madman called God. He was biased obviously, but it didn't matter that much. For him, inside his head, inside his heart, it was both.
One thing can exist, without erasing the other, Rin. His childhood neighbor said to him one day.
Rin slung the bag over his shoulder and stood up until it was his row's turn to exit the room. His bag was slowly bouncing on his back due to the other things laying around it; much of them were circular while his pack was square and a bit small for Rin's height.
Whatever. It was a custom of Japanese people: one must try and end their schooling time with the same pack they started it with. His was well kept; a few buttons from his favorite soccer team were pinned to the upper lapel and were contrasting softly against the black of the fabric.
Real was one of them. The other was Dortmund or as he called them when he was only a child: the little bees!
Walking the corridors of the school felt good. It really felt good to feel the breeze against his temples and the high collar of his uniform jacket. The smell of the cold was entering with the breeze and Rin swore that something shiny was waiting ahead for one of the richer-than-thou kids in this school.
His phone buzzed inside his pant pocket and Rin stopped for a second, angling his body so half of it was against the wall, while the other stuck out like a sore thumb that was slowing down the furious pacing of kids that were ready to call it a day and were eager to start the weekend.
Even if they were only on Thursday.
Rin couldn't understand the rush to fall face first on the floor. Most of his peers were shit at sports, yet they saw fit to run around to escape school, but never bother to run whenever they have P.E.
"Nii-chan?" He asked once the phone was against his ear.
"Hurry up, Rin." His brother said and then, the phone beeped announcing that the call was disconnected.
With his heart racing inside his chest and for the first time in a year, he felt the need to rush and be a heathen like the bunch of them. But, he looked down at his hands and forced himself to swallow down that primal need to run as fast as he does in a soccer pitch.
Still, Rin walked as fast as he could without looking like a Neanderthal that's been chased by Godzilla itself. This was a school, a temple of knowledge... not some Alcatraz Prison.
He wondered if the prisoners that lived in the Japanese tunnels felt as caged as his peers did right now. If they tried to swallow their hysterical joy when they were finally freed from it all, when they were told they were going home. When they were told the war was over.
He wondered if those that perished under the Nuclear Bomb ran as fast as his peers. And through cavilations that would give the best of historians a headache, Rin made it to the end of the hall, to the entrance where a line of cars were already waiting.
He looked around and saw a red atrocity in the front. Sae's car. Or well, the car he uses when he is in Japan for a few days. It looked as if it had survived a train wreck, another round against some monster truck and finally, a divorce with a vindictive ex-wife.
Rin smiled at it and ran towards the car. He saw Sae at the other side, gazing at the promenade that was just in front of the school and ran the last few paces to hug his older brother.
"Nii-chan." He whispered once his head was hiding against Sae's neck. Which was a hard thing to achieve, because Rin was taller than him now for a few inches.
Sae brought a hand up to the nape of his head and carded his hand through the short tresses of hair that were as soft as silk. Then, his lips pressed against his jaw, in that place that is a bit close to his earlobe. But Sae never made sounds when he kissed Rin. He only pressed his warm lips against Rin's much colder skin and called it a kiss.
"Miss you, kid." Sae said, putting distance between them, and he looked at Rin. Really looked, in the same way Rin has seen him do to rivals when he is watching live matches or reviewing past matches.
Far different than how Rin measures his own opponents in the field. Many people weren't interesting enough, but Sae was to Rin. And Rin was to Sae.
A beat of silence and Rin was starting to wonder if...
"Say: 'Missed you too, Nii-chan.'" Sae said, cupping his cheek softly.
Rin giggled. He honest to God giggled.
"I'm not a kid anymore." Rin said. "I'm 16 and taller than you." He pouted the next second. Still, Rin... "I missed you, Nii-chan." He smiled, small, barely there. He knew his eyes, unlike Sae's...
"I like it when your eyes shine like this." Sae stated softly. Rin's memories completed the other part he had Sae say millions of time in the past: as if they are holding the moon and more. "Ice-cream?" He asked, his hand sliding down toward his elbow and finally reaching his bare hand. Sae frowned. "You are cold. We need to find you a blazer or something." He said, letting go of Rin and nearly turning...
Rin gripped the hem of Sae's shirt.
"Wrong arm, Nii-chan." He said, closing his eyes and drawing a small smile only for Sae.
Sae looked down and his eyes glazed for a moment.
"Come on, Rin." He commanded, opening the passenger seat for his brother. "Time to feed you."
"Ice-cream?" Rin asked.
Sae leveled a serious stare towards him.
"What are you? Six?" He asked, without heat behind his words.
Because Sae...
"You wish..." Rin said, getting inside the car and cradling his left arm with his right one.
I wish you were six again, Rin. He remembered that night. I would have protected you better.
Rin looked down at his hands.
"I do not wish for us to be eight and six again, Nii-chan." He whispered to the empty car. "I like us as we are now."
When Sae entered the car, he looked at Rin and patted his head.
"Ochazuke?" Sae asked.
And Rin nodded.
After all, he loved ochazuke.
"Does mom know you stole Grandma's car again?" Rin said, because he felt like teasing Sae.
"What Grandma doesn't know, will not kill her." Sae stated, starting the ignition.
"Grandma is dead." Rin pointed softly.
"Exactly my point." Sae pulled his shades down and took them away from the school and closer to that restaurant.
Rin was humming under Sae's hands and the soft rumbles that escaped through his mouth were everything Sae needed for his heart to beat a bit faster under his warm skin and the developed muscles of his chest. His fingertips massaged the scalp of his little brother, something he had missed, even when Spain offered him...
"Tell me about him." Rin's voice broke the silence that fell between them.
"I don't know what you are talking about." He stated in a bored tone of voice. His fingers still waving through Rin's hair. His little brother sighed contently and Sae smiled. Something he could do... because Rin wasn't watching.
"Nii-chan!" The sudden turn of his head made the smile fall from his lips.
"If you turn your head so fast you will get brain damage. Not to mention that I could have gouged your eye out." He chided Rin, just like when they were kids. And instead of being sad, offended, or whatever other negative stuff, Rin smiled and threw himself at Sae.
"Missed you, Nii-chan." Sae sighed. Rin hadn't always been slow when it came to deeper feelings. In Rin's small head, but way too bigger heart, many feelings and emotions got lost and found.
In an endless circle that Sae wasn't sure if 'normal' would be the right label, or if Rin needed psychological therapy even now. He felt a pair of arms winding around his middle and a head burrowing against his stomach. Sae felt... happy. This was Rin's normal behavior.
"Nice to know, squirt." He said, throwing the damp towel in the hamper and squeezing Rin's back. "Always so slow with your own emotions. One might think you learned a thing or two during your sessions."
"You are so mean, Nii-chan." Always with the small sentences. Rin was a child of silence and destruction. His sentences had always been shorter and he got dead-silent somedays.
But Sae loved him through his barely constructed sentences, his silent days, and his sleepless nights. Sae loved him even through those days where Rin could only get by destroying something or the other.
For all his love for destruction, Rin never hurt Sae. Not when they were kids, not after their many fights, and not now. Specially not now, after Sae fucked up and went to Spain and left him with a myriad of pain and sessions to go to.
Rin blew a kiss against his tummy, making Sae falter for a second.
"Don't be mean, Nii-chan." Rin said, his big eyes looking up at him.
And God, Sae would kill anyone that dared to make him sad.
"I'm never." Not to you at least. He tried to throw Rin over his shoulder and forgot...
Rin nearly kicked him in the guts to get his freedom back and Sae avoided waking up with a bruise in his rib, due to his little brother's antics, only because he is an athlete.
"Kick them like that, Rin." Sae stated, patting Rin's head.
"Yes, Nii-chan." He said, hopping to his feet and flopping himself on the bed. "So, who is he?"
Sae sighed for the 7th time that night. Being in Spain nearly made him forget that for all that Rin glared at others, had a harsh allergy towards social interactions, and behaved like an alien, his brother was invested in his life. And Sae would pay handsomely to know how Rin found out.
"How?" He asked, sitting on the desk chair.
"You are using a phone charm." Rin said and pointed with his chin.
Sae turned his eyes toward his resting phone. It was screen down and a phone charm was attached to the cover. He facepalmed and tried hard to squish down the blush that was threatening to make a home on his cheeks and chest and neck.
I am stupid!
"So..." and Rin was like a dog with a bone. A dog with very sharp teeth and a favorite bone to chew on.
Sae sighed heavily.
"His name is..." he flushed. "It doesn't matter what his name is." He started softly and Rin smirked. "Don't look at me like that." He said, hiding his head in his hands.
"Do you like him?" Rin asked, shy and soft. "Is he good to you?"
Sae took it for what it was: a gesture of concern and well wishes.
"I wouldn't be with him if I hated him or if he was a dick to me." He mumbled, looking at Rin and crossing his arms over his chest. "And neither should you, Rin. If someone tries to kiss you and you don't like them, kick them in the balls and run the fuck away."
Rin smiled at him, eyes closed and cheeks rosy.
"Yes, Nii-chan."
Sae knew... he knew he was wrong. He knew he couldn't erase Rin's smile and his dreams.
"Rin," he called softly. "Would you like..." he hesitated about talking of the Blue Lock Project just yet. He cleared his throat. "Would you like to come to Spain with me in two weeks?" He asked softly.
"Yes." It was the soft answer he got.
He will take Rin to Spain and then, he will give an answer to the four-eyed madman.
"Good. I want you to watch up close how they play soccer over there." He stated softly. "And maybe..." he sighed. "Maybe you can meet him. The stupid idiot that calls me his boyfriend."
Rin's eyes lighted up like a Christmas candle and Sae kicked himself in silence. He was lying to Rin because he was scared. But the scare would end in 14 days. He will take Rin to Spain for a week while he ponders on Jimpachi Ego's proposal, meanwhile Rin will be watching Luna playing football up close and if he is lucky, he would be able to sneak Rin in to watch Christiano Ronaldo's play.
Maybe.
And then... Rin will meet him. His stupid... idiot. He wasn't about to call him that B word people seemed too fond of. Ewwk. It will make him vomit inside his own mouth with disgust.
When he looked up, Rin was fast asleep, starfish style and all over the bed.
Sae didn't mind. He was glad in a way, relieved in the other.
Stupid Idiot - 22:01
Good night, love ❤️Sae - 22:01
Don't you have training tomorrow?Stupid Idiot - 22:02
Caring about me, Sae corazón?
Good night, my loveSae - 22:02
Rest in peace, you asshole.Stupid Idiot - 22:03
Please, don't go around giving such farewells. They might fall in love with you.
😘
Sae sighed. He was slowly falling in love with this stupid idiot. The charm in the form of a small bunny with green ears was proof of that. That he is willing to do concessions for this idiot, even when they made him look a bit... childish.
Still, he pushed those feelings aside and brought up the files Jimpachi Ego gave him just that same afternoon. In a way, he felt sad to have Rin out like a candle so early, but at the other hand he was glad, because it gave him time to review this thing without being under the watchful eye of Rin.
With a deep breath and a packet of gummy bears he stole from Rin's stash of forbidden sweets-reserved-for-bad-days, he started to eye the thing that Jimpachi Ego seemed to be proud of, the factor that will define if Blue Lock had what it takes to 'handle Itoshi Rin.'
As if my brother is some kind of rabid dog that needs managing. Ugh. Sae already hated this half-baked, burnt-out man.
📄 Teieri Anri: Sports Management
Contact (Address and Phone: Omitted - Provided to Itoshi Sae upon request)
Email: [email protected]Professional Summary
Highly specialized and goal-oriented Project Manager with an advanced background in Sports Psychology and Athletic Administration. Dedicated to maximizing Japanese football's potential by adhering to strict operational and ethical standards. Directly involved in the inception and execution of the Blue Lock Project, holding a clear understanding of its high-risk, high-reward mission. Proven ability to maintain discretion and manage complex athlete welfare requirements.
Education
* Tokyo University (Todai) | Tokyo, Japan
* M.S. in Sports Psychology and Management
* Thesis: The Psychological Impact of Intensive Isolation and Competition on Elite Youth Athletes (Focus on non-traditional development paths).
* Waseda University | Tokyo, Japan
* B.A. in Physical Education and CoachingRelevant Experience
Project Manager and Head of Operations
Japan Football Association (JFA) / Blue Lock Project | Tokyo, Japan
(20XX – Present)* Core Responsibility: Served as the direct operational liaison between the Japan Football Association and Ego Jinpachi, ensuring the project adheres to all legal, ethical, and financial mandates.
* Welfare Management: Established and oversees the stringent internal safety protocols for Blue Lock, including emergency contact procedures, medical coordination, and documentation integrity.
* Confidentiality: Responsible for maintaining the highest level of confidentiality regarding all sensitive athlete and project data.Athletic Coordinator and Compliance Officer
Japan Football Association (JFA) | Tokyo, Japan
(20XX – 20XX)* Managed compliance for youth national teams (U-17, U-20), ensuring all international and domestic regulations regarding player health and safety were strictly followed.
* Conducted psychological evaluations and provided administrative support for high-profile transfer dealings.Specialized Skills and Certifications
* Medical & Safety Protocol: Certified in Advanced Athlete First Aid and Emergency Concussion Protocol.
* Confidentiality: Signed and bound by multiple Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) specific to high-level JFA and private athlete medical files.
* Ethical Oversight: Demonstrated capability in ethical management of high-stakes, pressure-cooker environments.
Sae sighed. She was good, she had experience and the titles, the knowledge, to back her up if he ever considers Blue Lock to be good for Rin. He looked over his shoulder and saw the main light dimmed, Rin's form being washed in dimmed golden, his chest raising and falling, his left arm under his head, with a pillow between head and limb.
Rin... who lacked exposure. Rin, who needed to experience more beyond only football and the 20 minutes he plays every game.
If Rin plays more right now, it will be counterproductive for his health. Give him time to get used to this.
Rin could be a trainer, a director, he could be a singer or whatever else he wanted. Sae will always be there to hold him up, to support him, never mind what Rin chose, Sae will be there.
The thing is that... Rin chose football, not singing, or medicine or anything else. Rin chose to run behind a ball like a madman because he was a little masochist that liked to prove other people wrong. Because he liked to shut the mouth of those that didn't believe in him.
He has not missed the voice of the people at the back of the videos his mom sent him about Rin's progress. The way they called his brother 'football yokai,' and the way the commentators seemed to believe his little brother was only a little child.
ReAl has been on Rin's case for a while. But they knew, just as much as his pain in the ass... stupid Idiot knew. Because that idiot that claimed to love Sae, knew just as much as ReAl's directing board.
Bring your brother here. I can play with him if that happens.
But Sae wasn't ready. And Blue Lock... Blue Lock could be good to wake up Rin's ambitions. The thing is, Sae is sure shifty teams have at least a half-decent someone playing in them, but that half buddy couldn't secure a winning.
Rin in the other hand... his brother was beyond Japanese football. Rin had everything he needed to be elected as a member of the Next X Generation if he ever decided to go with football in a real setting.
What Rin didn't have was...
He has potential. The trainer said when he saw Sae dribbling at age 13.
But you need hunger to get there, Sae. Luna's words were true. That time they were playing against Patético de Arid and ReAl beat the shit out of that team.
And that was what Rin didn't have yet: hunger.
He opened the next document and went through it searching for pretty words:
"Integrity and Conduct."
—Physical altercations resulting in injury that requires professional medical care will result in immediate disqualification and removal from the facility.
Sae ran his thumb over the line. Disqualification. The removal. It wasn't the perfect, foolproof guarantee he wanted, but it was the best he would get. With Anri Teieri watching, it was plausible. She was competent and seemed to be healthy enough to recognize another healthy person.
Because in Sae's opinion, Jimpachi Ego looked like someone that belongs in a hospital, in a psych ward to be truly honest.
You must be insane yourself to even entertain the idea of letting Rin close to him.
But Teieri Anri seemed to be capable enough to handle Rin. He took his phone from where it was resting on the desktop and pulled out a PDF that seemed to live perpetually in his phone, a document he always got in his Drive and printed at home in Madrid and a hard-covered printed version in Japan. Sae couldn't keep him safe by keeping him small. If Rin’s future was in football, he had to be unbreakable.
Itoshi Rin's Medical File and Health Protocols
Sae took a deep breath and pondered his decision while he rummaged through Rin's clothes. He wasn't about to pack night clothes when Rin had a closet full of them and while Rin was taller than him and his clothes might look a bit ridiculous on his frame, Sae didn't mind. He was going to sleep at home, not to give some assed press conference.
So, he slipped into one of the short ones and climbed in bed with Rin, still eyeing the document and all the things he needed to share with Ego Jimpachi about his brother's life. If ReAl didn't care about this file and said file didn't influence the way they were desperate to snatch Rin to Spain, then he assumed Jimpachi wouldn't either.
That four eyes seemed to be very invested in the future of the Japanese football, - and didn't Sae hated that way of speaking about his country. - Not that they were off mark for much, Japan was behind when it comes to many things, but they were growing ambitious and that was...
His cavilations were stopped abruptly when Rin's phone buzzed on the nightstand table at Sae's side of the bed. Or well, his side of the bed while he is here and Rin is feeling clingy and like sleeping in the same bed as his Nii-chan, for as long as Rin wanted it.
Rin's phone buzzed again and Sae peeked.
Cockroach - 22:45
Lashes... I didn't see you today at the end of the day! 🥺
Wanna eat ice-cream with me?
Cockroach - 22:46
I will pay, you just need to look cute as always.
RinRin!!!! 🥺
Pretty please 🙏
Sae sighed. What did this roach person want with his baby brother? Did he want Sae to give him a broken nose with a foul ball?
This idiot better stay away from Rin.
Cockroach - 22:47
Rin-chan!!!!!
Ugh. What a pest. Sae turned Rin's phone down. And by doing so he managed to jostle Rin in his sleep. His baby brother let out a gasp of discomfort and Sae swallowed hard. The next second, teal eyes, just like his own, were open and blinking at him softly.
"Nii-chan," and Sae only needed that word to understand.
The older brother carded his hand through soft strands of dark hair and hummed lowly to lull Rin back to sleep, just like when they were small kids. He hummed the words that carried him through his lonely days in Spain. The words Rin used to sing and butcher when he was only a toddler and barely understood.
He found himself singing the next second, not as beautiful as Rin's voice, but decent enough. The lyrics he used to sing to Rin when he was learning Spanish to go to Spain, when Rin used to cry because of grief and pain and fear of being left behind:
Chiquitita, no hay que llorar
Las estrellas brillan por ti allá en lo alto
Quiero verte sonreír para compartir
Tu alegría, chiquitita
"Love you, Nii-chan." The soft sigh of a dozing Rin made his heart flutter.
"I love you too, Rin."
Sae closed his eyes and went to sleep. Mind made about his final decision.
Ego Jimpachi better be ready for a yes or a no.