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[Name] has had his fair share of moments in both glory and defeat. Much like most people, he'd prefer succeeding in every scenario he encounters but he wasn't so foolish and ignorant to assume he'd never experience a bitter defeat.

He wasn't born that talented, that much he knows. Sure, he was good in certain areas but he was nothing compared to the true geniuses he was falsely situated beside in the eyes and opinion of the public.

It hurt his pride to know he didn't deserve to stand among his peers on the world stage but he kept quiet. He'll work hard, he chanted this mantra in his head for years. He'll work hard just until he can feel worthy of all the expectations placed on him.

Maybe one day, he'll eventually find himself befitting of it all. But until then, he'll push his pride to the side.

Just like right now, he'll push his pride aside as [Name] took a deep breath and straightened his posture. He could feel Sae's curious gaze about his sudden shift in mood but he chose to ignore it and pressed on.

As expected, electric blue eyes were quick to lock onto his figure as before [Name] could reach Anri, he was being blocked by none other than Kaiser himself.

"You'd think you would've gotten better in the months I haven't seen you," Kaiser purred causally, faux disappointment leaving his lips as he fixed his hair causally. Behind him stood Ness with a hesitant look, his eyes screaming apologies at [Name]. "As usual, you always seem to disappoint. You're never going to be part of the World 11 at this rate."

[Name]'s fists clenched at his side, how badly he wanted to retort brashly against that but he bit his tongue and gave a complacent smile, one he's usually taken to in circumstances such as this one. "It was a good game." He responded simply, his tone an endless pit of patience as it usually is when conversing with someone like Kaiser.

The German striker couldn't help the scowl on his face as he watched [Name] walk off serenely, Sae following close behind as though shielding his figure for any more interruptions. For a split second, his eyes met the midfielder's but unlike their usual passiveness, it was marred with disgust.

"Ness, let's go," He huffed, his feet taking a sharp turn as we walked away in thumps. Ness seemed to stumble a bit at the suddenness of the motion but quickly caught up, still reeling from the intense atmosphere between the three.

For how long he's been observing their interactions, he could never figure out the true intentions behind Kaiser's actions whenever they involved [Name]. Unlike his usual cockiness that sought to bring despair among blooming talents, something in him became a bit harsher, a bit angrier, and rough when it came to [Name]. Instead of destroying, he pushed the other man to work harder, to give it his all in plays, and whenever he thought no one was looking, a mist of genuineness clouded his eyes as he watched his counterpart.

It was a messy relationship and Ness wanted to tear his hair out at the complexity between them that he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out. 

With a tired sigh, he was forced to let go of his frustrations. It wasn't his business to interfere with how they treated each other. Only time will reveal just what it was that made those two behave in such a peculiar way.

_______

"You shouldn't let him treat you like that," Sae upbraided his partner for his passive reaction regarding Kaiser's verbal aggression. While Kaiser's behavior isn't something new to gawk about, he always did get a bit prissy when it targeted [Name].

"He's always like that, it's nothing new." [Name] mumbled back, his voice unenthused at the conversation's prolongation in the matter. He turned to look at Sae and noticed a barely visible frown tugging at his lips.

[Name] couldn't help but breathe in lightly before offering a tender smile. Sae always did care far too much about things that concerned him. It was nice, he admits, for someone to care for him in ways he can't for himself.

"Which team are you picking?" He spoke lightly, a great change to the previous mood that hung between them. It's not like he wanted to avoid anything but he just didn't like to linger too long on upsetting matters.

Sae's frown deepened at the sudden change of topic before letting it go with a sigh. If [Name] didn't want to talk about it further, then he had no choice but to comply. There was no point in forcing an unwanted conversation.

As they approached Anri, Sae thought over his choices with a hum. There were 4 teams left to choose from given that he had already worked with one of them. Manshine was an option but given that [Name] chose that team previously, he figured to go with one that hasn't been chosen yet.

This leaves him with three options, Barcha, PxG, and Ubers. Although he wasn't too interested in any of them, he figured he'd go with-

"Have you guys chosen yet?" Anri's kind voice greeted their ears as she smiled at the two teens before her. [Name] gave her a sort of hesitant nod while Sae simply stared, causing her to sweatdrop lightly. That was fine, it's not like she hasn't dealt with anything worse. "If you have, you can state it now so we can have things prepared as soon as possible! If not then you can take think about it for the remaining day." She offered lightly, not wanting to rush them purposely.

[Name] chewed on his lips as he thought about his options. He hasn't really thought about what team he wanted to be in so far. Manshine was just a happy coincidence he got himself into, it wasn't explicitly something he had decided upon before he got here.

But now that he was weighing his choices, he was leaning on a particular team...

"If I may, I'd like to be in the Paris stratum," He spoke firmly.

Sae's eyes narrowed slightly at the thought of possibly going against PxG. While he wasn't sure if the matches were based on what teams they chose given they've only had one so far, it wasn't too far off to assume there was a possibility he'll have to go against them.

Thinking logically, this turn of events cemented him with only one choice. After all, to go against a team filled with heavy scorers, he'd need to work with a team heavy on defense. 

"I'll choose Ubers for my next team," Sae spoke momentarily after [Name] did. While the thought of working with Lorenzo disgruntled him quite a bit, he was a good player. If he weren't, then he wouldn't have been part of the World 11.

"Great! Now that that's settled, you're free to do whatever with your remaining time. You can stay with your chosen team tomorrow." Anri informed as she clicked a few things on the tablet she held. 

[Name] gave Anri a polite wave as she left the room after that. Once she was gone, he was left standing beside Sae. Everyone else had already cleared from the indoor field, leaving them there all alone.

Much like them, they soon exited the room and headed straight for the bathroom, wanting to clean themselves up before anything else.

Unlike the other Blue Lock players who were forced into wearing the provided sleepwear within the facility, [Name] and Sae were allowed more freedom in the matter of clothing, leaving them with many more options for comfort.

Now in a much more comfortable disposition, the duo was neatly settled in one of the many seats inside the nearest cafeteria. Again, since they were guests, they too had a different choice for meals.

Unlike the pre-ordained meals given out to each player, Sae was free to request anything he wished to be made for their meals. He was quite strict about their dietary plans and expected nothing less but a balanced meal.

As they settled in a neat little corner, [Name] couldn't help but pick on the food he had in front of him, not too energetic at the prospect of eating. It's not like he was a picky eater nor did he dislike what was prepared for him, it was just that old habits die hard.

After losing a match, it had become common practice for him to be dragged into training hard that following night, leading to skipped meals. Without that person here to coax him into training as retribution for his loss, all he was left with was inappetence.

"Is something wrong with your meal?" Sae asked suddenly as he stopped mid-bite at the sight of [Name]'s glumness. "I can request a different one if it's not to your taste."

 "No, it's nothing." [Name] offered a weak grin. Right, Sae's never dealt with him like this before. "I'm just not feeling hungry, is all."

Sae remained quiet after that, leaving [Name] to lose himself in simple fidgeting. He wasn't hungry, he truly wasn't.

He didn't know how long he stared at the table in a quiet daze until a small poke brought him back to attention. His eyes flickered to his side and noticed one of Sae's fingers touching his cheek as his hand lifted up a spoon near him.

"I don't want to force you to eat but I don't want to leave you with an empty stomach either," He sighed. "You don't need to eat a lot, just a single bite will do. Is that alright?" He asked, strangely placid. For someone who's usually strict about keeping oneself healthy and well-maintained, he was pretty gentle.

[Name]'s eyes flickered over to the food in the spoon and gave it an apprehensive stare. There wasn't a lot of food in it but the thought of chewing and swallowing made his stomach churn in a bad way.

He thought over the request, his hands clenching his thighs ever so slightly. Sae remained patient as he waited for [Name] to come up with a consensus. Eventually, the blonde turned back and gave a small nod, as though granting permission.

Sae couldn't help but feel light at the sight as he watched [Name] chew the small portion of food slowly. It took him a while to chew before he was able to swallow.

"Can you eat more? Or are you done? It's alright if you are," Sae spoke slowly, trying to gauge the expression on [Name]'s face. Another bout of silence passed before [Name] uttered a response.

"I think...I can do a few more bites." He concluded with a weak determination. Although his tone was conflicted still, [Name] was willing to try and that was enough for Sae.

"We can go slow, there's no rush," Sae hummed as he scooped up another small portion of the spook he had with him. Even if it took them hours to get through what [Name] could stomach, that was completely fine with Sae.

He'd stay here with [Name] even if all the lights were shut off for the night.

[Name] nodded in appreciation as he swallowed thickly at the prospect of taking another bite. Nevertheless, he remained firm on his decision to eat a bit more.

Once again, habits are hard to get over. But he was trying and that was probably the best thing he could do for himself. 

__________

Yes, I know, I haven't updated this in a while. You guys can freely yell at me TwT.

Anywho, this chapter is a bit messy, maybe even a bit confusing, but I swear I'm trying to do something. Just...trust the process? Maybe?