It's been nearly two weeks since the last time you'd spoken to Nagi, and you're starting to get restless.

You figure that he's probably busy; you don't have a single doubt that he's made it through to the next selection of Blue Lock, and you know that means that things have gotten that much harder, but still.

You miss him.

For the last two months or so that he's been gone, you haven't felt his absence as hard as this.

It had been easy when you were chatting with him every night, but now...

Now you just feel lonely.

But for now, you comfort yourself with the reassurance that Nagi isn't; he's making all sorts of friendships and Blue Lock, and you couldn't be happier for him- he deserves this.

You're so lost in your thoughts as you're going home from school that you don't see the person walking toward you until it's too late.

You collide with someone not that much taller than you, stumbling backwards and rubbing your forehead.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The stranger cries, steadying himself. "I wasn't watching where I was going!"

"Ah, no, it's fine," You stammer, regaining your bearings. "It's my fault as well."

He positively beams at you, and it's only now that you look at him properly that you realise he's clutching an envelope in his hand, wearing a postman's shirt and cap, small brown tufts of hair curling up from beneath its rim.

You've seen that envelope before.

It's got that familiar blue logo on it, identical to the one Nagi's letter had all those weeks ago.

The boy starts to walk away, but you grab his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"Uh, excuse me," You release him immediately, face warming up slightly as your mind catches up to what you'd just done. "Sorry about that."

"Nah, you're good," He flashes you that brilliant smile again. "Can I help you?"

"It's that letter," You point down at the envelope in his hand. "I know it's not my place to ask, but who's it for? Maybe I can help you with the address or... something like that."

He laughs. "You're nosy, huh?"

"No!" You shake your head. "My boyfriend got a letter similar to that a while ago, so I was just curious."

That seems to peak his interest.

The boy turns to fully look at you, his eyebrows raised slightly.

"Really?" He asks, his smile gone. "Who's your boyfriend?"

You're slightly taken aback by the question, and his sudden change in attitude, but you decide that there's no harm in answering.

"Nagi Seishirou."

He crumples the letter in his hand slightly, startling you.

Before you can react, he seems to snap him back into himself, immediately flattening out the letter, his nimble fingers smoothing out the creases he'd just made.

"Oops," He laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Brought back memories, you see. I know him- I've gotten the same letter."

Your jaw nearly drops. "You're part of Blue Lock, too?"

"Used to be," He corrects. "Nagi's the one who got me booted out."

"Oh," You're not quite sure what to say. "I see."

"No hard feelings though," He assures you, but you suspect it's quite the opposite. "Him and Isagi were just that much better than me, I can see that now."

He looks down at his envelope before passing it to you.

"Do you know where that is? I've been looking for ages but this fancy neighbourhood is so confusing."

You stare down at the address on the envelope.

It's yours.

The letter's got your name printed on it in block capitals, nice and neatly across the upper corner, and you can't believe what you're seeing.

"This letter is for me." You breathe.

There's a brief silence before the boy laughs in disbelief.

"You serious?"

One look at your face is all the confirmation he needs to know that you aren't joking.

"Well, open it then! I wanna see."

"Now who's nosy?" You say jokingly, but you oblige regardless, ripping open the envelope and pulling out the sheet of paper inside.

Dear Miss,

You have been invited to attend the upcoming match between Japan's National Under-20 team and Blue Lock's very own Blue Lock Eleven, on behalf of Nagi Seishirou.

You almost drop the letter in shock.

"Woah, no way!" The post boy snatches the letter from you and holds it up to his face, scrutinising it as if he can't believe his eyes. "Blue Lock's going against Japan u-20? For real?"

He bounces up and down in excitement, and you squeal with joy.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" You shriek at the top of your lungs, ignoring the looks people are giving you as they walk past. "I can't believe it- what the heck?"

"I know!" The boy seems no less excited than you are. "You're so, so lucky!"

He hands you back your letter, and you keep reading.

Attached with this letter is your ticket. Please make sure to bring this with you on the day; you will be denied access into the Blue Lock Stadium without it.

Food and drink will be provided. Out of caution for allergies and dietary restrictions, please check nutritional information of all foods prior to consumption.

You are not obligated to attend.

Best Regards,
Teieri Anri,
Manager of Blue Lock

"'Not obligated to attend?' That's so dumb." Your eyes scan over the letter once,  twice more. "Of course I'm attending. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"That would just be stupid," The boy adds. "Your Nagi's definitely going to be a starter, too. I can't imagine a guy like him being on the bench."

He looks down at the watch on his wrist, startling slightly once he sees the time.

"Damn it, I'm behind schedule now," He tuts, giving you an apologetic smile. "Well, I've gotta go now. Nice talking to you."

"Wait- you never told me your name?"

He shrugs, already walking back to his postman's bicycle and waving at you.

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!" You insist, clutching the letter  in your hands. "Who even are you?"

"My name's Naruhaya," He grins, starting to pedal off. "We'll probably never meet again, because I get a new job every other week, but make sure you tell that lazy genius I'm rooting for him!"

With that, he takes off down the road, gone as fast as he'd appeared. Your whole body thrums in excitement and anticipation as the contents of your letter really start to sink in.

It's really happening; your prayers have been answered. You'll finally get to see Nagi again.

Now it's just a matter of waiting.

-

"You look awfully pleased today." Nagi comments- it's the first thing he says when you pick up his call, and he's right.

You're laying there on your bed, sprawled on your stomach, gazing into your phone with starry eyes and a huge grin on your face.

"I haven't seen you in ages." Is your nonchalant reply, but it falls a little short because of the way you're positively beaming at him.

"I've been busy," He raises a hand to cover his mouth as he yawns. "Ego's been ruthless lately, you wouldn't believe."

There's a question at the very top of your tongue, but you're hesitant to ask, even though you're dying to know.

"And yes," Nagi says, with a slight roll of his eyes as if he's read your mind. "Reo's here too."

"That actually wasn't what I was thinking," You say, slightly amused by his sudden sulkiness. "I already know Reo's still at Blue Lock, silly. Otherwise he would've came to school."

"That's true," Nagi's still got that pout on his face, and it's so, so cute. "Then, what? What's with that face you're making?"

"The u-20 match." You blurt out, and he actually looks surprised. "You invited me."

"Well, yeah?" Nagi's voice is as deadpan as ever. "You're my girlfriend. There's literally nobody else I'd even want to invite."

"That's the thing," You say, not sure if you're crossing the line or not. "What about your parents?"

It's a stupid question, you know, considering the fact that you're already aware of his distant relationship with his parents, but still.

There's no way he's picked you over them, right?

"What about them?" He shrugs in response to his own question. "Football probably isn't their thing, anyway."

"Yeah, but you're their son," You insist- you aren't sure why you're pushing it, but here you are. "What if they get upset because you invited some random girl over them? Those tickets are limited, Nagi. If you don't have one, you can't come."

"Yeah, but you aren't some random girl, though."

You're about to argue that you are, in fact, just some random girl, but Nagi beats you to the punch.

"And they won't get upset," He says with another shrug. "They're chill like that. I mean, I literally have my own apartment."

He's got a point, but you still feel uneasy.

"I know," You start, biting your lip. "You and your parents are like friends, yes, you told me that already. But this is a big thing-"

"For me," Nagi interrupts. "And I want my girlfriend there rather than two parents that have better things to do, okay?"

You're silent.

"It's literally just football, after all."

That's got to be the understatement of the century, but you don't want to argue anymore. You're already feeling guilty enough for pushing the issue when it's none of your business (it's a bad habit of yours, and it didn't end well last time) and you don't want to make Nagi feel bad now, too.

"Okay," You give him a small smile, finally relenting. "I trust you."

Nagi's face lights up a little at that. "Good."

"Also, I'm really excited." You add. "I can't wait to see you. I won't even have to wear that Chigiri disguise, either."

He genuinely laughs at that, taken by surprise. He throws his head back, and the sound of his amusement prickles at your skin, making you feel slightly giddy.

"Aw, man," He pouts, wiping tears from the corner of his eyes. "I was looking forward to that."

"Well, I'm planning on dressing up all nice and pretty to woo you, so you be prepared." You tell him sternly, but it falls slightly short of what you intended, your mouth curling up at the corners on its own accord.

He's got a small smirk on his face when he answers.

"And you owe me that kiss, remember?" He taps his bottom lip with a finger. "Right here."

You try not to burst into flames, giving him a (hopefully) nonchalant shrug.

"Do I?" You ask coyly, placing a finger on your chin in mock thought. "I don't remember. Maybe you were dreaming."

"I was definitely not dreaming," Nagi's still pointing at his mouth, and your eyes can't help but be drawn to it as he speaks. "You said you'd kiss me as many times as I want, wherever I want."

"Oh, it's starting to come back to me now!" You smack the side of your forehead comically, and he rolls his eyes- but you can see the sides of his lips tugging up in a small smile. "Although, I do recall saying that I'd do all that for you once you're the best in Japan."

Silence.

You've got him there.

"I am," Nagi's whining isn't much of a surprise, but it amuses you nonetheless. "So no take-backs."

"It's not a take-back if there's nothing there in the first place, dummy," You grin evilly, delighting in the disgruntled look on Nagi's face. "You're not quite there yet, so you'll have to be patient."

"Okay, we'll I'm changing the deal," Nagi sticks out his tongue at you. "If I win the u-20 match, then you kiss me wherever I want, however many times I want. And bonus points if I score- that means we get married."

You really do burst into flames this time.

"Nagi!" You practically shriek, writhing around on your bed like you've been stung. "You're 17! You can't say things like that!"

"Why not?" He laughs, his grey eyes crinkling slightly at the sides- a sight that you're starting to get used to. "It would be hassle to get married to some random girl who isn't you."

"You can worry about that later," You grumble, but your heart is leaping in your chest. "You've got other priorities right now. Like winning, for one."

"That'll be dead easy," His confidence has you smiling, and he shrugs casually. "I'm just dreading how tiresome it's gonna be. Don't wanna be all sweaty when you come and kiss me, you know?"

"Yeah, it might throw me off a little. Maybe I'll run away."

"You wouldn't dare. You won't be able to resist me, just you watch. I know you're counting down the days."

Well, he isn't wrong.

-

Aaah it's finally happening!! Actual in-person interactions!! Haha I can't wait- also sorry for the incredibly late update, I've been going through it man

Ps. I think we all know who's invited people won't be attending,,, *coughs* Reo