It's been nearly a week since Nagi left now.

School is a drag without him; you've tried spending time with other people from your classes, but none of them compare to Nagi or Reo, and you feel as if you're intruding on friendships that have no place for you.

The only time other students actively seek you out is to ask you questions about the other two, about the training programme they'd gone to (you'd later that it was called 'Blue Lock') and what it meant.

You hadn't been able to answer at all, and you'd dismissed every single one of them, not interested in riding the coattails of Nagi's sudden boost in popularity (Reo, on the other hand, is a different story, having always been popular) and just staying to yourself.

You haven't heard back from Nagi at all.

You've called and messaged him countless time, but he never responds.

It's pathetic, really, the way your heart pounds with excitement whenever your phone pings with a notification, just for that to switch to disappointment when it's not him.

You're not sure why he won't even text you; you tell yourself that he's working so hard, he doesn't have the time, but you know better than that. After all, this is Nagi- when has he not had time for his phone?

You're daydreaming at lunch, doodling absently in your maths book, when you hear the girls in front of you mention Nagi's name. You sit up a little straighter, interested, angling your ear towards them slightly.

"That's what Aomori Dadada's Nameoka said," One of them confirms in a hushed whisper. "He said Reo was there, too."

"Really?" One of the other girls covers her mouth with her hand. "So it's true? Nagi Seishirou from our class actually beat him, again?"

"I'm not sure about the details," The first girl shrugs. "But that's what I heard. He's really mad, apparently, and he keeps saying Nagi should've been the one to be eliminated first."

"Ah, that's a shame. He's a sour loser, huh?"

You want to hear more, but then one of them switches the topic to something else and you're left with a thousand unspoken questions racing through your mind.

Nameoka Ryo was also invited to Blue Lock? And he was eliminated? What does that even mean?

Most importantly, Nagi was the one to get rid of him?

You make up your mind to visit the Aomori Dadada grounds after school, determined to find out how Blue Lock works and how Nagi's doing. Because if you're going to get answers, you may as well get them straight from the man himself.

He may be frightening and double your size, but he's still somehow less intimidating than the obnoxious girls at Hakuho.

-

Your bravery and determination from before falters immediately once you're on the premises of Nameoka's school.

The building itself is smaller than Hakuho, but the sports pitches along the back are massive, and you can feel yourself getting out of breath just by looking at them. The one at Hakuho seems almost cute in comparison, and you start to understand why this school has a Nationals-level football team.

Your uniform sticks out like a sore thumb, the white of your blazer clashing with the black of the Aomori Dadada girls, and you ignore the curious looks that are thrown your way as you look for Nameoka.

You can't find him anywhere, scouring the schools' football team as they practice outside for a sight of him. You stamp your foot in frustration, and one of the team members notices you and points you out to his coach, a middle-aged man with scruffy hair and a shiny forehead.

You hope you're not in trouble as the coach stomps towards you, mouth pulled down into a slight frown. His sunglasses mean you can't really tell what he's thinking, but his body language is enough to convey his irritation with your presence.

"Whaddya want, huh?" He demands roughly, crossing his arms over his chest. "We don't usually see students from your posh little fancy prep school here, and especially not bratty girls like you."

He leers down at you, but you ignore his rude remark and stare blankly back at him, unbothered.

"Where's Nameoka Ryo, sir?" You ask simply, and the coach pauses.

"What's it to you?"

"I need to talk to him," You bite out as politely as you can between clenched teeth. "Could you please tell me, sir?"

The coach is silent for a short while (probably glaring at you through his shades, but it's not like you can see it, anyways) before answering.

"I dunno," He shrugs, and you resist the urge to slap him upside his stupid shiny head. "He ain't been to practice since he came back from that Blue Lock."

"Do you have any idea where he could be?"

"Do I look like his goddamn papa to you, missy?"

"More like his grandfather, sir."

He's flabbergasted by your retort, and you dart away before you what you've said sinks in. As you exit the school premises, you think to back to where you and Nagi had seen him that one time six months ago, on the way home that evening.

Him and his friends had been lingering around uselessly near that park on the way to your house- you figure that it's as good a guess as any to assume that's where he is, so that's where you head, clutching your bag with renewed determination.

You've hit the nail on the head; Nameoka is there, though alone this time, sat down heavily on a bench with what appears to be a sports manga in his hands.

He's into Kuroko no Basket, you note mentally. Interesting, but not surprising- although he bears very little resemblance to Kuroko himself, what with his arrogant, conceited self.

You take a seat next to him. He doesn't even acknowledge your presence, still stuck reading the same page.

"Hello," You chirp, by way of greeting. "Weather's nice today."

Nameoka slams his manga shut and glares at you through the corner of his eye.

"What do you want." It's more of a demand than a question.

"I've just got a few questions for you about Blue Lock-" You begin hopefully, but he cuts you off immediately.

"Not happening. I've answered enough of those all week. Whatever you've heard about me is probably the truth."

"But I don't understand," You push, leaning into his personal space a little. Even sitting, Nameoka towers over you, but you ignore the way his angry expression triggers your fight or flight response and keep speaking. "What is Blue Lock? Don't you just go for training? How can you be eliminated? How were you eliminated?"

"I told you," He hisses. "You already know, so stop trying to make a fool out of me and leave me the hell alone."

"But I'm not!" You protest, throwing your hands up in frustration. "I've barely even heard anything! Literally nobody talks to me! So could you just do me a favour and explain to me what the hell Nagi's gotten himself into?"

He pauses for a second, considering. Even sitting in his school uniform (which looks downright ridiculous on him, what with the way the material stretches over the broadness of his shoulders) he looks absolutely terrifying.

He ends up scoffing in your face, leaning back on the bench.

"Isn't that sad," He taunts, tossing his manga in the space between the two of you. The cover depicts a determined team, playing in harmony with one another, and you'd feel a little bad for Nameoka if he weren't smirking in your face right now. "You aren't popular, huh?"

"You can't be laughing," You retort defensively. "You said everyone's talking about you right now, and we both know they aren't saying anything good about you."

That pisses him off, evidently, if the way a vein bulges in his forehead is anything to go by, and you're about to suck up your pride and apologise when he just sighs, throwing his head back.

"Yeah, you're right, I guess." He concedes. "I'll tell you about Blue Lock, then, if you really don't know."

"Aren't you a gentleman?" You reply dryly, but you can't stop a relieved smile from breaking out onto your face.

"Shut up." It lacks his usual bite, but it's still ferocious enough to remind you of who exactly it is you're talking to.

"Gladly. Now, please do tell."

"Anyways, Blue Lock is exactly what they said it is- it's a training programme for Japan's strikers, and about 300 of us got invited, including your dumb boyfriend."

"He's not dumb." You frown, but you don't bother correcting him on the boyfriend part- after all, he practically is, and it's not as if there'll be any girls at Blue Lock to seduce him.

"Whatever. First day there, we got told the conditions of the facility, and basically they said if you get kicked off then you're blacklisted for Japan's national team."

Your mouth hangs open in surprise. No wonder he seems so bitter.

"No way." You say in disbelief, and he just nods.

"Yes way. Anyways, naturally all 300 guys accepted, your boyfriend included, but I'm pretty sure him and that rich kid were the last ones to go through."

"So him and Reo actually are together?"

"Yeah," He rolls his eyes. "They were. We got split into 25 teams of 12, labelled B to Z in order of rank. Me, your boyfriend and the rich brat all got lumped into Team V."

"What, really?" You interrupt him by accident again, and he shoots you an annoyed look. "Oh, sorry. I'm just surprised. I would've thought you guys would be higher up, you know? Because you're really good."

"Yeah, well, we weren't." He crosses his arms. "Then we had to play this dumbass game of tag for like, two minutes, where if you get hit with the ball, you're it, and if you're it when the time is up, then you're out."

"Oh, so you were the one tagged and now you're out?" It sounds absurd when you vocalise it, and it's difficult to wrap your head around. "Really? And now you'll be blacklisted from Japan's national team forever?"

"Apparently," He grunts. "Such a stupid game. And if it makes you feel any better, your boyfriend hit me square in the face with the ball at the literal last second. And he didn't even want to play."

You feel slightly proud of Nagi for that, but you don't let it show, not wanting to hurt Nameoka's feelings.

"Okay, that explains a lot," You say, but you aren't satisfied yet. "But it doesn't explain why he won't message me."

Nameoka snorts at that. "We ain't allowed our phones in there, idiot. Your boyfriend nearly cried when he found out."

Oh. That explains... so much. Practically everything.

"I've changed my mind about you," You announce to Nameoka, and he shoots you an unimpressed glare. "You're actually a lot more pleasant when you aren't running your mouth so much."

He sits up straight at that, bewildered and slightly annoyed. "The hell do you mean, huh?"

"You called Nagi a lazy bum that one time, remember?" You point an accusatory finger at him. "And you said my looks are half-decent."

"It ain't running my mouth if it's the truth, dumbass."

"Yeah, well if Nagi's a lazy bum, then you must be absolute trash because he beat you, trash!" You practically screech, standing up so you're taller than him. "And I take it back, you're not pleasant at all!"

"Yeah? Well, I don't care what you got to say, because you're ugly anyways!"

"Please, you can't be calling me ugly when you look the way you do! No wonder you got blacklisted from Japan's national team, because your face would've made everyone sick."

You stomp off in irritation- you'd tried to be civil with him, you really had, but some people just cannot be tolerated, you find.

That having been said, your conversation with him definitely helped put your mind at ease about Nagi; he seems to be in good condition, and he isn't ignoring you, he's just not allowed his phone.

Your heart aches. When's the next time you'll hear from him?

You just want to hear his voice, just want to talk to him for just one minute, because you miss him so much and you've never realised how much you relied on him till he was gone. He's only been gone a week, and yet it feels like an eternity.

You don't want him to be eliminated, but...

You really, really want to see him again.

-

Okay, I'm not one for author notes but thank you guys so much for all the love on this fic! It was really unexpected and it makes me so happy.

Also, I know this chapter was a little boring, but please bear with me! I know we as the audience already know how blue lock works, but the reader doesn't and I felt it was important to address that before it makes issues later on in the fic haha