Chapter Text
It couldn't be.
It wasn't fair.
It just wasn't.
Japan had lost 4–2 to France.
To those damn Frenchmen.
At the exact moment Isagi was about to score, Rin had stepped into the play. The ball deflected. The goal was lost. And with it, the match.
Argh.
To top off the humiliation, Ego Jinpachi benched him for the next game—against England.
Unfair.
Completely unfair.
Since the very beginning of that damned project called Blue Lock, Rin Itoshi had always been first. The best. He had never fallen from the top, never made a mistake serious enough to be questioned. He was the purest ego, the most lethal striker.
And it took just one failure for all of that to be thrown in his face.
My mistake might have cost us the game.
But I wasn't the only one who messed up. Isagi, the defenders, the whole team... Everyone failed. Yet, the punishment fell only on me.
It isn't fair.
…
But if I made a mistake...
It’s because I’m still not good enough.
Rin clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms. The substitutes' bench felt colder than usual. The noise of the stadium reached his ears muffled, as if the whole world were far away.
I’m still not good enough.
The phrase burned in his throat. It wasn't blind rage like before. It was something sharper. Clearer.
⸻
The media had never been an issue.
He hardly ever touched his phone.
Since he was little, his life had always revolved around soccer. Not out of passion, nor for fun. It was simply a path to catch up to his brother. Social media, TV shows, headlines... none of that had ever sparked his interest.
But...
Today was an exception.
Perhaps the day had been bad enough to make him seek a distraction. Terrible idea.
…
The media is cruel.
Rin never cared about the opinions of strangers.
But…
It still hurt.
“The striker who blew the World Cup.”
“The failed successor.”
“Blue Lock created a monster incapable of deciding the game.”
Headlines.
Tweets.
Comments.
Videos.
Thousands of them.
Each one written differently.
But all carrying the same intent.
To destroy him.
People can be cruel to anyone.
Even a sixteen-year-old.
A boy who had missed a single play in front of the whole world and was now facing hatred from every direction.
…
Maybe it really hadn't been a good idea.
”Tsk…”
With a sharp motion, he flung his phone across the room; it landed on the bed on the other side.
He looked away.
His thoughts—already far from pleasant—now felt even heavier.
He had gone online looking for a distraction.
He found only thousands of reasons to doubt himself.
For a brief moment…
The idea of quitting soccer crossed his mind.
But just as quickly as it came, it vanished.
Rin closed his eyes.
He took a deep breath.
Screw it.
He hadn't come this far just to be taken down by people who had never stepped foot on a pitch.
Let them talk.
Let them call him a failure.
Let them laugh.
In the end…
There was only one way to silence them.
Get back to playing.
And become someone who could never be ignored again.
⸻
The next day arrived.
Blue Lock returned to its routine.
Training was even more intense.
The defeat against France had left its mark on everyone. Now, preparing to face England demanded even more from the players.
For Rin…
None of that mattered anymore.
Not because he had given up.
Quite the opposite.
While everyone else trained to win the next match...
He trained to conquer something far greater.
For days, he experimented.
He changed his finishing technique.
He changed his rhythm.
He changed his movements.
For the first time in a long while, he wasn't trying to copy his brother.
Or surpass Isagi.
Or prove something to Ego.
He was simply searching for...
Himself.
And when he finally found an answer...
He made a decision.
Without hesitation.
...
"I want to leave Blue Lock."
Silence filled the room.
Anri’s eyes widened.
Ego remained motionless.
"You're giving up?"
Green eyes met his.
"Giving up?"
A brief pause.
"I'm just changing fields."
Silence.
Anri took a step forward.
"Rin, you can't just..."
"Let him."
Ego’s voice cut through the room.
She looked at him in disbelief.
"But..."
Ego simply watched Rin.
As if he had expected that answer all along.
Then, he smiled.
"Blue Lock was never a prison."
...
"The goal of this place was never to keep you here."
...
"It was to make you conquer the world."
Rin remained silent.
"If you believe your evolution lies elsewhere..."
...
"Then go."
Rin simply turned his back.
No thanks.
No goodbyes.
Without looking back.
The door closed.
The sound echoed through the room.
Anri stared at the exit for a few seconds.
Then she looked at Ego.
"What if he never comes back?"
Ego clasped his hands in front of his face.
A faint smile appeared.
"If he never comes back..."
...
"It’s because he found exactly what I wanted him to find."
...
"An ego that not even Blue Lock can contain."