Chapter Text
The summers in Japan are always hot, the sun greeting the world with its rays, bathing it with bright colors, waking every living thing from its slumber to start a new day. People going to work, families going to the beach, children playing and having fun, enjoying a nice summer day. But it seems that it’s one of those days where the sun decides to scorch the Earth and remind the world why it’s called the hottest star in our solar system.
Especially now, due to human recklessness, the ozone layer that has graciously protected us from the sun's harsh rays has a hole, letting those rays pass through. And now Blue Lock’s Heart has fallen victim to it.
-“Yocchan, are you sure you’re alright on your own? The weather forecast had said that we were going to experience a heatwave for a whole week two days ago, and now you’ve fallen ill!”- The worried tone of Yoichi’s mother made him flush in embarrassment on the phone. Even after all these years, Yoichi still gets flustered too easily, which makes him the primary target for teasing from his classmates and teammates alike.
-“Mom, I already took some medicine, it’s just a fever. I’ll be fine in a few days. I can take good care of myself now. I’m sure you know that.”-
-" I know that Yoichi, but I am your mother. It's only natural to worry about my son no? Anyway, you'd better drink water and take your medicine. Oh! and don't forget to-"-Before she can finish what she's saying, Yoichi already cut her off.
-" Yes, yes, "Don't forget to take a proper rest Yocchan!" is what you were about to say, right? Don't worry too much, Mom. Oh, and tell Dad I said hi! I love you, bye!"-
-"I love you more, my sweet boy. Goodbye~!"-
Isagi ended the call with a smile on his face as he drank his tea, all the while buried in the blankets of his hotel room. Being sick isn't so bad if you have people willing to take care of you, but there are times when you have to take care of yourself alone. It was common for Isagi to get ill because of the weather due to his sensitive senses, as it made him more vulnerable to diseases than other people, such as coughs and fevers. It didn't take long for him to develop an allergy to the changes in the environment called Allergic Rhinitis. But even with these limitations from such a young age, it did not deter him from wanting to become the Best Striker in the World.
He was currently in a hotel room that was already paid for by Blue Lock, as there was an event that required the Blue Lock team's presence, and the same goes with the international teams outside of the prison-like building. It was an interview show that was being hosted by a famous entertainment show.
Even if Ego didn't want Blue Lock to join, he was soon convinced by the much-needed funds of the project. Because it won't be long before the money-grabbing lunatics will take the project down. So he agreed, well, more reluctantly. Thankfully, it wasn't his team's turn to be interviewed for the week. Which was already a huge blessing, as there was plenty of time for Isagi to get better.
Before he could even enjoy the peace and quiet of the day though, there was a knock on the door. It took him an embarrassing amount of time to reach it due to the tension in his body from the fever, and to his surprise, it was Hugo who was standing outside his door. Before Isagi could slam the door shut, Hugo had already put his foot in the doorframe, preventing it from closing further.
"Closing the door without greeting the person is quite rude Isagi Yoichi, and here I thought the Japanese people are well known for being hospitable; truly unsuitable."
"Ugh, what do you want, Hugo? Surely not to disturb me with your logic again. If you are, you'd better get out." Isagi tried his best to glare down at Hugo while he outright hissed those words towards him. Because one, who in the world would listen to a guy on what you should or should not do with your life? Definitely not Isagi. And two, he is very much sick and would not want to deal with whatever bullshit Hugo is throwing at him, or anyone, for that matter. But it looks like it didn't give the desired effect as Hugo's face remained unchanged, much to his disappointment.
"Believe it or not, I'm not here to disturb you by talking about my philosophy on destiny. That is only on the field Isagi Yoichi. If you didn't disrupt me while I was explaining myself, we wouldn't even be wasting our time here outside." Isagi flushed in embarrassment a little bit after that comment, but it was quickly covered by his fever. All the while Hugo gave him the most deadpan stare ever.
"So why are you here then? better spit it out before I shut this door, I don't have all day as I'm clearly sick." He really didn't have the energy or the patience to deal with Hugo at this time of day; he could be enjoying watching his favorite movie in bed while he rests, or maybe eating some kintsuba. Or literally anything but this. But no, fate decided it would be a great idea to fuck up his day by having to deal with the most annoying person to ever exist, adding that with a headache already forming.
"I don't want to be here either, but I was suddenly tasked to take care of you for the time being. Because apparently, your teammates are too busy to step up and try to check in on you. Call it a cruel twist of fate Isagi Yoichi, and it's the fact that Ego didn't even care, as it has nothing to do with soccer."
What the fuck.
Isagi thinks this is a nightmare. This is definitely a nightmare. As he goes up and gapes like a fish on land towards Hugo, he steps aside to let him in before his brain catches up on what he's doing. Hugo was surprised but let himself in anyway, already looking around the room. It was a fairly spacious room, as it could accommodate up to 1-3 people inside, with small couches to the side, a small dining table, and a bathroom installed. He sat down, trying to get himself comfortable while Isagi kept staring at him, horrified.
"Are you going to sit down? Or are you just gonna keep staring at me like I've grown two heads?" Hugo scoffed, but there was no real bite in it, as he kept muttering under his breath about unsuitability and destiny. Honestly, for someone who claims he doesn't talk about his philosophy everywhere he goes, he's doing the same thing right now and it annoys Isagi to the core.
He had to mentally slap himself to get back to reality as he tried his best to sit down across from Hugo. It was really weird to see him here other than on the field; they tend to go on each other's throats a lot, so them being civil towards each other is out of the question after their match. There was a few moments of awkwardness between the two, but It was Isagi who broke it.
"*Sigh* So, why did you willingly agree to take care of me? We both know you can just deny it." Isagi refuses to acknowledge that Hugo actually agreed to this absurd task unless there was an ulterior motive. Because a literal New Gen 11 taking care of Isagi Yoich?! Oh, the scandals it would get on the internet if anyone found out.
"Correction: I was forced to agree Isagi Yoichi, the higher-ups told me to 'bond' with you, because they got tired of us trying to kill each other on the pitch. And if we refused we won't play in the upcoming matches."
By 'killing each other, ' what they meant is them going at each other's throats, resulting in yellow cards, throwing vulgar insults towards each other that could make a grown man cry, and getting benched by their coaches during the duration of the match. It was quite humiliating for both teams to have their key players act out like that, but even more so for Blue Lock because they lost by a two-point difference of 4-2 against France.
For the people watching in the stands, it looked like a circus act, but for both teams, it looked like going to war. With muskets and katanas going head to head in a heated battle, blood spilled, staining the field with the corpses of the players. Philosophies getting utterly crushed. Of course, this was only a metaphorical imagery between the players, but their efforts and struggles were real.
"What?! So Ego truly didn't care about this at all and just agreed!?" Isagi is quite literally horrified at this information. And it looks like Hugo is enjoying his reaction way too much, if the glint in his void-like eyes says anything about it.
"I already told you this when I first came in. You heard me the first time, or do you go deaf when you get sick? How unsuitable Isagi Yoichi." He is definitely teasing him, which made Isagi pissed off even more.
"If your only purpose here is to piss me off, I won't hesitate to kick you out!" Honestly, Isagi just wanted to get a proper rest so he would be prepared for the stupid interview next week. So he's trying to end this interaction as quickly as possible. It was already bad enough that both Hugo and he didn't see eye to eye, both on and off the field. But to the point that the higher-ups had to get involved to fix their issues? It is truly too much. To top it all off, if they didn't get along, they wouldn't even be able to play. At this point, he just wishes someone or something would kill him to end this terrible nightmare.
"I will get out once I finish taking your temperature, because I'm sure you haven't Isagi Yoichi. Truly unsuitable."
Isagi wanted to protest, but his mouth closed shut, as he soon realized that he really hadn't checked his temperature ever since his fever started; only taken the medicine immediately when he felt unwell. Hugo took this as confirmation, and he took out a thermometer from the small bag he was carrying. He shoved it into Isagi's mouth, much to the grumbling protests of the teen, but soon shuts up when he felt a cold hand on his forehead.
"You're burning up." Hugo said it matter-of-factly, and Isagi had to physically recoil from the touch because of how startlingly cold his hand was.
"Dude, your hand is so cold."
"I get that a lot."
They both waited in silence for the thermometer to do its job, when they heard the beeping sound; Isagi took it out of his mouth immediately. To his surprise, it was 38.7 C°, this was already considered higher than usual. But it was the fact that this temperature was equivalent to putting someone in the hospital.
"Looks like I was right judging by your expression, you did not check your temperature. Quite unsuitable."
"Shut up, and get out. You already did your job, and I drank some medicine beforehand too. So you can take your destiny bullshit somewhere else. Goodbye!" Isagi was practically pushing Hugo out of the door, before he could even say anything, Isagi had already shut the door in his face.
Hugo just scoffed and walked back to his room, with a rare smile on his face. You truly are an intriguing creature. I wonder what fate has in store for us, Yoichi. Looks like things would be interesting for him from here on out, and he will enjoy it to the fullest.
Meanwhile, Isagi was flushing furiously to the tip of his ears as he locked his door and dove into his bed. He was pissed that Hugo went up and ruined his day, but at the same time embarrassed for not even doing the primary thing when you have a fever.
"Ugh whatever, I'll just sleep this off. Stupid fever." He knows this wouldn't be the last time that the both of them will interact and collide with each other, so he hopes that at least he should get better quicker.