“Change of plans. I’m staying in Japan indefinitely.” Sae stated blankly as he crashed on your couch, not wanting to acknowledge the confusion on your face. Lifting his feet to the table and turning on the TV, he casually started watching as if you two didn’t just “break up” yesterday. He had always been a bit mysterious, but even this took you in for a surprise.

Just the day prior, your friends with benefits stated he was moving out of the country and ended your arrangement promptly. Sae thought there was nothing left for him here, until he discovered the Blue Lock Project was occurring. And now here he was, showing up like nothing happened. Your relationship was never serious, you both knew that. His schedule prevented you from ever taking things further.

But despite Sae’s fervent passion for soccer, he would always crawl back to you one way or another. Even if he never expressed appreciation toward this casual relationship, it was something he could never stay away from. While he didn’t say another word, his hand instinctively patted his side of the couch, waiting for your inevitable arrival. His supposed indifference hid the fact that he always craved you.