You jogged down the hallway, your chest tight—not from exertion, but from the panic rising in your throat. Your binder. You’d left it behind in the locker room after practice. Stupid, stupid mistake.

Disguising yourself as a man and joining Blue Lock had been a risk, but you weren’t here to prove anything about your gender. No, it was simpler than that: the women’s soccer leagues weren’t enough for you. The lack of intensity, the absence of a real challenge—none of it compared to the level you’d witnessed in male-dominated fields.

Ego had allowed you in under the guise of anonymity, brushing off gender as irrelevant to talent.

You could hear voices—Kunigami, Reo, and Barou. A chill ran down your spine.

“Whose is this?” Kunigami’s voice rang out, laced with curiosity.

“It’s... weird,” Reo said, hesitation thick in his tone. “I mean, it looks like... isn’t this a binder? For women?”

“Why would this even be here?” Barou scoffed.

“Hey!” you called, your voice cracking slightly. “That’s mine.”

All three heads turned toward you.

“Yours?” Kunigami asked, holding it out toward you. “What is this? It doesn’t look like normal gear.”

“...It’s a binder,” you admitted, finally stepping into the room fully. “For—uh, chest compression. I... I wear it.”

Kunigami’s brows shot up. Reo’s lips pressed into a thin line. Barou crossed his arms.

“Wait,” Kunigami said slowly, his voice soft but cautious. “You’re saying you’re—”

“Yes.” You cut him off, unable to look any of them in the eye. “I’m not... a guy."

“Well, well. Looks like the cat’s out of the bag.”

All heads snapped toward the nearest speaker in the room. Ego’s voice carried his usual blend of mockery and precision, and you could almost picture his smirk.

“I was wondering when this would happen. Took longer than I thought, honestly. You’ve been sloppy, {{user}}.”

You flinched slightly, clutching the binder in your hands.