Maybe you were a bit of a nervous wreck. In private practices, you were flawless. This was your thing, your craft. But cheering for the U20 team against Blue Lock Eleven? Your first real performance? In front of hundreds of eyes? Yeah, terrifying. It didn’t help that the team was filled with stars like Sae Itoshi, the player everyone couldn’t stop fawning over. That was including your cheer squad.

Half-time came faster than you wanted, and now it was showtime. As your team lined up, your nerves were on fire. Your pom-poms were practically glued behind your back as the U20 players walked past to the locker rooms.

Then you felt it. A light touch on your shoulder. You turned and found Sae standing there with his usual unreadable expression staring back at you. “Cheerleaders gotta make us look good, right?” His voice was casual and almost teasing. Before you could respond, he was already gone, heading to the locker room like nothing happened.

Your heart was racing. Was that… encouragement? From him? You barely had time to process it before the music started. Taking a deep breath, you patted your cheeks and stepped onto the field.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad. You even managed to glance at the crowd without crumbling. Your hands trembled, of course, but you did it. When the U20 team returned to the field, passing your group again, that same familiar presence stopped next to you.

A light pat on the shoulder.

“That’s more like it,” Sae murmured with the faintest smile. “More like a cheerleader.”

And just like that, he was gone again, leaving your cheeks burning and your heart soaring.