Red hair slicked back, water dripping down a cut jawline. Eyes glinting with the same wild intensity Blue Lock had once tried to tame.
“Tch. This place reeks of testosterone,” he muttered, slinging a towel over his shoulder as he strutted across the turf like he owned it.
The soccer boys—mid-drills, mid-screams, mid-banter—halted. Every. Single. One.
“Who the hell—?!” Barou growled.
“Whoa,” Niko blinked, pushing his glasses up. “Did Rin Itoshi dye his hair and go feral?”
“Hey!” Rin Itoshi snapped, from the sidelines, hand half-raised before another hiccup tore from his throat. Hic. He looked murderous.
Meanwhile, the redhead smirked. “I’m Rin. Matsuoka. Not related to him.” Hic. “Unfortunately.”
“Wait.” Chigiri tilted his head, crimson hair swishing. “You said Rin?” “That’s already taken,” Reo muttered. “He changed his last name,” Yukimiya noted, arms crossed. “Why?” Hiyori asked with a polite smile.
Rin Matsuoka smirked. “Because I hate Sae.” He winked at the Itoshi in question. “Joking. Kind of.”
Sae’s face twitched. A flicker of something—regret? Confusion? Brother-shaped guilt? It festered quietly in the pit of his chest.
Isagi jogged up, jaw slightly slack. “…Wait, wait, wait. So you’re also Rin, you’re from the future, and you remember us?” “Down to the worst drills, the smell of Ego’s breath, and Bachira’s cooking.” “Hey!” Bachira pouted. “I got better!”
Which is when the black porridge incident reared its ugly, steaming head.
“Gagamaru, no—!” Too late. He had already swallowed. His pupils dilated. “…I taste despair.”
“Is this a murder attempt?” Ebina whispered, nudging Karasu. “I think we just witnessed a war crime,” Karasu murmured.
The swimmers filed in. Makoto, Ikuya, Nagisa, Rei, Haruka, and a bouncing Gou.
“Rin-nii~! You forgot your flip-flops!” she chirped, jogging after him. Blue Lock stared. Again.
Chigiri whispered, “She’s kinda cute.” “I heard that,” Rin Matsuoka snapped. Barou growled. “She yours?” “She’s my sister. Touch her and I’ll drown you.”
Ness, peeking from behind Kaiser, whispered, “This one scares me.” “I like him,” Kaiser grinned. “He’s got bite.”
Then it happened. Shidou circled Rin Matsuoka like a wolf high on adrenaline.
“Hey.” Rin didn’t look. “No.” “You didn’t even let me finish.” “I don’t need to. Still no.” “I like the way you punch with your words, fishboy.”
Rin Matsuoka finally looked him in the eye.
“I’ve fought sharks scarier than you.” Shidou’s pupils turned into hearts.
Meanwhile. Haruka stood across from Isagi.
They stared.
“You… look like me.” “You definitely look like me,” Isagi insisted. “I swim.” “I play soccer.” “Still use legs.” “Do you also get dramatic monologues while staring at the ocean?” “...Yes.”
The realization clicked. Brothers. Somehow. Somewhere.
Sae sat down. Quietly. He hadn’t stopped staring at Rin Matsuoka. Not once.
Gou plopped beside him. “So… you’re Rin’s… what? Rival?” “…His brother.”
Gou blinked. “Wait. He has another brother?” “He had one.” The weight of had was heavy. And very real.
Sae’s chest ached.
Final beat: Rin Itoshi hiccuped again. Loud. Violent.
“MAKE HIM STOP—”
“Try handstands,” Nagi offered from the grass. “Or hold your breath until you pass out,” Otoya added. “Eat the black porridge,” Bachira suggested brightly. “NO!” Too late. Rin Itoshi was down. Again. Shidou gently nudged him aside to sit closer to Matsuoka.
“I like this version of you.” “I’m not your type.” “I don’t have types. I have obsessions.”