Chapter Text
With a deep sigh and a heavy heart, Isagi enters his credit card information into the checkout page. Even for someone with a 7-figure annual salary, the resale prices for limited edition Noel Noa merch were no joke. If this were the offseason, he would have hopped on a plane to Japan for this particular merch collaboration without hesitation. Unfortunately, the season had just begun and he’d been swamped with media work on top of long hours of conditioning and training.
Isagi knows he could probably just ask the BM staff and they’d happily procure him a Noa plushie somehow. He vaguely remembers being briefed on the topic and approving some design of himself in the same collaboration.
Even so…! His pride as a Noa fan was at stake…!
Despite having just said that, looking at the listing in his cart makes him regret not abusing his position to get rare merch. It’s not the price that fills him with dread. No, if it were the price, he’d happily spend as much as it took to get such a hot-ticket item.
It also has nothing to do with the quality—although he does have a bone to pick with merch scalpers. The Noa plushie was in pristine condition, the seller having specified that it was only taken out of the plastic packaging once to take photos. Isagi clicks the ‘confirm payment’ button with more force than he needs to. Don’t buy it if you’re not going to fucking keep it!!
The real problem with this particular item was the fact that it wasn’t just one item. ‘Cannot be sold individually’ my ass, he glares at the screen.
Sitting next to the handsome, cute, charming, one-of-a-kind Noa plushie was another stuffed doll. Out of all the players the seller could have chosen to pair with Noa, did it have to fucking be this one? Even Ness would be better than that bastard, he thinks bitterly.
From the unnatural yellow-blue gradation in his hair to the signature red eyeliner, the plush really does look like a mini Kaiser. They’ve captured Kaiser’s smug face perfectly too, one side of his lips curling up into a familiar irritating smirk. And the tattoo pattern is some of the most intricate detailing he’s seen for a plush toy like this, not that he’s impressed or anything.
The accuracy of the plush to Kaiser’s actual appearance only makes it more annoying. Actually, maybe this could work… he could release stress by squeezing the lights out of the doll’s neck instead of getting in trouble for wringing the real Kaiser’s neck at practice. The thought of taking his anger out on the expensive Kaiser-shaped lump of cotton cheers him up, but he still winces thinking about the combined price of the dolls and international shipping. That was one expensive fucking stress ball.
Maybe he could list it secondhand for cheap instead and make some poor Kaiser fan happy. Isagi had been with Bastard for more than a year now, but he still couldn’t understand why Kaiser still had so many fans. If you were judging just based on appearance, of course he was objectively attractive… Isagi could at least admit to that. But then according to that logic, Noa should have a big female fanbase like Kaiser because he was just as attractive…
When he tried to make the same argument to a teammate in the locker room before practice, he was met with raucous laughter, and Kaiser was in an icy mood for the rest of the day. Was he really so conceited that he couldn’t even stand being compared to another person!? Isagi was calling both of them attractive!
If it were just looks, Kaiser being popular was a given. If it were just looks, Isagi might have become one of those fans himself. Sharp, striking eyes, a stoic exterior (when playing soccer at least), a bottomless pit of ego and a dedication to soccer that consumed every aspect of their life—in a way, Kaiser reflected all the things Isagi liked about Noa. Unfortunately, the same god who had bestowed those captivating looks onto Kaiser had also given him a mouth.
“Nee, those girls love his nasty personality,” another teammate had chimed in, reaching a bulky arm around Isagi’s shoulder to pull him closer. “But lately our emperor has been a bit less cold-hearted, especially when a certain someone is around~ I wonder why that is?”
Isagi had shoved the leering man off his shoulder, grumbling that he really didn’t get what those girls saw in him. He didn’t have the time or brainpower to spare to dwell on why his teammate’s troublesome teasing was directed towards himself, especially with their first game of the season coming up. It was true that Kaiser had mellowed out recently, especially when compared to his personality first going into Blue Lock. He never passed up the chance to provoke a reaction out of Isagi, but gone were the days of toying with and crushing opponents to humiliate them.
Isagi was surprised to realize that he and Kaiser could have normal conversations outside of practice, ones that didn’t end with wrinkled collars and tussled hair. Kaiser was unexpectedly… sincere, without the taunting and insults. He would answer almost everything Isagi asked him, albeit with a few jabs just to remind Isagi who he was talking to. During meetings, he would break down complicated phrases to Isagi who struggled with technical German vocabulary at first. He’d even let Isagi drag him to the team celebration after their Bundesliga win last season and congratulated him (under a heavy layer of sarcasm and thinly veiled snubs) for scoring one of the three goals that won them the league.
If only it weren’t for that damn mouth. It was like Kaiser needed to find some way to get a rise out of Isagi every time he opened said mouth or he would explode.
From behind the screen, the plushie Kaiser mirrors the real Kaiser’s annoying smirk, taunting him. With another weary sigh, Isagi closes his laptop and flops back onto his bed. It was no use getting annoyed when he wasn’t even here. He’d deal with the unwanted plushie after it actually gets to him. Hugging his worn shrimp plushie to his chest, Isagi lets the familiar comfort lull him to sleep.
By the time the package arrives five days later, Isagi had almost forgotten about it. He wrestles with the layers of tape wrapped snugly around the package, cursing the person who packed it. They were two stuffed dolls, not a fucking bomb. His irritation disappears the second he sees the Noa plushie. The serious, almost grim expression contrasting with the cute little body was just too much for his heart as a fan. This… this was something he could never let the real Noel Noa see him with. While part of him still revered Noa as a fan, as a current teammate and rival for the next World Cup, it was unbecoming to say the least.
He carefully zips the plushie into a clear case, making sure to angle the doll perfectly to capture its appeal. The case goes onto a shelf of soccer memorabilia he’s amassed throughout the years. His lips twitch at the way the adorable plush stands out against his otherwise serious display.
Glancing back to the box wipes the smile from his face. A streak of yellow hair taunts him from further inside. This is ridiculous. It’s just a cotton doll, he reminds himself. Reluctantly, he reaches into the box and takes out the mini Kaiser.
They used the wrong shade of blue for his eyes. His hair looked ridiculous on a doll. That haughty expression would make anyone want to chuck it at the nearest wall.
Even so…
Cuteeee! Isagi wants to scream. What is this cuteness?
An oversized head sitting atop a small, chubby body. A pair of round little eyes dotted with cartoonish highlights that sparkle with an almost tangible smugness. A small mouth shaped into a smirk paired with rosy blush marks dusting its soft cheeks. Stubby arms and legs reaching out as if asking for a hug.
It was undeniably cute. Isagi couldn’t stop himself from bringing the plush to his chest and squeezing aggressively. The soft exterior and perfect amount of squish was soothing to the soul…
Wait, what the hell was he doing!? Isagi rips the doll away from his chest like he’s been burned. The doll stares back at him innocently.
“Don’t get the wrong idea,” Isagi tells the doll very seriously. “I can’t think straight right now because I’m tired from conditioning week. It was just a stupid impulse.”
The doll doesn’t say anything.
“Ugh, why did they have to make you look so… Ahhhh, whatever! I didn’t buy you a case so stop looking at me like that. I don’t care if you get dirty, unlike Noa.”
“...”
“...”
Narrowing his eyes, Isagi quickly shoves the doll back into the cardboard box and kicks it under his bed.
“...”
Shit, why was he getting so worked up over a fucking plushie of all things? He should just forget about it and keep it under the bed until he moves to a new apartment. Out of sight, out of mind. He wouldn’t even have to go through the trouble of finding it a new owner if he forgot about it.
“.........”
It was more trouble than it was worth. He really should just forget about it.
Which is why he… finds himself on his knees pulling the box out and carefully taking the plushie out…?
The kick, although nowhere as powerful as an actual direct shot, had sent the doll flying to the side of the box. Its face was slightly squashed from the impact, and a thin layer of dust had settled over its body.
A wave of guilt washes over Isagi as he lightly pats it off and tugs the rosy cheeks back to their former roundness. The Kaiser plushie was innocent. He was just taking his own feelings about Kaiser out on the plush when it hadn’t done anything to him.
Taking a good look at the doll again, Isagi recalls a term Hiori mentioned in passing. He’d never understood the expression before, but the only way to describe his feelings right now really was “cute aggression.”
“Sorry-” Isagi pauses. “What should I call you?”
“Kaiser-plushie? Hmm, that’s too long. I’ll just call you Kaiser and I’ll call that bastard ‘Big Kaiser’, or ‘Kaiser Number Two.’ Ha! That would piss him off if he ever found out.”
He looks back down at the plushie, pushing away any more thoughts of the doll’s muse.
“Sorry, Kaiser.”
No, that wasn’t quite right either.
“Mi-hya-el…? That’s too complicated. And too formal.”
Isagi thinks back to the exhibition match team Japan and Germany had played for charity last summer, the high-pitched screams coming from Kaiser’s fans… What had they called him again?
“Mi… Mihya? Hmm, not bad. It fits.”
Isagi knows he would probably get tested for doping if anyone saw him talking to a stuffed doll like this, but somewhere in his heart he knows the doll agrees with him.
“Mihya, huh? I still don’t have a spot for you though.”
He pushes his shrimp plushie closer to his pillow to make room for Mihya.
“You can stay with Ebi-san for now. If you fall off while I’m sleeping it’s your fault. You’ll be cold and I won’t pick you up until I wake up in the morning… So don’t fall off, okay?”
Mihya doesn’t respond, but somehow the smug grin is beginning to look more playful than provoking.
After a week of intense training, Isagi is more than ready to call it an early night so he quickly gets ready for bed. Teeth freshly brushed and clothes changed, he gets in some quick stretches before flicking off the lights from his bed.
As his eyelids grow heavy, he can’t help but feel something different in the air, an unfamiliar warmth in the darkness, as if the emptiness of the room wasn’t so lonely anymore.
“...Good night, Mihya.”
Everything was somehow Ness’ fault.
It all started when Ness, who frequently updates his social media accounts, posted a picture of his meal at some fancy gourmet cafe. ‘Meal’ was being pretty generous. It was just a large assortment of German pastries that their trainer would definitely scold him for later. Not that Isagi would purposefully use the post to get him in trouble or anything. Unlike Ness, Isagi was one of the members who management had to beg to post anything on his accounts. He’d just happened to be mindlessly scrolling through his phone while cooling down on the treadmill.
Normally, Isagi would have scrolled past the pointless post while cursing the fact that he’d been forced to follow Ness by management and told to use him as an “example” for someone with a large online presence. That day, however, the decadent pastries had caught his eye and he clicked on the cafe that Ness tagged in the post.
It was near the city center, inside of some high-end shopping complex only a twenty-minute trip away. Other posts tagging the cafe showed off the confiserie’s wide selection of sweets. Prinzregenten torte, Herren torte, the classic Schwarzwälder Kirsch torte… Isagi felt his self-control dwindle with every scroll. It wouldn’t hurt to have one cheat day, right? Even Ness had broken their strict meal plan for these cakes.
He’s about to close out of the app when another post catches his eye. Isagi would recognize those shark-like teeth and side braids anywhere. But the size was all wrong. Is that… a Kurona plushie? He taps on the picture. It is a Kurona plushie, from the same collaboration he’d gotten his Noa plushie and Mihya from. Kurona also looks adorable in plushie form, and Isagi feels a faint smile tug at his lips despite himself.
Other than the fingers holding the plush, the owner of the account is nowhere to be seen in the photo dump. Instead, the mini Kurona is the center of attention in all of the pictures. There’s a picture of him standing next to a slice of cake bigger than his body, one where he’s leaning against a fork like he was about to eat the meal on the table, one of him in front of the cafe’s main entrance, and in another photo, one where he’s next to another plushie.
Upon closer inspection, the other plushie is none other than Ness. It seems that the owner of the account had gone out to eat with another person, the one holding the second plushie with the off-putting smile. Ness and Kurona? Isagi racks his brain, recounting the previous season. Were Ness and Kurona close? They’d never been at each other’s throats like he and Kaiser were during the Neo Egoist League, but he didn’t think they were particularly close either.
Maybe it was similar to the way he and Kaiser were always marketed together since he’d signed with Bastard (much to Ness’ displeasure). Joint interviews, photoshoots, social media campaigns, commercials—Isagi was all too familiar with being paired up with the blonde for the club’s PR. Watching some of them, seeing how the footage painted a picture of him and Kaiser actually getting along well sent an uneasy prickle down his spine. It may not have seemed like it to the public, but he and Kaiser weren’t that close. And yet, deep down, he couldn’t help but wish it were at least a bit true…
Isagi shuts that can of worms and sends it flying a hundred yards away from him. Even a can the size of his head would look like a speck of dust with a soccer field between them. He had no time to wrestle with these frustrating emotions during the season, and no desire to confront them honestly.
Mini Ness and Kurona stare back at him from his phone screen. Ness in particular looks like he knows the source of Isagi’s troubled thoughts, and his amused expression seems to be gloating over his misery.
I didn’t know oshi culture was popular in Germany too, Isagi thinks as he taps on the account. From what he could see, they were a big fan of Kurona and only posted about Kurona or Bastard. Sprinkled among the pictures showing off copious amounts of merchandise (Isagi shivers remembering how crazy BLTV sales had gotten) are pictures of the Kurona plushie taken around Munich. Isagi was never really close to any girls in high school, but even he remembers hearing furious whispered conversations between classes about buying albums and seeing character keychains and stuffed dolls hanging off of schoolbags.
Of course, there are also some pretty crazy Noa fans. He had a pretty decent collection of Noa goods himself, but some of the posts he’d seen online while looking for clips of Noa had made him bite his nails in jealousy. Now that he was playing to knock Noa out of his number one spot, collecting merch isn’t as important to him anymore. Still, his admiration as a fan hadn’t disappeared and it was nice to have something to show for it.
One of the recent posts shows the Kurona plush in front of the familiar white backdrop of the Allianz Arena. Oh, so they really were a local fan who also came to watch games. Isagi swipes to see the second picture and freezes. It was a group photo with a few other people holding up their plushies in front of the arena, but that isn’t what had caught his eye. It was the Kaiser plushie in the photo, which looked identical to his except for one thing. Namely, the fluffy blue cloak resting on its head complete with cat ears and tied together with a big bow.
The outfit grabs at Isagi’s heart and Kaiser Impacts it into the stratosphere. He gets it now, the carefully handmade clothes and small accessories that fans like to dress their nuigurumi in. It was all for the sake of enhancing their cuteness…!
He glances around quickly to make sure nobody can see his screen, and registers a new account with a blank profile. Finding the owner of the other Kaiser plushie is easy, and he immediately follows them. He takes his time scrolling through the account, admiring the effort they put into dressing the doll and the photoshoots that definitely didn’t look like they were taken by an amateur.
Shots of the mini Kaiser in front of famous tourist spots and next to fancy dishes made it almost seem like he was traveling with the owner of the account like a friend would.
“Kaiser came with me to see the Neuschwanstein Castle! How fitting for an emperor ^_^”
“Brandenburg Gate at night with Kaiser! You can barely see him lol”
“Today I made Kaiser’s favorite food, some homemade rusks! They were a bit too big for him at first so I cut them smaller…”
“Kaiser’s first time on a plane, I think his hair is the exact same color as the sky lol”
“Afternoon tea with Kaiser, Ness, and Isagi! Matching outfits with @bundesliebe and @spielmacherin_11”
The last post shows the three dolls leaning against a fancy three-tiered tower laden with mini sandwiches and sweets. They’re wearing the classic light blue kindergarten smock complete with bright yellow hats and pouches. The nametags even have the hiragana carefully stitched into them. It’s embarrassing to see himself in such a childish uniform as a twenty-year-old, but somehow it works with the cute, ageless faces of the plushies.
In the second picture they had swapped out the baby clothes for the normal Bastard München uniform, but the dolls are wearing lacy headbands with different animal ears attached to them. Kaiser’s is a cat again, Ness has dog ears, and Isagi has rabbit ears. Isagi holds back the laugh that attempts to escape him at the choice of animals. Ness being a dog was a given, but Kaiser being a cat is surprisingly fitting. He was always doing something on his own like a cat, and the way his pupils narrowed when he was immersed in a game was very cat-like.
Isagi thinks the lace is too much but something like a hat for Mihya would be nice. He’d also seen onesies for plushies with animal ears that were more plain compared to the outfits decorated with ribbons and frills… But it would be embarrassing if someone were to find them in his room. Playing dress up with dolls at his age? The outfits were so cute though… He flicks through a couple more accounts showing off their own Kaiser dolls, each one more elaborate than the last.
Kaiser’s female fanbase was no joke. Isagi thinks back to his teammates’ teasing in the locker room. Did Kaiser really have a ‘certain someone’? The girls who shared pictures of themselves surrounded by his merch were all stunning, some even being pretty public figures like models, reporters, and influencers. In Kaiser’s case, his inactivity on social media did nothing to lessen his online presence among fans. He was frequently spotted with high-profile women as well, like famous young actresses and other celebrities.
Isagi sulks. If other well-known people could shamelessly post pictures with their Kaiser dolls, then why should he have to worry about Mihya? Acting on impulse, he quickly sends a message to the first account he followed.
‘Hi, where did you get those clothes for the doll from?’
The moment he hits 'send,' he feels the regret wash over him. What was he thinking? Just having Mihya was embarrassing enough. Face burning, he quickly deletes the message and shuts the app in embarrassment. It was about time for him to head home anyway.
As he refills his bottle from the gym’s water dispenser, he’s approached by the last person he wants to see right now.
“Leaving already, Yoichi?”
“Yes, I finished cooling down.”
He avoids eye contact with Kaiser, the memory of seeing his doll form in anything from a piece of sushi to a sexy nurse costume too fresh in his mind.
“Did you forget to cool down properly again? Your face is too red for someone who’s ‘cooled down.’ We wouldn’t want a repeat of your overheating, would we?”
“That was years ago,” Isagi bites back, staring holes into the dispenser instead of looking up. “I’m not a kid anymore, I can take care of myself.”
“Getting distracted by your phone during cooldowns isn’t taking care of yourself.”
Ugh, he saw that? Isagi can only pray that he hadn’t made any weird faces while looking through those pictures. With every passing second the water from the dispenser inches dangerously closer to filling the bottle, like sand slipping away through the neck of an hourglass.
“I wasn’t distracted…”
Kaiser scoffs. “You were fawning over your phone like a teenage girl. It was so obvious.”
“What!?” Isagi feels the blush creep up his neck, making it even more apparent that the flush wasn’t from the workout.
"So? Were you really able to cool down properly with your eyes glued to your phone like that? What’s so interesting, Yoichi? Now you’ve got me curious."
Water spills from the top of the now completely full bottle, rivulets streaming down Isagi’s fingers. The wetness on his palms isn’t just from the water.
“I…”
“Spit it out.”
“I… I’m going to the other studio to meditate! I’ll see you at practice tomorrow!”
“Hey! Yoichi!”
Isagi ignores the blonde’s frustrated yells from behind him, sprints past the studio doors and heads straight for the side exit.
His hands are dry by the time he arrives at his apartment, but the flush hasn’t disappeared. Fuck, how could he leave his guard down and let Kaiser of all people see him like that? He throws his bag on the couch and grabs a clean towel. A long bath was the perfect thing to take his mind off Kaiser.
The bath doesn’t fully erase Kaiser from his thoughts, but it leaves him feeling much more relaxed. As he now lounges on the bed next to Mihya, he notices a new message notification pop up from the app he’d closed out of earlier. That was weird, he hadn’t enabled messages on his official accounts.
‘hello! most of the accessories i bought, the clothes are half-and-half. i sew custom outfits if i can’t find something i like online! was there a particular outfit you were interested in? i can send you the store link if it’s not something i made ^^’
Isagi almost drops his phone in shock. Hadn’t he deleted the message right after he sent it? How could the account have responded? Shit, it must have only deleted the message on his end.
He couldn’t…. Could he?
His fingers hover over the new message button for a good minute before he musters up enough courage (or insanity) to respond.
‘Thank you for responding. Was the costume in your second to last post handmade?’
He gets a response back right away, the notification startling a flinch out of him.
‘the angel costume? i bought the wing attachments and halo headband online but the robes are just scrap fabric i had leftover ^^’
‘Thank you. Sorry for the inconvenience but may I have the links for the accessories?’
‘you’re so formal haha, of course i can find them for you’
‘don’t hesitate to message if you have any more questions! if you don’t mind me asking, are you a new fan?’
Isagi hesitates. Wouldn’t it be better just to pretend he was a clueless new fan…? He feels bad for lying to “mihya_madchen” but her assumption provided him the perfect cover in case she asked any more questions about him.
‘Yes, I am new to this.’
Well, technically that isn’t a lie.
‘omg! i’m glad it sounds like u were able to get a plushie, those scalpers are crazy;;’
So everyone really had been affected by those damn secondhand sellers.
Isagi sends back a sticker of a crying bear.
‘It was hard to find a seller’
‘i know right? here, i found the links for the wings and halo’
‘are you planning to take pictures? you should totally post them if you do’
Pictures? Isagi didn’t want to take Mihya out and have to wash him, but the thought was tempting. He wouldn’t even need to dress Mihya up or anything, a quick picture as a keepsake would be enough. If he’s careful about not showing any personal information, he could just hide behind the anonymity of a new account. And if it’s too risky, he could just set it to private.
He finds another sticker in the same pack, with the bear giving a thumbs up, to send as a reply.
Armed with the links and new knowledge, Isagi spends a bit too much time looking at clothes for dolls and makes a reservation for a private table at the café. If his usual "Good night, Mihya" sounds a little brighter than usual, well... he'd never admit it.
Isagi wonders what his life has come to as he puts on a mask, a cap, and nonprescription glasses, checking his reflection to see if his disguise holds up. He’s usually mistaken as a college student, or even a high schooler when he goes out in his normal clothes.
(The second one hurts his pride a little. He’s a perfectly average height for someone his age, you could even argue that he’s taller than average in Japan!)
Ness calls his usual clothes ‘unfashionable’ and ‘childish’, but Isagi couldn’t care less. He’ll keep wearing his favorite UNIQLO hoodie until the world ended. Or at least until it shrinks in the wash.
The glasses are a bit overkill, but Isagi would rather die than have anyone find out what he’s about to do. When he’s satisfied with the look, he makes the final preparations to go out.
“Sorry Mihya, it’ll be a bit stuffy but this is the only way I can bring you without looking suspicious…”
He gently places Mihya into a paper shopping bag he had left over from a recent trip to an outlet, where he’d bought a gift for his mom’s birthday. Kaiser and Ness had actually been the ones to help him pick out the gift—a sleek designer bag that wasn’t too flashy or plain. It went without saying that they’d made fun of him the entire time about his lack of knowledge on buying gifts for girls.
The nasty grin on Kaiser’s face had been reminiscent of the way he looked during their first meeting. “You should thank your benevolent seniors for sharing their wisdom with you, Yoichii~”
“Advice from guys like Kaiser doesn’t usually come free,” Ness had cooed, voice dripping with mock sincerity. “You should use it well when you get a girlfriend. Oh wait, that might be too high-level for baby Yoichi~”
“That’s right, baby Maus Yoichi should stick to soccer. If by some miracle you did get a girlfriend and got distracted by her, I’d devour your pathetic plays in an instant~”
Isagi had to bite down the usual response battle in the end because Iyo ended up loving the gift. Now, the shopping bag is the perfect vessel to transport Mihya to the café without arousing suspicion.
Everything falls apart when he makes it to the café.
“Reservation for Isagi Yoichi?”
Shit! Had he really been so sleep deprived from looking at doll clothes that he’d forgotten to use a fake name for the reservation?
A couple of onlookers peer curiously at him, and he pulls the cap lower on his face.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I’ll show you to your table,” the waiter says, gesturing for him to follow. He pauses, glancing pointedly at the bag in Isagi’s hand. “By the way, we have another private room for two available if you’d like to adjust your reservation.”
For one horrifying split second, Isagi freezes. Was the waiter somehow able to see Mihya through the bag? Was his career over?
But then his logic kicks in and his blood pressure returns to normal levels. It must have looked look like he was bringing a gift for someone else, like this was a… date… or something.
“No!!! I mean, um, sorry. I don’t need to change the reservation, thank you.”
He offers a nervous smile to the waiter, mentally kicking himself. The waiter gives him a polite, if mildly confused, nod back and leads him to a secluded booth tucked away from the main dining area.
“If you need anything, please use the tablet to contact the staff. We hope you have an enjoyable dining experience.”
Only after the waiter disappears from his vision does Isagi allow himself to let out the breath he’s been holding. He’d been looking at the layout of the café since earlier, and this table was at the perfect angle so that he could see anyone approaching before they’d notice him. Even so, he strains his ears just to be safe, and even sneaks a peek down the walkway to confirm he’s alone. Once he confirms the coast is clear, Isagi reaches into the bag and pulls Mihya out, placing him on the plush bench beside him.
“I’ll have to hide you again when the food comes,” he murmurs, patting Mihya’s soft head. “But for now, you can sit here.”
The way Mihya’s small body takes up less than a tenth of the large bench tugs at Isagi’s chest. He couldn’t resist snapping a picture. Maybe he should start a photo album. Is this parenthood?
Opening the tablet, Isagi is momentarily distracted by the dazzling photos of the desserts but gets immediately dragged back to the harsh reality that is his strict athlete diet. He compromises and picks out one slice of cake and a tart instead of all of them, and even throws in a salad with extra chicken breast, dressing on the side. Balance.
As soon as the food arrives, Isagi gently tucks Mihya back into the bag. But the moment the waiter is out of sight, he pulls him out again and places him back in his spot like nothing had happened.
How did those accounts take all those nui pictures again? Isagi scrolls through a few on his phone, carefully studying the placement and the overall vibe of the photos. Determined, he adjusts his own dishes, moving them around the table in an attempt to recreate the atmosphere.
Mihya sits proudly between two elegant plates of dessert (the salad is pushed to the side). To his left, the Prinzregenten torte’s dark chocolate glaze gleams under the café lighting, held up by delicate layers of sponge cake and chocolate buttercream. On his right, perfectly arranged strawberries sit on top of a vanilla cream-filled tartlet base. Isagi leans back and fiddles with the angle of his phone until everything looks just right, then snaps a series of photos in rapid succession.
He kind of gets it now, why people find this so fun. It almost feels like going out to eat with a friend… except the “friend” is mass produced felt that was stuffed with cotton.
Like this, he can almost pretend that it’s Kaiser he’s eating with.
The thought makes him lower his phone with a heavy sigh. How pathetic could he get, using Mihya as a replacement for Kaiser? But it wasn’t like he had any other options. Kaiser never accepted invitations from anyone to eat or hang out with outside of practice. The only exception was Ness. That unexpectedly serious, soccer-obsessed nature of his was one of the rare things Isagi liked about him. At the same time, he couldn’t help but hate it. It was just another reason Kaiser would never agree to go out with him.
Isagi stabs a crisp piece of lettuce with his fork and takes an angry bite. What was his problem? For someone who’d been on the team this long, he had to feel some connection with them, right? His teammates were more than used to Kaiser’s terrible attitude and always let him off the hook with a resigned shrug, but Isagi knew they all cared about their prickly emperor in their own way. And yet, Kaiser always kept everyone at a perfectly tattooed arm’s length.
Whatever. He wasn’t going to let Kaiser ruin his day off, especially not when he had these desserts to eat. Sugar could fix anything. He takes small bites, savoring the luxurious taste of the gourmet sweets as they melt on his tongue. That’s right, there was no need to dwell on these frustrating feelings. All he has to do this season is devour Kaiser, Noa, and everything else about German soccer. He should be studying Kaiser’s evolved playstyle, not his social habits. And if he still had any lingering weird emotions, he could always use Mihya as a distraction.
Isagi hums as he finishes the meal, sweet tooth satisfied and feeling a weight off his shoulders.
He glances down at Mihya and gives him an apologetic look as he reaches for the bag.
“Just until we get home,” he promises, carefully tucking him away.
The rest of the day feels lighter somehow, the happiness from the trip sticking with him even after he gets home. Back in his room, he sets Mihya on his bed and scrolls through the photos from earlier. They turned out even better than he had expected. Mihya looks good next to the fancy desserts. It was a shame he couldn’t get a better picture of him with the beautiful architecture inside the shopping center, but it wasn’t bad for his first time.
In his excitement, he uploads the pictures to the blank account with no caption, no tags, and still a default profile picture. Just having somewhere to put them feels weirdly satisfying. He’s already thinking about where to take Mihya next while he does his routine weight training in the evening.
Curled up in bed that night, he finally gives in and puts his shrimp plush to the side. After staring at the wall for longer than he’s willing to admit, he finally reaches out to tug Mihya to his chest instead. Face burning, he tells himself it’s just for tonight.
Tonight’s “Good night Mihya” is a bit harder to get out than usual.
Something has been off about Yoichi lately. No matter what Kaiser does to get a reaction out of him, no matter how many buttons he pushes, he barely reacts. Gone are the hissy fits and glares and heated comebacks. Instead, he seems… distracted.
If it was bad enough to affect his soccer, Kaiser would have intervened the second he showed a shitty mediocre play.
But no, despite the goofy smile on his face as he looks at his phone when he thinks nobody is looking, his form has never looked more perfect. On the field, he moves with pinpoint accuracy, blindsiding their opponents with every calculated action. He tears across the pitch like a demon, movements sharp and as unpredictable as ever. A last-minute play sees him and Ness coordinate in one rare, begrudging moment of teamwork to carry their team to another win.
Kaiser’s eyebrow twitches, annoyance stemming from somewhere other than the fact that he and Yoichi had scored the same number of goals today. What the hell was going on with him?
After the match, his shitty teammates make a fuss about heading out for drinks like they always do. Yoichi joins them more often than not, but today he declines with an apologetic smile.
“Maybe another time.”
“Come on, we can’t have the man of the match skip out on our celebration!”
“He was hardly the man of the match,” Ness says dryly, peeling off his jersey.
“You should join us too, Ness! That last play was great!”
“No thank you.”
“Alas, a spirit of disunity has come over our team. A depressing occurrence of the highest caliber. Is it perhaps my presence that has contributed to this division? I can only sincerely apologize-”
“Shut up, Grim.”
Yoichi slips past everyone in the chaos. Kaiser silently follows him with his eyes as he prepares to leave the locker room.
He doesn’t know why, but he moves to follow the disappearing twin leaves on the top of Yoichi’s head.
Nobody has left the locker room except for Yoichi, so it’s just the two of them in the hall leading to the main exit. Kaiser almost calls out to him but hesitates at the last second. His lips part, but no sound comes out.
He’s left awkwardly reaching his arm out to an empty space. It was as if his body had moved on instinct, trying to stop Yoichi from leaving. Why did he care so much?
Out of all the people in Yoichi’s life, Kaiser was probably the one who cared the least about hurting or offending him. He’s never hesitated to let Yoichi know exactly what he thought. But now, he can’t help but feel as if something between them has changed. Now, it’s not Yoichi that he’s afraid will get hurt, it’s… himself? The thought makes his stomach churn.
His hand drops to his side. Yoichi is long gone.
“Kaiser?”
The sound of his name jolts him back to reality. How long had he been standing here? He whips his head around, startled to find Ness standing beside him, both of their bags slung over his shoulder.
He’s watching Kaiser closely. “Are you going home? You left your bag behind in the locker room.”
“I was… heading home.” Kaiser curses the hesitance in his voice. Get it together, Michael.
“Don’t make leaving your things behind a habit,” Ness says, handing him the sports bag.
“Yeah, yeah,” Kaiser mutters. He runs a hand through his hair as they fall into a familiar pace together to the parking lot. Would it be crazy to ask if Ness knew anything about Yoichi’s weird behavior lately? Like if he’d been meeting with anyone outside of practice or something. He weighs the pros and cons of revealing his true inner thoughts to Ness. Pro: more information on Yoichi. Con: institutionalization.
Ness glances at him from the side again, frowning slightly. “Is everything alright? You seemed a bit… out of it today.”
Kaiser almost freezes again but forces himself to keep walking like normal. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m fine.”
“You played like usual, but there’s something on your mind, isn’t it?”
“I said, I’m fine.” Kaiser prides himself on the steadiness of his voice, calm despite the war inside his head.
Ness stops walking. Kaiser feels a drop of sweat slide down his neck at the awkward silence. Finally, Ness speaks again.
“…Is this a Yoichi thing?”
His gaze pierces through Kaiser almost like he can read everything on his mind. No, maybe he was a mind reader.
“What does he have to do with anything?”
Ness shrugs, but the look in his eyes says that he knows something Kaiser doesn’t. “No reason. Just… you’ve been different lately.”
The words hit heavier than Kaiser wants to admit. Ness is the closest person to him on the team, without a question. Kaiser has had more than enough time to study Ness’ psyche, having been partners for years. But it goes both ways. Ness is probably able to pick him apart just as much. For him to tell Kaiser that he’s changed, it holds quite a bit of weight.
Like the conversation had never happened, Ness starts off at the same pace again. Kaiser is left behind, still deep in thought.
Ness looks over his shoulder, rolling his eyes at the sight of Kaiser’s expression. “If you’re really fine, then hurry up. It’s cold.”
Kaiser can only stare at him. The old Ness would never have even dreamed of talking back to him like this. Was he getting that attitude from Yoichi?
Ness starts chattering away like usual from the driver’s seat. Kaiser tunes him out, staring out the window as the city rushes by in a blur of lights. He knows he should be reviewing the match with it so fresh in his mind, but his thoughts continue to spiral for the rest of the night even after Ness drops him off.
Yoichi makes no damn sense. The way his face is always buried in his phone ticks Kaiser off, even though the logical part of his brain knows it’s none of his business. Who was he talking to? Who was making him smile like that?
Why wasn’t Yoichi looking at him?
The irrational question eats at him, and for the first time in a while Kaiser has trouble falling asleep. He curses the source of his inexplicable agony under his breath, unable to shut of his thoughts as he tosses and turns in bed. After what feels like hours, he gives up completely on getting a good night’s rest.
At least it’s afternoon practice tomorrow, he thinks bitterly, staring up at the ceiling. He’s definitely waking up late.
【 FOOTBALL LEAKS | Misc. | Fan Discussion 】Ran into Isagi today??
<001> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 11:57:19 [Report]
Guys, I’m being so serious I swear on my life I’m at a cafe with my friend and we just saw Isagi Yoichi from Bastard walk in
<002> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:06:03 [Report]
and then you woke up
<003> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:08:18 [Report]
Bait used to be believable.
<001> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:10:29 [Report]
Y’all I’m being serious! I even have the pics my friend took
<004> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:13:47 [Report]
Taking pictures of someone without them knowing is creep behavior.
<002> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:15:02 [Report]
stop the dickriding, he’s a celeb, he’s used to it
<004> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:16:38 [Report]
Even if he’s a celebrity that’s kind of weird, why would you even need a photo like that?
<005> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:19:22 [Report]
for proof, duh
<006> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:27:38 [Report]
op where are the pictures?
<002> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:29:49 [Report]
pics or it’s fake (like everything else on here)
<001> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:31:04 [Report]
You guys didn’t believe me but now you’re eager for pictures?
<007> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:32:37 [Report]
just put the pics in the imgur bro
<008> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:33:04 [Report]
^^
<003> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:33:29 [Report]
^^
<009> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:34:18 [Report]
lmao
<010> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:35:57 [Report]
op we’re waitinggg
<001> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:36:41 [Report]
You’re all showing your true colors now lolol
<001> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:39:25 [Report]
link You’re welcome btw
<002> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:42:36 [Report]
holy shit
<006> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:42:51 [Report]
>>001
oh my god I couldn’t tell in the first pic bc of the hat but the second pic is 100% him
<008> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:43:27 [Report]
is that chanel on the bag?
<004> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:43:36 [Report]
You should take this down
<002> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:43:58 [Report]
oh my god do you ever get tired from bouncing on it
<002> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:44:09 [Report]
>>008
also yeah it’s blurry but that’s the chanel logo
<005> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:45:12 [Report]
does he have a gf? i’ve never seen him with designer shit before
<009> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:46:20 [Report]
Did op just leak Isagi’s gf?
<003> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:46:52 [Report]
who do we think the gf is
<011> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:48:03 [Report]
remember the pictures from last year? he def had something going on with that japanese girl on that women’s team.
they transferred to germany at the same time
<012> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:50:31 [Report]
hey op was anyone with him?
<013> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:51:07 [Report]
>>11
didn’t they both deny the dating rumors
the magazine that published the pics ended up admitting they were exaggerated or smth
<001> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:52:35 [Report]
>>012
No, we didn’t see anyone
<002> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:53:14 [Report]
that doesn’t mean anything she could have been inside before you realized Isagi was there
<013> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:54:29 [Report]
speaking of magazines you should have watermarked the picture or something op lol
<010> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:55:16 [Report]
no way the paps would actually get their info from here lmao
<007> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:56:08 [Report]
it’s happened before
<006> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:56:31 [Report]
I was here
<009> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:57:00 [Report]
i was here
<001> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:58:01 [Report]
Shit, should I delete the photos? I don’t want to get in legal trouble
<004> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:58:22 [Report]
That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.
<009> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 12:59:19 [Report]
>>004
why are u even here lmfao
<001> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 13:01:38 [Report]
Can you delete photos from imgur?
<007> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 13:01:54 [Report]
no
<005> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 13:02:05 [Report]
no
<006> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 13:02:12 [Report]
no
<001> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 13:02:47 [Report]
Oh my god if I delete my account the link will still be up???
<009> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 13:03:38 [Report]
Lmaoooo op u dumbass
<004> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 13:03:59 [Report]
>>001
You can delete them.
<001> [Anonymous] 21/09/28 · 13:05:28 [Report]
Y’all need to find jobs.
<<Moderator: This thread has been locked for violating community guidelines>>
<< This thread has been deleted >>
Isagi Yoichi’s mystery date? What we know about the rising star’s secret rendezvous
Bastard München’s Isagi Yoichi spotted with Chanel bag: could it be a gift for a special someone?
Anonymous Photos of Isagi Yoichi Spark Girlfriend Rumors
Isagi Yoichi, a forward for the Bundesliga’s reigning champion Bastard München who scored yesterday’s eleventh-hour goal against BfV Stutgartt, was spotted at ████ Café last week on September 28, 20XX. The photos show him being led to a private room while holding a luxury bag, which sparked the rumors of it being a gift for the mysterious girlfriend. Isagi has only been publicly involved with one person, a scandal that broke out last year when photos of the two were leaked. However, both promptly denied the allegations and the magazine that published the photos was mysteriously shut down the next day. There are no definitive signs of the girlfriend's identity, however, and fan speculation is at an all-time high. Everyone has the same question: Who’s the lucky lady? …Read More
“…Yoichi?”