Chapter Text
Everything was going to plan.
Before long Chigiri will have lost his virginity and have taken a huge step in getting over the man that broke his heart all those years ago. His clothes were off, his hair was a mess and his love marks were starting to bruise. Otoya sat on top of him and gently moved his hair from his face. He seductively whispered into Chigiri’s ear
“Actually I think I’m straight”
.
.
.
Chigiri was pissed to say the least. The fact he didn’t kick Otoya in the balls was a miracle (he should’ve). Otoya made it clear he wasn’t sure if he was straight and Chigiri respected that. However, Chigiri naively thought someone wouldn’t get this far with a man if he didn’t have any attraction to one. An awkward silence enveloped Otoya’s “frat boy room” (no decor and mattress on the floor).
Chigiri responded “Ok…Can I at least stay the night?” Otoya responded “Sure. I’ll also give you first shower.” Chigiri rolled his eyes and snarkily remarked “How romantic?” Otoya asked “No hard feelings right?” Chigiri responded “You’re good I’m just messing with you.”
He was only partially lying. He understood people go through their own sexuality journey but he was very confused why it took him so long into the encounter to realize he wasn’t into men. He couldn’t imagine going that far with a woman but that was just him. He was also slightly pissy this didn’t work out because he didn’t have many options. He was very careful with people he attempted to sleep with because he didn’t want to be outed .
After they both showered, they ended up cuddling due to Otoya only having one blanket and pillow. He thought ‘surely he makes enough money as a professional soccer player to afford multiple pillows as well as another blanket and a bed frame.’ Otoya was playing with Chigiri’s hair when he asked “Are you gonna renew your contract for Ubers?”
Chigiri responded “No, I wanted to go to Manshine since the beginning but Chris recommended I try out other teams before fully committing to Manshine. Something about ‘you can’t know if Manshine is the right team unless you try other teams’. Ubers has helped me with combination play but I feel like I need the emphasis on personal training if this glass knee is gonna last more than a couple more years. Luckily it seems like Reo wants to go back to Manshine as well so won’t be alone.”
Otoya gave a simple “cool” as a response. Chigiri asked “Are you renewing with Barcha?” Otoya responded “Yeah I like it here.” They talked about soccer a little more until they went to sleep.
A couple of months later at the end of one of Bastard’s last practices…
“Kunigami, are you going to change teams?” Isagi asked. Kunigami responded in his usual cold tone “I’ve got offers but I haven’t really looked at them. I’m probably gonna stay at Bastard.” Isagi asked “Do you want my opinion?” Kunigami responded “Not really but I have a feeling you have a lot of feelings about this.” Isagi gave a shy smile and responded “I might.” Kunigami ordered “Spit it out already.”
Isagi responded “Bastard is holding you back. You’re becoming too complacent in the system and not using your creativity. You aren’t a Noel Noa replacement and I think the fact Bastard is treating you as such and it isn’t good for you in the long run.” Kunigami responded “Is that all? I’m already late for my after practice work out” Isagi smiled and responded “pretty much” Kunigami started to walk away and brushed him off with a short “kay.”
Another couple months later and a couple days before the team change deadline…
Kunigami dropped his weights and walked over to his water to catch his breath. He scrolled on his phone to read the headline ‘Re Al’s all star Japanese line grows with the addition of Isagi Yoichi’. Kunigami let out a long sigh as he stared at the ceiling of the gym. He mumbled to himself “Was he right? Is Bastard the best place for me?” He then went back to his workout where for the first time he ignored his stubborn tendencies and truly considered what Isagi had told him.
When he went home, he checked the other offers he got. Most of the offers were lower than his current salary and were from teams he didn’t have any interest in. One stood out, Manshine city. First thing about it was that it was the only bid that was higher than his salary. He wasn’t someone who didn’t care about the salary as long as he could provide for himself (most professional football salaries do) but he knew that high of a number meant Manshine was more serious about bidding him.
The second thing wasn’t on the offer but instead was something he noticed from personal experience. The Manshine culture was one that fostered existing talent and building a team around the individual. This was in contrast to Bastard where they focused on molding yourself to the existing system. Manshine culture valued speed and strength which would be great for his development.
The very next day, he decided to impulsively sign to Manshine with the logic of ‘It’s only 2 years so I can always go back to Bastard if I don’t like Manshine.’ He didn’t admit it to himself but his decision was easier knowing that there were familiar faces on Manshine in Zantetsu, Tokimitsu and soon Reo. A week before, he read on Japanese sports news that Reo was going to Manshine as well.
Less than a month later…
The time had come faster than Kunigami expected. The last month was a roller coaster. He had to frantically prepare for an international move by looking far and wide for moving companies and spent many hours in multiple embassies getting his paperwork in order. This caused him to not do as much research into Manshine than he should.
He arrived quite early to do some paperwork because he landed in Manchester the night before. When he arrived to the locker room, it was mostly empty as expected. However, he unexpectedly saw a familiar face he wished he hadn’t, the face of Chigiri Hyoma. The look on Chigiri's face showed that he had no idea Kunigami was on the team as well. Kunigami’s face stayed mostly the same but it was enough for Chigiri to know the surprise was mutual.
At that moment he knew he made a major oversight. One that he wouldn’t have changed teams if he knew.
He had not realized the man he’d been trying to push away for years, Hyoma Chigiri, had also signed with Manshine.
Bonus: the reason Kunigami didn’t find out
Reo is one of the most popular former Blue Lock players in Japan due to his family connection and his chameleon play style being very compatible with Japanese conformity culture. He became a sort of ‘ideal archetype’ that many Japanese players aspired to be like. Chigiri had a more international fan base. His androgynous appearance appealed to many western women and queer people. While his flashy play style was more appealing for an individualistic culture that valued standing out. This why the Japanese media wrote about Reo and not Chigiri
Chigiri didn’t know for a more obvious reason which was because Kunigami signed so late.