[Blue Lock: Tempest] Chapter 2 - Dream (II) (Patreon)

Chapter 2 - Dream (II)

When the girl noticed his arrival, she lunged at him with her bloodied umbrella, not wasting a second.

"Wait!" Naruto said as he jumped back to avoid her swing. "I'm not here to hurt you. Calm down!"

But the girl seemed to not hear him as she lunged at him again, this time with a stab.

"Goddamnit!" he swore. "It was my only good hoodie!"

Although he was agile enough to dodge her stab, the side of his hoodie was still caught and ripped apart by the tip of her umbrella.

"Calm down, you crazy chick!" he shouted at her, but the girl took advantage of his momentary stillness to swing her umbrella at him vertically, intent on smashing his skull.

Having had enough of her attacks, when she swung her umbrella the next time, he unexpectedly caught it in his hands and yanked it away.

But the girl's grip on the handle of her makeshift weapon was so strong that when Naruto yanked the umbrella away, he pulled her together with it too, making her stumble and fall onto the ground.

Being thrown onto the ground seemed to have woken up the girl from her strange state of mind before. The deranged smile from before disappeared from her face, and instead, a wary expression took its place as she looked at him.

"Finally back to your senses?" he said in annoyance, but when he thought that the girl had just been assaulted by two older men, he let out a deep sigh. "Look, I'm not going to hurt you. I was worried when I saw you were being followed. I have already called the police."

"Ah. Thank you," she said quietly.

"What is someone like you doing around these parts of the city and at this hour, anyway?" Naruto tried to strike up a conversation while waiting for the police to arrive at the scene.

But the girl didn't reply. Hugging the now-broken umbrella to her chest, she put some distance between herself and Naruto and took shelter from the rain under the building's eaves.

'She must be in shock,' Naruto thought when he saw how she was staring quietly at the two unconscious men on the ground.

Truthfully, it was hard to guess at a glance who was the assaulter and who was the victim. It had only taken him a few minutes to get there, but in that short period of time, the girl had beaten up those men to a pulp.

He stopped thinking about it though when he heard the police sirens approaching.

⁂

"What am I being held here for?" Naruto asked for the second time in the past hour.

"You can't leave until all the involved parties have given a statement," one of the policemen said.

"You've got to be kidding me! I'm the one who called you! You can check my number in your system, can't you? Ask that girl too, I didn't do anything to her!" he said, raising his voice.

"He's not wrong, Aoi-san. He would have no reason to call the police if he wanted to do anything to her," the other policeman said.

"My point exactly!" Naruto said.

"You shut your mouth!" the first policeman bristled at Naruto. "I know your kind very well. Just by looking at you, I can tell you're a delinquent and a hooligan. What's with those ripped and messy clothes? What's with those tattoos on your face? And you're a Hafu to boot too. You're telling me you were just out for a walk on the streets when you happened to see a damsel in distress and went to save her? For all I know, you could be in cohorts with those drunkards too!" (1)

"I just got out of work!" Naruto yelled, unable to keep his cool anymore. "And my clothes are the way they are because I'm poor. What would you want me to do? Should I go rob someone to dress up nicely or what?"

Just as the officer named Aoi was about to fire back another cutting remark, the door opened, and another policeman said:

"Oi. That big shot, the girl's father arrived."

Hearing their colleague's words, the two policemen left the room, leaving Naruto sitting alone at the table.

⁂

"Mr Busujima! Good evening! I'm glad you could come in person!" the first police officer said in a fawning voice.

The one he was talking to was a tall and elegantly dressed middle-aged man. In spite of his grizzled hair and the wrinkles on his face betraying the passage of time, he was well-built, his back was straight, and his eyes commanded an inspiring presence.

"Of course that I would come in person! It's my daughter we're talking about!" Mr Busujima spoke, his steely voice making the police officer's enthusiasm drop instantly.

Turning away from the policemen, he asked:

"Why did you put the boy in the interrogation room?"

"Well, you see, it's a safety measure we take for all the seedy-looking people-"

"This boy saved my daughter's innocence tonight, he saved her life! Yet you're treating him like a criminal?"

When Mr Busujima suddenly started shouting, the policeman froze like a deer in headlights.

"What was your name again, officer?"

"S-Saito Aoi, sir," the policeman said with a stammer.

"Well, then, Saito-san, I'll make sure to have some words with your superiors first thing tomorrow morning."

⁂

While Mr Busujima was in the middle of rebuking the policeman who had given Naruto a hard time, Naruto himself laid his head on the table and closed his eyes. None of the yelling and shouting could be heard beyond the mirror-like window, as the room was soundproofed. The football match in the first half of the day and then the hard work at his part-time job, coupled with the late hour (it was past midnight by now), made him unknowingly fall asleep.

Even as Mr Busujima entered the interrogation room together with the two police officers, he didn't hear a thing; he was sleeping like a log. It took one of the policemen to shake his shoulder for nearly half a minute before he woke up.

"Am I finally free to go home now? Or you racist cucks are gonna find another lame pretext to keep me here until tomorrow?" Naruto said while rubbing at his eyes and letting out a yawn.

The cop's face looked like he was on the verge of blowing up. It was only Mr Busujima's presence that stopped him from whipping out his baton.

⁂

"Hello. My name is Busujima Masao. Thank you for rescuing my daughter tonight!" he said and bowed his head respectfully.

Looking at the obviously wealthy middle-aged man bowing to him like that made Naruto uncomfortable.

"...It was nothing," he muttered. "She didn't need saving anyway. By the time I got there, everything was over."

"It is the gesture that matters. Not many would risk their safety for the sake of others at such a late hour and while they are outnumbered. Would you please allow me to escort you home?"

"It's fine. I can get home by myself," Naruto tried to refuse.

"I insist. I couldn't let you walk such a long distance through the rain, this late at night."

⁂

"So, where to? Where do you live?" Mr Busujima asked as he operated the car's GPS.

"Arakawa Ward, in San'ya," Naruto muttered, turning his head to look through the window.

There was no one in Tokyo who didn't know about San'ya. It was famous even abroad as the poorest district of Tokyo.

The rest of the drive was spent in a very uncomfortable silence. If it wasn't enough that he could feel the girl's eyes on him the entire time (she was in the backseat behind the driver) he also felt entirely out of place in that car.

With his beaten-up and washed clothes, sweaty from his job, and wet because of the rain, he looked no different than a beggar. The contrast between his appearance and the luxurious interior of the car only made him feel worse.

If Naruto had been familiar with cars, he would have been able to tell from a glance that Mr Busujima's car was a Toyota Century, the latest model. However, although he didn't know the exact model and specifications of the car, he could tell it was the kind of luxury car that one would usually only get to see in movies.

Nevertheless, as he looked through the window aimlessly, he realized after a while that they weren't getting any closer to his home.

"Um, I think you took the wrong turn a few blocks away," Naruto said.

"My apologies. It was actually on purpose."

Hearing him say that instantly set Naruto on edge. The hesitant and awkward mood around him was suddenly replaced by a sharp look.

"Where are you taking me?"

In spite of Naruto's alarmed state, the middle-aged man remained calm, just like before.

"You have nothing to worry about. I know you are tired after your part-time job. I also know it's late and that you have to go to school tomorrow. But please bear with us. I promise I will make it worth your while."

⁂

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto found himself sitting in the Busujima residence's living room. All the luxury around him made him feel out of place. He didn't even touch the tea that a server brought.

'Who the hell hires private waiters for their home?' he inwardly thought. All he wanted was for this meeting to be over and for him to go back to his shabby home, take a shower, jump in his bed, and sleep.

"Since there is nobody to eavesdrop on us now, we can finally talk freely," Mr Busujima said after taking a sip from his cup of tea and leaning back on his couch.

"...What am I supposed to say now?" Naruto asked in confusion.

He didn't understand what else was there to talk about. He happened to see a girl about to be attacked at night, and he called the police. End of story.

"Tell me your price. One million yen?"

Seeing the teenager in front of him not saying a word, he pressed on.

"Ten million, then?"

When Naruto still didn't say anything, he took a notebook from his chest pocket and placed a small white card on the coffee table. It was a blank cheque card.

"Whatever your price is, please note it down."

Having had enough of this farce, Naruto finally lost his patience.

"What the hell is going on?"

"I'd appreciate it if you stopped playing dumb, young man," Mr Busujima shot back.

"For fuck's sake, I just wanna go home and sleep. What the hell do you want from me?" Naruto said aggravated and stood up to leave.

Realizing that Naruto truly didn't understand what was going on, the middle-aged man was momentarily speechless.

"...Are you telling me you don't know who I am? Or who my daughter is?"

"Now listen here, old man. I've had a long and shitty day. A very shitty day. Either tell me directly what your deal is or let me go home. I don't want any trouble; I just got out of the police station."

"I'm the younger brother of the Minister of Sports, Art, and Culture, Busujima Osamu. My daughter, Busujima Saeko, is a two-time All Japan Kendo Championship winner. Are you saying you've never heard of either of these names before?"

"I haven't. I have bigger things to worry about, like what am I going to eat tomorrow or how am I going to pay the rent this month? I don't have the time to follow celebrities' lives," Naruto said. "Anyway. What's this money for?"

The middle-aged man looked at him in silence for a few long seconds before saying:

"You probably know this already, but if word of tonight's incident gets out, Saeko's career will be over. The laws and regulations for combat athletes are very harsh. Using their skills to severely injure others is a surefire way for them to not only lose their careers but, if worse came to worst, they could even end up in prison."

When he put it like that, Naruto finally understood his behaviour up until that moment. In truth, even he could tell that what the girl had done to those two men went well beyond what could be called "self-defence". She had beaten them up until they fainted.

"So that money was to buy my silence, huh?"

Mr Busujima did not reply to his rhetorical question. Instead, he waited to see what he had to say next.

"I don't need your money," Naruto unexpectedly said.

Not only was Mr Busujima startled, but even the butler standing at the side was surprised too.

"...Are you sure about that?" the middle-aged man asked in doubt.

"I do look like I'd need the cash, don't I?" Naruto said, chuckling in self-deprecation. "I don't need money from you. But since you're such a big shot, I'd like to ask for a favour instead."

"Go on..." Mr Busujima said, his eyes narrowing in thought as he put his cup of tea on the table and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"If you give me 1 or 10 million yen, it will be great, I'm not gonna lie. But that's not gonna do me much good in the long run because I'm not smart. I don't know how to invest and get rich. One or two years later, I'll probably be back to living in a dump and slaving every day at a shitty job. So I don't want any money from you," Naruto said. "What I want is to become a professional football player."

As if his exhaustion had been a lie all along, his facial expression was invigorated, and his previously dead eyes started burning with passion.

"One chance! One opportunity is all I want! I'm not even asking for you to get me into a football club through the backdoor. All I need is a chance to show them what I'm capable of!"

'You said you're not smart… but in my eyes, you're smarter than most people I've seen until now,' Mr Busujima said to himself when he heard the teenager's words.

Judging by his appearance - he looked exactly like a stereotypical street rat living in the slums - Mr Busujima had expected him to jump at the chance to make a quick buck and be on his way. But the boy's thought process revealed the fact that he wasn't the person that Mr Busujima thought he was.

'Don't judge a book by its cover, huh?' he mused.

That being said, there was one thing that Mr Busujima was confused about:

"Introducing you to a professional football club to take their tests is certainly something that I could arrange without much difficulty. However, I must ask this: have you not received through the mail the invitation from Blue Lock?"

When he heard about the incident his daughter had gotten herself involved in, Mr Busujima checked Naruto's background before they got to meet face-to-face. Knowing that he was an orphan living in the slums of Tokyo was the main reason why he thought of offering him money in order to buy his silence. That said, at the same time, as the brother of the Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, he was familiar with the Blue Lock initiative too.

But his question threw Naruto off.

"Blue Lock? I've never heard of it; what is that? …In the first place, I don't even have a mailbox. How would I receive any letters?"

Hearing that Naruto didn't even have a way to receive letters once again left Mr Busujima stumped for words.

"...Blue Lock is a new organisation that appeared this year," he said eventually. "A football organisation that was created for the sole purpose of creating the best striker in the world. Exactly 300 high school boys had been selected to be part of the project. You, Uzumaki Naruto, are one of those 300 chosen ones too."

"...You're not pulling my leg, are you?" Naruto spoke, his voice weak from surprise.

"I am serious. On my honour."

At those words, Naruto sat back on the sofa and buried his face in his palms. He had to take deep breaths and exhale slowly to calm down.

"Blue Lock has the full backing of the Japan Football Association. Not only will your accommodation and basic necessities be provided by the Blue Lock, but you will also have access to world-class training and facilities. Furthermore, those who distinguish themselves and finish in a top 5 rank among the 300 will get to play for the National Football Team of Japan."

⁂

"Shit, my tears won't stop."

In spite of Mr Busujima's insistence on giving him a ride home, Naruto had been adamant about going back alone.

After saying his goodbyes and leaving the Busujima family's residence, he could no longer hold in his emotions anymore.

Only a few hours before, he had been devastated, thinking that his dream of becoming a football player had been crushed forever. He had been planning on dropping out of high school to get a full-time job.

However, it turned out that all was not lost. It was quite the opposite!

Out of hundreds of thousands of high school boys in Japan, he had been selected as one of the 300 candidates to become a professional football player. And not just any player, but a player that would one day get to play for the national team. From the depths of despair, he was now on cloud nine. That entire day had been a rollercoaster of emotions.

⁂ A few days later ⁂

"Whoa! Look at that dude, bro!"

"Hm, a Yankee you say? Yes, you might be right."

"Yes, yes, he's just like a thug! How did he get selected into Blue Lock?"

"Whoa, he's so scary, look at his face! Huh? You think they're knife scars? I think so too."

"Oh, no! He is looking at us now. We better keep quiet, brother. I don't want to get on his bad side."

As strange and annoying as it was to listen to that one-sided chatter between the twin brothers, Naruto was more preoccupied with observing his surroundings.

Together with him, there were 12 teenagers gathered in a rectangular room. As far as he could tell, he was probably the oldest of them all.

'I've never worn this kind of clothes before,' he thought as he pulled at the navy blue spandex he was wearing. It was skin-tight, but somehow, it was not uncomfortable. The material seemed to be of high quality, too. Last but not least, the football boots on his feet were better than anything he had ever had.

'The locker room, the bathroom, these clothes, and the dormitory too...'

Everything looked so much better than his matchbox-like apartment. As someone who had lived his entire life in poverty, he was overwhelmed.

"Have you finished changing, diamonds in the rough?" A voice rang from the speakers, and everyone raised their heads to look at the large screen hanging on a wall. "The guys you are sharing your rooms with are both your roommates and your rivals who will help you improve. Your abilities have been quantified and ranked by me according to my arbitrary and biased decision-making. That is what the numbers on your uniform represent. You can tell at a glance what your rank out of 300 is."

As Ego said that, everyone checked the numbers on their uniforms once again. On Naruto's right shoulder was the number 257.

"Your rank can change based on the results of your training or matches. And the top five players will unconditionally get to play for the U-20 Japanese team [...]"

Those words made Naruto clench his fists. It was not fear, nor was it frustration. It was determination. He was burning with the desire to improve and become the best.

'I've never met someone better than me at football, yet, here, in Blue Lock, I'm not even ranked in the first half of the 300 candidates,' he thought. Unknowingly, a feral grin appeared on his face.

"[...] What you need to gain here is Ego. I'll be testing you now to measure that. So, it's time to play tag. You have 136 seconds. Whoever is struck by the ball is 'it'. Whoever is 'it' the moment time runs out will be locked off," Ego said, and a football was dropped in the room through a hole that appeared in the ceiling.

⁂⁂⁂

AN: With this, the exposition is over. Blue Lock is truly starting now.

(1) 'Hafu' is what mixed-race people are called in Japan. They are discriminated against/looked down upon/avoided by some people.