𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 // 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐮 𝐓𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝟕 - 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

It had been a long day, and as you made your way down the quiet hallway of the Blue Lock facility, you found yourself in need of some air. The cafeteria was bustling earlier, but you had retreated to a quieter corner of the building, away from the chaos of the players. The usual energy from the competition was starting to wear on you, and you welcomed the peace.

You walked past the training rooms, your mind drifting as you thought about the stories you were preparing for the report. It wasn't long before you found yourself in a small, open lounge area where a few players would sometimes hang out between practices. There was hardly anyone here at the moment, which suited you just fine.

You settled onto one of the couches, allowing yourself a moment to breathe.

As you flipped through the notes on your phone, you heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. You looked up just in time to see Karasu, a towel slung over his shoulder, looking like he had just come from training. He seemed deep in thought, but his eyes lit up the moment he saw you.

"Y/N," Karasu said with a small nod, his voice calm and steady as always. "You taking a break from us already?"

You smiled, shaking your head. "Just finding some quiet. You guys can be a lot to handle."

Karasu chuckled softly, the sound low and almost soothing. He walked over and sat on the armrest of the couch across from you, leaning back casually. "Can't say I blame you. Things do get pretty intense around here."

There was a brief pause, the kind that wasn't uncomfortable but rather filled with unspoken understanding. You'd gotten used to Karasu's quiet presence by now, how he always seemed so calm in the middle of the storm that was Blue Lock.

He looked down at the floor for a moment, his expression more serious than usual. "How's it going with your report? Are we giving you enough material?"

You laughed lightly, looking down at your phone where your notes were scattered in a mess of observations. "More than enough, honestly. There's never a dull moment with you guys."

"I bet," Karasu said with a smirk. "We aim to entertain."

The conversation was light, almost relaxing in the way that Karasu could make things feel so effortless. But just as you were about to reply, something unexpected happened.

From the corner of your eye, you saw Shidou and Otoya rushing into the room, mid-way through a mock wrestling match. They were laughing and shoving each other, clearly not paying attention to their surroundings. In their playful scuffle, they ended up crashing into Karasu, who had been sitting on the edge of the couch.

The impact was sudden. Before you knew it, Karasu had lost his balance, stumbling forward. Time seemed to slow down as he reached out instinctively, trying to catch himself, but instead of stopping the fall, he ended up tumbling directly onto you.

You gasped, the weight of him pressing down as he landed across you. His arms braced on either side of your head, and for a moment, you were nose-to-nose with Karasu, his face mere inches from yours. The air around you felt thick, almost charged with something you couldn't quite describe.

Your heart pounded as you stared into his wide eyes. His usually composed expression faltered, replaced with something raw, something almost vulnerable. Neither of you moved, too stunned by the closeness, too aware of the way your breaths had synchronized in the brief silence.

"I—" Karasu started, his voice lower than usual, but before he could say more, Otoya broke the tension with a loud, mischievous laugh.

"Oh man, Karasu," Otoya snickered, leaning against the wall as he caught his breath. "If I knew you were so desperate to get close to Y/N, I would've stepped aside."

Shidou, ever the chaos instigator, chimed in, grinning wickedly. "Smooth move, Karasu. Didn't know you had it in you."

You felt your face heat up as the realization of the situation sank in. Karasu quickly pushed himself off you, muttering something under his breath as he stood up, clearly embarrassed by the whole scene. His usual calm demeanor was cracked, and he rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact.

"Sorry about that," Karasu said, his voice quiet but sincere. "They're idiots."

You sat up, trying to compose yourself as well, though the warmth in your cheeks was hard to hide. "It's fine. Really."

Otoya, never one to let things slide, waggled his eyebrows at the two of you. "Looked like more than fine to me. Maybe we should leave you two alone. Let you... finish up?"

Karasu shot Otoya a glare, his jaw tightening. "Knock it off, Otoya."

Otoya held his hands up in mock surrender, though the grin never left his face. "Alright, alright. No need to get defensive. It's all in good fun, Karasu."

Shidou, of course, wasn't about to let the moment go without adding his two cents. "Hey, next time, just ask her out like a normal person. You don't need to throw yourself at her."

Karasu shook his head, clearly trying to regain his composure, though you could tell from the tension in his shoulders that he wasn't pleased with the situation. "We're leaving," he muttered, grabbing Otoya by the arm and dragging him out of the room before Shidou could escalate things further.

As they left, Otoya called over his shoulder, "See you around, Y/N. Try not to miss us too much."

Once the door closed, you exhaled, leaning back into the couch. The adrenaline from the situation was still rushing through your veins, and you were left staring at the spot where Karasu had been, the feeling of his closeness still lingering.

You shook your head, trying to clear the thoughts. It had been a silly accident, nothing more. But the way your heart had raced in that moment told you otherwise.