15 Extra: If-Scenario - Spirit Forms (Part 2)

You cradled the rabbit, blinking your eyes:
“I may like it more than the rabbit, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the rabbit, too.”
The little black cat gave a soft, high-pitched meow and leaped gracefully from the countertop onto your shoulder.
You accepted the situation entirely, walking over to the sofa to sit down and petting both furry companions at once.
Taking advantage of its biological form, the little black cat transformed into a long, relaxed noodle, resting its small head in the crook of your neck, its eyes narrowing into slits.
You stroked the cat’s spine with one hand, while your right hand slipped into the fluff beneath the rabbit’s ears, kneading and shaking its plump, fleshy white body.
The guide might not have felt anything, but to the sentinel Rin Itoshi, the scene was truly chaotic.
Rin could no longer sit still.
He reached out toward you: “Give me the rabbit.”
“Do you want to pet your brother’s spirit animal?”
In a great mood, you picked up the rabbit to hand it to him, but the little creature in your arms began to kick its legs in the air.
The rabbit turned its back to you and opened its mouth—
“Hiss!”
Rin frowned.
“Meow!”
The little black cat arched its back.
…The rabbit had bitten someone.

*

Rin was angry; he didn’t speak to you for several days.
Well, the wound on his index finger was quite deep, and the bandage was wrapped very tightly; he had been inconvenienced for days.
It was understandable that he would be in a bad mood.
But it wasn’t as if you had ordered the rabbit to bite him; surely that was a failure of Sae Itoshi’s discipline over his own spirit animal.
So, why give you the silent treatment!
You really, really didn’t want Rin to ignore you. You categorized that sour, aching feeling as “the gloom of two best friends having a spat.”
But Rin clearly didn’t see it that way.
The realization that he and his brother held the same weight in your heart made him want to go insane.

*

The program within Blue Lock moved to the next stage. A group of sentinels left the facility, and a new wave arrived.
Almost all of these newcomers were foreigners, and the spirit animal zoo became significantly more diverse.
During the subsequent communication and guidance sessions, you were assigned to the German team. Although some of the sentinels were people you already knew, everyone wore headphones for the sake of easier communication.
After the sentinels and guides got acquainted over a few days, they moved on to the spirit animal interaction phase.
…How is it that you Germans are progressing faster than everyone else?
And Kaiser, who was already eye-catching, seemed particularly interested in you.
Under everyone’s gaze, he released his spirit animal.
Kaiser’s spirit animal was a macaw.
Its body was primarily red, with wingtips displaying a gradient of yellow, green, and blue; its beautiful tail feathers were exceptionally long, looking quite magnificent.
The macaw spread its wings with great confidence, flew onto your shoulder, shook its feathers, and then preened itself with its beak.
Everyone, including you, looked surprised—
You: What a beautiful bird! The colors look like an oil painting.
Other Sentinels: …Is its spirit animal not a peacock? The kind of vain peacock that follows the guide everywhere it goes?
“?”
Kaiser looked confused.
You tentatively touched its feathers with your hand. The macaw was quite large, seemingly even bigger than the little black cat.
You looked at its sharp, glossy beak; getting pecked by that would definitely hurt.
For some reason, you had the thought that the little black cat was going to get beaten up…
No, wait, why would you think that?
The parrot’s eyes were innocent, its small head bobbing with curiosity. You poked its forehead with one finger, finding great amusement in watching it tilt its head as your finger moved.
As expected, all furry little animals are so cute.
Over these past few days, you had practically petted every spirit animal on the German team, though you were occasionally attacked by the flapping wings of the parrot.
When the French team passed by, the look in Rin’s eyes as he watched the interactions on the German side was exceptionally dark.
—Must find a way to pluck all the feathers off that bird.
Rin ignited his cold, ruthless cat claws in his heart.

*

A month later, you rotated to the French team.
There were several sentinels in the team you didn’t know, but at the thought that they might be new furry friends, you greeted them very enthusiastically.
Rin stood in the corner, his heart once again sinking into darkness.
He felt he should seize this opportunity.
But… what was this opportunity? What was he supposed to do?
Rin fell into deep thought.
He blocked any French teammates who tried to approach you. Looking at the peaceful atmosphere within the team, Rin felt very satisfied.
During this time, Rin had much more contact with you, so you returned to a pleasant rhythm of communication, tacitly avoiding any mention of the previous falling out.
Though, you still found it strange whenever you thought about it.
Rin’s suspended heart gradually settled, until the day your rotation with the French team was nearly over, and that annoying parrot appeared again.
“Can you come to the German team next week? I’ll apply for a transfer with the coach.”
“Ah… let’s stick to the original plan for now,” you politely declined Kaiser. “I’ll consider it after this round is over.”
Rin was angry again.
But this time, he showed improvement. Rin only stayed angry for an hour before calming down, deciding to seize the opportunity and take the initiative.
“I have something to tell you.”
Rin’s expression was grave as he grabbed your wrist and pulled you outside.
…Huh?
You hadn’t even reacted yet.
Seeing his expression and hearing that tone—your own expression turned grave as well.
It didn’t feel like anything good. Was he going to start nitpicking your flaws and then cut ties with you?!
Remembering how he cursed at his teammates on the pitch, you didn’t think it was impossible.
He pulled you to an empty, secluded spot. Surrounded by greenery and hedges, it was a great place to deliver a harsh ultimatum.
Rin had already planned it out; he summoned the little black cat, intending to turn around, shove it into your arms, and then seize the moment to confess.
He released his spirit animal with his back to you, then turned around holding the little black cat—only to see your grave expression.
His movement of shoving the cat toward you stalled, and Rin panicked.
Why were you making that face? Could it be that you realized he was going to confess and were preparing to reject him?
Thinking of this, Rin’s expression became doubly grave.
You looked at the cat in his arms and his incredibly gloomy face.
What was he doing?
…Why did it feel like he was a partner about to initiate a breakup and fighting over custody of the cat?
“I…”
“You…”
Both of you spoke at the same time, then abruptly stopped.
“…………”
The first attempt at speaking was ruined, and the courage he had built up dissipated significantly.
Oh no, an intense sense of nervousness welled up.
Rin’s heart began to race.
The little black cat in his arms seemed to sense something and jumped nimbly to the ground.
It darted quickly into the bushes, and a burst of frantic wing-flapping suddenly erupted from within.
But neither of you had the time to pay attention to that.
“So, you go first?”
You spoke, feeling somewhat anxious.
“I…”
Rin felt he couldn’t delay any longer; he had to express his feelings this time.
He closed his eyes, trying to calm the heart that felt like it was about to jump out of his chest.
The intruder nearby had been driven away, and the victorious little black cat returned to your side, carrying a vibrant tail feather in its mouth.
But it seemed very excited; after dropping the tail feather, it began sprinting around like a madman.
You: ?
You: “Rin, is your cat…?”
“I…”
Rin spoke again, a flush spreading to the tips of his ears.
The spirit animal grew more and more excited, mirroring its owner’s heart rate. The little black cat jumped up and down, then prepared for a final dash—
“I like—”
In the blink of an eye, the little black cat, along with the love contained within its master, slammed into you like a cannonball.
You felt like you were going to cough up blood.
…Damn you, Rin Itoshi! So you were launching a sneak attack with your spirit animal!
The world went black, and you fainted.
“…………”
Rin went silent.
Rin picked up the cat.
Rin decided to stay angry.