35. Chaotic Lounge

Outside the player tunnel of Blue Lock, Ego Jinpachi and Itoshi Sae were engaged in conversation.

After ushering you away from the swarm of reporters, Ego told you to head inside to rest. Sae, who had tried to follow you, was blocked by Ego, while on the pitch, Itoshi Rin, having witnessed everything, slowly rose to his feet, walked past the two of them, and went straight into the lounge.

Shaking off the trailing journalists, Ego said with an impatient tone:
"What is it you want to say, Itoshi Sae?"
"............"

Sae watched you disappear into the tunnel. He didn't call out to you, and you, feeling uneasy, glanced back, unable to tell if his gaze was fixed on you, his younger brother—whose mental state was spiraling out of control—or the man standing before him.

Sae studied Ego Jinpachi. He possessed a somber aura, the air of a man executing a mad plan, while simultaneously emitting the faint, metallic scent of rusted iron—the telltale sign of someone who had long been injecting stabilizers. A Sentinel who hadn't encountered a compatible Guide in ages, yet he was so invested in you, even having truly earned your trust—was it really just for the sake of the Blue Lock project?

To teach you, to guide you—that was supposed to be his role.

Sae seemed to confirm something in that moment, and hostility surfaced on his face.
"Do you have any idea what kind of impact what you just said will have?"

Ego, of course, noticed the provocative, judgmental look from the young Sentinel. "It was only a matter of time. If you hadn't also tried to claim her, this wouldn't have been exposed so soon."

Sae didn't want to get entangled in that point. "Where is your evidence? Just because of me and that German?"

Itoshi Rin strode past them at that moment, heading straight into the lounge without sparing them a glance.

Sae cast a sidelong glance at his brother's unstable back. Any Sentinel could tell how chaotic his mental landscape had become after his breakdown.

"The primary evidence is your brother," Ego said, expressionless. "The compatibility between her and Rin has changed significantly during this time. I don't think I need to say anything else, do I?"
"............"
"Blue Lock will take full responsibility for the development of a Dark Guide. Once the certification passes, you will have no further connection to her."

Ego Jinpachi took in the sight of the other man struggling to maintain his composure, simultaneously catching the faintest trace of blood in the air.

Was he breaking already?

The smile on Ego’s face widened, along with his malice.
"Because you are merely the most ordinary among all the S-class Sentinels she will guide in the future."

*

You never, in your wildest dreams, expected things to turn out like this.

*

The density of Sentinels was far beyond the limit, and their increasingly active psychic energy seemed on the verge of a collective resonance—there was little space left for you.

"Mr. Ego said what he said, but I don't really feel anything..." you explained with a sheepish laugh, though the young Sentinels who usually joked with you were currently radiating a dangerous aura.

The safety distance was shrinking. Beside you, Itoshi Rin forcefully pulled Bachira’s arm away from you.
"Get lost, trash."
"............"

Influenced by the restless emotions of the other Sentinels, Chigiri Hyoma swallowed hard. His psychic energy focused on you involuntarily, and he could clearly "feel" the subtle changes in your body.

Your skin temperature was rising; there was a light sheen of sweat behind your ears. Your right foot had stepped back as if you had lost your footing, and your left hand was about to brush against Itoshi Rin in an attempt to maintain balance. Meanwhile, your gaze was unfocused, and your lower lip was bitten white.

—You were afraid.

This was the emotion a Guide could exhibit that was most frustrating to a Sentinel.

These guys who had no respect for Sentinel decorum...

Chigiri put down his water bottle, prepared to intervene and pull away the few Sentinels in front of you who were acting without restraint. The movement was lightning-fast.

Unfortunately, Isagi and Reo had the same idea.

The situation descended into chaos.

As you struggled to distance yourself from these unnervingly agitated Sentinels, someone touched your hand—

Your mind went blank for a split second, followed by a scream.

Huh? What happened?

The situation finally quieted down, and everyone turned in unison to find the source of the sound.

To your right, Mikage Reo was clutching the lounge locker with a pained expression. The intense pain in his brain forced him to gasp for air as he struggled to endure it; blinding white light flashed before his eyes, and it took over ten seconds for his blurred vision to slowly regain focus.

Ah... so even the young master could let out such an unexpected sound.

Your consciousness drifted to a strange place before quickly snapping back.

So, was it Reo who touched you just now? But you had no idea what you had done.

"Hiss..."

Reo was still lingering in the aftershocks of the pain.

His brain and vision finally cleared, and he recalled everything that had just happened.

A Sentinel’s keen senses had detected the change, and Reo had tried to block the others to dispel your panic. When he approached Nagi and pushed the giant Sentinel away, he had inadvertently brushed against you—the panicked Guide had instantly triggered a defensive mechanism. He felt his psychic pathways being pierced, followed by a sharp, stabbing pain radiating through his entire brain. A small, forcefully breached section of his mental landscape, which had been almost completely sealed for over a decade, felt as if a spike had been driven in and pulled out in a flash.

This was likely the greatest hardship the young master of the Mikage family had ever endured.

Reo looked up at you after a dozen seconds.

His face was pale, his eyes filled with accusation, and his bloodless lips trembled, but he couldn't speak.

Even his "bean-brows" were shaped like a puppy being wronged.

He looked as if he had been gravely injured by a single touch from you.

...Please, don't let another Sentinel's life be on your conscience.

The last time you felt this helpless was when you saw Kaiser lying in a bathtub filled with cold water.

You were at a loss, wanting to help him up but afraid to touch him. "Mikage-san, should we call a doctor? Or should we find Ego..."

You swore you had no intention of hurting him—the moment of mental haze felt like a dream, and the chaotic situation left you unaware of what you had done.

But you had clearly underestimated the astonishing cohesion of Blue Lock when it came to their teammates.

Faced with the tragedy of a Sentinel being "gravely injured" by you, not only were they in no rush to treat the victim, but the looks they gave Reo seemed to carry a strange sentiment.

Warm hands took yours, and Bachira leaned in, his face flushed with excitement. "Did you do this? That’s amazing, can you do it to me too?"

Nagi observed Reo’s reaction with curiosity. "Reo, what does that feel like?"

It looked quite interesting... he hadn't been treated like that before.

"A bunch of lunatics!" Chigiri’s knuckles whitened.

The chaotic situation had only paused for a moment before continuing once more.

What kind of new locker room bullying is this? Watching you surrounded by a circle of Sentinels, Reo endured the pain and asked the question of his soul.

Anri Teieri, who had just rushed into the lounge, saw everything and widened her eyes. Following right behind her, Ego Jinpachi, who had been in a fairly good mood until that moment, let out a thunderous roar:

"What the hell are you all doing?!"