12. Lunch

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The few mouthfuls of lunch tasted utterly bland.

After those two had stirred everything up, you suddenly felt that your future as a guide had grown bleak once more.

Although the two sentinels had left, they had clearly left behind a considerable mess—and you had no idea when some bomb might go off and you would be ordered to clean it up.

By the time you returned, most of the other guides had already finished lunch.

Carrying the last guide-special meal, you found an empty spot in the deserted cafeteria and sat down to eat.

You had barely begun when a group of people came trickling in. They seemed to have just finished training, and they were making quite a racket.

This was an atmosphere you had never experienced before. You could even sense their heightened, excited emotions and energy. Perhaps this was what a sentinel’s emotional scent was like? The sentinels’ naturally powerful bodies had simply never seemed so active before.

Thirty-five sentinels entered one after another. Compared to the last time you had come here to provide free mental guidance, there were already far fewer of them.

You watched them curiously, and they noticed you as well.

Rin seemed quite surprised, and his hand paused halfway through tugging at his collar.

—If I had known, I would have taken a quick shower first…

“Don’t guides eat half an hour earlier?” Isagi asked, looking puzzled.

Bachira’s gaze, meanwhile, fell on the meal in front of the girl.

“That looks so good…”

At once, everyone swallowed.

It really did look incredibly lavish…

So this was why sentinels and guides had different dining times?

As they stared at the food in your hands like wolves, you felt a chill creep up your back.

Chigiri collected his meal and walked straight over to sit across from you.

“Why are you only eating now?”

He asked with concern. Even after such intense training, he still gave off a pleasant fragrance.

You had spoken with Chigiri during your previous guidance session. Although you had not seen each other in a long time, your childhood connection as neighbors quickly brought you closer. Your attention immediately returned to the present, and focusing on Chigiri helped you relax a little.

Phew. You could forget about those sentinels’ hungry stares aimed at your food.

“Something came up and delayed me.”

You glanced at his tray. Compared to yours, it really was rather meager.

Was Blue Lock’s food for sentinels truly that strict?

Feeling a little embarrassed, you pointed to the meat on your own tray.

“Do you want some? I haven’t touched it. You can take a few pieces.”

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Chigiri smiled and shook his head. “It’s all right. I’m used to it. Besides, Ego is very strict about how much we consume.”

He looked up at the camera behind him.

If Ego saw someone taking food from a guide’s meal… Well, the training afterward would probably be terrifying.

But apparently, someone else did not care in the slightest.

The moment Chigiri finished speaking, the empty seat beside you was occupied by a huge, clingy creature.

“You can give me anything you can’t finish.”

Seishiro Nagi pressed close without the slightest sense of personal space, speaking in his usual slow, languid manner.

You felt the heat of a sentinel in an excited state with startling clarity. The warmth nearly washed over you, making you instinctively shift away.

Reo, seated diagonally across from you, tried to stop him, looking utterly exasperated.

“Nagi! Don’t go pressing up against a girl when you’re covered in sweat!”

“Huh? Am I?” Nagi lowered his head and sniffed himself before looking at you innocently. “I barely sweated just now… Do I smell?”

If you actually leaned over to smell him at a time like this, wouldn’t that make you a pervert?

You decided to ignore the question and direct everyone’s attention back to the meat.

“If you want some, just take it. I haven’t touched it.”

“Thanks.”

Seishiro Nagi promptly took one piece, then a second, then a third…

Seeing this, Reo quickly joined in. “Nagi, leave one for me.”

“…You two really aren’t holding back!” Chigiri joined the battle as well. “I was here first!”

Several pairs of chopsticks flashed before your eyes within a single second, and then all the meat was swept away.

“…………?”

You had thought football players only had exceptional leg coordination. Who would have guessed their hands were this fast too?

Well, sentinels probably had excellent physical abilities in every respect.

The meat was gone, but the struggle outside the main battlefield continued.

You watched Mikage Reo clenching a piece between his teeth as he awkwardly waged war with Nagi’s chopsticks, and you could not help laughing.

During your previous mental guidance session, Mikage Reo had left you with a very steady impression. To you, he was a sunny, talkative sentinel, with a faint air of pride in his every gesture—a boy whose exceptionally privileged upbringing was obvious.

Seeing him act so completely without regard for his image was a startling contrast. With his purple, bean-shaped eyebrows and puffed-out cheeks, he even looked rather cute.

When the three noticed you trying not to laugh, they all stopped and turned toward you in unison.

You composed your expression, though a trace of amusement remained in your voice. “It’s nothing. Go on. I just feel that Mikage’s contrast is rather striking.”

“Cough, cough…”

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Reo swallowed the food he had been holding between his teeth and returned to his own seat. A faint blush gradually spread across his face. He turned his head slightly, and his somewhat long purple hair concealed his nervous expression.

You were still laughing inwardly, but out of consideration for him, you restrained yourself and changed the subject.

“Have you all been training these past few days?”

“Yes. The third selection begins in a few days,” Chigiri replied.

You nodded in understanding. “Is it to choose the eleven people who will play against the U-20 team?”

“That’s right—”

The moment Chigiri finished speaking, Seishiro Nagi leaned over again, chewing like a Miffy rabbit.

“I’m in the Top Six now. Can you provide guidance for me during the next selection?”

Hearing this from nearby, Rin Itoshi subconsciously stiffened his back.

He was not only in the Top Six—he was ranked first.

Although you did not quite understand how Nagi’s two statements were connected, nor how Blue Lock’s actual ranking system worked, you decided to praise him anyway.

“That’s amazing. If Mr. Ego arranges it, I will.”

You chatted for a while longer and learned a little about the facility’s strict management system, such as exchanging goals for items, leave passes, and other privileges.

All you could say was that Jinpachi Ego truly lived up to his reputation—he had imposed a rigid hierarchy on the sentinels in the program.

“I’m more or less finished eating. I’ll be going now, then?”

You picked up your tray, said goodbye to them, and left the cafeteria.

“See you next time.”

After you left, Reo also rose quickly and walked away.

“That’s strange. Reo barely said anything just now.”

Seishiro Nagi tilted his head, causing a lock of white hair over his forehead to sway. He seemed unable to understand it.

“Maybe he was shy?” Chigiri said calmly, delivering a startling conclusion.

“Hmm…”

Reo? Shy?

The usually indolent Nagi rarely found himself deep in thought. Then he ate the last piece of meat.

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