Feeling the slight coolness brought by Icarus’s fingertips gently stroking his face, Yukimiya Kenyu’s brow twitched.
“Recovering very well,” Icarus said as he handed over today’s portion of special medicine. Yukimiya Kenyu took it and swallowed it without hesitation.
A familiar fishy smell appeared in his mouth. Yukimiya Kenyu paused; just as he was about to speak, he felt a candy being stuffed into his palm.
“Thank you,” he said politely.
“You’re welcome. The stitches can be removed tomorrow.”
Yukimiya Kenyu’s heart stirred.
The outcome of this surgery tomorrow would reveal the answer.
Sounds of footsteps fading away could be heard in the ward, followed by the sound of the door opening.
“Yo, Reo.”
Mikage Reo? It’s him again. Yukimiya Kenyu pondered inwardly.
Every time Mikage Reo came, Icarus would disappear for a while.
On the other side, Icarus greeted Yukimiya Kenyu before heading out. “Get some good rest first; I’ll come again tomorrow.”
He then turned his head to look at Mikage Reo, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “Let’s go to the reception room to talk.”
“No, let’s just find a nearby lounge this time,” Mikage Reo hesitated for a moment, but made up his mind to say.
“That works, I suppose,” Icarus raised his brows.
Watching the black-haired youth walking ahead, Mikage Reo secretly exhaled in relief. There was struggle in his eyes, but he followed anyway.
Two figures one after the other walked along the quiet corridor. There were many audiovisual rooms in Blue Lock specifically for watching recordings; they were very quiet and suitable for discussing matters. Icarus casually picked the closest one and sat down comfortably on the sofa.
“Speak. Is this about Nagi Seishiro again this time?”
“Can I only be discussing him when I come to find you?” Mikage Reo laughed helplessly.
In this person’s eyes, can only a genius like Nagi be worthy of being placed in his sight?
“Then in what capacity do you intend to talk to me?” Icarus smiled slightly. “As the future heir of the Mikage family?”
The black-haired youth’s smile was quite aggressive in the dim audiovisual room. His exquisite features became blurred, carrying a distinct aura. Yet the words he spoke were merciless, pointing out Mikage Reo’s only current leverage with sharp accuracy.
Mikage Reo’s heart skipped a beat, and the words that had originally been hard to speak seemed to flow smoothly.
“Icarus, I know that your attainments in medicine are beyond what ordinary people can compare to,” Mikage Reo phrased his words carefully. “So this time, I want to make a deal with you in my capacity as the future heir of the Mikage family.”
Icarus made a gesture for him to continue. The status of the Mikage family heir was enough for him to discuss matters.
“As the heir of the Mikage family, I have everything, except for one thing the World Cup.”
“The Mikage family doesn’t allow me to play soccer halfway through; they don’t believe I can achieve any success. But I played anyway, and have survived in Blue Lock until now.”
“But I’m clear that I was only able to pass the second selection out of luck. If it weren’t for Shidou Ryusei… who chose me intentionally just to eliminate Kunigami Rensuke, I would have lost long ago. But Nagi is different. He really has talent. As long as he wants to, there is nothing in this world he cannot do.”
Mikage Reo didn’t dare to look into the black-haired youth’s eyes. If Icarus knew that he shouldn’t have survived until now, what would he think?
He originally hadn’t intended to say these things, just wanting to simply make a deal with Icarus, but as he locked eyes with those dark pupils, he couldn’t stop himself from saying more.
“My dream is to win the World Cup. Even if I don’t win it with my own hands, as long as it is Nagi, that is also fine.”
Mikage Reo gritted his teeth firmly on the phrase “as long as it is Nagi.”
“But as a professional player, retiring due to match injuries is a common occurrence. I am very afraid that on the eve of Nagi winning the World Cup, he will fall on the field due to injury.”
“I know you once healed Chigiri Hyoma’s leg, and are now providing help to Yukimiya Kenyu. But that is because they are both in this project now. And I am not sure if, later on, when Nagi is truly spotted by a team through this plan and enters the professional league, you will still be willing to provide help.”
As the descendant of a businessman, Mikage Reo knew very clearly that there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world. Although Chigiri Hyoma and Yukimiya Kenyu seemed to have paid no price, perhaps they had already paid it somewhere he didn’t know about, or perhaps Icarus was plotting more against them.
And Nagi… Mikage Reo didn’t dare to gamble on whether Icarus would still be as kind as he was today in providing help to Nagi.
If Icarus were the type of person who only cared about money, that would be one thing, but Mikage Reo, who had luckily met Icarus once before, knew just how difficult it was to invite the other party to step out of retirement.
Back then, to save his critically ill mother, the head of the Mikage family had worried until his hair turned white and had paid a great price to schedule one single consultation with Icarus. And Mikage Reo wasn’t sure if, once the Blue Lock project ended, he would still have such a chance to easily get a line on the young master of the Cecil family.
No matter how you looked at it, taking the opportunity to propose a request while the other party seemed to be in a charitable mood and it was just the right time to talk was the way for a businessman to maximize benefits. Although Mikage Reo was quite impatient with the business way of doing things, he, naturally intelligent and having been immersed in it, quickly learned a similar way of thinking.
“Sure.” Icarus’s lips curved upward. “You want to make a deal with me. I understand the terms of the deal; now, what leverage are you willing to pay?”
“My leverage is—my blood.” Mikage Reo took a deep breath and finally said it.
“Are you sure you want to go this far for Nagi Seishiro?” Icarus leapt up from his slumped posture on the sofa, walked quickly with light steps, and stood before Mikage Reo, who was staring at him.
The two stood face-to-face, very close. Mikage Reo saw his own tiny reflection in the other party’s black pupils.
“If I remember correctly, Nagi Seishiro seemed to have abandoned you in the second selection—twice.”
“Even so, are you still going to go this far for him?”
Stung in his painful spot, Mikage Reo turned his head, no longer meeting Icarus’s gaze.
“Because my rate of improvement isn’t enough to stand at the same height as him, to see the same world, that’s all,” Mikage Reo said in a bitter voice.
“But the world I cannot see, he can.”
“The trophy I cannot reach, he can win.”
“The world I cannot see, he can go see it for me.”
Mikage Reo’s voice faded away. The dim audiovisual room was filled with silence for a time.
Seeing that Icarus remained motionless for a long time, Mikage Reo secretly began to fret.
Am I about to be rejected? Is my leverage not attractive enough?
It’s true, after all, I am not Nagi.
A subtle, bitter taste quietly spread in his heart. Mikage Reo gritted his teeth; just as he was about to speak, Icarus took a step forward and leaned close to his ear, whispering softly.
“However, I want to see you yourself personally lift up the World Cup of your dreams.”
Mikage Reo’s eyes widened. His heart began to beat irregularly thump-thump, deeper, heavier, and faster than before.
“What does that mean?” Mikage Reo heard his own voice sounding terrifyingly hoarse, “So, does this mean a rejection?”
“Quite the opposite.” Maintaining their nearly face-to-face posture, Icarus whispered, “I accept your proposal. But the one making the deal with me is not the heir of the Mikage family, but you, Mikage Reo.”
“You possess infinite possibilities hidden within you.” At this moment, Icarus’s low whisper seemed to become a trap that made people continuously sink, “Everyone has ignored this point—but I have seen you. You, stripped of the Mikage family halo.”
“I…” Mikage Reo turned his head abruptly, meeting Icarus’s gaze once more.
“I am very satisfied with this deal.” Icarus laughed happily.
Recently, Nagi Seishiro and Chigiri Hyoma had become a bit strange, and he could only hide from the two of them. Relying solely on Yukimiya Kenyu was no way to feed a famished vampire. Moreover, Yukimiya Kenyu had just finished his surgery, and Icarus was quite restrained every time he ate.
“Then, may I collect my reward now?” In the darkness, Icarus revealed his fangs.
The skin on his neck where he was targeted seemed to feel a prickling pain; Mikage Reo’s mind was a mess, and he heard his own voice sounding unstable. “Okay…”
The vampire, having received permission, brightened his eyes and began the pre-meal preparation work according to tradition, meticulously licking the skin he was about to bite down on to sanitize it.
Mikage Reo, who had originally expected to be met with pain first, widened his eyes in surprise. The unexpected softness against the highly sensitive tactile nerves on his neck made him unable to stop himself from clenching his fists.
“Relax…” Icarus said vaguely during the pause in sanitizing.
How come one after another they become so stiff, like wooden figures, whenever I do preparation work? Does it hurt that much? It shouldn’t. The remaining vampire knowledge in his mind told him that, at such times, the prey should be very happy.
Mikage Reo tried hard to shift his attention, ignoring the moist sensation coming from his neck. Suddenly, at one moment—
A subtle pain arrived; it didn’t hurt, it felt like being bitten by some small animal. Very quickly, that little bit of pain also disappeared into the overwhelming, numbing sensation that followed.
An electric sensation transmitted from his spine to his brain; his exhaled breath instantly carried heat, and the edges of his vision began to distort. The special tactile sensation of being lightly sucked for blood made Mikage Reo’s hands and feet go soft, and his body swayed slightly.
Noticing the prey couldn’t stand steadily, Icarus kindly gave a hand in the middle of eating, helping Mikage Reo sit down on the sofa. He himself knelt on one knee on the sofa, in the same posture as when he had enjoyed Nagi Seishiro that day, to prevent Mikage Reo from falling.
Mikage Reo’s blood tasted faintly of red wine. Icarus didn’t like to drink, so he couldn’t identify what kind of red wine it was. But Mikage Reo’s blood was just like red wine—intoxicating and going to his head, making Icarus unable to stop himself from holding on and taking a few more sips.
Powerful!
Icarus felt a bit floaty, as if he were drunk.
Although Mikage Reo was slightly shorter than Nagi Seishiro, he was still 1.85 meters tall; at this moment, the very large Mikage Reo was obediently curled up on the sofa with unfocused eyes, as if Nagi Seishiro’s situation from before were repeating.
Icarus was very satisfied with the other party’s blood; he now began to feel that this business was a guaranteed win.
Not only could he get his fill of food, but he could also cultivate the world’s number one striker! Let more such good things come his way.