The silence that followed felt larger than any explosion of light in the sky.
For Kaguya, it was the longest wait of her entire life.
For Isagi… it was the weight of everything he had spent the past month desperately trying to avoid finally crashing down onto his shoulders.
He didn't look away from her.
He couldn't.
The Kaguya standing before him—vulnerable, resolute, her eyes half-lidded as though baring her very heart was an act of absolute courage—was not the untouchable, proud heiress of the Shinomiya family he had always known. She was the girl who had walked with him at the festival, laughed with him, blushed because of him, and held his hand with both firmness and uncertainty at the same time.
She was the same girl from middle school whom his predecessor had admired for her strength and elegance to the point of later inviting her to join the student council… and who, without him even realizing it, had remained tucked away somewhere deep inside him.
And now she had said it.
"I'm in love with you, Yoichi."
He felt his chest tighten.
But not in the way she probably imagined.
It was a tight, confused, contradictory, heavy, almost painful feeling.
Isagi drew a slow breath, as if trying to organize his own turmoil before it swallowed him whole.
And he thought:
"Am I… a scoundrel?"
He would be lying if he said he felt nothing for Kaguya. That something inside him hadn't stirred every single day he had spent getting to know her better since approaching her—and especially during this date—he had felt something dangerous, something warm, something he had tried to ignore out of pure fear. He knew he liked her more than he should, more than was safe. He liked her calm demeanor, the way she smiled with just one corner of her mouth, the way she held his hand as though she were both afraid and brave at the same time. He liked that strange mixture of pride and gentleness, those red eyes that seemed to pierce straight through him whenever he did something unexpected.
Yes.
He liked her.
A lot.
But the problem… was that he didn't like only her.
He had already begun falling for Alya and buried those feelings. He had complicated emotions toward Yuki, and even toward Marin who had recently entered his life, and then there was Maria…
And in that instant, realizing it so clearly, he felt his throat close.
Because it made him feel small.
Unworthy.
A bad guy.
Ever since the start of his adolescence in his previous life, Isagi had followed a silent rule, a childish promise that, over time, had become part of who he was:
"I will never toy with anyone's feelings."
He knew what it was like to watch people get hurt by empty promises. He knew what broken expectations felt like. He knew what it was to be left behind and, above all, he knew what it was to be the reason someone got hurt.
That's why, when he was reborn and noticed other girls showing interest in him—subtly, intensely, or in ways he preferred to pretend he hadn't seen—Isagi made the most cowardly yet careful decision possible:
He suppressed everything.
Buried his feelings.
Ignored every possibility.
Because if he chose one, he would hurt the others.
And he hated that.
He hated the idea of becoming someone's villain.
So… he chose no one.
He chose to stay neutral.
He chose to stay with soccer, where everything made sense.
In any case, he figured that once he became famous, he would have plenty of chances to sleep with influential women, K-pop idols, singers, actresses—just like in his previous life—something that involved no feelings at all. The thought of having that kind of freedom again made him believe nothing could truly stop him…
But now… now he stood in front of the girl who had always been there, from the very beginning, from middle school, from the student council, long before any of the others…
The girl his predecessor had never had the courage to face properly, too stupid to notice her schemes to make him "confess" back then.
And she was confessing.
To him.
Right there.
Under the fireworks.
In the most vulnerable way someone like Kaguya Shinomiya could ever be.
Isagi felt her hand in his palm—warm, small, trembling—and realized he was seconds away from "hurting her."
It was pathetic, but it paralyzed him.
For a few moments, he couldn't say anything.
Nothing.
Because the truth burning inside him was too unfair to put into raw words right then.
Because he did like her.
But he also liked others.
And admitting that out loud, right now, in front of her, would be like cutting a piece of her heart out with his own hands.
He couldn't.
Not like this.
And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that the cowardice he had carried for the past month to avoid hurting anyone was precisely… hurting one of the people he least wanted to wound.
The one looking at him with hope.
The one trembling just waiting for his answer.
The one who had just torn her own pride apart to be honest.
The one who deserved anything but silence.
Isagi took a deep breath, feeling his mind finally reach a fixed point amid the chaotic thoughts, and realized with cutting clarity that maybe the mistake wasn't liking more than one person. It was… never having had the courage to choose.
And in that moment, watching the golden reflection of the fireworks in her shining red eyes, seeing her slightly flushed face, her parted lips, her vulnerable yet insistent gaze…
He knew he had to speak.
He couldn't run.
Not this time.
And so, at last, he opened his mouth.
"Kaguya…"
Her name escaped in a breath, almost as if he were stumbling over his own words.
Kaguya held her breath; she didn't dare blink or move.
Isagi felt his own heart pounding against his ribs, too hard, too fast. The weight, the guilt, the confusion… everything mixed with something that, in that moment, was greater than any hesitation:
The truth.
"I…" He swallowed hard. "I like you too."
Kaguya's body trembled, as if she were a silk thread caught in a sudden breeze. Her eyes widened in pure astonishment, and a hot, wet gleam grew in them, almost painfully.
"Yoichi…" she murmured, her voice breaking before she could form another sentence.
Isagi tried to continue, because he knew he had to be honest, he had to explain, he had to say it was complicated, that—
"Kaguya, I… I like you more than I should, but also—"
But he didn't finish.
He didn't have time.
Because Kaguya Shinomiya, the proudest and most disciplined girl he had ever known, simply moved. She cupped his face with both hands, pulling him toward her with an urgency that burned beneath her vulnerability.
And then she kissed him.
Not a shy kiss.
Not an uncertain peck.
A deep, hot, desperate kiss—her mouth finding his with intensity, her lips pressing hard against his, and her tongue, soft and trembling, touching his in a boldness that exploded something inside Isagi.
He froze for one long second—an entire second with eyes wide open, brain completely blank, his whole body on fire.
Her fingers tightened even more on his cheeks, as if pleading:
Don't look away. Don't leave. Stay with me.
And that was when Isagi stopped fighting himself.
That was when he allowed himself to feel.
Kaguya pressed her body against his, leaning closer, and Isagi drew a deep breath—or tried—before finally kissing her back. His free hand slowly rose to the nape of her neck, pulling her gently but firmly enough so she would know he was there, present, surrendering to the kiss with the same intensity.
And when he kissed her back, Kaguya let out a muffled sigh against his mouth—a sound that made Isagi's chest cave in with emotion.
The whole world seemed to shrink.
Fireworks burst overhead, but it was as if only their heat existed, their touch, their ragged breathing, their intertwined fingers that never let go.
Her tongue touched his with both hesitation and hunger, as if she had never done this before but knew exactly what she wanted.
And Isagi, even though he had planned to say so many things, even though he carried guilt and fear, felt everything melt away for a few seconds. Blame it on teenage hormones, as he liked to say…
And he wanted this more than he should.
When Kaguya finally pulled back, breathless, her face flushed, her lips wet, she looked at him as if she were staring at her own future.
Isagi, dazed, took a deep breath, still tasting her on his mouth, his heart racing, his thoughts scrambled.
The heat of the kiss still burned on Isagi's lips when Kaguya drew back just enough to breathe, but not enough to give him space. Her fingers still clutched the fabric of his shirt, as if afraid the slightest movement would make him vanish.
Isagi opened his mouth, finally finding a thread of voice amid the storm inside him.
"Kagu—"
But she interrupted him.
Not with another kiss.
Not with hesitation.
But with the most direct and devastating question she could have asked:
"Yoichi… does this mean we're dating now?"
His breath caught.
For an instant, the world went silent, even the echoes of the last firework fading in the sky.
Isagi drew a deep breath. His chest rose slowly, as if it weighed tons. He wanted to say yes. He wanted to with a part of himself as intense as the kiss they had just shared. Kaguya looked beautiful there—vulnerable, determined, still flushed, her red eyes trembling with hope.
But the truth… the truth bit him again.
"I…" He ran a hand through his hair, feeling his throat tighten. "I wouldn't have any problem being your boyfriend, Kaguya. Really. But…"
Her eyes narrowed slightly—not in anger, but in recognition.
"…there are other girls who have feelings for me. More than one." He swallowed hard, looking away for a second before forcing himself to meet her gaze again. "And I don't want to hurt any of them. I know it sounds like cowardice, but I… I didn't want to choose someone just to hurt the others. I—"
Before he could finish, Kaguya took a deep breath, and a small, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of her lips.
"I knew you were going to say that." Her voice was soft but firm.
There was no anger.
No disappointment.
There was… understanding.
Isagi blinked, surprised.
"You know… it was one of the possibilities in my mind." She continued, with a calmness that only made his heart ache more. "You're kind, Yoichi. Kind to the point of torturing yourself so you won't cause pain to others."
Isagi let out a short, ironic laugh—defeated yet somehow relieved, though he didn't feel like a "kind person." He raised his hand, scratching the back of his neck as he looked up at the sky, right as the last golden trail of the final firework faded away.
The smoke eventually dispersed.
The glow died.
Silence returned.
"Too kind, huh…?" he murmured, smiling wryly. "…What you call kindness, sometimes I think just makes everything more complicated for me…"
Kaguya, still close, still flushed and breathing warmly, tilted her head slightly without taking her eyes off him for a second.
For her, this was the first night she didn't have to hide anything.
For him, the first night he could no longer run from anything.
For a moment, only the wind filled the space between them, carrying the faint scent of gunpowder from the fireworks that had already ended.
Isagi took a deep breath, hand still at the back of his neck, trying to gather the courage for the part he knew he had to say but didn't want to.
"Kaguya… there's something you need to know."
She didn't move. Didn't blink. Her gaze on him was as solid as her name, yet behind it trembled a glint that said: I'm listening. I can take it. Tell me.
"Maria…" he began, feeling the word weigh heavy. "She… you know. She's my childhood friend. We grew up together, we were too close… and before… everything… she was…"
Kaguya frowned slightly. Not in surprise—she already knew about that—but something deeper.
A mix of discomfort, curiosity… and fear. For just an instant, her fingers tightened against each other in an almost childlike gesture of anxiety.
"She was what?" Her voice came out calm but a little lower, as if she were carefully controlling her tone.
Isagi closed his eyes for a brief second.
"She was my childhood girlfriend…"
Kaguya's face froze.
Her eyes opened just a fraction wider, enough to betray the impact of the sentence. It wasn't exaggerated shock. It wasn't a dramatic outburst. It wasn't a scream.
It was silent.
The kind of silence that hurts more than words.
Kaguya drew a deep breath, almost unwillingly, and then, in a low, controlled voice that trembled almost invisibly:
"I already knew. The President had mentioned you two were very close… I just want to know—do you still have feelings for her?"
Isagi swallowed hard.
"I do."
Her pupils quivered.
For an instant, Kaguya's expression looked so fragile that Isagi wanted to take it back, apologize, undo the world and rewind ten minutes.
But she was Kaguya Shinomiya.
The girl who had always held her own feelings with hands so steady they sometimes hurt. She lifted her chin a millimeter—automatic pride, almost a shield—but her eyes betrayed everything else.
A hot, wet gleam trying not to spill over.
Isagi continued, because he had to be honest, even if it hurt.
"But… it's not just her." He took a deep breath, his voice faltering slightly. "I like you. A lot. But I also… I also like Alya. And Yuki… and Marin… and Maria."
He let out a weak, humorless, almost bitter laugh.
"You gave your first kiss… to a guy who's standing here calling himself a scoundrel. Because that's how I feel right now, Kaguya. A scoundrel."
Her body reacted as if she had taken an emotional blow.
Her fingers trembled.
The air escaped her lips in a short gasp.
And for two long seconds, Kaguya stood there, motionless, vulnerable, her heart laid bare in the rawest way possible.
Then, finally… she spoke.
Her eyes were still shining, but there was no anger.
No hatred.
Not even rejection.
There was pain, yes—but a pain filled with determination, the kind typical of someone who had already decided whom she wanted.
"Yoichi…" she whispered, her voice trembling more than she would have liked. "If you were really a scoundrel… you would have lied to me just now."
His breath caught.
"And I… I don't want you to lie to me." Her fingers rose hesitantly, stopping near his chest without touching, as if asking permission to feel. "I would rather have the truth a thousand times… even if it hurts."
Her red eyes lifted to meet his, and in them was a gleam so pure, so direct, so devastatingly sincere that Isagi felt his own heart stop.
"I'm not naive." She continued, firm despite her weak voice. "I know other girls like you. I know you have too big a heart and complicated feelings. I know… I'm not the only one."
She took a deep breath, forcing her own pride to stand tall.
"But even so… I love you."
It was such a simple confession, yet so heavy, that Isagi's chest tightened.
"I love you even knowing I might get hurt."
"I love you even knowing I'm not the first."
"I love you even knowing you're lost."
She closed her eyes for a moment, gripping her own courage tightly.
"And I don't regret my first kiss being with you." Her eyes opened, shining. "Because I wanted it to be you. Only you."
Then she finished in a fragile, intimate, devastating whisper:
"And I won't apologize for that—on the contrary, I want you to stay by my side forever…"
Isagi lowered his gaze, his chest heavy as if carrying guilt as old as he was. The sigh escaped before he could stop it—long, weary, almost defeated.
"…I don't deserve this."
The words were soft but sharp.
A confession spoken more to himself than to her.
"I don't deserve you, Kaguya. Not like this. Not with everything I feel, with everything I don't know how to resolve. You're… you're too good for—"
"Stop."
The word cut through the air like a cold blade.
Isagi looked up, and Kaguya Shinomiya was no longer the vulnerable girl who had just kissed him with her heart in her hands.
She was in full Ice Queen mode.
"Yoichi Isagi." She said his name like a decree. "I have no time for this kind of drama."
He blinked, stunned.
"D-drama…?"
"Yes. Drama." She crossed her arms—a gesture that, on her, meant absolute authority. "You're talking as if I were some divine, perfect being who fell from heaven specifically to be destroyed by your romantic choices. I'm not."
Her tone was cold, composed… but there was hidden warmth there, a subtle glow only someone who truly knew her would notice.
"I already knew your feelings were complicated." She continued, firm. "I already knew there were other girls. I already knew you were torn. And even so, I confessed. I kissed you. I chose you."
"And now you're going to tell me you don't deserve what I myself decided to give you?"
Isagi opened his mouth to answer, but she raised her hand—an almost imperceptible gesture yet powerful enough to silence him instantly.
"No."
"You don't get to decide alone what I do or don't deserve."
Kaguya took a deep breath, letting the air out in a controlled, elegant, almost aristocratic manner.
"And since you insist on blaming yourself, I'll make this perfectly clear."
She reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt—not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to make him feel the weight of her decision.
"Starting right now…" She pulled him slightly closer. "…we are dating."
Isagi froze.
His heart skipped a beat.
"K-Kaguya…?!"
"No objections." She tightened her grip on the collar, her red eyes blazing with a determination both icy and burning at once. "I won't let your indecision or your absurd guilt ruin what we've just built."
He tried to form some response, but her hand slid from the collar to his chest, resting there—warm, firm.
"I know you have feelings for others." Her voice softened slightly but never lost its authority. "I know you're still confused. I know you're trying to protect everyone."
Her gaze narrowed, piercing straight through Isagi like an arrow.
"But you like me too." A statement, not a question. "And that's enough for us to start."
Isagi took a deep breath, feeling his chest tighten again—but this time, not from guilt…
"Kaguya… what about the others…?"
She inhaled, and for the first time since entering Ice Queen mode, her eyes softened subtly.
"They don't need to know about our relationship for now." Her hand pressed a little harder against his chest. "We can keep it a secret if necessary. To avoid… complicated situations."
A small, elegant, calculated smile—yet full of love—curved the corner of her lips.
"I can wait for you to sort out your own feelings."
Then she added softly, almost gently:
"But I won't wait forever."
Isagi felt his heart beat faster.
"Kaguya… are you sure…?"
She raised her hand and touched his face with her fingertips.
"Yoichi." Her tone grew gentle. "If I weren't sure… I wouldn't have kissed you."
And then, with the same calm of someone who had just sealed an irrevocable deal:
"From now on, you are my boyfriend."
The world seemed to stop.
The fireworks had ended long ago.
But between them… something far more explosive had just begun.
______________
(A/N: You know when you're writing and everything flows so naturally that it just perfectly fits into the story already in your mind? Yeah… I had never experienced something this inspiring before. Even though I still feel like there was a bit of Isagi's perspective missing in this encounter, as well as some deeper development with Kaguya in the previous chapters, I felt that this was the right moment to take this step. I was also finally able to work on Isagi better, and that made me really satisfied.
I believe I'll add some flashbacks from the student council days to strengthen their romance even more and make it feel more solid. And you know what? I realized that if I start with Kaguya, although it's difficult, it's not impossible for a harem to form. Technically, Isagi could even end up sleeping with her faster than with the other girls. Even though she's quite innocent, the fear of losing him to other girls will give her a lot of boldness and courage.
Besides, that's much better than starting a harem with Alya, who I highly doubt would accept it. I believe Maria could eventually accept it, Yuki probably would too since she's an otaku, and Marin… well, I think she might as well. Still, I have plans to resolve everything and quickly kick off the Inter High, which is only a few days away. I also want Isagi to become closer friends with Aomine and the Generation of Miracles, so they can start watching each other's games.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I apologize to everyone who feels that Blue Lock is taking too long to truly begin, but since this is a crossover, that was bound to happen. If I were to do a half-baked world-building and poor character development, I wouldn't have even started writing in the first place.
By the way, this story is not going to turn into a 'Pokémon collection'. The last love interests I'll probably add are Chizuru (yes, I totally plan on stealing her from that Kazuya from Kanojo Okarishimasu), Mai Sakurajima, and finally Hana Uzaki. I also like Rio Futaba from the same anime as Mai, but I'm still not sure whether I'll include her or not.
I even considered involving that crazy anime where the guy has a hundred girlfriends, using the God of Love as an explanation for why he has more than one, but I think that would be a pretty weak justification. Anyway, I'm still working on it. To be honest, this is one of the stories I enjoy writing the most.
Did you enjoy the chapter? Then you should know that over on my Patreon you can read up to 10 chapters ahead for just 5USD! And yes—for that price, you also get full access to all of my content. That's right: cheaper than a snack… and with way more drama, action, and guaranteed emotional damage.
The link is right below. See you there!
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Thank you so much for your support — you make all of this worthwhile.)