Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first time I met Ushijima Wakatoshi, he had been strolling in the Shiratorizawa school gardens. Hearing the sudden shuffle of shoes on gravel made me perk up from the bench I laid on, curious to know who had stumbled upon my secret haven. My eyes followed the volleyball player as he moved towards a white camellia bush, seconds ticking by as he continued to study it. Eventually, my impatience led me to walk over. 

"That's a white camellia," I remarked out of instinct. He turned around at the sound of my voice, accidentally plucking a flower from the bush. Tilting my head up to meet his eyes, Ushijima loomed over me, a whole head above despite my tall build. It didn't help that his shoulders were so broad as well. Combined with his apathetic look, I finally understood why people often described the volleyball player as intimidating.

"Sorry," He murmured as he faintly bowed to the flower and then to the bush. The interaction before my eyes shattered all previous thoughts, making me bite my lips to contain a giggle.

"You're adorable."

Ushijima glanced over at me, his olive green eyes betraying surprise despite his emotionless face. My eyes widened when I realised I had said that aloud and I raised my hand to awkwardly scratch the back of my neck. 

"That's what the white camellia means, I meant."

"What do you mean?" He tilted his head a little, mimicking the actions of a confused puppy. Despite this being our first interaction, Ushijima and I shared a homeroom and most of our classes. All I could remember was how the volleyball player always seemed to be staring out the window; like a male lead from a shoujo manga. 

Of course, he was also a star volleyball player with posters plastered around the school. With his popularity, many girls went crazy for his rugged looks and the 'strong and silent' type he seemed to embody. I remember the time when a few signed up to the girl's volleyball club in an attempt to get closer to him. They dropped out a few weeks later after they realised that what they hoped for was never going to happen. 

I pointed a finger at the camellia Ushijima cradled in his hands, and he looked down at it before glancing back at me.

"Different flowers have different meanings. The white camellia you're holding is known as a flower of affection. If you ever give it to someone, you're basically implying they're adorable. Also, you can combine different flowers in a bouquet to say something, whereas different colours can have a completely different meaning! It's really interesting…" I blurted out in excitement, eventually pausing through my rambling in embarrassment and looked down at the ground. Shoot. I had probably weirded him out with my flower craze. "Ah, sorry Ushijima-san, I must bore you."

"It's like a language of flowers…" I perked up at that. Ushijima was still looking at me, with an unusual glimmer in his eyes. "You are Kageyama-san, right?" 

I was surprised that he knew who I was. That being said, my face was also plastered everywhere around the school. 

"Yeah, just call me Reina. Honorifics aren't the thing for me if we're about the same age," I grinned sheepishly, putting a hand out for him to shake. "I'm surprised you're not disturbed by my rambling."

He muttered something under his breath that I didn't hear properly, something about me being tolerable? Ushijima shook his head before gripping his hand around mine. It felt warm and calloused, probably from volleyball. "You can call me Wakatoshi then."

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Surprisingly, Wakatoshi had spent the entire lunch with me in the gardens, where we walked and talked. He would often interrupt my rambling to point at a flower next to us, asking what it was and what it meant. It was nice, having someone to just listen to you and be interested. Wakatoshi's eyes lit up as soon as I had mentioned my involvement in the girls' volleyball team, and we had struck up a pretty riveting conversation about volleyball. He seemed just as crazy about volleyball as me. As we had just finished a lap of the gardens, the striking sound of a bell signalled the end of lunch. The volleyball player looked towards the direction of the sound before returning his gaze back to mine.

"We should get going if we want to make it to class in time." 

"I guess this is where we part ways, then." I pointed at Wakatoshi with a grin. "Make sure to say hi now that you know me!"

"Understood." 

With a wave, I turned to leave, pausing to pull out my flip phone to check the time. Why were there five messages from— A tap on the shoulder made me turn back around, surprised to see Wakatoshi standing there. I thought he would have already left.

"Could you give me your hand?" It was a strange request, but I nonetheless obliged and presented my hand to him. Wakatoshi then placed a camellia in it, the same one that he had plucked from the bush at the start of our meeting. "I enjoyed our time together, Reina. Thank you." 

His words didn't seem to match the stone-faced expression he wore. My mouth opened to speak, but I was thrown into disarray as his lips twisted into what could be described as a smile. A smile? If I told anyone they would probably not believe me. Still stunned, I watched as Wakatoshi gave me a curt nod and briskly departed from the gardens. 

"W-wait!" I managed to yell out to his fading figure, but my voice didn't seem to reach his ears as he continued to walk away. Scrunching my eyebrows together in bewilderment, I looked down at the white camelia in my hand, heart racing as I recalled what I had said to him about the flower.

"If you ever give it to someone, you're implying they're adorable."

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The second time I met Ushijima Wakatoshi was when he walked into the girls' volleyball gym a few days later. Apart from the typical greetings when we passed another in classes, we haven't had a conversation since. The assistant coach had asked him to bring more volleyballs, but he paused mid-way to suggest a volleyball match with mixed genders. Our captain, Akira, almost jumped in excitement next to me as the words came out of Wakatoshi. She proclaimed how much she had wanted to show off the strength of our players. 

Akira quickly pointed at me as an example, bragging about how I was a genius setter that made all the players bloom on the court. Like flowers, Wakatoshi had remarked, locking eyes with me.

Caught in the middle of their conversation while I had been pushing my hair back in a ponytail, all I could do was smile abashedly at the comments.

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"Wakatoshi! Get the last one!" I screamed out, forgetting about all formality as the thrill of the match got to me. Head thumping and blood pumping, I watched as the ball flew towards me while the olive-hair spiker continued to run towards the net. With a graceful push of my fingers, the ball was propelled straight into Wakatoshi's left hand which instantly slammed the ball down the opposite end of the court. There was a second of silence as the ball bounced straight back up and landed in the bleachers from the force of the spike, before our side of the court erupted in screams in realisation of our victory. Everybody congratulated the other as I stood there with a cheerful smile, cheeks blushed from exhaustion. Wakatoshi walked over and placed a hand on my head. With surprise at the sudden action, I looked up to see a softness in his rather emotionless face.

"Nice toss," He said, patting my head twice before removing his hand. I stood there shocked, not knowing how to react. The nerve of this boy this week; giving me a flower, complimenting me and then patting my head. "It was perfect."

Yeah, you're perfect, I wanted to say, but stuttered out a thank you, you did great, instead of that humiliating statement I was so close to blurting out. I saw a flash of pink as Hamamoto Meiko crashed into me, interrupting our little conversation. The enthusiastic libero of the girls' team was still jittery and full of energy as she glanced up at me with a toothy grin. 

"Reina! You did amazing- especially that last toss." She beamed, giving me a tight hug that I quickly returned. Meiko then turned to Wakatoshi, not at all intimidated despite being at least a head and half shorter. "You did well too, Ushijima-san! Your spikes and serves got my heart racing, so you've got to let me receive one of those next time."

"Okay," He nodded, before glancing at the redhead blocker, Tendou Satori, who waved at him, urging him to come over. It was nearly time to go home, I noted as I glanced at the time on the clock. Wakatoshi looked back at us, unblinking. "Thank you for the match. I'll see you soon."

"See you!" Meiko grinned. Wakatoshi stops midway, turning back around to meet my eyes.

"Reina. I hope you can toss to me again one day." He stated, before heading back towards the group of guys awaiting him. I blinked furiously, my ears red from all the compliments he had given me today. Is Ushijima Wakatoshi supposed to be like this?

"You know, Ushijima-san is quite a pretty boy," The pink-haired libero remarked with a smile as we walked through the hallway that separated the two gyms. My heart jolted in surprise at Meiko's comment. Was she suddenly able to read my mind or something? I glanced warily at the girl who continued to stare back at the Shiratorizawa boys' team. "He's not really my type though. A bit too rugged for me. But he's already ticked off all the boxes on your list right, Reina?"

"W-What?" I stuttered as Meiko stuck her tongue out. This girl had to be reading my mind. Akira caught up to us and put an arm around my shoulder, a shit-eating grin plastered on her face.

"We all saw that little interaction of yours, Reina. Patting your head, that was adorable!" She cried out, causing all the members to laugh apart from two, Sakura and Hikari.

"I didn't see that!" Hikari huffed. "I wanted to see that!"

Akira just patted the middle blocker on the back. "Don't worry, Hikari. I will put money that there's going to be a next time for this."

It put a grin on Hikari's face, but in return, my cheeks burnt even more furiously than they already were. Akira was met with a flick on the forehead by Sakura, who chastised Akira on how she shouldn’t be teasing me about something like this. I smiled gratefully at the one reasonable person in our team. Or so I thought.

"But even I can't deny it, she and Ushijima-san do look cute together," Sakura muttered. While it might have just been for the now-beaming Akira's ears, the entire team was gathered way too close and had heard everything. The ace's admission cued even more teasing from the other members. I placed my hands over my face in embarrassment, groaning in fake annoyance at my teammates as we walked back into our gym.

Chapter Text

Tendou Satori was surprised. Watching his fellow second-year and friend pat Kageyama Reina on the head shocked him. Ushijima Wakatoshi showed no feelings towards girls, even for volleyball he would only speak to them about strategies and play. Maybe the Queen of Roses, as the female setter was called, had actually caught the emotionless volleyball idiot’s eye. Tendou recalled that Kageyama Reina was known for her graceful movements and strategic ability around the court, with most of her middle school years being nicknamed 'the angel' because of her unique blonde hair. Eventually, the nickname 'the Queen of Roses' stuck with her after an interview on Volleyball Weekly: Girl Power Edition (don’t ask why Tendou knew this) revealed that she loved flowers. It suited her. Like that English proverb, every rose has its thorn, this Rose’s thorn was lethal, and her beautiful petals hid her menacing presence on the court. 

It was interesting. A grin spread towards Tendou’s face. The White Eagle and the Queen of Roses sounded poetic. Maybe the second year of high school wouldn't be so boring, and Miracle Boy Satori would bring those together like the wingman he was. Tendou hadn’t realised he had instinctively done a peace sign as he voiced out the ‘Miracle Boy Satori’ in his head. Wakatoshi, who had been staring at him confused throughout the middle blocker's whole thought process, finally spoke.

"What are you doing Tendou?"

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Walking in the gardens every Monday seemed to be a thing Wakatoshi and I seemed to mindlessly agree on because every week we would meet each other there and spend the time walking in the gardens. It was peaceful to get away from the loud cafeteria and the occasional fans that approached me. I tolerated most of them, some being very sweet, but there were those who did not understand what the term ‘personal space’ meant. At least I didn't have as many fans as Oikawa, I laughed in my head. Wakatoshi seemed to sympathise when I told him that. He bluntly stated that he didn't like interacting with many fans for the same reason. I nodded, pointing out that the gardens can now be both our getaway spots, to which Wakatoshi broke out a rare smile. I couldn't help but smile back after seeing it.  

"Hey, hey! You're Reina-chan right?" I turned around at the unfamiliar voice in the cafeteria, nearly knocking into someone with my tray. Behind me in the line was Tendou, a classmate and, more importantly, someone who I played volleyball with a few weeks ago. His upright red hair and lanky build made him incredibly memorable. Tendou waved to me and I waved back. "Wakatoshi-kun seems to talk a lot about you, considering he doesn't speak much.'

“Oh, really?” I responded as Tendou grinned, drawing a little love heart in the air with his free hand. 

“He’s in lov—“

"Tendou, don't bother Reina," Wakatoshi scolded, his tray already filled with food. He seemed to be waiting for Tendou. Tendou flashed a wink at Wakatoshi, before grabbing food from the stall onto his tray. Those two were complete opposites. It’s amazing how they were really good friends. The power of volleyball, I mused. Wakatoshi turned to me. "Is he bothering you?"

"No, it was just some chatter," I reassured him with a smile, and the spiker's demeanour immediately relaxed. Ready to head over to my volleyball team's table, I waved a quick goodbye to Wakatoshi as I took my tray off the railings. I took a few steps before Tendou, who popped up in front of me, once again stopped me in my tracks. Almost jumping in surprise by his appearance, I raised my eyebrows as I saw his puppy dog eyes.

"Reina, do you want to sit with us? I want to know more about Waka-kun's friend!"

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I was eventually dragged over to the boys' volleyball table. Tendou attempted to introduce everyone to me, but his sudden rapid fire of names did not help with my already awful name memorisation skills. I awkwardly greeted everyone as they were introduced, suddenly feeling intimidated by the amount of people on the table. The boys' team certainly did have much more players than we did. 

"So Reina-san, how did you meet Ushiwaka-kun?" Hayato, their libero, asked after a comfortable silence. 

"In the school gardens," I said, munching on my milk bread. Eita gasped at my statement.

"There's a school garden? I never knew that."

"Most people don't."

"That sounds like the start of a manga," Tendou quipped, clasping his hands with a dreamy expression now on his face.  I had quickly learnt that the redhead that sat in front of me was a complete otaku. I couldn't even begin to count how many manga references he made beforehand until Reon had calmed him down.  "A romance one maybe?"

I rolled my eyes at that, watching all the guys apart from Wakatoshi laugh a little at Tendou's statement. Eita, who had been sitting next to me, moved closer. I was now being jammed between Wakatoshi and the setter. 

"He's been talking about you quite a lot," Eita cooed. Despite the soft voice he used, the setter made sure the other members heard it. I nearly choked on the bread in my mouth. I glared at the smirking ash blonde, whose looks so closely resembled mine that he could have been mistaken to be my brother. 

"So?" Wakatoshi remarked impassively as he took a sip of his strawberry milk. The entire volleyball team roared in amusement at how blunt the spiker was. I felt my cheeks redden, and I stared back down at my strawberry milk carton, piercing it with the straw. 

"They even have matching drinks!" Tendou gasped, pointing at our drinks. He then paused, recalling how I had pierced the straw with my left hand. "Wait a minute, don't tell me you're left-handed as well, Reina-chan?"

"Yeah," I muttered quietly, ears still burning red. Despite this, Tendou had heard and jumped up onto the table excitedly. "They're both left-handed! It's a miracle, I ship, I ship!"

"Tendou, get back down on the ground!" Reon yelled amid the cheers and agreement from the group. Wakatoshi blankly looked over to me, mouthing an apology as if he had been the one who dragged me into this mess. I shook my head with a smile.

"It's alright. This feels just like my team."

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When Tendou had asked Wakatoshi about how he felt about Reina, it got his own mind spiralling on why he liked her that much. Maybe it was how she would light up whenever she talked about flowers and volleyball, despite being opposites of each other. He could see how much passion she had for both, and constantly wondered if her heart raced just like his when she stepped into the court. Did she spend hours practising setting the ball like he spent hours practising spiking? And flowers—when did every passing flower remind him of a certain smiling blonde?

Maybe it was all these thoughts in his head that caused his Sunday morning jog to end with him standing in front of a florist shop.

Opening the door with a jingle, Wakatoshi glanced over to the counter, only to meet the familiar face of a girl. Reina had her hair loose with a white daisy crown placed on top of her head, blue eyes snapping over to his own as she heard the bell.

"Wakatoshi! What are you doing here?" Reina gawked. He had to make up an excuse, right? Wakatoshi thought. According to Tendou, he shouldn't be so blunt towards his feelings.

"I wanted to learn more about flowers and this was the closest florist to where I live," He didn't lie. Wakatoshi looked back at Reina, her eyes twinkling as she adjusted the daisy crown on her head. He wondered what the girl was thinking. "You look pretty with the daisy crown."

Reina halted, and he saw surprise in her eyes. Her cheeks are a little pink, Wakatoshi mused. Is she not feeling that well? It is hot today, but it's nicely air-conditioned here.

"Thanks," She uttered, picking out a daisy from the pots of flowers that surrounded the counter. "Do you want one? It's off-peak hours right now, so I should be able to make one for you."

"Sure," Wakatoshi replied. He could hear his voice twinge in excitement and wondered if she heard it. Without skipping a beat, Reina moved away from the counter, slipping a pair of tweezers and scissors into her apron.

Wakatoshi looked around the store as he slowly followed her. The store was vintage-styled, with pots of succulents and terrariums hung above the seats situated around the glass windows. The large scaled windows reached the ceiling and let sunlight through with ease, coating the area in a warm light. He was a bit surprised to see menus and utensil filled buckets placed accordingly on each table. Now that he mentioned it, there was also a coffee machine on the counter. The volleyball player must have been just too focused on something else beforehand. 

"Is this a cafe as well?" 

Reina turned around after hearing Wakatoshi's question. There was an abashed grin on her face. Wakatoshi quite liked it whenever she smiled.

Behind her, varieties of flowers covered the walls. He felt pretty proud of himself that he could identify a few of them, recalling a few similarities in the Shiratorizawa gardens.

"Oh yes, we are! I didn't even ask you if you wanted anything to drink." 

“I’m quite alright,” Wakatoshi reassured her as he continued to look around. “A cafe and florist shop. That is an interesting combination.”

Tables were decorated with little plant pots; light bulbs and fairy lights hung down from the ceiling. To the left, a stand on the wall held several booklets, all free to take. The volleyball player moved closer, examining the titles before taking a couple for reading. 

Reina settled at a nearby table, carefully extracting her tools from her apron as she placed the flowers down. Seeing her sit down, Wakatoshi decided to follow suit. He pulled out a booklet in his pockets to read, his fingers gently traced the embossed flowers on the front cover as he turned to the first page. The volleyball player would occasionally steal glances at Reina as she worked delicately with the daisies, watching as her eyebrows would furrow and twitch as the girl focused. Wakatoshi listened to the soft melody she hummed, quietly flipping to the next page of his booklet, unaware of the soft smile that appeared on his lips as he felt content in the stillness of the moment.

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"I'm done!" I chimed. Wakatoshi in front of me had put down his booklet, looking at the flower crown invitingly. And so, I handed him the crown, marvelling at his features as he carefully placed it on his head. He could totally be a model if he wanted to. Maybe Mum’s modelling agency would hire him? I giggled in my head. 

But it was no joke. His height, sharp jawline, and piercing eyes were more than appealing. Being an athlete would also be a big plus, I mused. Muscles are incredibly attrac—I cut myself off from my daydreaming when I realised what I was imagining. I could feel my cheeks heating up as I scolded myself.

"Does it look good on me?" Wakatoshi asked. I nodded, flipping out my phone to take a quick photo. Maybe I should ask to take a photo together, I had thought as Wakatoshi scooted closer, examining the photo now displayed on the phone screen. He gave a little smile as he placed his fingers gently on one daisy. "The flower crown looks beautiful. What do daisies mean?”

“Innocence, purity and... true love,” I stated matter-of-factly, mind occupied with my internal dilemma. Would it be weird to ask for a picture with him? I turned to look at the spiker, who was still staring at the photo. My mind blurted out probably one of the most impulsive things I’ve said in a while. "Hey, Wakatoshi, do you want to take a selfie?"

I instinctively fidgeted with my fingers as I waited for his answer.

"Sure," Wakatoshi moved his face closer to mine before I could even react to his response, our cheeks nearly touching each other's. The volleyball player then tilted his head against mine after he moved his hand to fix my tilted daisy crown. I took a deep breath, smelling the sweet scent of this particular daisy from our flower crowns. His hand stayed on my shoulder. "Is this all right?"

"Yeah," I responded, ignoring the thumping in my chest and throwing in a peace sign before smiling. 

"3...2...1... Cheese!"

Chapter Text

"Nee-chan! Your phone's ringing!" Tobio exclaimed from upstairs. I groaned, busily chopping the spring onions and putting them into the ramen broth. 

"Can you bring it over to me?" I turned the sink tap on and squeezed on some soap, washing my hands with the cold water. Flicking the water droplets off, I heard Tobio clamber over to the kitchen, handing me my buzzing phone. I tapped the answer button as soon as I saw the contact name.

"Mum!"

"Hey Reina dear," I smiled as I heard her unusual Japanese accent coming strong and through. She was half Swedish and half Japanese, living in England through most of her childhood before moving back to Japan. I had inherited her ash blonde hair that Meiko envied. It's not fair that you don't have to bleach it to be that colour, she had said as she tugged her pink locks. I would laugh and begin complaining about her features in return. "How are you going?" 

"I'm doing well. Shiratorizawa is great as always." 

"Any boys?" She piped up. I could just imagine the teasing smile spreading on her face as I inwardly groaned. 

"No, none at all." 

"Sweetheart, I know when you're lying. You can tell me when I get back, okay?" I rolled my eyes and nodded, despite knowing she couldn't see me. I guess it was a half-lie, but how did she know? It's the mum senses, I told myself.

"You're coming back on Christmas, right?" I heard her breath hitch with hesitation and I frowned. "Is it not happening?"

"I'm sorry Reina, I've got a big shoot and I don't think I'll be able to miss it. I'll try to come back on New Year’s." I sighed in response. It was like this every year. She'd always promise to come back home on Christmas but never be able to fulfil it. Her modelling career often skyrocketed in December, with many companies booking photoshoots and modelling sessions around the holiday season. 

"It's all right. It happens every year anyway."

We continued to talk for a while as I prepared dinner. Later, Tobio popped into the conversation as the two of us ate. It had been a couple of months since I had seen her in person. I really had been hoping she'd come home by Christmas, but my hopes were never high. We eventually ended the call after she was called to her next photoshoot by her manager.

"I miss mum," Tobio remarked as he washed the dishes. It had been a few minutes since the call had ended and I was on the couch with a book. I turned my head over from the couch after hearing my little brother’s voice.

"I miss her too, Tobio. She'll be home soon enough."

"Yeah..." I began to grab hold of my book again as silence ensued, ending the conversation. "And uh Rei, do you think you can help me with some volleyball strategies after?"

As I heard the word volleyball, I turned to Tobio once more with a grin.

"Of course! I am your big sister, after all!"

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I sat down on a bench in the school gardens, sighing in comfort as the sun's warm rays hit my face. I closed my eyes as I basked in the sunlight. It was getting colder as Autumn took its last breath, the colourful leaves rustling one last time before falling onto the paved ground. The trees would be left bare in just over a week, I noted. The faint sounds of people laughing and chattering caused me to open my eyes, peering over to see Meiko near the fountains. She jumped on the spot excitedly as she spotted me, hurrying her company over. 

"I found Reina, she's over there," I groaned and stood up, watching as the female libero walked up to me with Tendou and Wakatoshi following suit. I tilted my head in surprise as both of them bowed at me.

"Please Reina-chan! Could you be our temporary assistant coach?" Tendou cried in desperation.

"Assistant coach? Don't you already have one?" I said, completely confused with no context at all. "And you don't need to bow. We're friends, right?"

The two male volleyball players stood back up as Meiko piped up next to me.

"Apparently their assistant is going off on holiday, and worse of all is that he's going away during their spring nationals! Talk about some bad scheduling," She muttered. Tendou nodded in agreement with pleading eyes. I bit my lip. I knew that they had coach Washijo, but he only came in every few weeks rather than being there for all the training sessions. It was the assistant coach’s job to cover the gaps that coach Washijo left. However, usually they would be an alumnus rather than a current student, mostly due to experience and availability.

"The girls' team has nationals till late November..."

"We're begging you!" Tendou cried out, bowing again, and I stepped back a bit in reluctance.

"There's no other available people that could match your knowledge, Reina. And our assistant coach leaves at the start of December when your games finish." Wakatoshi reasoned. I pondered my choices. It's a good experience, plus I'm helping a bunch of friends out. 

"I'll consider it. You guys are really putting me on the spot here…” Their faces dropped. “But it’s a yes right now."

With a sigh, Wakatoshi and Tendou lifted their expressions back up with relief as they heard my last words. 

"Thank you Reina-chan!" Tendou grinned, giving me a hug that knocked the breath out of my chest. I patted his back in return as I tried to not die from asphyxiation. As he let go of me, Tendou turned his head over to Meiko who fidgeted with the ends of her pink hair. "We should get going now, right Meiko?"

"Oh, yeah!" The libero's eyes lit up at this and gave Tendou a mischievous smile.

"Wakatoshi-kun, stay with Reina, okay? We're heading off without you for some totally not suspicious reasons!" Tendou shot finger guns as Wakatoshi merely stared blankly at him. Meiko sighed, hitting the red-head on the arm with a hiss. "You made it totally suspicious!"

"You're being too loud!"

"Oh, shut up! Let's just go!" Meiko rolled her eyes, pulling the middle blocker away from Wakatoshi and I. Tendou turned around after a few seconds, waving goodbye to us as they disappeared out of sight, hopefully heading out of the gardens. Meiko was already loud and crazy enough, but this duo was something to be feared. 

"Have fun on your not-date!"

Wakatoshi and I look over at each other, both amused by their antics. I turned and pointed over to the purple field of flowers in front of us that had caught my eye as the pair had left. I was surprised the cosmos were blooming this late in the month, but it wouldn't be long before those flowers would unquestionably wilt from the harsh winter snow.

"Want to look at the Cosmos flowers?"

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"Wakatoshi! Come and smell this!" I exclaimed as I bent down to the velvet red flower. I took a whiff of it as the volleyball player walked over, breathing in the faint smell of vanilla and chocolate. I looked over to Wakatoshi. His eyes widened in surprise as he smelt the flower after me.

"It smells like chocolate... and vanilla," He said, looking over at my beaming face. "Is it special? The other cosmos flowers definitely did not smell like this."

"Yup! It's a chocolate cosmos, not native to Japan. They’re popular for the smell of chocolate they give off." 

"Interesting," Wakatoshi studied the cosmos, holding its stem daintily. "The cosmos flower, its kanji translating to autumn sakura, can be presented to someone with the meanings of cleanliness and love."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "I didn't know you could recite flower meanings straight out of the book."

He chuckled, and I realised this was the first time I had heard him laugh. Did that even count as a laugh? Ushijima Wakatoshi apparently laughs now. 

"It's interesting." 

That was all he said before he walked deeper into the cosmos field. I ran to catch up to him, slowing down every time as I eyed some type of cosmos that I'd never seen before. The flowers must have been too mesmerising, as it had taken a few minutes until I finally reached Wakatoshi.

"I can't believe how fast this boy walks," I muttered breathlessly. I lightly punched him on the back as I ran past him, slowing down to a stop a few metres ahead of him. "Stop and smell the flowers, Wakatoshi! Slow down!" 

Wakatoshi rolled his eyes, a slow smile tugging his lips. I felt my heart thump harder against my chest. His smile was really growing on me. "And what if I don't?"

"I'll punch you harder!" I childishly pouted, crossing my arms.

"You can try, but I doubt you could catch up to me," 

And then he sped off out of the sweet-smelling flower fields, leaving me alone, scowling as I watched his figure slowly get smaller and smaller. I scoffed at his antics. I was definitely going to catch up with that big jerk.

"Wakatoshi!!!" I cried out, sprinting after the volleyball player giddily.

Chapter Text

"You got first in our class. Congratulations," I heard the volleyball jerk say behind me. It was Wakatoshi’s new nickname ever since he ran away from the cosmos fields a couple of days ago. I never caught up to him, but eventually punched him at the volleyball team's table the next lunch. The table, now mixed with students from both the boys' and girls' volleyball teams, all looked incredibly amused when I told them about what happened.

I looked up at the scoreboard, across to Class 2-4, to find my name first on the list. This term's exams were finally over, and everybody crowded around the bulletin boards to check their scores. "You're probably going into class 3-5 next year if you also ace the final exam."

"Thanks! I hope so. What did you get, Wakatoshi?" He walks closer to the scoreboard, pointing down to the last few names. The scores weren't bad, but it was definitely lower than our class average. This mostly meant that he would go down a class next year if his grades for the next exam were less than average as well.

"I don't mind, I've been focused more on volleyball anyway," He reassured me as he saw my sympathetic look. I nodded at that. Shiratorizawa was a prestigious school, with the rumours of the entrance exam being the hardest in the Miyagi prefecture. Luckily, I had never needed to go through that, as I had scored a lucky little scholarship for volleyball. It was the same with Wakatoshi. I shook off my thoughts as a hand grasped my own. Meiko, with a little squeal, placed her chin on my shoulder.

"Rei-chan! I got good scores for once!" Meiko was in Class 2-3, with her worst subject being English. But she had worked her ass off with me this year and compared to how she did last term, it was significantly improving. I patted her head in approval.

"That's great!" I said as the libero hummed happily before widening her eyes. "Oh! Congratulations on getting into the national youth volleyball training camp again- you told me on the phone before, but I'm so happy for you!"

"I forgot to congratulate you in person as well," Wakatoshi remarked. "So congratulations."

"Thanks! You told me you got into the boys' one again as well, right, volleyball jerk?" I noted, remembering our texts last night. Meiko scoffed a little at the nickname and nudged me lightly in the ribs. I ignored her taunts. Wakatoshi nodded tautly, but his eyes glinted, unable to hide his excitement.

"Oh, congratulations! Two Shiratorizawa students in youth camp once more!” Meiko clapped her hands together in excitement. "You guys will probably both make it into the selections next year as well. Reina, if you ever get interviewed again, be sure to mention me, your best friend and the best libero, okay?"

"Haha, I'll be sure to, but let's do our best at nationals first!"

"Yeah!"

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

"Hahh..." I sighed, stretching as I stood up from my desk, glad that it was the end of school for the day. My fingers were itching to get a grasp on a volleyball, my mind on edge from the realisation that we were heading to Tokyo tomorrow. We really got in. A hand gently tapped me on the shoulder and I looked behind me to see Wakatoshi staring keenly.

"Let's go to volleyball practice."

"Okay," I agreed, packing up my desk before heaving my bag onto my shoulders. We walked over to our lockers, where I took off my slides and slipped into my sneakers. A flash of yellow caused me to glance over at Wakatoshi, who had taken something out from his bag. Curious, I looked over at him intently, trying to guess what he was holding. It was no use as his body hid it, the spiker seemingly oblivious to my curiosity.

"What's that you're holding there, Wakatoshi? Is it for me?" I tilted my head. He glanced over at me and copied my little head tilt, now moving the yellow object behind his back.

"How did you know?" 

"Wait, what?" I questioned, now confused at whether he was joking. Wakatoshi would be really good at poker. 

"Here," He placed it in my hands softly before I could say anything else. They were a small bouquet of sunflowers. When did he get these? I smiled as I looked at the radiant yellow flowers that seemed to smile back at me, before glancing back at Wakatoshi. He ran his fingers through his hair before looking at me, making me want to touch his oh-so-soft hair for a few seconds. "They're for good luck in Tokyo. Win for us, okay?"

My heart raced at the thoughtful gesture and I grasped the sunflowers in my hands a little tighter. 

"I will."

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

How did I get into this situation? It had been an hour after we had gotten back to Shiratorizawa, our hopes crushed after being defeated in nationals by Niiyama, leaving us in 2nd place. 24-22 for the fifth set. After that, no one wanted to stay the night in Tokyo, so we all boarded the train home defeatedly. We lost again , Akira had said as we walked out of the stadium, her voice shaking as she tried her hardest not to cry. 

It was all my fault.

Our meeting in the gym was dreary and everybody got up to leave as soon as it finished. Meiko had tried to reassure me before she left, but the dull look in her eyes gave it all away.

It was all my fault.

I was the only person left in the empty gymnasium. Even our coach Maya left a few minutes before, telling me to leave soon and get some rest. The lights had automatically turned off, but I continued lying on the cold hardwood floor, eventually finding some strength to walk over to the boys' gym. They were eagerly training for their preliminary competition in December.

"You're back, Reina," Wakatoshi's voice echoed as he walked over to me in the dark hallway. Wakatoshi held a water bottle in his hand and I assumed he had gone to fill it up. I remembered the promise I made to him yesterday, and my throat tightened.

“Did you win?” I turned to face him.

“We didn’t. I set the ball too high for the final spike and Sakura missed it.” There was a sinking feeling in my chest as I spoke, but I plastered a smile on my face. I wanted to scream and cry. But the fear of disappointment scared me. I can’t let Wakatoshi see this side of me. I’m supposed to be reliable. I’m supposed to be a perfect setter. “It’s disappointing for the third years. But I still have next year. I’m going to work harder than ever before.”

“Reina…” 

No. Don’t pity me. I felt my porcelain smile crack as the volleyball player looked at me with concern.

“I’m okay!” 

“Reina…you’re crying.”

I touched my cheeks, feeling them wet. With a trembling hand, I wiped away my tears, only for more to take its place. 

"Are you sure you’re okay?" 

Biting my lip at his question, I flicked my eyes away from his as tears began to well up faster than before. Swallowing saliva suddenly felt harder as my throat constricted.

“No. Not really. I feel so horrible right now.” My voice lowered to a whisper, words trying to get out as my throat twisted like wires. I looked down, watching as my tears fell onto the hardwood floor rhythmically. “It was all my fault, Wakatoshi. We would have won if I just set the ball normally. Or maybe if I wasn’t the one to set the ball. I’m supposed to be reliable!”

Looking back up at him, Wakatoshi’s figure was now blurred in my vision. I shake my head giving a hoarse chuckle in mockery at my own sorry state. 

“I probably look so stupid right now.”

“Don’t say that.”

“But-”

My words were cut short when I was suddenly embraced, my head buried in Wakatoshi's chest. I stiffened. Wakatoshi’s hands hovered slightly above my back as if he didn’t know where to put them. 

"You will be okay.” He seemed to pause, unsure. I then felt his arms hold me just a bit tighter. “I promise.”

As those six words met my ears, I felt all the willpower holding myself back disappear. Tears cascaded down my cheeks uncontrollably and I slumped onto his chest, unconsciously wrapping my arms around Wakatoshi.

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

Wakatoshi was frozen when Reina's eyes welled up in tears in front of him. Did he ask the wrong question? The volleyball player was concerned and confused. He had no idea what to do in these situations. Sure, he'd watched a lot of romantic movies with his team at sleepovers where the guy would comfort the girl with a hug, but Wakatoshi wasn't even sure he could hug someone properly, let alone initiate it. The last time he remembered hugging someone back was his dad when he was twelve. 

“No. Not really. I feel so horrible right now. It was all my fault, Wakatoshi. We would have won if I just set the ball normally. Or maybe if I wasn’t the one to set the ball. I was supposed to be dependable!”

What should he do? Hold her hand, place a hand on her back? Maybe you should just hug her. Reina looked up at him, laughing as her tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

“I probably look so stupid right now.”

“Don’t say that.” He immediately quipped. 

“But-”

Before Reina could continue her sentence, Wakatoshi found himself pulling Reina into an embrace. It was an instinctive reaction, yet Wakatoshi immediately had doubts as he felt her stiffen under his embrace. Was this the wrong thing to do? He wasn’t even sure where to place his hands. 

"You will be okay. I promise.” He murmured. As he did, he unconsciously held her tighter and his resolve to comfort her strengthened. The words seemed to cause her sobs to rack as Reina slumped back into him, her hands clawing at his neck. That was a good thing right? Wakatoshi hoped so, as he drew soothing circles on her back to comfort her in the only way he knew.

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

After a short while, I calmed down to small sniffles that led Wakatoshi to relax his hold on me, allowing me to move away from him. I dropped my arms down to Wakatoshi's waist instead, clinging close to him. 

"Let's just stay like this for a bit longer," I murmured, continuing to keep my eyes closed. Leaning against his chest, I took a shaky breath, listening to his slow rhythmic breathing and heart beating loudly. My mind was still a mess. I needed comfort. Wakatoshi didn't protest, his arms wrapping back around my waist as we held a silent embrace.

Chapter Text

It was a Saturday, meaning no school and a full day of volleyball practice. I was in a good mood, much better than the crying mess I was before. As I headed over to the Shiratorizawa school gates, I saw a tall, muscular figure in front of me and realised it was Wakatoshi. I ran up to him and the volleyball player acknowledged my presence with a little nod, continuing to walk to the school beside me. Maybe I should thank him for yesterday, I thought in my head as my heart raced, recalling what had happened. When I got home last night, I had finally cleared my mind enough to process what had happened beforehand. We hugged. And I cried like a baby. In his arms. Was that real? It didn’t seem real. I paused to a stop at the red gates, tugging his sleeve a little hesitantly. Wakatoshi stopped and looked down at me.

"Hey, thanks for yesterday. I was being slightly overdramatic.” I murmured. He shook his head at my statement.

“I can understand.”

 “In junior high, we used to win all the important matches when I was on the team. I feel like that’s when everyone and even myself began to have very high expectations of me."

"Depending on one person to win…I can see how that would screw up someone’s mentality."

"Yeah. It may be time to do some self-reflection.”

“I understand, and I am sure you will accomplish it. You can always talk to me.” He patted my head, and I ruffled his hair in return. Wakatoshi turned to me with an eyebrow raised. Ready to open my mouth to apologise, I noticed Wakatoshi’s lips curled into a small smile before dropping back down, a sign that he was okay with it. I sighed in relief. I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time — his hair is just so soft.

“I really owe you one, Toshi,” I hummed, propping my hand on my chin. He glanced back at me again.

“A new nickname?”

I blink, realising I had indeed shortened his name to Toshi. “Do you like it?”

“I do if you like it,” He expressed nonchalantly. I looked away, flustered at this man’s words. How could he say things like that so unabashedly?

“So what were you saying about owing me something?” He continued.

“Oh! Right,” I replied. “How does making some food for you sound?” 

”Hayashi rice?” He seemed to stand straighter.

“Consider it done.”

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

The yellow zinnias that grew in the raised garden beds beside the gym seemed to still be growing well. Whoever the school gardener was, they did a superb job of keeping the plants happy and thriving. As I opened the door of the girls' gym, I saw that most of the players were already there. Many were serving volleyballs to the other end ferociously while others seemed to sit on the ground with no motivation. It was the side effect of losing such an important match, especially for the third years. I walked over to Sakura who seemed to be having a staring contest at the floorboards, a frown plastered on her face.

“Sakura-san, I’m sorry about the last toss.”

Sakura’s brown hair whipped around in surprise and looked at me. As her honeyed eyes squinted into a guilty smile, the brunette’s beauty once again blew me away. The third-year ace was surely one of the prettiest girls I’ve met, and no doubt that her popularity skyrocketed after appearing in television interviews. I had heard that she was going into news reporting once she graduated. 

“That was my fault, Reina. I saw the ball, and I knew I could hit it. But my legs just wouldn’t move.”

“No, my backspin quick, I shouldn’t have done that late in the game. We only practised it several times.” 

She opened her mouth to argue again before Akira placed a hand on her shoulder, the captain’s face stern with determination. 

“Both of you shut up. Yes, we all know we made mistakes yesterday, and it was no lie that Niiyama was stronger than us,” Akira’s voice boomed through the gym. Everyone seemed to stop and listen to what the captain said. “So, what can we do now? Mope and lie on the ground defeated? If this is the last sight I see as a captain, I am going to regret it.”

Everyone murmured, and I gulped, nodding stiffly as Akira pointed at me.

“Reina. Us third years won't be able to play Spring High next year. But I trust you’ll lead the team to victory, even without us. Do it for all our teammates, do it for us.”

“Yeah. Do it for us!” Sakura smiled, giving a peace sign. “Victory will be ours!”

I took a deep breath before mustering my biggest smile.

“I won’t let you down, everyone.” 

The gym erupted in cheers before Akira and our coach started drills, the atmosphere much lighter than before. Akira was great at motivating the team. I knew that if I repeated the same speech she did, it would never have had the same impact. I think she was heading into political affairs in college, making good use of her words. Meiko walked over and hugged me tightly, before releasing me from her grasp with a smile.

“You’re going to help out the boys' team as well in a few days, is that right future captain?” I rolled my eyes at the ‘future captain’.

“I guess I will,” I sigh. “They’re a rowdy bunch, just like you guys.”

Hikari had been drinking from her bottle when she heard this and marched over to the two of us, water still in her mouth. She took a big gulp before crossing her arms.

“Reina, you’re too lucky! There’s this really cute second year on that team and you get to be with him for basically a whole week and more!”

I laughed, poking my underclassman in the ribs as she pouted.

“It’s Eita-kun, isn’t it?” I teased. Hikari seemed to have heart eyes pointed at Eita whenever she was at the lunch table, always offering to help him with whatever Eita needed. She also continuously talked about him in front of us; complimenting him and asking questions about him. It was so obvious that she liked him. Hikari gasped wide-eyed at my accusation, her tousled black hair seemed to spike in reaction. 

“How does everyone guess so easily?”

“It’s not that hard, silly!” Ishikawa Yui, our next ace and Hikari’s twin, yelled behind us. We turned around to see her on the court, everyone stopping the game to watch Yui pretend to fangirl over an invisible Eita. “Oh Eita-senpai, can I call you that? Eita-senpai you’re so cool~”

Everybody laughed except for Hikari, whose face was flushed red. Meiko coughed from laughing too hard, and I patted her back. She eventually recovered, still snickering a little as she saw Hikari’s red, flustered face.

“Don’t worry Hikari-chan, I won’t steal your Eita-senpai,” I winked. Hikari glowered before giving a devious smile at me. 

“Yeah, because you’re already being love birds with Ushijima-san.” 

The gym roared with laughter once more as I tried to stutter out a response and failed. Next to Yui, Akira wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, sighing.

“I will really miss this team next year.”

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

"Nice kill!" Reon smashed the ball down to the other side. He high-fived Eita, who had set the ball to him. Shirabu, the first-year setter, walked up to ask Eita about tips as Reon headed over to me. 

"So, Reina, do you have any comments?" I looked over at my notepad, dragging my pen down to Reon's name. 

"I noted that you’re still hitting more with your fingers and upper palm when you spike," I remarked as I pointed to the upper part of my hands before moving down to the palms. "I want you to focus on hitting with only your palm instead. It will give you a bit more power and also control of the spike." 

He nodded and headed back to Eita, having a brief conversation before they continued to practise spiking drills. Tendou and Wakatoshi sat down on the bench, jamming me in the middle.

"I'm so glad you decided to manage us Reina-chan!" Tendou grinned, fixing the athletic tape on his fingers. He seemed to be struggling with it, so I grabbed the redhead's hand and helped him tape it up. 

"That should do the trick," I muttered before looking up with a smile. 

"Wow! You do it better than our regular assistant coach!" He exclaimed. "I'm totally asking you to tape my fingers from now on."

"She's not going to always be there to tape your fingers, Tendou," Wakatoshi said matter-of-factly, twirling a volleyball in his hands. "Reina also has practice with her team."

"That's true, but she does it so well!" The middle blocker cried out and hopped off the bench to show his newly taped fingers to everyone. Like a child with their new toy, I mused. I looked back down on my notepad, adding in some more notes on the team.

"That's a lot of information," Wakatoshi said as he moved closer to look at what I was writing. I could smell the aftershave on his face. His proximity to me led to me forgetting what I was writing, leaving me scribbling little stars on the page to ease the thumping in my heart. This heart condition I’m having is getting worse.

"More variation..." He muttered. Wakatoshi had found the notes written under his underlined name, little doodles surrounding the writing. I prayed that he didn’t mention the hearts I had drawn unconsciously next to his name.

"Your spikes are powerful, but they're nearly all straights or crosses," I explained, trying to change his focus.  "A team with good defence would eventually get used to your spikes. Maybe you could switch it around with some back attacks and even feints."

"We could also use some more decoy tactics as well."

"Yeah!" 

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

(19:34) Volleyball Jerk

Are you free tomorrow?

You (19:40) 

Uhhh I think so 

(19:41) Volleyball Jerk

I want to practice my spikes, but Semi and Shirabu both are busy

"Tobio!" I screamed from my room. "What day do you have finals?"

"Sunday, which is tomorrow!"

"You don't have to tell me tomorrow is a Sunday, dumbass, I know!"

(19:45) You

My brother has his junior high finals match on Sunday :/

(19:46) Volleyball Jerk

Are you watching him?

(19:48) You

I don't know

I do want to go but I don't really want to go alonee

(19:49) Volleyball Jerk

Can't Hamamoto-san make it?

I could go with you

If you'd like it of course.

(19:56) You

Meiko is busy :<

I would!!

But are you sure Toshi?? I thought you wanted to practice spiking

(20:01) Volleyball Jerk

It's alright, I should have some rest anyway.

What time? It's still at the City Gymnasium correct?

(20:04) You

Thanks Toshi

It starts at 1 at the city gymnasium

I'll see you there :3

Chapter Text

"Wakatoshi! I hope I didn't make you wait for long," Reina walked over, the wind making her ash blonde hair sway with the breeze. She wore a printed volleyball sweater underneath her black puffer jacket, one hand stuffed in the pockets of her jeans while the other fiddled with her scarf. Wakatoshi realised they were both wearing the same black jackets, and his heart jumped up just a little at the thought of it.

"No, I only got here a few minutes before," Wakatoshi said as he watched the ash blonde breathe out a sigh, mist coming out from her mouth. It was the first snow of December, landing the entire Miyagi prefecture in a deep cloud of white. Wakatoshi didn't mind winter, but he was always disappointed when his early morning jogs became hikes through deep snow instead. 

"That's good. I was so scared to be late—I missed the subway," Reina exclaimed, waving her gloved hands around. "It seemed like half of the prefecture was catching the subway and my line was already gone after I wove through the crowds. Just my luck.”

Wakatoshi patted her head to calm her down, noting that the girl standing in front of him seemed to not notice the stares the two gained in front of the gymnasium. Middle schoolers who walked past them either gave the two lingering stares before whispering hurriedly over to their friends or looked wide-eyed and open-mouthed in awe. It was unnerving for Wakatoshi, at most, despite being used to it now.

"Should we head in?" He suggested and Reina gave a nod and a chuckle, glancing at the staring people and back at him. Guess she did notice. Wakatoshi pushed the glass doors, feeling the coldness of it through his fingertips and shivered, regretting his decision of not wearing gloves this morning. His regretful thoughts left him as quickly as the warm air hit the two of them as they entered the gymnasium. 

"It's so warm!" Reina squealed, tugging off her scarf. The sound of squeaking shoes on the polished floor and volleyballs being hit somehow made Wakatoshi so much more comfortable. Not that it was uncomfortable with Reina, but he felt like the court was somewhere he could be in forever. The volleyball player looked over at the pretty female setter, her lips widened into a gasp of excitement as she looked over at the players in front of them. It seemed like he wasn't the only one who loved the court. A hand grabbed his wrist, blue eyes turning over to stare back into his own. "Let's hurry and get some good seats!"

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I looked over at Wakatoshi, slightly embarrassed as I heard Tobio’s faint yelling down from the court. The Kitagawa Daiichi students next to us looked slightly stiff, but most seemed to bear an expression of annoyance as if the angry setter had done this before. Wakatoshi turned to me, eyebrows raised in what could be seen as a surprise.

“I guess I know what his nickname means now,” I muttered. I knew my brother had a reputation on the court, but I always expected it to have a better inference than what it meant in reality. He's acting worse than last year, I thought. Tobio was a strict follower of the concept that speed was the key to victory. Despite it being true, I always proclaimed teamwork and communication as the number one. In last year’s tournament, he had been tossing fast tosses that still matched the pace of his teammates, but this year... the setter was being monstrous to his team.

“The King of the Court, correct?” Wakatoshi asked, fumbling with the black jacket he held in his lap. The same jacket as mine, I mused.

“I would have expected something like him ruling the court in a way where he’s praised, but I guess it’s the complete opposite.” I replied, watching as the two junior high teams began their next set. Kitagawa Daiichi had lost the first set, probably putting Tobio into a bit of a panic mode. From the look of the coach and manager, there was a high chance of him getting benched if something like that happened again. The whistle blew to announce the start of the second set as I looked over to the other side of the bleachers. A magenta banner was placed in front of a cheering crowd of students. “It sort of feels like treason, sitting with Kitagawa Daiichi instead of Shiratorizawa.”

“I never did anything. You were the one who pulled us up here,” Wakatoshi blinked, raising his hands to his chest in surrender before placing them back down. “Didn’t you attend Kitagawa?”

“Yeah, but no one cares because I attend Shiratorizawa now. Imagine if someone from the newsletter club recognised us; Shiratorizawa star players supporting Kitagawa Daiichi!” I proclaimed, waving my hands dramatically. “The agony of our best volleyball players sitting on the opposite side against Shiratorizawa? The ultimate betrayal?”

A few Kitagawa Daiichi girls looked over at the two of us as they heard what I said. From the corner of my eye, I watched them as they began to gossip with one another, looking back over at us as they did. I met their gazes in response, catching them staring. They immediately turned back to watch the game.

“If you say that loud enough, eventually they’ll hear you from the other side and actually make that newsletter a thing,” Wakatoshi replied sternly, but when I looked into his eyes, offended, they glinted with amusement. Was he really joking in such a serious manner? I scowled, crossing my arms. 

“You’re such a jerk!” 

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The look on Tobio's face was absolutely murderous. After getting benched on the third set, he sat trembling, head down in the humiliation of being excluded by his teammates and the desperation to play. It wasn't exactly the most pleasant time to be benched as well, with his team currently losing to Shiratorizawa, now on their third set. So when Kitagawa Daiichi lost the game, the setter stormed out in a hurry after the usual thank you's to the opposite team and the audience. I glanced over at Wakatoshi, who gave me a nod in understanding, and we rushed down from the audience seats to the front entrance of the gymnasium.

The entrance was now filled with players, each tight in their teams as they conversed in whispers between each other. Older students and adults seemed to stand around as well, some joined by their younger siblings or children as they praised them for their good work. I spotted Tobio, who was bent down at the drink fountains, his fist tightening against the metal sink. I handed Wakatoshi my jacket to hold, and he hung back as I walked towards my brother, lightly tapping his shoulder. 

“What do you want?” Tobio said in a gruff manner, rising up from the fountain, back still facing me.

“Is that really how you address your big sister, Tobio?” I scoffed slightly. He whipped around at the sound of my voice. Tobio’s eyes widened in alarm as the younger setter looked me directly in the eye. Did he think I was someone else?

“N-no! Nee-chan, I thought you weren’t coming to watch my finals!” Tobio exasperated, flustered. That had been what I said. I had originally told him I wasn’t going, as I wanted to surprise him with Wakatoshi at the end of his game. Tobio had been obsessed with volleyball weekly since a few months ago and showed me an article about Wakatoshi, asking me if I knew him from Shiratorizawa. ‘I want to toss to him one day! Do you think that would ever happen?’ He had asked, blue eyes gleaming. ‘Or maybe I could just meet him, or even see his spikes in real life...’ Tobio had continued, just a bit dejectedly after I had responded to his first question with a shrug. 

“I was planning to surprise you,” I grinned, reaching out to pat Tobio on the head. “But that doesn’t matter right now!”

Tobio in an instant took my hand off his head, and his face darkened. I frowned as I let my hand drop back down to my side.

“I must have disappointed you so much in that game.”

”Tobio, you could never disappoint me.”

“Did you even see me?!” He exclaimed. “I-I messed up big time.”

“Mistakes are part of the game and they are there for you to learn from them. Hey, I’m sure you now learnt that being fast doesn’t mean much when your teammates aren’t there to get the ball, right?”

“But they should have been-“

“There?” I interrupted, and Tobio stared at me wide-eyed as I took his own words from him. “Tobio, as a setter, it is your job to accommodate each and every player’s needs, and know what is necessary to bring out the maximum potential in them.”

“I understand. But—but what if your teammates don’t even want to bring out their maximum potential?”

“There’s a better strategy than yelling at them, of course. Communicate! Have an understanding conversation with them.”

Tobio sighed, his tense shoulders relaxing as he scratched the back of his head.

“I can’t really fix anything now, even if I tried. They've lost all trust in me, anyway."

“Don’t stress about it. A couple of months and then you’ll be in high school," I smiled reassuringly, placing my arms around his shoulder. "It'll be a fresh start."

I pulled him towards the seats where Wakatoshi stood, or had stood in front of, as the Shiratorizawa ace was nowhere to be seen. I looked around frantically and soon found him, his head sticking out in a crowd of girls. Wakatoshi, who was much taller than the said girls, looked down at them blankly as they began to ask some ludicrous questions, which I heard as Tobio and I neared them.

"Do you want to get some food with us?"

"You look so handsome today~"

"I'm playing my match soon, Waka-kun! Do you think you could give me a kiss as good luck?"

I scoffed at the last request and then stared in astonishment as a girl presented a bunch of orange lilies to him.  Orange lilies meant hatred, pride and disdain, all something bad to give to someone you admire and like. I watched as Wakatoshi hesitated in receiving the flowers, seemingly knowing the meaning of them. He then attempted a thank you for the lilies he did not want, making me chuckle.

"Is he really coming over to us?" My brother's voice trembled slightly in excitement as he saw Wakatoshi march over to us, bright orange lilies in one hand and two black jackets in another, roughly dismissing the girls that had swarmed around him. Some still hung around before he gave them a threatening glare, repeating his orders once more. The girls jolted upwards like frightened cats and hurried away in fear. I wonder if the ace knows how scary he can be sometimes.

"Jeez, you seem to have as many fans as Oikawa now," I teased. Wakatoshi, who now stood in front of me, blinked, looking down at the flowers in slight disdain before back up at me again.

"Are you jealous?" I rolled my eyes at his question before turning to Tobio, who hid behind me; his eyes widened and jaw detached from his mouth. I manoeuvred him in between me and Wakatoshi, both hands on my brother's shoulders as I looked back at the Shiratorizawa volleyball player.

"Tobio, meet Ushijima Wakatoshi, your volleyball weekly crush." The setter spluttered out nonsense as he heard the last few words I said. He waved at the ace, still embarrassed. I laughed, gesturing at my brother. "Wakatoshi, meet Kageyama Tobio, my little brother."

"Nice to meet you."

Chapter Text

"Nice to meet you." The two shook hands and as soon as Wakatoshi let go, he threw a black jacket over to me and I caught it clumsily. I placed it on my shoulders, the scent of lilies drifting to my nose. Tobio, his hands holding onto a now signed volleyball journal, looked over to the ace and then at me, pointing over to the two of us with a flustered expression.

"Are you two...?" I blinked.

"Yes," Wakatoshi answered almost immediately, and I felt heat rush to my face as I breathed out a gasp of surprise. His olive eyes locked inquisitively onto mine and I stopped before I could say anything, realising the volleyball jerk had no idea what Tobio actually meant. "I’m here with Reina to watch your game."

"Oh, I just assumed..." Tobio smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head before turning to me. Meanwhile, Wakatoshi looked confused, tilting his head slightly as his lips parted, repeating the words Tobio had said.

"You didn’t tell me that you were friends with Ushijima-san.”

“Well, I was planning to surprise you with him at the end of your game, and I did!” I grinned, looking back at Wakatoshi who was now studying the orange flowers in his hands. He looked back up, meeting my eyes and I remembered what I had promised to make for him a few weeks ago. 

“Oh, Hayashi rice!” I clapped my hands together, Tobio jumping in surprise at the loud noise next to his ears. “Toshi, are you free tonight?”

He nodded in response.

”Do you want to come over then? I need to make you some Hayashi rice!”

”Hayashi rice??” Tobio yelled out, his face brightening and lips stretching into a smile. Wakatoshi continues to nod, his eyes shining in eagerness behind my brother. I smile at the two volleyball dorks, both of them looking at each other with enthusiasm. I was glad Tobio was feeling better.

“Let’s head home then!”

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

The rice cooker chimed a little song as I poured the sauce into the vegetables and beef that were being seared on the pan, signalling that the rice was now cooked. It dripped down, sizzling as the sauce touched the surface of the pan. I looked behind me to the living room to tell Tobio to fluff and serve the rice, but he had already run over, turning off the rice cooker and grabbing three bowls out of the cupboard. Wakatoshi walked into the kitchen a few seconds afterwards, grabbing the half-filled bowls of rice and placing them next to me. 

”It smells nice,” He murmured, his eyes following the floral black ladle as I poured the mixture from the pan to each of the three bowls. 

”Nee-chan always makes the best food!” Tobio exclaimed abruptly, and we both looked over to him who was preparing our seats and grabbing chopsticks. I laughed, turning back around to garnish the three bowls with some green peas.

”Both of you are too kind,” I said, handing two bowls into Wakatoshi’s hands and placing the other in mine. We both head over to the dining table, Tobio already sitting there with his fingers tapping eagerly on the surface. “But let’s eat now!”

We place the bowls down and sit, Wakatoshi taking the seat next to me.

“Thanks for the food!”

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

"Do you live here alone with your brother?" I turned to see Wakatoshi staring at some photos in the living room, presumably the one of me, Tobio and Mum. I placed the plates in the sink with a clatter, letting Tobio handle the rest as I walked over to the spiker. It seemed I had guessed right. Wakatoshi held the rusted gold photo frame gently in his hand, as if it might break if he held it too tightly. 

"Most of the time," He looked over to me as I elaborated. "My mum's a model, you see, so she isn't home very much." 

"That is understandable. However, it must get a bit lonely at times, does it not?"

"Yes, and at those times I am glad I have Tobio," I smiled gently, glancing over at a photo of me, only around 3 or so, cradling baby Tobio with an ecstatic smile on my face. 

"I'm glad." 

We sat there in comfortable, yet lamentable silence for a while, with the only sound heard being the rushing water of the tap and the clattering of plates in the kitchen. I eventually pulled out a photo album from the bottom of the bookshelf, and in a few seconds, we were engrossed in the photos. I could see Wakatoshi marvelling at my mum's old pictures of her travels. His eyes glimmered as I pointed out some of the most iconic locations in the world that my mum had been to - Hawaii, Paris, Egypt; stating facts about each location that had been recited to me by my own mother when she showed me the album. 

"From Sweden?" 

"Yeah! She is half Swedish, but she lived most of her life in England."

"Interesting. Do you know how to speak Swedish or English then?" 

"Hmmm, I can speak fluent English, but I only know a couple of phrases in Swedish." Wakatoshi's eyes widened in awe. 

"Can you…teach me something in Swedish?" I giggled at his hesitance in asking and nodded enthusiastically. 

"If my mum was here, she'd be scolding me for my bad pronunciation but," I paused, thinking of a good enough phrase to teach. "Ah! Ha en trevlig dag!"

"Ha en Jefleeg dug?" Wakatoshi repeated, before looking at me with reassurance. I nodded again with a smile on my face.

"Nearly there! Japanese often find it hard to pronounce their 'r's, so try to concentrate more on the 'r' sound. Trevlig dag!"

"Ha en dreflig dug!" I clapped at how close he got to the pronunciation.

"You did it! I can understand you now." The ace's lips curled up into a slight smile.

"Ha en Dreflig dug...what does it mean?"

"It means 'have a nice day'! Seems suitable for the situation." 

We both smiled at each other and as I prepared to flip to the next page of the album, I heard a sudden rush of footsteps. We looked up to see Tobio rush in. He had a watering can in his hands and before I could scold him for the dripping water on the floor he opened his mouth to speak.

"Nee-chan! Your daffodils are blooming early!" I leapt up from the ground in excitement as I heard those words come out of his mouth, eyes wide. These were special daffodils, ones Mum had sent to me all the way from Europe. Japan didn't sell bulbs of this variety, so when I spotted a website saying there were some for sale close to where my mother was staying, I immediately reached out to her. 

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go and see!" I pulled Wakatoshi up, who seemed charmed by my excitement, and we all walked out to the backyard that I had turned into a flower garden. Currently, the peonies were still bright and strong despite the harsh winter snow, and would possibly last a few more months if given proper care. Tulips had started to sprout while azalea bulbs began to form on the bushes, patiently waiting for spring to bloom. Hydrangea bushes, which when in bloom had the most beautiful flowers, were the most prominent features in the backyard, along with a young sakura tree. And poking out from the snow-covered soil were bright yellow daffodils that lined the area between the garden bed and the grass. While they seemed like ordinary daffodils, their cup, the little tube in the middle, would eventually turn pure white as time went on. I bent down, beckoning the two boys to follow my lead, and I took in the delightful sweet scent of the daffodil. 

"It smells so nice," Tobio murmured, taking in another breath before sighing. Wakatoshi hums in agreement, gently holding up a flower that had tilted its head down to the ground.

"Look up, little daffodil. When you signify regard and respect, you must hold your chin up high," He said. I mustered a little giggle at the interaction and moved a little closer over to him.

"Don't worry, as it grows, it will eventually look up again. Right up at the sun, the stars and the moon with its head held high."

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

"Thank you for having me," Wakatoshi bowed once more at the gates. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, Reina."

I gave him a big smile.

"It was lovely having a guest to cook for. I'll see you tomorrow, Toshi."

"Thank you for signing my journal, Ushijima-san!" Tobio called out, giving a big wave as the volleyball ace disappeared off into the distance with a nod. In a flash, Tobio turned over to me, a cheeky grin on his face.

"Now that Ushijima-san's gone, you can tell me exactly how you met him!" His blue eyes glittered excitedly. "Does he have a strict training regiment he goes through daily?"

"Uh-"

"He's so tall! Do you know what he eats to get so tall?"

"Tobio-"

"What about his strategy on the court? Is it straightforward or more strategic?"

"You should have just asked him before he left!" I sighed exasperatedly, finally able to complete a sentence without Tobio's interruption. I looked over at him, watching his expression falter a bit. 

"He is still kind of scary." I chuckled at that response, forgetting how intimidating the tall volleyball player must be to a junior high student. Ruffling his hair, I gave him a grin.

"Let's make a deal. If I conduct an interview for you, you have to do the chores for the week!"

Tobio gasped before furrowing his eyebrows, calculating the pros and cons of the deal. He extended his hand out to me after a quick nod to himself, as if for encouragement. I took his hand in mine, and we shook hands.

"It's a deal."

Chapter Text

"Do you have time for an interview, Toshi?" I looked over at the Olive-haired spiker, who walked alongside me as we entered the school grounds. It was quieter than usual as it was the start of winter break, where students were only at school for club activities. Shamelessly, I had forgotten about the interview I promised Tobio until I realised why he was so diligent in doing chores the week before. Of course, when the week ended and Tobio asked for his reward, he was not very happy. And for that reason, here I was.

"An interview?" Wakatoshi met my gaze, a quizzical expression in his eyes. 

"My brother wants me to interview you," I answered. "He's intimidated by you."

"He thinks I'm intimidating?" 

"A lot of people do."

Hearing my response, he furrowed his brows in quiet contemplation. 

"Do you?"

"Of course not!" I grinned, elbowing him lightly. "Not at all."

"Hmmm," Wakatoshi mused, a small smile reaching his lips. "That's good enough for me."

"What—" I was cut off in my remark as we walked towards the gymnasium doors, nearly bumping into a girl who stood in front. Even though I was the one who had barely avoided crashing into her, her gaze seemed to be fixated on the man next to me. Of course, it was not unusual for some students, especially fans, to come and watch the volleyball players practice during winter breaks. I recalled the last time I went to one of Tooru's practices. He had at least twenty girls crowded around the bleachers, observing his every move. No doubt this girl was a fan of Wakatoshi's. 

"Ushijima-kun!" She beamed at him. "I've been waiting for you to arrive."

"Kaori-san," He nodded back. Wait. Did he know this girl? Kaori's smile grew bigger at the greeting, and she brushed her hair behind her ears. I bit my lip as I watched the two interact, my stomach turning. She tiptoed to Wakatoshi, lifting her hand to her mouth as if whispering into his ear. Kaori had completely ignored me. All I could hear was the blood thumping in my ears as my irritation grew.

"I want to tell you something, Ushijima-kun!" She chimed loudly before her eyes glanced towards me. "But only you!" 

Mouth agape, I stood there, stunned by her actions. So she had noticed me. A smirk appeared on her face as she caught my expression. I looked over to Wakatoshi, hoping he had realised the absurdity of what was going on.

"Reina, you go in first." 

"Huh?" I was unprepared for that response, looking over at his impassive face. It was at these times that I wished I could read minds.  

"I'll be inside soon. Don't worry." 

I opened my mouth, and then immediately closed it. I was too appalled to speak, which resulted in me glancing at the two of them, frowning at Wakatoshi, and then promptly entering the gymnasium with a slam. That whole thing made me feel unsettled. My stomach was still tossing and turning, and there was a weird sensation in my heart that I couldn't describe.

I breathed in and slapped my face with my hands in an attempt to shake the feeling off, walking towards the court benches to focus on the players. But it didn't get any better. Sitting on the benches with my notebook in hand, I watched as Eita set the ball up for Reon to spike. Why did Wakatoshi just brush me off like that? I held my pen tighter at the thought, attempting to concentrate on Tendou's technique as he jumped to block Reon's spike. But I couldn't stop thinking about it. After a few minutes of failing to divert my attention to the practice match, Wakatoshi walked in. 

I would have thought the feeling might ease when he had walked in. But it didn't. Something inside of me refused to approach the volleyball player. 

With my concentration strained and the feeling of uneasiness becoming even worse, I walked up to Tendou and let him know I was feeling sick and would be going home. Tendou gave me a wink, no questions asked and suggested that I should take it easy.

With a sigh of relief, I picked up my belongings and walked out of the gymnasium. However, as I attempted to leave the school gates, a firm hand clasped my arm, pulling me back. I turned around to meet Wakatoshi's concerned eyes.

"You didn't let me explain myself."

"What's there to explain?" I mumbled, looking back at the ground. 

"You didn't say anything to me and walked out. Tendou said you were feeling sick," He said. "I want to explain what happened.”

"So?" I furrowed my eyebrows, glancing back at Wakatoshi as I gestured for him to continue.

"Kaori-san is our team manager's daughter," The volleyball player explained. "She gets upset when she doesn't get her way and causes our team manager to get upset at us. Eita ignored her last time, and we ended up being lectured just before an important match."

"Oh." I bit my cheeks, feeling the uneasiness ebb away and be replaced by embarrassment. 

"It's demotivating. She is not here often, so we attempt to appease her when she is." Wakatoshi paused, tilting his head to look down at my face. "I apologise for my bluntness. Were you upset?"

"Of course I would be..." I mumbled, eyes now averted away from his gaze. 

"Why?"

"I don't know," I said, exasperated. Wakatoshi's eyes were pressed on me as I stubbornly continued to look at anything else but him. Words were stuck in my throat as I tried to say something more than those three words. I was unable to profess that I might care about the man more than he could know and it frustrated me that it felt like I wasn’t in control of my emotions. Reactively, I pulled away from his grasp, flicking my gaze up to his, a surprised expression on his typically unreadable face.

"Reina—" 

"Wakatoshi, just let me go home!" I snapped, cutting him off. A mixture of worry and guilt ran through me as I watched his expression turn to one of remorse. Like a kicked puppy, he stood there, eyes never leaving mine. But my gaze faltered and my mouth quivered, disbelieved in what I had just done. This wasn't like me. I was supposed to be calm and composed. 

But I just wanted to leave. 

As that thought crossed my mind, I felt my rationality slip away. I squeezed my eyes shut as I turned and walked away from Wakatoshi, leaving him standing by himself at the entrance of Shiratorizawa Academy.

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

(20:03) You

Meikoo

I'm actually done for

(20:04) Princess Mei

has he still not messaged you?

:(

(20:04) You

He hasn't!

Omg Meiko I stuffed up big time

(20:04) Princess Mei

you gotta reach out first rei!

he'll understand im sure >:)

(20:05) You

I know...

Can you call again?

(20:06) Princess Mei

anything for you my queen 

"Meiko!" I gasped as I picked up the ringing phone. "What do I even say?”

"Rei! You gotta calm down!" Meiko's honeyed voice sang from the other side of the cell phone. "You just gotta tell him what you were thinking."

"Ughhh..." I groaned, flopping onto my bed face-first in frustration. “He even said don’t worry, and I still worried like a dumbass and made everything worse!”

"Rei..." 

"I'm okay, Mei," I mumbled, voice muffled by the bed. "Can we talk about something else? I just don't want to think about this right now."

"Of course!" She hummed, a moment of silence ensued before Meiko gasped. "Guess who I saw today? You won't believe it."

"Who was it?"

“You know how I met that guy at the cafe across from the mall? Well he…” I let my mind drift off as I listened to her ramblings. How lucky I was to have Meiko as my friend.

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

Breathing in the chilly air, I stopped on my walk to the grocery store to look up at the overcast sky, which drenched the area in a dreary atmosphere. I flipped my phone out, reading my unsent apology text for the hundredth time before putting it away. Wakatoshi hadn't messaged me ever since I walked away from him yesterday. I knew that I needed to apologise to Wakatoshi. Properly. But despite Meiko's support last night, I couldn't figure out what the right words to say were. I sighed and looked back at the pathway, continuing my walk.

The grocery store was quieter than usual, apart from the distant chatter that sounded from the cashiers' small talk with customers. Refrigerators hummed alongside the jazz music that played on the ceiling speakers. I shivered as I walked in, feeling the instant temperature change hit my body. Grabbing a basket, I walked over to the pile of red apples with a bright yellow 'on sale' sign. As I reached out to grab one, my basket hit the stand, knocking the pile down and causing apples to tumble — just my luck. I cursed the god that was looking down at me as I bent down to pick the fruits up. 

"Do you need some help?"

I was stopped in my tracks by the familiar voice. Wakatoshi? As I guessed, I looked up to see the current bane of my existence standing there. What a coincidence. He held a bouquet in his hand, and a shopping basket in the other as he glanced down at me. 

“…Please,” I murmured. Wakatoshi dropped down, picking up the rest of the apples and placing them back on the stand. I followed suit, before slowly looking over at him. His face showed no bitterness about yesterday at all, or maybe he was just really good at hiding it. 

"You shouldn't be outside if you are sick." 

"I'm not sick," I admitted bashfully. "I just couldn't concentrate yesterday."

"That sounds like a symptom of being sick."

"No, Wakatoshi, I..." I paused, steadying myself before I continued. "I wasn't able to concentrate because of you."

Wakatoshi looked a bit astounded at my statement. His eyebrows furrowed as if he was deep in thought. I glanced away, placing a few apples in my basket before looking back at him. 

"Me?"

"Yeah. Remember that I said I was upset yesterday? It was because of your interaction with that girl." 

"You couldn't concentrate because of it?" 

"I know I sound crazy. I don't even really understand why myself," I hurriedly blurted, hoping we could end this topic as soon as possible. "And I'm really sorry that I acted the way I did to you. I was so uncomfortable at that time about everything."

The volleyball player looked at me strangely, before a small smile appeared on his lips. I bit the inner part of my cheeks as my stomach fluttered in response. 

"I'll accept that."

A smile made its way to my face as well upon hearing his words. I felt relief flow through as my conflicted thoughts vanished, and I was slowly made aware of my surroundings again. Looking at my basket, the three lone apples served as a stark reminder of my purpose. My eyes returned to Wakatoshi. 

“…Do you want to shop with me?”

❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀

The wave of cold air made me sneeze as we walked out of the store, groceries in hand. The sky was now a dark grey as the sun began to set. Wakatoshi followed my gaze, looking at the sky with an intrigued expression. I took it as a cue to peer at the bouquet he held in his hands. Upon inspection, it was a bunch of white tulips and pale yellow snapdragons.

"Tulips and snapdragons..." I uttered under my breath. But with how close Wakatoshi was, he had heard and flickered his gaze over to me.

"They're for you," He pointed out, seeing my interest. "I planned on bringing them over to make you feel better." 

"Oh," I mumbled. I could feel my cheeks warming up as he handed them to me. "You didn't have to. "

"I thought the meaning of the bouquet would be nice."

I felt a slight pang in my heart as I considered the effort he had invested in crafting the bouquet's message. White tulips symbolised the giver’s hope for forgiveness, consideration and respect. Combining snapdragons that expressed sincerity with the tulips created a meaningful apology flower arrangement. He was apologising for what had happened yesterday — something that I had made into a big deal. What did I do to deserve to know someone like Wakatoshi?

"It is." I smiled gratefully. "And they are beautiful. Thank you, Toshi."

"Always."

"I apologise for making you come here for no reason," I confessed as a thought crossed my mind. "Do you want to have dinner at mine again? Tobio is going to be home late due to cram school."

"If you are willing to have me as a guest." 

"You are always welcome at mine."

Wakatoshi gave a curt smile as he nodded in response. He gestured over to my bag of groceries as we began to walk in the direction of my house. I held the bag up quizzically, and he took the opportunity to take it out of my hand. I opened my mouth to object as he did so, but reluctantly obliged as he silenced me with a pat on the head. 

"And also," I started. "About that interview..."

"How about we meet up early before next week's volleyball practice?"

"Sounds good."