Another Confession // IwaOi

//5//

"Iwaizumi. Can I talk to you?" A soft, tired-sounding voice calls out to me.

With a slight frown, I shift my gaze to Matsukawa. Lunch break has only just started, but he has already found his way over to my table. Sure, it's not unusual for us to eat together, but he would normally take his time.

And this is not the only thing that stands out to me. There's a nervous air coming off of him, which is showing in the way he's harshly tugging at the end of his sleeve. He's wearing an anxious expression, his face is pale and his eyes look dead. Overall, he's a mess.

"Of course." I'm too worried to turn him down or tell him to wait. "What's up?"

I don't really have to ask. I had noticed something was going on yesterday. Hanamaki had been asking me weird questions as we were walking to the ramen place, and he was growing more and more restless as time passed. In the end, he couldn't sit still anymore, he was stumbling over his words and he kept zoning out.

As I was paying for everybody's meals, Hanamaki started dragging Matsukawa off. I guess they went home together. Something must have happened there, because the former never showed up to our morning practice and didn't come to class either. The latter looks like he hasn't slept last night and is clearly upset.

The only thing I'm not sure about is what exactly occurred between them. I think Matsukawa is planning to tell me, though.

"Can we go somewhere more private first...?" He's looking at the floor instead of me. I would normally get ticked off by this, but I let it slide for now.

"Sure. There should be some empty classrooms on the third floor..." I stretch my arms above my head before getting up. "Wanna go there?"

He nods and heads for the door instantly, not wasting any time on idling around. He really is impatient. Something bad must've went down for him to be this bothered.

I glance at Oikawa before exiting the classroom. He's staring at his desk, not paying any attention to his surroundings. I wonder if he will even notice my absence. Probably not. He has been avoiding me, after all. Just like Hanamaki, he suddenly started acting weird as we were eating yesterday. It's annoying me, but I can't do anything about it now. I have to focus on Matsukawa first.

Quietly, the two of us make our way upstairs, where we indeed find some deserted rooms. They often get used for club activities, but those won't be until after school ends, so they're completely empty right now.

While I close the door behind us, Matsukawa sits down on one of the desks. His gaze is immediately put on the wall in front of him and his brow is furrowed.

I take a seat on one of the chairs not too far away from him. "So, what's wrong?" I ask, hoping to get straight to the point. Seeing him this lifeless is making me uncomfortable.

The other starts fumbling with his hands. "How do I say this...?" he begins softly. "How are you doing right now, Iwa?"

"I'm fine?" My confusion makes it sound a bit insecure. This isn't where I thought this was gonna go. "Why?"

"Well, it's... Your best friend confessed to you, right? Are you sure you're okay with it...?"

Both my suspicions and my defenses rise. What does that have to do with it? Why does he care? "Are you asking because you're worried about me? Or are we here because something happened between you and Hanamaki?"

The other flinches at this. His muscles tense up and his already pale complexion turns even lighter. I'm not sure if it was the sudden aggression or the abrupt exposure, but he got surprised.

"Ah, uh..." He lowers his gaze to the floor, still not looking at me. "I..."

"Did something happen?" I soften my tone and try to give him a bit of a gateway so he'll have an easier time opening up. "I noticed Hanamaki was feeling a bit off yesterday. Did you go home with him?"