Haikyuu! ~ Introvert ~

Chapter 6: Drinks are Stressful

Rei trudged to school the next day, feeling no thrill of going to a new school, no elation about actually finishing her homework, just a hollow, disappointed and resentful feeling in the pit of her stomach. However, this didn't affect her normal school day at all. She did the work, listened and made notes as usual.

But for her, that was a complete failure. She had come here to change, not do things as usual.

When, finally, the bell rang for lunch, any ordinary onlooker standing near the vending machines may have decided to give up on buying anything and shuffled away as casually as they could. The reason? There was a certain someone standing in front of the drinks machine with a remarkably dark aura surrounding them, and if you were brave enough to look closer they had a distressed, undecided expression on their tortured face.

Well, not just one person but two, actually.

Then, at the same time, both people reached for the same button and their hands collided.

A very tall ravenette looked down as a seemingly short brunette looked up, and, surprisingly, the tall one backed away.

"Uh... Sorry."

"No, no, don't worry about it."

"Ok."

"Ok. Bye."

"Bye?"

"Bye." Said the brown-haired girl as the raven-haired boy raised an eyebrow. Or, he tried to anyway. Hey, she kinda looks like dumbass Hinata when he's concentrating, he thought as the intense gaze that had made him back away before softened and dissolved into a blank expression.

"Uh... Can I buy my drink?"

"Oh, sure, go ahead. I wasn't stopping you."

But you practically told me to go away...

He quickly hit the button, and stood awkwardly in the couple of seconds it took for the strawberry milk to drop.

"Wait, you like strawberry milk?" The ravenette looked up in mild surprise and gave the brunette a quizzical glance.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Woah."

"Hmm?"

"Like, nobody in England buys that stuff! I swear, I was seriously the only person who actually bothered to go and get any from the shops! But, I mean, they do it in cartons over here? The mini ones? I've never seen it in those before now! I thought that I would still be the only one who liked it, even over here! Aww man, Japan is so cool!" The ravenette was completely dumbfounded by the change of character, and the brunette seemed to pick up on this, slapping a hand to her mouth.

"Ah, sorry, I'll just go now." The brunette turned around abruptly and ran off, around the corner and out of sight.

The ravenette looked down at the ground after she had left.

She left her bag...

••• (after school)

Why did I pick up her bag? She could have found it herself! Thought the ravenette as he walked towards the gym. Wait, she was around the same height as dumbass Hinata... Maybe she's a first-year like me? I wonder if Yachi knows her... I'll ask.

He stepped through the doors of the gym, and looked around for Yachi. She was helping a certain ginger practice receives, but they paused when he came towards the two.

"Uh, Yachi?"

"Y-yes?"

"Do you know a girl around his height?" He said, pointing at the ginger.

"Uh... What does she look like?"

"Well... She has short brown hair and has this kind of intense look about her..."

"Oh, maybe you mean Rei?"

"Rei?" He said, tilting his head slightly.

"Yup! Koizumi Rei, she's in my class and seems to fit your description very well! But, why?" Wait. Maybe he has a crush on her! But, he would know her name if he did...

"Well... Could you give this to her? She left it behind, and you seem to know her." He asked, holding up the bag.

Oh, so that's what it was...

"U-uh, sure!" He walked toward her and handed her the bag, only for her to drop it almost straight away.

"Hmm?"

"K-Kageyama-san, how can you carry this?! It's so heavy!" She exclaimed, trying to pick it up again but failing multiple times.

"Eh? Well... I guess so?"

"U-um, please could you help me? I'll take you to her if you could carry the bag!"

"Oh... Okay then."

"She might be leaving soon, so we have to hurry!"

"Coming."

They walked towards the door, but were followed by a very energetic ginger who insisted on coming with them. The trio entered the school building and hurried up the stairs (Yachi being slightly behind, of course), then turned into the first-year corridor.

"Hah... Hah... It's... This one!" Panted Yachi as they passed the classrooms one by one, eventually reaching the second to last room.

"Ooh! Class 1.5! So she's in the same class as you, Yachi!" Said the ginger excitedly.

"Yup..."

Yachi nervously opened the door to the classroom, peering in along with the hyperactive ginger. A figure was crouching on the floor, appearing to be looking under the desks, but stood up when the ravenette walked in.

"Um... You left your bag." He said as he dumped the bag next to her.

"Ah, thanks." She picked the bag up from the floor, then noticed that Yachi was staring at her hard from around the door. "O-oh, Yachi..." She spoke nervously, with a guilty expression on her face.

No one was more surprised than Yachi when Rei suddenly bent at a 90 degree angle and shouted,

"Yachi, I am so sorry! You invited me so nicely and I just left you to wait! I am a terrible, terrible person and I don't deserve your kindness!" She seemed like she meant it, which Yachi found relieving. She doesn't hate meeeeee... Thank goodness...

"T-that's fine, Rei! I'm sorry too, it was rude of me to assume you would want to come! A-also... How can you hold that bag?"

"No, it wasn't, really! And I have absolutely no clue... I didn't think it was that heavy... It's been a lot heavier before now." This conversation seemed to be confusing the two boys, and they stood staring as they tried to figure out how they could switch between two subject matters so quickly. Then realisation dawned on them as the ginger shouted,

"AAHH! Are you the person who Yachi said might be coming to watch practice?!"

Took you a while...

"Uh, yeah. Are you on the volleyball team by any chance?