Teach Me How To Fly (A Koutaro Bokuto Story)

Forget Her

The next day during practice, I found out what that girl had been talking to Bokuto about. To put it simply, I'd rather have not known. As the team took a break, Akaashi and Konoha gave the ace a strange look. Konoha was the first to speak. "I heard you rejected Nakashima."

My body suddenly felt cold. So that girl had told him that she had feelings for him after all. The only response Bokuto gave was a nod. "Didn't you go out on a date with her awhile back?" Akaashi asked. "That was... a few months ago? I thought you said she was fun."

This wasn't a conversation that I wanted to hear, but since I was being kept here by Bokuto, I had no choice but to listen. "I also heard that you told her you had a girlfriend." Konoha seemed like he was glaring at him. "We all know you don't."

"I do too." All eyes turned to Bokuto, including my own. This was the first time I was hearing this. It was very clear that no one believed him. In fact, I wasn't even sure I believed him. "You even said it before, Akaashi."

We all looked to Akaashi. But the look of confusion on his face proved that he had no idea what the ace was talking about. "What are you even talking about? I have said no such thing," he sighed.

Bokuto frowned and just held me up. "I mean Kisa, of course!" Wait... what?! Since when was I ever his girlfriend? And when did... oh... "You said it on the first day of the training camp, remember?"

"Bokuto..." Akaashi stared at the ace. Apparently, he hadn't realized that the setter had said it more as sarcasm than anything. "You can't date an owl. You are not the same species and it's disgusting."

"As long as I have my little Kisa, then-"

The setter cut him off almost immediately. "Just because they have the same name does not mean they are the same." Akaashi's voice was fierce and firm, giving everyone the feeling that they better stay out of it. "Kisa's been missing for over a month. She's not just going to pop back out of nowhere and suddenly everything is back to normal. If anyone ever does find out what happened to her, chances are she'll be dead or she'll be a completely different person."

His words were harsh, but if anyone had the right to say such a thing, it was Akaashi. He was the one closest to me, so only he could say such things, regardless of how true and painful it might actually be. "Kisa is gone, so just give up on it already. She'd tell you the exact same thing if she were here."

Akaashi was right; we all knew it. Even Bokuto knew, but he didn't appear to be that affected. In fact, I think he seemed more annoyed by his friend's words than anything. "I'm not giving up on her." Bokuto gave everyone one last look before leaving, taking me along with him.

"Blind faith gets you nowhere, Bokuto."

That was the first time he'd ever left practice early. Of course, he didn't stay away; he loved volleyball far too much to do a thing like that. But even after he'd calmed down and returned, he didn't say a word to Akaashi.