Genius (Kageyama Tobio)

7

The next week, the boys had their first practice game against Aoba Johsai. Although she felt bad for being excited to see some of her old friends, given Kageyama's bad blood with them, Noriko couldn't help herself from counting down the minutes.

As they boarded the bus, Noriko had been meaning to sit next to Kiyoko, but she was already next to Takeda, and most of the boys had piled in already. Then, she decided to head over to the back to sit next to Hinata, but changed her mind when she saw how freaked out he looked. Jeez, he's gonna make me nervous and I'm not even playing. That left Kageyama as the only person she was remotely close to who had an open seat, so she sat down with a huff.

"Glad to know you're happy to see me." Kageyama commented sarcastically. Noriko punched his arm playfully.

"Oh please, as if you're ever excited to see me." Noriko retorted, checking behind herself again to see Hinata clutching his stomach. "Ehh, I was looking forward to nerding out about the game today with Hinata, but he just looks like he's gonna pass out. Or maybe throw up."

Kageyama narrowed his eyes threateningly at Hinata, who caught his glare and suddenly seemed to feel even more unwell than before. Noriko grabbed his face and moved it back to face the front, chuckling.

"Jeez, stop scaring the ginger. He's just a kid." The caramel-haired girl quipped, before realizing her hand was on his face and pulling it away as if it burned. Noriko turned her head slightly so her hair fell like a curtain to hide the pink blush she was fighting.

Kageyama was pointedly facing the front, not daring to look at her in his state of frozen shock. Daichi and Suga watched amusedly, sharing whispers of bets, while Tanaka narrowed his eyes at the first year boy, already thinking of ways to beat him up if necessary.

"Umm, sorry, Kageyama." Noriko said quietly, looking down at her clenched hands. Kageyama cleared his throat, looking out the window.

"It's fine."

The silence dragged on and Noriko finally looked up to see her upperclassmen grinning at her. Suga and Daichi both had an eyebrow raised and were laughing under their breath while Tanaka was shaking his head disappointedly at her. Noriko glared at them and shooed them away with her hands, almost jumping out of her seat when her phone started ringing with a video call.

Recognizing the number, she immediately answered it.

"Riko-chi! I missed you!" The blond man greeted waving cheerfully while Noriko had the sudden realization that she was not wearing headphones as she noted all the attention suddenly on her. Even Kageyama had stopped pointedly looking out the window and was glaring at her phone.

"Kise, let me get my headphones real quick." Noriko said nervously, glancing around at the prying eyes of the volleyball team.

"Ehh, are you embarrassed by me, Riko-chi? That's so mean!" Kise whined, though she could see him smirking on the screen. 

"No, I'm just with the volleyball team and I don't want them listening in." Noriko grinned as she finally found her headphones at the bottom of her bag. "Yes!"

"Ne, Riko-chi, let's go on a date this weekend." Kise suggested, eyes flashing mischievously.

"What! No!" Tanaka stood up and yelled, pointing at the phone. "No man is allowed to steal our precious manager!"

Kageyama's hands were clenched in tight fists and he looked ready to murder the blond.

"Kise, you asshole." Noriko mumbled while Kise burst out laughing. "And Tanaka, don't overreact, he's just joking"

"Are you sure, Hirose?" Suga asked, unconvinced.

"Yeah, are you sure, Riko-chi?" Kise teased.

"Kise. Shut. Up." Noriko gritted out.

"Ugh, fiiine. You're no fun, Riko-chi."

Noriko continued glaring until Kise sighed again.

"I would never actually ask Riko-chi on a date, she's like a sister to me. Happy now?" Kise finally gave in, before smirking. "Besides, Riko-chi's type is more the dark-haired asshole." As Noriko realized what he just said and prepared to yell at him, he quickly added, "By the way your mom asked me to ask you to do another modelling gig with me. Love you, gotta go. Bye!"

The call ended, and Noriko was left seething in anger, immediately calling him back.

"Oi, that's not even true, bastard!"

"Even if I didn't know who your last crush was, your shojo manga don't lie, Riko-chi. I can pull up titles if you want." Kise smirked threateningly.

Noriko angrily hung up the call and shoved her phone in her pocket muttering under her breath. "Why do you know what shojo manga I read, you creep?"

Looking up, Noriko found everyone, even Hinata who had stopped clutching his stomach, staring at her. Or maybe a better word would be scrutinizing. 

"Don't you guys have a game to prepare for? Stop looking at me." Noriko grumbled.

Tanaka pointed at her, standing up despite Daichi's protests about standing in a moving bus. "This is not over, Hirose-chan. I will beat off any dark-haired assholes who come near you!"

Daichi and Suga immediately looked at Kageyama, who was flushed bright red with eyes scurrying around the bus to find a non dangerous place to look.

"I'm not interested in assholes, it's just more fun to read romances where the guy starts out closed off, which is totally different. Besides,  people's types in book characters aren't necessarily the same as in real life." Noriko argued weakly, realizing the more she talked the worse she was making this for herself. 

"Oh yeah? Who have your past crushes been?" Tanaka demanded, as Kageyama straightened up and tried to make his very obvious interest in the answer more subtle.

Suga slapped him on the head. "Don't make her answer that!"

"Focus on the game!" Daichi said, pushing him back into his seat, as Hinata resumed holding his stomach in the back seat.

"Uh, thanks." Noriko mumbled, trying the dampen her bright red cheeks. Damn that Kise. Noriko shoved her earbuds in and started playing some music, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back.

She was woken up by Kageyama shaking her shoulder and a putrid smell filling her nostrils.

"Hirose, wake up! Hinata puked!" Kageyama yelled. 

"Seriously?" Hirose exclaimed as she joined the crowd rushing out of the bus. "God that smell is not fading anytime soon."

While Tanaka put his vomit-covered pants in a plastic bag, tying it tightly shut, the others began to move back into the bus, opening every window possible to try to air out the smell.

After that incident, they successfully arrived at Aoba Johsai with no further adventures of any sort, though Hinata looked like he could throw up again at any moment.

Finally, it was time. Hirose would see her middle school friends again.