GAUCHE, kageyama

二十九

"Kageyama-kunㅡ!"

He turns. And as she got a proper glimpse of him, bathed under the sky's palette, the smile painted on her lips falters.

It pierced—the way his eyes narrowed at her with such with such callousness and hostility that made her feel wilted without a word spoken. A cold chill spiralled down through her spine and she immediately thought, this isn't the same person I know. Mina blinks, lips parted to say something but she notices it.

Illuminated by the mauve and coral shades of the sky, Mina could clearly see the bruises, mild scratches and dirt littered all over him. His arms, his face, and his clothes— all of it had some damage to them that she could easily assume this boy was caught up in a brawl.

Her heart sinks at the thought.

The fear that enraptured her heart has immediately disappeared as concern has now overtaken her bones.

"A-Are you okay? No bones broken, yes?" Like a mother, she scoured his whole body from top to bottom in search for any critical injuries. "Ah, how did you get in this state anyways, you dummy! Weren't you supposed to be training?"

"I'm fine," Kageyama grumbles under his breath while he removes her hands off him. "Don't worry 'bout it."

And as he did, he accidentally smacks the yogurts out of her hand.

She stops to look at him; a look that definitely didn't fit in with Mina. Her expression deforms into that of a peevish nature, brows knitted together. She was worried— truthfully and terribly, but he comes to disregard her intentions just like that. Mina picks the Yakults off of the ground and tugs on the hem of his shirt quite strongly.

"No! No leaving!" She chides, almost like a little child who was about to stomp her foot out of spite. "Come with me, I treat you!"

Kageyama's eyes widens by a fraction as she in turn grabs his hand instead and pulls him away.

"O-Oi!"

"O-OUCH."

The sky was a black canvas now with flecks of stars painted across it. After purchasing supplies from the nearest convenience store— not from Sakanoshita in fear of getting questioned, of course— Mina and Kageyama chose to settle by the playground, sitting on one of the benches while she tends to his injuries. He settled down at this point since the walk to the store and playground was a tad too quiet, and that was mostly because Mina chose not to speak to him.

But now they sat face to face with each other. A delicate frown was painted on her visage and when Kageyama winced or mumbled out his discomfort, she toned her movements down with a glance to him. At the moment, he didn't say anything, unsure of what to say. It was like a child gauging their parents' reaction as to not fuel their anger any further.

A sigh escapes Mina's lips. She rips a band-aid open and plastered it carefully over his cheekbone.

"Sorry, I was too mean," She mumbles with a hint of guilt. "Are you okay now? No more pain?"

"...Yeah."

A faint nod as he turns away, too ashamed of his own actions. He didn't want to show her that kind of side of him, that side that nobody would like. He was scared of turning into something that he would regret. Kageyama didn't want it to happen again; to see the exact same expressions his old teammates did— he didn't want that on Mina. And he surely didn't want for her to do the same thing as they have done.