Pterodactyl - Tsukishima Kei x OC

Chapter 18: Saturn

"Okay..." Kageyama clenched his fists under the table.

He had been anxiously waiting for her response to his confession for a month. He prepared himself for the worst but at times, he wondered if maybe the universe would be on his side for once. He gazed at her and noticed how hesitant she seemed to be.

"I don't have feelings for you, like the way you have feelings for me," Mizuki revealed quietly as she met his eyes.

It must be difficult for him to hear this, she thought to herself.

"Kageyama-kun, I like you as a friend." She continued, "But not any more than that."

"Oh..." He had trouble hiding the disappointment in his voice, "I understand."

Kageyama found it hard to look at her as she rejected him. He expected it but that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less. He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. He cared about Mizuki and even if she didn't like him like that, he was still her friend. He gazed at her concerned expression and tried his best to put on a smile.

"I'm sorry it took me a month to tell you. I thought about it a lot." Mizuki murmured, ashamed that it took her this long to realize how she really felt about him.

"It's okay. I appreciate your honesty." He smiled sadly as he stood up slowly.

"Are you going to be okay?" She asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine," He reassured her, "Besides, I have to focus on Interhigh."

Mizuki stood up and smiled at him softly.

"So, are we friends?" She inquired, hoping that he would still like her even when she rejected him.

"Yes, of course." He responded as a question invasively popped in his mind.

"Toma-san, can I ask you one last thing?" He cleared his throat.

"Yeah, anything." Mizuki nodded furiously.

She felt guilty for not being able to return his feelings so she would do anything to help him feel better.

"It's Tsukishima, isn't it?" Kageyama murmured, his eyes staring at her attentively.

"What do you mean?" She raised an eyebrow, perplexed by his strange question.

"...Never mind." He hastily stated, "Thanks for dropping by."

Kageyama escorted her towards the door and sighed as soon as she left his classroom. He couldn't even describe the turmoil that he was feeling inside. What was he thinking, letting himself fall for her like that?

Kageyama knew deep down that he never stood a chance against Tsukishima.

~

"Kunimi-kun! You saved me a spot!" Rina beamed ecstatically, sitting beside her new friend.

"You asked me to." Kunimi mumbled indifferently.

Before she could say anything else, Kageyama entered the auditorium. Rina spotted him and immediately blushed because he looked very handsome and sophisticated in her eyes. He was wearing a black suit that resembled a rich detective in a certain anime that she recently started watching.

"Don't come over here. Don't come over here. Don't come over here." She repeatedly pleaded, slumping on her chair so that he wouldn't see her.

"Rina," Kageyama stated, causing her to jump slightly.

"Tobio! Hey!" She laughed nervously, "What's up, buddy? Friend!"

"Why are Kunimi and Kindaichi here?" He asked, staring suspiciously at his old classmates.