ੈ°˖✧ ᵐᵉᵐᵒʳⁱᵉˢ ▸ ᴍᴀʀᴏᴏɴ 5
⋆ ˚✧༺♥︎༻✧˚ ⋆
Two weeks had came to pass by. During those 14 days, your everyday routine didn't change any bit. It still stick to waking up, going to school, managing the team, go to your part-time job, go home to rest and sleep.
If there's any change that happened, you could say that it's your relationship with the people surrounding you.
You've gotten a little quiet close to the volleyball players to the point that you're comfortable enough to talk more than usual, and sometimes, even joke around with them.
Well, your friendship with Rezu is a whole different level though. Both of you always stick together, whether it may be having lunch in classroom or going home after school, before parting ways since you still have a job to go to.
She was very open to you as well, sharing even the weirdest and randomest thoughts she have in mind with little to no filter, and gushing freely about the girls you like.
As of your relationship in your work, your boss－ who you recently discovered that is actually the older brother of your lesbian friend－ is still the same adult you met in your first meeting with an overwhelming optimism.
Meanwhile with Akaashi, you think you could consider him as one of your reliable friends. He was fine now with you addressing him by his first name that started when you accidentally slip it out, one time when you were reading his tag with his full name on it. Well, you just couldn't help it. His name's just really beautiful.
"Umm... Keiji," you peer your head over the doorway to look at the pretty setter sitting by the register. "Can you get the box for me? The stool's leg is broken and I can't reach it."
"Sure," Akaashi answers as he rose from his seat and head inside the staff room. You point the box placed on the top shelf, which he easily retrieve, all thanks to his tall height. "Rendón-san's still not replacing the stool he broke?"
You accept it with a small thanks. Nodding to his question, you two walk out of the room. Akaashi went back to his previous spot behind the register, and you head on the aisle where junk foods are displayed.
"Mhm. He just keep forgetting about it whenever I remind him to buy a new one. He's getting quiet forgetful these days."
The short conversation between you two ended with a soft hum of acknowledgment from him. You tear off the packaging tape of the box and put it on the ground as you crouch down.
Opening the lid, one by one, you empty out the box and restock the vacant space in the lower shelf with medium-sized bag of tortilla chips. "How's your team doing?" You offhandedly asks.
Akaashi take a short glance at you, but quickly return it back to the page of the novel he's reading. "The team is doing well... though, Bokuto-san's rejection mode is happening more frequently than usual."
"Rejection―" momentarily pausing, you peer over your shoulder to look at the curly haired setter. "Rejection mode? What is that?"
"Apparently, there are times that something triggers it, which demotivates Bokuto-san and affects his performance for the entire game, unless we regain his motivation back by cheering him up." He sighs and flip another page. "It's quiet exasperating to say the least."
"That's a thing?" An amused chuckle escapes you whilst you place the last bag on the shelf. "Well, that's odd... but in an interesting way. Fukurodani's ace is something, huh?"
"Indeed, he is."
A long silence stretches and you finally finished restocking the pack of chips. You carry back the now empty box back in the storage room and stack it together with the rest of the emptied out ones.
As you gallivant to the exit of the staff room, Akaashi rise up from his seat. Slate blue eyes locked on your smaller stature, he spoke, "L/N-san, can you keep an eye on the counter for a moment? I need to use the bathroom."
Of course, you didn't hesitate to agree. Muttering a soft thanks, he put a yellow bookmark on the certain neat page of his book before closing its cover and saunter over the comfort room near the stairs.
While waiting for Akaashi's return, you decides to help yourself by taking a seat on the chair where his warmth still lingers. You took a quick glimpse on the title and genre of the book he's reading.
'A romance genre huh?'
Suddenly, the chime of the entrance's bell alert you and prompt you to look up at the new customer.
There you saw a wavy charcoal haired boy that reaches his neck, with a remarkably short height. His pair of dark, round orbs look around the place and quickly jog towards the chips aisle.
You heard him made some happy childish noises behind the shelves, before he make an appearance again. This time, with three bags of jagabee loaded in his arms. He made a beeline and place the snacks down the counter.
'This guy...' you distinguishes who the boy is when you finally got a closer look of him, causing your mouth to part a bit. 'He's―'
"Can I have some of those lollipop too? The orange flavour please."
"O-oh, sure." You stammer as you snap back to reality and open the jar of lollipops resting on the counter, taking the orange flavored one he's requesting.
Scanning the barcode with the reader, you told him his total payment. He pull out his Totoro-themed wallet from his jean's pocket and hands you the exact amount of his purchase.
As you put the money inside the cash register, you mentally gather all your courage to open your mouth and ask him, "A-are you Udai Tenma?"
He pauses on cramping all the unhealthy snack he bought inside his black backpack, craning his neck to give you a bemused look. "Hah?"
"Udai Tenma... the entitled 'little giant' volleyball player from Karasuno High?"
The boy visibly perk up at name and aggressively nod his head. The glint in his black irises gave away his utmost interest on where this talk is going. "Yeah, how'd you know that?"
"Oh, it's just that there's someone I know who's an avid fan of you ever since, and really dying to meet you in person."
The excited gleam in his eyes heightens even more, knowing the fact that he have an admirer despite that he already stopped pursuing his volleyball career years ago. "Wooow, really?!"
"Mhm," you clear your throat and tear the receipt off the machine. Handing it to him, you sheepishly inquires, "Can I uhh... perhaps, have your autograph please?"
A grin sprawl over his lips. "Of course! Wait, lemme get a pen."
Udai giddily drop his bag on the floor and began digging through it. He took out the three jagabee he work so hard on cramping inside it, while continuously chanting the word 'pen' under his breath.
"Where is it? Where is the peeen?" He lowly grumbles and turn his bag upside down, letting all the contents fall on the floor. You want to tell him that you already got a pen in hand, but the inner sadistic side in you were enjoying way too much his frustrated reaction to break it to him.
At last, the very anticipated black sharpie fell out his deflated bag that immediately brighten up his face. He grab it and haphazardly shove back all his belongings scattered over the ground. Udai hop back to his feet and flip the receipt to the side where there's no print, then scribble his messy signature in there.
"Here you go." He happily slid the flimsy paper through the smooth counter to you, to which you reply with a grateful, sheepish smile along with a bow. "See you whenever― uhh..."
"Y/N."
"Right! Nice to meet ya, Y/N." Regarding you his close-lipped smile that still managed to reach his doe eyes, Udai finally take his leave and stroll out of the store building.
"L/N-san."
"HOLY―" hand flying over to your chest, you breath out in relief when you found that it's just Akaashi who finally return after a short while. "Ah... it's just you, Keiji."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that." He apologizes right away, a subtle guilty expression crossing his deadpan face. "Did I keep you waiting too long?"
You wave it off dismissively as you got up from the chair, and let him reclaim back his previous seat. "It's fine, and no, you didn't."
Akaashi nods and gently open the page of his book where he left it, though, seeing the piece of paper in your hand piques his curiosity. His mind immediately wander over the boy that just left. "Is he your friend?"
"Ah, not really... actually, I just met him today." You look down at the droppy receipt in your grasp, thumb tracing circles at Udai's slightly messy penmanship with a little smudge. "He's a former volleyball player. Someone that I know really admire him, and inspired him to pursue the sport too so... he's pretty much a role model."
"Is that so..." the setter mumbles.
His hooded, gunmetal blue irises watch how your lips curve up into a nostalgic smile as you stare down at that mere sheet of paper with an autograph. But depite this, the underlying hint of sadness in it did not go unnoticed by him.
No matter how much his curiosity and concern are nagging him to ask you what's wrong, he choose not to because he deemed it to be a sensitive topic to talk about, hence the subtle expression you have.
Regaining your neutral composure, you fold the receipt into four rectangles then shove it inside your apron's pocket, like how you shove the flooding memories again in the back of your mind.
With a deep sigh, you saunter upstairs where games and books are displayed in shelves, biting your lower lip as you tightly closed your eyes.
'Just forget it already, Y/N. Forget it.'