Incoming very long part about dodgeball X3 you can skip this one if you like, it holds barely any significance
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Mitsuri taps her index finger against her lips, looking up at the ceiling. She's really thinking this question over.
"If I liked two boys at the same time? Welllll"
You wring your hands together anxiously, waiting for an answer
"I think I have actually liked THREE boys at the same time! But, since I assume that you're asking for advice,"
She takes her finger away from her mouth and points it upwards, emphasizing her idea
"You must choose based on what you want! Every potential partner is a complex being, a story waiting to happen. They have their own lives, so its best to find somebody whose lifestyle can easily intertwine with yours"
Your eyes meet Mitsuri's gaze, awestruck by her social awareness. That is actually sound advice!
"So, no matter what, I'm the deciding factor here? But what if it's more complicated than that?"
"oh (y/n), of course it will be," She stands up from the bench, side-eyeing the clock on the wall above "but even if I knew enough about your situation to help, it will be up to you. That's the only way."
"Bye-bye freshman!! Well, sophomore, now. Good luck!"
Mitsuri waves, walking towards the door. That's when you realize everyone's gone off to the gym
When you made it to PE, you were a few minutes later than everybody else.
"Everybody start running laps. I want to see all of you running this time." Mr Tomioka orders flatly, earning a groan from the group
You start to follow some of the slower-paced girls jogging at the edge of the track, when Mr. Tomioka puts a hand on your shoulder and stops you
"You're late."
You rubbed your forearm guiltily "sorryyy"
"Give me twenty pushups. And don't do it again" he looks away. Thankfully he's not mad—it's not easy for most of the teachers to get mad at you.
After you finished your pushups as quickly as possible and caught up with the rest of the group, it was finally time to play a game
Mr. Tomioka is lining up some dodgeballs in the middle of the gym
Oh HELL yes. Finally, something I can be in control of
"We're playing dodgeball. Pick your teams, and pick fairly, or else I'm doing it for you" Mr. Tomioka announced
There's an air of excitement and fear resonating within the room, and it's contagious
"Team captains. (Y/n)'s team vs...Genya's team."
Your heart skips a beat. You nearly forgot Genya even existed, much less attended the same classes as you throughout the day. But, how can you be blamed? He rarely talks to anyone
At least this will be your chance to stand up to him
"Heh, finally I get to be team captain. About time" Genya comments from the sidelines, flashing you a knowing stare
"Hold your horses Genya. There's a method to the madness" Mr. Tomioka clears his throat "(y/n), you choose your first teammate. Choose wisely"
"Everyone stand in the middle here to be chosen," Mr. Tomioka says. He walks with his hands behind his back and watches all the students gather around
He changes directions while he walks, instructing you all like a drill sergeant "now I'm sure you all remember the rules; you get hit, you're out. If someone catches your ball, you're out. No punching. No Kicking. No profanity. Looking at you Inosuke."
The class giggles and Inosuke growls silently
"And of course, stay inside your own team's area. You have no idea how much I have to reiterate this" Mr. Tomioka grumbles "now begin. And don't kill each other."
Mr. Tomioka then walks off to sit down on a bench on the sidelines and put his sunglasses on...indoors -_-
Genya is supposed to let you go first, so you step up and look over your options
Most people in your class aren't very good besides Susumaru and Mitsuri, so you figure you'll have to choose one of them first
Behind Mitsuri, Tanjiro stands looking around in confusion. Maybe he's never played this game before
"Mitsuri!" You say, picking your first choice. Mitsuri comes jogging to you with a smile
"Susumaru." Genya says flatly, pointing at her
Eventually, after taking turns, you've both finished choosing your teammates. As expected, Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Makomo end up on your team.
It surprises you that Kanao is on Genya's team, but Mr. Tomioka did say to be fair.
The two teams jog to each end of the gym, preparing themselves to start the game
You were standing beside Tanjiro in the far corner; you usually have a very specific strategy of waiting for the ball to come to you first.
"Uhm, (Y/n)?" Tanjiro lowers his voice to a whisper
You look at him. He seems a bit frightened
"How do I play this?!" He says in a panicked voice
AWWWW you smile warmly at him I can't help it, he's adorable
"Don't worry, it's real simple. Just throw the balls and dodge them. It'll be okay."
"3....2...." Mr. Tomioka starts counting down, and everybody gets in their places
"1! Go"
The two teams rushed to the middle of the gym, grabbing the balls ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) as fast as possible; some people, like Kanao and Makomo, would just take them and run. Others were hitting each other right away
Suddenly, the gym comes alive with vibrant chaos; shoes squeaked on the polished floors, passionate students let out battle cries as they fought, and some were just using the situation as an opportunity to showcase their fantastic physical ability
You look around the gym, your eyes searching for Genya
He's standing in the midst of it all, with two rubber balls in each hand, his gaze fixed ahead
Aoi, who is also on your team, is about to be Genya's first victim; Genya prepares to throw the ball at her while her back is turned to pick up a ball
"AOI!" Tanjiro yells
Aoi looked up, but she was too slow. The ball hit her right in the side of the face
Unbelievable! It was a perfect shot. Well, I guess it would've missed if Tanjiro hadn't said anything
"Tanjiro...I'm going to KILL YOU ONE DAY" Aoi grumbles as she walks off, rubbing the side of her face
"Wha...NO, I was trying to help" Tanjiro groans
You giggle and pick up a ball that's rolling towards your feet "It's okay Tanjiro, you tried--but, dodgeball isn't that kind of game. Don't overthink it, but don't be brute."
You raise the ball, your eyes locked on your target; Genya Shinazugawa
"Most people think a game like this is about strength, but it's really about accuracy. Like this."
Genya catches your eye, but it doesn't scare you. Without another moment's hesitation, you lurch forward and fling the ball straight for his head
Genya ducked out of the way just in time, and the ball hit someone behind him instead
"Accuracy huh?" Tanjiro mused, picking up a rubber ball
"Oh you know what I mean, just give it a shot" You reply, running off to the middle of the court to face off with Genya
Inosuke and Makomo are standing on either side of you. Strangely, their presence comforts you
The game is getting intense now
While you were watching Genya, most of your team was knocked out--but they put up a good fight, and pushed back enough so that the numbers were close to even
On Genya's side stands Susumaru, Kanao, and Genya
On your side, you, Inosuke, Makomo and Tanjiro are the only ones left
"Okay, you guys know the drill. Don't panic, I'll protect you." You say
Inosuke rolls his eyes, rotating his shoulders back in preparation "I don't need protecting"
Makomo nods sharply "Do what you must"
You stand at the head of the group empty-handed. Out here, it's like walking into a battlefield with nothing but your wit
"(Y/n)," Genya raises an eyebrow at you "you're pretty gutsy. I like that."
You swallow, your fingers twitching I haven't heard him say my name in months! Yet he utters such words without a care
"I've wanted a reason to hit you in the face for a while. Now I have one" were his last words before chucking a ball at you at the fastest speed you've ever seen
You leaned only slightly to the side, but because you did, the ball went sailing by through the air
It grazes the side of your hair as it's passing by
Your hand hurts, but it was worth the risk. You're clutching the ball at the side of your face now. The recoil made it seem like it went past you, but really, you caught it
Genya is out of the game, and you can tell how defeated he feels
It's over...HE's OUT!!
You stumble back when another ball comes at you, this time it hit you right in the stomach
You looked around, expecting it to be Susumaru—but it was Kanao
"....Kanao?!—" Makomo blurted out
"Heh, you three better watch out. Kanao is a force to be reckoned with" Mr. Tomioka chuckles from the sidelines nonchalantly
You dropped the ball and trudged to the sidelines, but you were stopped by Aoi, who grabbed your shoulder and whispered
"(Y/n)...Be careful. I think Genya has a bone to pick with you"
Oh man, what'd I do this time