After the weekend, I finally become less busy and started to have time for myself, for example resting properly at break and lunch
Since I have officially become the full time manager, means that I have to attend the morning and after school training
On the bright side, my timetable is the exactly same as Emori, so my parent won't have to worry about us being alone
Beside we also got Motoya and Sakusa walking with us
Being their manager is fun, especially when you watch how each player improve step by step
Even though I don't understand how, but Sakusa managed to become even more stronger on top of the perfect spikes skills he already have
And before I knew, I've been at Itachiyama Institute for 2 months now
During these weeks, I learnt a very important life surviving skills, which is how to get on the good sides of Sakusa, and that is simply give the personal space he want
As a semi germaphobe myself, I can understand how painful it is when other people touched your stuff without permission, therefore I always made sure I inform Sakusa if I'm going to touch anything that he will be using
Of course, if he says no then I'll simply leave the task to himself
For example, right now I'm getting towels for everyone except Sakusa, because he always bring his own ones in concern to the cleanness of the ones that school provide
I grabbed the towels and folded them into a pile nicely before walking back to the gym
Winter is approaching, everyday the wind seems to get stronger and the atmosphere seems to get colder, I'm pretty sure something have got to me when I went out for a run yesterday because it started to rain half way through, drenched me completely
Sighing quietly as I let out small coughs occasionally, I quickly jogged back indoors, everyone was just been put on break, walking towards the bench, some already sat down while some remained standing
I handed out the towels to the players one after another
Even when I am indoors, my body is still shivering there I made my way over to the radiator in attempt to keep myself warm
"Achoo"
I sneezed, not too loud but enough for Sakusa, who was only few metres away from me, to notice
Although I'm wearing a mask, I still reached for the hand sanitiser I carry with me all the time and clean my hands, out of natural reaction
Making sure all the bacteria are off my hands, I continued walking to the radiator until I feel someone grabbed my wrist, my body turned around due to the force
I looked up, finding myself lost in the gorgeous yet emotionless eyes of Sakusa Kiyoomi, his towel handing on his shoulders while he something is in his hands
The next second, I feel something wrapped around my neck, looking down, I see a olive green scarf on me, he continued to take off his jacker, before I could react, a Itachiyama jacket is wrapped around my body
Sakusa helped me to put my arms through the sleeve as he zipped the jacket up, it's warm, very warm
"Bring more layers tomorrow, don't get sick"
That's all he said, he carefully adjusted my mask, making sure it's covering the right places before sanitising his hands and walked back to the volleyball
Behind him, everyone looked at us is disbelief, I mean it's Sakusa Kiyoomi, the one known for his germaphobe title, is currently giving his clothes to another human being
Then there's me, shocked at his actions, but felt appreciated at the same time, a smile made its way to my face unnoticeably
At the same time, behind Sakusa's mask, the tiniest blush tinted his cheek as he walk away from this particular girl
He is so caring...
She look cute in my clothes...
I like his smell, it make me fell safe
Hopefully she won't get sick, I don't want her to suffer through sickness..
But
What is this weird feelings in my stomach?
They thought
...
After training, all the boys went to get change while I cleaned up the gym, which is basically putting the nets back, collecting the balls and mopping the floor, the boys already helped me with some of it, saving me a lot of work
I made sure everything is back to where it should be before locking up the storage room, I felt rather satisfied looking at the spotless floor that I mopped, it was so clear that I can see my own reflection
Once my job is finished, I went to sit on the benches by the side of the court, quietly revising for Chemistry while waiting for my brother, Motoya and Sakusa to come out
My Chemistry wasn't that bad, considering the famous Kuroo Tetsurou use to be me and Kenma's personal tutor, even though Kenma spend most of the time playing video games than study anyways
As I sank into my own world of Periodic Table, someone gently tapped me on the shoulders grabbing my attention
I glanced up from my book, only to be running into the same pair of attracting eyes I did during training
"We're leaving"
"But don't I need to wait until everyone left and lock up the gym?"
"Not necessarily, Lizuna-senpai normally does it"
"Okay then, let's go"
I looked around the gym one last time before following Sakusa
But when I reached his side, my hand accidentally brushed against his, causing the poor boy to flinch at the contact
Don't blame him, the last time the boy made proper physical contact with a person is a few months ago
"Sorry"
Me on the other hand, noticed his abnormal flinch, immediately backed away from him, maintaining 1 metre between us and apologised for intruding his personal space
"Umm... don't worry"
He muttered something along those lines, not wanting to upset him more, I quickly over took him and went towards the door assuming that would be Sakusa's comfort zone
The boy however, stared confusedly at the back of the girl as she slowly walked away from him
Didn't he say don't worry?
For some reason, Sakusa surprisingly didn't mind Y/n touching him, nor letting her wear his clothes, he have seen her hygiene awareness and he is very happy with it
She is clean
Someone who wears the same brand of mask as him, use the same brand of hand sanitisers as him, bring the same brand of alcohol spray as him, is considered as clean and acceptable
Just then he realised something
The girl is on the edge of getting a cold, yet she is wearing two layers, including his jackets
He shook his head before catching up with the girl
"L/n"
I turned around hearing his voice calling out my name, the fact that my last name rolled of his tongue so perfectly caught me off focus for a seconds
"Yes Sakusa-san?"
"Put the sweatshirt on, and then the jacket over it"
Sakusa said as he passed me a sweatshirt
"Thank you Sakusa-san, but I think I'll be-"
"I said put it on"
Gulping knowing that I can't change his mind, I thanked him before taking the shirt, putting it on while he hold my bag and his jacket because putting them on the floor was simply not an option
After putting on another layer, I am seriously feeling so warm, and happy, surrounded by Sakusa's scent of his washing liquid, it's refreshing, I love it
My lips curled into a sweet smile while thanking him for his consideration
But then, unexpectedly, Sakusa grabbed a hold of my hand as he carried on walking to the front gate of the school where Emori and Motoya are at, acting like nothing is happening
Personally, I certainly did not see this coming, it's not like I minded so I still let him hold onto me though, his hands are warm, he had a tight grip as if he was trying to pass his warmth to my ice cold hands
Soon I returned his favour by holding onto his hand as tight, hoping he would realise my appreciation of his gesture although he seems to have taken it the wrong way
"L/n, if you are uncomfortable with it I can let go, I apologies-"
Before he could finish and before he could let got of my hand, I gripped his hand even tighter and intertwined our fingers so he won't leave me
"NO...oh umm.. I mean I'm okay with it, and umm.. Sakusa-san you can call me Y/n, it's less confusing"
"Y/n?"
I blushed madly at how smooth my name came out from him, unable to form any words therefore I just nodded in response
As the two of us reached the front gate, two shadows were standing beside it, seems like they've been waiting for a long time by their body language
"I swear to God you guys took like a century to- HOLY SHIT"
Emori's eyes landed on the intertwist hands of ours , eyes and mouth wide open, as if he have just witnessed a frog turned into a prince out of nowhere rather than his sister holding hands with his teammate
"Kiyoomi? I see how it is~"
Motoya playfully teased before turning around and pulled Emori with him, leaving the soon-to-be couple behind so they can spend some times together before being separated
After their teases, I can feel my cheeks painted in fifty shades of red, in fact, I am well aware of this feeling that Sakusa is giving me, but I am not 100% sure how to react to this feeling
Do I.. perhaps... like Sakusa Kiyoomi?
But we only met 2 months ago...
The thing is, I know whenever Sakusa is around me, not only I felt safe around his presence, I also receive this weird feeling that make me want to label him 'mine' and make sure he stays with me forever
Even when he kindly lend me his clothes earlier on, I clearly don't want him doing the same thing to another girl, I can tell I'm being a little selfish and possessive here, but I couldn't help it, I like the feeling of being the specially privileged one for him, and I want this position forever
Letting out a quiet sigh while walking with Sakusa, who turned his head slightly after hearing my sigh
"You okay?"
He broke the silence we share
"Mhm, I'm okay, but Sakusa-san, are you sure you are comfortable with this?"
I asked, in concern
"With what?"
"Oh umm... like.. um. holding hands"
I looked away from him out of embarrassment and I could swear I heard the cutest chuckle ever
Think about it this way, Sakusa Kiyoomi, a guy with a deep voice, let out of a chuckle unintentionally, it's literally the sweetest thing on earth like I don't even know how I am still alive because I feel like my soul have just left my body
"Like I said before, you have very good hygiene habits, so I'm surprisingly calm with making physical contact with you, beside, it felt nice finally able to touch someone without worrying about germs"
Okay that's the longest sentence he have ever said to me
However, the corner of my lips automatically lifted into a smile, that's a gentle phrase to hear, the fact that he approved my hygienic habits made me happier
Little did I know, my smile had a massive effect on someone's poor heart, he can feel his heart beating loudly against his chest, it was so violent that he was worried if you could hear it as well
"Y/n"
"Mhm?"
"Why did you come to Itachiyama?"
Well, it is very unusual for Sakusa to be the one to start a conversation, everyone on the volleyball is well aware that Sakusa physically avoid everyone and everything he considered as 'infected with germs'
Sakusa know the silent they shared was peaceful, but he would much prefer to hear her angelic voice, that's why he decide to get to know her a bit more
"It was actually a funny reason to recall, I used to go to Nekoma, by the way they got a very strong volleyball team as well, but then the whole album and popularity thing happened and there were this group of boys who think it would be funny to stalk me 24/7, so for my personal safety, we moved"
He nodded and it looks like he is digesting the amount of information I just threw at him
"To be honest, I am glad you came"
Now it is my turn to be confused
"And the reason being?"
"Because you are by far the only person I can get close to without worrying, and I'm just generally grateful that you always stay with me whenever I decide to do further practices and stuff, thanks I guess"
The boy shrugged his shoulder as he looked forward, not knowing how happy I am, currently, hearing his words
Just then his phone ranged, the ringtone sounds awfully familiar to me, I listened carefully until I recognised the song
It is the chorus of Hotaru, one of the instrumental song I released in my album
"Is that-?"
Before I could finish, Sakusa seems to realised the fact that I noticed he used my song as his ringtone, he hurriedly picked up the call without even looking at the number in attempt of hiding the ringtone
"Kiyoomi-kun!"
A very sharp voice of a girl came from the other end of the phone
Sakusa frowned, he recognise this voice, but he doesn't like who this voice belongs to, he moved the phone away from his ear and checked the caller id
Oh.. he didn't even save the number, what a shame
"I told you to address me by my surname, and don't disturb me"
Me, however, had no idea who he is talking to right now, but I can tell he is not very happy
"Aww, Kiyoomi-kun you know you love me"
"If you meant you and your disgusting germs then goodbye"
On that note, he ended the call without hesitation
He knows perfectly well who that girl is, and it's not over exaggerating to say that he hates her
It is Kauri Haya, a girl with fair amount of popularity
Ever since Sakusa came back from Nationals last year, she started to have the helpless obsession with him, and he hates it
Unlike Y/n, she has no regards to what is personal space
The more he thought of her, the more irritated he gets
"Sakusa-san? Are you alright?"
A sweet voice pulled him back from his busy thoughts
"Oh umm, yeah"
Ever since he picked up that call, I can tell he was annoyed
"I'm here to listen if you want to talk about it"
I gently squeezed his hand, encouraging him
"Don't worry, it's just someone I don't like"
He started to walk faster, still holding onto my hands though
"If you say so, just remember I'm always here if you need someone"
"Thank you Y/n"
Sakusa replied in a much softer voice as he seems to come closer to me
Once we reached the front door of my house, we see Emori and Motoya chatting agin whilst waiting for us
"Okay lovebirds as much as I don't want to be the villain we gotta go home"
Emori said as soon as he see us
"Shut up Emori"
I blushed madly at his remarks, lovebirds?
Then I turned to Sakusa
"It was fun talking to you Sakusa-san"
"Kiyoomi"
"Huh?"
I tilted my head in confusion
"Call me Kiyoomi, no need to be so formal"
A smile made its way to my lips as I feel myself overwhelmed with joy
"So... Kiyoomi?"
The boy nodded, although under the mask of his, it hides a lot of redness, he loves how his name sounded from her voice, it's cute
"Alright, good night Kiyoomi"
"Night Y/n"
With that, I went inside the house alongside Emori while Sakusa and Motoya continued to head back home
But at some distances away, a girl, in black, is observing everything from afar
"Hmm... so this is why you hung up on me? Interesting"
- Finished: 20.11.2021
2742 words