Every friend Kimura Ai ever made always thought her name was ironic.
Ai was a fantastic friend, but she was a classic kuudere—exhibiting an icy aura and an aloof personality. Her face was akin to a statue, rarely showing any sign of emotion. Even more, if you brought the notion of love to Ai, she'd likely laugh in your face. However, her friends never blamed Ai for that—especially not when they learned about her home life.
It was easy to see why Ai didn't believe in the romantic side of love.
Ai loved her friends. She also loved art, video games, coffee, and volleyball. Ai was familiar with the platonic version, but the idea of romantic love was always lost on her.
Once upon a time, Ai even held familial love in her heart, but even those feelings disappeared between her parent's busy schedules and constant fights. After all, it was difficult to earn Ai's affection—what was easy was losing her.
When that first happened, she tried to remember a time when her parents were happy. Surely, they had to have loved each other at one point, but no matter how far back she looked, Ai couldn't recall such a thing. It was even more challenging for Ai to remember when she didn't have to wonder if her parents loved her.
And then Ai's mother, Ichika, died—courtesy of a drunk driver.
Many people told Ai and her father, "At least she didn't feel any pain. It was a quick death."
Any other teenager might have grown angry or even sadder after hearing something like that, but Ai didn't feel anything. She was so numb that, at the time, Ai wasn't sure if she knew how to feel in the first place. The whispers and mockery at the funeral regarding her stone-cold expression made Ai angry, but no grief or sadness came for her. Even as Ichika's lifeless body was lowered into the ground, no tear was shed.
Rio, Ai's father, even took a sabbatical off of work after Ichika's death—and for a while, Ai accidentally began to hope for a better future. She even started thinking that maybe, just maybe, Ichika's end was going to shock Rio out of his neglectful parenting and workaholic lifestyle. Sure, Rio wasn't outwardly warm or loving toward Ai, but that wasn't news to her—her days had become quiet and peaceful, and Ai began to feel a semblance of happiness. A life without the constant petty arguments and fighting matches felt so nice and new that Ai thought she and Rio could finally build a relationship.
However, such thoughts and hopeful thinking died the day Rio sent Ai away—moving her all the way from Miyagi to Hyogo.
The distance between the two prefectures was enough to assume Rio never intended to return for her—Ai also thought her father hated her. As far as she was concerned, he had to have detested her if Rio was willing to buy an apartment in the prefecture so he wouldn't have to look at her anymore.
Don't get Ai wrong—Hyogo was a decent place to live, and the school was beyond her wildest dreams, but... Ai couldn't help but wonder why Hyogo. If Rio's only problem was seeing Ai every day, he could have just let her attend Shiratorizawa Academy—it was a boarding school, after all.
With that in mind, it only further begged the question: Why the Hyogo Prefecture and Inarizaki High?
No matter how much she racked her head for the answer, Ai couldn't figure it out. Even when Ichika was still alive, Ai was never a disturbance. She'd always kept to herself (having been raised as a latchkey kid) and was a dutifully quiet daughter, often in her bedroom with homework, art, and video games—or she'd be at school, practicing for upcoming volleyball games.
Maybe, if Ai could've seen things from Rio's perspective, there'd have never been any misunderstandings in the first place.
Despite how often the couple fought, Rio and Ichika had a profound and fond love for each other—they just lacked proper communication. They constantly joked that they were like cats and dogs, Ichika's personality matching the latter, while Rio's was the former. No matter what, though, they still came together at the end of the day—and they never dreamed of leaving one another. And even though she never realized it, Ichika and Rio truly did love Ai, even more than they did each other—often worrying about her lack of expression (and sometimes emotion).
If he were more open, Rio would have told Ai that he was in a shroud of darkness when Ichika died—and when he looked at his daughter, his only family left, her appearance tore Rio's heart into shreds.
Because Ai looked just like her mother.
Long, wavy locks that looked like a night at sea; light grey eyes that always reminded Rio of a whitish milky way, contrasting against their dark-shaded hair; and flawlessly fair complexions. Ai even had the same beauty mark as Ichika, a tiny dot mere inches below her right eye.
While Ai didn't inherit any of Rio's physical traits, they were almost exactly alike—especially regarding their love and talent for the arts. Ai hadn't even started high school yet, and her artistic skills were already much better than anything Rio could've created. He knew Ai was destined for greatness, no matter what she did.
Contrary to Ai's beliefs, she was Rio's world, his pride and joy, and his greatest gift from Ichika—he only wanted the best for her. It hurt, but Rio knew she couldn't thrive living with him while he endured such overwhelming grief.
Rio spent a lot of time scouring for good schools and areas for Ai to stay in. Shiratorizawa came up in his research, but something felt off about the school.
Maybe he sensed the harem Ai would accidentally build, not to realize she was capable of forming one wherever she went.
That's when he stumbled across Inarizaki High—which seemingly looked like an outstanding school and quite the rare jewel. The academics constantly broke records, and its art and sports curriculums were always shining. Whether Ai pursued sports or art, Rio knew she'd excel in everything.
He just hoped she could see that.
—
"Alright, class, quiet down—I said quiet!" Suzuki Rika, the teacher of classroom 2-1, announced to her students as Ai walked in. "We have a new student today. Go on and introduce yourself, kiddo."
Ai stared at her new classmates with her classically blank expression, her grey hues darting from one student to another. When Ai tested in for Inarizaki High, she excelled so much that the board insisted that the girl skip a grade—and now all of her peers had a year on her.
Not that she cared—not too much, at least.
After she offered everyone a respectfully low bow, Ai spoke aloud, sounding curter than she intended. "Kimura Ai."
Suzuki could only sweatdrop momentarily at Ai's introduction, speechless as she gaped at the blue-haired girl. "Heh... Why don't you tell us something about yourself, Kimura-san?"
As her gaze drifted through the river of second-years once more, Ai hummed, not understanding why it mattered. She doubted she'd make any connections here—Ai was more than aware of her oddness, so she planned to drown herself in her studies at Inarizaki High. Even with the long distance between them now, Ai was happy with the small group of friends she left behind in Miyagi.
"Well... I used to play volleyball."
"Used to?" The words left Suzuki's mouth before she could help it—and she covered her lips when she realized her mistake.
This was an introduction, not an interrogation—even if there was an exciting aspect of another volleyball player for the girl's team. It wasn't as popular or successful as the boys, but the girls were still innately skilled. Suzuki was ecstatic upon hearing Ai's small fact, and understandably so—she was the girl's volleyball team club advisor, after all.
Slightly tilting her head back to stare at Suzuki, Ai replied, "Yeah. Had to retire when I hurt my knee."
"Oh."
Suzuki's face fell, which was when excitement was instantaneously replaced with sympathy. As understandable as it was, Suzuki's sympathetic expression was mistaken for a pitying one, and an irk mark formed on Ai's forehead. Ai always loathed it when she was the subject of pity.
"It's fine. Didn't lose my life when I retired—I've got other passions." Ai accidentally snapped, her tone coming across as loads ruder than before. "May I sit down now?"
—
True to her studious nature, Ai quickly caught up to what her classmates were learning, quietly working on her assignment until the bell rang—signaling lunch. Pulling out her bento box, Ai finally looked up after taking a few bites and realized how many of her classmates left for the cafeteria. Only Ai and two other boys appeared to be in the room, although she was the only one eating.
Funnily enough, the two classmates remaining in the room sat on both sides of Ai. One of them lazily gazed into his phone, his half-lidded eyes slowly blinking—while the other just so happened to look at Ai when she looked his way again.
"That's a lot of onigiri." He commented, making Ai realize he wasn't staring at her but at her lunch.
Ai only shrugged and looked back down, not seeing the big deal in her bento. Rio sent her more money than she ever needed—so Ai could certainly buy any ingredients she may want or need, but she wasn't much of a cook. One of the few things she could make currently was onigiri, but Ai prepared far more than she needed to.
The boy's stomach grumbled, cutting through the deafening silence and forcing Ai's attention once more. As her eyes bore into his and then his desk, it dawned on Ai that he didn't have any lunch in sight. Wordlessly picking up an onigiri, Ai stretched out her arm to give it to the boy.
...Which he only stared at like it was an alien lifeform, wearing a blank expression that could nearly match Ai's.
"It's umeboshi," Ai stated clearly, carefully shaking her hand to get him to take it.
The boy stared at Ai for a moment, and for a minute or two, she almost thought he was scrutinizing her—as if he thought Ai had poisoned the food. Eventually, he decided it was safe enough and snatched the onigiri out of Ai's hand. Ai couldn't help but watch him scarf the food down in a singular bite, a hint of amusement flashing through her eyes before the boy turned back toward her with a fleeting but grateful smile.
"Thanks. Kimura, right?"
Ai nods as she picks up a piece of onigiri to munch on, staring at the whiteboard at the front of the classroom.
"Where ya from?"
"Miyagi."
"An' ya used to play volleyball, right?"
Nodding again as she chewed, Ai handed him another umeboshi stuffed onigiri.
"Sorry 'bout yer knee." He says, gingerly taking the prized food out of Ai's hands.
Ai shrugs as she replies nonchalantly, "It's fine. I can still practice sometimes if I'm careful, and I like to watch games."
"Is that right? D'ya ever watch any of the boys' teams play?" He asks, avid interest present in his tone.
His tone was so apparent that the other boy in the classroom, Suna Rintaro, perked up, his gaze slowly drifting from Ai to his friend and teammate. Too busy with their food, the onigiri-loving duo didn't notice Suna studying them—at least, Ai didn't. It was only when Suna squinted his eyes at his friend with a suspicious and teasing glint in his eyes that the unnamed boy shook his head at him before looking back to Ai.
Suna couldn't believe his own eyes.
'Is Osamu seriously...?'
"Only if they're good," Ai responds leisurely as if bored with the conversation, none the wiser of Suna and Miya Osamu's wordless conversation.
At her words, Suna finally makes a sound and snorts. Half-heartedly turning toward him, her eyes bore into Suna's golden ones, nearly making him shiver in the process—which he promptly ignored.
"You really are new around here, aren't you." He asks, although his words are formed more as a statement.
Raising her eyebrows at him, Ai counters with, "What, did you think I was a narc or something?"
Osamu and Suna share an amused look but don't respond to Ai's rhetorical question. Instead, Osamu decides introductions are in order.
"That's Suna," Osamu says after he finishes his second onigiri—but momentarily pauses once Ai hands him a third. With a surprised but grateful smile, he continues, "Thanks a lot, by the way. My names Miya Osamu, but ya can jus' call me Osamu."
Ai would have been likely to combust then and there, considering how her eyes visibly twitched at the mere idea—which Osamu quickly noticed.
"Everyone calls me that," He reassures Ai. "My brother goes here too. Be a bit confusin' to call us both Miya, huh?"
"Mm." Ai voices, and she stares at Osamu for a good minute before slowly nodding, adding, "If that's the case, then I suppose it's fine."
Osamu couldn't help but smile again, but before he could say anything more to Ai, his brother stormed into the classroom—instantly ruining the peace and quiet with a singular shout.
"Oi, 'Samu! What the hell are ya still doin' in here?! We were supposed to practice together!" Miya Atsumu, in all his glory, shouted with his gaze locked onto his twin.
Meanwhile, Ai had finally seen her first pair of twins—staring at Atsumu as he glared at Osamu, then drifting her line of view over to Osamu, who only stared at his brother with mild annoyance and indifference. Even though their hair and eyes were different colors, they were completely identical.
'Twins, huh?'
From the corner of her eye, Ai noticed Suna aiming his phone's camera toward the brothers and scooted her desk back immediately—she didn't want to be caught in whatever photograph or video he was recording.
Meanwhile, instead of gracing his brother with a response, Osamu only stares at him while he lazily chews on his onigiri.
"Wait, where'd ya get that?" Atsumu stopped in his tracks. His scowl died down just as his stomach growled—only just now noticing the food his brother had. Ai quickly noticed that Osamu wasn't the only Miya who forgot his lunch today.
"New girl," Osamu said between bites, gesturing toward Ai. "Kimura here was nice enough to share her lunch with me."
Atsumu hadn't even noticed Ai, who had been sitting quietly in her seat—but as soon as Osamu mentioned her, his eyes zeroed in on Ai. His sharp gaze reminded Ai of when Osamu studied her earlier, just before he accepted the first onigiri she offered him.
Except Atsumu's dark eyes felt a lot more hostile.
"I don't have anymore," Ai said. Her voice and tone were clear and confident, which was incredibly unlike any fan who had the chance to talk to the star setter of Inarizaki's volleyball team.
Atsumu's thick eyebrows furrowed at Ai as he sputtered, "Wh—you—I don't—you!"
Ai raised her eyebrows at Atsumu, unsure what to make of the blonde, let alone why he reacted so ridiculously—as if he was frazzled by her. She had only said so because it seemed like Atsumu wanted some onigiri too, so in the end, Ai deduced that Atsumu was a strange sort. Perhaps, even stranger than she was.
Meanwhile, Suna was snickering in the background, forcing all the attention to come his way. The twins began scowling at Suna when they realized what he was up to, yelling in perfect unison, "Oi, Suna, ya jerk!"
While slightly amused at the scenario in front of her, Ai tilted her head at Suna and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I guess you could call it blackmail." Suna began to say, pointing toward Osamu and Atsumu, adding, "I've got an entire album dedicated to these two. They always give me a golden scene."
"We ain't actors, ya idiot!" Atsumu glowered as steam radiated out of his ears.
Ai had no choice but to sit in the middle while the twins bickered with Suna and then with each other. Their arguments and cursing lasted until lunch ended—but even when the bell rang, Atsumu didn't leave the classroom until a classmate was sent to drag him away.