When Osamu and Suna make it to class the following morning, they find themselves replaced—by three girls.
They hadn't even noticed at first, only finding themselves surprised Ai's seat was empty when they first walked in. She seemed the type to always get to class early, and thus far, she was proving her type right. It wasn't until Suna and Osamu sat down, given a full view of the classroom in front of them, that they saw Ai sitting a few rows ahead, surrounded by three girls. Upon closer inspection, the pair realized they knew their faces—they'd shared a class with these girls since their first year of high school but never bothered to learn their names.
As they watched Ai conversing with them, although the trio of girls were doing most of the talking, a sudden thought occurred to Osamu and Suna. They contemplated how quickly gossip moved through their fanbase and realized that word was likely going to spread soon—if not already—that the team snagged a new manager in the form of the stunning and clever, but expressionless, new girl.
That was when various questions began floating through their heads.
What if those girls—whatever their names were—were their fans?
While Suna and Osamu were well aware Ai had a tongue as sharp as a blade and plenty of wits to boot, would she fare as victoriously if she were physically attacked?
They realized they were unnecessarily (for now) protective over Ai in the face of their unruly fans, but they put no merit to it. Surely, they only felt such a way because she was a part of their team now. That was all.
All the while, Ai hadn't even noticed Suna and Osamu's arrival, let alone did she pick up on their gazes. While she didn't exactly show it, she was happy she'd come to class even earlier than normal—she intended on catching up on everything she missed in her daze yesterday—which was around when three of her classmates walked up to her desk. Each of them, while different, donned similarly sweet smiles while they introduced themselves.
Ai was surprised but felt warm and pleasant when the girls revealed they had wanted to befriend her on her first day at Inarizaki. The only reason it took so long for them to say so much as a hello was because of the intimidating volleyball players she was sandwiched in between.
"Heyo, Kimura, right?! Matsuoka Aiko, professional basketballer in the making, at yer service!" She grinned cheekily with an outstretched hand, the first to introduce herself.
Aiko was the obnoxious friend of the group; a loud and carefree girl obsessed with basketball. She was the tallest out of all the girls and kept her blonde hair short in a pixie cut, telling Ai it was so she wouldn't have to be bothered with bobby pins and ponytails. Her eyes were small, but considering the way they were always widened in excitement or mischief, they didn't stay confined in their small shape for very long.
"Gah, Aiko, settle down! I'm truly sorry about her, Kimura-san, Aiko here doesn't know the meaning of an inside voice—" Aiko interrupted her with a betrayed expression, but Yuki seemed to pay her no mind, only fixing her eyeglasses when they slid down her long and slender nose. "Oh hush, you know it's true. My name is Fujino Yuki. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Yuki was clearly the voice of reason—giving Ai the indication that they'd get along swimmingly. She was what someone might call the bookworm of the group, the kind of girl who always had her nose in a book, be it for knowledge or pure fun. Ai learned Yuki was very fond of learning new things constantly, and thought it too rude to say it aloud, but she wondered how Yuki managed to keep so much information in her head. Her appearance was impeccably neat, true to her personality—Yuki's brown hair was cut into a perfect, shoulder-length bob, and not a strand was ever out of place. Her glasses lacked the typical smudges Ai had often seen on a megane, and even her uniform was in pristine shape.
"Oh my gosh, can you guys stop bickering for at least two seconds? We're trying to make a good impression here! Hi there, Mura-chan! I can call you Mura-chan, right?" The last of the trio, Hamada Chiyo, spoke excitedly, but not as loudly as Aiko. "I'm Hamada—Hamada Chiyo, but feel free to call me by my first name! I'm class president, so if ya ever need anything, anything at all, rely on me! Oh, we're going to be fast friends, I just know it! So tell me, Mura-chan, where are you from? Why'd you come so far to Hyogo? I can just tell that you're far from home. I can totally read your aura—oh, do you want to know what your color is? Mine is pink, of course, but—"
Chiyo was definitely...
'Well, she has quite the personality.'
Her personality, as Ai had so eloquently worded in her thoughts, was the sort she typically strayed from. With how quiet she was and how much she adored peace, Ai didn't often deal with the talkative sort all that well—although even she had her exceptions. In one way or another, Ai was unable to help her easy fondness for Chiyo, whom she found precious and endearing. She supposed it was all thanks to how much Chiyo reminded Ai of one of her Miyagi friends—in particular, the one who may or may not have thrown her into the arms of the volleyball club. Her hair was wild, but it suited Chiyo, her voluminous tight black curls parted down the middle and pinned back with bright pink hairclips. Her eyes were certainly the largest and roundest Ai had ever seen on a real person, but it didn't make the girl look bug-eyed. Much like her untamed hair, it suited Chiyo far too well.
The more time she spent with these girls, the more Ai liked them, and even better? Not a single one of them was an obsessive fangirl. Not even close. Out of all three, Chiyo might have been the closest—but she only enjoyed watching them play. Sure, she'd been known to go on and on over the cuter of the players, but Chiyo was a far cry from the fans the team knew.
None of the girls even knew how much of a volleyball star Ai was. They'd only wanted to befriend her out of excitement and curiosity. Purely innocent and precious.
That was probably why they were so shocked, flustered, and intimidated when Suna and Osamu approached the small group, their eyes and demeanors visibly darkening. None of the trio were used to boys like that. Nor were none of them used to such expressions; outside of her friend group, Aiko typically only spent time with her easygoing basketball team (and sometimes the boy's team, who were nothing but a bunch of goofs); Chiyo was the cute and soft girl who never knew an angry man; Yuki barely interacted with anything out of her books.
While her seatmates were busy wordlessly threatening and keeping the trio in check, Ai busied herself by tearing up small pieces of paper and writing down copies of her phone number. Just before Osamu and Suna arrived, they had asked for it—not a single one of them was shy in their unified endeavor to become good friends with Ai.
There was just something about the kuudere that drew the students of Inarizaki to her.
When Ai finished writing, ready to dole the pieces of paper to her budding new friends, she could feel something was wrong. Looking up, she finally noticed Osamu and Suna's presence—who had slyly managed to lose their intimidating auras just in time. Returned were their regular deadpanned expressions, paired with lazy stances.
"Oh," she hums. "I didn't realize you were here."
A part of each boy felt a pang of jealousy upon her choice of words.
Choosing to ignore it, Osamu grins at Ai. "Makin' new friends, Kimura?" He drawls, a special glint in his eyes as he flashes the girls one more look before parting them like the red sea, stepping in between them to hover over Ai, sliding his hands in his pant pockets.
Ai only rolls her eyes as she stares up at him—she was far too quick and observant for her own good.
"They're not a part of your ridiculous fan club." She says, batting his hand away when he raises it to tuck a stray lock behind her ear. "This is Hamada, Fujino, and Matsuoka. They talked with me of their own volition and they couldn't care less about any of you."
Her words, or choice of them, made all five teenagers still. The girls suddenly realized why Osamu and Suna felt so uncomfortable to be around, while the boys merely froze upon Ai's bluntness.
They were grateful Ai had the mind to think of their maddening fan club, but it didn't mean the girls weren't capable of a friendly facade with the motive of getting her alone. They were right to worry for her well-being, especially considering how many horror stories they'd heard about the fans more prone to violence.
This was why Suna didn't fully believe Ai's testimony, his sharp gaze drifting through each girl, slowly spending his time scrutinizing and studying everything he could about them. Suna watched their expressions, their body behavior, and the way they'd stare from Ai to Osamu to him. The way he watched them was like a wild cat waiting to take a bite out of an unsuspecting prey, biding his time until they made the wrong move.
In response, Yuki began to shiver, Chiyo looked ready to burst into tears, and Aiko was getting so angry that she was liable, at any given second, to shove a basketball up his and Osamu's—
"That's enough." Ai's voice is demanding, hard, as cold as ice and—protecting?
'How is she so defensive over these girls? She's known us longer!'
"I believe, between the two of you, the point has been made. The two volleyball-obsessed, scary guard dogs of 2-1 won't hesitate when it comes between fangirls and their new manager. Just sit down already, you're making a scene."
It's only after she speaks that the pair finally realize the semi-audience they accumulated, previously unaware of all the attention. They obeyed like diligent dogs, tucking their scary guard dog tails between their legs and regretting their actions in the process. Osamu and Suna were already wary enough of what the fangirls would do to Ai, but they now worried about how the fan club would respond. If word got around to the more passionate members, it wouldn't look good for her.
"Did you hear? That bitch that snagged the manager role already has Osamu and Suna wrapped around her finger! They were practically threatening some girls in her class just for talking to her!"
—
By the time lunch rolled around, Chiyo moved like a bolt of lightning. While she still felt a bit scared of Osamu and Suna, it compared nothing to her enthusiasm when it came to making a new friend.
Especially one like Kimura Ai. She looked cold, cruel, and unapproachable, sure, but the girls nevertheless found themselves internally cooing at her. She didn't express her feelings well, but they (Chiyo especially) could tell how happy Ai was to be included with them. The way she froze when they asked for her phone number was quite telling, and although she masked it well, they all noticed the faint pinkening of the tip of her ears. Not to mention the way Ai smacked Osamu's hand away when he almost revealed it—
Their excitement over getting closer to Ai was why Chiyo was at Ai's desk before anyone saw her stand up, inviting her to eat lunch together before Osamu or Suna could get a word in edgewise. Ai nodded her head in response and was consequently swept away before either boy could even react properly, leaving them in the dust. Ultimately, they found themselves only able to slowly blink at each other, before eying the empty desk in between them. If asked, they might have confessed they were feeling a bit guilty—but only if that put them on the top shelf in Ai's good graces.
They were awfully jealous—not that they were aware of the feeling—over mere girls.
While Suna and Osamu were left wondering what the sickening feeling was, the girls had already led Ai to a lovely little spot in the school's courtyard, where a large tree sat near, kind enough to provide shade on particularly sunny days. When Yuki seemingly whipped a picnic blanket out of nowhere, Ai blinked in surprise, watching when the girls sat down. It only took her a moment to get her thoughts recollected, following suit when she carefully sat close to a corner of the blanket.
"You must eat here pretty often if you had the mind to bring a picnic blanket." Ai comments.
Aiko offers her another one of her cheeky grins—which Ai learned she didn't go long without—and speaks with food in her mouth, "We take turns carrying and washing it!"
"Oi, I keep telling ya to quit talking while yer eating!" Yuki scolds Aiko, chopping the top of her head in the process. "You're truly incorrigible."
Ai spends most of her lunch in content silence, listening and watching as the girls talk about anything and everything, nearly laughing whenever Yuki and Aiko bickered over nothing. It was obvious to her that the girls had known each other for such a long while—and knowing they maintained such closeness in spite of their differences warmed even the most frigid parts of her heart.
"I must say I'm surprised, Kimura-san," Yuki says, closing her bento once she finishes it, and she moves to drink from her hefty water bottle.
"Hm?" Ai vocalizes. She had been so absorbed in listening to the girls that she found herself taken aback, not expecting to be randomly spoken to, but it only lasted for a mere moment.
"The boys haven't had a manager in years." Chiyo supplies, rambling on like usual, but her tone is nothing if not serious. "If they haven't already, the school'll be in an uproar over the news! I mean, a new girl who didn't know a thing about them—or the Miya twins—stole the position when they can't?! So many girls—and boys—have tried everything to get that spot! Don't be surprised if some people are particularly bitchy toward you, in fact—"
"Shit, Chi, slow down!" Aiko nearly cries. "Yer gonna scare 'er!"
"Oh!" Chiyo covers her mouth with two hands, eyes bugging out like saucers when she studies Ai—who in fact, wasn't scared in the slightest. The volleyball team's fanbase had been one of her initial excuses for rejecting the offer, after all. "I'm so sorry, Mura-chan! I didn't mean to—but I thought—"
Ai shakes her head, at Chiyo, wanting to dispel her worries for thinking she scared her. It was pretty adorable, if she were being honest, but Ai wasn't cruel enough to taunt Chiyo for it.
"No, I wasn't scared. I sort of knew about them already. It's why Osamu and Suna took so long to recruit me."
"So—" Yuki begins.
"Long?!" Aiko ends.
"Mm. It started when I hurt my knee, and the captain helped me to the gym so I could rest it. I guess Coach Kurosu was impressed with the way I handled Miya-san—Osamu's brother, I mean—and was the first to ask me."
"I'm sorry, Kita Shinsuke—" Chiyo.
"—The scary captain of the volleyball team—" Aiko.
"—Helped you?!" Yuki.
"Yes? Is that so hard to believe?" Ai tilts her head at the girls while they gaped at her like she'd grown a second head. On better thought, Ai mused that maybe their faces were bewildered enough that perhaps it was a third head instead.
"Okay, okay. So let me get this straight." Yuki breathes, still staring with wide eyes. "Not only did you end up in the same class as Suna Rintaro and Miya Osamu—but you got assigned the seat right between them. The ice king of Inarizaki helped you out when you hurt your knee, going above and beyond to take you to the gym, where they never let anyone inside to watch them practice, and then Coach Kurosu offered you the position?"
"To be fair, Kita-san was the reason I hurt my knee in the first place. We ran into each other, and I tweaked it."
Chiyo squeals upon the revelation, going on and on about how Ai was living the life of a shoujo female lead—but the girls only deadpan at her before Yuki adds to her summarization.
"Alright. The captain hurt your knee but thawed his heart just enough to help you. Fast forward to you rejecting the coach, only to—to what?"
"At that point, Osamu and Suna spent the entire next school day begging me to join."
"And you clearly said no, because that was only the second day of school." Yuki surmises, a shocked smile playing on her lips. "What happened next?"
"Short story short, I joined because a friend irritated me."
"Eh?" All three of the girls manage to say in perfect clone-like unison. They were desperate to know what exactly Ai meant by that vague answer, sure the longer version of the story was a lot more entertaining than she led on.
They were fully prepared to find out, but Ai was saved by the faint ringing of the school bell—signaling everyone to head back to class. Deciding to save that for later, the girls proceeded to clean up, giving Ai heart eyes when she folded and held onto the picnic blanket.
"...What?" She asks, feeling their gazes. "You said you take turns carrying and washing it."
.
.
.
Omake
The second bell rang throughout the high school, signaling to various teachers and students that classes had resumed.
It wasn't a few minutes after that that Watanabe Fusae, a first-year who was barely five foot tall and the personification of a walking stick, stepped from behind a tree.
The same tree that Ai and her new friends were eating lunch near just a few moments ago.
Fusae was such a small, light thing that even the smallest of breezes could have swept her away, likening her to a human-shaped kite, but that was why she was perfect for this particular mission.
Only when she was certain everyone had returned to class did Fusae finally walk inside, with full intention to report her findings before heading to her own classroom. She knocks on the door to classroom 2-3, patiently waiting for a confirmation to enter. Slowly creeping the door open and poking her head through, the teacher sighs upon her familiar face and speaks dejectedly. "Watanabe, this is the fifth time this week. What could you possibly have to tell your—er—senpai?"
"Sorry, sensei." Fusae bows before letting her eyes drift toward the senpai in question. "There's just something I have to speak with Hasegawa-senpai about!"
The teacher sets a hard gaze at Fusae, not believing her for a second, but he eventually relents. The puppy dog eyes and pleading prayer-hand pose Fusae made were too much to bear.
"Go on then." He sighs.
After they exit, planning on speaking in the hallway, Fusae hands the notepad to Hasegawa—who was already waiting for it, snatching the item before it's completely out of Fusae's grip.
She's silent as she reads everything Fusae wrote down. The girl was ordered to compile everything Ai said, and then anything further she'd have found of importance—which happened to be a lot.
"..."
Regular silence is filled with enraged tension and Fusae helplessly watches Hasegawa's face transform. Features distort into anger, with furrowed eyebrows, widened eyes, and a scowl reaching Hasegawa's lips. She's quiet still, a rarity for her, as was the stillness inside her. Fusae was only a first-year student, new to Inarizaki and the fan club, but even she knew trouble was brewing...
...And she was right because the very next second she watched in horror as Hasegawa shredded the notepad entirely, leaving nothing but the leather cover intact. Various pages were crumbled and torn until a paper-made snowfall descends upon the tile flooring of the hallway, and Fusae fights everything in her not to cower in fear.
"So you mean to tell me..." Hasegawa speaks through clenched teeth and crossed arms, her fiery gaze aimed at poor Fusae, a mere messenger, who begins to visibly shake. "That this Kimura Ai was begged to become a manager in the first place?!"
"...Yes?" Fusae squeaks.
Hasegawa goes quiet again, taking deep breaths and making dramatic gestures before her expression returns to normal. With a smile, one so normal and faked it scares Fusae even further, Hasegawa growls, "Well, this just won't do."