"Kuroo? What are you doing here?" Jun says, her speech muffled by a thick scarf around her neck.
It did not take long before the cold, windy rains of the fall time to go away — time passed by quickly as winter came around. Snow drifted slowly down the skies, covering the streets.
It's that time of the year. The club members usually hold a small karaoke party on the day before winter break and hold a Secret Santa— it's the club's tradition. Unfortunately, he happens to receive the person he knew the least: Jun Amemori. There's still a lot of things he's not quite sure about that kid.
Kuroo and Kenma had intended to visit the home goods store, perhaps they have something in the baking section that Jun may like.
Unfortunately, he bumps into someone — and he apologizes curtly before he hears that familiar voice.
Jun stands with her hands inside her pockets, her thick scarf hiding half of her face.
Her style is so... old fashioned. She has a thick, long skirt on with a worn pair of boots. She's also wearing her thick-rimmed glasses, something that she doesn't normally wear to school. She's hardly recognizable from the Jun he knows from school.
He decides to tag along with Jun, keeping a close eye on the things that she looks at. It's quite funny — she would pick up some sort of baking accessory (a star cookie cutter in this instance) and look at it from all angles. She would scrutinize it carefully before placing it back on the shelf with a frown. She finally stopped when she found a rolling pin, made entirely of heavy wood.
And that was all she bought. Judging from Jun's fickle tastes with baking accessories, Kuroo decides against buying one that she would possibly dislike.
Jun and Kuroo leave the store. However, Jun stops and turns around, taking one last look at the storefront.
The front of the display showcased a recipe book with a cover of a picturesque slice of chocolate cake, garnished with a dollop of meringue and confettis of gold foil.
[Look Inside: Show-stopping Chocolate Cake Recipe, from This Year's Patisserie Winner Rei Takanawa!]
Kuroo looks sideways to expect some kind of awed expression in Jun. But instead she looks dissatisfied and confused, her lips drawn to a tight line.
"What's up?"
There was a pause.
"In volleyball," Jun says pensively, "you win if the ball doesn't touch the floor, right?"
Kuroo shrugs. "Essentially, yeah. Why?"
"In baking, you win if your plate has the best flavors. Simple." She keeps her eyes on the glass. "But I guess my baking has to look glamorous like that to be recognized."
Kuroo looks closely at the book through the glass. "Well, who cares? your food tastes good, doesn't matter if it looks good."
"The judges care," Jun says bitterly.
"Well, your baking tastes really good, it should compensate. It's obvious that you've work hard in perfecting the taste. " Kuroo says, recalling the cakes that he buys at the bakery. He doesn't know much about the technicalities, but he knows that the cakes just feel right in his mouth. The texture, the flavors, the icing... it just goes together so perfectly.
He looks at Jun, and... oh? There's a subtle smile in Jun's face — a genuine, content smile. It's small, but Kuroo has never seen her feel this happy before.
There's something about that smile that made Kuroo's pulse unsteadily — but it leaves him as fast as it arrived. He pays no mind to it.
"Your apple pies are especially good. Kenma is a really picky eater, but —" He stops and looks around. He realizes that Kenma is missing. As always.
-*-
It took Kuroo and Jun half an hour before they found Kenma. He was sitting on an indoor bench, playing a game in his phone.
Kuroo lightly scolds him."You could've answered our calls, y'know—"
"This is it folks, the moment you've been waiting for! Annual Christmas couple's contest! Come gather at the front lobby— winner gets a free smartphone!"
A preppy voice echoes on the intercom, cheery and bright.
"Free smartphone?" Jun says incredulously, "that's... excessive for a prize."
Kuroo and Kenma look at Jun, and she stares back in confusion. No — scratch that— she realizes that they're both staring at Jun's hand, which is holding her flip phone. Wordlessly, Kenma gives Kuroo a knowing look.
Kuroo turns back to Jun, there's a determined look in his eyes. "Let's get you a new phone."
"You don't have to," Jun says, frowning. "My phone is old—maybe a little slow...but it's fine."
"Oh but I insist," Kuroo shoves Jun in the direction of the event. "Consider it as an early Christmas present."
"But it's a couple's event," Jun says pointedly.
"You can't pretend to be a couple to get a free phone?" Kuroo crosses his arms. "Kenma would fake his death if he could get a game for 50% off."
Jun looks at Kenma for a comment, but he just shrugs — he's not wrong, Jun supposes.
-*-
The contest was very awkward for Jun's end — but all of it comes to fruition. They had won the contest.
You see, the goal of the game was simple: whoever carries their girlfriend the longest wins the prize. Among the lineup of couples Jun was the most lightweight out of the ladies — it was no problem for Kuroo to lift Jun off the floor.
While every guy there carried their girlfriend in the most gentleman-like, dignified fashion (a princess bride style carry)... Kuroo carried Jun by giving her a piggyback ride. Kenma made sure to snap a photo.
Somewhat embarrassed, Jun hid her face on the back of Kuroo's shoulder the entire time.
Well at least, she has a new phone now. It's an iPhone 8, Kenma points out — Jun's not sure what the differences are in the models. As they walk home, Kenma helps Jun set up her new iPhone. Kuroo seems very content.
"This is the camera function." Kenma says. "You can take pictures of anything, and it'll upload on the Cloud."
Confused, Jun looks questioningly at the sky.
"Not that cloud," Kenma says flatly. Kuroo snickers. Perhaps Jun is a clueless old lady in disguise.
But as Jun stares at the sky, something rushed past Jun and Kenma — a masked man in a bike — and Kenma's pushed to the ground, falling backwards on the snow. The stranger snatched Jun and Kenma's phones.
There's a look of distraught and shock in Kenma's face. Kuroo helps him up, making sure he is alright.
"My phone..." Kenma says gloomily.
When Kuroo turns around to check on Jun, she's gone.
On the other hand, Jun sprints quickly and steadily caught up to the thief. The upward slope slowed him down so that Jun can still see him at the end of the road. However, he pedals quickly, and the distance between them gets larger and larger again.
With a swift move, Jun hurls the wooden rolling pin in his direction, and it hits his skull with a loud thump. He falls to the snow as the bike topples over.
Kuroo and Kenma catches up to the scene. They find an unconscious man on the snow. She returns the phone to Kenma, scratch free.
Kuroo nudges the lifeless body. He whistles, impressed. "you really know how to knock people up, huh?"
Jun smiles. Her grandma had taught her the most useful things in life: how to fight, how to farm, she even introduced her to archery. Jun may not necessarily be good at them, but she always enjoys the doing those things with her grandma. She's a fierce provincial woman —a tough country lady. Her family always visits during the summer.
Upon hearing Jun talk about her, Kuroo imagines an old lady practicing Judo with young, childish Jun. In a way, it's somewhat silly— maybe even endearing.
"She sounds scary..." Kenma comments afterwards.
And so they all walked home in the cold snow, chatting and bantering as the Christmas lights glowered under the setting sun.