SHIORI WAS SHORT
on experience in kissing. She had been kissed, once. It was a stolen kiss only a few months back. Her grandparents lived near Zushi beach, which was about 6 hours away from Miyagi. Her parents would take her, stay a week or so, and leave her there for the rest of the summer. It had been that way since she was a child, and she would help out in a snack shack on the beach that her grandparents ran as a small business during the summer. There, she would practice volleyball all summer with passerby. Shiori met many experienced volleyball players who taught her a lot and enjoyed playing with her, but there was one boy out of all of them that got along with her the most.
Oikawa Tooru was a flirt, but he was a charmingly handsome flirt- a dangerous mix. From the moment Shiori saw him, she knew that and avoided him at all costs, but it was too late. She had already caught his eye and he was determined to meet her. Tooru was persistent. Everyday, he went to the snack shack, flirted with her, and bought a pocari and some packaged milk bread. He really wasn't anything special to her, until she played a volleyball game with him and Oikawa gained her respect. Eventually, they began to make small talk and she found out that he also, was staying for the rest of the summer and was from Miyagi, thus leading them to grow closer. He even taught her and practiced volleyball with her every single day. She never fell for him, ever, but Shiori could not deny the fact that he was cute and humorous, making her giggle at every chance he possibly could. So when Oikawa invited the ravenette to a bonfire on the beach along with a few friends as a sendoff, she didn't hesitate to attend. They had spent the night at the beach and—
The girl's recall of events in her brain came to an end as Sugawara gently called out her name, making her now realize that he was no longer so close to her. Disappointment settled in her stomach, emptiness seeping through as well.
"Shiori," Suga repeated, he himself flustered by the simple yet intimate moment the pair had shared. "We should head back."
Shiori looked down at her feet and nodded, letting go of his hand and clearing her throat before walking beside him back to the gym. She herself had no idea why she did this. Perhaps it was because a part of her felt rejected and embarrassed by her own thoughts and wanted to face reality with a different approach. An approach that wanted to make it clear that she was NOT affected by what had almost happened and she did NOT care in the slightest. Even so, she was obvious.
Sugawara smiled softly as he saw her ears tinted a deep red from behind her. It made him feel at ease that she as well, was a bit flushed.
"Wait up, Shiori-chan!"
—
By the end of the practice match, Kageyama, Hinata, and Tanaka had won and many discoveries had been made. It was an interesting match to say the least and it brought many memories back to Shiori.
"Shiori-chan," Sugawara called out, waving his hand over to the girl who walked over in response.
Her senpai smiled, his hands behind his back.
"Close your eyes," Koushi requested, the girl obeying and shutting her eyes. "Don't open them until I say so."
Shiori furrowed her eyebrows but nodded nonetheless, confused about what was happening.
The boy moved so close to her, that she felt his breath on her neck, causing her to freeze in place. Suddenly, a soft fabric draped over her shoulders, and Sugawara stepped away.
"You can open your eyes now, Shiori."
Kawamoto's eyes fluttered open and she immediately looked down to see a black sports jacket around her shoulders. Not just any jacket, but a Karasuno boys volleyball club jacket. She immediately looked up at him and he saw the stars in her eyes as she asked,
"Can I keep it?!"
He chuckled and patted her head before answering,
"Of course you can keep it, it's yours after all."
Before the younger girl could express her gratitude, a voice shouted from outside the gymnasium, footsteps following after.
"It's decided, it's decided!"
The pair turned to face the doors, where Takeda-sensei was crouched, breathing heavily.
"What's decided?"
Her voice rang throughout the gym, dripping in curiosity.
"The practice match," their sensei answered excitedly. "It's against one of the top four teams in the prefecture... Aoba Johsai High School."
Shiori froze, as her heart skipped a beat.
'Aoba Johsai? Isn't that where...'
Sugawara, unaware of her state of being, asked from beside her,
"The one nicknamed Seijoh?"
"Yikes."
"No way."
"A practice match with one of the top four!"
"Aoba Johsai," Kageyama muttered, in deep thought, thinking about a certain someone.
"Oh. So you two are the controversial Hinata-kun and Kageyama-kun," Takeda-sensei approached the pair, later introducing himself as their advisor.
"Sensei," Daichi advanced towards him, Suga and Shiori following along.
"Ah! I've been running around everywhere setting up the practice match, so I haven't had time to drop in here, but I did get to meet Kawamoto-chan the other day," he explained, his eyes darting to the girl who only smiled in response.
"But, Sensei, how did you get a powerhouse like Seijoh to agree?"
"You didn't get on your knees and beg again, did you?"
Shiori giggled, causing Sugawara to turn to her and whisper,
"He's done it before."
The pair laughed a bit and then turned their attention back to their captain and advisor, who had both noticed their small moment.
"No, no. I'm good at getting on my knees and begging, but I didn't do that this time."
The trio sighed in relief, slumping their shoulders until Takeda began to speak again.
"But they had a condition."
"A condition?"
"Kageyama-kun must play setter the entire game and Kawamoto-chan, as our dietitian, has to prepare lunch for them."
Tanaka, not pleased with their advisor's answer, piped up.
"What's that about?! Sounds like they're not interested in Karasuno, they just want to assess Kageyama and eat good food. Are they underestimating us? Are they?"
"Well, that's not quite how it is—"
"Sounds good," Suga cut off, making direct eye contact with the adult. "We don't get chances like this that often."
Now, Tanaka AND Shiori were protesting, and the girl— not even for herself but rather for him. She didn't care much about herself and having to prepare lunch for 17 still-growing teenage boys and their two coaches, no, she cared about how Sugawara wouldn't get to play his beloved game in his beloved position. It wasn't fair.
"You're going to agree to that, Suga-san?!"
Shiori nodded in agreement, pointing her finger at the paper in their Sensei's hands.
"That's right, Sugawara-kun! You're going to agree to that?! You're the official setter of Karasuno!"
The gray-haired boy smiled gently at her for a moment before answering, thus causing it to disappear.
"I... I want to see how effective Hinata and Kageyama's attack will be against a top four team."
Everybody paused, in shock, before their captain spoke up.
"Sensei, may we have the details?"
"Sure. Um... The schedule is rather sudden, but it's set for Tuesday next week. It'll be after classes, so there will only be time for one game. As for you, Kawamoto-chan, you have special permission to go beforehand and prepare lunch at the school. You won't be alone, you'll be working with the kitchen staff there but you will be leading and directing the meals themselves as the dietitian. They want to see how effective you are since it is uncommon for sports clubs to have trained dietitians. We'll rent the bus after school and we'll all meet up at the entrance of the school, so make sure you're not late."
"Yes!"
—
When the practice match was officially over, Sugawara and Kawamoto were on their way to the usual after-practice spot.
"Sugawara-san!"
A voice called out from behind them, causing them to turn. It was Kageyama running up to them. Was he was caught up, he let out a few breaths before beginning to speak.
"I have to play setter by default this time, but from now on I will earn my place!"
"Huh?"
Sugawara's eyes widened, glancing at Shiori who only shrugged in response before looking back at his kouhai.
"Oh, I thought you weren't concerned about me at all. I wasn't expecting that."
He smiled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
Kageyama tilted his head questioningly.
"Why would you say that?"
"Because you're superior to me in athleticism and talent," Koushi reasoned, feeling a bit embarrassed to be saying so in front of the girl next to him.
His answer surprised Kageyama, who only leaned forward in apparent annoyance.
"You can't make up for a lack of experience that easily!"
Tobio's face softened into a type of pout and his shoulders shrugged as he continued,
"And also—"
"Suga!"
"Suga-san! Shiori-chan!"
"Sugawara-san! Shiori-chan!!!!"
Kageyama's expression twisted into one of despair, lines on his face feeling and becoming more evident as he began to speak again after having been cut off.
"— I h-have to earn... the t-t-trust of the other team members..."
Surprise was evident on Suga's face as his eyebrows were raised and his eyes widened, as his shoulders hunched up.
'That junior high match he was in must've really gotten to him,' he thought to himself, still in shock.
"Therefore, I will never give up," the ravenette finished, making direct contact with his kouhai who only grinned and nodded back in response.
"Yeah. I won't give up, either."
Shiori smiled softly at their encounter and nodded in approval,
"Not that I have anything to do with this bit neither will I," she hopped in, causing the boy to chuckle and pat her head.
"Suga-san!! Daichi-san said he'll buy us pork buns!"
"But you know, Kageyama. Aoba Johsai is where most of the athletes from Kitagawa Daiichi move on to, right?"
The boy looked surprised at the girl's words, as he wasn't expected it from his classmate.
"Yeah, you could say that," he responded stiffly.
Sugawara scratched his cheek with his pointer finger, curiously as he added on to the girl's train of thought.
"I'm wondering if you might be uncomfortable win that."
"I might be if they were on the same team, but if they're my opponents i'll fight with all i've got."
"I see, I suppose you would."
Kawamoto frowned deeply, an action Tanaka took notice of right away and looked back to his upperclassmen in worry.
"But are you all right with that, Suga-san? I... well we," the bald-headed boy pointed at the only girl among them, "just can't accept it!"
Suga frowned as well, not wanting to make eye contact with Shiori in that moment.
"Sure, I'm a little frustrated... But," Koushi clamped his hand on the other setter's shoulder, "I also want to show them that Kageyama's completely different from his junior high days."
Shiori's eyes watered. She wanted to hug him and beg him not to give up. This wasn't because of the bubbly feeling she felt when she hung around him or because not being able to play setter is what he deserves (although it is). No, it's because Shiori knew better than anybody else what it was like to sacrifice the beloved sport for the sake of somebody else. She wanted to tell him that if he agreed to such a thing, it could be permanent and not just this time. But the girl could not mutter out the words no matter how much she wanted to. So she didn't. Heart heart still ached every time she thought about it.
So instead, she went over to wear Daichi was, who handed her a paper bag filled with meat buns.
"That's true," Daichi started, handing the other bag to Hinata. "Plus, we'll show them that Kageyama's not the only one they need to worry about. Right, Hinata?"
The whole group turned to face Hinata, who was stuffing his face with meat buns. Shiori giggled before sneaking over to Sugawara, handing him the paper bag, as Tanaka and Kageyama began to scream at the short redhead.
"Why are you eating first?!"
"Are you kidding?!"
Just as Shiori went to take a bite of her meat bun, a voice startled her so much so that she accidentally dropped it on the ground.
"DONT MAKE A RUCKUS IN FRONT OF THE STORE! AND YOU! PICK UP THAT DAMN MEAT BUN!"
The girl, angry about her meat bun shouted back,
"GIMME ANOTHER MEAT BUN AND I WILL YOU DAMN OLD MAN!"
"YOU DAMN BRAT!"
The man entered back into the store and the girl sighed sadly, picking up the mess with some napkins and putting into one of the paper bags that was now empty. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around to face Sugawara, who offered her a bun. Her eyes sparkled and she accepted it.
"Thanks Sugawara-senpai!"
He beamed at her brightly and shook his head.
"Anytime, Shiori-chan."
Kageyama, not reading the atmosphere, approached the pair and asked intently,
"Excuse me. Is there a curry pork bun?"
Sugawara nodded and handed him one, Tobio muttering a small 'thanks' in return.
Shiori's eyes widened and she looked at Yamaguchi and Tsukishima who were walking at a slow pace from a distance.
"Hey!!! You guys come and eat too!!!"
She shouted, pointing at the bag in her senpai's hands.
"Thanks!"
—
When Shiori got home (safely- thanks to Daichi, Sugawara, and Kageyama), her mother rushed to the door to greet her.
"So, how was it?"
The daughter furrowed her eyebrows, shooting a look of confusion towards the woman that gave birth to her.
"Hah?"
The woman rolled her eyes and smacked the teenager on her head.
"Ouchie!"
"The date, baka!"
Shiori sat down on the couch, her mother following after and sitting down next to her as well.
"It wasn't a date, you know that. It was practice and it was okay."
"Do you like him?"
The ravenette sighed and laid her head on her mother's lap.
"I can't like him mom, even though I really want to, I can't," she explained, frowning.
That was the harsh reality of it all. Perhaps Kawamoto Hanae had never been the best or even close to a good sister, not once, but it wouldn't make Shiori feel any better about it if she was the same way. On the contrary, it would have the opposite effect to stoop down to her level.
"There's nothing you can't do, Shiori."
Tears began to well up in the teenage girl's eyes as she angrily shot up.
"Oh yeah? What about volleyball?"
"You can play volleyball, nothing is stopping you."
The girl scoffed and tears were now streaming down her cheeks.
"You guys never cared about how I felt, not once, not ever did you take me into consideration. It was either Hanae's happiness and spotlight or the simple act of letting me play at Nagamushi to grow me into a better volleyball player who you knew loved volleyball and had potential. Sure, I made the choice of quitting but you guys know that before Hanae chose to go to Nagamushi I had wanted to and told you so! So when she chose to go and made ME give up volleyball or else we would be separated and she would be angry with me, you guys were okay with that."
Her mother stood up and shook her head.
"You chose your fate, Shiori. You can't change it now."
The worst part about it all was, Shiori already knew that.
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unedited so sorry for typos n stuff !!!!
if shiori had an instagram it would be something like this:
@kawamotoshiori