"Hey, Kuroo! What's up, man?!" a group of guys approached him for the nth time.
"Yo! How'd summer vacay went for you guys? Pretty hot, I assume," he responded.
"You should've been there when we went to the pool. It was a blast!"
"Well, I went to the beach, actually," he told them. "Found a unique ama-san" he flashed me his cheshire grin when he mentioned the nickname.
"Oohhh~~~" I got embarrassed at their reaction.
"Anyway, gotta go. Don't wanna be late for classes," the jet black haired decided to cut it short and that's what happened.
The two of us, then, continued our walk around the university grounds.
"So... Don't wanna be late for classes, huh? You do realize that our next class is still two hours away, right?" I teased him for his excuse.
He smirked in response. "Saying that is the quickest way to continue our little university tour, l/n-san. It's exclusively just for you, afterall."
"Woah, I feel so honored! You're way too kind, Kuroo-san," I grinned at him.
"I'm always this kind," he grinned back and I chuckled in response.
"Guess that kindness of yours made you popular."
"Popular?" one of his eyebrows quirked up in question before laughing. "I don't know anything 'bout being popular. I don't know anything 'bout that at all, l/n-san," now he was just being smug.
"Oh, you don't have to be so modest, Kuroo-san," I told him. "I've already lost count on how many times we have stopped walking with all the people coming by and chatting with you."
He let out a small laugh. "I told ya, I know every single one in this uni," he stated it as a matter of fact with that signature grin of his, telling me that what he told me before was indeed true.
With that, we went around the campus. He told me which building was which, as well as their offices, facilities and rooms. He even warned me which professors were terror. Like a gossipy student he was at that point.
"You know, Kuroo-san, you could've been a journalist with all these scoops right in your hands," I teased him as we sat down on a bench to take a break.
"Nah, it's really not my thing," he told me. "I'm not the type to dwell in them too much. Just for fun, though."
"Then, what type are you?"
He then flashed his signature grin at me. "I'm the type of man who can be whatever you want me to be, l/n-san."
I was caught off guard with the way he responded. That was certain. But then I told him, "Such a smooth talker you are, Kuroo-san."
"Oh, you think so?" he asked.
I nodded and grinned. "I bet you made a lot of girls slip and fall with your words."
"You say that, but I can't make a certain ama-san slip no matter how much I polished my words," he retorted as he grinned back.
"Instead of slipping, maybe she's gliding with them," I said.
"Maybe," he agreed. "You know, l/n-san, she can keep gliding on and on, and if she'll slip, she can rest assure that I'll be there to catch her fall."
And once again, I have found myself caught off guard with his response. Especially with the way Kuroo-san was looking at me so intently. That being said, I couldn't help but feel amused at our conversation and it made me giggle.
"Okay, I take back what I've said. You are not a smooth talker, Kuroo-san," I told him.
"What do you mean I'm not?" he challenged my judgment.
"You're a smooth criminal," I was grinning at how cringey it seemed.
It was then that the man laughed the derpiest laugh that I've ever encountered.
"I humbly thank you for the compliment," he stood up and playfully bowed like an actor at the end of his performance.
"You are very much welcome," I replied as I copied his stance before the both of us laughed at what we were doing.
Before we even knew it, hours have passed and my first day as a transferee has finally come to an end.
"L/n-san, I'm heading out first. I still have club to attend to," Kuroo-san told me.
"Club?" I wondered. "Like host clubs or dance clubs or something like that?"
He then laughed. "Sports club, l/n-san," he said. "I'm part of the volleyball team, actually. Both Bokuto and I."
My mouth opened wide before saying, "Really?!" I was amazed at what I've just learned but at the same time I could now see why the two of them looked fit.
"Now that I about it, wanna come and watch us practice?" he invited me.
"You mean, I---------- C-Can I really watch you guys?" I asked since I didn't know if I could actually do that.
"Of course, you can," he responded with a smile. "Unless you want to disturb practice by wrecking havoc, then you can't watch."
I chuckled. "Then I guess I'll take your offer."
With that, I watched the team practice. They were doing some sort of a drill. The members on one side of the court were focused on attacking while on the other side, they were focused only on receiving. Bokuto-san was on the offense and whenever he'd be the one attacking, he'd be jumping high up and spike the ball with a thunderous thud. Meanwhile, Kuroo-san was on defense and I couldn't help but notice how he'd make digging up the hard hitted balls look easy.
"Awesome..." I found myself say.
"Which one? The great horned owl or the black cat?" I suddenly heard someone asking as he stood right beside me.
It took me by surprise, so all that I was able to respond to him was, "Ha?"
"I noticed how you were watching both Bokuto-chan and Kuroo-chan," he told me and it made me wonder.
"Was it really that obvious?"
"I can't help it... They're the only ones I know around here..." I responded to the guy.
"Then, let's change that! Let's get to know each other," he told me, flashing a grin. "Forget about them and just focus on me. Afterall, those two are nothing compared to how amazing I am," the guy was confident with himself.
"Ah... Well... I'm sorry, but you are?" I ended up asking for his name as I noticed that his dark brown hair were swept outwards and he had eyes of corresponding color.
"Oikawa Tooru," he introduced himself.
"L/n F/n... It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you, too!" Oikawa-san replied with a smile. "Too bad, I can't stand on the court right now to show off my skills to you."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I'm actually the team's setter," he told me.
"Really?!" I was surprised. "So you're a volleyball player, too, just like Kuroo-san and Bokuto-san."
"Aw, I told you to forget about those two yet you just had to mention them. You hurt me, L/n-chan," he whined.
"I-I what?!"
"Oi, you better not be hitting on my ama-san!" the both of us suddenly heard. That's when we realized the team stopped doing drills and was taking a break.
"Hey, wait a sec. 'My?'"
"Now, now, Kuroo-chan. Are you her boyfriend?" the brunette responded with a smile as the jet black haired walked towards us.
Before Kuroo-san could even reply, he was interrupted by Bokuto-san.
"L/n! L/nnn!!!!! You know Oikawa?!" he asked.
"Well... We just met," I answered and the brunette let out a chuckle.
"Oh. There you are, Oikawa! We've been looking everywhere for you. Let's go," a guy told him as he arrived.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll join you guys in a sec," the setter responded. "Well then, I better get going. Let's chat again some other time, L/n-chan," he bid farewell and I just nodded.
As we watched him leave, I asked, "Ah... If Oikawa-san is the setter, then why isn't he practicing with you guys?"
"Why? Because today's his time off!" Bokuto-san answered.
"He may be flirty and childish but Oikawa takes volleyball very seriously. He works hard. Sometimes, too hard. To prevent himself from overworking, he takes a time off every Monday," Kuroo-san explained.
"Oh... I see... That just means that he loves the sport so much. That's quite admirable, if you ask me," I said to them with a smile.
Not long after that, their practice resumed. This time, they played volleyball against each other. It was more exciting than the earlier drill. It made me want to stay and watch them until they finish.
As I was doing that, I noticed other members of the team having great plays. I also noticed how Bokuto-san's spike looked like it damaged the court when the ball hit the floor. Yeah, I noticed them, but somehow my attention kept on going back to Kuroo-san. It was like I was looking at the big picture and a mere second later I was looking at one specific part even without realizing it.
My e/c eyes followed him, watching him take position, dig, block, attack. The way he moved around the court and played was smooth and flexible, and the intensity of his eyes was intimidating to his opponents.
"Kuroo-san is----------"
Suddenly, I noticed my phone vibrating on my pocket. Someone was calling me.
"Hello?" I answered the call as I stepped out of the gym.
My eyes widened upon hearing the voice of the person calling me. I wasn't expecting him to call me in this hour.
"I'm doing fine," my voice came out flat.
"Well... I was doing fine..."
"Don't worry. I'm not causing any trouble here."
"I'm not that much of a troublemaker..."
"Yeah, I'm not gonna be lazing around."
"Argh, those words that tasted so bitter..."
"Okay. Bye," I responded one last time before hanging up.
I found myself just standing there. My teeth gritted and the hand which held my phone was tightly clenched around it.
"Tch..." I clicked my tongue.
"That phone call didn't even last a minute but it really---------- God, I easily got ticked off. My period must be getting near."
I tried to calm myself down by taking deep breaths. I kept doing it for quite some time. It took longer than I expected but at least it worked.
"Yosh!" I psyched myself up before heading back to the gym.
Just as I was about to step inside, someone was about go out. Luckily, even though were both startled, we were able to stop and avoid colliding with each other.
"K-Kuroo-san..." I couldn't believe that I nearly bumped into him.
"O-Oh..." I actually heard him stutter. "L/n-san, I thought you went home already."
"I went out to answer a phone call," I told him. "Besides, going home without saying goodbye is rude. I mean, I admit that there are times when I may be rude, but I'm not that kind of rude," I added with a grin.
"Oya? Is that really true?" he grinned back.
"You have my word," I responded.
"Alright then," he replied. "Anyway, we just finished practice and now we're cleaning up."
"You guys are already done with practice? But I still wanna watch you guys play," I told him.
Kuroo-san let out a chuckle. "Don't worry. You can still come and watch us next time."
"Really? That's great!" I exclaimed with a smile.
He smiled back. "Nee, L/n-san... Since you're still here, how 'bout you wait for a bit longer and head out together?"
I hummed at his offer. "Nah," I refused. "If we head out together, you might later on insist on walking me home and then you'll know where I live."
He flashed me his signature grin and responded, "You read me like an open book, huh?"
I grinned back. "As you've said, Kuroo-san, I'm the mysterious transfer student. I'm just trying to keep it that way."
"And you're doing a good job at it," he told me as his grin grew wider.
I didn't know why but it made me chuckle. "Anyway, I'm going home now. I'll see you tomorrow at class."
"Yeah. See you there," he replied.
As I took my leave, I suddenly remembered that I forgot to tell him something. It made me stop on my tracks and turn back.
"Kuroo-san!" I called back for his attention and he saw me. "Thank you very much," I told him as I bowed.
"No need to thank me, L/n-san," I heard him respond.
I stood back up and saw him smiling at me. Because of this, I couldn't help but tell him one more thing.
"You're really amazing!" I gave him one last smile before finally heading home with my heart beating faster as I let those words slip out of my mouth.