Chapter 18:
Rina and her classmates were busy preparing the stage for their play. Despite Rina not being part of the main cast, she wanted the audience to like her set designs. She worked hard on them after all.
"Shoyo, you'll be fine!" She reassured her trembling friend.
Rina pulled the curtain and slowly peeked into the audience. It was starting to fill up with people, including some that she recognized.
"Kunimi-kun?" She whispered to herself, squinting to see if it was really him.
He seemed to notice her from behind the curtain and gave her a quick nod. His Onion Head friend, who she recently learned was named Kindaichi, was with him. Rina jogged towards them breathlessly.
"What are you doing here?" Rina asked, grinning, "Came to see me?"
"Yeah, right." Kunimi answered flatly, "Kindaichi wanted to check out your school festival."
"Is Kageyama here?" Kindaichi mumbled nervously, "I want to wish him good luck before Interhigh."
"I don't know where he is. Why would I know? I don't know!" She cleared her throat nervously.
"Okay..." Kindaichi replied slowly, "Kunimi, I'll be right back. I'm going to the restroom."
He left the two alone as Kunimi sat on the chair sluggishly.
"The guy you like," He murmured calmly, "It's Kageyama?"
"No!" Rina shouted, causing other people to look at her in confusion. She didn't make it that obvious, did she?
"I..." She sighed deeply as she sulked beside him, "Okay, yes, but you can't tell anyone!"
"Who would I tell?" Kunimi stared at her briefly.
"Kindaichi. Or, Shoyo. Or Kageyama himself!" She retorted, crossing her arms, "I know you guys were in junior high together so maybe-"
"I won't tell anyone." He reassured her.
"Thank you, Kunimi-kun. You're a good friend." Rina grinned as she clasped her hands around his, which made Kunimi feel something other than sleepiness.
"You're the only one who knows about Kageyama! Well, besides my sister." She added, taking out her phone suddenly, "Give me your number so we can text!"
"O-okay," Kunimi mumbled, casually inputting his number in her phone.
"I'll text you later." She stood up abruptly, "Save me a seat when the play starts!"
Kunimi nodded slowly as he watched her disappear behind the curtain. He stared at his hands which she held tenderly mere minutes ago. What is happening to him?
30 minutes earlier, Class 3
Mizuki arrived at Kageyama's class to find him serving tea to customers. It seemed like many girls fawned over him, especially because he was wearing a formal suit that made him appear very handsome. As soon as he noticed her by the door, he quickly invited her inside.
"I'm allowed to have a 10-minute break every hour," Kageyama mentioned as she sat down at an unoccupied table.
"That's good." She smiled, "Running a café is hard work."
He nodded slowly as the table filled with awkward silence. Mizuki needed to tell him how she felt now, otherwise, she may never get a chance to.
"Kageyama..." She mumbled, nervously staring in his eyes, "I have to be honest with you."
"Okay..." Kageyama clenched his fists under the table.
He had been anxiously waiting for her response to his confession for a month. He prepared himself for the worst but at times, he wondered if maybe the universe would be on his side for once. He gazed at her and noticed how hesitant she seemed to be.
"I don't have feelings for you, like the way you have feelings for me," Mizuki revealed quietly as she met his eyes.
It must be difficult for him to hear this, she thought to herself.
"Kageyama-kun, I like you as a friend." She continued, "But not any more than that."
"Oh..." He had trouble hiding the disappointment in his voice, "I understand."
Kageyama found it hard to look at her as she rejected him. He expected it but that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less. He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. He cared about Mizuki and even if she didn't like him like that, he was still her friend. He gazed at her concerned expression and tried his best to put on a smile.
"I'm sorry it took me a month to tell you. I thought about it a lot." Mizuki murmured, ashamed that it took her this long to realize how she really felt about him.
"It's okay. I appreciate your honesty." He smiled sadly as he stood up slowly.
"Are you going to be okay?" She asked worriedly.
"I'll be fine," He reassured her, "Besides, I have to focus on Interhigh."
Mizuki stood up and smiled at him softly.
"So, are we friends?" She inquired, hoping that he would still like her even when she rejected him.
"Yes, of course." He responded as a question invasively popped in his mind.
"Toma-san, can I ask you one last thing?" He cleared his throat.
"Yeah, anything." Mizuki nodded furiously.
She felt guilty for not being able to return his feelings so she would do anything to help him feel better.
"It's Tsukishima, isn't it?" Kageyama murmured, his eyes staring at her attentively.
"What do you mean?" She raised an eyebrow, perplexed by his strange question.
"...Never mind." He hastily stated, "Thanks for dropping by."
Kageyama escorted her towards the door and sighed as soon as she left his classroom. He couldn't even describe the turmoil that he was feeling inside. What was he thinking, letting himself fall for her like that?
Kageyama knew deep down that he never stood a chance against Tsukishima.
~
"Kunimi-kun! You saved me a spot!" Rina beamed ecstatically, sitting beside her new friend.
"You asked me to." Kunimi mumbled indifferently.
Before she could say anything else, Kageyama entered the auditorium. Rina spotted him and immediately blushed because he looked very handsome and sophisticated in her eyes. He was wearing a black suit that resembled a rich detective in a certain anime that she recently started watching.
"Don't come over here. Don't come over here. Don't come over here." She repeatedly pleaded, slumping on her chair so that he wouldn't see her.
"Rina," Kageyama stated, causing her to jump slightly.
"Tobio! Hey!" She laughed nervously, "What's up, buddy? Friend!"
"Why are Kunimi and Kindaichi here?" He asked, staring suspiciously at his old classmates.
Kindaichi scratched the back of his head apprehensively, wanting to say something.
"Kindaichi wanted to see your school festival," Kunimi stated nonchalantly.
"Oh." Kageyama relaxed for a second before facing Rina again, "Can I talk to you for a minute outside, Rina?"
"O-oh, well..." She stammered, unable to look at Kageyama.
How annoying, Kunimi thought to himself.
Suddenly, the auditorium lights dimmed meaning the play was about to begin.
"After the play?" Rina mumbled as Kageyama sat down beside her.
"Okay." He answered plainly.
Rina sat restlessly between Kunimi and Kageyama. She looked at Kunimi for help but he seemed to focus on the skit that was happening in front of them. Meanwhile, Kageyama noticed that she seemed to be acting strange which troubled him.
Mizuki and Kei scrambled to the back row as they narrowly made it just in time for their friends' play. Currently, Hinata was on stage as "Dopey the Dwarf" and he was practically shaking from the stage fright. She tried to look for Rina but it was difficult to find her amongst the crowd of people and the dimmed auditorium. She looked up at her Kei who she forced to attend the play.
"Can we talk outside after the play?" Mizuki whispered to Kei.
"About what?" He replied, looking at the stage.
"What happened that night, last month." She mumbled, waiting for his reaction.
Kei tapped his hand repeatedly on his leg, "I can't. I'm helping Yamaguchi with something after."
Mizuki knew that he was lying - he had a million excuses whenever she brought up the topic. She didn't know why he was so stubborn in ignoring what happened between him, her, and Kageyama.
"I told Kageyama how I felt about him." She disclosed quietly.
"...What did you say?" He inquired, turning his head to look at her.
"I'll tell you after the play if you decide to talk to me." She looked up at the stage and tried to focus on the play.
After Class 1's hilarious rendition of Snow White, Mizuki and Kei rested at a nearby tree, just outside the auditorium. They decided to sit underneath a large tree so that they could shade themselves from the bright sun.
"What happened with Kageyama?" He asked as he leaned back comfortably.
"First, tell me why you reacted like that." She faced him, waiting for his explanation.
"Like what?" He pretended to not know what she was talking about by closing his eyes.
"When Kageyama confessed to me, you became very upset and stormed out. Why?" Mizuki confronted him.
"Because I don't like him," Kei responded coolly.
"Is that it?" She pushed, wondering if he was really telling the truth.
"Yes." He nodded, knowing well there may be another reason for his abrupt outburst that night.
Loud cheers erupted from inside the auditorium, signaling another completed performance by a different class. She pursed her lips together and decided to believe him. For now.
"Second, you need to apologize to Kageyama." Mizuki huffed exasperatedly, "You're teammates, and I will not be the reason that you guys are fighting."
"I'm not going to apologize." Kei opened his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance.
"Kei. Please." She grimaced, wanting the two to at least be civil to one another even if they didn't like each other.
He stared at her distressed face and sighed deeply.
"...Fine. I'll apologize. What else?" He muttered miserably.
"Nothing else." She smiled slightly.
"You said you were going to tell me what you felt about him." He stated, impatiently waiting for her response.
"I told Kageyama that I didn't like him like that." Mizuki confessed sheepishly, "We're just friends."
"So you don't want to date him?" Kei confirmed, sitting up to intensely stare at her.
"N-no." She stammered, pushing away his face that had moved closer towards her.
Kei sighed in relief as he leaned back against the tree once more. He didn't know why he felt so at ease, but it didn't matter. Still, he couldn't help but pity Kageyama. Kei acknowledged him as gutsy, which he respected, and maybe even admired.
"What time is it?" He asked abruptly.
"Almost 5. Why?" She responded as she checked her phone.
"Come with me." Kei quickly dusted off the grass on his pants and held out his hand to help her stand up.
"Where are we going?" She reached out for his hand.
"You'll see." He answered simply, tugging her hand gently as a way to implicitly say follow me.
The two jogged inside the school and Mizuki wondered why they were in such a rush. She noticed how tight his grip was on her hand as if he was afraid to let go. He would occasionally look back at her to make sure that she was alright. As soon as they reached the third floor, she saw Sugawara and Sawamura impatiently waiting for them.
"Tsukishima, you're late!" Sugawara called out, his arms crossed.
"What are we doing at Suga-san and Sawamura-san's class?" Mizuki panted.
The two stopped in front of the third-years as they attempted to catch their breath. Sugawara raised an eyebrow suspiciously as he noticed them holding hands.
"Our class set up an astronomy-themed room," The captain of the boys' volleyball club explained, "Anyone can make a reservation, especially coup-"
"Sorry for being late, Suga-san," Kei interrupted, sliding open the classroom door, "Thank you, Sawamura-san."
He grabbed Mizuki's hand as they entered the classroom. The room was dark but as Mizuki's eyes slowly adjusted, she realized that the room was designed as if it were to represent the vast galaxy in space. What she witnessed astonished her. There were projections of shimmering stars and colorful planets surrounding them and the moon shone luminously which reflected on her stunned face. She was speechless.
"You don't like it?" Kei asked worriedly.
"I love it!" Mizuki gasped in awe, scanning the room to make sure she didn't miss anything.
"Is that Saturn?" She pointed to a blue planet.
Kei stared at her in amazement. She didn't know which planets were which, he thought to himself, what an idiot. He tried to hide his smile as he watched her point at more things around the room.
"Saturn's the one with the ring..." He shook his head, smiling to himself.
"I knew that! I was testing you!" Mizuki protested, blushing from embarrassment.
This girl... Kei couldn't help but laugh softly.
Meanwhile, outside the classroom, Sugawara and Sawamura wondered why Kei didn't want Mizuki to know that their astronomy-themed room was reservations only. Maybe it was because it was designed so that couples could star-gaze with their significant other, even if it was only for half an hour.
"You don't think...?" Sugawara pursed his lips in curiosity.
"No way," Sawamura chuckled, "The Tsukishima we know can't possibly have feelings."