chapter thirty-seven!
GAUCHE
"Congratulations!"
AS THE DIRT CHEAP confetti erupts from its lousy packaging and creates a mess for many to clean after, it's followed by a series of applauses as to congratulate the umpteenth winner of the many games held inside the classroom. And while the students hand out the prize— Teriyaki burger coupons from a nearby fast-food chain at that! Mina on the other hand, raises her head from the depths of the flour bowl, a lone marshmallow situated in between the crack of her lips. With the white powder smeared all over her face, the brunette poorly resembled a Geisha's pale face.
Now, Mina didn't exactly mind digging through flour with her face like a hound dog tracking an animal, but the fact that she lost consecutively to folks was more than enough for some slight frustration to be expressed. She swallows the snack, wiping away the excess powder from her face and turns to congratulate the customer as well. Albeit a bit peeved from her losses, a smile forms on her lips until the customer heads out of the class doors.
"Wow, zero wins and fourteen losses," Arima hums when he skims through his clipboard. "Don't you think you're being a bit too nice on the customers?"
Mina wasn't being nice, not at all. She tries to focus at the task given but there were factors that caused some inner disturbance; like the fact that in about two hours, she was supposed to perform for a mass of people— the whole entire school alongside visitors, she should say! That gnawing idea in the back of her mind constantly throws off her focus and she ends up palpitating at the thought of it.
"Not being nice," A strained smile forms on her lips, taking another piece of tissue from its container before wiping away the smeared flour on her face. "Just... really bad at game."
A poor excuse at that but she believed the white lie momentarily relieved her from the weigh of the stress. She didn't have the courage to tell their class representative what troubles lie in her heart, let alone anyone else for that matter. It might be too childish, she thinks, to tell them the idea of wanting to run away— irresponsible too, surely.
"Eek!"
"Is that blood on his shirt?!"
"I saw him inside the horror house!"
What seems to be hushed chitchats grew to become full-blown conversations within an instant. Customers inside the classroom sent wary glances to the male standing outside the room, faint traces of fake blood smeared on his face and more prominent on his white shirt— it was none other than Kageyama, with the usual frown on his visage and hands delved deep into his pocket. As much as anyone could say that he was confident and intimidating, the boy was simply nervous to be in public eye, albeit looking like he had just ended someone's life only mere minutes ago.
While the girl might've been mulling over her thoughts, that didn't mean to say she lacked spatial awareness. When her unfocused gaze to the ground sees Arima's hand point to somewhere, Mina blinks and turns to see as well. And thank the Heavens she did, because the sight of him was more than enough to soothe her troubled heart. He was the best thing she had seen all day— truly he was.
Kageyama.
Kageyama Tobio.
"Please give me a break." Mina suddenly blurts out, her stare still focused on the raven haired male.
"Huh? I mean, yeah, you were supposed to have your break fifteen minutes ago but I don't know why you kept postponing itㅡ" The class representative lectures the girl until she tells him thanks and heads for the door immediately.
"—until now. Alright, I guess that's that," Arima grumbles and turns to his classmates who were still chattering with each other over the sight of the bloodied male. "Back to your stations, everyone! We're running a game room here, not a gossip club!"
SHE WAS TREMBLING.
Compared to the many times that she smiles so brightly that it outshines the sun, there wasn't any trace of that in this moment. In fact, this Mina was something Kageyama wasn't used to and it scared him to an extent. With his brash ways and rough visage, he barely offered any consolation to other folks— but this was his girlfriend, for pete's sake! Mina wasn't those other folks he refers to; she was his significant other. He wants to say something, to do something to alleviate her blank expression but she was better at this than he was.
Instead of saying anything, he removes her arm that was tangled around his. The girl momentarily halts and blinks, turning to glance at him when she feels his large hand intertwining with hers.
Mina's eyes widens at the tight clasp of her hand, eyes falling down to it before turning back to the raven haired male. He was blushing, the tips of his ears a deep shade of red but a frown was still evident in his features— a flustered frown at that, she identifies. Kageyama chose not to say anything and she was fine with that. Just the way he held her hand was enough of a story that told her how much he cared.
A soft smile blooms from her lips and she pulls out a handkerchief from her pocket. Mina turns to him and wipes away the lingering smears of fake blood, but not without Kageyama's usual outbreak of jolts whenever she does something out of his expectations— when did she ever do something that didn't surprise him, anyway? The brunette always had something up her sleeve, stuff beyond his mind's comprehension.
"Tobio-kun will not say anything?" She questions with faint chuckles escaping her lips. When he cocks a brow upwards out of confusion, she carries on. "You know, you always go, Oi! and then jump like rabbit."
"I-I don't jump like a rabbit," He frowns while his ears heat up, but after his denial, he ends up going silent again. Kageyama just stands there while she helps herself away with the mess on his face.
Cultural festivals had such a fervent atmosphere that it was hard to be away from the hustle and bustle of it all. Even if the two stood behind the school gymnasium, right by the vending machine with a lone bench beside it, there was still excitement that could be heard in a distance. But for them, that fervid commotion was just a white noise in the background. Mina was too focused on relieving herself from her thoughts and Kageyama was too occupied thinking of what could be inside that head of hers.
"You look upset," He finally gains the courage to utter it out.
Kageyama's statement alone was enough to catch her attention. Mina's hand hovers above his cheek and matches her gaze with his, a little taken aback by his words.
"Me?" Her brows furrow. "Why Tobio-kun say that?"
"Cause' you are," The raven haired male responds like it was the most self-evident thing in the world. "It's a different kind of upset. Not the one where you get mad at me 'cause I did stupid stuff, but it's just... something else."
A small bit of laughter escapes from her lips, one that she couldn't help but allow when he says it. Mina wasn't making light of his words— oh, no, absolutely not. But there was this sense of surprise, followed by a tinge of relief and maybe even just her wanting to tear up a bit. It was the fact that she was experiencing a mixture of emotions all at once that she couldn't help but allow the only response her body could make to come out. Mina has always been there for him to lean on and the idea for him to do the same was just— a bliss. Just this eye-glossing thing that makes her want to be spoiled for once in her life with lots and lots of affection.
Without another word, the corners of the brunette's lips tilts downwards and she approaches him with arms wide open. It was more than evident how surprised the latter was, eyes wide as saucers once the girl just wraps herself around him like he was a huge teddy bear. He didn't know what to do! Clearly so when he lets his arms just hover around her like he was banned from doing anything else. But once he starts hearing her soft sniffles [ panic ensues inside of him! ] that's when his movement has gone from rigid to extremely rigid.
"I-uh," He stumbles with his words, unsure of what to say or what to do.
Women in his family weren't prone to crying [ well, except for his mother who had a softer heart than most, though nobody took her tears too seriously as she's naturally emotional ], especially his sister who didn't shed a tear during their grandfather's funeral; not that he knew of, anyways. His older sister growing up was someone who started to resemble their father more and more as time flows, a tad bit stoic but it wasn't enough to label them heartless or anything. But with a family like his and no other girls in his life to be the exemplars to teach him how to deal with a girl's tears, it just ends up being like this situation at the moment. The uncertainty of where he should tread and what words he should use has never been more complicated than now.
"Y-You're... crying," He says, unsure and a nervous wreck.
"Sorry, I justㅡ" Mina steps away from him, eyes glossy and her nose slowly resembling Rudolph's. The sight of it stabbed his consciousness and his role in her life. "Ugh, I'm trying to hold it in but I'm so nervous. I've never sang in front of the whole school, you know? I've sang for my family members but... never for the public!"
Kageyama doesn't understand a single thing that flows from her lips but all he knows is that she is stressed. Evidently so that there wasn't any need for translations to her words.
"I wasn't nervous last night, you know. I mean, I may have done a few prayers here and there but I thought I was going to be fine the next dayㅡ"
There were a lot of things that went through his mind. Many ideas of what to say or what actions to take just so that Mina could ease up. But those ideas were like fleeting time, coming and going so hastily that he didn't have the time to process every single one of them. But that one scene, the one melodrama show that his mother watches, remained stagnant and it reminds him of such cliches found in televisions that he doesn't know if it does exist in reality.
Kageyama initially refuses at the idea of it, but the more Mina speaks with frayed nerves and glossy eyes, words his brain couldn't bear to understand, it strikes him that anything was better than seeing the girl in this state. For the many times she has comforted him and saw him in his worst moments, it was only natural for Kageyama to reciprocate the care and affection she has poured towards him this whole time. He understands that romantic relationships are ran with two people, and for it to be one-sided can only create an imbalance in the equilibrium.
"Now, I don't even know what to do. I-I mean, what if I mess up or something and the whole school sees that? O-Or if nobody joins our club cause' I'm terribleㅡ"
In one swift movement, the raven haired male leans towards the girl and presses his lips on her forehead, so clumsily and nervously. Like a shy and gauche teenager, Kageyama was full of uncertainty and concern for his actions but he chooses to put those thoughts aside for the span of the moment, closing his eyes so tightly that he might've permanently wrinkled his features.
For such an intimate gesture, the male who delivered it himself burned brighter than the stars. This was his first— she was his first. A volleyball nerd who has only had his eyes set so keenly on the sport, was now a puddle of mess for a girl. Never would he have thought, not even in his wildest dream, would he ever have the strength to do something like this out of the blue. Well, maybe he did have those thoughts but to actually do it!
Who would have ever thought that Kageyama, the short-tempered and perpetually sullen setter of the team, would initiate such an affectionate act. If only his teammates were here to see this, they would've never believed it otherwise.
It felt like an eternity, those seconds. Kageyama slowly pulls away with a hesitant and embarrassed frown, and it takes him a good five seconds to muster the courage to actually take a glimpse at the girl. Mina was still, not rigid or anything but she was merely still. Her eyes glossy, nose still red from the sniffling, but aside from it, the girl's face was absolutely flaring. Crimson and filled with heat.
Mina had the tendency to tease the male, far too often that it was always him who blushed profusely in this relationship. But once he sees how flushed she was, lips parting to try and voice out her surprise, there was this sense of accomplishment that suddenly overrides the whole insecurity and embarrassment that plagued his mind mere moments ago. Just the sight of a surprised Mina blushing so much— it felt like he had won!
"Y-Youㅡ" Mina weakly points at him accusingly before she lightly touches her forehead. "Right here, you— yah! Why would you do that out of the blue?!"
The accomplished expression on his face falters the very moment he senses the distress in her voice and the way her lips tilt downwards in an endearing manner.
"S-Sorry, I just thoughtㅡ" Kageyama pauses, scratching the nape of his neck. His eyes gazes to the ground before it flits back to her for a short second. "... You don't like it?"
"... I do," Mina responds. It causes him to finally fix his gaze on her. "Very much. I like it a lot."
Before his confusion could arise, Mina was already in a fit of laughter. What started out as small chuckles bubbling in her throat suddenly became a full blown vocalized laughter— she was surprised, amused, and definitely feeling a bit ticklish especially inside her stomach. The actions he made, albeit it was out of his character, was so surprising and unexpected that it shoves the worries in her mind away so easily that it was like taking a candy from a child. All the brooding, the anxiousness and the concern washes away from the girl's skin almost instantaneously.
A smile so full of mirth— Mina was back to her old self. Kageyama, who initially worried he might've done the wrong thing, could only blink as his face relaxes and a ghost of a smile grows on his lips. When she's happy, needless to say he is too. He wouldn't say it out loud but despite the embarrassment he felt for his actions earlier, he wouldn't mind doing it again.
"Ah, I think I've fallen for you again," Mina's laughter dies down into bits of chuckles, wiping away the tears from the corner of her eyes. "Tobio-kun, you are the best person in the world, you know?"
This time, rather than a fuss arising from him, Kageyama merely stares at the girl for a few moments. He was deep in his thoughts until he broke out from it, only then did he choose to react.
"Stupid," His insult was weak and had no bite. "You look better like this."
"Like what?"
"You know," Kageyama frowns a little. "With a smile and all."
"Tobio-kun did it to cheer me up?" Mina feigns ignorance with a smile blossoming on her lips. "Ah, you think I am cute with smile?"
With the teases that effortlessly comes out of her mouth, Kageyama was slowly starting to revert back to his sensitive and jumpy side when it comes to her. A frown starts to form on his visage while red dust flecks his ears and cheeks, shoving his hand into his pockets before turning away. He wasn't about let himself become a captive of her teasing once again— not this time.
"I'm leaving," He grumbles and starts to walk away from her.
"Oh, we should eat Takoyaki!" Mina catches up to him in no time and wraps her arm around his. "Ah, maybe game room from my class? Teriyaki burger is yummy, you know!"
Despite the typical conversation the two share, the tension was no longer there. Mina's nerves were no longer in a fray nor was she brooding over a possible failure later on. Kageyama might've looked like he hadn't done much to soothe her wrecked composure but he cares— truly. He was someone who didn't know how to express his feelings in words but a simple peck to her forehead had done so much more for her than any consolation anyone could ever give. It was subtle, albeit clumsy, but it was filled with his feelings.
"Maybe Yakitori? Oh, but I like Ikayaki too!"
And that was more than enough for Mina; because he was there for her just as much as she was for him.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
first off—
i'm sorry for being gone for like
a WHOLE month. i thought when
classes were over, i would have
free time and i would just be
publishing one chapter after another but
that wasn't the case lmaoo
i was stuck for the longest time
and i wasnt even sure why.
I've rewritten this chapter about eight times
and it took me two weeks at most,
and i'm not even remotely satisfied
with it. i'm not sure why but it's hard
to write chapters these days? i've
been trying to get back into the groove by
watching some kdramas, iu or haikyuu
but i'm still out of it lol
+
anywho, unnecessary stuff aside,
next chapter will definitely be the
singing stuff so hopefully it's better
than this one. thanks again for your guys'
patience and see y'all on the next chapter!