~ KENMA ~
"Hey, Fire-chan, how old are you?"
I watched painstakingly as Kuroo began with his casual interrogation. For context, I was currently flat on the floor, pinned under the tremendous weight of Fukurodani's ace, glaring at the rooster who had taken over my seat, with my phone in his hand, and my earphones plugged in, talking to my friend.
But there was nothing I could do about it, and Kuroo knew that. I turned pleadingly towards Akaashi, who gave me an apologetic look, as if to say "sorry bro, I can't do anything either". I was pissed off, but then again, I couldn't really blame him. This was Kuroo and Bokuto we were talking about.
"Apple Pie is seventeen, you know?" I heard the rooster say, before smirking at me.
"She knows, you bed-head bastard."
Kuroo ignored me and continued. "So, whereabouts do you live?"
Well, that question was a bit creepy. What was he trying to do? Locate and kidnap her?
"Really?!" The rooster jumped in excitement. "K- Apple Pie, you hear that? She lives in Tokyo too!"
"Well, maybe if you put her on speaker then I might be able to hear." I remarked in annoyance. Wait... "She lives in Tokyo?!"
She never told me that. I mean, I've never actually asked.
Kuroo gave me another creepy smile before asking again. "Fire-chan, what school do you go to?"
I had to admit, despite the unfortunate situation I was in, I was still a bit curious. Usually, when it was just Fire and I, we never really got to this topic. It was just common decency to respect someone's privacy. But, of course, that didn't really matter to the one and only Kuroo Tetsurou.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up in a combination of surprise and delight. I felt my own heartbeat speed up with anticipation. What is it? Hurry up. Don't keep me waiting. With a face of astonishment, he turned towards me and mouthed a single word that almost gave me a heart attack. Nekoma.
My jaw dropped and I mirrored Kuroo's expression as my mind slowly processed the shocking piece of information. She goes to Nekoma...
How did I not realise this? Surely, I would have known if someone as important as Fire went to the same school as me. And she was in my grade, too. So that would mean, I must've made contact with her at some point.
Who could it be? Right now I was beginning to regret being an antisocial little shit. If I had just taken the tiniest amount of time and effort to interact with people, maybe I'd actually have a clue.
Throughout my two years of high school, I had never really paid any attention to girls. I've always found myself more attracted to games, to be honest. I mean, it wasn't like they were the slightest bit interested in me. Even if a girl did go out of her way to speak to me, it was usually to get closer to Kuroo. In their eyes, I was just Kuroo's quiet, little friend.
But then again, there is one girl...
"What is your honest opinion on Apple Pie?"
"WHAT?!"
What is going on? Why is Kuroo doing this? I knew this guy was bold, but I didn't expect him to be so upfront about it.
"Kenma, I didn't know you could make such an expressive face!" Bokuto shrieked in laughter, for some reason, still sitting on top of me.
I gritted my teeth and shot him an icy glare. "Get. Off. Now."
The hooting owl stopped hooting and his face paled as he slowly crept away from me. I heard a painstaking crack as I got to my feet. That bastard pretty much broke my back. But now wasn't the time to wallow in self pity. I could do that later. At this moment, there was still another idiot waiting to be dealt with.
"What do you think you're doing?" I advanced menacingly on the rooster headed boy.
"I'm helping you!" He exclaimed, rather proudly. "I'm just speeding things along."
"I never asked for your help, so keep your nosy ass out of it!" I lunged towards him, reaching for my phone that was still in his grasp. Right now, I couldn't really hurt him, not while he had a hostage. He knew that, too.
"Hey, chill out. You'll thank me for this later." He answered calmly, casually restraining me with one arm, while the other held the device out of my reach. "Or..." He smirked devilishly. "... you can make me your best man when the two of you get married."
"You don't know what you're talking about, you idiot." I scoffed. "Besides, you're thinking too far ahead."
"Oh, don't act like you don't want it to happen. Come on, aren't you the least bit curious?"
"Well, of course, I am! But has it ever occurred to your brilliant rooster mind that I can't actually hear her response with you hogging the phone?"
An awkward silence fell between us as I watched the cogs turn slowly in Kuroo's mind, before finally a lightbulb flickered on. "Oh... right. My bad, sorry." He chuckled sheepishly and unplugged the earphones, turning on speaker.
"Thank you." I replied, rather passive aggressively.
"Uh... Kuro-san..." It was Fire's voice this time.
"Yeah?" Kuroo answered excitedly. I had to admit I felt the same excitement.
"Do you mind clarifying something?" She asked.
"Oh, yeah, of course."
"When you asked for my honest opinion, do you mean how I feel about Apple Pie as a teammate, or as a person in general?"
"I didn't really have anything in mind, to be honest." Kuroo replied. Well, that was a fucking lie. "How about both?"
"Hm, okay. And one last thing. Is Apple Pie with you?"
Wait, what? Why did that matter?
Kuroo's eyes drifted towards me, before quickly looking away. "No, he's not." Well, that was another fucking lie.
"Oh... alright, then..." She let out a small laugh of relief.
This was bad. I mean, maybe not necessarily. But in most cases, it was. You see, the fact that she didn't want me listening could mean only two things. Either she liked me... or she absolutely hated me. I had a dreadful feeling that there was a higher chance for the latter.
"Look, I'm not really sure..." Fire hesitantly began.
I was internally begging for her to hurry up. My anxiety really wasn't helping right now. To be honest, I wasn't sure what exactly I was hoping for.
I want her to like me back.
Wait... what was I thinking? I had never even met her in person. How was I seriously catching feelings? Surely not. Kuroo couldn't be right.
I could feel my heart beating a little too fast for my liking. Damn, feelings are really bad for my health.
That voice in my was sounding more and more like Kuroo. Ugh! Shut up, rooster! And now my two personalities were arguing in my head. Great.
"He's quite amazing actually." A pleasant voice rescued me from the turmoil in my mind.
At the sound of Fire's words, all the other pestering voices went silent. It was as if my whole being had focused in on her and her only. This was rare. It was unlike me. Should I be concerned?
"In game, he's the most reliable teammate. His observing and strategising is on point and regardless of how badly we're losing, he always has a plan to turn things around."
"Yeah, that sounds like him." Kuroo remarked, glancing towards me briefly.
"He's also really encouraging and has a way of lifting me up when I'm in a shit mood. For some reason, I find it easier to talk to him than anyone else."
Really? I felt my face heat up.
"Oh, really?" Kuroo's eyes widened at me. "And why is that?"
I shot him a look that said "just because I choose to ignore you, doesn't mean I can't hold a conversation".
"I'm not quite sure..." She continued slowly. "Well, for starters, he's relatable and funny. There's never a dull moment when I'm gaming with him. We're either laughing and joking around, trash talking the other team, or having deep talks until the morning comes. Those are the nights I love the most."
A tingling warmth spread through my chest as I listened to her words. So she feels the same way...
"There are times when I feel like Apple Pie is the only person who truly understands me. I feel like I can tell him anything, even the craziest of thoughts, and he'd get it immediately. I know this might be hard to believe, but... if he ever left... I don't think it'll ever be the same."
Me too.
I had become so reliant on Fire. Every day, I found myself looking forward to the few fleeting hours we would spend together. Even if it wasn't in person, I treasured every second of it. I didn't want this to end. At that moment, I made a silent promise to her.
I will never leave you. I promise.
"I guess... what I'm trying to say is..." Her words were the only thing that mattered right now. "Apple Pie is very important to me."
A part of me was aching to reveal my identity to the girl on the other end of the call. I wanted to reach out to her, ask for her name and tell her my own. But would she still feel the same way if she knew who I was?
~~~~
"Sorry, my bad." I muttered an apology as I executed another sloppy toss. This was probably my tenth one today.
It was late Saturday afternoon, and we were still doing hitting drills. But my mind wasn't on the task. Ever since last night, all I could think about was the girl whose name I didn't know.
"Kenma, are you alright?" Yaku asked in worry, approaching me from the other side of the net. "You don't seem like yourself today. Are you feeling unwell?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied, dismissing his concern.
"Alright, let's wrap it up, boys. Good work from all of you today." Kuroo told the team, before glancing knowingly towards me. "After we get packed up, let's get pork buns. My treat."
At that, the whole team cheered, before rushing off to gather the balls and take down the nets. Kuroo then made his way to me, with his signature smirk plastered on his face.
"So, how are we feeling?"
"Conflicted." I answered truthfully.
He blinked in surprise at my straightforward answer. "Wait, why? She thinks you're amazing. She even said it herself that you're important to her. Now all you have to do is confess. Surely, you can manage that."
"It's not that simple. For all we know, she could've meant it as a friend."
"No way. No one talks about a friend like that."
"You can't be sure. She didn't specify. And it's not like you'd know anything about that."
"Okay, now is not the time to attack me, alright?" Kuroo huffed in annoyance. "I know I'm just as single and lonely as you are, but please refrain from pointing it out. I'm really sensitive, you know."
"You're weird." I stated bluntly.
"Look, this isn't about me. My point is you should just square up and tell her how you feel. And preferably in person, because I think girls like it that way."
"Easier said than done." I sighed. "Besides, I don't even know who she is."
"Kenma, are you serious?" The black haired boy gawked at me. "You don't have a single clue?"
"Nope, not at all."
"No way. You're smarter than this. Kenma, think. You and I both know there is someone who fits the description."
"I do?"
"Holy shit. You are not joking."
"No, I'm not. Now if you have any idea who she might be, please feel free to share."
"Damn, Kenma, you're truly hopeless." He shook his head in disappointment, before getting to the point. "Alright, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Akari's first name Shiro?"
"Yeah, but I don't see how that has..."
Hold up...
"And 'Shiro' means 'white', doesn't it?" Kuroo prodded. "Now, aside from 'light' or 'brightness', what else does 'Akari' mean?"
"Fire..."
My eyes widened in astonishment as the puzzle pieced itself together. It made sense. Her name, her voice, the way her eyes lit up with interest whenever I brought up the topic of games. It was so clear all along. Yet I had failed to realise it. Why didn't I see it earlier?
"Finally!" Kuroo exclaimed in exasperation. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out."
"Me, too."
~~~~
Keeping his word, Kuroo bought meat buns for the whole team, and now we were all sitting by the sidewalk outside the convenience store, munching away happily.
Even though I didn't really do much during the training session, I was surprisingly hungry. Having quickly finished one, I reached for another. I smiled contentedly as I bit into the bun, tasting the delicious pork filling. Apart from apple pies, these were my favourite snacks.
"Enjoying yourself?" Kuroo asked as he sat down beside me.
I nodded and titled my head to show him a little smile. He had fed me, so I decided to be nice.
"I've also got apple pie in my bento box." He offered, reaching into his bag. From years of experience, he didn't even bother asking before dropping the container in my lap.
"Thanks." I muttered, though it was probably inaudible due to my stuffed cheeks. Wait... why was he being nice? I quickly swallowed the food. "You're up to something."
"Of course, I am. When am I not?"
I sighed. Everything came with a price.
"So, now that you're fed and in a relatively decent mood, you wanna discuss the game plan?" He raised an eyebrow at me inquiringly.
"If it's what I think it is, then no."
"Come on, don't be like that. Besides, I think you have a fair chance. You just gotta talk to her."
"But how?" I genuinely wanted to know. Talking to people in general was already hard for me. Talking to a person I actually liked would be incredibly difficult. But then again, I've been interacting with her perfectly fine. However, that was before I realised who she was.
"That's precisely why we need a plan." Kuroo stated firmly. "So I was thinking along the lines of..."
But before the rooster could begin, he was cut off. "Um, Kenma, my dearest friend, do you have a minute?"
I looked up to see Taketora standing in front of me, with Lev close behind. I stared at him suspiciously for a solid few seconds, figuring that for him address me as his 'dearest friend' he probably wanted a favour.
"So... I was thinking..." Apparently he took my silence as a sign to go ahead. "Well, we were thinking... 'We', as in Lev and I, and Yaku also agreed..."
"Hey! Don't drag me into this, you idiots!" Yaku screeched upon hearing his own name.
"Your point?" I asked indifferently, my gaze flickering back to Tora.
"You know how just about every other school has a female manager?" He sheepishly began. I sighed, immediately knowing where this was going. "And I couldn't help but notice how their performances have improved due to the presence of their managers. So, I'm proposing that we should find one, too." Tora beamed, as he said those last words. Behind him, Lev nodded in agreement.
"And what has that got to do with me?"
"Good point..." The mohawk-haired boy continued with his explanation. "Now, here's where you come in. You see, the perfect candidate for the task of managing our team just happens to be the girl only you've been able to befriend."
"Huh?" I blinked a few times. "You don't mean to say you want me to ask Akari to be our manager, do you?"
"That's precisely what I'm saying!" Tora exclaimed happily.
"And what makes you think she's 'the perfect candidate'?" I asked sceptically. Last time I checked, Akari disliked interacting with humans. I don't blame her, though.
"Well, for starters, she's one of the only few second years who haven't already signed up for an extracurricular activity." He pointed out.
"And she's really pretty!" Lev butted in, grinning like an idiot.
"Kenma, surely you'd do this for us." Tora pleaded, giving me the ghastliest attempt of puppy dog eyes. "We just want you to ask her. If she refuses, then so be it. But please, take one for the team."
I doubted this was 'for the team'. However, he did have a fair point. Having a manager to keep track of our performances would definitely take the burden off my back. I could really use some help in strategising, and another pair of eyes observing would certainly make a tremendous difference, especially if they were Akari's eyes. In game, Fire's accuracy was impeccable.
The real challenge was getting her to agree. From what I knew, she hated social interactions just as much as I did. The only reason I took up volleyball was Kuroo's influence. Akari didn't have a Kuroo. But maybe I could be that person for her.
"Fine."
The two boys gaped at me in amazement, their eyes lighting up with pleasant surprise. "Really?!" They chimed in unison. Tora broke down in tears of happiness, as Lev celebrated by picking the older boy up.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are a god, Kenma!" The crying boy was now on his knees, bowing profusely.
I gave a small, dismissive nod, as if to say 'hurry up and leave before I change my mind'.
"Well, well. What do you know?" Kuroo smirked from beside me. "Here's your chance."
~~~~
First of all, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! This one's way longer than the others because there was so much to cover. I'm honestly really excited because the story's about to get interesting.
Secondly, we're at 5K! That's honestly insane! When I started this I really thought 100 would be the max. Thank you so much for reading, it means a lot.
Lastly, I just wanna share some updates with volleyball. So far this season, my team's only lost one game early on. But since then we've really improved, with new rotations and strategies, so we've been on a winning streak. And the next game we have is the last match up, against an undefeated team. If we beat them, then we'd be in contention for premiership and I really think we've got a good chance.
Anyways, stay safe guys and I'll be updating again soon! Bye!
~ krypto