[can u come to the game on thursday?
or maybe not.]
[nope.]
[bummer. bokuto was excited.
at least you wont have to see the snake bastard.]
[Daishou was a pain..]
[
who knows what shitty tricks
theyre gonna pull this time.
he's tried
smashing ur face to pieces before]
[wow... even the captain gets unnerved.]
[jun, i have feelings too u know :(...]
[Right, right. it's just that
when i see you on the court
you seem more...
capable and confident, I guess.]
[jsyk,
im screenshotting that >:3 ]
[you're ridiculous.]
[lol]
...
Kuroo is typing...
...
[...i still can't believe
ur mom hates me so much
my personality's pretty likeable, right?]
[...]
[ouch]
[I mean it's not like
the way we met is conventional.
We became friends out of convince.
That's all.]
Jun's thumbs hover over the screen of her phone. She's so deep in thought that she forgot to scoop another spoonful of porridge for her little brother to eat. He looks at her, tilting his head.
"Onee-chan... sad?"
She scoops another spoonful and holds it to his mouth. He eats it, with some of the bits dribbling down his chin. She swipes it with her finger and wipes it on a kitchen towel.
"Onee-chan wants to see her friends."
He tries to repeat her, but he slurs his speech in an attempt. Jun cracks a small smile.
"Friends, like..." Jun pauses for a second. "Like Kuroo."
"Ku...Kuwo?"
"Kuroo." She reaches up to the top of her head and tousles the strands of her hair roughly so that some of it sticks upwards. She brushes a fringe of it down so that it covers a part of her right eye.
With both hands, she points at herself. "Kuroo."
"Kuwo!" Her little brother points at her and giggles. "Kuwo! Kuwo! Kuwo!"
-*-
Thursday arrives, and the nerves are getting to Yaku for the upcoming game. Kuroo senses his unease, especially because Yaku is more irritable than usual.
"Damn it... I didn't bring my umbrella." Yaku closes his eyes and sighs heavily as he enters the bus. Kuroo, the last one to enter, gazes at the sky briefly— patches of dark, heavy clouds loom over. It won't be long before the clouds release the rain.
There is no use to wondering uselessly — they have a game this afternoon and Kuroo needs to be in tip-top shape. Physically and mentally.
As Kuroo stepped into the bus, he clasps his hands together determinedly, grabbing the attention of his teammates. He grins back at them.
"To Sumida Gymnasium!"
"LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOO!!" Taketora booms excitedly. Every team member (save for Kenma) cheered excitedly as the bus engine rumbled. Kuroo takes an searing isle to himself right behind Kenma. As usual, Kenma's focus is fixed on the videogame before him. Sometimes, Kuroo wonders if Kenma even listens to him.
"Still killing that Lynel?"
"Mhm."
Kenma curses under his breath when his character misses a dodge, the enemy's savage sword sweeping at him. It emptied the character's heart gauge in one hit. Game over. What a shame, just when the Lynel's HP is whittled down to the last points.
-*-
The gloomy skies extended to the Amemori residence. Amemori idly spent the afternoon gazing at the ceiling.
Her mind feels numb. She had known the risks of pretending to be boy, the possibility of receiving her mom's scorn. She knew it would sting — but something about the timing of the truth coming out feels punitive. Just when she thought her life is experiencing the most happiness she had felt a long time, it was swiped away from her grasp so quickly.
Jun rolls around and flops weakly on her stomach. She buries her face on the pillow.
"Still sulking?" Mika's voice snapped her from her thoughts.
"Shut up."
Mika's prods further. "heard that the match is starting soon. Shouldn't you be there?"
Jun groans.
"Right, the match that's across the city. I'd be lucky if I make it before the janitors lock it up for the day... Besides. Mom's downstairs guarding the door. I'm practically trapped in here, indefinitely."
"So... that's it? This is the end?" Mika frowns. "You know, from how I see it... this is really important to Kuroo. He might not show it, but it would probably mean a lot if you came."
Jun jolts up from her bed, irritated. "Don't you think I don't know tha— ow!"
From jerking up from the bed, her head hits the overhead bed frame. In a domino effect, the impact caused the overhead bookshelf to nudge a book. It tumbled and fell square on her head.
The book fell open — it was a yearbook from when she was at Shizuoka Junior High. Her mom insisted on purchasing a copy, even though she had skipped that day. The book laid open. In the corner of the page, a small portrait of someone familiar — that someone with rooster-like hair and the wide, boyish grin.
She never really saw him properly back then. On the day he stopped some guy from antagonizing her, the erratic movements from the fight between them made it hard for her to see. All she remembers was Kuroo's face getting smashed against the wet pavement. It's still strange, how they had met before they met.
"You know Jun," Mika says. "Asking for permission is overrated. You're a patient person, and I like that. But that can mean that you also wait, and wait — and nothing's gonna happen."
Mika opens the window to her room, letting the breeze sweep into the room.
"Sometimes you just have to go for it — force your way and make things happen the way you want it to."
Jun looks up at Mika, bewildered at her sister's wise words. She looks down again at the book in her lap. Upon seeing him, the warmth in and naivety his grin, something welled up inside of her. Is it sadness? Fondness? She's not so sure.
Whatever it is, she needs to tell him something — something incredibly important.
Determined, she stands up and looks out at the window, then down at the height below.
"Okay," she breathes shakily. "I have to go."