Machi spent ten minutes leaning against the gym waiting for Tadashi, and the entire time her mind kept wandering back to that gray-haired boy. Why had he been so insistent after the whole incident? It's not like this was the first time she'd been hit in the face by a volleyball; she used to get beaned at least a few times when helping her cousin and his friend practice. And they had never done more than apologize and forget about it, Tsukki never even apologized period. So why was this complete stranger acting like he had made the most egregious error with his misplaced spike? Machi furrowed her brow as she tried to figure out the motive behind his behavior; there had to be one, no one was that polite. But as the minutes ticked by without an answer she let out an annoyed sigh and gave up. Maybe he really was that nice. How annoying. Closing her eyes, Machi pictured the scene again, the way he had stared at her with his dove-gray eyes so full of genuity, the soft smile that so effortlessly adorned his face even when she rebuffed him with her harsh words. The warm hand that had rested on her shoulder had been so gentle even if it had just been a moment. How could anyone be so kind to someone they just met? Machi was never even that friendly to Nakagawa, and they'd known each other for years.
The more she thought about the boy and his overly gregarious nature, something similar to anxiety began to form in the pit of her stomach. Unfamiliar and unexpected it fluttered in her stomach like a fragile butterfly, but before she could put a name to it someone was calling out to her.
"Hey, Machi, there you are!"
Glancing over her shoulder Machi spotted the one person she had been hoping to see and she quickly pushed away her conflicted thoughts to greet him in a somewhat normal manner. "Finally Tadashi, what took you so long?" She tried to give him a stern glare for making her wait, but the excitement that shone on his freckled face was too much and she cracked a smile.
"I'm sorry! I was talking with some of the others on the team and they invited Tsukki and I to grab something to eat. I know you don't know them yet, but the upperclassman are really cool and I bet if I asked they'd be ok with you joining too!" Before she had the chance to respond that she had already turned down one such invitation tonight, her cousin had grabbed her hand and was dragging her around the corner to where most of the Karasuno volleyball team stood waiting. The conversation abruptly ended as Tadashi, grinning from ear to ear, gently nudged his cousin forward a bit and said, "This is my cousin I was telling you about, Machi Harada! She and I normally walk home together, so would it be alright if she joined us at Sakanosita Market?" Tadashi clearly was too excited to notice the looks of terror on most of his teammate's faces at finding out the 'super cool' cousin he had been talking nonstop about turned out to be that scary fighter girl from 2-B. When no one responded at first Machi could see his smile deflate slightly and she was about to make up an excuse to go home early when a now familiar voice broke the silence.
"Glad to see you changed your mind Harada-San, you're more than welcome to come!" Sugawara spoke with the same welcoming tone as before as he gave Machi an encouraging smile that made that anxiety-like feeling sprout in her stomach again. Instead of responding she gave a small nod, which seemed to be response enough for the vice-captain. "Great, let's go before all the meat buns are taken!" Grabbing the back of Ennoshita's jacket to keep him from sprinting away in terror and using his other hand to push Tanaka forward, Suga led the group of volleyball players down the road to Sakanoshita Market.
As they walked Machi filled Tadashi and Tsukki in on why she already knew some of their team. When she got to the part about Suga spiking a ball at her face Tadashi laughed so loud it made a few of his teammates glance back at them in worry. They were sure Tadashi was about to be murdered for openly laughing at the frightening second year, but when all she did was shove his shoulder hard and laugh with him they were more than a little surprised. Suga had glanced back at just the right moment to see a dazzling smile on Machi's face as she laughed and he couldn't hold back his own smile from forming. The Machi Harada he had met earlier today was not the same one that was walking behind him now. This Machi seemed more open than her counterpart, and much less intimidating. So she's not as cold as she makes herself out to be. He thought happily, busying himself with thinking of ways he could make her smile like that again.
When they arrived at Sakanoshita Market, Daichi and Suga both went inside to buy the food while Machi and the team waited under the lampposts that had just begun to switch on. Rather than engaging in conversation with Tadashi and Tsukki like she would normally do, she stood off to the side and busied herself counting the stars as they began to appear in the darkening sky. She wasn't stupid. She knew what people said about her; those two idiots from her class were bound to have gossiped to the team already. And while she wasn't surprised, she didn't want her own reputation to ruin any friendships Tadashi could make with them. It was only his first day of high school after all, a sweetheart like him shouldn't have to be burdened with the same alienating reputation as her.
The first stars of Orion were just starting to appear when Machi felt a presence walk up next to her. Turning her gaze from the heavens she saw Sugawara patiently waiting with a bag of treats in his hand. "See anything worthwhile?" He asked curiously, handing her the entire bag of food.
Shrugging she replied blandly, "It's still too early for the planets to appear, and there's too much light pollution to see anything properly anyway." Wrinkling her brow, she opened the bag Suga had handed her to see not only one of the pork buns Daichi had bought, but a small wrapped bag of green tea mochi as well. She glanced up at him, cocking an eyebrow in question, "What's with the mochi?"
Suga gave a nervous chuckle, scratching the back is his neck, "I saw it while Daichi was paying for everything and thought it might be a nice apology gift so I got it. I am really sorry for hurting you."
"You don't give up do you?" She deadpanned. His sincerity was going to be the death of her.
"Nope." Another one of his endless smiles playing across his lips.
Against her better judgment, Machi laughed. A high, clear sound that sent a shiver down Suga's spine. There it was again, a look past that hardened exterior she kept up around everyone else. He was starting to wonder if he could break through those defenses after all. Digging into the bag now, she pulled out the pork bun and handed it to Suga, who gratefully accepted, and grabbed a mochi for herself. There was no way for him to know green tea mochi was her favorite, and she wasn't about to tell him. But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy it anyway.
Savoring the subtle, earthy flavor, Machi finished one and immediately grabbed another. As she ate, she decided to put his mind at ease. "You didn't have to worry so much you know. I know I was pretty pissed at the time but it's not a big deal. Trust me, a volleyball to the face doesn't hurt that much." She pointed a finger to her jawline and the still healing bruise, "I've had much worse."
Suga had been enjoying his pork bun and was happily watching her devour the mochi one by one. Silently he congratulated himself for finding a treat she liked, but now his joy was replaced by a sharp worry for the second year. What had happened to leave such a nasty purple and blue mark on her face? And why didn't she seem more worried about it?
"Do you mind me asking how that happened? It definitely looks like it hurts." His voice was cautious, not wanting to over step an unseen boundary that would make her start yelling at him again or to close herself off from their conversation. But she shrugged and answered him in a nonchalant tone.
"Just part of being a martial artist. I let my guard down and got hit." She placed a hand against the bruise to test and see how sensitive it was and hissed when a sharp sting still emanated from the spot. "But you're right, it hurts like hell."
"Sounds pretty brutal. Why put yourself through all that pain?" He had finished his pork bun and casually crossed his arms behind his head, glancing up at the now dark navy sky. Of course Suga had seen his fair share of injuries from playing volleyball, but they weren't a constant occurrence, so when they did happen they were always taken seriously by him and everyone else on the team. But Machi seemed to brush off an incredible amount of pain as if it were old news.
"Because I love taekwondo." Machi stopped rifling through the bag for more mochi and stared at Suga with a determined glare. "There's a risk of injury with any sport. I'm sure you've had some on your volleyball team over the years. And besides, a bit of pain isn't anything new to me." The truth of that last statement made Machi's mood falter slightly. Tadashi used to ask her the same question as Suga had, and when she gave him the same answer he would angrily say she was risking her health for something that shouldn't matter as much as her safety. But it did matter to Machi. It mattered so much she put up with her dad's crazy workout routine and became a regular at the school nurse's office. It never sat right with Tadashi, which always made Machi feel a little guilty. But not guilty enough to stop.
Suga dropped his hands and glanced at Machi in confusion. Her shoulders had dropped and she was staring at the ground with a blank expression, all semblances of their casual conversation gone.
"What do you..."
"H-Hey, scary girl, why are you over there hogging our Vice-Captain?" Tanaka hollered, trying to sound more intimidating than his wavering voice allowed. Suga and Machi both turned around to see the entire team staring at them. Both had been so wrapped up in their conversation they hadn't noticed they had spent almost the entire time ignoring everyone else.
"Don't worry Baldy, I have to go anyway, you can have your precious vice-captain back." Machi crumpled the now empty brown bag in her hands into a ball and tossed it in the garbage. Secretly she was glad that Tanaka had interrupted them; that conversation was starting to take a more personal turn and she wasn't quite comfortable with that. She had been uncharacteristically open towards the third year, and she wasn't sure what caused the sudden lapse in judgement. It had been so easy to talk with him, it almost reminded her a bit of talking to Tadashi. But the difference between the two volleyball players was all too clear. She could trust Tadashi, he had been there through everything. She barely knew Sugawara. Sure he was kind, but that didn't mean she should let her guard down around him, that kindness could just be a front for something else. Better to leave now before he tried to pry any further and start asking too many questions she didn't want to answer.
"Thanks for the mochi Sugawara, consider us even." Suga's heart clenched at her monotone voice. He had barely even begun trying to get her to open up and already her defenses had snapped back in place.
"I'll see you tomorrow Tadashi." She sent her cousin a quick wave, giving him a silent "don't worry about it" when he stepped forward to try and offer to walk her home. He needed to spend more time with his teammates anyway, people who he could actually count on to be friendly all the time, which she definitely was not. Without a backward glance she sauntered off into the night with more than one pair of eyes watching her go.