chapter forty-two!
GAUCHE
UGH, HOW EMBARRASSING.
A quick walk from Tomizawa station to the entrance of Sendai Gymnasium shouldn't be enough to work up a sweat. Mina knows that she's quite ill-equipped in the athletic department but to think that she's just carrying a plastic bag full of Pocari drinks— it shouldn't have been that bad, but it is. There's a chilly breeze running amok in Miyagi this afternoon but one wouldn't think so just by looking at the brunette. Thankfully enough, no paid any attention to her standing by the doors and just carried on their merry way.
Much like she remembered, the halls of the building is as lively as ever. There's the hustle and bustle that her mind vividly pictured, a vast array of students and their colourful jerseys, and the noisy chatters in the enclosed space. Though unlike last time, Mina prepared herself this time. She had numbers saved on her phone if ever she needed the help and she had Ukai draw the layout which led straight to the sub-arena where the semifinal game should be held. The drawing may have been a little confusing and the handwriting's a tad bit illegible, but she's rather grateful to have something to rely on.
She pulls out the paper, takes a quick scan of it and heads into building where she weaves her way through the sea of people. Once she sees that there's a fork in the road, Mina pulls herself aside and takes a look at the paper again to check for directions. So far, so good, aside from the fact that her arms were getting tired with the drinks. Having to carry dozens of bottled drinks were quite exhausting, much to her defense! And so, she carries on while wrapping a handkerchief around one hand to ease up the soreness. It'll numb the pain for a little while.
This much she could do for the team since she wasn't able to attend the game yesterday. It's been a two weeks or so into October and the cold has made its presence much more prominent over the past few days. Aside from the fall breeze and dried up leaves scattered on the ground, Spring High Playoffs is in season. Yesterday was Karasuno's game with Johzenji High and she unfortunately couldn't make it due to classes but she's managed to escape earlier today, albeit missing their first game of the day.
Kageyama might have been acting cool about the situation but she knows that he's a little sullen about her not being there. But she promised to be present in today's tournament! Though she is a little late [ a whole match late ] she's still made it to cheer for them. Just the thought of cheering on for them eased up some fatigue and Mina determinedly continues to walk down the hall.
"L-Lee-san..?"
Easing up in her tracks at the call, the brunette blinks and turns around, only to see a wide-eyed Kindaichi staring right at her. It takes her a moment to digest the situation, staring at his face and down to his jersey. With the pieces of the puzzle now fitting into place, the revelation dawns upon her and she's more than surprised at the thought.
That's right!
He's a volleyball player, the memory of that familiar jersey springing back up in her mind. It's the same colour as the one she saw a few months back, the first time she ever stepped into this building where she got help from that peculiar duo. A subtle gasp escapes her lips. To think that she would encounter this team again but to meet another member— Miyagi sure is full of wonders.
"Kindaichi-san, hello!" The surprise rouses a chuckle from her. "Very good to see you."
"I-uh-yeah, it's really good to see you too..!" He scratches the nape of his neck, his cheeks dusted with a reddish hue. "T-Thanks again for the heat pack! I've been using it well!"
He pulls out the heat pack from his jersey's pocket and Mina could only look at it in a confused manner. Well, that's great and all that he used it but—
"Good that it helped but please throw it away, Kindaichi-san."
His heart sinks to his stomach, feeling his mouth dry up by her words. Did she think that it was weird for him to keep using it? Was this an immediate denial without him even saying his feelings out loud for her? Kindaichi pales at the thought. This couldn't be the end for him just yet.
"I think it still works pretty well! I-It's been keeping me warm for awhile now, so it would be a waste to just throw it out.." He fumbles, trying to explain himself while the puzzled look on her face was yet to disappear.
"Really? But the hot pack is one time use only?" Her brows furrow. "That's kind of weird, shouldn't it expire already... and it's been weeks too so how is it still working..?"
Kindaichi heard nothing after the words one time use. He zones out with the words echoing inside his brain, loud and clear. Just when that numbness hits, like a cold splash of water doused on him, the sense of embarrassment hits him far too hard that it turns his whole face beet red. These were for single use and he carried it around like it was reusable-!
"I-I mean, I just opened it today! I didn't get the chance to use it at that time, so.." His words die off a little as bursts of awkward chuckles escape his lips. At the very least, it looked like Mina was enlightened with the way she nodded. He may have averted something awkward with his poor excuses but there was no turning down the embarrassment he felt boiling inside of him. How could he have been so stupid as to not read the packet beforehand. Kindaichi curses himself out mentally before trying to divert the attention. "Bringing drinks for some friends?"
She glances down at the items. "Oh, yes! Drinks before game starts."
"Which arena do you need to go to? I can help you with thatㅡ" As he tries to grab the heavy plastic bag from her, the girl steps back and shakes her head, saying that she couldn't bother him and that the sub-arena is just close by. But he didn't heed her words and grabbed the plastic bag from her, easily holding it up with just a hand. "It's all good, I'm heading there as well so this works out fine."
Kindaichi sees the hesitation in her eyes but he smiles, prodding her to follow his pace. A soft sigh escapes her lips and albeit she did feel awful for letting him do it, her hands were practically burning at this point that she inevitably felt relief from his help. She thanks him before pocketing the handkerchief, causing for his smile to widen a bit more before they start walking.
The male feels his throat getting congested at the thought of being beside the brunette. It just seemed so surreal, the fact that they saw each other again. Could it be fate? This has never happened to him before. His eyes glance over to the girl and it takes in how different she looked out of her uniform. Creamy wool cardigan tucked into a pair of jeans, her hair messily tied into a bun and those round spectacles— Kindaichi thanks the high heavens for giving this once in a lifetime opportunity— that's right. This is a chance he should never let go and he should do everything he can to make the best out of it. This could be life-changing!
Calm down, don't mess this up. The male licks his parched lips and gulps, his heart pounding loudly. He should man up, ask her out for a date and if she sees how Seijoh wins against Karasuno, showing her his cool side then that should seal the deal.
Right. That should do it.
He takes a moment to calm his heart and musters up the courage.
"U-Uh, Lee-san..!" His voice is loud but at the very least it didn't crack.
They slow down to a stop and the girl turns to him, a smile and all. Despite the warmth on his cheeks, his hands were cold and sweaty, tightly grasping onto the plastic bag like his life depended on it. He can't mess this up, he just can't. All it takes is for him to vocalize the question and the ball would be in her court. That's right, just say the question out loud and—
"Oh? If it isn't not-a-fan-chan!"
The two turn and much to their surprise, they were very familiar faces. To Kindaichi, they were his seniors and to Mina, she knew them as Iwa-chan and Trashykawa. Not that she formally introduced herself to them nor did they in return, so both parties were left with names that are quite peculiar. It's been awhile but a beaming smile is still on the male brunette's face and a serious look still present on his friend's.
"Yoo-hoo!" The male brunette waves before his eyes turn to the person right beside the girl. "Hm? I wasn't expecting Kindaichi with you, not-fan-chan. Isn't this surprising, Iwa-chan?"
The latter looked like he couldn't care less about the situation and his reply translated his feelings quite well.
"Who Kindaichi hangs out with is none of your business so just hurry up and get a move on. We got a game to get to."
And though he may have been brash in response, he still didn't forget to send a little nod to the girl as a sign of his greeting. Mina did the same as well, albeit a bit surprised.
"Alright, alright, it's none of my business," The brunette shrugs but he still turns to the girl with that smile of his. "But I'm interested in your business, though. It's been awhile, hasn't it? Are you finally interested in becoming a fan of mine?"
She blinks owlishly at his words. He's still the same as before, bold and flirty like he's a natural born Casanova. Mina takes a step back from him but before she could say anything, Kindaichi steps right in.
"I-I think Iwaizumi-san is right, we still have to warm up and all. You need to see your friends too, right, Lee-san?"
It dawns upon her. He's absolutely right! "Ah, right!" She fishes out her phone from her pocket and sees that she's missed a call from Kageyama. That's absolutely not good. Mina told him that she would see them before their warm-ups started and for her to break that promise— just thinking about that makes her wince. Mina immediately types out a response while they all start to continue on.
"What's with those Pocari drinks, Kindaichi? Did you buy those for us?" The male brunette turns to peek at the contents of the plastic bag.
"Oh, these are Lee-san's..." Sullen from the disruption by his seniors, the said male couldn't bring himself to wholeheartedly respond. After all, he mustered up all that courage for nothing. But, he'll just have to ask again after the game, once he has proven himself to her out there in the court.
"Is that for us? I knew you were a fan—ow, Iwa-chan!" Once he got too close, he's yanked back by the ear, frowning and immediately rubbing the poor sore thing. "I didn't do anything!"
"You know damn well what you're doing, Trashykawa!" His friend barks out.
Mina could only look at the scene unfolding with eyes that didn't know how to perceive it at all. Should she be glad to know that their dynamic as a duo is still kicking or should she be concerned that they're always bickering? Either way, just looking at them sapped the energy out of her so she chose to smile at them and carry on with Kindaichi following behind. It must've been exhausting to witness such an ordeal everyday and she felt a little bad for him but that didn't outweigh her concern. She'll have to make it up to Kageyama if she could only drop off these drinks without spending a little bit of time with him before warm-ups start.
Just as she is about to send another message, her phone vibrates and an email comes in.
[ i'll come to you ]
3:45 P.M
Kageyama was? Mina's face brightens up and she turns around, causing Kindaichi's cheeks to bloom once he sees how wide of a smile was plastered on her face. She approaches him with hasty steps and grabs the plastic bag from his hands, easily pulling it away from him with how dazed he was.
The girl pulls out a drink from the bag and hands it to him before saying, "Thank you for the help again, Kindaichi-san! I can go myself now but here is a drink for you. Take care and goodluck, okay?"
Just as she was about to leave, the male snaps out of it and cuts in, "W-Wait! I can still carry that for you! It's just a little bit more to the sub-arena, I can still manage..!"
"Oh, butㅡ"
"Mina?"
Kindaichi goes rigid. It's a very familiar voice, one that drove him to the edge during middle school. It's unpleasant, bugging him to the core and what's more than that was the fact that the voice uttered her name. Her given name to be exact and it irked him from inside out. A bitter taste formed on his tongue as he sees the male right there, a short distance away from them. Kageyama blinks at the sight of the pair but hardly had the time to digest when Mina immediately rushes towards him with a smile.
"Tobio-kun!"
Tobio-kun?
What? They're that close to each other? Calling each other by their given names and all— he's flustered. Kageyama was never one to interact with people due to his problematic personality but here he was, calling her out like that like he had every right to do so. Kindaichi's confused. He couldn't be hallucinating. He closes his eyes for a few seconds, seeing nothing but a dark void. That's right, this has got to be a dream. There's no way Kageyama's acquainted with Mina. There's just no way.
"Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san?" Kageyama calls out to his former teammates, catching both of their attention as they soon approached.
Confusion swirled in Mina's eyes and looks from one party to the other before asking, "You know them, Tobio-kun?"
"T-Tobio-kun?" The male brunette couldn't believe his ears. "We should be the ones asking you that question, not-a-fan-chan. How do you know our cute little Tobio-chan?"
The nickname caused a giggle to bubble in her throat. Surely, the way he said Kageyama's name didn't come off as affectionate but there's no denying how adorable the nickname was. Mina had the urge to say it but she would rather save that for another time.
"I am his girlfriend." She nonchalantly says, a smile still on her face.
There was silence. No one could respond to her words— nobody knew how to. Devastated, Kindaichi opened his eyes, unsure if he heard those words right despite his perfectly good ears perceiving them. Iwaizumi's eyes widened, lips parted but had nothing to voice out and Oikawa on the other hand, smiled but it felt rather strained.
"HAH?"
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
i feel bad for kindaichi but
oops :(
i also apologize for
not updating! there's been
a lot of stuff that needed
attending so i've been
working on those and
exam week is this
week but i just
wanted to produce
something to give my
brain a rest lol
i'll see you all
on the next
update!