Oikawa paused in front of Aobajōsai, scanning the small crowd for a head of dyed blond hair. He had come to school earlier than he usually did with the hope that he would find the girl in the picture.
"Oh! It's Oikawa-kun!"
"Oikawa-san?"
"Oikawa-senpai!"
A crowd of girls stampeded towards Oikawa. Oikawa smiled genially externally, but internally he was annoyed.
"Good morning, girls," he greeted them enthusiastically.
Most of the group tittered excitedly. One first-year even swooned.
"Oikawa-san, do you want to go to the movies after school today?"
"What about the arcade?"
"Karaoke!"
Oikawa held up his hands placatingly, an infectious laugh bubbling out of his chest.
"Girls, I would love to come play with all of you after school, but," Oikawa glanced down and appeared regretful.
"I can't."
The girls whined in unison.
"Why not?" A second-year girl asked.
Oikawa let out a sigh. When he looked up, a mischievous gleam was in his eyes, paired with a secretive grin.
"I'm playing detective."
The girls screwed up their faces in confusion.
"Iwa-chan seems to have gotten a girlfriend and he won't tell me who she is," he explained.
Even as he said it, the words "Iwa-chan" and "girlfriend" together made him feel physically sick. He kept his disgust and hurt off his face.
"If only I didn't have to play detective," Oikawa let the smile drop off his face, replacing it with a sad frown.
"Then I could play with all of you."
Immediately, all of the girls kept at the chance to help.
"We could find her!" They chorused.
Oikawa widened his eyes, filling them with sparkling hope.
"You could?!"
The group of girls nodded as one. A short third-year spoke independently.
"What clues about her do you have?"
She giggled at her own use of the word "clues". Oikawa laughed with her. He gazed at the crowd of girls, shifting his expression until his face was shadowed with seriousness and a touch of a silent command. The girls leaned forward to listen.
"She's a second-year with dyed blond hair. The top of her head should reach my shoulders. Her bag has a bunny clipped onto it."
Oikawa watched as the girls glanced between themselves, each trying to see if the other knew who he was describing, he held a finger, his face expressing realization.
"Ah! I forgot I had a picture."
He pulled out his phone, secretly checking the girls' faces. Most waited in anticipation, but a few looked at him with suspicion. Oikawa opened the photo without looking at it and turned to the girls. The girls all huddled closer, all trying to catch a peek.
"They really do look like a couple!" One of the suspicious girls twittered with relief.
Excited murmurs ran through the small crowd, none of them aware that Oikawa had stopped breathing.
Those words had felt like a knife through Oikawa's heart. He quickly shone of his pain and offered the girls a grin that appeared genuine.
"Iwa-chan is mean for trying to hide his girlfriend from me. Nice friends tell each other things like this, don't they?" He looked at the girls with big, doe eyes.
The girls quickly nodded their heads, sympathetic smiles on their faces.
"We'll find her, Oikawa-senpai!"
"That's right! Iwaizumi-san isn't being fair to Oikawa-san."
Oikawa added sincerity and joy into his grin.
"Thank you, girls!"
As the girls flushed with pleasure, Oikawa caught sight of Makki and Mattsun. He clapped his hands, gaining the attention from nearly everyone around him and the group of girls.
"I'm sorry, girls. I have to go to morning practice, but,"
He smiled, "I will see after school."
He extracted himself from the center of the group and jogged towards his teammates.
"Makki! Mattsun!"
The pair paused, glancing back at their captain. Mattsun already had a smirk on his face on his face and Makki watched Oikawa with an eyebrow slightly raised.
"Captain," Mattsun greeted.
Makki stayed silent.
Oikawa positioned himself beside Mattsun, which would force Makki to peer around the bigger third-year if he wanted to study his captain.
Oikawa sighed dramatically.
"Can you believe that Iwa-chan got a girlfriend? How shocking!"
Mattsun' smirk widened.
"You seem awfully jealous."
Oikawa's bottom lip jutted out.
"Why would I be jealous, Mattsun?" He pouted.
As quickly as the pout came, it vanished. He spread his arms wide and puffed out his chest.
"The Great Oikawa-san is already worlds above Iwa-chan in popularity. There is nothing for me to be jealous of."
He smiled with raised eyebrows and watched his teammates reactions. Mattsun just gave him a blank stare, clearly used to his captains antics. Makki, on the other hand, watched him curiously. He looked as if he was trying to analyze the volleyball captain.
Oikawa let out a sigh through his nose. He dropped his arms and widened his eyes in mock shock at Makki.
"You don't believe me?" Mattsun and Makki glanced at each other.
"How mean!" Oikawa spun on his heels, putting his back towards the pair.
"My own teammates don't believe me!" He whined dramatically, cupping his face in his hands.
He hunched his shoulders for effect.
There was a beat of silence.
Oikawa peeked over his shoulder and blinked. The pair had started walking toward the clubroom again without him. Lips twitching upwards, Oikawa straightened out. He tucked his hands into his pockets lazily as he watched his teammates abandon him.
Breathing deep, he erased the faint smile from his face and ran after the pair with a fabricated pouting expression.
"It's not polite to leave while someone is talking to you!"
...
"I found the girl you were looking for, Tooru-kun."
Oikawa looked up from his English worksheet, his face a blank mask for a second before morphing into something resembling excitement.
"Really?"
The girl in the doorway of the classroom crossed her arms and coolly studied Oikawa. Oikawa looks her straight in the eyes, refusing to flinch away from her analytical gaze. He was confident that she wouldn't be able to see past his poker face.
"Yes," she said after a moment of silence.
She walked into the third years room with no hesitation, but no one gave her a second glance. It wasn't unusual for underclassmen to visit their classroom. After all, Oikawa was there. The girl sat down in the empty desk in front of Oikawa.
"You don't have any lunch?" She asked.
Oikawa smiled and rested his chin in the palm of his hand.
"Nope."
The girl smiled back and mimicked his posture.
They stared at each other silently for a few minutes before the girl spoke up.
"Aren't you going to ask me for my name, or are we going to sit here staring at each other all day?"
Oikawa laughed. "I was patiently waiting for you to introduce yourself. I didn't want to come off as rude."
The girl smirked slightly.
"Sure you wouldn't."
She tossed a wave of dark curls over her shoulder before continuing.
"Fukumoto Chokichi, second-year."
She didn't bow or offer her hand for a shake. She just looked at him brazenly and coyly.
Oikawa tilted his head, smile ever present.
"Nice to meet you, Chokkun."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You said that you found her? I'm assuming you mean Iwa-chan's girlfriend."
His face remained in its interested formation, but it felt like he spoke around a rock in his throat when he uttered the word "girlfriend".
Chokichi leaned forward, bringing her face closer to Oikawa's.
"Ishida Marise."
Finally able to put a name to the face, Oikawa unconsciously let his eyelids fall halfway shut, and his expression showed contempt through the thinning layer of his facade.
"Ishida Marise," he rolled the name around in his mouth, finding it to be more bitter than he had thought it would be. He didn't realize his tone reflected his thoughts.
Chokichi tapped his nose with a manicured finger.
"Your true self is showing."
Oikawa blinked and leaned back, his mask already back in place.
"Chokkun, whatever do you mean?"
"She's right."
Oikawa jumped at the sudden voice beside him. Makki and Mattsun were seated in the desks on his right.
"Ack! When did you two get here?"
Mattsun rolled his eyes at Oikawa's dramatics.
"Since the beginning. Our captains off his game today," he said to Makki.
Makki nodded in agreement.
Oikawa scowled at them and crossed his arms.
"What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be eating lunch in your classroom?"
Makki shrugged.
"You were obviously up to something, so we were curious. Besides..."
"This looks fun," Mattsun finished with a smirk etched into his face.
Oikawa puffed out his cheeks.
"I am your captain, you know!"
Mattsun gazed up at the ceiling solemnly.
"We know," he sighed devastatingly.
His eyes zipped right back to Oikawa, his smirk growing. Oikawa realized the middle blocker was mocking him by copying the way he usually acted.
"Ahem."
All three of the volleyball players turned their attention to Chokichi.
"I heard that you would hang out with the girls when you learned the name of Iwaizumi-kun's girlfriend, though I imagine you aren't really all that interested in following through with that end of the bargain."
Oikawa bristled slightly at the way she enunciated "Iwaizumi-kun's girlfriend", but he plastered a smile on his face and struck a pose.
"The great Oikawa-san always keeps his promises, though," his exaggerated expression melted away, replaced with cold calculation. "I am curious to know where you are heading with this."
Chokichi blinked at him innocently.
"I'm not heading anywhere with 'this'," she said, "however, I'm sure you would rather have a chance to speak to Ishida Marise sooner rather than later."
Oikawa sat back in his seat, a smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth.
"Hmm~" was all he said.
Chokichi examined her fingernails.
"I happen to know her. I could invite her to tag along on 'our' group date with you."
Her 'our' was tinged with sarcasm.
Oikawa smiled and clapped.
"That sounds wonderful!"
He tilted his head.
"And? What do you want in exchange?"
Chokichi smiled, her plump little mouth curling in amusement.
"I knew you would understand."
She leaned forward and waved her hand for Oikawa to do the same.
When he was close, she put her lips near his ear.
"I want you to help me with volleyball," she whispered.
Oikawa pulled back, studying the girl before him. She was clever, he had to give her that. But she was also ambitious and extremely competitive. He could see himself reflected in her wide, dark eyes.
"You don't seem very surprised that I'm on the volleyball team," she noted.
"I make it a priority to know the names of anyone who could be useful- I mean, who I could get along with."
The girl laughed softly at his deliberate 'slip up'.
"And who Iwaizumi-kun could get along with?"
Oikawa's face showed no change in expression.
Chokichi stood up.
"I assume we have a deal? If so, I really must be going. It's nearly the end of lunch."
Oikawa laughed.
"Why, of course, Chokkun! I am looking forward to seeing you and Ishida Marise after school."
Chokichi brushed her long tresses over her shoulder and practically glided out of the classroom.
"That was like looking at two Oikawa's," Mattsun said in mock horror.
Oikawa looked at him with wide eyes.
"What are you talking about? I'm way prettier."
Mattsun snorted and stood up. Makki followed suit. As Mattsun strolled towards the door, Makki paused and looked back at Oikawa.
"This would probably go a lot faster if you just talked to Iwaizumi about it."
Oikawa fought against the instinctual urge to crinkle up his face.
"That would be boring," he laughed.
And when he said that, he ignored the real reason why he would never talk to Iwaizumi about it.
Fear.
Ha ha. I'm a little late. Sorries! Also, I don't feel like putting things in italics, so just put up with these ' this'. Hope you enjoy. Please ALSO put up with any mistakes I made. Love y'all ;P