Chiharu yawned while carrying some documents to the teachers' office. She had a good night's sleep last night so she wondered why everything feels hazy like she's still in the middle of waking up.

Along the way she heard voices, girls mostly with a random guy butting in occasionally.

'Now now, what seems to be the problem of the female population this early in the morning?' she asked herself while straining to catch phrases and words.

"waa..Oikawa-san-"

"-new volleyball team-"

"-captain-"

"soo cool—"

'Oh, it's the vbc team. Oikawa must be the new captain. Well, I expected as much' Chiharu thought as she entered and delivered her errand. She was going out when another teacher called her for another errand.

'Jeez, I'm not being paid for this sensei so mind your tone because even though you're my teacher, I'm still the one paying you. Ooh, what was that look?' She thought while facing a particular teacher who always seems to have a condescending look whenever Chiharu is in a conversation with her.

"Yes, sensei. Will that be all?" Chiharu asked as she watched her trying to be intimidating. Clearly, she saw Chiharu's unwavering gaze and found it disrespectful ('Ha!') so she decided to pass on more errands, she even went so far as to offer assistance to her fellow teachers only to pass it onto Chiharu.

'Hmph! And Megumi calls me petty. If only you knew, Gumi.' She thought with a chuckle in which she received a sharp glance from the said teacher.

Chiharu was by no means intimidated, not by the teacher and definitely not the tasks at hand. She actually finds the situation funny and a way to make her day eventful, to say the least.

'Well, I did wish for something interesting to happen.'

Skipping lightly on her feet as she went to her room she passed by Akagi Makoto, the class representative before arriving at her designated seat located at the last row near the window.

"Ah, Aikawa-chan about the list of-" Makoto said as he approached.

"Done! Akagi-san" she declared, not looking up.

"I've already submitted it to the student council secretary" she added while searching for her mechanical pencil and notepad.

"Well then thank you..haha" Makoto said with an awkward laugh.

"Um, Aikaw-"

"Chi-chan!" somebody shouted/whispered.

Chiharu straightened up. Amaru Mei, the loudmouth of another class was fast approaching. She slammed her hands on Chiharu's desk then winced, regretting it for a second before smiling enthusiastically at her.

"I have some news for you, Chi-chan. The volleyball boys' team-"

"I know"

Mei stopped and gave a muttered "Oh!" then beamed even more brightly with an adoring look on her face.

"Wa! You're so awesome Chi-chan, you already know!" She said with excessive energy. She pumped her fist into the air.

"Just you wait, Chi-chan! I'll find something you don't know yet" she declared and disappeared as fast as she came, probably looking for something Chiharu didn't know yet.

'How futile. You can't find something I don't know Mei. As long as the walls have ears and mouths remain unsealed, information can be easily acquired, you just need a very sharp ear and an even sharper mind.' Chiharu thought with a small smile on her lips.

Mei had always been an exuberant child, entering high school never changed that. Although it is much more tamed in comparison to middle school. Back then, she was much wilder especially when she was playing volleyball as a wing spiker.

'It was probably the playing that made her a bit wild.'

'Ah, the good ole' days'

Smiling she turned her attention to Makoto who quickly turned his head to hide his blush.

"What was it again, Akagi-san?" she asked, ignoring his failed attempts at hiding his flustered face.

"A-ah..um..ahm. It's no-nothing. Actually, I forgot it. I'll tell you some other time" he said quickly while backing away and completely sprinting out of the room when he reached the door.

Chiharu watched him retreat.

A class representative since first year. Out of the officers in the past, Makoto is the only one who remained and is constantly being voted upon to take up the job. A good guy with a friendly personality. Who also have a crush on Chiharu since first year.

Chiharu had resolved to act oblivious to his feelings because for one, she doesn't return it and she hates cowards. Oh, she understands the initial fear, that feeling of being rejected but for it to last this long? well, let's just say his chances which were low to begin with, just went down a notch.

'When you want something, take it, because life is too short to waste it on what ifs' she recited her motto in her mind then picked up her notepad and pen and walked out of the room.

'Time to face that devil-witch again.'

"Did you get all my instructions, Aikawa?" the devil-witch, otherwise known as Sakabe-sensei, questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, ma'am" Chiharu stated calmly, staring at her in the eye.

'Even though your garbled words are barely comprehensible' she silently added.

"Good, now I want it all finished before the end of the day. I already talked with your teachers that you'll be absent for the whole day for this matter so I will not hear any excuses coming from you, understand?" she said as she pushed the bridge of her glasses.

"Hai!"

She gave Chiharu a long look and smiled, showing a rare side of her that only a few people had seen. This side of Sakabe-sensei is the only thing which hinders Chiharu from completely labelling her as a horrible person. After all, a person who can smile with such genuine kindness must be a good person to the core.

'Besides, everyone wears in one way or another, a mask that hides their true selves. It's just that hers is that of an oni.' Chiharu thought as she proceeded to do what she was told.

'Maybe, she needs a man' Chiharu stifled a laughed when that thought came to her. Succeeding with only a small 'pfft' in the end.

Skipping her classes for the whole day for an errand is nothing new to Chiharu. She had been doing it for the past two years and at first, her teachers became concerned with her absences because she might endanger her grades but soon discovered that it has no effect at all. Afterwards, it seemed she became an errand girl for them, doing this and that, assisting him or her. Even the vice-principal who was quite adamant at first became dependent on her since she is swift and reliable.

It was also fun for Chiharu because she's learning something new with each errand, not to mention she always accidentally discovers a secret or two, and it kept her from sitting for the whole day. Not that she harbor some kind of resentment from sitting for the whole day since it can be a medium for self-reflection but she just can't take its monotone atmosphere. Forced to sit and listen to a teacher who lectures with barely passable enthusiasm, the repetition of those moments bored her. Such troublesome feelings sometimes make her wish she's still in daycare, playing with toys and having fun games for learning.

'Last stop, director's office' she thought as she checked another finished task on her notepad.

"Ah, Aikawa-chan!" the director's secretary beamed from her desk as Chiharu entered.

"Good afternoon, Shimizu-san" Chiharu greeted with a bow.

"I've brought a file from Sakabe-sensei," she said while handing the file to the secretary.

"Oh! I was wondering what you're doing here while classes are going on, so this was it. It seems Sakabe-san is making use of you so early already. Are you sure it's fine for you? I mean, you're a third year and belonging to a preparatory class at that. Shouldn't you start focusing on your studies?" Shimizu asked in the middle of rifling the files.

Satisfied that all documents are present she opened her drawer and put it inside.

"It's not a bother, Shimizu-san. Besides I'm the one putting myself on the line when the teachers needed something done and I've already read everything there is to know about our topics this term so it's not really a problem for me" Chiharu said with a small smile.

She likes talking to Shimizu Yuki. Contrary to her name, she oozes a warm aura that made it possible to approach her which is why students and parents alike find it easy to voice out their concerns. Not only that, she's also good at organizing stuff and is very tidy.

She's like the big sister Chiharu would never have.

"Hmmm.." Shimizu hummed as she observed Chiharu.

"Chiharu-chan, you're really impressive you know," she said as she indicated for Chiharu to sit on one of the chairs.

Chiharu sat. The compliment wasn't new to her, she had been hearing that since childhood after all.

"Why is that, Shimizu-san? I don't find doing a teacher's bidding an impressive thing" she asked, leaning on the chair. She wanted to hear why Shimizu called her that since the root of a compliment varies from person to person.

"Well, you give off an impression of independence."

"Huh, I don't see independence as an impressive thing. Isn't that normal for teenagers like me?" she said as she tilted her head to the side, completely confused. Shimizu laughed.

"And that's why you're impressive, Chiharu-chan! Everyone knows that what you're doing is completely your choice and that they know you can easily refuse if you wanted to, consequences be damned. You do things at your own pace, even learning."

'I didn't know I was that obvious' she thought as she listened to Shimizu's explanation.

"You are not bound by the society's standards of normal and you're not afraid of being judged for who you are because, in the first place, you're not letting it bother you."

"Now now, Shimizu-san, are you sure that's me you're talking about?" Chiharu interjected, not quite believing her description. Shimizu just gave her a soft look.

"I'm sure you know this already, if only unconsciously. But even if it's not, that's what I see in you. You're so strong and confident. Sometimes I feel like you're the mature one out of the two of us."

Chiharu laughed and slowly stood up.

"Well, I'm rather flattered with your words Shimizu-san. I'm glad someone sees me that way. It gives me an assurance that my personality isn't that terrible" Chiharu joked and walked to the door. As her hands gripped the doorknob, she turned to Shimizu.

"Thanks though, Shimizu-san. For what you've said." And then she softly closed the door.

Conversations like those remind Chiharu why she rarely visits the director's office. Shimizu-san is just too observant for her own good. Her words always leave a moment of self-reflection on her part and sometimes, in doing so, she would face another inner demon.

'Ignorance is really a bliss. But then again, there's nothing wrong with being strong and confident. It helps when you need to stand up for yourself.' She thought as she journeyed back to the teachers' office.

Oftentimes though, confidence can be misinterpreted as pride and bad things happen when they would think of you as such. They'll begin to be close-minded, believing their initial conclusion. Not willing to see the subtle changes unless it'll hit them in the face. For them "being prideful" is a label that lasts a lifetime. They, who easily judge and drag a person down the abyss of misery and depression.

'Woah! What a gloomy thought!'

Chiharu exclaimed in her mind. She halted in her steps and took a deep breath, exhaled it. She did that for three minutes.

'Well, that was dangerous territory. Must not think of that while in school, the mood might rub off on somebody. Not to mention, I might scare someone off with this aura. Ah, poor soul.' She chuckled in her mind while a smirk made its way to her lips.

A breeze from the windows at her right gently lifted her long black locks. She closed her eyes and turned to the side to feel it caressing her face. Opening her eyes, she observed the afternoon glow outside. After fulfilling her desire to observe nature, she turned her head and resumed walking. Forgetting her thoughts of negativity with a light skip to her gait.

'Life is too short and too beautiful to drown yourself in darkness'

"Here"

Chiharu blinked in surprise at her teacher. She is not expecting this. Sakabe-sensei huffed in annoyance and pushed her hand even closer which contains something Chiharu dared not hope to be something.

"Umm"

Chiharu is completely caught off guard.

"Oh, for goodness' sake Aikawa! It's not poison. It's food!"

"For whom?"

For the second time that day, Chiharu was confused. First, Shimizu-san now it's Sakabe-san. The adults of this institution seem to be fond of confusing her recently. How troublesome.

"Why, for you of course," Sakabe-sensei said, miraculously not raising her voice as she watched Chiharu gawked at her like she had grown another head.

'Or maybe she had grown another heart since her one heart is too small for this bit of compassion'

'Now, dear. Didn't you say this morning that she may be a kind person?' she thought, scolding herself.

"Thank….you sensei," she said as she accepted the food, a sandwich to be precise, from Sakabe-sensei.

"It's the least that I can do, considering what you've been through for the whole day. I've been thinking you must have skipped lunch because the files I've given you were needed in the admin building and it's two blocks away from your classroom." Sakabe explained while rummaging through a bag.

'She must have felt guilty for taking out her temper on me.' Chiharu mused as she observed her take something out of the bag. It was a bottle of juice.

'Hmm, a juice -wait- don't tell me..' Chiharu trailed with a silent gasp.

"Ah, take this also" Sakabe put the bottle to Chiharu's slack hand.

"Now, get out of here and back to your room. Oh, finish it first." Sakabe-sensei said while making a shooing gesture.

Chiharu obediently followed, still reeling from the shock. Only with the quiet slam of the office door did she became aware of her surroundings.

"That was…refreshing." She quietly said, staring at the sandwich and the juice then she squared her shoulders and smiled at the wall.

"Well, there's always a first time for everything" she beamed at the wall.

'Ah, guess I'm still shocked since I'm talking to the wall.' She thought, trying not to laugh out loud. Her inner craziness is rearing its head. Not good. For others.

"Wall, you've been the witness for this recent happening" she continued speaking.

'Nope, that's wrong, it was Sakabe-sensei's table-ah, but that line of thinking is also wrong' she chided herself.

"I will never look at you the same way again" she concluded with a nod.

'Idiot'

By the time she arrived at her room, her classmates are already filling out either going home or going to their respective clubs. Some giving out nods while others smiled at her. She returned them all with a nod.

Her activities are not a secret to everyone and they're already used to her random disappearances so it was no surprise to them to see her. In actuality, some of those persons who smiled at her will rush off to their friends and theorize what she'd been doing all day, gossiping, attempting to connect the dots like they knew better. One of those theories might be inappropriate. Most likely, they'll mutter those words again. Teacher's pet. But Chiharu knows it'll be contained.

If she was still in first year, those theories also known as rumors may have spread like wildfire by the end of the day. But she's already a third year and everyone would keep their mouths shut, or at least, contain it within their circle of friends. Making fun of her. Well, it can't be helped. Some people, nevertheless, needed some ego boosting. Chiharu is just flattered she's the source of that.

Everyone knows her and her nature and she knows everyone, including their secrets.

'Walls have ears, after all'

"Chiharu!" a female voice called her. Chiharu turned her head to the side.

Nahara Akari approached her with a notebook in hand. One of the few people in which Chiharu genuinely calls a friend. A nice and elegant lady who always tops the exam, she had declared once that Chiharu was her "destined" rival. A declaration that she found utterly funny.

"I saw you walked out the room earlier with your notepad and pen in hand so I accurately concluded that you'll be busy and wrote our lessons for today to help you catch up, " she said as she handed the notebook."Ah, thank you, Aki, you know you shouldn't have bothered,in " Chiharu said while accepting the notebook. It would be faster than giving it back anyway.

"Well, we can't have a good competition if my rival lacks the necessary information right?" she said and smiled. Giving a small wave as she walked out of the classroom.

Chiharu sighed after waving goodbye then strode to her seat. There are some people left, usually those who are assigned the after-class cleaning duty. She nodded as she made eye contact to some. She put the notebook inside and hefted her bag to her shoulder.

'It's heavier compared to before' she thought while thinking why.

'It should have been lighter now that it's—Oh! Right.' She sighed in relief, knowing that it's just her bento that's making—she froze.

"O-Oh!"

"Chiharu, I've prepared your favorite bento, okay?" her mother said while holding it in her hands, smiling that motherly smile all mothers must have developed after giving birth.

"I've poured all my love in this little box since early in the morning"

The smile turned absolutely dangerous and a black aura enveloped her. Suddenly, her mother became a demon with gleaming eyes and sharp fingernails.

"So I better not find it untouched or unfinished when you come back"

"haaaiii!"

"Gaah! This is a crisis! What should I do?!" she wailed in her mind as she profusely sweat invisible sweats.

Despite the inner turmoil she's feeling, her outward expression did not betray anything as she walked out of their building. It was nearly dark outside and almost all students are gone except for some overly energetic sports club members.

When she entered high school, she decided not to join in any club activities, opting instead to do what she had missed when she was in middle school: being lazy. Although it was partially fulfilled considering what she's been doing but at least she wouldn't have to stay late at school or practice on weekends.

Her mother knew about that so she'll question her for the reason why she'd come home late.

'Which I can easily reasoned with but what should I say about the bento?' the question that had been plaguing her since then and also the reason why she's late. She had wasted precious time thinking of alternatives in the room.

'I could eat it but it's too much for me since I'm full and I might vomit it on the train afterwards. I can't just throw it away; it'll be heavy on my conscience'

'Ah, I'm starting to hate Sakabe-sensei's kindness'

"Ugh, Kami-sama. Help me.." she muttered as she lifted her head to the sky.

It seems God had heard her and had sent a sign in the form of a volleyball ball coming out from the volleyball boys' gym. It was a sign, because it came out even though there's a net on the door which would have prevented the ball from escaping.

"Sign or no sign, I'm really just desperate" she admitted with a sigh and walked to the gym.

The sound of shoes scraping on the floor became much more pronounced as she neared the gym. She peered at the side of the door and saw only one person inside practicing vigorously.

'I've heard them say he's hardworking but to this extent?' she thought as she observed the sole occupant of the room, momentarily forgetting why she's there in the first place.

Oikawa Tooru, the ace setter and team captain of Aoba Johsai's Volleyball Boys' Club, gritted his teeth as the ball missed the bottle by a hair's breadth at the other side of the court. He picked another ball by his side and prepared to serve again.

Chiharu watched with rapt attention as he walked farther from the serving line. Oikawa took a deep breath, closing his eyes while holding the ball between his palms and bowing his head. When he opened his eyes again, they were focused.

Then he ran and smacked the ball while airborne.

Time froze.

'Beautiful' Chiharu thought as everything around her returned in motion with the sound of the ball bouncing and bottle hitting the floor. But in Chiharu's mind, only one thing remained still.

Him. In mid-air, on the brink of touching the ball.

Chiharu hadn't seen such beauty for a while and it reminded her why she was so dedicated in volleyball when she was in middle school. Connecting the ball and seeing her teammates fly were one of her precious memories especially when the determination to succeed is etched on their faces. Those were priceless treasures she'll keep forever.

'Looks like Oikawa's jump serve, unbeknownst to him, will be added to my collection' Chiharu thought with a smile as she skipped to the gate only to stop, remembering her plan.

'Oh! I almost forgot!' she hit her forehead softly for her forgetfulness.

'Should I leave it in the gym? Or ..' she trailed as she caught a glimpse of the club rooms. From what she remembered, the volleyball boys' club's room is located on the second floor two doors to the right.

'Fangirl gossips can be quite useful sometimes' she said to herself then she mentally gave an applause to the faceless fangirls. Giving a silent 'thank you', she jogged to the rooms.

On full alert mode she glances from side to side, looking for observers. She doesn't want to be discovered and be mistakenly labelled as a stalker of some sorts. She's just making use of her unwanted bento, nothing more.

Satisfied, she proceeded to enter the empty room and found only one bag, Oikawa's. Chiharu moved swiftly, taking out her bento and writing a short letter to explain its existence. Finished with her task, she left the room with a casual gait, all the while observing her surroundings with her peripheral vision.

'Good, Oikawa's still practicing. Yosh! Time to scram'