Chapter 3
"Susa-chan... you know about the new foundation that was advertised yesterday?" One girl in Iwaizumi's class blurted, it was break time and again the girls are huddled up in a mini group discussion, they were in front him, so he had no choice but to hear what they're talking about.
"Yeah! I bought two bottles! Is it good?"
"I don't recommend it, it gave me two pimples on my cheek." Another girl points her cheek.
"Then you should try the non-comodogenic one, or those for sensitive skin."
"That brand is expensive."
"Hey girls! What are you talking about?" Iwaizumi looked up as soon as he heard Rui's voice. He recalled her saying about joining their discussion because she's flirting with them.
"How about you, Rui-chan? What foundation are you using?"
"Ehhh? Foundation?" Rui thought hard, then she remembered what her father said in his construction company. "Oh? You meant those used to build steady buildings?"
Iwaizumi snickered, trying to contain his laughter, the girls stared at Rui, who was all smiles at them. Oh shit... she lacks research on girly things because of her man-in-the-making goals.
"Rui-chan's funny, we meant the one you put on your face, for make up."
"Oh. Ohhhhh... I don't have one of those, why?"
Then all the girls stared at her. "Well, powder? What powder are you using?"
"Blush-on?"
"Lipstick? Lip tint?"
Somehow all of them talked at the same time, which confused Rui. "Uhmmm, I don't really use any of those?"
"Really? But Rui-chan... look at your face..."
"It's so smooth..."
"Fair and pink..."
"Like you have a poreless face..."
"You're so pretty, Rui-chan." Iwaizumi then glanced at Rui, who's making such a girly reaction.
"Awww... that's not true, you're all prettier than me..." Rui said while she tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes as soon as the girls swooned with her, telling her that she's prettier than anyone of them, but she'll retort how they were a lot more charming... it seemed like a mantra and they didn't stop until the teacher came.
"So you saw it." Rui said before taking a bite from her sandwich. "I'm good with the girls, right?"
"Nahhh... what you did a while ago is what girls always do... men never do that. It's girly and gay, I guess..."
"What? I'm totally charming them, you know."
"I don't know. Probably."
"What's with that, probably?"
Iwaizumi opened his juice and started sipping from his straw. "Girls... I mean those type... have some other things running into their minds if it's about another girl..."
"What?"
"You were previously a girl, so you should know? Don't you have friends before?"
"Uhmmmm"
"Huh? What? You don't?"
"Of course I have! But they're... it's complicated."
"I see." Iwaizumi crumpled the wrapper of his sandwich "Anyway, I forgot to ask but does anyone in your family knows you're here in this school?"
"My mom knows I'm here, she's sending me money behind my dad's back... she's against the idea but, I guess since she's a mom, she felt the need to support me of what I want."
"That's good I guess... oh, I'm pretty sure the guys want to know why you want to be a man."
"Well, yeah, it seems that they wanted to ask it last night but they were controlling each other."
"That's because they're embarrassed to ask you, they'll probably pester me about it, later."
"It's OK, you can tell them, friends tell each other about something like that, right?"
"I see..." Iwaizumi stared at her face. "Well, in relation to what they're saying a while ago, you have a nice face and skin for someone who goes out without anything."
"Really?" Rui touched her cheeks. "You said men don't say that."
"To each other of course, they don't - "
"Then why are you saying it to me?" Rui smirked. "Girly and gay, huh?"
"Ah... Shit, nevermind."
Iwaizumi opened the door of their locker room, he was in a hurry to change but he was welcomed with three people standing in front of him, all of them have their arms crossed in their chest and they're all looking at him with the 'Explain!' Expression.
"Uh...Hi."
"Iwa-chan!" Suddenly Oikawa's hands roughly landed on Iwaizumi's shoulder. "What did you do to Rui-chan?!"
"What?"
"She's so pretty, it's unbelievable." Takahiro said and Matsukawa nods. "But she seems sure of it." The latter said.
"Did some shitty guy broke her heart?"
"Did she got rejected by a guy she likes?"
"Iwa-chan, answer!" Oikawa shook his friend's shoulder harshly until Iwaizumi sighed and he stopped. "So? What happened?"
"I figured, this'll be my welcome." Iwaizumi said when Oikawa let go of his shoulder. "It's a family issue." He said walking towards his locker.
"Family?"
"Yeah... something like that." Since Rui gave him a go signal, he decided to tell them about her story while he was changing.
"Oh, so that's how it is..." Oikawa said as he ponders. "Is she planning on having a transplant?"
Iwaizumi choked on his drink when Oikawa said that. "Shit...Assikawa, what the hell, man!"
"Well, I guess we can't blame her." Matsukawa said.
"If that's her reason, maybe she can still be back to her old self."
"Yeah, that's possible." Oikawa agreed, Rui's a total package if she's to return as a girl. "But if she becomes a girl, she won't be friendly with Iwa-chan..." Oikawa teased.
"That's probably true." The three of them were surprised to hear Iwaizumi say that instead of complaining and bickering with them. "But that's up to her, you know?"
"Of course we do... and It's not like we don't like her. It's the total opposite." Matsukawa said.
"Yeah, she's cool, girl or not."
"Awwww... you guys just like seeing her, don't you?" Oikawa teased again and because of that the other two hit him on the head in place of Iwaizumi. "Owwww."
"I think so too." Iwaizumi said after he tied his shoes.
"Oh yeah, that reminds us, Iwa-chan." Oikawa smirked. "We caught a video of you doing something amazing!"
Matsukawa got his phone and showed the video of Iwaizumi going in and out the gravure idol magazine shop. "This is equivalent to one ramen treat."
"Tch. If I don't treat you, what're you gonna do?" Iwaizumi grinned. "That's not even for me."
"We'll show it to Rui-chan!"
"Why don't you show it? She's the - " Wait...If they showed it to her, she'll probably say, that magazine is hers because that's what men do, and then they'll think, she's onto ecchi things and they'll probably trick her and then - weird images flashed in Iwaizumi's head.
"So we'll show it?"
"Fine, I'll buy but just one treat, that is so unfair, Assikawa!"
After practice, Iwaizumi came back for a book he left in their classroom, he recalls Rui telling him about an assignment that's due next week, he was in front of the door but before opening it, he heard some girls talking.
"Oh my god, you remember what she said a while ago?"
"Yeah.. she even pretended to be ignorant about foundations and make up."
"She's just boasting! That girl probably had a lot done to her face."
Iwaizumi sighed, this is what he's talking about earlier. At first, girls compliment each other so well, like they really meant it but behind your back, they'll say some rude stuff about the other girl. "Girls..."
"As a man, I thought I shouldn't be bothered about things like this, anymore..." Iwaizumi almost yelped when he heard Rui speak, she was sitting on the floor, head leaning beside the door.
"You heard them?"
"Yup...every word." She said before she stood up, dusting her skirt. "Here...I saw you in a hurry a while ago, so I got the book for you." She hands him his book.
"Thanks." He said staring at her. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah."
"Really?"
"Boys don't hit girls." Rui smirked. "They do other things."
"Other things?"
Rui grinned, she raised her hand and there she holds a key. "They prank them." With a swift but stealthy move, she inserts the key and locked the door while the girls are busy chatting. "It's gonna be late, so we'll have to tell the admin to close all the lights."
"Well, you're right, boys love to prank. Assikawa and the other two will be proud of you."
"Haha. They will? Next time, I'll join their pranks."
"Nope, don't join them, you won't know it but you'll probably be the one they're pranking."
Rui and Iwaizumi told the admin to turn off the lights and that there are no more students in the hallway. The guy agreed and then switched off the lights before the two went out of the school, snickering.
"Oh my god...I wonder how they will react tomorrow." Rui said while she laughs.
"I'm pretty sure they'll hate you, if they knew you did this." Her smile flattened and he grinned. "You'll lose your girls."
"Ahhh. I have a lot of girls, I don't need backstabbers anyway."
"Oi! You two!"
"Iwaizumi! Ramen's today!" Rui and Iwaizumi turned to see, Oikawa, Matsukawa and Takahiro waiting for them across the street.
"You're treating again? Why? You lost in arm wrestling?"
"Nope. They did a prank on me..." Iwaizumi face palmed.
"See, Boys love pranks." Rui proudly said as they reached the three guys.
"Iwa-chan's gonna treat us ramen today." Oikawa said, arms each on Takahiro and Matsukawa's shoulders.
"This is felony." Iwaizumi grumbled as he checks his wallet.
"You'll have to beat them a lot in arm wrestling, next time." Rui whispered in his ear.
"They can't beat me anyway, that's why they do dirty tricks."
"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask... It's inter high next week! You're a chosen regular, right?"
"Yeah...gonna watch?"
"Of course, dude! Oh yeah, Dynasty warriors gonna have a new game, want to check it out tomorrow?" Rui grinned. "I love that game because it casts long haired guys."
"Long haired guys?"
"Yeah...I'm a long haired guy, you know." Rui frowned. "I tried the pixie cut, it didn't suit me at all, made me look like a baby."
"Hah? A baby hahaha."
"After that, I'm going to show you an awesome spike!"
"Ok?"
"Hehe, look at those two." Takahiro points Iwaizumi and Rui, who are chatting and were way behind them.
"Awww... Iwa-chan likes her." Oikawa said as he watched his childhood friend laugh while Rui punches his shoulder, the genius setter was in daze until he felt two arms tap him at the back.
"Whatever happens, Oikawa, we're here for you." Matsukawa said.
"Yeah, don't think too much of it. Just move on."
"Huh? What?"
"Look on the bright side, at least your Iwa-chan's not gonna hit you when girls flock around you."
"He'll be occupied with Rui-chan that he'll totally forget you."
"What the hell guys?" Oikawa moved away from the two of them. "You make me look like a jealous girlfriend!"
"Well, not a girlfriend." Matsukawa grinned. "A jealous friend."
"What? I'm not jealous."
"What are you alking about?" Rui asked, her smile making the trio forget about their banter with each other.
"Oh nothin', Rui-chan." Oikawa slid an arm on her shoulder and pulled her. "We were talking about Iwa-chan's manliness." Oikawa looked behind and give a 'bleh' sign to Iwaizumi.
"Whoaaaa... you gotta tell it to me too, he's my role model!"
"Well ~ " suddenly, Oikawa stared at her face. "Wow... you have nice skin."
Shivers run down Rui's spine and she moved away quickly from Oikawa and back to Iwaizumi, who now, smirked at Oikawa (the latter was confused).
"Iwaizumi! Oikawa, talked about the skin with me... is he...?"
"Heh. He's a vain man."
"What are you talking about?" Oikawa asked but Iwaizumi jsut laughed at him.
Epilogue
"So you think you can remake that spike?" Iwaizumi asked as she walks with Rui towards their court. "Well...I guess you can."
"What's with that?" She frowned. Rui glanced forward and saw something. "OMG, a damsel in distress." They were going up the stairs when she saw a girl running while she cries.
"She should look at her way." Iwaizumi said as he glanced. "She'll trip with what she 's doing."
The girl didn't though, she just ran and then as Iwaizumi said, she trip and she's about to fall down the stairs but since Iwaizumi have foreseen it coming, he immediately caught her, saving her from falling.
"Huh?" The girl said as she held on to Iwaizumi's arm. "Who are you?"
"Oh, hi... you were about to fall, I don't know the reason why you were crying, but you should look at your way." He said when he helped her stand up.
"Thank you."
"It's fine. You should take care." Iwaizumi said before he walked past her.
Rui followed while she looked back at the girl and then at Iwaizumi. She grinned and run up to her friend tapping him at the back. "Slick move."
"What?"
A/N: Thank you very much for the review hahaha. :) I plan on entering this story at a fanfic contest but, I really want to know if it's really cool, my friends told me it is, but I want to know other opinions...please please tell me.. this chap is relatively short sorry about that =)