He can't believe it; he absolutely cannot believe it! She didn't call or emailed him last night when he stayed up so late just for her. Not only that, he can still hear even 'till now the mockery on those words.
Dear Oikawa-san,
I'm grateful that you ate it.
Regarding the other matter, I did say I'm not an admirer, right? Now, wouldn't I be a hypocrite if I entertained you? Besides, I've already decided that I'd do it only once so I really don't see any point of being in contact with each other.
About my sign, it's quite plain and easy to decipher. You know that saying: "hiding in plain sight"? It's applicable you know. Maybe you're just thinking too deeply.
1Kai
Tooru gritted his teeth, frustrated. Now, he is more determined to decode that sign!
"Oikawa-san? Are you alright?" one of his classmates asked. Tooru plastered a smile on his face and nodded in response.
"I'm fine, Miku-chi! Just thinking of a troublesome thing, that's all" he said and the girl blushed.
"A-ah,tha-that's good then. Well, I'll be..I'll be going" she stuttered and walked briskly outside.
After she had gone, Oikawa wiped the smile off his face. He retrieved his notebook and then scribbled the word '1Kai'. He put his arms at the sides of the paper while connecting his fingers, making a triangle-like structure. He bowed his head, using his fingers to support the top and making use of the side of his arms as a barrier to the outside.
He focused on that word and that word alone.
Hajime observed him while leaning on the doorway. He was about to return to his room when he glimpses the approaching group of girls carrying cookies. They were nearly upon the entrance of the door when Hajime blocked their way inside. He glared. Hard. They scattered, receiving the message.
While Hajime is busy being the human wall for Tooru, the latter starts to compile a list of names. This time, he decided to focus on how it is said instead of looking for it in its written form. After deliberating, he had it narrowed down to three combinations.
1Kai
Possible Combinations:
1. Kazu (1/one) , Kai –; Aki-
2. Ichi (1st/one), Kai-; Aki—
3. Chi (1000/1k), Ai
He grinned after reading his list.
Challenge accepted.
Time to hunt his prey.
"Chi-chan!" Mei shouted as she barged into the room. Chiharu looked up from her place, simultaneously closing her sketch book and in effect, had hidden her rough sketch of Oikawa in the middle of his jump serve.
"What's wrong, Mei-chan? You look particularly haggard." Chiharu asked as Mei approached her in ragged breaths. In fact, her description was a bit understated since she looks like someone had molested her on her way here.
"The volleyball girls are hounding me again! Saying they needed me on the team." Mei cried in front of Chiharu.
Chiharu blinked. Odd, they're already in their last year so it's already too late to recruit Mei on the team.
'The girls' club must be in dire need of a competent member.' Chiharu thought. 'Then again, I don't think Mei, at present, is competent enough considering that she hadn't taken up volleyball after middle school.
Her eyes fell on Mei's facial expressions which are a mix of irritation, maybe a bit of anger, and desperation. The former is due to the renewed effort of the team to add her to their ranks and the latter is aimed at her.
Chiharu restrained the impulse to sigh, already knowing what Mei will say next.
"If you'd only return to-" Mei started but discontinued when Chiharu gave her a don't-bring-that-topic-again look.
"Don't bring me on this topic, Mei. I am not responsible for your decisions" Chiharu said as she tries to quell a flare of temper. She will not allow others to force her to question her actions.
"I know, Chi-chan. I stand by your side regarding that matter but they looked so desperate in my eyes that I just.." Mei trailed, disheartened.
"I know" Chiharu gave her a soft smile.
"And even if I accepted it, I don't think I'll have that same confidence that I had in the past when I knew you have my back" she continued, bowing her head and becoming lost in thought.
'I know' Chiharu silently added again. She looked out of the window, seeing the changing colors of the afternoon sky. Memories of their plays ran in her mind, seeing once again as clear as water, their adolescent faces devoid of fatigue despite the brutal rallies, their unique movements, her connecting it to everyone, and most of all, that moment of getting their match point.
Those were in the past and as such, are precious to her, but what's in the past must remain in the past. They had their time, she had her fill and as they graduated, she had vowed to herself to only play an official match if it's with their team.
'That's why I'm not cut out to be a volleyball player. After all, in a sport that is dependent on teamwork, there is no room for past sentiments.'
It was approximately twenty minutes after practice that Tooru approached Yahaba Shigeru, who was conveniently located far from the others most especially Hajime and the remaining third years.
Tooru had manipulated the situation so that he can be as far away as possible within the hearing distance of the three. He doesn't want them to eavesdrop on his conversation and meddle in the process.
"Yahaba! Can I talk to you for a minute?" Tooru called out cheerfully as he neared. Shigeru blinked, wondering what Tooru wanted to talk about.
"I heard you're popular with the first and second-year girls."
'Although not as popular as you, Oikawa-san' Yahaba thought as he nodded in affirmation.
"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to ask you a favor" Tooru continued, still smiling that not-really-genuine smile.
Yahaba slowly blinked in surprise. On the heels of that surprise is pleasure at the thoughts of Oikawa-san being indebted to him and him being capable enough to be asked a favor from Oikawa.
"S-sure, Oikawa-san. What is it?" Shigeru asked with a hint of excitement. Ah, how shall he boast this to others?
Tooru just kept on smiling while pulling out a small paper in the side pocket of his shorts.
"I'd like you to list the names of all the girls with their class who fits the names I've listed here." He handed the paper to Shigeru who gave him an unbelievable look.
"Ah, what do you need it for Oikawa-san?" Shigeru questioned as the paper was dumped onto his hand. Despite questioning Oikawa about the weird request, Shigeru didn't expect a reply. Oikawa-san is not the type to divulge an information easily.
'Are you trying to expand your ever expanding followers of cute girls?' Shigeru would like to ask but he's too afraid of Tooru's response.
"I'm kind of looking for someone, that's all I'm willing to tell." Tooru surprisingly answered which again left Shigeru in disbelief and mouth hanging open. Tooru turned to leave but stopped and seemed to remember something.
"Oh, one more thing" he gave Shigeru a look, his eyes becoming sharper. Serious.
"Don't tell anyone about this, not even Iwa-chan." Unspoken were the threat hanging in the air.
Shigeru visibly shivered in fear from head to toes. Oikawa-san is very scary when he's mad and he'll bear the full brunt of it if he's not careful.
"ha-haii!" Shigeru stammered while sweat ran down his back. Tooru smiled again.
"Now, now, Yahaba. Relax, I won't eat you" Tooru teased as he playfully slapped Shigeru's back.
Shigeru watched as Tooru jogged to their coach.
'What have I gotten myself into?' he wailed inside then remembered the paper. Overwhelmed by sheer curiosity, he opened the folded paper and read its contents.
'So I just have to list the girls that have one of these on their names, huh, easy enough I guess'
Shigeru sighed in relief when he confirmed that it's nothing illegal.
'But why the secrecy?'
Saturday practice starts at nine in the morning at their school. Exactly at five though, Tooru is already on the road doing his morning run.
His watch read 6:30 a.m. 30 minutes earlier than the usual time it takes from his home to back.
'Strange' Tooru thought on the way.
He was thinking too deeply as he ran that he didn't realize he had missed a turn on the road which he found out a little too late when he noticed a different set of signs he hadn't seen on their neighborhood before. By then, he was already far from his previous route.
He read again the street sign that indicated his mistake.
"Wow! I'm pretty far from home. Amazing!" Tooru said out loud under the sign, putting his hands to his hips and inhaling a deep breath.
His eyes sharpened and he smiled. His face becoming that which is commonly seen at the court. At that moment, he embodied concentration. He is taking his present situation seriously.
"Now then, how to proceed?" he said as he adapted his unusual countenance when thinking of a plan: slightly upturned lips and index finger, a bit folded, on the tip of his nose while wrapping his other arm in front of him. Simultaneously, he leaned to the post; bending his knee so that his foot reaches the base while his other leg remained somewhat erect.
It was in this position that Chiharu found him on her third circulation in her neighborhood. A few meters away from him, she blinked in surprise. She is completely astonished to find him looking so unabashedly lost but still wholly attractive in his blue jersey shorts paired with black shoes and an equally black jacket over a white shirt.
'Ah, he's really beautiful when he's serious' Chiharu thought as she admired him from a distance.
From his clothes, Chiharu concluded that he must be in the middle of his morning run and had been lost in the way. Unfortunately for him, Chiharu is not in the mood to be helpful. She turned with a purpose to deviate from her usual route in order to avoid passing him but changed her mind.
The alternative route will take a long time to pass and Chiharu doesn't have that. Soon, her little brothers will be waking. Before that happens she should have already bought their favorite bread from the store that opens approximately five minutes, judging from her watch, and bring it home for breakfast.
'He won't recognize me anyway and if he does call me for directions, I'll just make it quick' she said to herself as she resumed her jogging.
'Don't call out to me. Don't call out to me. Don't call out to me. Don't call out to me.' Chiharu repeated as she neared his location. She passed him. For a second she was beginning to rejoice, he's not calling out to her, until he did.
"Ah, excuse me miss!"
'Tsk. Why can't you follow orders, Oikawa?' she growled internally as she halted.
Chiharu partially faced him, donning an inquiring but vexed mask as if she's meeting him for the first time and couldn't be bothered with.
"What is it?" she asked, a bit impolite and acting like he's troubling her, which he was.
Tooru couldn't help but be annoyed -inside of course- outside, his charming-but-not-really-genuine-if-you're-observant smile is on full show.
'My, what a tone. It seems you're not as beautiful as your looks indicated you to be.' Tooru grumbled inside and silently cursing himself for calling out to her in the first place.
He had planned two things: first, to ask someone's help, particularly a passerby's and to retrace his step. He'd been ready to do those things when out of the blue, she passed by in her red tight shorts and zippered creamy white fleece jacket coupled with dark red shoes and white details.
Her long straight black hair is in a high ponytail with some locks escaping, an evidence of her exercise.
Calling out to her was a compulsion so instinctive that he hadn't had the time to analyze it and act against it. Now that she's standing before him, he couldn't help but appreciate her unique beauty. This desire to admire a person's looks rarely happens to Tooru that, for the first time in front of a female, he was stunned into silence.
"Ahem, how may I help you?" Chiharu rephrased her question, dropping her somewhat aggressive attitude and giving him a small smile.
Tooru was surprised to see her smile, feeling the complete change of atmosphere from the first one.
Her smile is really infectious that he couldn't help himself.
Chiharu's eyes widened, caught off guard.
She thought he was beautiful when he's serious.
But witnessing his smile, the smile he rarely shows, the smile he rarely gave.
Given to her.
She parted her lips.
"You're really beautiful"
Tooru stared at her in the eye.
"Especially when you smile like that"
'You're beautiful when you're serious'
Tooru blinked as the words overlapped in his mind.
She laughed.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have said" Chiharu apologized.
"Ah, what was it again?" she asked softly now.
Tooru realized she had asked three times and he'd done nothing but gawked at her. That is utterly unusual for him. Not even a flirtatious remark or anything after his initial calling. He rubbed his neck.
What is wrong with him?
"I should be the one who should apologize. You see, I'm lost" he admitted.
She asked where he's from and he answered. After that, she gave him the quickest route back to his neighborhood.
"Well, that's all I think. Oh, look at the time, gotta go. Bye" she said hurriedly. She resumed her jog but waved her goodbye before she rounded a corner.
"Ah..Wait!" Tooru nearly shouted but restricted himself, realizing it's too early to make a noise.
His watch read 6:52.
It was 6:43 when he stopped to investigate his environment. Another three minutes of thinking, 6:46.
It was 6:47 when he met her.
It was 6:51 when she disappeared on that corner.
Four minutes at most. The only sign that she was there was four minutes lost in his schedule.
'And I didn't even catch her name'
For the whole day he was distracted. In his mind, their meeting continues to replay in a loop. A loop so deeply embedded not even Hajime's "talk" could lodge it out of his system.
But that doesn't mean he hadn't remembered anything. He had. It was:
Karasuno. Tuesday. Condition. Kageyama. Setter.
Which is why by the next day, he practiced and practiced, completely oblivious to the strain he is putting onto himself.
He had also tried seeing her again but though he constantly arrived on that same time he met her, he didn't encounter her again. Not even a glimpse of her form was seen as he wasted his time waiting.
Tooru's frustrations piled up and then by Monday, his body, specifically his knee, gave up.
He was told to rest for the remainder of the day.