égoïste

raison #24

I can't really do anything about Shiori-san wanting to stop the pervert on the loose. But, what she said that the pervert said was concerning.

Akaashi sat at his desk, starting at the sheet of paper that was blank. He tapped the pen on the paper once every few seconds, trying to gather his train of thought.

She's trying to do this all herself. How exactly is she going to capture this person? She's got a foundation and has learn how to protect herself, but is it really going to be fine against someone that's been able to avoid police capture for months?

Akaashi put his pen down and left the chair, sitting on his bed.

That person…they've been tailing us for a while now, I think. It might be why they said those words to Shiori-san. If that's the case, why haven't they given up?

I can think of many reasons, but I don't know which one it is.

"Keiji, are you sleeping now?" There was a gentle voice and light knock on the door. His mother opened it ajar, peering in. "Oh, you're not." She let the door open fully and she leaned against the frame.

"What is it, mother?" His mother usually only came to his room to either say goodnight or to talk about something. He was guessing it was the latter.

"Have you decided on the day that Shiori-chan will be coming over?" She smiled when she said her name.

"Not yet. We did decide after Nationals, I think." Akaashi added the last part after a moment.

"If you don't move soon she'll be snatched away by some other person, Keiji."

"Why are you giving me advice for this?" He questioned, utterly curious.

"Why?" She beamed at him, "Isn't it only natural for a mother to want to give her son advice in certain areas?"

"Mother…"

"Yes?"

"Please stop making that face every time you talk about Shiori-san."

"What face?"

"…the one you're making right now."

"Nope." She giggled and grabbed the door handle and began to close the door, "I hope to receive good news soon. But first, focus on rest and volleyball. You have games tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

She switched off the light before closing the door.

Akaashi lay on his bed. It was too hot to use the blankets but it was too cold without them. So he settled for it over his stomach.

"Don't you think Kenma and Kuroo have gotten a lot closer to Shiori?"

"Ah." He stopped his thoughts. They were drifting in and out of different things and different topics. One of them happened to be what Bokuto and he were talking about before they went their separate ways earlier that day.

"I guess so. Kozume and Shiori-san have bonded over games." Akaashi had said at that time.

"Yeah, but have you seen Kuroo? He's acting too familiar with her! Too familiar!" Bokuto emphasised, exploding his hand gestures and facial expressions.

"…isn't he like that with everybody?"

"Maybe? I don't know!"

"Are you jealous, Bokuto-san?" Akaashi had to ask such a question because the current situation begged for it. Why would it bother him in the first place? He wasn't the one who was currently crushing on her.

"Jealous? Me?" Bokuto made a face, but then fell silent, his face scrunching up to think long and hard about what the 2nd year said.

Why does he need to think about this? Didn't he declare that she's the 'unattainable' type of girl? Akaashi wondered.

A slight red blush rose to the owl captain's cheeks, indicating an embarrassing train of thought.

"N-not j-jealous at a-all!"

"You're red, Bokuto-san."

"AKAASHI! LEARN TO READ THE ATMOSPHERE!"

…don't tell me…Akaashi contained his mutual look, but he started to feel that unease whenever he caught himself thinking that Shiori wouldn't ever look his way.

"You like Shiori-san, don't you?" He managed to say. It was easy to say, but after those words left his mouth, he wished they never did. He didn't want to find out if he was going to be a rival or not. Yet, at the same time, he wanted to know.

"Of course I like her!"

"Not in that sense."

"Oh. Uh…maybe? Sort of? I don't know! ARGH!" Bokuto threw his head back as his hands clasped the sides of his head. He ended up crouched on the ground on the sidewalk, muttering incoherent things because he had no idea what his own mumbled train of thought was.

"…then why are you jealous, if you don't like her?" Akaashi wanted to solve this puzzle.

"Doesn't Akaashi like her too?" Bokuto looked up at the setter, a look of wanting confirmation in his eyes.

The setter almost faltered in his expression, almost.

I ended up avoiding the question…Akaashi thought, turning to his side. He stared at the door and the soft light that came from under the door crack.

"I think you're too flustered to think right now, Bokuto-san."

"Ah! Am I?! I need to calm down!" Bokuto slapped his cheeks, trying to calm himself. It worked splendidly, mainly due to the fact that he wasn't that flustered to begin with.

I narrowly avoided that…was the setter's thought.

How did Bokuto-san manage to catch on?

Akaashi looked to the side, does everyone except Shiori-san know? Am I obvious?

"I hope Shiori doesn't like Kuroo or Kenma." Bokuto stood back up, sighing. He adjusted his bag strap.

Akaashi didn't reply to that statement. Of course, he agreed with Bokuto's words, but no one knows who would fall for who.

Hah…funny how we're having a conversation on this topic. I thought we'd talk about volleyball.

"Speaking of don't like, we're going up against that team tomorrow that kept stuffing me, right, Akaashi?"

There it is, Akaashi thought.

"Yeah. That's only if we get through the first game of the day. Then, they'll be our second opponents." He replied.

"HEY, HEY, HEY! Prepare to get squashed!" Bokuto cheered loudly.

My ears…

Then it was some casual conversation after, Akaashi turned onto his back.

He stared at the dark ceiling, then his eyes wandered to the moonlight that came through his window. He pushed the curtains lazily to the side, just a little bit, and stared up. It was a pretty moon, reminding him of a brand new volleyball.

Hope for a good game tomorrow, too.

Shiori-san, don't do anything stupid and reckless, please.

And he went to sleep.

"Excuse me?" Maebara Yusei's brows rose in shock. He stopped drinking his tea and put it down onto the dining table, staring at his daughter.

"Yeah. So that's why there were police cars." Shiori concluded with a nod.

You shouldn't have told dad about this…Arata glanced over at his father and noticed that the male had started to get agitated, probably imagining breaking the bones of the currently-on-the-loose pervert.

Yusei let out a big exhale, dissolving the rising tension in his shoulders. He was originally going to get angry, but that wasn't going to solve anything. He knew his daughter was more responsible than what she seemed.

"Alright. I'll trust in whatever you want to do, then." Yusei concluded with a hard tone.

Arata did a double take, unsure if he heard right.

Dad's actually giving her leeway?! Arata was surprised. He was sure that he was going to blow his top and lecture her about the dangers of the world and whatnot.

When he looked to his sister, he bit back laughter because she was just as equally shocked.

She pointed to herself, "You're…trusting me with this? Are you sure?"

"You don't want me to?" Was the older Maebara's snappy reply.

She pressed her lips into a thin line, which then became a smile. "Thanks for trusting me. I'll do you proud!"

"That's so cheesy…" Arata remarked with a light chuckle.

"As long as you break all his bones and destroy him then you'll make me proud. Dissect him like you would a child's toy." Yusei was smiling, but it was sinister.

Scary…Arata thought.

"If I need to then I will, actually. I think this guy's skilled since he dodged a surprise kick, but still."

"What does Akaashi-kun think of this?" Yusei questioned suddenly.

Arata and Shiori's eyes widened and their brows both rose in surprise.

"What's Akaashi got to do with this?" She tilted her head in confusion. He wasn't exactly going to help her out in her plan.

"He's always walking you home, isn't he? The boy might be worried so that's why he always does it." Yusei sounded a little spiteful as he took another sip of tea.

"Nah, isn't it because we live in the same direction? Oh wait…" She recalled him saying something along the lines of 'it's late so it's dangerous for you to be walking home alone'.

"…oh." She hit her fist against her palm. "Yeah, probably. He was actually against this idea too but I somehow convinced him I think."

"I don't know if he's being too lenient with you or not." Arata muttered. "That guy needs to tell you off."

"I think you tell me off enough, thank you very much." Shiori shot him a look.

"Not enough, I feel." Her older brother shrugged and went to the kitchen to fix himself some water.

Shiori sighed. "Should we tell mum about this?"

Yusei contemplated for a moment, then shook his head. "She's got enough to worry about since Shiratorizawa's giving her enough trouble already. It's nearly exams so she's writing the physics part of it, I think."

"Ah, is that why you're not calling her in your usual late night calls?" Arata and Shiori said at the same time.

Their parents would normally talk over the phone for about an hour or so at night before they went to bed. Due to the distance and their schedules, it was hard for them to contact each other all the time, so they did it over phone at night.

Yusei was reduced to a sobbing mess on the dining table, quite comically. "I miss her!"

There it is…he's such a cry baby when it involves mum, the siblings thought.

"Maybe just call her soon? Or maybe a less intrusive thing, a text?" Shiori suggested.

"A text! Why didn't I think of that?" Yusei was up and about again, back to his normal self. He wrote a quick message to his wife and waited with a smile on his face.

"Ricchan. It's been a while since you've done any self-defence so be careful, really. You may have done volleyball and other sports and that makes you strong, too, but when it comes to things like these it's a little bit different." Arata handed his sister a cup of tea.

"Thanks." She murmured. "Well, we'll see what happens."

"Stupid idiot. You should be thankful I'm currently on vacation so that I can look after a stupid ass like you." He karate chopped her head.

"Ouch!" She grimaced and held the spot he chopped.

"Be careful."

"…I will."

The next day, Akaashi woke up a little earlier than usual. He stared at the clock, seeing that it was 10 minutes from the alarm going off.

I'm early, the setter blinked the sleepiness away from his eyes and pushed the blankets away, heading to the bathroom to freshen up.

Summer makes it too bright too early in the morning…

He stared at himself a little longer in the mirror, examining the features that others would see, the features that belonged to him.

…I shouldn't think about that.

He sighed and turned off the tap.

Shiori chuckled to herself when she dressed up in her disguising gear.

"I look awesome!" She declared, looking at herself on the fridge's reflection. She adjusted her hat and sunglasses, putting her hands on her hips when done.

"You look like shit." Arata pushed Shiori's head to the side gently, pushing off her cap.

"What?!"

"You'll attract more attention that way. Just dress like normal and try to blend in with the crowd. That's the best disguise." The older Maebara took the sunglasses and put them on himself. "How can you even see with these inside? It's so dark."

"Urgh…I thought this was a good disguise, too…" The girl moaned, taking back the sunglasses. She got the hat off the ground and went back to her room to change into something normal.

"So what's the occasion?" Arata asked when she walked out of her room with her usual casual attire.

"I'm going to watch Fukurodani and Nekoma's games today. I'm going secretly because I haven't told any of them, so…yeah." She grinned cheekily.

"Say hi to them for me. And be careful of the pervert." Arata waved his arm lazily and took something from the fridge to have for breakfast.

"Aren't you going to have a proper breakfast?" Shiori asked, eyeing the piece of fruit he was having.

"This is the entrée. I'm going to wait till dad wakes up to make it. You staying for it or nah?"

"Nah, I'll grab something to eat outside. I haven't been to that bakery in a long time."

"OH!" At the mention of the bakery, Arata's eyes sparkled as he leaned forward towards his sister, "Get back some cream puffs! FRESHLY BAKED ONES!"

"Yeah, ok. You're paying me back half though."

"Sure."

"Alright, I'm going!"

"Safe trip Lil piece of shit."

"See you loser."

Kenma blinked as he stared at the new presence that he saw on the bleachers. He was vaguely sure that it was someone he knew, but at the same time, he didn't know since they were so far away.

He squinted and took a sip from his drink bottle. Nekoma had just finished their first game of the day, and were taking a break before their next game against Itachiyama Academy, one of the top schools for boys' volleyball alongside Fukurodani.

Is that Shiori? He questioned, leaning forward just slightly.

He saw them sit down in the front rows, near Fukurodani but not so close that she could be so easily seen. She was blending in with some other school students that decided to come watch.

Ah, that is Shiori.

"Kenma, who're you staring at?" Kuroo followed the pudding head's gaze, his expression turning into a sly little smirk. "I see, I see…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kenma gave Kuroo a funny look.

"Nothing." And then the scheming captain proceeding to look in her direction and wave.

"Huh?" The captain stopped halfway from doing a wave when he saw her do a cross with her arms and shake her head, putting a finger to her lips. She then pointed to Fukurodani's banner, then to herself, and covered her eyes, then made her arms into a cross shape again.

"Ooohhhhh!" The middle blocker nodded in understanding, nodding at her and saluting. She matched his salute.

"What was that?" The gamer asked.

"Shiori's here secretly to watch the games." Kuroo summed up.

"How did you get that from just watching her do gestures?" Kenma looked up to the girl to see that she was watching Fukurodani warming up for their match. He followed her gaze and saw that she was watching Komi do digs.

"She's watching them like a hawk. Scary." Kuroo commented with a light laugh.

"She's analysing their play. She did this when we had that practice match with Fukurodani." Kenma recalled. He was watching her that time, because she was so silent and seemed so engrossed compared to the others. He noticed she wasn't merely 'watching'.

"I guess so. Wonder why she's watching them so much." Kuroo hummed. He ended up sighing. "She knows we know she's here, so she'll see us go against Itachiyama." He rubbed the back of his neck. "That'll be tough."

"Yeah…" Kenma imagined all the tough plays that Itachiyama will be pulling.

Technically, they're not tough plays, but complete with the strength of one of the top 3 of the nation and the top high school libero, it's a little difficult, the situation they were in.

"Fukurodani's starting their match now. Let's go up and watch." Kuroo suggested to the team. He tilted his head up to the bleachers near where Shiori was, bringing the stuff up with him.

Shiori breathed a sigh of relief when Kuroo and Kenma didn't do anything to give away her position. She was happy that he understood what she meant without words. She tore her eyes away from the red team that were heading to the bleachers, training them on Fukurodani.

Her school's team was currently up against a team that she didn't know of. It wasn't the team that kept stuffing Bokuto.

They'll be the next team when they beat this one, then.

She observed the team members, looking at each and every one, seeing if they were in top forme. Most of them were, which relieved the 3rd year.

I'm looking forward to a good play!

The Fukurodani setter felt eyes boring into the back of his head. It wasn't just any normal stare, it was an intense one, as if they were scrutinising him under a microscope.

When he inconspicuously set a ball into Saru's field of spiking he took a quick glance to the side to see who it was. He hid his mild surprise and focused back on the warmup at hand.

…when did she come? Akaashi wondered. It motivated him just a tad more than usual; her turning up in secret without telling them.

He saw her making some weird gestures in a different direction and stifled an amused look, knowing that it was her way of trying to not get the other side to bring attention to her.

You're bringing enough attention as is, Shiori-san.

"Is…is Akaashi smiling?" Konoha questioned with a bewildered look on his face. He was sure that he saw an amused look on the younger male's face, but he wondered if he was seeing things.

"I think so…?" Washio was unsure.

"Is he that excited about seeing Bokuto and Saru spike?" The jack-of-all trades chuckled.

"Maybe…?"

"Nice seeing you here." Kuroo and Kenma sat behind Shiori. The other teammates sat on seats a bit further away, but they were eavesdropping on the conversation between the captain and the girl (Kuroo had told them to sit away so that it doesn't draw attention to her).

"Nice seeing you here too." Shiori didn't turn around to talk. She spoke just loud enough for them to hear while she watched her school play.

"I didn't know you were coming." Kuroo watched the game as well, seeing Bokuto score for the first time that day with a strong spike.

"No one was supposed to. It's a secret."

"I think Akaashi might have caught on." Kenma commented after a moment.

"Nah, I didn't see him look up here." Shiori added, "I'm just glad Bokuto hasn't found out yet. He'd make a huge fuss."

"Hah, he would." Kuroo chuckled.

"How was your first game?" Shiori changed the topic, seeing Bokuto do a quick. It scored them another point.

"We won. It was good." Kuroo nodded, opening a drink bottle.

"Tiring." Kenma muttered.

Shiori giggled, "It would be, wouldn't it? But you guys have another game soon, so take it easy and rest up."

"Since when were you this nice?" The rooster head enquired, leaning forward.

"I'm always this nice." She replied.

Kenma looked to Kuroo with a bland look.

"Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

"Guys, how do you think Kou is today?" Shiori suddenly asked. Just like before, she wasn't looking at those who she was addressing, but watching the game.

"Bokuto?" The captain looked to the dual colour haired male on the court, who was spiking crosses here and there. "He looks fine…for now."

Shiori stayed silent, examining the play. She leaned on her thighs and pressed a closed palm to her lips.

He's hitting too many crosses.

Her expression changed to a slight grimace.

Hope he doesn't go into his emo mode anytime soon.