Current Concern: Not a single girl seems to get just how cool her lil bro is!
- Haikyuu! Wiki page
Tanaka Saeko was a doting and proud older sister, even though her affections were often rejected by her sibling due to embarrassment. Even so, she loves him all the same.
She thought her younger brother, Tanaka Ryunosuke, was the coolest younger brother a sister could have.
The problem? Other girls didn't seem to think so!
She wondered why that was. He was cool! She helped raise him after all!
He played volleyball and he was darn good at it too! She had been to a couple of his matches before and he definitely looked cool when he spiked the ball.
He might have been a little rough around the edges, but he was a gentleman at heart.
So, what was the issue? He was kind, he was fit, and he was cool!
Sure, he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he had plenty of other redeeming traits that made up for his poor grades!
Was it that he was loud? But why would any girl want a guy that's too soft-spoken? That kind of guy would never stand up for himself or for his girl!
Maybe it's because he's too cool? And girls are intimidated by his overwhelming coolness? Well, in that case, that's fine because Saeko only wanted the best girl for Ryu and that would be a girl that's just as cool as him – if not cooler!
Just when she was starting to get a little more concerned about it, she noticed a few changes in Ryu. He looked at his phone more often, he daydreamed frequently, and he had this goofy look on his face a lot of the time at home.
For some time, Saeko thought nothing of it until she heard some words. One night, the boy started running around and yelling in the middle of night. It was hard to tell what he was saying, but she could've sworn she heard something along the lines of 'cute' and 'girlfriend.'
After yelling at him to be quiet because it was late, she decided to ask him about it but he just shut himself in his room saying that he had to get sleep for a 'super important match that could decide my fate!'
She just let it go but eventually, she heard something again about a 'girlfriend.' One weekend, a bunch of his friends came over to study together for their upcoming final exams. Saeko got to see Nishinoya who was as cool as ever and Ennoshita who was most certainly the boss of the second-years.
During that study session, she heard Nishinoya ask Ryu about his 'super cute girlfriend.' Later that night, she asked him why she had never heard of this girl before. He revealed that their relationship was new and hadn't been going on for long.
When asked about meeting her, Ryu grew flustered and adamantly refused, stating that Saeko would just embarrass him. She pouted, but just let it go since she would see his girlfriend soon enough.
And soon she did.
Except, she didn't expect to meet her like this.
Currently, Saeko was standing in the doorway. She looked on at the scene before her with wide eyes and open mouth.
A girl with long black hair and face as red as a stop sign was on the floor. She looked to be pinned by Ryu, who was hovering over her. The two had the same kind of face that the blonde did.
Saeko stared at Ryu and Tsukiko, who stared back at her.
Tsukiko was the first to react in extreme embarrassment. She squeaked, quickly closed her eyes tight, and used both her hands to cover her face. Saeko didn't think it was possible, but the shy girl got even more red.
Her actions snapped the Tanaka siblings out of it. Immediately pushing himself off of Tsukiko and lifting his hands in the air, he cried out. "S-Sis! I can explain!" Before he did, Saeko strode over to the couple and put herself protectively in front of Tsukiko.
"Ryu! You can't just force yourself on a girl even if you love her! She'll be ready for this when she's ready! I raised you better than this!" She pointed an accusing finger at him.
He had a look of complete and utter confusion. "What are you talking about?! This is a misunderstanding! I was just hugging her and we fell!" "So, you were forcing yourself on her!" They continued to have this back and forth banter for some time before the misunderstanding was finally cleared.
After they all calmed down, Saeko seated herself directly in front of Tsukiko. The shy girl was staring down at her balled hands laid in her lap. She couldn't meet Saeko's impenetrable gaze.
"Hmm, she sure is cute!" Saeko mentioned. She noticed how modest the girl seemed. Perfectly primped and showing minimal skin. Wearing jeans in this weather! They may have been light, but it wouldn't kill her to wear a skirt, would it?
"Of course, she's cute!" Ryu responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world, causing Tsukiko to blush again. "Can you leave now? We were studying!"
Ignoring his response, Saeko just waved him away. "How could you have a guest over and not offer any tea or snacks? Come on, Ryu! Go prepare some tea. Oh, and get me a Home Run ice cream bar!" She pushed him out of the room and slammed the door, paying no attention to his protests.
She turned back around to face Tsukiko, the girl flinching. "So, you're the girlfriend! I'm Tanaka Saeko, Ryu's older sister! What's your name?"
"K-Kita Tsukiko!" The blonde laughed at this. "No need to be nervous! I won't bite!"
"I-I'm just sh-shy…" Saeko gently smiled at the girl and propped her head on one hand. "Hmm, so you like my brother, right?" She hummed.
Tsukiko gave a small nod, but Saeko could see that there was no hesitation in it. "What do you like about him? He's cool, isn't he?" She wasn't asking to be mean. Her voice held nothing but excitement, having finally found a girl that gets just how cool her lil bro is.
Tsukiko nodded again, but more openly. She was steadily growing more comfortable around the older girl with her energetic responses. She and Tanaka were certainly siblings.
"Have you seen any of his volleyball games?" At one of Tsukiko's nods, Saeko continued. "Doesn't he look cool when he spikes? Doesn't he!" The shy girl almost giggled at his sister's eagerness.
"H-He does…but I think T-Tanaka-senpai looks c-coolest when he shouts w-whatever is on his mind w-without worrying about what o-others think…" Tsukiko wasn't looking at anything in particular, her gaze set on the table but her eyes glossed over. She had the gentlest look on her face, her lips set in a small smile. Saeko could tell that the young girl was reminiscing, the look of admiration and adoration clear on her face.
The older of the two had wide eyes and her mouth was slightly open. It was easy to see that Tsukiko's interest in her brother was much more than superficial. Confirming this, Saeko smiled fondly at the girl. She could see why Ryu was so infatuated now.
At the silence, Tsukiko jumped back into reality. "S-Sorry! I-I was just th-thinking about how I-I want to be m-more open l-like Tanaka-senpai!"
Saeko just gave a boisterous laugh. "You're real cute, ain'tcha Tsukiko-chan! Ryu got a real good catch! Lucky him!" She laughed further at Tsukiko's blushing face.
"I-I'm the one that's l-lucky…" Suddenly the door slid open, revealing Ryu with a tray of snacks and a tea set. "S-Stop harassing my girlfriend!" His sister just pouted at him.
"I'm not harassing her! We're just having some girl talk!" He didn't acknowledge her and spoke to Tsukiko. "If she says anything weird, you can just ignore her." He said as he placed the snacks and tea onto the table.
Saeko huffed and grabbed the Home Run ice cream bar from the tray. Biting into it, she said, "It's not like I get to do this often with only a brother you know! It would've been great if I had an adorable sister like Tsukiko-chan!" Ryu just gave her a look that made Tsukiko giggle.
"I-If I had an older sister like S-Saeko-san, I think i-it would be really f-fun!" There was nothing wrong with her compliment, but its underlying implications made Ryu's cheeks brighten and his thoughts ran wild.
If they ever got married, then Saeko really would be her older sister too. Married…The possibility was so far off in the future but it exhilarated him. Of course, Tsukiko probably didn't realize this at all when she said it, but that didn't stop the boy from fantasizing. He wondered how beautiful she would look in her wedding dress…
Before he got in too deep, he scrambled for a change of topic. "Y-You wouldn't want a sister like her! Trust me!" "Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?" The two siblings fell into their normal bickering, with Tsukiko giggling on the sidelines.
After they settled, Saeko put her chin between her fingers in a thinking pose. "I wonder what cute nickname I should call you, Tsukiko-chan! 'Tsukiko-chan' is just too long for me. Hmm…Does anybody call you 'Tsu-chan'?"
Tsukiko nodded. "M-My father calls me that. Th-The Student Council President c-calls me 'Ki-chan.'" Saeko hummed again. "Then let's not go with those…"
Ryu took a swig of water while his sister thought, not really intending to contribute to his sister's antics. Suddenly, an idea came to her and she struck her right fist into her left palm like one would in a game of rock-papers-scissors. "Ah! I got it! How about 'Tsukki'?"
The second-year boy immediately spit out his drink. "Geh! Gross!" Saeko shouted out. Saeko hadn't met any of his first-year teammates yet, so he knew she had no ill intentions. However, that didn't stop the chill that ran down his spine.
Ryu desperately grabbed her shoulders, almost shaking her in place. "Sis! I'm begging you. Please don't call her that…"
She just blinked a few times in confusion. "Eh? Why not? I think it's cute!" He looked at her pleadingly. "Just please don't! I won't ask you for anything else!" "Ryu, you're being weird!"
Also a bit confused, Tsukiko just watched as the boy begged his sister, even going so far as to kowtow to her.
It was dark by the time the couple had decided to walk back to Tsukiko's home. They walked in comfortable silence until they were a block away. "Hey, Tsukiko-chan…" Tanaka started, causing her to look up at him as they walked.
"I-I didn't mean to eavesdrop…but I heard some of the things you and my sister were talking about…" Tsukiko was about to say that all was fine when she remembered just exactly what they were discussing. She stuttered over her words, unable to properly utter anything.
Tanaka chuckled as they stopped in front of her house. He gently grabbed her hands into his own, causing her to heat up even more. He gave her a tender look. "I just want to say thanks and…if you think you're lucky, then we must be the luckiest couple in the world."
After hesitating for a few moments, he closed his eyes and slowly began leaning in. Tsukiko stiffened, realizing the situation. They were about to kiss?! Does she close her eyes!? Does she not?! Wait! Isn't this a little fast!? They hadn't even held hands yet, not even on their way here! Hold on! What were the four bases again?!
All of her thoughts and worries disappeared as soon as his lips met hers. Without even knowing it, her shoulders relaxed, her eyes slipped closed, and she tipped her head up a bit more.
It probably only lasted for a second, if even, but it felt like an eternity for the two of them. Even then, they felt as though it were still too short.
They pulled away from each other, but their foreheads touched. Tanaka squeezed her hands once more and completely pulled away before he couldn't control himself. "G-Goodnight!"
Tsukiko nodded, her voice caught in her throat. She walked through the front door of her house and leaned against it for a couple minutes. When she was finally stable, she walked further into the house but was stopped by her father's voice. "Tsukiko…"
He almost never used her full first name. It was always just 'Tsu-chan.' She looked up at him, his face completely straight – one that she rarely ever saw – and she grew concerned. "That…outside…just now…"
"…What was that?"