Author's Note: I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! It's pretty hard coping up with the pandemic and all and it gets pretty busy over here because of work I barely had time to write. :( I have managed 2 chapters in so far, so in the meantime I hope you enjoy! If you tell me what you think in the comments, I might make more time to add more. ;)
Chapter 12
Aimi looked out the window of her classroom, staring into the open field below as students slowly filled the empty space. Her classes were currently on the last period of the day and it couldn't have felt any longer. Lost in thought, she showed no trace of bothering to even listen at the teacher lecturing in front as her mind drifted back to last night's events.
Having caught momentarily off guard by what Kise had just said, she looked dumbly back at him.
"What...?" She manages to reply.
"I figured I'd just find another way to handle those girls without having to trouble you. Besides, now that Akashicchi seems to show signs that he still has feelings for you I don't think there's any reason to keep on convincing him that you've already moved on with another man right?" He tells her casually, as if they're talking about something as normal as the weather. "After all, you also seem to still have feelings for him no?"
Aimi wanted to deny it, but somehow deep inside she knew that Akashi still affected her. What kind of feelings still left for the red head however, she did not know what.
Her confused reaction seemed to convince the blonde on his decision. He immediately smiled cheerfully and released a carefree yawn as he stretched his arms up into the air. "Man, I'm beat. I'll go on ahead Aicchi. See you tomorrow at practice!"
"W-wait!" The white haired girl called out before he went ahead. "That thing that happened earlier in the locker room... Um..."
Why was she at a loss for words? She just wanted to ask why he kissed her, yet it suddenly felt so hard to do so.
Fortunately, Kise was able to read her mind. "Oh, that? Sorry, I think I just got too caught up in the moment, with all the pressure and all. Please don't get mad at me! We're still friends, right?"
Aimi blinked and continued staring. Yeah, friends. That's right. She figured since he always had girls flocking over him that it was in his nature being a playboy type after all. She should have been angry for playing with her like that, but why wasn't she? And what is with this tight feeling she had in her chest all of a sudden?
Friends. Yes, they were still friends. Just friends. They were just pretending to be a couple anyway.
"Right..."
"Aiiiiiiiimi chan!" Yui yelled out so loud she felt like her eardrums bursted.
"What is it? You don't need to shout at my face you know." Aimi glared snapping out of her stupor.
Her team mate huffed and crossed her arms. "Well if you'd respond the first time I called you I wouldn't have to. Classes have already ended and almost everyone had already left. Don't you have to go over to the basketball gym today?"
Realizing the time, she immediately put away all her stuff and walked briskly towards the door. "Thanks." She muttered to the short haired girl and left without waiting for her.
Kaijo's next match was against Seirin. The team was in high spirits that afternoon as everyone was more serious than the usual during training. Kise greeted her casually, noticing that he was back to subtly distancing himself and appearing less clingy like he had been the past few days. When practice finally ended, she handed her reports to the coach and started to grab her bag to leave.
"Huh, are you already leaving Taka chan? Aren't you gonna wait for Kise?" Moriyama asked when he saw the girl about to head out of the gym.
"Oh, it's fine I can walk home on my own anyway." She smiled.
"But he usually walks you home after practice. Don't tell me you two are fighting again." He scolds, although it was more directed to the blonde rather than her.
"It's fine!" She assures the senior. "Besides, there's no reason for him to do that anyway. Right, Ryota kun?"
She noticed the blonde stiffen for a tiny bit upon hearing her back to using honorifics but immediately shifted back to his relaxed demeanor.
"Right, um yeah. We kinda already broke up." He tells the others.
To say everyone was surprised by the piece of news was a bit of an understatement. Most of them stopped in their tracks. Hayakawa even had his mouth open as he stared back and forth from her to the blonde.
"Oi Kise! What are you playing at?" Kasamatsu glared at him, demanding an explanation as well as the rest of the boys.
The blonde raised both hands in front of him, stepping back to avoid getting a possible beating from his senior. "I'm not playing senpai! It's the truth!"
She did not know why she needed to help him, after all she did not know if she was upset anyway. Was she?
"He's telling the truth, senpai. But we're good. It was a mutual decision." She smiles at the rest of the boys, acting like what they just learned wasn't that much of a big deal. This earned her astonished looks but she managed to appear unbothered as she proceeded to wave them goodbye. "Well, then. I'm off. I gave the coach all the additional info you guys need to watch out for on your upcoming match against Seirin. I might not be able to make it since I have a match that time as well, but I'll be wishing all of you luck and you better win!"
Everything seemed to gradually return to how her normal daily routine used to be back from before. Of course, the student body eventually learned of their break up as expected. More gossip and whispers about what happened to her and the blonde started to erupt which really did not surprise her.
"I knew it. Kise kun maybe realized finally that she wasn't that good enough for her. I was actually surprised they started going out in the first place." One of the girls from her class said to another.
Aimi ignored them. She was used to people bashing her anyway. That's what they were all good at. Though they better not make a mistake on trying to do something to her, for her last encounter with a couple of mean girls from back then would definitely be the first and last. She was an ice queen after all, and no one would better dare to mess with her if they didn't want to be on the receiving end of those cold glares.
"Don't you people have anything better to talk about?!" Yui, as always, came to the rescue.
The girls shot her friend dirty looks as they all began to leave to probably find a better spot to continue their useless gossip. Yui, Reika and Miu were also surprised at the news of their sudden break up, but when they tried to inquire what happened one time during lunch she coldly dismissed them and said that it just happened.
'We're still friends.' That was all she told them.
They didn't want to pester her with it, seeing that she was usually colder than the usual whenever the topic was brought up. They weren't idiots though. No matter how casually she tried to act unbothered about it, they just knew that it was affecting her more than it showed.
Kise's fangirls had increasingly come out of hiding. They began flocking around him once again especially during breaks which were frankly impossible to ignore by any passerby. Aimi however didn't appear to look bothered whenever she crossed paths with such a sight. At least that's what she made it seem to appear as she barely spared a glance towards the boy whenever she saw him surrounded by them.
The truth was, she didn't know what she was feeling. She knew that she always had this tight feeling on her chest that sometimes made her hard to breathe. Was she angry? Was she hurt? She always found herself thinking over and over about it and about her lingering feelings for Akashi, but whenever the thought of having to ponder about it crosses her mind she stubbornly refuses to continue doing so.
Unfortunately, her constant denial made her unconsciously unstable. During the day of her next volleyball match, she seemed off. Her suppressed feelings had taken a toll on her and she refused to admit it so instead she channeled it all into her playing. She was playing aggressively during today's match, which was actually what was needed anyway since their current opponent was giving them a hard time.
The opposing team was already on match point as everyone pushed to give it their all on an intense rally. It was a do or die situation.
With one swift spike, their opponent slammed the ball into their court causing their libero to barely save it as it spun wildly out of bounds. Desperately trying to save it, Aimi had done the unthinkable. She dashed furiously towards the ball's direction as she jumped forward to reach it, successfully making a fast and super long set up from outside the court. Everyone was astonished by her managing to pull off such a feat, watching the ball land perfectly towards the spiker's palms as the ball slammed back perfectly towards the other side earning her team the victory. It was't however without a price.
After tossing the ball, Aimi landed the wrong way and went crashing backwards towards the referee table. After the whistle was blown signaling the end of the match, she found herself unable to get up. Her right leg felt numb for a while when she felt a sharp pain radiate from her ankle.
"Aimi chan!" Rina yelled as she rushed towards her. "Are you in pain? Where does it hurt?"
Giving her captain a weak smile, she forced herself up with all her might with the help of her team mates as she slings her hand over Yui's shoulder. "I'm fine, senpai. But I think I sprained my ankle."
Back at the locker room, Aimi had her leg laid properly on the benches while the coach examined her foot. Afterwards, one of her team mates was instructed to hand over the bandages.
"You're lucky it's just a mild sprain, Takamoto. I'm glad you earned us this win but you have to be more careful next time." She tells the white haired girl. "Unfortunately, I can't have you playing during the finals. I won't risk it."
Although everyone was supposed to be celebrating their victory, the room went quiet due to the revelation. Everyone knew that losing Aimi for the upcoming game will greatly affect their chances to win. Even she knew it too. She wanted to play so bad. Like any other athlete passionate about the sport they love, she badly wanted to win nationals. But then she blew it, all because her mind was too messed up to make better judgements.
"Now, now everyone! What's with those faces? We just won, and all thanks to Aimi over here! Are we just gonna show her that we're already accepting defeat when we've already come this far?" Rina suddenly said. She then looked over to the white haired girl who now had her face hidden from her hair as she had her head lowered.
Patting the girl's head, the captain smiled softly. "Thank you for your hard work, Aimi chan."
Tears slowly rolled down Aimi's face. It was not only because of the current situation, but also because of everything she had been trying so hard to bottle up inside her. She was frustrated, angry, hurt, and confused. She kept replaying in her mind what Akashi told her. Emotions are a weakness. Indeed, it made her weak. That's why she vowed to herself that she would never let anyone see her as weak. For the weak are losers, and losers end up being thrown away.
And it hurt so bad.
Her foot was now cleanly wrapped in a bandage. Once everyone had finished packing, Yui carefully assisted her as they walked towards the gym's exit.
"Thank you Yui, but you don't need to take me home. I'll just probably call my mom to have her inform the staff in our apartment and take a cab." She tells her friend.
"You don't need to. I already called someone." The girl says.
Aimi raised her eyebrows wondering what she meant when suddenly they came to a stop to meet someone waiting for them.
Right there standing in front was Kise. His team had just finished their game with Seirin when he received a text message from Yui, informing him that Aimi was injured from their match and that she needed someone to take her home. He knew that the white haired girl probably didn't know about her friend telling him, but he couldn't deny that he was concerned for her well being.
"Kise! Where are you going in such a hurry? We still need to hold a meeting." Kasamatsu informed the blonde seeing him rushing towards the locker room's door.
He didn't bother what his team mates would think, his priority right now was to get to her. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he couldn't ignore what he already realized he had been feeling for the white haired girl. He knew however that she probably didn't feel the same which was why he tried his best to hold back. She kept pushing him away after all. Not only that, but she seemed to always fall into harm because of him. His fangirls were one thing, but what happened to her with Haizaki was a whole different story. Besides, he could see that she still had feelings left for Akashi even though she always tried to deny it as well.
"Aicchi got injured during her match. I need to get to her." He tells his captain.
The serious look on his eyes as if saying that he won't be taking no for an answer was enough for Kasamatsu to just let out a deep sigh in return. "Go."
"Broke up my ass." Hayakawa muttered after the blonde had left.
Their captain only chuckled knowingly and smirked. "Those two are just as equally stubborn." He only shook his head afterwards at the rest.
"Ryota kun." Aimi could only say upon spotting the blonde. "What are you doing here?"
Turning towards her friend who had her on the shoulders, Yui smiled sheepishly and massaged the back of her neck with her other free hand.
"Um. I kinda told him about your injury..." The short haired girl tells her.
Aimi definitely wanted to strangle her if not for her current handicap. She shot her a knowing glare and sighed as she turned back to address Kise.
"I'm fine Ryota kun. I can handle as much as going home. You don't need to come with me." She told him while she tried to stand on her own, absolutely failing in the process.
Kise quickly reached out a hand to catch her from falling. With a frustrated sigh, he grabbed her arm and turned around so she faced his back as he crouched down. "Stop being so stubborn. Anyone could see that you can't so just shut up and let me help you."
His words left her shocked that she allowed him to guide her as she grabbed on to his neck and lifted them both up, carrying her with ease at his back.
Aimi hid the blush that was now creeping on her cheeks. The position she was caught in was slightly awkward, feeling her chest pressed onto the boy's back. She knew he probably felt it, but he gave no sign whatsoever of any reaction towards the matter.
"So how did your game go with Tetsuya kun?" She asked to break the deafening silence between them.
Kise remained silent for a moment and suddenly lowered his head.
"We lost." He muttered.
Although she could not see his face, she could feel the depression coming out of him from his voice. Feeling the urge to comfort the blonde, she wrapped her arms around his neck a bit tighter.
"I'm sorry." She whispered to his ear softly.
She felt him give a slight wince before returning to his normal expression. "You should worry more about yourself in your current state. I suppose you won't be allowed to play at the finals, it must be hard for you."
Aimi did not give him a response, but he saw her clench her fists from the side as her arms still wrapped around him. The boy adjusted his hold on her thighs, giving her a slight nudge as he lifted her more properly.
"I don't think I have already told you this, but a sad face doesn't really suit you." He told her.
When they reached her apartment, he helped her all the way to her room and sat her down on the bed.
"Thanks." She muttered.
They stared at each other for a moment before Kise broke eye contact and shifted his hands in his pockets. "So... I'll just be heading out now."
Before he could reach the doorway, Aimi had finally spoken up.
"How have you been lately?" She asked, loud enough for him to hear.
The blonde turned around, raising an eyebrow slightly since he did not expect the question. "Same old." He shrugged. "What about you?"
She shrugged the same way. "Nothing much, except for this stupid sprain that I have to live with for the next few days."
Smiling softly, Kise slowly made his way back towards the bed and sat beside her. "When I received the text from Yui san, I was worried."
"You shouldn't be." She told him immediately. "It's just a little sprain anyways."
"I guess I'm in no position to lecture you. Coach made me sit out for the first half of the game because I overworked my leg. Although, I have to say that this is so unlike you Aicchi. You don't usually make careless decisions like this even if it's during a tough game." He chuckled.
"Well... I had a lot on my mind lately." She murmured.
The blonde paused for a moment. He seemed to be hesitant before responding. "Is it about Akashicchi?"
Unable to look at him in the eye, she settled for his feet instead. "I think so."
She didn't lie, but she wasn't exactly telling the entire truth either. She didn't know what went on Kise's mind. Then again, she couldn't understand what's up with hers as well.
"Guess he really never loses, huh?" He muttered then finally stood up. "Aicchi. If I told you right now that I like you, what will you say?"
Caught off guard by the sudden act of what she thought was a possible confrontation, Aimi hesitated for a moment before finally answering. "I'd say you're probably just shitting me."
She really wanted to slap herself then and there. What was wrong with her? That was clearly an attempt on a confession, yet she went on denying it. Again. But it was for the best, she thought. It would be unfair to him if she still had mixed emotions that she couldn't come to terms with. She knew that she needed to fix her current dilemma first before thinking of anything else.
"I see." The blonde muttered, then resorted back to the carefree and cheerful guy he had usually been when acting around her. "Well then, see you at school!"
With that, he left without looking back.