Chapter IV
In the Middle of Spring
At the end of the day, Akari still hadn't cleared up Tobio's name.
"Listen up, everyone, I have an announcement to be made." She said as she stood up before the class earlier this morning. Every pair of eyes were set on her. As much as she'd gotten used to performing on the stage, she admitted she still found being stared at a bit uncomfortable sometimes, especially when she was playing the bearer of bad news. But, is it considered bad, to begin with? Wouldn't they pretty much be thankful that she wasn't dating?
"The thing is…" she swallowed her saliva nervously. Before she got the chance to continue, their homeroom teacher had already entered the classroom. The older woman was stunned for a moment to see her students sit down to welcome her. After getting so many complaints from other teachers, at last, her students could prove her wrong and looked like someone she could be proud of. It almost made her tear up on the spot… The homeroom then went on with her praising their manners nonstop.
Much to Akari's dismay, even though she failed to make her relationship with Tobio clear, leastwise, she could keep her classmates' chaotic behaviors under control for the time being. Only for the time being, though.
As expected, she could only restrain them for only a little while. It was time for English class again, and the teacher told the students to regroup with their previous partners and practice their speaking skills together.
Objected, one of the male students raised his hand, "Sensei, why don't we form a new group instead?"
"Why? Is your current partner giving you a hard time, Sugihara-kun?"
"Eh? No! Of course, not—"
"Then it won't be necessary," insisted the teacher. "What are you guys still seated for? Get moving!"
Akari watched the other students start to assemble with their partners, while she remained unmoved, sitting tight. Her gaze explored the room quietly, searching high and low for her partner who seemed to have gone missing. Where could he be? She wondered. There and then, the very idea crossed her mind. Could he be avoiding her…?
"Hey," Tobio came unannounced, dismissing the latter idea right away. His gaze shifted toward the seat in front of her, "Is that seat taken?"
"No. Miyano-san went over to her partner's just now."
Tobio sat down and groaned. "Seems like we'll be stuck with each other for a damn semester."
"You don't like it?"
He shrugged, "I don't hate it. You seem reliable, too, based on the last assignment you worked on alone. I just don't like it when people are getting the wrong idea about us, Hirose. Please don't take it personally."
She tilted her head to the side, curiosity drawn all over her face. "Why? Is there somebody you're having a crush on, Kageyama-kun?"
"What? No way!" His face reddened in a flash. "It's not about me, of course! Do you not realize that most of the male students in this class are after you, Hirose? J-Just how dense can you be?!"
"That's not very nice, Kageyama-kun!" Her lower lip protruded into a sulky pout. "Ah! Are you familiar with the term 'fan service' at all?"
"Never heard of it. What is that?"
"It is when an idol is giving back a reaction to their fans with loving and sometimes hilarious gestures. My fans usually go crazy when I do that!" A proud smile decorated her face, her eyes glistening.
As much as Tobio could care less about idols, he couldn't turn a deaf ear to the hearsay surrounding idol fans' fanatical behaviors. Not to mention, the last incident that involved him had opened his eyes even wider.
His hands propped his chin, intrigued. "What was the craziest thing you've ever done to your fans?"
"Err, so there was a fan signing event. I doubt you've ever been to one. But, as the name suggests, it's basically where fans can meet their idols and ask for their autographs. Any kind of interaction is expected, too, but only for a limited time since other fans will still be lining up to wait for their turns. So, it actually happened not too long ago. A fan came to me and proposed to me with a ring, and I said yes."
"Wait. What?" Tobio blinked twice, unable to conceal his surprise. "You were married before? And why the hell am I the only one getting a backlash now?"
She burst out laughing, her hands hurriedly covering her mouth afterward. "It was only a part of the fan service! Of course, I wasn't marrying him legally. My fan knew that as well."
However, Tobio began to falter in her words. If his memory served him correctly, he was sure she said that she loved her job from the bottom of her heart. But then, how could she regard a marriage proposal from her fan as a mere joke? Could it be that she was only passionate about music and not her fans?
There were still a lot of things about idol culture that he failed to make sense of.
"Were you being insincere, Hirose?"
"Where did you get that idea from, Kageyama-kun?"
"You accepted the marriage proposal without a second thought. But then, you said you were never married to anyone before."
"So, you were saying that you would only believe my sincerity if I got married to a fan? That's not how a fan service really works, Kageyama-kun." A soft giggle escaped her lips. "I love all my fans sincerely and equally. Since you asked what the craziest fan service I've done, I decided to tell the tale to you. Besides, before I made my debut, I kinda vowed to myself that I won't let myself fall for a fan. Because it will be unfair for the rest."
He raised his eyebrow, perplexed. "Not sure if I get it."
Suddenly, she held out her hands, placing them on top of his. Her eyes were staring deeply into his as if she was looking for something underneath. "Which part do you still not get it, Kageyama-kun?"
He retracted his hands spontaneously. His heart was beating against his chest erratically as blood pumped up to his cheeks. Panicked, he threw a glance at his surroundings. His classmates seemed to be engaged in conversation with their respective partners at the moment. Fortunately, no one had noticed. Phew.
"You fell for it!" Hysterical laughter filled the room. Akari managed to suppress it before she started to garner attention. "That's what you call a fan service! I wasn't named as the queen of fan service for nothing, after all."
His heart was still pounding in haste as if he'd dropped the ball after a long rally. Damn Hirose. Why hadn't he seen that coming?
"Shut up! I'm not even your fan, to begin with, so it doesn't count—"
"Hey, look! It looks like the vice-principal is fighting off some reporters outside the front gate!" One of their classmates pointed out, causing the other students to flock by the windows to see it with their very own eyes.
"You're right! They're bringing cameras and other equipment along! Are they filming us right now?"
"Damn, I'm so gonna wave at the camera so that my mom can see me on TV!"
"Haha. The wind is so strong. It almost blew off the vice principal's wig!"
"Leave! Or I'll call the police." Screamed the vice-principal at the top of his lungs. As he noticed the commotion he'd been handling had drawn the students' attention, he glanced up and yelled. "There's nothing to see here! Go back to class, you punk!"
"... You heard the vice-principal loud and clear." Minaho-sensei frowned, her hands on her hips reluctantly. "Now, get back to your seat. I'm going to call you one by one to practice conversation in front of the class."
Recalling they had only wasted plenty of time doing nothing but demonstrating a fan service (which had nothing to do with the speaking skills they were supposed to polish), Tobio turned to her. "Screw this. I'm not in the mood to—"
Before he managed to finish his sentence, she lifted her hand up as the teacher approached her.
"Sensei, can I step aside for a minute? I need to make a phone call."
The teacher nodded, giving her permission. As Akari exited the room without a word, Tobio could only watch her back disappear behind the door.
Seemingly, the rumors about him dating an idol had been spread around the school. The upperclassmen from the volleyball team appeared to take more interest in his (false) love life of 3 days than his 3-year experience as a former setter of Kitagawa Daiichi.
"So, you're the freshman who's dating Akari-chan, right?" Kinoshita bumped his shoulder into Tobio's, a teasing smile plastered on his face. "Why didn't you tell us what secret charm you used to seduce her?"
It wasn't the first time he'd gotten asked with one and the same question. At this point, he'd learned by heart the scenario he should come out with, "We aren't dating. The guy in those photos isn't me. We just happen to carry the same bag, that's all."
Abruptly, Sugawara slapped his back as he laughed out loud. "You're such a terrible liar, Kageyama!"
Of course, it was no use even if he tried to clarify or deny the dating rumors. Every now and then, he found himself glaring at the clock, finding fault with the time for not ticking by a bit faster so that the practice could begin immediately. While waiting for the other members to gather, he picked up a ball and decided to practice his jump serves. As he threw the ball up high in the air, he sprinted before he leaped up, allowing his palm to connect with the ball with brute force in order to dispatch it to the other side of the court. Eventually, he clicked his tongue in annoyance just when he found out the ball landed outside the court.
Tsukishima who was just passing by to get the other ball looked over his shoulder and smirked, "Looks like the King isn't able to concentrate well today. Single people like us can't relate."
"What?" Tobio only looked daggers at the four-eyed man, his fists itchy enough to punch anyone in the face.
"Hey, Tsukki! Didn't you say you and Hirose Akari were childhood friends? What was she like back then?" Yamaguchi spoke aloud, yet he was facing the other way as if he wasn't inviting Tobio to join the conversation.
"I only said I knew her brother. Our brothers were classmates before, and he used to visit my house all day." Revealed Tsukishima halfheartedly before walking away.
"What is it, what is it? What did I miss?" The other second year who shared the same haircut as Tanaka joined in. Even so, his demeanor showed signs of being the complete opposite of Tanaka.
"Warm-ups. You guys are missing warm-ups." Ennoshita added, giving a side-eye at the clock. "Let's not waste our time. You don't want to see Daichi-san beat the hell out of you, no?"
Without protest, the team obeyed as they gathered around, Ennoshita leading the stretches. In the middle of the warm-ups, the door opened, revealing Sawamura, Tanaka, and Hinata with their soaked hair and clothes. Seemingly, it had been raining heavily for a while now. The door was shut tightly, which had prevented any noise from leaking into the gym. Either that or Tobio was too irritated to get himself distracted. Probably the latter.
"Sorry for the late. You guys may carry on with your warm-ups." Sawamura, the captain turned to Hinata and Tanaka. "You guys still bring spare clothes, right? If not, Shimizu should've stored some in the club room."
"It's alright, Daichi-san! I arrived late. To make up for that, I'll go around another lap until my clothes get dry!" Hinata exclaimed.
"Hinata, dumbass!" Imitated Sugawara before stealing a glance at Tobio, "Am I doing it right?"
The practice continued until the heavy rain alleviated, leaving drizzle only.
"Thanks for your hard work today, everyone!" Sawamura exclaimed. "The gym will be locked until tomorrow, so go straight home after this."
"But, Daichi-san—"
"No buts, Hinata." He sighed rather heavily, "And not you too, Kageyama."
Tsukishima scoffed, "Don't you guys have anything better to do other than volleyball? Like homework, maybe?"
Before Hinata came at Tsukishima, the vice-captain managed to hold his arm up, causing his body to hover over the ground. "Tsukishima's right, Hinata. We're all dead beat already, so no fighting today, please?"
"Anybody wants to stop by Sakanoshita? It's my treat today." Tanaka announced.
"Me, me, me! Pork buns are perfect for rainy days." Hinata raised his hand enthusiastically, hopping around like a bunny.
"How about you, Kageyama? Are you coming or not?"
Tobio rummaged his bag to discover his textbook was missing. "You guys go ahead without me. I think I left my homework in the classroom."
"Got it. See ya there!"
Tobio wasted no time in picking up his textbook. But then, just when he was putting his indoor shoes back into his locker, a voice he could barely recognize called him.
"Kageyama-kun," it was Takagaki, Akari's manager. "Sorry for disturbing you. Do you happen to know where Akari-chan went?"
He shrugged in all honesty, "I don't know. But the class was already empty the last time I checked. Have you tried phoning her?"
"I have, but it seems her phone is off right now." The older man massaged his temples frustratingly. "Damn that girl... Why does she always have her phone off at a time like this?"
That can't be helped… What is the wisest course of action to take? He reviewed each alternative on his mind. A) Tell that he's in a hurry because he has someone waiting for him, which is true, and B) Offer a helping hand because that's the basic empathy he should have shown…?
"Do you have time, Kageyama-kun? Can you somehow lend me a hand? As you might've noticed, many reporters have been wandering around the school gate since this morning. I can't let them find her first before I do."
Oh, no. It's been decided already. Not even by himself.
"I'll help, don't worry."
He was the one who should be worried! The last time he associated himself with Akari, he chanced upon a stalker who carried around a folding knife as if it was a bottle of water! Who would he encounter next?
A moment ago. The rain had subdued a little when Akari decided to break through. She realized how the reporters had started camping out the school gate earlier today. Even if the vice-principal had tried his best to hold them back—those reporters of strong will did not falter. She had also done her best on her terms, although her best here was to make contact with her agency, clueing them in on the situation. Still, the best they could offer was to dispatch her manager to the scene as if it made any difference.
Yet, she didn't get to meet Takagaki in the end.
No one had expected the rain would fall in the middle of spring. As much as she didn't expect the rain to be her knight in shining armor. Thanks to the rain, the reporters began to disperse to take shelter, prioritizing their cameras and other expensive equipment over a sole idol group member. At first, an idea to push through the heavy rain came across her mind, but it was too much of a risk with no return. Moreover, she didn't bring any umbrella along. Her sister wouldn't be very pleased if she came home all soaked and ended up catching a cold.
Her return trip was almost too peaceful. No passerby could be spotted even. Unlike Tokyo, whose residents would still persist in crossing the busy streets with an umbrella in hand. Having said that, she didn't let her guard down a bit. Although being cautious didn't lessen the fear of terror she visualized in the back of her mind. Unknowingly, her pace accelerated even if she was certain that no one was behind her. It's only you. You make things up. There's nothing to be scared of. She assured herself. Yet, her heart rate kept elevated as time went by as if it could stop any minute now.
"Akari-chan…?"
A familiar voice, but not the one she hoped to hear at the moment.
"Togashi-kun…?" She hesitated, her voice shaking. "What are you doing here?"
No, Togashi-kun is an ally. In fact, she knew him pretty well. He was a long-time fan of hers. Not as long as the stalker she came across the other day, but long enough for her to know his name, recognize his face, and learn about his background. Togashi enrolled in Tokyo University this year, which makes him 3 years older than her. He was a diligent and achieving student overall, proven by his academic background. He also admitted that listening to Pink Panthers' music helped him deal with stress and pressure he got from his parents, hence he became an avid fan. He came to almost all of their concerts and fan meetings, sometimes, he also went to the airport to send his favorite idol group off when they had overseas schedules. During that time, he would hand a fan letter to Akari who happened to be his best-loved member.
If truth be told, Akari learned about all this information through the fan letters he sent. She didn't get the chance to write him back personally, but it didn't make her cherish him any less. She cherished all her fans wholeheartedly, all the same.
As much as she wanted to believe that Togashi wouldn't try anything that could harm her in a way, his drenched hair and dripping attire caused her to falter.
She wasn't suspicious of Togashi until now.
"Akari-chan... I came all the way here just to see you." A devilish grin decorated his face. "Why are you so surprised?"
She squeezed the hem of her skirt harder, hesitating to back off. "How may I help you, Togashi-san?"
Yet, he kept moving forward, his eyes gazing down into hers. "Are you cheating on me, Akari-chan? How dare you… How dare you!"
Spontaneously, Akari shut her eyes when Togashi lifted up his hand, about to give her a slap across the cheek. However, his palm never landed on her cheek. She mustered up enough courage to open her eyes only to find Tobio holding up Togashi's hand in the air.
Togashi pulled away from his grip, "You're the guy Akari-chan's been cheating with."
"Stop being delusional, you freak. You're just a fan. You don't own her."
Author's note: Yo, this is longer than I intended to :') let's say I wrote this longer to make up for my absence? Hope you don't mind I added another OC! Don't have to memorize all their names since they won't play a bigger role in the future except for Takagaki maybe (heck, the name is kinda hard. I forget his name too from time to time. Blame the name generator I used lol) Hope you like it so far~ a bit fluff here, anyone? Also, HAIKYUU SEASON 4 HAIKYUU SEASON 4. I can't say that enough I love everything the show has to offer...
Oh, I got a review! It's always exciting to receive one hehe so here's my reply
Lena D. Emma: Thank you for loving it and even appreciating my absurd idea! I thought at first including an idol character in a sports anime/manga is a huge gamble but thanks for making it worth the risk hehe also, shout out to google translate for removing this language barrier! Hope you like the update ^^
