Alarm clock. The dawn's soft hues in the sky.
Groans and mumbles. Tired girls.
Bickering to see who would be using the shower first.
This was Katharine's reality as captain of the North American Women's Youth volleyball team. Or at least, it had been her reality for the last four days of training camp. That morning, it had been the noise from the busy streets of Tokyo that had to awaken her from her slumber. Tokyo was a city of a great many qualities, but it certainly wasn't a place to relax and sleep peacefully. Katharine had woken up a while before her smartphone's alarm was set to ring and she had taken this opportunity to get up and use the shower before her teammates. She would never admit to this to herself, but she needed those precious minutes alone in the morning to psyche herself for a day of training. Although she had never expected to enjoy the sound of Maria's snoring or Elizabeth's mumbling in her sleep, Katharine was an only child and for the last week, she had missed the silence she was used to at home.
As she dried her dark hair with her towel, she heard Maria groan in her sleep, her messy curly brown hair covering her face. Before long, her alarm clock awoke the rest of her team. Maria hit her head on the railing of the upper bump bed and quickly rubbed her forehead.
'Oh, for fuck's sake!' she whined. 'That hurt!' she cried out, lying down again. Katharine chuckled at her best friend's clumsiness.
'Good morning, little miss sunshine.' she replied to her friend, who seemed now very grumpy.
'Cállate, Katharine!' she groaned. Zofia threw her a pillow. 'I can't stand this room any longer! It's been five days camping with you lot! I'm over it.' she said, reaching out for her phone and groaned again when she saw the time. 'And I can't stand waking up so early. And most of all…' she said, as she looked up at Elizabeth, who seemed to fall back asleep.
'I can't stand her talking in her sleep anymore! Your mumbling and fumbling in the night… it's so damn annoying. I guess you make up for you being mute in the day during the night - unfortunately for all of us.'
Elizabeth frowned and smirked. 'I have a brain. It works when I sleep at night. You should try it.'
Zofia chimed in. 'Yeah, you wouldn't know about that, Maria. You know, brain stuff.' she added playfully. 'Not since you met you-know-who, anyway.' This seemed to tick off the Mexican libero in return, putting the pressure of the small argument off of Elizabeth's shoulders.
Katharine hasn't failed to notice just how sometimes, just sometimes, Zofia would subtly protect Elizabeth from others' mockery and harsh words. Katharine never mentioned anything to the Polish-American spiker about this but deep down, even if they fought a lot, Zofia cared deeply for Elizabeth and it seemed only she could bother the curly-haired Texan setter. It was a relief to know that Elizabeth would have some kind of protection when the rest of the team would not be around her and silently thanked Zofia for being there for her and to be her friend amidst being annoyed with the Texan setter most of the time.
'What did you just say, Zofia?' she asked, evidently trying to make Zofia repeat herself. The blue-eyed Polish American spiker snickered again.
'I said your brain hasn't been functioning properly ever since you met Tobio Ka-ge-ya-ma.' she said, pronouncing Tobio's last name very slowly, enunciating every syllable to taunt her libero teammate. Katharine glanced at Maria, who now wore a furious blush on her freckled caramel-colored cheeks.
'This has nothing to do with this.' she said, her voice firmly resonating in the room. Arissa and Elia got up and grabbed their towels and headed towards the bathroom, laughing. Katharine knew that if Arissa and Elia joined in the small altercation, their neighbors would soon knock on the door to ask what the ruckus was all about. But she was too slow to react.
'Oh, don't worry about the ball, Tobio-kun! I'll pass it to you!' said Arissa, imitating Marie during practice. Marie turned her head around, her cheeks now flushed red. Elizabeth sighed and rolled her face on her pillow, exasperated by the girls' banter.
'Oh, I'm sorry Tobio-kun, I'll get it next time!' continued Elia as the twins snickered their way to the bathroom door and closed it.
Maria hid her face in her pillow and squealed in embarrassment.
'You guys are not funny! I sound like a complete idiot!' she said, hiding her deepening blush as Katharine sighed. Zofia had enough of this conversation and brought Elizabeth along with her downstairs, to the main lobby, to buy snacks from the array of vending machines. Katharine took this opportunity to walk to her libero's single bed and sat next to her, patting her back as Maria kept her face well hidden behind her pillow, unwilling to show her face.
'Listen to me, amiga. I can see the, uh, attraction. I mean, Tobio is very serious about his professional career as a volleyball player, no doubt about it. The girls are being jerks right now because you let them see that you're embarrassed. Don't be. If only you knew who Zofia had a crush on in elementary school, you'd be the one laughing.' she whispered to Maria, who slowly removed the pillow from her face and shyly looked at her captain.
'Was he ugly?' Maria asked, slightly curious. Katharine grinned. 'Well, he is now.' she replied as growing grins appeared on their faces.
'You always know what to say to make me feel better, chikita.' said Maria, gently nudging her teammate's arm. Katharine returned to her bed and checked her emails while Maria brushed her long curly brown locks.
'Now's not the time for me to be distracted by a boy. A big, strong, Japanese volleyball player-' she inhaled and exhaled deeply. '-is not an excuse to lose my focus. My abuelo would chew me out right about now...' she repeated to herself, trying to persuade her own rebellious mind to stop thinking about Tobio Kageyama, prodigy setter of Karasuno High School. But Katharine giggled mockingly again, looking at Maria with playful eyes.
'But his eyes, though.' she quietly said to Maria as she narrowed her brown eyes at Katharine. Her captain's continued taunts were not well received by the Mexican libero, who threw a pillow at her.
'You're horrible, you know that? Wait 'til you meet a guy you actually like. I'll personally make sure you don't hear the end of it. ' she replied to her, turning her back to Katharine, who seemed to rather enjoy messing around with her team's libero. Katharine scoffed and shook her head playfully.
'Yeah, sure. Like that will ever happen.'
Before long, the team had washed, packed their backpacks full of equipment, and headed straight to the metro station near their hostel, ready to face their last day of the All-Japan Youth training camp.
Katharine's chest heaved heavily, sweat forming on her forehead. Matchpoint already. Who knew I'd be having so much fun out here, she thought. She took a glance to her right and saw Zofia's face also covered in sweat and her cheeks were bright red. As exhausted as she seemed to be, she wore a slight smirk on her face, indicating that she was also having a great time practicing with the boys from the All-Japan Youth training camp. Even the shy and usually silent Elizabeth seemed to be out of breath, her chest heaving from the intensity of their exercises.
Katharine could feel every muscle in her body. It had been a while since she had put this much pressure on her body. The ache she felt throughout her legs, arms and fingers brought her a familiar sense of exhilaration that she had missed. How she loved to hit that yellow and blue Mikasa ball, it had been her passion ever since she remembered. She heard Maria exhaled loudly from her position in the back row and Katharine briefly turned her head to find a smirking Maria. Next to her, she found Elizabeth slightly bent over in a defensive position, arms forward and away from her body as she got ready to receive the opposing team's serve, her green eyes focused on the net and the person serving at the other end of the court, Korai Hoshiumi.
Despite his small stature and his unusual looks, Hoshiumi had proved to be quite the ferocious little spiker, thought Katharine as she turned her head again, slightly bending her upper body forward, ready to receive his serve.
'Nice serve, Hoshiumi!' Another one of his teammates cried. 'Hit it!'
The shorter spiker jumped in the air and smashed the ball mid-air, sending it straight towards Maria, who caught the serve gracefully and effortlessly, sending it high up in the air to give time for the game to breathe and for Zofia to gently push the ball towards Tobio Kageyama, who rushed to the front of their court, ready to pass the ball. His blood boiled in his veins with excitement. All this time, he had waited for a perfectly aligned pass to the North American Women's Youth volleyball team's captain, Katharine. His blue eyes met her grey ones as he inhaled sharply, ready to see what she was really made of. As he pushed the ball in her direction with utmost precision, he saw her run from mid-court to front, soaring high in the air as she raised her small hand past her ear, towards the ceiling, ready to hit Kageyama's ball.
Katharine scanned Sakusa's team and saw a wall of three tall players aligned with her own body on the other side of the net, their hands rising high in the air, higher than her head, mounting a dominant and imposing barrage.
There's no way I'll be able to spike this one deep in the court. Too many hands to go through and I'm losing altitude. I don't think that I can hit that… They're too tall. Only one thing left to do at this point… Katharine's eyes opened wide when the ball connected with her palm.
Kageyama frowned angrily. What the hell is she doing? Spike it, damn it! You're at the perfect height! That toss was perfect for a spike! What are you doing- His thoughts were interrupted with a small thump coming from the ball as Katharine's small hand pushed it sideways, out of the blocking line, away from the blockers' hands, aways from their strong arms and down the net in a short dink. The opposing team's libero couldn't make it in time and the blue and yellow ball gently hit the rubberized laminate of the court floor, ending the game.
With a loud victorious roar, Maria jumped on her captain's back, wearing a wide smile on her face.
'Oh, that one was very good, chikita. Muy bien.' she said, Katharine's grey eyes now turning to Tobio Kageyama, who bit his lip in anger. Katharine knew that Tobio had sent her a linear, perfect toss for a spike close to the net. She knew of what she had to do and what she could have done, but instead, Kageyama cursed under his breath, knowing she held herself back. She looked away from him and headed outside of the gymnasium, not saying a word to him. While the rest of the girls bowed respectfully to the other team, Sakusa Kiyoomi called out to Kageyama.
'Good game, King. Your outside hitter's last dink was cheap but good. Too bad Princess can't hit a spike when you toss at her. Doesn't seem like she trusts you.' he said quietly to the Karasuno setter before heading back to the side court to take a break. Kageyama's frustration took hold of him, his expression turning into a sour frown. He could hear the other girls cheering as they walked towards him. He angrily huffed and walked away from them, earning a raised brow from Maria.
'What's up with him?' called out Elia. 'He looks mad.' replied Arissa. Elizabeth and Zofia looked confused as well and looked at Maria. She shrugged. 'I don't know. I'll go talk to him.'
'You do that.' replied Zofia with a smirk on her face as she tauntingly winked at her teammate. Maria rolled her eyes at her and jogged behind Tobio Kageyama, quickly catching up to him.
'Tobio-kun. Hey, Tobio-kun. What's wrong? Don't we deserve a little group hug after that game?' she asked. No response. 'Tobio-kun?' she tried again, this time quieter and seemingly more nervous. Tobio Kageyama groaned and turned to her, taking advantage of his height to tower over the Mexican libero.
'Why didn't she spike it?' he asked. 'My toss was perfectly good enough for her to spike it. Why didn't she go for it?' he asked, determined to get an answer. Maria blinked in surprise, but soon looked away from him and sighed. She nervously began to fumble on her words and twirled a brown curl around her finger innocently.
'It's not your fault.' she said. 'I wouldn't worry about it.' she continued. But Kageyama wasn't satisfied with her answer. He threw his towel on the ground and his steely blue eyes narrowed.
'I'm telling you that I tossed it perfectly. She should have spiked it like I wanted her to.' he stated. Maria blinked again and shrugged his visible anger off.
'I'm sure Katharine didn't mean to make you feel like your tosses aren't good enough, Tobio. She probably had her reasons not to spike it. I wouldn't worry about it.' she replied as she walked back to the other girls.
Before long, the whistle blew and Fuki Habarida awarded the All-Japan Youth camp participants a much needed fifteen-minute break.
Kageyama hastily walked out of the gymnasium and stepped outside, inhaling deeply as he tried to calm himself down. He sat down on the front steps and groaned angrily again. He had to ask himself why he was so upset that Katharine didn't spike his toss. They had played together for almost a week now and Tobio Kageyama had still yet to see her truly spike. The fire, the power, the hunger to hit the ball that she had demonstrated during their first game when she pulled a five-in-a-row ace serves haunted him. He had examined each player of his practice team and had seen exceptional plays from all of them. He understood why they had been chosen to represent their continent in the next World Tournament.
And yet… he was still unsatisfied with their captain's performance. He heard the way the girls talked about her and how brutal her spikes were and yet he hadn't seen one of those fabled hits. Why was she holding back from him? While lost in thought, Kageyama didn't feel Katharine sitting next to him on the gymnasium outside steps. When she touched his shoulder, he jumped in surprise and she giggled, her pearly white teeth showing and her grey eyes half-closed from her smile.
'The girls told me you'd be here.' she said. 'I think I know why you're reacting like this.' she said. He simply turned his gaze away from her. He heard her sigh and he mustered the courage to ask her what was on his mind.
'Why didn't you spike? I tossed it the way you like it.' he asked. 'A spiker needs to trust its setter.' he replied. Katharine looked at the sky and sigh. An embarrassed blush appeared on her pale face. 'It's not about trust.' she said. But Kageyama's blue eyes lit up with an undying curiosity that made her giggle.
'You seem to forget that I'm not a guy, Tobio. That spike would have been perfect for someone a little bit taller than me. I'm actually the one embarrassed because I couldn't feel the spike at all, but I didn't want to upset you. Sometimes I wish I was as tall as Elia and Arissa!' she said, grinning embarrassingly. Tobio Kageyama turned his head towards her, blinking furiously. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. How could I have forgotten about her height? Why did I let my own damn pride blind me from her limitations? I missed the chance to see her spike! I missed the chance to see if she truly is like him… He suddenly felt very ashamed of his attitude towards her and profusely apologized, but Katharine laughed it off.
'Don't worry about it, Tobio. I could have spiked it and tried to ram their defenses, but then they would have gained an advantage over us and surely win the game. I did what I thought was best for the team and to ensure our victory. Yeah, the dink wasn't flashy, but it made us win. Sometimes, one has to bite the bullet for other's sake. As you say around here, shoganai.' She said as she walked away from him, rejoining with the girls from her team inside. Kageyama sighed, visibly annoyed at himself. Good going, idiot. You look like a selfish cretin again, he told himself.
Tobio Kageyama sat on the steps, stumped at his own carelessness. He considered himself very adept at the sport of volleyball and even with all of his years of experience on a court, he had failed to remind himself that his current practice team was indeed very different from his own back home and that he still had a lot to learn about leadership and team spirit. I haven't been adaptable enough, he told himself. There are things I must still learn to see and to feel on the court. And it seems like they, of all people, can help me reach this goal… Yes, it seems like we could all use a little of their knowledge back home- wait. That's it!
Kageyama swiftly took his phone out of his pocket and hurried through his contact list to find the one person he knew would give an unbiased opinion on his foolish idea. When he reached 'Keishin Ukai', he pressed on the dial button and waited for what seemed an eternity before the coach of Karasuno High School's boys' volleyball team picked up.
'Hello? Kageyama? Is that you?' he heard his coach answer. Kageyama smiled.
'Coach Ukai. Yeah, it's me. How are things with the guys?' he asked. He heard Ukai chuckle.
'I mean, I can't complain. The boys are doing well. But without most of my first years around, the gym feels kinda empty. So I heard you were playing with girls at your little prodigy camp? Foreign players that will compete in the next youth World Tournament, eh? Not bad at all. How's that going for you?' he asked. Kageyama knew by the sound of his coach's voice that he was outside smoking.
'Yes. You heard right. Actually, they're really good, coach. Better than good. And that's why I'm calling you right now. I need to ask a favor and I need you to not tell the guys about this.' he continued. He heard Ukai laugh at the other end of the line.
'Oh, wow. Kageyama asking for a favor… well, I think hell just froze over. What is it you want?'
The last sound of the whistle created a small pit inside of Katharine's stomach. She heard Fuki Habarida chuckle as some of the participants, including Tobio Kageyama crashed to the ground, exhausted. Large strands of wet black hair stuck to his forehead as he sat down on the ground, clutching to his side as it cramped from exhaustion. He was inhaling deeply and exhaling sharply but kept a strong face, his steely blue eyes looking towards the All-Japan Youth training camp coach.
'Oh, poor things! I guess I did go a little hard on you guys right before letting you go back to your normal lives. Silly me!' he said as he scratched the back of his head innocently. Katharine giggled as she sat down next to Maria, rubbing the smaller libero's back as she caught her breath.
'This man.' she started to say out of breath, pointing at Fuki Habarida. 'Is an asshole. Look at me.' she said to Katharine, pointing back to herself and her sweaty body. 'I'm drenched. I look and feel like a wet poodle. And here I thought he would have given us the easy way out for the last day…' she said as she let herself fall on her back, sighing in relief as the cold ground caressed her heated body. Katharine smiled.
'We didn't come here on vacation, Maria. He had to drill us to the very bitter end.' she replied, tightening her ponytail as she felt stray strands of dark hair fall messily on her shoulders. The last leg of the training camp had been drills and passing exercise and it was safe to assume that she hadn't been drilled in such a way in a very, very long time. Her forearms itched and tickled inside from the continuous strain that the hard passes and blocks put on her skin. As she regained her composure and wiped the sweat off her face, she crouched down and sat on the ground and stretched her legs thoroughly. She then heard Fuki Habarida's voice echo throughout the gymnasium as the participants stretched.
'This concluded the training camp's activities. Thank you for being here all week and bringing what you learned here at home. And don't forget that talent is something that you nurture and develop on your own and with your team. Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for me to leave. It's been nice teaching you and I hope to see some of you play during the upcoming Spring Tournament.' he said, bowing down to his pupils. As the participants thanked him, Katharine wondered what this tournament he spoke of was about. As Maria walked away to join Elia and Arissa for stretching, Katharine heard footsteps approaching and raised her head slowly to see Sakusa Kiyoomi sitting near her.
'Hey, Princess.' he called out to her. She nodded at him. 'I'm sorry for the last spike I sent your way. You received it well.' he said to her. Her eyes widened in utter shock. Sakusa Kiyoomi was complimenting her. There were no harsh words that came before that and no insults that followed his statement either. He was being genuinely nice to her. Wow, what a week of intense training can do to a guy, she thought. Katharine cleared her throat and offered him a small smile as she showed him her arms.
'Yeah. Thanks for that.' she said, Sakusa quickly noticing the redness on her skin. He chuckled.
'You're a tough little cookie, I'll give you that. But now that the camp is almost over, what happens to you guys? What's in store for you next?' he asked. She cocked an eyebrow.
'Sounds like you're curious, Sakusa-kun.' she said, noticing a faint trace of pink on his cheeks. She made no mention of it.
'Well, you see…' she started as she continued stretching. 'We still have another week to spend here in Japan before we go. And since the other training camp that was scheduled for us has fallen through, it looks like we'll play tourists until we go back home.' she said to him.
'Isn't that nice.' he said as a loud sigh escaped his lips. He then handed her a piece of paper that she unrolled slowly. When she saw what was written on it, she quickly raised her head with a smile.
'Is this… your phone number?' she asked, incredulously happy as she wore a growing smile on her face. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
'Calm down, Princess. It's not like that. Don't get any ideas. I was just-' he said, looking away shyly. 'I was just about to say that if you wanted to know the good spots to visit in town or if you need tips, I could help you out. That's all.' he said, getting up again. But when he turned around to walk away, he felt a body crashing against his and strong arms pulling him in a back hug, making his cheeks flushed with hues of pink and red.
'Oh, thank you Sakusa-kun! You're so nice!' she said, happy giggles flowing out of her mouth that embarrassed the Itachiyama Academy's ace beyond known words.
'No hugs, Princess. No hugs!' she exclaimed as he tried to unwrap her arms from himself to no avail. The sudden rush of panic that overtook him fueled Katharine's happiness.
'Promise we'll keep in touch, Sakusa-kun.' Katharine continued, further pushing Sakusa Kiyoomi in the depths of deep, deep embarrassment when she refused to let go. When she finally eased away from him, she heard the other boys at the back of the gym whisper and laugh, making Sakusa's face glow with a red, vibrant hue. He turned to her sharply as she giggled.
'You publically hugged me. My own mother doesn't do that. And you're full of germs. And you're sweaty. And gross.' he said, humiliated and making Katharine laugh even more so.
'Oh, nobody told me I couldn't do that, Sakusa-kun. Are you mad at me?' she asked innocently, her expression unremorseful. Sakusa huffed at her giggles, almost indignantly so. He shook his head slowly, eyes still narrowed as his black orbs met her grey ones.
'No.' he said dryly. 'And I'm telling you now. Never do that to me again.' he continued, incredulous. 'Do people practice that mundane and mortifying public display of friendship and affection often where you are from?' he asked, his lips pursed. She nodded with excitement.
'Yeah, all the time! It's nice. It means we can trust and we like each other.' she told him. Sakusa's face twisted in disgust at her statement.
'Weird and unnecessary is what I call it.' he mumbled as he walked away from a grinning Katharine.
'You didn't promise, Sakusa-kun. I'm waiting.' she called out to him. She heard him groan loudly in the distance before he turned his head to her again and scoffed.
'Fine, Princess. I promise. Now leave me alone.' he said as he grabbed his satchel and quickly walked out of the gymnasium, the other boys from the camp following him as they snickered behind his back on their way to the boys' locker room.
Katharine triumphantly walked back to her team and wrapped her towel around her neck and reached for her water bottle when she saw Tobio Kageyama do the same further down the side court. He then grabbed his satchel and walked towards the North American Women's Youth volleyball team with a decisive step.
'Hey Tobio-kun. Had fun today?' she asked him. Tobio nodded.
'Yeah. I guess you can call drills fun. Listen, Katharine. May I speak to you and your team?' he asked. At the sound of that, Maria turned around, paying the utmost attention to the tall blue-eyed setter.
'We're listening.' she said as the other girls giggled at her, also paying close attention to Kageyama, who suddenly felt the girls' eyes on him, making him nervous. His throat felt dry and tight but he armed himself with courage and spoke out.
'I know you only have one week left in Japan before you go home and Tokyo apparently is a wonderful city to visit...' he started. The sweat on his brow accentuated his nervousness. Confused and intrigued colorful eyes looked at him. He swallowed dryly and immediately bent his head and torso down stiffly.
'I know I'm asking for too much.' he stated loudly, his voice stiff with anxious trepidation. 'But would you be willing to come back home to Sendai with me for the next week and help train my team for the upcoming Spring Tournament?' he asked, his words blurting out of his mouth at an alarming speed. The girls looked at Katharine, dumbfounded as they blinked in surprise. Katharine silently gasped, her facial expression demonstrating shock.
'...To help you train? For that tournament Fuki Habarida mentioned earlier?' Maria asked. Tobio, still bowing, nodded.
'Yes.' he confirmed. 'It's the most important tournament of the year. My high school team has placed first in our prefecture and we'll be heading back here in Tokyo in three months' time to play against the best teams in the country. And I've never practiced with players as talented as you before. It makes me realize that we need much more work before we'll ever be ready to compete. We could use your help.' he said as his voice quieted down.
Katharine, completely stumped, looked at her teammates. She met Maria's, whose expression couldn't express more happiness. Maria's chocolate brown eyes traveled to meet Zofia's icy blue ones. In turn, she then looked at Elizabeth, Arissa, and Elia who were also taken aback by his request. Katharine turned back to Kageyama, who stood immobile in front of the North American Women's Youth volleyball team, still bowing, hair gently hiding his forehead as he breathed slowly and nervously before them. Katharine looked back at her team again for a silent consensus and with simple yet affirmative nods, they all gave their captain their approval to accept. Katherine sighed and smiled.
'Well, Tobio. You and your boys better make this interesting for us. We'll go with you.' she said. Kageyama exhaled in relief. He hadn't noticed he had been holding his breath and felt the sudden surge of anxiety leave his body. He rose again, this time with a small smile on his face.
'Thank you.' he said. 'You won't regret it. We'll work hard.' he said, his steely blue eyes shining with a renewed fire.
Arissa and Elia giggled and snickered before the oldest twin, Arissa, called out to him.
'On one condition, setter boy.' she said. Kageyama nodded silently, listening closely. At this point, Tobio Kageyama would happily do anything to thank them for their time. Zofia grinned at Maria, who's familiar blush appeared on her cheeks. She turned away from the Polish-American spiker, who had caught on to her inner happiness about the possibility of spending more time with Tobio Kageyama.
'You need to come with us to the city tonight. We can't read Japanese and you could translate for us.' she said. Tobio Kageyama quickly nodded, accepting their proposal and the girls seemed content with their deal.
'Excellent.' replied Zofia. 'Because we can't rely on Maria worth for shit when it comes to translating, or reading, or anything that involves brain activity.' she replied, earning a grunt from the shorter libero.
'Shut up, Zofia!' she cursed back to her, Elizabeth rolling her eyes.
'Don't be so mean to her.' she said to Zofia. 'We all have challenges.' she continued, making Maria evermore so annoyed with her fellow spiker and setter. Katharine gave him a thumbs up and a wide grin.
'Awesome. Meet us in the parking lot in half an hour?' she asked him. He nodded politely and watched the girls walk away in the direction of the ladies' locker room before he realized he had forgotten to ask why they were going to Tokyo's busiest streets. He raised his voice and called out to Katharine, who stopped walking to turn her back to him, her grey eyes meeting his blue ones.
'Why do you girls want to go downtown?' he asked. In response, he heard her gloat sinisterly, a playful malicious smile growing her face.
'Shopping. Duh.' she replied to him as she ran back to her teammates, who disappeared from the gym, leaving Tobio Kageyama aghast and utterly annoyed. He rolled his eyes and groaned as a loud sigh escaped his mouth. Take one for the team, Kageyama. Don't be a coward. A favor for a favor, he thought, trying to convince himself that the experience couldn't be so bad.
But a chill ran down his spine. It was a known understatement to say that Tobio Kageyama hated shopping, even for himself. And now he was going on a spending spree (of all things!) with six loud and obnoxious girls who probably thrived on it.
Kageyama's unimpressed face said it all as a shameful blush appeared on his face.
'What's the worst thing that could happen?' he mumbled to himself. It took a minute for Kageyama to think of the literal worst thing that they could make him do on this little adventure of theirs. He stopped and a silent whimper escaped his lips as the highly probable outcome was beginning to draw itself in his mind and his palms suddenly became sweaty again.
Please. Not a lingerie store.