Well, if that wasn't embarrassing as hell, he didn't know it. How had this situation come about in the first place? Keiji bit his lips. "Uh... Hello."
"Hi." The girl standing in front of him greeted him back. "You're Fukuroudani's setter, am I right?"
"Yes." He nodded and tried to remain calm. "I'm Akaashi Keiji," he introduced himself. Even though she probably knew what his name was, if she knew about his position in volleyball. It wasn't really surprising, since she had been with the Karasuno team that had traveled to the training camp a few weeks ago. Especially since, it seemed, she was the new manager. His own teammates had bragged about it, as if it was so unfair that Karasuno now had not one, but two cute managers. But really... To him, she just looked like a hamster. He didn't even know if cute was the right word for it. Thinking back, he could still remember exactly how clumsy and helpless she had been back then. Especially when they were barbecuing. He felt sorry for her when he realized that she had taken a completely burnt meat and realized it too late.
"I'm Yachi Hitoka," she said with a bow. "But you probably know that much."
"Yes." He nodded. He hesitated for a moment. "So...what are you doing here in Tokyo? He looked around, but didn't notice anyone from that loud, energetic team.
"No." Hitoka shook his head. "I'm here on a visit."
Well... That really surprised him. And it really pushed him to ask her what visit she was here for. But he also knew that it was really none of his business. Still... She looked a little lost. He couldn't just leave her alone like that, could he? Tokyo was such a big city! What if he let her go alone and she got lost? What was he supposed to do then? Not to mention what he had to tell Karasuno at that time? It wasn't like he had to do that much either. It was Sunday morning. Volleyball practice was canceled for God knows why. Bokuto had told him that yesterday. At first he had thought it was a stupid joke, as Bokuto sometimes did. But when he asked the other team members, they said the same thing. The whole team wouldn't play a joke on him, right?. Why should they? There was no one reason to.
"Aren't you going to ask me what visit I'm here for?" she asked him, interrupting his train of thought.
"Uh... Should I?" Keiji frowned.
"I don't know. Do you?", Hitoka asked him.
Yes! Of course he wanted to know! It wasn't like he knew every part of Tokyo. But maybe he could help her. Because she really looked like she needed help. But really... It wasn't his business what she wanted to do. They didn't even go to the same school. If so, he most likely had to watch her every day to make sure nothing bad happened to her. Well... That wasn't much different from the situation now, was it? And no - he was not a stalker! He only cared about people he liked. Oh. Shit. He looked at her. When did this happen?
"I don't even know what visit I'm here for!" said Hitoka, sounding rather frustrated. "Hinata and Kageyama just told me to go here. And now I'm here and there's no one here that I know."
"I'm here," he emphasized. "You know me."
"I think I do." She nodded.
Was he imagining things, or was Hitoka blushing? But it couldn't be. He had done nothing to make this happen. Maybe the blushing was just the sun's rays dancing on her cheeks. "Why are you here so early anyway? Just because Hinata and Kageyama told you to?"
"They said it was important," Hitoka replied. "Or to quote them: Essential . So I didn't want to disappoint them."
Keiji raised an eyebrow. "That's why you came to Tokyo from Miyagi? You're really ..."
"Stupid, I know." She sighed.
"No! You're not stupid!" Without thinking, he grabbed her by the shoulders. "Okay... Maybe a little naive. But loyal, too. That's all. I like loyal people like you!"
"Thank you?" she sounded uncertain. "Um... what are you doing here so early? Morning jog?"
He nodded. "Yes. The workout was canceled. Don't ask me why. Because I really don't know why." He smiled. "But I had to do at least something."
"You really like playing volleyball, don't you?" she asked.
"Yes. Of course I do. It's fun." He nodded. "But I guess Hinata is a different level."
"So is Bokuto. I've never seen anyone like him." She was smiling now, too. "He surprised me." For a moment she looked like she was going to say more, but she didn't.
"Yes. He surprises people on a regular basis. Me, too. That's just part of him. He's the biggest joker on our team, too." Only now did he notice that his hands were still on her shoulders. And those seemed so slim. Not only that. He also noticed how small Hitoka was compared to him. She was at least a head shorter than him. And why were they talking about Bokuto and Hinata? He didn't like that.
"I also enjoyed watching you play volleyball," she continued. "Also, you're really good as a setter. That impressed me a lot."
"I do my best," he replied, unsure of how to respond. Had she really said she was watching him play? Had she really said she thought he was impressive? He hadn't expected that. After all, she was still Karasuno's manager. "You do your best too, I noticed," he added. "You always seemed to work hard."
"Ah ... no. I still don't know as much about volleyball as I probably should. But I like to learn. And Shimizu-san and the others are doing a great job helping me. Coach Ukai, too. I thought he was from the yakuza at first..."
"Coach Ukai is a member of the yakuza?" Keiji frowned. "I didn't know that."
"That's the point: he's not." She sighed. "I was just scared."
His frown deepened. "You think I'm scary, too?" he asked her.
"No." She shook her head. "You're not scary. Not even when I first saw you."
He took that as a compliment. "When I first saw you, I thought you were like a hamster," he murmured softly.
"I'm like a hamster?" she asked him, eyes wide.
Oh shit. Did I really say it out loud? Damn. " I like hamsters," he added, but only felt more uncomfortable and like an idiot than before. But what he really meant was, I like you. He cleared his throat. "Do you want to have breakfast with me?" , he suggested, trying to at least say something sensible. "There's a little coffee shop a few streets from here, and they have the best coffee, I swear ... If you like coffee, of course. If not, they also have cocoa or tea and also ..."
"I'd love to have breakfast with you!" Her answer came faster than he expected.
"So I guess I was just played a trick, huh?" asked Hitoka Keiji. "I should have guessed that. I'm really too naive, aren't I?"
"You're not, Hitoka-san," he tried to reassure her with a smile. He wasn't the person who smiled so much, instead he analyzed everything and everyone. That was how he had noticed her the first time. And of course, how he got so good at volleyball and how he could handle Bokuto when he had his famous moods again. "You're nice and honest. I like that about you, too. Besides, you've met me. So you don't have to worry ."
"Mhm..." Hitoka sipped her hot cocoa. "I didn't want to interrupt your morning run and ..."
"You don't have to worry," he repeated what he had said earlier. "I promise. Otherwise, I would have said something. Besides, I wanted to talk to you, too."
"Oh, all right." Hitoka blinked. "But like I said, I don't know much about volleyball. I mean, I'm trying to learn, of course, but ..."
"It doesn't have to be volleyball," Keiji reassured her. "Just anything you want to talk about. School, hobbies, or anything else. You decide." He could only hope it wouldn't lead to him being embarrassed as hell. "Of course, if you want to talk about volleyball too, that's fine too. I'd love to hear more from you."
"I'm not that special. To be honest, I don't even really have any hobbies," Hitoka said. "Well, maybe besides drawing. My mom works as a designer, you know? So I started drawing. But I still need to get better at that, too."
"I'm sure you're doing great." He drank some of his coffee. "The best I can draw is stick figures. You're probably significantly better."
"I am." She laughed.
His eyes widened for a moment. Her laugh was beautiful. Just like little silver bells in the wind. Clear and so happy. Not to mention the way her eyes sparkled. The corners of her mouth lifted and her cheeks blushed beautifully. It was so sweet. Now there really was no word more appropriate than that. Keiji could feel his heart beating faster. Just like it was when they had an important match. But instead of leaving him breathless, his heart fluttered like a butterfly. He wondered if maybe she felt the same.
"So, what do you like, Akaashi-san?", Hitoka asked him. "I know you like volleyball, of course... and hamsters."
I like you, he thought again. But he couldn't bring himself to tell her that. Which wasn't even surprising to him. "I think I like this coffee shop," he said then. "And maybe read. I just don't have that much time."
"I like to read, too," Hitoka said. "Well, mostly I read textbooks. But I guess that counts, too, doesn't it?"
"I guess so." He nodded. "So um... do you like to study? Isn't it hard having classes, studying, and volleyball club duties?"
She shook her head. "Not really. And being in the club and being their manager isn't just a chore. At least not anymore. It's fun to be with the team. And homework I can do at home. But sometimes I even help Kageyama and Shouyo with studying for their exams. That's fun, too." She smiled. "So yeah, I guess you could say I like studying. What about you? Do you like studying for school?"
"I guess I'm good at studying, too. Not that I like it that much, but I'm good enough to be at least in the top 10 of the class," Akaashi told her, at least a little proudly. "But if my grades were bad, I wouldn't be able to play volleyball the way I want to. And who knows what will happen after school. I don't know if I'll keep playing volleyball or not. It's also a good support to have good grades."
"That's right." Now it's Hitoka who nods. "You're a sophomore? Wait. Did you say you're in the top 10 in the class? That's great!"
"You think so? I don't. It just happened. It's not like I'm studying like crazy." Suddenly his coffee was very interesting. The design of the cup was white, decorated with some small flowers. Were they there the last time he was also here in this coffee shop? Or only since today? And did Hitoka really think he was great? What should he say if she said yes? Thank you very much? Wouldn't that be strange?
"Yeah, I guess so," Hitoka said again, smiling. "Akaashi-san, can I ask you something?"
"Yes, of course. You can ask me anything!" , he exclaimed. Then he grimaced. That was strange now. We don't know each other that well. But it's how I feel, after all. He cleared his throat. "I want to ask you something, too."
"Oh." That seemed to surprise her. "Okay. You first."
Keiji blinked. Well, what could he have thought. Of course she was going to let him go first. But seriously. Why was he even wondering? "So... you can call me by my first name, you know? He tried to smile, but failed because he was too nervous. Yet they hadn't known each other that long. Only four weeks. We haven't talked much, except for the barbecue and today. I hope she's not offended, but...
"So Keiji-san?" asked Hitoka a little uncertainly, and he could see her cheeks turning red again.
Keiji shook his head. "No. Just my name or, if you like it better, Keiji-senpai." He wondered why her cheeks were turning even redder than before. But he wasn't going to back down. "Just try it. It's not that hard, I promise."
"K- Keiji-senpai," Hitoka stuttered. Now her face was redder than any tomato he'd ever seen.
"Good." He nodded in satisfaction. "You're doing great, Hitoka-chan." The Chan came out of his mouth before he could even think about it. But really, it was all her fault! How could I call you anything else, especially since you're so cute!?
" Um... Thanks."
Oh God... "Did I just say that out loud?" he asked, and now he could feel his own cheeks getting hot, like they were going to burn at any moment. What if she said yes? Would she be mad at him? Wait... Did she just say thank you?
"You did," she nodded. "Do you really think I'm cute? You weren't kidding, were you?"
"I would never joke with that!" he assured her, perhaps a little too loudly. " That's what I think! You're really very nice... And cute." He cleared his throat sheepishly. "Even though you might not want to hear that from me."
"Sure I do!" exclaimed Hitoka. "You're so cool, Keiji. Any girl would be happy to be called cute by you."
"As long as you're happy, that's good enough for me," Keiji agreed. "And I'm actually not as cool as you think. In fact, I'm actually a pretty boring person."
"Would you please stop that?" She glared at him
"With what exactly?" he wanted to know. Had he done something wrong now, after all? But what? He couldn't explain it. Was it something he had said? Something he had done? But that was strange. After all, she had just called him cool. So why was she upset now?
"With calling the boy I like a bore!" she clarified. "Because not only is that not true, it's mean."
Keiji blinked in irritation. "Huh? But I just said that I was..." He broke off. "Wait... What?" He looked at her in wonder. She couldn't really mean what he thought she meant, could she? But that didn't make any sense. Then again, he had liked her ever since he'd seen her at training camp. And after today, he had the feeling that he only liked her more. Until now, he had rolled his eyes when the girls in his class had talked about love at first sight. Even the few confessions of love he received now and then he couldn't take seriously. But then there was her. She was something different. Special. Even if she was the manager of Karasuno. Which perhaps did complicate things a bit.
"I said I like you!" She stood up and stepped next to him. "Is that such a big surprise to you? You usually get everything, don't you?"
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "At volleyball, maybe... I'm not so good at talking about feelings."
"You don't have to be." She smiled at him.
"I want to, though," he countered. He grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her onto his lap. Only to lean down to kiss her. He could feel how surprised she was and stiffened briefly in his embrace. But shortly after, he noticed how that changed and she returned his embrace and not only that, but also his kiss, albeit this one awkward. And although she was sitting on his lap, she still seemed so delicate and fragile. Not only that she triggered feelings in him that made him feel like he was floating on air. He knew if they kept kissing like that he would...
"That doesn't really count as talking, does it?" asked Hitoka with a wide grin on her face. She touched her lips. "I never thought my first kiss would be this good."
"I was your first kiss?" he asked, feeling something like pride. "If you like it so much, I'd be happy to be your second, third and fourth too... But I think for that we should go somewhere else."
A little later in the day, Hinata and Kageyama got a message and a photo sent from Bokuto with the text:
Mission AkaYachi successfully completed!
The photo showed Akaashi and Yachi sharing their first kiss.
"Do you think Bokuto realizes he'll be in trouble if Akaashi finds out?" Hinata looked to his friend.
"Oh, and we don't from Yachi, do we?"