Nishinoya Yuu was a strange boy, indeed.

Once again, Hitomi paused a distance from the convenience store when she saw the short boy waiting outside. She weighed her options. This was now the third time seeing him and the second time he had deliberately waited for her.

Before she could decide on what to do, Nishinoya had noticed her. His eyes lit up immediately and his face brightened up with a huge smile. Just like last time, he lifted up both arms to wave energetically at her.

Hitomi noticed that his arms sported several scrapes and dark bruises. Perhaps it was a result of his volleyball practices? Before she could think on it more, the boy dashed up to her. "Hello, Miss Beautiful! Here to buy snacks again?" He shouted enthusiastically.

…Miss Beautiful? Well, that was original. Hitomi wondered if he had thought of other ridiculous nicknames for her because he still didn't know her name. It wouldn't be surprising, considering he called himself Karasuno's Guardian Deity.

"Do you actually just stand outside and wait here every night, hoping that I might come by?" Hitomi asked, ignoring his earlier question. She laced her question with a bit of disgust, thinking that it may deter him in the future.

Unfortunately, it didn't have that effect at all. "Yeah?" Nishinoya replied innocently, tilting his head a bit. He still had that bright smile on his face, showing that he found absolutely nothing wrong with any of this.

Hitomi's face now openly showed real disgust. "That's really creepy…" She coldly remarked, causing the libero to flinch. She could almost see her words physically piercing through him.

"Cree—! But I don't have a choice! I don't know your name, or your phone number, or what school you go to! This is the only way I could meet you!" His eyes widened, as if a lightbulb had just popped up above his head. "So, why don't you tell me your name today!"

"No, thank you." Hitomi immediately replied, just as she always did. Rather than its usual effect of hurting boys, Nishinoya took it all in stride. He merely laughed it off, not thinking that she might actually dislike him at all.

"Oh, well! I can always just keep calling you Miss Beautiful, because you are!" The boy gasped, thinking for a moment. "Wait…you're not married, right? Because then I'd have to call you Mrs. Beautiful instead of Miss!" He stepped closer, his neck straining back so that he could look up at her.

He was asking this genuinely, real concern on his features. Considering his last comment, however, this concern was not for something Hitomi would have expected. He was more concerned that he was using the wrong honorific rather than the fact that there was a possibility of Hitomi being married, of all things.

"You would hit on a married woman?" Hitomi asked him dubiously, wondering if he truly was only concerned about addressing her with the wrong honorific. Was this boy right in the head? Did he have all of his priorities straight?

Nishinoya clutched his hand into a fist, a fire burning in his eyes. "Nothing can stand in the way of my love!"

…Nishinoya Yuu was a strange boy, but he was also a complete idiot.

That was what Fukumoto Hitomi had deduced. She had met many other boys that acted similarly to him. They had bothered her constantly, trying to find out where she would be and when. They had camped out at places she frequented just like Nishinoya did.

The main difference though was that those other boys had much more sinister ulterior motives and alarming intentions. They had been much creepier, many of them being or eventually becoming stalkers. They had persisted on being close to her because of a disturbing form of obsession.

Nishinoya, on the other hand, exhibited no sign of such unsettling feelings. In fact, his feelings seemed innocent. Almost childish, even. Like he had finally found another person to be playmates with.

Hitomi had thought this the last time they met, but today's encounter only confirmed her suspicions. Nishinoya Yuu acted on impulse, never thinking that his actions may be taken the wrong way. He simply believed that this was the way to show his 'love.'

Of course, most people would think his actions were sweet and he did them because he was truly in love with Hitomi. To Hitomi, however, it was just because he was truly in idiot. The boy really didn't know any better. Maybe that was why she didn't feel so threatened by him or wasn't as hostile to him. They were even having conversations or playful banters, if one could even call their encounters that.

Well, it could always be worse, and Hitomi was thankful that it wasn't.

With that thought, she walked into the convenience store with Nishinoya hot on her trail. Unfortunately, things really did get worse like she thought they could.

Standing at the register was not the female employee that was supposed to be scheduled for tonight. Instead, it was the middle-aged, sleazy manager.

Hitomi should've turned around before when she had the chance.

"Welcome…" The manager greeted languidly and without any spirit as he slouched on the counter. It was clear that he didn't want to be manning the cashier at all, regardless of whether or not he was scheduled for today.

Upon seeing Hitomi, the man quickly straightened up and frantically fixed his receding hair. Deciding to lean one arm on the counter and the other arm on his waist in what he believed to be a 'cool' pose, he greeted her. "Hitomi-chan~~~! It's so nice to see you again!"

"The feeling is not mutual." Normally, she would have said this aloud without any remorse, but she had to stay on the manager's good side. After all, he's the one that gives her the employee schedules every month so that she knows when and when not to visit the store. If she were to treat him like she does everyone else, she would most definitely lose that luxury of knowledge.

"It's…nice…to see you too, Ueda-san…" Her words were the exact opposite of what she was thinking. She struggled to get the words out, but managed to do so with a bit of hesitation. Luckily, the manager was so distracted by her beauty that he hadn't noticed how uncomfortable she was.

It was moments like these where Hitomi was a little thankful for being deemed 'beautiful.' Although, it didn't mean much since her beauty was what got her in this mess in the first place.

Even though Hitomi's discomfort went unnoticed by the manager who was trying to impress her, it did not go unnoticed by Nishinoya. Despite not having known her for long, he could easily tell she was behaving differently. She was trying to smile and be cordial with the manager, but it came out as more of an uncomfortable grimace.

Her real smiles were much more beautiful.

His growing concern for her was coupled with a searing anger at the manager. Nishinoya did not appreciate how the older man was looking at her. It disgusted him, and he was sure that Hitomi was feeling even more disgusted, being the subject of the man's…perverse stares. Nishinoya's slight frown was slowly turning into a glare the more he saw how the manager was acting.

"Please Hitomi-chan, I've asked you before to call me Gorou!" The man requested as he leered at her.

Hitomi wanted to call for her bodyguards so much. "Ahh…I couldn't possibly do that. After all, you're so much older than me." Her tone was polite enough, but she emphasized her last words, hoping that they would remind the man of his age and how inappropriate this was.

It didn't. "Age is just a number, Hitomi-chan! But I know why you can't. You're just shy is all! How cute~~!" He cooed, making the girl almost shiver in revulsion. Every time he said her name, her body almost had a physical reaction of repulsion.

Hitomi had never come to the store in her school uniform before and she rarely ever came when the manager was here, so she wasn't sure if the older man really knew how old she was.

Thinking on it, she didn't know which option would be better. If he did know that she was still in high school, then his actions would be even more disturbing. If he didn't know, then Hitomi wasn't sure if she really wanted to tell him because if she did, then he might not consent to giving her the employee schedules every month. This would ruin her ability to come to the store at times where she would be least likely to run into problems.

"Wasn't Fumio-san scheduled for tonight?" Hitomi inquired, quickly changing the subject.

The manager scowled, his demeanor changing rapidly at the mention of the woman. "That old hag is such a slacker! She called in today, something about her back problems acting up. Like I would believe that! That's why I had to come in today, but I guess it's worth it since I got to see you, Hitomi-chan~!"

Gross.

The young girl narrowed her eyes, almost rolling them at him before swiftly changing back to a neutral look before he would notice. Of all the employees at this store, the elderly Fumio was probably the one that worked the hardest and the one that Hitomi enjoyed the most. It was a little awkward with the sweet woman constantly trying to set Hitomi up with her grandson, but that was far better than being hit on by some sleazy, middle-aged man. At least the old lady had more pure intentions.

The manager leaned forwards, and Hitomi desperately wanted to back away. "Anyways, enough about that old hag! I want to know more about you, Hitomi-chan! How about you finally give me your number?"

Nishinoya, who had been silent by her side this entire time, suddenly jumped in front of her to put more distance between her and the manager. He was slightly crouching, as if he was on the prowl and waiting to attack. Hitomi thought his eyes turned red for a moment as he literally growled at the older man, completely bearing his teeth.

"What the—?! Who the hell are you!?" The man shouted in surprise. Looking down at the boy, he noted his height. "A junior high student…? No, maybe…elementary?"

The libero was now mad at two things: how this man was looking at Hitomi, and now about him belittling him for his height. "I'M A SECOND-YEAR AT KARASUNO HIGH SCHOOL!" He shouted angrily.

Nishinoya was about to continue when he felt a hand on his wrist pulling him backwards. It was thin and soft. He turned around to see Hitomi bowing slightly at the manager.

"My apologies, Ueda-san, but I'm in a bit of a rush today. Please excuse us." Hitomi didn't wait for a response before pulling Nishinoya away to one of the aisles. Of course, she wasn't actually in a rush to go anywhere in particular. She just didn't want to be here.

"Oh, of course! I'll be waiting for you right here when you need to check out!" They heard the manager call out behind them. When they were deep enough in the aisle, Hitomi let go of Nishinoya's wrist and let out a deep sigh. One of distress, relief, and annoyance.

The libero was about to ask her if she was okay when she instantly recomposed herself and got right to picking snacks out. Unlike the last time, she didn't take time to concentrate on the various snack flavors. She simply saw the brand name and threw it into the shopping basket, rushing to move through the aisles and trying to get out of the store as soon as possible.

After not even five minutes, Hitomi returned to the front of the store.

"So, about getting your number…" The older man probed again. It seemed like he was ringing up her items as slow as he possibly could so that he could spend more time with her. It was a good thing that she took fewer snacks than usual.

Hitomi smiled at the man, but she was clearly still uncomfortable. "I'm sorry Ueda-san, but I really don't use my phone that often. I only have it for my family." It wasn't the truth, but it wasn't exactly a complete lie either. She had a smartphone, so she often played games on it. As for contacting people, the only contacts on her phone were her servants' numbers and various business numbers since she didn't have any friends. Honestly, she really didn't want anybody's number anyways. Especially not this manager's.

The older man didn't give up. "Well, if you don't use your phone that often, then there's no harm in having my contact info is there? It'll just be saved on your phone, that's all!"

Hitomi was about to respond when a hand was slammed onto the counter between them. Nishinoya had slapped a small piece of paper onto the surface. "If you want a number so badly, then here's mine!" He shouted at the man.

"…"

Taking this moment of shock as a chance, Hitomi hastily grabbed the bag of snacks and left money on the counter. She didn't care to wait for the change.

"Oh! Hitomi-chan, wait!" The manager called out, but the girl was already out of the store. The man looked back at the shorter boy, glaring at him.

Nishinoya met his glare with equal intensity. His finger pulled down on one of his bottom eyelids as he stuck his tongue out at the man childishly and stomped out.

He saw Hitomi standing a bit away from the store's entrance. Running up to her, he asked if she was okay. When she nodded at him, he continued. "Man, that guy was such a creep!" The boy commented. The girl wanted to laugh since she had accused him of being creepy just earlier when he was waiting for her outside the store.

Still, she would take interacting with Nishinoya over the manager any day.

Not wanting to dwell on the topic any further, Nishinoya looked over at her excitedly. "So, your name's Hitomi?! It's just as beautiful as I thought it'd be! It really suits you!"

Like she hadn't heard that one before.

Although she appreciated Nishinoya's more naïve and childlike demeanor, it didn't stop her from rolling her eyes at that. Yet, it was because of his nature that his comment seemed more genuine than other people who had told her the same thing.

She was a bit bothered about him knowing her name now, but it couldn't be helped. She didn't want him to start calling her by her first name, but she also didn't want to reveal her full name.

Nishinoya was jumping up and down excitedly. "Yes! I know your name now, Hitomi-san!" He stopped to frown a bit. "I don't like that I had to hear it from that creepy dude, but I know your name now!" His frown quickly disappeared into a full smile. "But I can keep calling you Miss Beautiful if you want!"

His innocent laughter even caused Hitomi to smile a bit, though he missed it since it was so small and it was getting dark. "That's unnecessary. You also don't have to use 'san' with me. We're probably the same age anyways." She responded.

Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand, but she had realized her mistake too late.

Nishinoya's eyes sparkled with delight. "You're a second-year like me?! Awesome! I'm learning so many things about you today, Hitomi-chan!"

His childlike enthusiasm really was too dangerous. It made Hitomi let her guard down and she made mistakes she never would have before.

Well, it could always be worse.

She reached into her bag of snacks and pulled out a small bottle, handing it to Nishinoya. "Aloe vera gel…?" He questioned, reading the label.

"Aloe vera gel can help to speed the healing of bruises…It's also a thank you for helping me deal with Ueda-san…" She explained, looking away in slight embarrassment.

Nishinoya instantly lifted his arms up to inspect them, remembering that he had been getting new bruises from all of the spike-block receives that he had been practicing. He looked at his arms, to Hitomi, to his arms, and back to Hitomi. Tears comically welled up in his eyes. "Hitomi-chaaaaaaan!"

"…It's really not that big of a deal…You don't have to pay me back either. It's just a small bottle." She responded, a little weirded out by him.

She didn't think it was a big deal, but Nishinoya certainly did. He was overjoyed by her kindness. It was just like what she did for that hungover cashier last time. She was looking out for people in her own way without anyone having to say anything to her. She may not think so, but only truly kind people did what she did.

"Thanks, Hitomi-chan! You really are such a cool and nice girl! And smart too! I didn't know aloe did that. My mom has tons of aloe drinks in the fridge. You mean to tell me I could've been rubbing that stuff on my arms all this time and my bruises would just disappear!?" Nishinoya exclaimed.

Hitomi covered her mouth with her hand, giggling behind it. "First the curry powder thing…and now this? Only pure aloe vera can have healing properties for bruises. Stuff with additives won't do anything for you, so no, you can't heal your bruises with your mom's aloe drinks. Also, it's not instant. Your bruises will still be there, they'll just heal a bit faster than normal with the aloe vera gel." This boy really was an idiot.

Nishinoya blushed, but it wasn't because of embarrassment for being corrected again. It was because Hitomi was just so beautiful when she smiled and laughed like that.

He wondered once more if he had died and an angel had come down to guide him to heaven.

After her small bout of laughter, Hitomi briskly bowed to him and turned around, rushing to go back home. She turned around when he called her name again.

"Hitomi-chan! Thanks again! I'll come see you another time! And I'll protect you from that creepy guy if he's here next time!" He waved energetically at her.

The girl stared at his wide, closed-eye smile. She gave a small smile of her own, shaking her head in defeat. "Do whatever you want." She called back as she went off in the direction of her house.

Nishinoya's eyes followed Hitomi's retreating form until she was no longer in sight. Releasing a deep sigh of admiration, he looked down at the bottle of aloe vera gel in his hands. His smile grew even bigger, if that were possible.

He pumped his fists and jumped in victory. The boy ran back home, the smile on his face never fading even a little.