Upon reaching the convenience store, Hitomi pulled out one of her earbuds. She had been listening to English vocabulary words as she flipped through index cards in preparation for that portion of the final exam, but she could have sworn that she had heard her name. She also could have sworn that it was Nishinoya's voice.
Looking around, there was no sight of him. She furrowed her brows in confusion and then shook her head. She must have been getting too used to seeing him always here and imagined it. She sighed again, realizing that he really was making his mark on his life if she was getting this used to seeing him. So much so that she was even expecting him to be here at this point.
She put away her earbuds and index cards as she walked into the store, being greeted by Fumio. "Ah! There you are, Hitomi-chan! I was wondering when you would come by!" The old woman said.
The younger girl blinked and tilted her head in confusion. Of course, Hitomi only ever came to the store when a female cashier was scheduled, but it wasn't like she always came whenever Fumio was scheduled to work. She had just come often enough that the older woman could recognize her, making her previous comment seem a bit strange to Hitomi.
Noticing the girl's confusion, Fumio tilted her head as well. "Oh? Yuu-kun was just here, saying that he wanted to see you and asked me if you had come by the store yet." She explained.
Yuu-kun? Oh, she must have been talking about Nishinoya. Well, of course, he would say something about wanting to see her. He was always going on about that and using other stupid, cheesy lines. "I see. We never agreed to meet up, so he must have just been running his mouth again about embarrassing things." Hitomi responded straightforwardly.
Fumio frowned, her features laced with concern. "Oh, that's too bad. He was here with his friends just a moment ago! You must have just missed each other!"
Hitomi blinked, thinking that maybe hearing her name outside earlier wasn't just her imagination. She shook her head, as if to shake herself out of it and stop thinking about him. If they really had just missed each other, then that was a good thing. Fumio said that he was here with friends after all. Hitomi didn't need more blubbering boys to annoy her. That was the last thing she needed.
She walked into the drinks aisle, picking up a bottle of orange Ramune. She was about to go and pay for it when her eyes caught sight of the soy sauce flavored Kit Kats. She still had many snacks back home, but the soy sauce Kit Kats were already all gone. They were unexpectedly quite good and went even better with some tea like she thought they would. Thinking for a bit, she grabbed a couple of individually wrapped ones.
Hitomi gave a breath of laughter, remembering how ridiculous Nishinoya looked with several of the bars shoved into his mouth. Unlike what she was used to seeing, he had absolutely no etiquette.
That should have been considered bad, but that also meant that he never held himself back. He was straightforward in everything that he did, never hiding. Something that Hitomi learned to appreciate. Not from him specifically, but in general. She's dealt with many people, often those hiding behind a mask and hoping to gain her or her family's favor.
The girl blinked, realizing that she was thinking about him once again. She shook her head, as if to shake the thoughts of him out. What was she thinking?
Returning to the front counter, Fumio raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Only a drink and a few Kit Kats? You always get a handful of snacks. Have you finally decided to listen to my advice about how having so many snacks all the time will ruin your beautiful figure?" The old woman looked at her pointedly.
Hitomi smiled sheepishly, a sweat drop forming on her temple. "Ahh, actually I have a lot of snacks still left over. I was just craving orange Ramune is all." It was the truth. Nishinoya really had bought far too many snacks than she would normally eat in a week or two.
Although she really was craving the drink, there was just a small part of her that thought Nishinoya might be here. Of course, she would never admit that there was the tiniest hope of seeing him tonight. Not even to herself. Lately, she was experiencing many emotions that she decided to squash and throw into the back of her mind. Many of them having to deal with a particular libero.
Fumio hummed in thought as she scanned the items. "Yuu-kun got the same Kit Kats just earlier. You both are so strange! I would never get a flavor of candy that sounds so outlandish like soy sauce! People like you must be why this flavor is still even in production!"
The younger girl chuckled, thinking similar thoughts when Nishinoya had first bought them for her. "It's actually quite good and goes pretty well with tea." She handed over the cash in exchange for the bag of snacks.
"Thank you for your patronage! Please come again soon!" Fumio said the standard line as Hitomi walked out. Stepping out of the store, she pulled out the bottle of orange Ramune. Using the plastic device provided, she expertly slammed her palm down on the opening, pushing the marble inward and opening the drink.
She took a small sip, throwing out the plastic cap and walking back towards her house. Looking into the bag, she saw the purple and white wrappings of the soy sauce Kit Kats. Based on Fumio's words earlier, it seemed like Nishinoya thoroughly enjoyed them as well, despite the odd flavor name.
Hitomi gently smiled, leisurely walking back home. Upon reaching the gates, she spoke into the intercom, getting buzzed back in. As she approached the main doors, they swung open with Chiyo greeting her. "Welcome back, Hitomi-sama. I see you were successful in acquiring your sweets."
The girl nodded, handing the bag over to her personal maid. As Chiyo looked inside, her eyebrows raised. "More soy sauce Kit Kats? You have acquired quite the taste milady." The woman remarked.
Hitomi chuckled. "They're actually quite good. If you want, you can try some. I still have a lot of other snacks I could eat." She offered nonchalantly.
The maid promptly shook her head. "I could never. Please enjoy them for me, Hitomi-sama." The girl just shrugged her shoulders, taking another drink from her orange Ramune. Chiyo followed her up the stairs to her room, her eyes focused on Hitomi's serene expression. In all her years of serving the young mistress, it had been quite a while since she had seen her so content.
Even the other servants had to agree. Lately, there were a few more small smiles here and there. Hitomi still had her cold and blank looks that she normally held, but the aura around her seemed calmer. More at peace. Nothing drastic, but it was a change that they had all welcomed.
Despite her cold temperament, Hitomi was never unkind to them. Only a little blunt at times. When she was a child, she was even full of joy. It was throughout the years of being exposed to the harsh world of the upper-class that caused her cynicism to surface and take hold. Despite Hitomi's ideas about her servants, they truly did wish for her well-being and longed for her happiness.
"If I may, Hitomi-sama…" Chiyo started, gaining the girl's attention. "You seem to be in much higher spirits. Your visits to the convenience store are also taking longer than usual. Would I be correct in assuming that those longer visits might have something to do with your improved disposition?"
Her statements caused Hitomi's expression to immediately harden, returning to her usual cold look. The change startled Chiyo, as she urgently bowed and apologized. "My apologies, Hitomi-sama. I meant no disrespect."
The girl just waved her hand in dismissal as she sat at her dresser, crossing her legs and facing slightly away from Chiyo. "It's fine. I just don't understand why you're asking questions in such a roundabout way. Bodyguards follow me around everywhere, and I know that they report everything to you since you're my personal maid. I'm sure you already know, so why don't you just ask what you really want to ask?" Her elbow rested on her crossed legs as she placed her chin in the palm of her hand. Her eyes shifted to the corner, looking critically at her maid.
Chiyo grimaced, looking down uncomfortably as she bowed once more. "My apologies. They informed me that you have been talking with someone frequently at the store. A young boy. They say that you seem very happy when you are with him. Is he your friend?" She asked, tentatively looking up at the girl. Hope was shining in her eyes.
Hitomi's hands tightened on the glass bottle. Friend? When was the last time she had a friend? Chiyo was well aware of this, so that was probably why she was asking.
If anything, Nishinoya Yuu was just an annoyance. Another boy shallowly fixated with her beauty. Someone who didn't understand when to give up and just went at his own pace no matter what anybody else said.
Yet, Hitomi couldn't bring herself to dispel Chiyo's ideas immediately.
What was a friend?
The last time Hitomi thought she knew, she had been used and betrayed. Could boys and girls ever just be friends? In her experience, it didn't seem like it. Or rather, the boys never thought that was an option.
Would Nishinoya Yuu be considered a friend? He didn't seem like a bad person. Not like the others. He always said everything outright, his actions matching his words. It was obvious that his affections started from her appearance, but Hitomi never felt any ill intent coming from him and his stupidity.
Then again, she had been wrong before.
Still, she couldn't see Nishinoya being a bad guy. Especially if she never allowed him to be by never opening herself up to him in the first place. A mistake she surely would never make for someone else ever again.
"He's…an acquaintance…" Hitomi finally muttered after a long period of silence. While stuck in her thoughts, her hands had tightened on the glass Ramune bottle so much that her knuckles were beginning to turn white.
The girl turned around to face the mirror of her dresser. "If that's all you wanted to ask, then you may go. I'm planning on studying a bit more tonight and don't want to be disturbed." Hitomi was done with this conversation. The more she thought about it and him, the more confused she got about her own feelings. The more she remembered unfortunate events from her past.
Chiyo's eyes flashed with disappointment, but softened in understanding. She smiled gently at her charge. "I see. I hope you two continue to have nothing but pleasant encounters then." She bowed respectfully and turned to leave the room.
Upon closing the door to Hitomi's bedroom, the maid sighed softly. Just an acquaintance, she said. It wasn't exactly a friend, but that didn't mean it could never be. After all this time, Hitomi was finally letting someone in. She wasn't quite ready to let down her walls just yet, but this was far more progress than anyone before had ever gotten. Not after three years ago at least.
Chiyo looked up, a bit of hope filling her eyes. Whoever this Nishinoya Yuu was, she hoped that he was just what Hitomi needed and she hoped that he wouldn't give up on Hitomi like the rest.