Blue-green.
Ever since that day, his mind would wander to think of that certain color. Neither green, neither blue. Not even either of the two but a mixture of both. What a rare combination. It was rare enough to get his attention. However, it has been so long since he last saw of that certain color that he couldn't bring himself to remember the exact face of its owner, nor the exact date of when he saw such. He tried looking for it, but no matter what he did, his efforts of looking were in vain.
"I… I-I-I l-l-like you!"
But today, that exact shade appeared before him once again.
"I really… really like you, Ha-Harukaze-kun!"
His ears twitched. The girl's voice was in a high pitch, he narrowed his eyes with distaste.
It was lunch break of his second week in high school. He's a high schooler now, in his first year. While some of his batchmates are still in the adjusting phase, and while he is in the grove now that his club application form is accepted by the team captain, he found such sudden confession strange. It has been two weeks. Two weeks since their high school life started and yet, there's already a confession from one of the tall freshmen known.
Harukaze?
His thin eyebrows almost meet. The name sounds familiar.
But not just the name.
"Thank you."
Harukaze-kun nodded to the girl. And then, a jerk as he could be, turned his back on her and started walking away. The tall lad left the confession spot, walking towards his direction that was hidden on the corner by the gym when bluish-green eyes met his blue ones.
Tobio blinked. It was that shade again. The exact shade. However, it was not the exact person.
Harukaze sported short blond hair that was neatly combed into the side. His skin was pale that contrasted well with the black gakuran. Tobio may not be talkative but he has heard enough rumors, because of his classmates, that the Harukaze siblings are the tallest in their batch. They are three – triplets, they said, but the male was the tallest. The other two – females – may not be as tall as their male triplet but they were tall enough to surpass the average height of the girls in their batch. Apparently, this is due to their Russian blood. They looked foreign to their Japanese faces.
Tobio's eyes followed Harukaze's and both nodded to each other as a form of greeting.
He was just going to his favorite vending machine and get himself a carton of milk. Can't some girls do their confession just outside the class? It was really awkward for him to stand there and wait for the confession to be over. He does not want to intrude without ruining the atmosphere.
But now that the confession is done, with Harukaze walking away and the girl leaving in sobs, Tobio approached the machine. As he did so, he heard voices.
"Succhan's really cold. He made another girl cry."
"Shall we talk to him about it? It's not as if he like any of them, y'know."
"Them?! How many confessions has it been without my knowledge?"
"Hmm. Three?"
There was a gasp.
"Which do you think Sawa-nee will drink today? Milk? Chocolate? Or strawberry?"
But there was no answer. Tobio just heard of the click noise, pertaining to the button being pushed, and a product was chosen. Seeing as the two gossiping girls were done with their business, he let himself known and waited for the person to take what they bought. To his surprise, it was two of the famous triplets.
Harukaze!
"AH!" The all-smile twin with hair in twin ponytails pointed a finger at him in surprise and her eyes glimmered its bluish-green color.
Seriously, the Harukaze siblings bore the same shade of bluish-green eyes that he's familiarizing himself yet the three of them do not bear the exact face of the person he's subconsciously looking for.
"Kitaichi setter!"
Ha?
"Kitaichi setter?"
Another twin with braids raised an eyebrow in confusion. She was looking at him with a questioning look then back to her twin that is still pointing a finger at him. How rude.
"You know him?"
And he couldn't help but say something now.
"Do I know you?" He decided to give the finger a glare, pointing at him as if he was being accused of doing something wrong. He then narrowed his eyes at the loud twin and gestured at the machine. "May I take my turn now?" He couldn't help but be rude. She was being rude to him first – pointing a finger like that.
She just nodded in response. A cartoon was already in her hands yet she did not make a move to leave. Neither the other twin who reminded him of Kunimi for being silent. Tobio was silently grateful she's not like the other twin who has a loud voice. Nevertheless, he did not make anything to appear he's interested in their names or their eyes and proceed to drop yens on the slot and chose a drink for himself. Only when he was done with his business that he was being bothered by the loud twin again.
"You may not know me but I know you!" she exclaimed as he sipped on his milk. "We attend the same middle school, y'know!"
Her? Her?! He doesn't remember. There were too many girls that flocked around their team because of a certain someone. And even when that certain someone graduated two years before he did, there were still fangirls that continued to give their support to their team. He couldn't remember her but she's obviously an Oikawa-san fan.
"Oikawa-san's fan?" He's sure of it.
The other twin snorted.
"How did you know?!" Yeah, she sure is an Oikawa-san fan.
He didn't respond. He couldn't handle the loudness of her voice any longer. Must she shout whenever she's surprised? He threw the cartoon in the bin beside the machine. He decided to leave. So, one of the triplets attended the same middle school as he did and is one of Oikawa-san's fans. In the end, it does not match what he's looking for. He has no reason to linger there any longer.
His hands were in his pockets as he walked back towards the class. Lunch break would be over soon and the school grounds would be void of any student body once again. The afternoon class would start soon and then it would be training. There was a giddy feeling in his stomach as he couldn't wait for the classes to end so that he can toss more, practice with Hinata of their quicks, synch more with the other spikers, and perhaps, connect with the team.
Because tomorrow is the day of their practice match with the Aoba Johsai.
His hands turned to fist at the thought. He's really excited. Although he had a talk with Sugawara-san about the setter position on the team the other day, he will not take things lightly just because he was deemed as superior to Sugawara-san. He'll take the setter spot fair and square. To hell with genius abilities. He is a setter, and so is Sugawara-san. Whoever will take the spot shall support the chosen one and that's it. No hard feelings. However, he desires to be that chosen one. He'd love to play for the team, give it a go and go farther. The practice match would be a good chance to test his abilities and for them to see. The three-on-three last Saturday was not enough and Hinata just sucks.
"The second week has just started and your brother received another confession, Sawa."
Tobio froze. Brother? Sawa? It's not the twins that were talking. It was another. Does that mean that the Harukaze has another sibling in Karasuno? He stood close to the wall between him and the talking lady, sticking his body as close as he could just so he can listen more of their talk.
There was a nervous chuckle. "Well, yeah. I just heard moments ago."
That person must be another relative of the Harukaze. A female.
"Are you aware of his response?"
"N-No. What did Succhan say?"
Succhan? Is she on a nickname basis with the male Harukaze?
"Thank you."
There was a laugh. "Really? How cold."
"Where'd he learned that anyway?"
Their voices were getting louder as if they're getting nearer to where he stood, he noticed. Tobio blinked his eyes, not knowing what to do. He does not want to appear or be caught as someone who listens to others' conversations. Although, he couldn't help it. The voice was loud enough to get his attention. Add the fact that the other person called her Sawa and they talked about the Succhan Harukaze.
"I have no idea. I didn't even know he has been confessed already."
"Must be nice. To have good genes. Shall I marry your brother?"
He stood still. He felt like snorting.
"What?"
His breath hitched.
"Kidding."
The conversation does not make any sense to him. Truth to be told, girl talk does not make any sense to him. He couldn't understand his older sister sometimes but that was okay. She's already working and their mother was working, too. Most of the time, he's alone every weekend or whenever there's no training and he's at home. Their father was working overseas and he used to spend most of his time with their grandfather. He does not have any recollection of having friends nor being close to any of their neighbors. In short, Tobio was almost alone, if not for his family that has been there for him.
Setting aside from that girl talk that he overheard, words and air seemed to have left him to have him breathless.
It was just a moment. A split-second instance. That bluish-green eyes, the exact face – he found them. At that moment, he felt himself going back to what transpired on the night he first saw that color.
It was February and his exams were over. This would be his last shot and he hoped for better results by next month. He already tried to apply in Shiratorizawa the other day and he was grateful that the date of entrance exams did not overlap or else, his dreams of playing as a setter in high school would be over.
He really wanted to go to Shiratorizawa. It was obvious. Of course, he would go to a powerhouse school, not really considering his skill level and abilities but because it is the den of stronger players. Stronger players in Shiratorizawa apparently equates to stronger teammates that he could match his tosses. And he could play a lot of games because they're a strong team. He was ecstatic. He wanted to play a part in their victory, too.
But it all drained when he saw the exam sheet. He didn't understand a shit.
It was when Tobio accepted that Shiratorizawa is not meant for him. Well, there's Karasuno. He has heard of the news that the famed Ukai of Karasuno has returned. He idolized that person. It reminded him of his grandfather. The school was also not that far from home. He could jog on the way and it was located on the top of the hill.
And now he's here.
He just needs to be patient and wait for the results. He's confident he'll pass. It's now or never.
But before he can relax and rest for the day as his mind was tired from understanding and reading too many letters and words, he decided to roam around. He's giving himself a free campus tour around Karasuno. It was also a chance to check any possible spots that he might like.
Alas, he found one. This is going to be his favorite vending machine. For it's just outside the gym. Hassle-free and convenient.
But there's a person. A female. And she's wearing a trench coat. Tobio stopped behind her and waited for his turn. In return, he watched her open a coin purse with the face of a koala and dropped some coins on the slot. She did not waste any time and pushed a button immediately after. She chose strawberry milk. And he stepped back when she stepped back as well to bent down and pick up her drink.
Without looking back, she made steps away from the machine as she took a sip from her drink. She might not have been aware that there was an existence of a human being behind her. Nevertheless, he grabbed the chance and inserted his coins. Just as how he does it, he pushed two buttons at the same time and the milk was chosen and dropped. Opened the plastic around the straw and punched it into the hole.
It was when he noticed that it was snowing.
It's February and it is still snowing. It's really cold as if spring is months away when it's supposed to arrive in March.
Ah, it's also the month of hearts.
Then he noticed that someone was watching him. His blue eyes glanced down on the bluish-green orbs that widened when their eyes connected. She was staring at him. It was already cold yet her staring was not uncomfortable. Is she assessing him? Can she tell that he'll pass the exams? Moreover, does she know that he's not from Karasuno? Judging from the school uniform she's wearing, she's already a student at the school he's still applying to.
Perhaps she can give him tips on how to study? He might need it.
But those eyes…
… it was bluish-green. He stared back. For he felt his soul getting sucked at its beauty. They gleamed under the light, showcasing its clashing of two colors – blue and green.
How rare.
He felt his hold on the carton tightened and he bit back the straw that seemed to have loosened when he saw her eyes.
As much as he'd like to look at her eyes longer, she has to break eye contact. Without a word, she turned her back to him and left. Her cheeks were flushed then, and her nose reddened. Tobio couldn't tell but he knows that his nose also reddened at the cold. The snow was falling anyway.
A moment – in that one moment that he was able to look at her eyes when they somehow connected, he remembered one certain word that he saw in the dictionary last night to increase his vocabulary. His older sister made him do it – she forced him to do so and threatened him that if he wants to pass the exams in Karasuno, he has to have a wide range of vocabulary in his arsenal.
He watched her back until her figure disappeared. And at that time, it was just one moment and one word.
"Ethereal."
A month and a half. Or maybe less than that since he first saw her. There's no snowfall anymore, nor thick jackets to warm them but it was the same.
Bluish-green.
Her eyes widened, too, as if she recognized him. Tobio does not know what to feel. Truly, he has never seen such color before. She certainly is one of the rare things he discovered for the 15 years of his life. And he certainly can't understand what he's feeling. He has just seen her. Properly, this time. Without the trench coat, under proper lighting, and a warm atmosphere.
No words.
They're not enough. And he's fully aware that he's vocabulary is still not that great despite reading a dictionary back to back months prior to his high school career. And his performance in their English is not that great at all. He's just passing his quizzes. Barely.
He does not know what face he has right now but that word seemed to have stuck with him whenever she's around.
Ethereal.
And he couldn't stop himself from feeling giddy.
"Harukaze Sawako." He whispered.
