vii. all the girls i liked

There had been only a couple of girls in his life that Iwaizumi had liked. His first crush had been one of his neighbors, which was ordinary enough. But then she moved away, and Iwaizumi never saw her again. The second was a spunky first year that had caught his eye in middle school. He'd been a third year then, but that first year—her name was Shiroma Yubin—had been damn cute and exactly his type. He grew out of it eventually, after he graduated and left her behind, and it wasn't until now—near the end of his third year of high school—that he started to like someone again.

Even now, reading a comic book in bed, he couldn't help but think about her. Sighing in frustration, he tossed the book aside and switched off his reading light.

Do I really like her? he asked himself. Okabe Yui?

At first glance, she certainly wasn't the kind of girl he would expect himself to fall for. Air-headed with little regard for social convention, she had certainly carved herself an image among their peers. Almost in spite of herself, she was decently popular, though as far as Iwaizumi knew, her one and only true friend remained Aoi Minako.

It wasn't until recently that he realized that she had been in his class throughout the entirety of high school—which was rare in itself. And now, finally, she had transformed into something more than a classmate to him.

"Shit," he muttered, throwing his blanket over his head. He definitely liked her. But would it ever go anywhere? Iwaizumi was no prince like Oikawa, but he'd had his fair share of girls confessing to him before.

Now was a particularly precarious time. Their high school days would be over soon. Would he ever see her again after graduation? What if she moved across the country, or something equally drastic?

Then chase after her, dumbass, a voice that sounded strangely like a blend of his own and Oikawa's scolded. You think you'll get anywhere just sitting here and waiting for something to happen? Don't wait for it. Make it happen.

Making a decision, he grabbed his phone from the bedside table and texted the first person he thought could help.

"Why did you even think this was a good idea?" Naoko asked as she sipped her drink.

Iwaizumi huffed, running one hand through his hair. "You're the only girl that I regularly talk to. And you're dating my best friend, so..." He shrugged.

"Alright. But I'm not sure if I can help you with this."

"How did Oikawa confess to you?" I bet it was something really flashy that swept her off her wait. Then he reconsidered the thought. Then again, she isn't the kind to be blown away by this stuff.

To his utter shock, Naoko began to blush. Iwaizumi wasn't sure if he had ever seen her blush before. He hadn't even known that she could get flustered—she had always seemed to unflappable and grounded to him.

"No way," Iwaizumi said, awed.

"Oh, shut up," she mumbled, embarrassed. "It wasn't anything out of this world, but... My god," she buried her face into her hands, "That dumb chihuahua can sure take advantage of a romantic atmosphere." When Naoko looked up again, there was only the faintest pink tinging her cheeks, having mostly recomposed herself. "I don't know her well, but I'm sure if you just tell it to her straight it'll work out. Take her out on a date or something. Dinner? Maybe a walk around the market? Knowing you," Naoko smirked, "She's probably the simple kind."

"As if you're not."

Naoko cleared her throat. "Never said I was or wasn't." She sipped her drink again. "School's almost over, you know. There isn't much time left for us to enjoy our halcyon days."

"Yeah," Iwaizumi said, smiling a little ruefully, "I know."