Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu! or any of its characters. I only own my OCs.

Chapter 4: Those of Decent Company

"Why is there already so much work to do?" A loud groan followed an exasperated voice.

"Hm."

"I can't believe it's already been one month."

"Hm."

"…"

It was a pleasant day outside as the rays of the sun gently enveloped the area in its warm light. The wind rustled pages of a notebook, as the sounds of scribbles echoed alongside the rustling of leaves, the chirps of birds, and the light chatter of other students in the vicinity.

"So…are you going to the practice match today?"

"Hm?"

"…The practice match? Seijoh and Oomisaki."

"Oh."

"Shouldn't you write about it?"

"If I must…"

"…Don't tell me you and Oikawa-kun are still mad at each other."

Minako looked up from her notebook to see her friend staring at her curiously.

It really had been a month, she thought dazedly, since school had began and life had taken a nose dive into completely foreign territory. Aoba Johsai had suddenly hunkered down into work mode, and the days passed by in an instantaneous blur.

It felt like such a lifetime ago, Minako wondered as her thoughts went back to Oikawa and the days following their verbal sparring match. Though they were initially met with sour looks and sneers every time they passed by each other, Minako found it easy enough to let it go after some time and continue on with her day. And even that eventually fizzled away to simple ignorance. It seemed as if both teenagers had subconsciously decided to settle their grievances by preoccupying themselves with their respective tasks, which meant little interaction. And as the days went by, it seemed that life and all its responsibilities took a higher priority, and the collective mentality of the student body reflected it. With school work itself, on top of the extra curriculars she and the rest of the students were involved in, suddenly no one had the time to worry about menial gossip that floated around the school. The whispers never quite ceased, and the endless speculation of the nature of Minako and Oikawa's relationship annoyingly persisted, though its frequency was minimal at best. The student body would latch onto any news they heard, no doubt, like hungry remora fish—sucking on anything in order to obtain some sustenance. Did that make her the shark?

So life continued on. Even in the considerably short period since the school year began. Sports teams began their training in earnest, including the volleyball team, as Interhigh prelims started to inch ever closer. Oikawa's focus was iron, as was the rest of the team's. It admittedly motivated Minako, as she started spending more and more time in the newspaper club room, doing her due diligence and watching old videos to familiarize herself even more with the game. It was getting much easier to follow along, and she was beginning to pick up on small nuances throughout the matches. And applying the small bits of knowledge given to her by Oikawa and Iwaizumi, everything was piecing together slowly. Things started to make sense, and a part of her—she would admit with great difficulty and obvious displeasure—was actually beginning to enjoy it. There was a definite thrill to watching these games and the anticipation that came along with it was a certain, interesting kind of adrenaline.

"Sonozaki-chan?"

"Hm?" Minako jerked at the voice, startled out of her thoughts.

"…The practice match?"

"Oh, right," Minako shifted in her position on the grass outside where she and Matsui had settled for lunch. "I suppose I should. Good practice for me, I guess."

"Mhmm," Matsui waved the latest edition of the school paper in her hands. "And write like you did for this article, it was really good."

"Ah, thanks," Minako smiled softly.

"And tomorrow," Matsui grinned, "we'll go to a cafe and get cake as a celebration of your first publication in the school paper for the boys' volleyball team! My treat!"

"Sounds good, Matsui," Minako chuckled and stood as the bell rung loudly, "But first, I need to get through this practice match."

It would be the first match seen live, she thought, and she figured it would be a good way to help her start writing on actual games. A part of her was looking forward to seeing an actual match live, though it was soured by the accompanying irritation of who would be playing, as well as the annoying fans that came along with it.

"Ah, don't worry about that. Everyone will be too focused on Oikawa-kun to even notice you, even Oikawa-kun himself," Matsui grinned.

"I suppose."

"Unless you want him to notice you…?" Matsui's grin turned sly.

"Absolutely not."

The boisterous girl laughed heartily, "You're far too serious, Sonozaki-chan. You should lighten up a bit."

A the two girls walked back to class, Minako read over her newly published article in the paper, smiling proudly. As…unhappy as she had been when given this new position, she had to agree that she was starting to take it more seriously. And consequently she found out that by giving volleyball a chance, she was starting to like it. Though she was a far cry away from being an enthused fan, she didn't quite view her predicament as such anymore. It was a refreshing feeling, and reading her published work only invigorated that sense. The rest of the day continued, pleasantly, with a small smile gracing her face.

The gymnasium had filled considerably. Much of the student body had congregated to the sidelines and upper stands, securing themselves a proper vantage point to finally get to watch the Seijoh team in a practice match and to see the dynamic of the new members, as well as observe how the old ones had improved. Excited chatter mingled with the sounds of the players practicing, blanketing the entire building in a vibrant atmosphere. The chatter only got more energetic as the players started lining up and getting into position; girls started cheering excitedly as Oikawa made way to his spot.

Minako chewed the inside of her lip, fiddling with the notebook and pen in her hands, as she leaned over the upper railings and looked down. Matsui, beside her, bounced excitedly.

"Say," Matsui started as the game commenced, "do you still keep in contact with that guy from middle school?"

"Which guy?"

"You mean there were multiple?"

Minako rolled her eyes, "There were hundreds of guys in our middle school, Matsui."

"And as far as I know," she eyed her pointedly, "you were only friends with one."

Minako sighed, "No…I don't keep in touch with him."

"Why not?"

"We seldom hung out after…you know." Minako fiddled with the pen in her hands. "Then we went to different high schools."

"Which one did he go to, again?"

"Karasuno."

"Does he still play volleyball?"

Minako shrugged, "I'd assume so."

"What was his name again…?" Matsui looked up thoughtfully, placing her finger on her lip.

"You really don't remember the name of the only other friend I had in middle school?"

"Sorry! You know I was too busy loving Kondo-kun."

"Obsessively so, yes I remember."

Minako gave her friend a curious glance, wondering why all of a sudden she was mentioning this. But her thoughts suddenly drifted as she recalled her friendship with the quiet, sweet boy and wondered—hoped, in fact—that he did still play volleyball. She pondered if she would meet with him again soon.

"Anyway, maybe you'll meet with him when you go to the tournaments? Or maybe Karasuno will have a practice match with Seijoh?" Matsui smiled at the writer.

"Why should it matter if I meet with him again?"

The girl groaned, "Aish, Sonozaki-chan, why are you such a grump?!" She playfully shoved Minako's shoulder.

Minako sighed, "We messaged each other a few times last year, but that's about it."

"Well, you should talk to him again. He could be some help with all this volleyball stuff."

"I don't really think I need help…besides, I have the entire Seijoh team for that—why should I go out of my way to reach out to him all the way in Karasuno?" the girl gave her copper-haired friend a quirk of the brow.

"I mean, if you want to get close with Oikawa-kun…that's totally fine, too." Matsui grinned teasingly.

"Ugh, please stop."

"Speaking of Oikawa-kun…"

The two turned their heads back to the game, well into the first set. Seijoh was in the lead, but not by much, as Oikawa walked to his position to serve. Girls started screaming and cheering excitedly. Minako leaned further forward.

He looked as calm and collected as ever, even smiling gently as he twirled the ball in his hands. His demeanor was so nonchalant, walking with a gentle swagger as if he was taking a leisurely walk along the beach. Even as he settled into position, his attitude screamed of serenity, almost mockingly. His eyes surveyed the court and that small smile on his face never faltered. He was a general leading his army into a sure victory. She felt his eyes zero in on its target as he tossed the ball into the air and ran forward. He lunged upwards, almost seeming to float for a second. It looked completely natural, and gracefully so, till his hand shot down like a missile and slammed over the ball. With blinding speed and unfathomable power, the ball soared to the other side, through the other team's defense, hitting the ground with a thunderous clap that reverberated throughout the entirety of the gymnasium, and bounced up to the upper stands.

Silence. For what seemed like a stretch of hours was only a mere second, as the entire building stood awestruck.

Minako's eyes widened. The girl beside her whistled impressively, and the entire gymnasium burst into a cacophonous mix of cheers and applauds, echoing through the building deafeningly.

"What the…—"

Matsui grasped onto Minako's arm tightly, "Holy CRAP, Oikawa-kun is so cool! How the hell did you survive that serve, Sonozaki-chan?! How do you still have a face?!"

Minako frowned, the still-fading bruise on her face throbbing slightly. She had conceded by allowing herself to acknowledge Oikawa's strength and prowess when it came to the sport, but this was beyond her imagining; he was the force of all forces to be reckoned with. How did she survive such a serve?

"Yeah, Oikawa-san certainly is…something…" Minako turned to her notebook, jotting down a few sentences.

The game continued smoothly. Minako picked up a few plays here and there, running through the terms and rules in her head like a strict, play-by-play code. Oomisaki High School was strong, and didn't make the fight easy for their opponent, but Seijoh still managed to come out on top, taking the two sets. The crowd went nuts as the team celebrated, and the writer nodded her head in approval.

"Wow~! To think, this was only a practice match!" Matsui giggled.

"Yeah, they're no joke," Minako agreed, picking up her book bag and starting to make her way down with Matsui in tow.

"Going to get some interviews?"

"Just a few words from the captain."

"Not Oikawa-kun? Girls will looooove that."

Minako sighed, "Girls need to realize that there's more to the team than Oikawa-san." And she firmly stood by that statement; as prized of a player that Oikawa was, during the game she realized why Iwaizumi was regarded as the ace. His strength and power eclipsed Oikawa, but the two worked in perfect synergy. But the setter-ace duo were also supported by an amazing cast of powerful players, each playing at their strengths and adding to the dynamic of their cohesive teamwork. A hint of pride started blooming in Minako when she realized that she got to write for such a powerhouse of a school. It was a strange feeling, she thought, but she didn't shy away from it.

"Okay…well, I'll head home then. Cafe tomorrow?" Matsui asked.

Minako nodded with a smile and waved goodbye to her friend, before heading downstairs to the gym floor where all the boys were chatting and gathering their things. She walked up to the captain, Otsuka Naoto, who had just finished his final words and encouragements to the team.

He smiled when she approached, "Hey, Sonozaki-san. What can I do for you?"

"Great game," she mentioned amiably. "Just wanted a few words for the paper, maybe?"

"Sure thing."

The girl opened up her notebook and looked up at him, "Thoughts on the new team? Strengths and weaknesses, and what to expect for the Interhigh prelims?"

"Well," Otsuka started, placing his hands on his hips. "We have a solid team this year. Our defense has improved, and we have a solid offense. Our strength lies in our setter, really, and his ability to bring out the best abilities of others. We just have to solidify that strength and utilize it as best we can. Work on tightening up our defensive plays, practice more, and I know we should be able to make it to Interhigh."

Minako nodded, writing his words in her notebook and inwardly groaning at the mention of their setter being the strength; despite the overall strength and talent of the entirety of the team, it was still Oikawa that tied everyone together. Her inward groan only amplified when she realized how true the captain's words really were—she couldn't deny what she had just witnessed only moments ago.

"Thanks, Otsuka-san," Minako threw him a friendly smile.

"Oh by the way, great article today. Glad to have you on the team." Otsuka grinned.

Pleasantly taken aback, the girl smiled shyly, "Oh, thank you." She pushed a lock of black hair behind her ear, and with a final nod the two separated. Before Minako could head out, however, a voice called out to her.

"Yahoo, Sono-chan!" Oikawa waved over to her, grinning wide. "Want a few words from me?"

"No, thanks," she replied simply, putting her notebook away, ignoring the zealous whispers and gasps from the few remaining females in the area.

"Eh?"

Minako gave the boy a tired look, "I've got what I needed."

Oikawa pouted but still walked over to her, "By the way, nice article today."

"Um, thanks."

"You talked about Otsuka-senpai too much, though."

"…He's the captain."

"Do you like him?"

"He's the captain!" Minako huffed, frowning at the setter. "Anyway, I got what I needed….thanks." She took note at the pleasantry exhibited by the teenager. This was the first time since that eventful lunch period where she and Oikawa had been in the same vicinity without either making crude faces at each other or ignoring each other completely, let alone chatting normally. Though it didn't feel as strange as she expected, and he seemed to have gotten over it easy enough.

"Okay, well do you still need help with anything?" He asked, a seemingly innocent air to his question.

Minako raised her brow, staring suspiciously at the boy, looking for any signs of ill-intent. "Um…I think I'm getting the hang of it, actually. But…I'm still having a hard time with some terms…"

"Okay, want some help?"

Minako gave the boy a strange look, "I think I can handle it…thanks."

Oikawa frowned, "It'll be easier if you had someone explain them to you."

"I'm okay, I'll ask Iwaizumi-san if anything."

The corners of Oikawa's frown pulled down deeper, "Fine, whatever."

Minako grimaced at the tone of his voice but entertained it no further. She took a final glace around the court and paused. None of the boys were getting ready to leave. And neither was Oikawa."

"You're not heading home?" she asked suddenly.

Oikawa looked at her blankly, "No."

"But…it's the evening."

"Yeah? I have to practice."

"But…you just had a game." Minako eyes trailed Oikawa's face. Despite the beads of sweat coating the entirety of his body and the clear lines of exhaustion plaguing the setter, his face looked as serene and collected as it was when the game first began.

"Your…point?"

"Um…never mind. See you later, I guess." The girl adjusted the strap of her bag before turning around, sparing the the boy a few quick glances behind her shoulder.

"Bye bye," he waved casually to her and turned back around to the few others that stuck around.

The dedication to his craft was admirable, to say the least, though a big part of her wondered why someone as cocksure and confident as he was felt the need to have that amount of dedication. Minako brushed off her thoughts as she made her way home in the cool evening air.

She entered her house, giving a quick greeting to her father, who just seemed to have gotten home as well, before heading up to her room. She pulled out the copy of the school paper she had and flipped to her article, proudly staring down at it. Pulling out her phone, she snapped a quick picture of it and sent it to her brother. She pushed it aside after and pulled out her journal, flipping it to her last entry—not so much an entry as it was seconds of momentary degradation—and rolled her eyes.

While it was true, she agreed, that Oikawa Tooru was indeed a glorified asshat, there were many moments—such as today, for example—that made it seem that perhaps that wasn't all that he was. If decent people like Iwaizumi could put up with him, and more than just a teammate, then there had to be some good that came from him. Minako thought of the words spoken to her by Matsui and Asana—give Oikawa a chance, her grievances were unwarranted, don't jump to conclusions.

Perhaps it was something to keep in mind.

Minako took a bite of her lunch as she stared at the screen in front of her, tapping the pen in her other hand against her notebook. The computer room that next day during lunch was quieter than normal. The only noises came from the soft volume of the videos she was playing and her endless fidgeting.

The more matches she watched, the more in awe she would get. These boys flew, and yet with their elegant glides and fluidity over the court also came an indomitable display of strength and precision. Was this why people enjoyed playing volleyball? Enjoyed watching it? More than that, Minako found herself pausing during several moments and zooming in on players' faces; to see such vivid and colorful expressions was, for a lack of a better word, inspiring—and she found that she spent more time writing down descriptions of these facial expressions than the actual technical parts of the game itself.

"We're pretty good, no?"

Minako jolted in her seat, glancing up at the voice that interrupted her thoughts. Oikawa grinned down at her before pulling up a chair and peering at the computer screen in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed fiercely.

The setter sighed, "I told you, if you are going to learn about the game it's easier if someone who actually plays helps with explanations."

Minako scowled, "I said I'm fine, why do you even care?"

He waved his hand absentmindedly, "You're writing for us in the paper, so I need to make sure you write accurately and well."

"And why do you have to?" Minako's brow lifted pointedly.

"Just relax, okay?"

"How did you even know I was here?"

"Your friend told me," he shrugged.

'Curse you, Matsui,' Minako thought sourly. 'You and your shoujo fantasies.'

"Oh~, that was a good match," he pointed to the screen, where the writer was previously watching last year's Interhigh prelims.

Minako sighed, giving in to what she knew was a losing battle, and turned back to the screen. "Your third years then were really strong."

"Mhm, and so were the first years, no?" Oikawa leaned in closer to her and winked.

The girl rolled her eyes, "Yes, Iwaizumi-san really was strong."

"So mean!" The boy pouted and tried to peek over the girl's hands which were delicately placed over her notebook, but Minako lightly pushed him away.

"By the way, Sono-chan," Oikawa continued, "why were you zoomed into people's faces before?"

The pen tapping against her notebook halted and the girl hastily gathered it closer to her. Oikawa didn't miss this action as his eyes starting peering curiously over to catch a glimpse of the mysteries contained in those pages.

"It's…nothing…I thought I saw something, that's all…" Minako stuttered, waving her hand dismissively.

Oikawa raised a brow bemusedly before chuckling and looking back at the screen as the game continued.

The two watched for a few minutes, silently, as Minako penned down a few words here and there. Oikawa gazed at the screen thoughtfully, nodding his head slightly from time to time. Most of the lunch period was spent as such; watching the games intently, slowly eating their food, and interjecting here and there to say a few points or to ask questions.

…

"I thought liberos were only back-court specialists?"

"They are; but what happened there was that the libero jumped from the back line and tossed the ball mid-air—so it still counts as a back-court play."

"Oh, wow—bending the system. I like it."

Oikawa chuckled, "It's a tougher play to execute. Our first year libero, Watacchi, used to be a setter and is actually pretty good at it."

Minako nodded, writing down Oikawa's words before turning her attention back to the screen.

…

"See, now that's what a dump is. I could've just tossed the ball to someone, but instead I 'dumped' it over the net."

"Oh, okay okay."

…

"That serve looked different, and the receive was poor…"

"Mm, those are float serves, pretty difficult to do. The ball is given no spin, so you can't really tell what path it'll take, making receiving them really difficult."

"Can you do those?"

The boy grinned sheepishly, "Not my specialty, but if I need to I can. Vice-captain, Sakai-senpai, is pretty good at them."

…

"That was…a feint, right?"

"Mhm, you catch on quickly, Sono-chan."

"I told you I'm a quick learner."

"Makki tends to use a lot of feints."

"I thought Matsukawa-san was the one…?"

"Nope, Mattsun is the one with the intimidating blocks."

…

"Do you mind if we watch this one next?" Minako asked slowly after their current video finished. She held up a CD case, on it labeled in faded black ink 'Seijoh vs. Shiratorizawa - Interhigh Prelims'.

Oikawa froze and his jaw tightened, "I guess…"

Minako spared him her scrutiny. She asked him out of courtesy, knowing it may be a sore spot since Shiratorizawa was the one school they never beat, but his expression said more than she expected.

"We don't have to…"

"It's fine!" he motioned dramatically, letting out an exaggerated huff and running a hand through his hair. "We have to play them again for prelims, I'm sure—might as well remind myself of what monsters they are…"

"Ok…ay…" the girl inserted the disk into the player and watched the screen intently as the game started, pausing only for a few moments to turn and catch a glimpse of Oikawa's face.

He wasn't happy—yet he wasn't exactly upset either. He looked like he was concentrating, almost as if he were repeating a obstinate mantra in his head. His eyes were stone. It was so strange to see the normally smiley and annoyingly genial boy turn so austere.

Looking back at the screen, the girl concentrated on the game as the video continued playing. Minako could easily tell why it was that Shiratorizawa was able to make it to nationals every time—hadn't they won one year, too?; they were strong. A high-powered engine in a well-oiled machine, and utterly merciless. Minako took a particular note of one player—Ushijima Wakatoshi; well-built, powerful spikes, quick reflexes, good all-around player—his power alone seemed to mask the entirety of Seijoh itself, and he was only a first year at the time. Minako shuddered at the thought of how he would be now, or what he'd be like next year and the years following. The two continued watching the match silently; no one said a word or added any notes. They watched as Shiratorizawa took both sets—though Seijoh didn't make it easy for them— winning them their spot for nationals. Seijoh dejectedly left the court, disappointment eclipsing the weariness in their bodies. The video faded to black, and the room remained silent for a few minutes.

Ushijima Wakatoshi. 'Ushi…waka…this was the guy that Oikawa-san mentioned during our first interview…'

Glancing back at Oikawa here and there, she winced at the firmness in his eyes and the acerbic grimace pulling at his mouth. His disposition spoke volumes, arms crossed over his chest and form rigid. He eyed the screen as if it was his own personal poison.

"Just because…" Minako started carefully, "Ushijima-san beat you at the Interhigh prelims last year—"

"—and the Spring Nationals prelims. And every single year in middle school."

"—doesn't mean you won't ever beat him," she finished tightly, not missing the serious edge in Oikawa's tone. His expression didn't change, and Minako felt a sudden twinge of sympathy, realizing how much of a wall this Ushijima fellow must have been for him. To be constantly shut down like that, year after year, must have been demoralizing; no wonder Oikawa worked so hard and dedicated himself as much as he did.

Oikawa glanced towards the girl, his features softening for a moment, before sighing. "Ushiwaka was born to play volleyball; peak physical condition and unmatched strength and technique—he's a special kind of genius."

"And you're not? Considering your prowess on the court?"

A mirthless chuckle, laced with an age-old bitterness, escaped the setter's lips, "I am no genius."

Minako raised a brow, searching the boy's scathing eyes. His intensity cut across the room and Minako could feel its icy talons piercing into her.

"So, all the more reason to fight harder…" she whispered. "Don't let your failures define you."

The boy seemed to loosen up suddenly, whether or not it was due to the writer's words or not she would never know. The hard lines on Oikawa's face slowly smoothed out and his shoulders relaxed. His gaze returned back to it's normal, serene state, and he leaned onto the desk with his cheek on his palm, giving Minako an almost affectionate smile. She recoiled ever-so-slightly.

"Y'know, Sono-chan, it's actually quite nice spending time with you."

"Eh?"

"I mean," Oikawa continued nonchalantly with a small shrug, "when you're not being so unpleasantly crass."

"Crass?" Minako's eyes widened incredulously.

"Mhm," the setter nodded his head, sitting up straight and patting the girl on the shoulder. "You should try being nice more often."

"I don't think an arrogant, narcissistic knave like you should be speaking about being nice," she spat back.

"See, there you go again, being all mean and using unnecessarily big words."

Minako bristled but held in her anger in fear of getting kicked out by the supervisor. "You're really infuriating, you know that?!" she hissed.

Oikawa chuckled convivially, looking pleased with himself.

"Why are you helping me anyway?" Minako furrowed her brows, crossing her arms over her chest.

They boy blinked, giving a slight cant to his head, before shrugging noncommittally. "I figured it's the least I can do for malforming your face like that."

The girl's hand flew to her face instinctively, gingerly rubbing the slowly-fading bruise that still desperately lingered. "It's just a bruise! Sheesh…" She shot Oikawa a dirty look, and he merely returned it with a closed-eyed smile.

Oikawa leaned forward, "Okay, then how about this? In return for helping you out—"

"—You just said it was repayment for the bruise."

"Just here me out, yeah?"

"And I never asked for your help."

"Sono-chan!"

"Fine, what?"

Oikawa cleared his throat, "In return for providing my excellent services as a knowledgeable, handsome volleyball expert—"

Minako rolled her eyes and Oikawa shot her a frustrated glare, but she allowed him to continue.

"—you'll let me see what you wrote in that notebook before I came in."

"Absolutely not," the girl shook her head vigorously.

"Oh, come on, please?" the brown-haired teenager clasped his hands together pleadingly.

"No."

"Why are you so stringy?"

"It's my notebook!" Minako scoffed, "And you have no business with it."

Oikawa pouted pettily before gleaning her keenly. He leaned forward even more, reaching out towards the girl's head, and his hand clasped her dark, ponytail-ed hair and tugged it down with sudden force.

"Ah—!" The girl grasped onto her head, pushing away his obtrusive hand.

Oikawa, with the speed and reflexes of the lithe athlete he was, reached over and snatched the notebook Minako kept close to her on the table, flipping it a few pages back.

"You…asshole…!" she lurched forward, futilely, trying to retrieve her notebook.

"Just…let me read it…!" Oikawa peered at the words she had written while simultaneously keeping the girl's weak attempts at bay.

Minako growled, about to lunge forward aggressively, but paused when she saw the genuine curiosity and eagerness that filled the boy's eyes. She relented, crossing her arms over her chest, and slumped in her seat with a surly mug.

Oikawa's eyes carefully trailed over the page where she wrote all her player descriptions and expressions. A small smile would grace his lips once in a while before turning contemplative and nodding his head seriously. He looked back to Minako after a few minutes.

"You have quite the way with words, Sono-chan; this is really good." His voice was soft but earnest. It sounded odd, yet…pleasant.

"Thanks…" the girl muttered, grabbing back the notebook from Oikawa's extended hand.

"It's almost as if you were describing characters in a story."

"Well, sure…I'm a creative writer after all."

"Really?" Oikawa's brows arched.

"Mhm…"

"So what's a creative writer doing writing for the sports column?"

"Necessity," Minako shrugged. "And my creative writing column was cut from the paper."

"Creative writing column?"

"Yeah…I wrote one all last year."

"You mean… the Creative Corner?"

"Yeah, well—" the girl paused suddenly, giving Oikawa a curious glance. "—Wait, you knew of it?"

The setter scratched his chin, nodding, "Sure, I used to read it all the time."

The girl's eyes widened and she felt her face getting warm, "R-Really…?"

"Yeah, it was pretty good," he said it so simply, as if there was nothing to it, oblivious to the effects it had on the now flustered girl.

Blushing and feeling sheepish all of a sudden, Minako looked away from the boy. She knew her column had readers, and those readers expressed their liking for her work quite frequently; it wasn't just some obscure column that she wrote indignantly. Though she figured, especially with it getting cut, that it wasn't quite as popular as she may have once thought. She especially didn't expect a popular jock such as Oikawa to have even given that type of column any sort of attention. He didn't seem like the kind that read things for fun…though Minako admitted that was probably just another one of her judgmental, baseless notions.

"They were entertaining, but also quite deep. I remember there was one about an athlete, actually? A basketball player? And how he coped with emotional hardship, or something along those lines. Yeah…I thought it was good. You write well; it's as if I feel for the characters you created," Oikawa continued.

"That's called empathy."

"Mm, well, it was nice, I liked it. Sorry it got cut…"

"It's okay…and thanks." Minako spared Oikawa a grateful glance, and he smiled at her. She found her face getting warm again.

"That's kind of how you wrote your recent article, right?" He continued, inquisitively.

"My article?"

"Yeah, rather than stating things factually you wrote it with more…feeling. You described each word thoughtfully. Like a story," he motioned.

"I suppose, yeah," the girl titled her head as she considered his words. The words themselves didn't surprise her—but she found herself being surprised that the boy who was speaking them to her was the same one with whom she had exchanged verbal swings at a few weeks ago—who had viciously told her that all she did was put words on a paper (and to pull the pen out of her butt, but she chose to scathingly ignore that particular one…), along with throwing each other childish looks and getting on each other's nerves. This new turn of events was a rather pleasant surprise.

"People told me to not change my writing, even though I'm writing for a different focus. So…I did that," Minako rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.

"That's good, I think it's a good way to go about it," Oikawa stared ahead thoughtfully. "I mean, better to explain things with more emotion, rather than facts. It reflects the players and the game more. In the end, you should focus on how the game makes you feel…that's why people play, and watch, it in the first place."

The writer looked at the boy, fascinated not only by his thoughtfulness, but by his overall demeanor as well. It was a drastic shift from the heated rigidity he was displaying earlier. Oikawa certainly was…an enigma, she decided—just as she had decided when she first met him—and it only got more interesting. She smiled.

"I hope you remember that as well, Oikawa-san."

"Eh…huh?" Oikawa gave the girl a strange look, but she simply chuckled softly—a rare occurrence for the usually serious and blunt girl. He decided that he quite liked the sound of it.

"Never mind. Thanks for your help, Oikawa-san. You may be annoying, but your help is greatly appreciated."

"I beg to differ, but you're welcome," Oikawa grinned. "Just remember to give me lots of compliments."

A playful, knowing smile spread across the girl's face, "I told you, I don't write lies."

"You're a creative writer; all you do is tell lies, no?"

The disbelief that struck Minako's face was delayed as she registered the setter's words, "H-How dare you, you…you asshole..!"

"You know—" a calm smirk tugged at Oikawa's lips as he stared at Minako, unperturbed, "—for a creative writer, your range of insults is quite sad."

"I'll…kill…you…!" The girl lunged forward as Oikawa guffawed, but was stopped short by the sound of the bell ringing.

Once again, it was a strange back and forth, as if the very balance of the universe hung on the premise that every serious moment between the two had to be stabilized by their regular childish antics and bounce-backs of immature insults. If was as if Minako didn't know whether or not they were actually friends or just simply opportunistic conveniences. Though her general agreeable-ness to his insistent intervention made her think that maybe his presence wasn't so unwelcome to her after all—she admitted that silently and with great struggle.

'I'm giving him a chance, like everyone is saying I should. Granted…he makes me regret it half the time, but I'm still trying.'

The two teenagers gathered their belongings and headed to class, walking in step with each other. The whispers suddenly flared like an old wound, and this time girls not only gawked with expressions of shock, but Minako was pretty sure half of them were staring at her while thoroughly orchestrating her death in their heads. Oikawa didn't seem to notice, as he hummed happily in the hallways. The two parted ways as they got to their respective classrooms, and Minako was immediately bombarded by Matsui's imposing form and the burning questions the writer could practically see in her wild eyes.

"Did you guys kiss?"

"No!" Minako growled.

"Made out?"

"Please use some logic."

"Well, the computer room isn't on fire, and Oikawa-kun seems to be in one piece, so something must have happened…!"

"Yeah, no thanks to you!" she sighed. "We just watched volleyball videos and talked. He helped with terms and plays and stuff," Minako gave her friend an arched brow before making her way back to her seat, ignoring the indecent suggestion in Matsui's features.

Iwaizumi made it to class just before teacher did, and before settling down in his seat he gave the writer a surprised glance. "Oh, I'm surprised the computer room didn't explode."

She sighed, "I'm glad everyone has so much faith in my ability to impart maturity."

"Well," the wing spiker shrugged, "neither you nor Oikawa gave any of us the best of impressions, so our expectations are kind of low."

"Touché."

"Glad it went okay, though. It did go okay, I assume?"

"Yeah…" Minako thoughts went back to the instances—many, in fact—where she and Oikawa did have good conversation and she found that she…really did enjoy his company when he wasn't being an asshole. He was a smart, thoughtful individual, and it made it a pleasantly surprising task to easily converse with him. It was fleeting, though, she reminded herself firmly. "Oikawa-san, when not being a jackass, is actually fairly decent company," she reiterated aloud.

Iwaizumi chuckled and turned to face the teacher as she began speaking.

Despite his…decent moments, that short moment of bitterness and doubt displayed by the setter still rang vividly in the writer's head. It was artfully concealed, but Minako knew self-inflicted weakness and the burdens of insecurity when she saw it; she was no stranger to such notions. He was a curious guy, Oikawa Tooru. And it seemed like Minako was unwittingly throwing herself into the great unknown to figure out this guy despite her every mental protest. She wanted to listen to the briefest of reasons in her head telling her that she's being needlessly pushy—of her own curiosity, at least. There simply was no reason for her to be so…adamant. She wanted to listen to reason…but it was so much easier to simply not. Mind over mind, she thought amusedly.

She was never good at listening, anyway.

A/N: Finally. Sheesh, I never thought this chapter would come out. Chapter 5 is gonna be even more...difficult. Anyway, sorry for the wait!

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