Chapter 8:

At the Sakanoshita store around evening hours, Yachi and Ennoshita were marking up Hinata's and Kageyama's papers carefully while the boys watched them with nervous eyes. Everyone else surrounded their table as they waited with anticipation, looking to see how much the freak duo improved over the past few days.

But once the examiners were both done with their grading, Hinata and Kageyama earned their papers back with uncertainty on their faces. Unfortunately, their worried expression had mirrored into their real marks because they haven't reached the score of 80. With Hinata scoring 48 in English and Kageyama scoring 52 in literature.

Both boys gawked in shock at their papers, feeling their entire body frozen cold as their souls left their physical form.

"It's no use." Hinata cried to himself in sense of defeat with Kageyama mirroring his feelings when he slumped against the table.

Yachi stuttered through her comfort. "You just need to score a little higher. Just a mere 30 points."

"That's not a little bit though." Ennoshita added solemnly.

"I'm so sorry Yachi-san. Everyone…you all tried your best on us." Hinata drawled with hopeless defeat.

"Hinata, you can't say that. Don't give up!" Yachi raises her fists in the air to imitate an encouraging pose.

"Yeah…I'll just ride my bike to Tokyo after all." Hinata replied grimly.

This time it was Nishinoya who stepped and hit his hands on Hinata's and Kageyama's backs to cheer them up. "You have few days left! Stay strong!"

"He's right! Let's give our all! Right, Hinata? Kageyama-kun?" Yachi tries to cheer them up again. "You did well compare to your previous tests, I'm sure you can catch up if we do our best even harder. Right?"

Yachi and Nishinoya kept trying to cheer the freak duo but it seemed like all of their energy and motivation had been crushed so easily because they turned into stone after seeing their recent scores after their effort in studying.

Tsukishima watches with irritation as he watched Yachi kept telling Hinata and Kageyama to 'hold it there! Just a bit more, we can do it!' her expression filled with both concern and determination that it was such a desperate expression that Tsukishima couldn't stomach it any longer.

"It's not going to work. Their spirits are completely broken." Ennoshita announced.

"No…but senpai…" Yachi trailed off sadly.

Tsukishima walked towards Hinata and Kageyama and leaned down to look over their paper scores and scoffed. "I was wondering how far you guys were going to get but this is worse than I expected."

Both Hinata and Kageyama flinched at the sharpness of Tsukishima's voice. The blond haired boy slipped his hand through and grabbed the papers to inspect it closely.

"If your brains can't even comprehend these textbook-level questions, you're beyond help." The smugness in his voice has woken up Hinata and Kageyama out of their stupor while Tsukishima continued.

"For modern literature all the answers are already in the text. I thought it would've been the perfect fit for such a simple-minded king. And English is just learning vocabulary! But I guess that's too much for a monkey."

Yachi gaped as she watches the spectacle in front of her, noticing how Hinata and Kageyama were now boiling with anger as Tsukishima continued to terror them with the painfully truths of the tests.

'T-that's Tsukishima for you…he's not gentle at all even right now. Scary…' Yachi gulped in fear at Tsukishima sharp remarks.

Tsukishima placed the papers down and chuckled lightly, "Ah looks like the training camp would be so much fun since the two of you aren't going to be there. If you'd excuse me, I'll be leaving now." He says his last cents before he walks out of the store calmly with his face full of painted sarcasm.

As soon as Tsukishima stepped out of the store, the heat from the duo's anger flared and burned as they yell in irritation while they kept on studying with anger.

"Oh looks like they got a second wind." Ennoshita commented.

Yamaguchi brightens, "Way to go Tsukki! He knows how to hype them up to properly study."

"Like a blessing in disguise." Yachi trailed.

"It was more like fighting fire with fire though." Ennoshita drawled.

Yachi stayed over until the two boys finished with their studies, making sure that she answered any questions they had for her. After the studying session ended, the members of the volleyball team thanked Coach Ukai for letting them study at his place before they go back home.

Since they were studying later than usual, Hinata bounced to Yachi asking whether she needs to be accompanied with him on the way to her home.

"But our houses go in different direction, Hinata. I can walk myself back home, besides it'll be quick." Yachi reassured him.

"But it's quite late. Even you've never accompanied our practices later than eight pm." Hinata frowns, his face colored with worry then Hinata turned to Kageyama. "What about Kageyama?"

Kageyama stood quite as he looked back at them before he replied curtly. "I can accompany her back home."

"Isn't your house the same direction as mine?" Ennoshita spoke up, "You'll walk even further if you go towards Yachi's direction."

"But I can accompany her." Kageyama quickly retorted, suddenly finding himself embarrassed for rebutting his senpai's words so quickly. His fingers found itself tugging to his collar, he faced aside as he tries to cool down the flushing burn on his cheeks and neck.

It was a good thing that it was night time or else everyone else will catch his embarrassed expression.

"I-it's fine! I can walk back on my own." Yachi says it again.

This time Yamaguchi stepped in. "Where is your house located at, Yachi?"

Yachi turned her head around, surprised to see Yamaguchi standing right next to her. Sometimes his height made her off guard because of how tall he was to loom over her.

Yachi tells him the area of her house and this time it seems that Yamaguchi decided on something. "Then I'll accompany you on the way. My house is also closer to your area so we can walk back together."

"Is that fine? I wouldn't want to impose – " as Yachi was about to say that she didn't want to make trouble for others, Nishinoya stepped in and loudly claimed.

"How manly, Yamaguchi! You shouldn't deny the offer, Yacchan. It would be safer if you have him to walk back with you. We don't know what kind of troubles would come to cute girls like you at these time of hours so better be careful than never. Right, Yamaguchi?"

Yachi was a little struck that Nishinoya had chosen that nickname for her already but it seems that she knows to accept the offer by Yamaguchi to be safe. Besides, it was also late and she promised her mother that she'll be home safe and sound even when she comes home later than usual.

"Okay. Thank you everyone, I will go with Yamaguchi on the way back home." She replied.

Nishinoya smiles brightly and shows off his thumb up. "Yosh! Now that's settled, let's go back home!" then he bounces off quickly as Ennoshita follows him from behind.

Hinata sped up on his feet, dragging his bicycle, as he kept up walking beside Yachi's right side. "Next time, I'll accompany you back home too, Yachi-san!"

Yachi was a little bit confused by his offer that he somehow worded it out with determination and fire in his eyes while his eyes shift to Yamaguchi momentarily. "Uh…sure."

On the other hand, Kageyama scowled and spoke up as he walked with them, "You can also go with me, Yachi-san. If you want to." He quipped momentarily.

Somehow this made Hinata turned his head back towards Kageyama and glared at him. "Well I was the first one to offer!"

"Your house isn't even in the same direction, idiot!" Kageyama barked back.

"What'd you say?!" Hinata growled.

Yachi felt exhausted looking at the two of them fight again. 'How much energy do they have even after studying for so long?'

Soon most of them parted ways in different streets and areas, leaving Yamaguchi and Yachi to walk together on their way back home. Since they already entered the main streets, the atmosphere was brighter.

It was awkward in the silence between them but somehow not painful. Yachi didn't feel like she can talk a lot because frankly she was quite exhausted after teaching Hinata and Kageyama from lunch time and after school that she has only few energies left. But she didn't want to make Yamaguchi uncomfortable with the frozen air between them so she was trying to make up something for conversation.

"Quite a long day, huh?" Yamaguchi started.

Yachi perked up, surprised that the boy was the one to start the conversation. "Uh y-yeah. It was quite a long day."

Yamaguchi smiles faintly, "You even took a nap through the end of the school too. You must be feeling really tired."

Yachi shakes with embarrassment. "A-ah! You remembered it. Um…somehow I fell asleep during the last period."

"You know…you aren't actually required to help them that much. Even Tsukishima helped them until the exams."

"I know. But I have to do it. It's not just for them…it's for the team as well." Yachi says.

Yamaguchi's lips widen into a full blown smile. "You're a good manager, Yachi-san. You always think what's best for the team. It was also you wasn't it? The one to put up the donation posters throughout the area?"

"Yes. Even though my skills are still not that great but I'm grateful that we managed to have some funds through the donation. I realized that my power as a manager can come through in other ways. I want to be great like Shimizu-senpai."

He chuckles, finding her words a little amusing. "What do you mean? You're already great enough."

Through the compliment, she felt her heart beats faster a little. It was unfair that Yamaguchi was saying it with such a bright face and soft smile that made her heart go a little strange. Yachi bit her lips in shyness and unconsciously pulled her hair locks behind her ear.

"T-thank you. Although I still have a lot to learn." She replies before she adds, "I'm sorry. I know your words are genuine but…somehow…"

"It's hard to accept them in your mind? Yes, I know that feeling."

Yachi slows down her pace as she looks at Yamaguchi with wide eyes. Was he able to read her mind too?

Yamaguchi laughs lightly at her expression. "I can't read minds but you are like an open book sometimes, Yachi." He smirks lightly which was somehow more of a rare expression for Yachi because she rarely sees him making such faces around her before.

He continued, "You don't need to think over it too much. I know that sounds so cheesy but you'll eventually know that it's best to acknowledge that you're also capable of things that surprise yourself at times."

Yachi wonders whether Yamaguchi had faced a similar position like hers too if he says these kinds of words. "You went through something similar too?"

Yamaguchi nodded, rubbing his shoulder. "Yeah. When I was in elementary school, I used to get bullied a lot because of my freckles. I guess during those years it made me become weaker in my mental state. It was years ago but…the damage is still here no matter how many times I try to be better."

"But…are you all better now?" She asked curiously.

Yamaguchi turns to her, his eyes glinted with a coldness that Yachi couldn't describe but she was familiar with. "It takes time to get all better but it's certainly way better than the worst days. Sometimes it's hard to move on from silly things that should be considered normal but your brain can't help but overthink on little simple things that makes you question yourself. Am I doing this right? Did I offend them too much?"

Yamaguchi shifted the straps of his backpack on his shoulder, "But it'll be fine in the end you grow up and learn that your wounds become scars and it doesn't hurt as bad anymore. You'll learn that accepting the good points people comment about you is far more content than denying them all. It gets tiring when we underestimate ourselves."

Yachi felt like this was the longest conversation they had outside of school and volleyball. Yachi bit her lip before she spoke, "Why are you telling me this, Yamaguchi?"

Yamaguchi stops his steps and turned to her fully. "You seem to be the type of person to encourage other people a lot but not yourself so I wanted to be the person to encourage you."

"Yamaguchi…" Yachi was astonished, he was thinking for her that far. He was such a nice person, how sweet. Yachi felt her face flushing by his words. She let out a shy smile and spoke out. "Thank you for being so nice Yamaguchi."

"Anytime for a friend."

From Yachi Hitoka:

Sent 20:58pm

Thank you for walking me back home, Yamaguchi :D Good night!