Page 11

You have never looked worse.

"Hey, Masumi, I heard you're going to school with Tooru today." Mei says, shovelling pancakes on your plate. She pats your hair, neatening your fringe.

"Yeah."

Mei watches the way you pour maple syrup over your pancake, as she fiddles with a strand of your hair that as askew. "Tooru was so happy, you know. He called me and started screaming like a bitch."

"He is one, so that is to be expected." You reply, sipping some chocolate milk.

Mei laughs in response, sitting in front of you. "And Tooru told me. About it."

You take a bite out of your pancake, not knowing how to respond. It was true that Mei was the person you could be the most honest with, and yet, it was embarrassing to tell her about your feelings, not when you couldn't tell them to Oikawa himself. Of course, you planned on telling them someday... When he stops being the jerk that he is. But as Eiko points out, Oikawa is a dick, so if you take that part out of him, then he won't be the Oikawa you liked. Which was also true.

"I didn't want this to happen." You say, and Mei gives you a nod. "Me neither. You both were finally starting to get along." She sighs, drinking some coffee.

"I didn't expect this. I mean, I knew he is a third-year, but Tooru dropped that bombshell out of nowhere."

You wanted to tell Mei to stop talking about it, and yet, she still had more to say. "Tooru told me that he wanted you to walk with him with no reasons attached, you know. He didn't want you to go with him just because he was moving. But you're too stubborn about things like this, Masumi. I keep telling you this isn't okay."

You watched the half-eaten stack of pancakes on your plate getting blurrier by the second.

Oikawa was such a nut, you wanted to cry. He wasn't fair.

"Masumi?!" Mei calls when you stand up and grab your coat.

"I'm heading off. Don't make Suga-san wait too long." You call out, stepping into your shoes. When you open the door, Oikawa is leaning against the wall, his head snapping towards you as soon as he hears the sound of the doorknob. "What... What are you doing here? I could have just knocked." You say, hurrying down the stairs. This was bad, you stepped out so that Mei didn't have to see you cry, but Oikawa was right there?

Wiping your face, you look beside you, as Oikawa walks alongside you. The way his hand would brush against yours, the warmth from his arm coming in contact with you... These were all things you could get used to. But when you see the sad smile on Oikawa's face, you are reminded of why you were walking with him in the first place.

"I love the expressions you make when you see that I am the one behind the door." Oikawa finally speaks. You glance at him, dumbfounded by the fact that he would like something so petty like that. "And you knocking on my door is lame. I'm a gentleman, you know."

"Yeah right." You huff, earning a chuckle from the setter.

"And besides, I didn't want to make you wait like that time when I had to go to school. I can't afford for you to have such a terrible misunderstanding like that."

"I'm sorry." You say, recalling the events from a couple weeks ago.

Oikawa shakes his head, crossing his hands into an 'X' formation. "Ah, no, I didn't say that to make you apologize! I just... Oh, there's the bus."

The vehicle makes its stop and you both hop in, finding two empty seats in the very front of the bus.

"Why do you like to piss me off, Shittykawa?"

"Come on, don't call me that!" He whines, pouting. You roll your eyes, crossing your hands over your chest.

"Okay. Why do you always piss me off, Oikawa?"

"That sounds even harsher when you use my real name." He gasps. You are wishing that you had a brick in handy, to haul into his face, and Oikawa speaks again, interrupting your silent wish. "I'm not trying to piss you off. You just don't give me any attention unless I do something to annoy you. And besides, whatever I do is totally harmless, you know."

"Harmless?" Your voice echoes. "What about the time when you poured a glass of milkshakes over me? Or when you put jelly on my seat? How embarrassing! Why would you do things like that, you ass-wipe?!" You cry. Eiko's vocabulary was coming very handy when it came to insulting Oikawa.

He looks at you with a hurtful expression on his face, sighing. "I'm sorry. Those were wrong. I know." He admits, placing his hands over his bookbag. "I just... I want to eat with you. I want to walk with you, talk to you; I want to spend all my time with you, and I don't even know why. Well, the times I don't play volley, at least." He corrects, grinning sheepishly. You hit his arm with your first, and he lets out a laugh. "Sit with me at lunch too, okay?"

He was being awfully nice to you, and you decide to ease up on him, giving him a nod. He ruffles your hair and lets out a sigh. "You're really in love with me, you know that, don't you?"

"Shut up." Your immediate response makes him laugh, even when the bus comes to a stop. Pouting, you stand up to board off the vehicle. Stepping out of the bus, you both find Misaki and Hanamaki waiting near the gate. You walk up to them, and Oikawa turns to face you.

"I'll see you later, then?"

"Okay."

Misaki and Hanamaki are staring at you two with wide eyes, and even when you motion for Misaki to get going with you, her eyes are wider than Frisbees. "Wow. He must have done a full 180 turn for you to react that way." Misaki mumbles, as she held onto her bookbag. You couldn't blame her, even your own actions was becoming a laughing stock for yourself. Well... At least he didn't do something to embarrass you in front of everyone.

A smile creeps on your face at this thought, before you hear his voice again.

"Oh, by the way, Masumi-chan?" He calls, waving both his hands in the air to catch your attention. Students from all three grades are staring at both you and Oikawa, and you squint your eyes at him, wondering what utter nonsense he was about to spew.

"You should start calling me Tooru-senpai now, okay?"