16

Third day on Golden Week. Nothing juicy has happened to interest the setter. Although, what he saw on the 1st day stayed rooted into his mind. Just to clarify if what he saw was indeed reality- he stalked them secretly.

He made sure to keep an eye on the bastard. Each step- even during the practice matches- he got hit though- but still he needed to know if it was indeed- truly- was a reality.

On the first day, he watched as they ate lunch- they ate with their own teammates- though he noticed the looks they shared. And the smiles. Ugh, he shivered at the thought of him smiling. They finished lunch first and left the group, saying something something (of course he didn't know, he was five tables away from them). He could remember the sore bump from his beloved Ai-chan from his lack of 'attention'.

He finished his lunch- said that he was full and followed the two. And it was obvious to bring Ai-chan along with him, so it looked casual. Just casually walking down the field, to the beach, just before their practice matches in the afternoon. Watching the couple as they held hands and talked with each other.

They looked happy? He wasn't so sure. But from the smiles on their faces, it indicated on that. He couldn't watch anymore after Ai-chan punched him hard again- it hurt so bad. And why his arm? She knew he was a setter, and a powerful server at that- he knew how valuable his arm was.

From the flames in her eyes, he knew he did something bad- so his spying for that lunch was over with. Their hand in hand walk wasn't enough full proof that they were together. He needed something more concrete, something like a kiss.

A kiss! That was it. It was full proof so that bastard would stop bothering him with 'You should've come to Shiratorizawa'. It was the perfect blackmail.

And so, he kept on his spying- later that night, he followed the two again, brought Ai-chan, and stayed a full 100 meters away from them, and watched the night sky. His ears were sharp, but he could only hear one voice. Yoshi-chan's voice was loud and clear.

They seemed to be talking about the game? Ugh, that wasn't it. So, he lazily watched the stars, lying on the grass with Ai-chan (still listening of course), and he had had enough! They were just talking about volleyball! He left for bed, bidding Ai-chan good night.

And so, second day commences- the same thing happens during lunch. He follows, but it was futile. A bunch of other Shiratorizawa players went with them. So, nothing would happen. Except, they weren't holding hands now. Did that mean something?

Later that night, same thing happens during dinner. He followed them of course- though they went to the beach instead of staying in the open field. Ai-chan was with him all throughout. She seemed to enjoy being here- so he let her enjoy the view while he did his spying.

Yoshi-chan was playing in the water. The bastard was just sitting in the sand- and ugh, when will that kiss happen? Maybe he was just imagining things. He sighed a lot that night. He got punched again for (how many times was it now?) a lot now by Ai-chan. She was mad again, so he had to apologize for something he didn't know and stopped his spying.

Ai-chan forgave him, but wouldn't tell him what he did (though he could hear her cursing him for being dense). He just waved it off and slept peacefully that night.

And back to the present, third day on Golden Week. This was his last chance now- Iwa-chan was starting to notice him leaving at lunch and dinner. His senpais were getting annoyed that he wasn't focused during the practice matches. So, this day was his final day to spy on the two.

Unfortunately, Aoba Jhosai's first practice match for the day was against Shiratorizawa. Oh, second practice match as well! Great. He grumbled at the intense stare from the bastard.

He glared back. "Don't you dare say it, Bastard Ushijima!"

But he did anyway. "You should've come to Shiratorizawa, Oikawa."

Oikawa's eye twitched. "Enough of that! We are going to beat you today and later! We'll finally get a match from you guys." He declared.

His senpai sighed. "Oi, don't make a declaration when you're slacking off for the past two days."

Another senpai interjected, "Slacker setter. Slacker."

Oikawa flailed. "I said I'm sorry, senpai! I was just…" He glared at Ushijima. Spying on the two…Need some blackmail. Saying that would just result to him being pummeled. "…warming up."

Iwa-chan stared at him blankly. "Senpai, I think Oikawa should sit this one out."

"Iwa-chan, don't rat me out!"

His senpai, thankfully, didn't pull him out but if he was slacking off again, he was out on the second set. It was Aoba Jhosai's serve. His senpai delivered a powerful serve to the other court, but it was cleanly received by their libero. Oikawa and his two other senpais were up front, ready to block.

He and his team did their very best that day, but it wasn't enough against the offense powerhouse. They lost the entire four sets. The point difference was just by 2 or 3, but Shiratorizawa always seemed to push through. And it was already time for lunch.

"Ushijima-kun!" Oikawa sprang up from the ground upon hearing Yoshi-chan's voice. She was standing there along with the other Shiratorizawa players. She was handing out towels and water bottles.

Her eyes locked with his and he grinned at her. "Yoshi-chan!" He waved.

The short girl didn't share his enthusiasm though. He froze. Did he do something? Did she notice he was spying for the past two days? Ushijima looked at him then nodded at Yoshi-chan.

"Yoshi-chan, did I do something wrong?" He said, teary-eyed. She was right in front of him now, staring at him blankly.

"Ushijima-kun said you should've come to Shiratorizawa. That's why you lost." Tick marks appeared above his head.

"That…that bastard!" He snarled, wanting to send that bastard to the other end of the Earth.

"Also, Himura-chan said she's going to break up with you if you keep leading her off."

And his world came crashing down.

Ushijima was waiting by the beach, eating his fair share of lunch- takoyaki and some grilled steak. He was staring at the shore, where the water meets the sand. He wondered what would his mother say after this. By the time, he'd be back from Golden Week. His mother would already know that he broke off the engagement without telling her.

He sighed, popping a takoyaki into his mouth.

"Ushijima-kun, sorry if I kept you waiting." He didn't look at her and kept staring at the ocean. "Watcha looking at?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about, Yoshikami." He sighed and picked up a takoyaki. "You want one?" He wanted to change the subject. His heart twisted at the cute face Yoshikami made eating the takoyaki.

"Ish hawt!" She fanned her mouth and he found himself chucking lightly. "Dawn louf!" He stopped and patted her head.

"I'll help then." He was about blow her mouth, but felt a palm on his face. He smiled at the embarrassed face, but backed off.

She chewed then swallowed. "No…No need." She blushed. "Jeez, you weren't this assertive before."

He rose a brow. "If you don't like it, then I'll stop."

Yoshikami's eyes widened and she shook her hands. "No, I like the assertiveness… It's just…" She blushed. "…embarrassing." She covered her red face.

Ushijima smirked and grabbed her hands. "I want to see your face." He didn't use force and just kept his hands on hers until she slowly dropped them. Her cheeks glowed a peachy red color, hardly matching the dark red of her eyes. He found himself quite drawn to them and brushed her bangs away.

"Ushi…Ushijima-kun?" Her whisper was soft and tingling to his chest. And her eyes became even more bewitching. He unconsciously leaned closer to get a better look.

"You're really beautiful, Yoshikami." He whispered, placing his hand on her cheek. It was warm, just like how he was feeling inside.

"…really?" Came her quiet whisper filled with doubt. Her eyes sparkled and he could see her unsurety and fear.

He nodded, leaning even closer, noses nearly touching. "Don't let anyone say otherwise." He closed his eyes and emptied the space between them. It was a chaste kiss, unlike before. He had to pull away quickly before anyone could see.

His cheeks heated and he looked away. "I'm sorry. I should have asked first." His palm covered his mouth; he felt this feeling many times before. Just like Yoshikami was, he felt embarrassed.

Her hand sent tingles down his arm as she pulled his palm away from her face. His eyes widened, feeling the softness of her lips on his. Their eyes locked, and he could see the many emotions swirling in her red orbs. Embarrassment, joy, happy, and love was among them.

He placed his hand behind her head before she could pull away and kissed her deeper. Her shocked moans made him want it to stay even longer.

However, good things had to come to an end. He pulled away, feeling her small fists pounding his chest. Her face was bright red now and it made him feel proud to be the reason why.

"Wha…" She stammered, covering her red face. He delivered a kiss on her head before turning away.

He stood up and patted off the sand from his shorts. "We should go. Afternoon practice matches are going to start soon." He walked away and smiled as she grumbled, catching up to his side.

"That's unfair... How am I supposed to explain this…" Ushijima looked down at the precious girl, still blushing madly, and patted her head.

"Don't." He warned. He didn't want anyone, especially his group of friends, to know. He sighed, just thinking about Tendou pestering him about it.