Chapter Text

"SURPRISE!!!"

Shinsuke entered Onigiri Miya into a burst of confetti and colorful decorations. He opened his eyes to see Aran holding a giant cake, Gin with the party popper, and Osamu and Sunarin placing food on the table.

The tables were all pushed towards the wall, sans one that stood right in the middle, in front of a banner that read "Happy Birthday Shinsuke!" with his friends standing in front of it, holding balloons and party poppers, behind said table that had a giant cake with candles on it.

"Happy 26th Shin!" Aran said, placing a strong arm around his shoulder.

"Thanks fer coming, Aran." Shinsuke looked up at his oldest friend. He missed them walking home together every day after practice and the uncanny comments on him that Aran would leave. Whether it's about emotions or habits, Aran would always provide an alternate point of view that Shinsuke otherwise lacked.

"Happy Birthday Kita-san!" Rintaro walked up behind him and pulled him into a half-hug, taking a selfie.
"Well, let's cut the cake before everything starts ta melt. Gin put a million candles in here," said Osamu, pulling out a knife.
"Well pardon me fer wanting the photos ta have good lightin'." Gin protested.

Shinsuke stood behind the table and picked up the knife. Rintaro pulled up his camera to record, and Osamu called Atsumu and placed his phone so that Atsumu and Kiyoomi could watch them.

"Kita-san!" Atsumu cried out as soon as the call connected.
"Oye, it's my phone ya know."
"Shut up Samu, yer not important now!"
"'Tsumu, don't speak ta yer brother like that."
"Sorry Kita-san! Happy Birthday Kita-san! Omi! Come say Happy birthday ta Kita-san!"

Atsumu's boyfriend, Sakusa Kiyoomi appeared beside him on the screen.

"Happy Birthday Kita-san."
"Thank ya Atsumu. Thank ya Kiyoomi-kun."
"Ya two are missin' the cake," Aran spoke to the boys in Osaka. "We got this specially ordered from the new bakery that opened up in town."
"Noooo I wanted to try that place first!" The blond twin whined.

Shinsuke cut the cake, with his friends' off-tune singing in the background. He was lucky to be the only one who didn't have to worry about getting caked on his birthday, but he did almost get diabetes every time.

The younger three started fighting over who should feed Shinsuke the cake first, and Aran took the opportunity to do so.

After feasting on the cake, the group proceeded to munch on the assortment of onigiri, maki rolls, and sushi Osamu prepared with Suna's help. They then moved on to the gift opening.

Gin gifted him a new microphone while Osamu and Suna gave him a new camera with backlights. Aran seemed to be the only one who remembered the farm and bought him a few new sun hats.
"One ta match each of yer outfits!"

"Oh, I almost forgot about this one!" Osamu said, bringing out an enormous cardboard box and placing it with a loud thud on the table that Gin and Suna hastily cleared.

Is this...

"Deja vu, huh Kita-san?"
"Ya." Kita chuckled.
“Well, open it up!" Aran said excitedly.

The contents were as Shinsuke and Osamu expected, except twice as much. Instead of one giant box of Wagashi, there were two big boxes (half the size of the giant one) on top of a giant one.
One of the smaller boxes had a paper on it that read 'for Baa-chan' and the other had one reading 'for Naoto'
The giant box's paper read 'for everyone else.

"Wait, is that Nakiri???" Suna exclaimed as soon as the logo came into view.
"Ya," Osamu confirmed. "She sent this huge box when she got promoted too."
"You mean this," Suna pointed at the giant box, "box? The biggest one they have?"
"Yup."

Suna blinked a few times, and looked between Kita and the fancy wagashi boxes, before adding, "with all due respect Kita-san, if you don't marry her, I will."
"See?" Osamu laughed. "We'll be one big happy family.
"Ya two already plannin' on stealin' Shin's girl before they even meet?" Aran stated, inciting another round of laughter.

"I'm still surprised her gift isn't necessarily somethin' that personal or sentimental." Gin said. "I mean, this seems like you're in the 'for everyone else' box, but it's yer birthday, ya know?"

Gin was right.
Gin voiced everything Shinsuke had been thinking since realizing what those boxes were. He kept the thought at the corner because he didn't like that he was slightly disappointed at Kiki's gift. Even though she said the videos weren't his birthday gifts, those were more than enough.

But why would she tell me to not keep my friends waiting if I couldn't wait to say it to her?

"Samu, you forgot this." Suna's voice broke his reverie. He looked up to see the sharp-eyed brunette holding an envelope. "This came with the boxes."
Suna handed him the envelope, which he took excitedly, eliciting a slight smile from Suna. Shinsuke noticed the words on the envelope: Call me when you get this - handwritten on the back.

Must be her handwriting. Not very clean, but as long as it's readable.

"Well, I guess we'll leave you to it," Suna said with a sly smile. "If only we had something to keep us occupied."

Kita smiled at Suna's remark and decided to share Kiki's Symphony video with the group, just to keep them occupied as he called her. He sent it through Line to Suna, just as Suna reclaimed his seat beside Osamu.
His phone pinged and he smiled at the notification.

"Seems like Kita-san decided to show off after all!" He said with a sly smile.
The four of them huddled together as Suna played the video and Shinsuke called Kiki.
She received it immediately.

"Hello, Mr Birthday King! How may I serve you?" her cheerful tone paired with her birthday royalty law spread his smile even wider.
"Dear subject, I have received yer envelope, which is why I called ya."
"Oh! It's happening!"
"Should I open it?" Shinsuke was intrigued by the undertones of her voice.
"Well, it's meant to be opened!"
"Why do ya sound nervous then?"
"Just open it!"
"Okay okay!" Shinsuke chuckled and put the phone on speaker on the table. "I'm puttin' ya on speaker okay?"
"Got it!"

He noticed his old teammates' attention slightly focus on them.

"Okay, I'm openin' it now."

He tore open one side of the standard envelope to reveal a slightly smaller golden envelope inside.

"Is this an invitation ta the chocolate factory?"
"No!" Kiki giggled.
"Okay." He flipped up the lapel and pulled out its content.

His heart stopped for a brief moment. His eyes blurred out anything beyond the contents in his hand. His breath hitched.

It's happening.

"Shin? You okay?" Kiki's voice was laced with menacing concern.
"Shinsuke? What is it?" Asked Aran. The entire room was silent, everyone focusing solely on him.

He turned around towards his friends. "It's..." his ability to speak was still stunned, so he opted to show them.
He flipped the flat rectangle so that his friends could read it.

"Yer going to Tokyo?!?!" Osamu blurted out, and the whole room burst into celebration once again.

So it really is happening.

Shinsuke felt the warmth in his chest spreading, the edge of his lips curl up higher than it did before and his eyes stinging at the edges as the crinkles in the corner kept any tears at bay.

"Shin? You there?" Asked Kiki, honeyed voice laced with nervousness.
"I'm finally gonna see ya." He managed.
"Yeah, you will!" Kiki confirmed.
"I'm finally gonna see yer face."
"I mean...you could do a lot more than just see my face, ya know..."
"Yer still on speaker, love."
"Oh shit!" Kiki laughed. "Well take me off!"

Shinsuke chuckled and turned off the speaker before pressing the phone to his ear.

"So what's the plan?" He asked.
"Um....so..." she stuttered a bit, letting him know how nervous she really is. "I got you a train cabin so you can bring some friends along, and I booked 2 hotel rooms but I can make it three if you need more room! And um...I booked us a nice restaurant for dinner the next day - you're gonna love it there! Or at least you should cause that's my most favorite restaurant in all of Japan! So we'll technically meet there for the first time....and...if I'm lucky and you still wanna pursue this, I'm all yours for the next two weeks and I'll show you all the magic Tokyo has to offer!
Well, at least that's what I planned so far. I have never done this before...so it might not be a perfect plan, but we can definitely do something different if you want!"

"It sounds perfect," Shinsuke interjected. He rarely ever caught her being a nervous wreck. Then again, it made sense for someone who has never necessarily been in a romantic situation before. "Also, ya mean ya booked us a table fer dinner?"
"Yeah...no. I can't really meet you the way I want to the first time we meet in a public setting, so I booked the whole place. That way, you can also bring your friends and we can have our privacy while they have some amazing food! If you like me, you can introduce me to them or if you don't I can sneak out the backdoor!" She punctuated that with a giggle.
"Ya don't need ta sneak away!" Shinsuke chuckled. "I bet they'll love ta meet ya. Also, yer definitely some kinda famous celebrity. That would explain all the secrecy and all the money yer pourin' into plannin' this without battin' an eye."

"Again! Neither confirming, nor denying!"
"Well, I'm stickin' ta my dancer theory until ya prove otherwise."

"I'm with Shin!" Shouted Aran from the background.
"Ya got some moves Kiki-san!" Gin agreed.

"See? It's not just me."
"Well, I'm still not commenting on that."
"That tells me even if that's not 100% true, that's close."
"If you say so."
"Still not gonna tell me?"
"Nope."
"Okay."
"The ticket's in your hand! All you gotta do is get here! And let me know prior if you need more rooms"
"Can I bring my entire clan?"
"Just say the word babe."

Shinsuke sighed.

She will definitely be the end of me.

"Well, you go have fun with your friends now," Kiki said. "Call me when you're home so we can discuss the details."
"I will."
"Okay, have fun!"
"Kiki?"
"Yeah?"

The words kind of hung in the air for a bit. He felt like there were so many things he wanted to say to her at the same exact moment, but also none at all. Not a single word in any Japanese or English dictionary in the entire world could encapsulate his feelings right now.

"Thank ya."

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

"So when are ya leavin'?" Asked Gin.
"Where are ya meetin'?" Asked Osamu.
"Who's goin' with ya?" Asked Aran.

Shinsuke's friends continued to bombard him with questions. He eventually stopped them and explained everything he learned so far.
Seeing his friends so excited for the meeting that he has been waiting for filled his heart with joy.

Gin joked about how Naoto will finally shut up about Kiki being a troll, and the conversation shifted to Naoto's inability to trust people on the internet being possibly fueled by personal bad experiences. The jokes and laughter dwindled on for so long, Shinsuke nearly missed how uncharacteristically quiet Suna was being; until it was time to leave.

"Kita-san." He finally called out.
"Yes, Rin?"
"Well," there was an awkward pause that lasted long enough for Shinsuke to question the urgency of whatever Suna wanted to say.

The brunette glanced around before resuming.

"You probably know this already. You definitely do. But...when you do meet her, keep in mind that she wouldn't have hidden from you for so long if she didn't have concrete reasons to do so. Like, anyone else can probably find excuses or try to justify her coming forward earlier but you can't really tell how much things that seem light to you might be a huge weight on someone else, so...hear her out okay?"

Shinsuke blinked at his former teammate. He can't really understand what brought this on - or he doesn't want to read too much into it - but he could sense the concern behind his words. At that moment, despite the various emotions he felt toward Suna - surprise, concern, anger - he decided to focus on the one that mattered to him most at the moment, admiration.

"I will."

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

"Toshi!" Michinari shouted as he spotted them amongst the thinning crowd at the train station and burst into a sprint before lifting up and spinning Gin in his arms.
"Michi!" Gin kissed his boyfriend, who had been in Tokyo for the last three months on training and job hunting. "I missed ya so much!"
"I missed ya too baby!"

Aran cleared his throat. "Some people are single here." He added,
"Well, sucks to suck, doesn't it big guy?" Michinari added before pulling the pro player into a hug.
"Been a while, Michinari," Shinsuke said, hugging his dear friend.
"Shin! The country boy's finally in the big city huh?" He laughed heartily.

The four took a cab to the hotel Kiki had booked their rooms at. They had two rooms, each with two double beds.

"Damn Shin!" Michinari flopped onto a bed on his back as Gin did the other one. "Yer girl's already spoilin' ya!"
"She has her...taste," Shinsuke replied, uncertain.
"Don't say it like that when yer her taste too!" Aran protested.
"C'mon Aran! Ya can't say that when she hasn't tasted him yet!"
"Michi!" Gin still felt slightly embarrassed every time Michinari teased Shinsuke like that.

"So, ya nervous?" Aran asked once they got into bed. They decided to let Gin and Michinari share a room since they've been away for the last few months.
"Ya," Shinsuke answered truthfully. If there's anyone he'd like to speak his mind to and get their opinions and advice from, it's Aran.
"I mean, she's been treatin' ya pretty well so far, so she's probably very excited too."
"I know she is. I am too, but..." Shinsuke took a deep breath, taking in some excess oxygen before letting it all out.
"...the lingerin' thought right now is, what if she doesn't like me in person? Like, I know we have been talkin' fer a long time now but, in person it’s always kinda different, right?"
"I bet she's having the exact same thoughts right now," Aran stated, making him smile.
"Ya." Shinsuke knew for a fact she was. He was going to learn a whole lot more about her than she would about him.
"Ow, ya haven't told me what she does yet."
"I don't know."
"Ya don't know?" Aran's voice didn't hide any hint of his surprise. "What do ya mean? Ya've been speakin' ta her fer over a year now and ya haven't asked?"
"I have but she kept insistin' that's a conversation fer when we met."
"Okay but, the amount of money she's drownin' ya in? What if she's in the mafia or somethin'?"

Shinsuke laughed at his words but it just occurred to him.

What if?

"Nah, she reserved the whole place so we can have privacy. Pretty sure it's 'cause she's famous."
"Ya know who else is famous like that Shin?" Aran stepped in. "The Mafia!"

Shinsuke couldn't hold back his laughter this time.

"Or she could also just have a lot of money."
"She does," Shinsuke confirms, once he stops laughing.
"Rich people sometimes like to show off their money by spending a lot on their love interests. So it's not necessary that she's famous."
"I have considered that." But just to be safe, Shinsuke decided to bring Aran with him. Whether or not she's actually famous, he knows for a fact that she is a huge fan of Aran. So if she is, he can calm down his nerves around her by getting her to fangirl over his best friend.
"Well if she is in the Mafia, maybe she can scare away any developers tryin' to buy land from my farm." Shinsuke was already feeling lighthearted.
"That's the spirit, Shin!"

The two best friends bonded more for a while over shared memories and unshared theories, concern about their younger former teammates and pride in them, fear of the uncertain future, and the strength to go through it together with their loved ones.

"Thanks, Aran. Fer talkin' ta me, and fer bein' here."
"As if I'd ever say no ta ya, especially when yer finally meetin' yer girl!"
"I know. I just hope she really does like me in person as much as she did online."
"She will! I hope ya like her after learnin' more about her though."

Shinsuke took a deep breath.

As much as he lo-likes the person he has known all this time, he has no idea what effect learning about her unknown self will have on his feelings.

I hope so too.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

"So, which restaurant did Kiki-san book fer ya?" Michinari asked, shoving an entire Takoyaki in his mouth.
"It's a place called MasaKen's," Shinsuke said so nonchalantly, it took Michinari a second to start choking on his octopus ball.
Gin immediately gave him his drink and patted his back.

"Ya didn't say we were goin' ta MasaKen's!" Aran exclaimed.
"Time!" Michinari managed between coughs. "What's the time?"
"We gotta leave in five hours and catch the train." Gin answered immediately.
"Why are ya two so hyped up all of a sudden?" Shinsuke finally asked.
"We'll educate yer country boy ass on the train, now come on let's go!"

Aran and Michinari basically pulled Shinsuke and Gin out of their seats and dragged them out and into the train station, jumping onto a train taking them back to their hotel.
"MasaKen's is one of the most upscale, comfy restaurants in all of Tokyo," Aran explained. "More emphasis on upscale than comfy."
"In my three months here, I came across at least fifty people trying to book a table, but it's first come first serve and no matter how early ya get there, ya can never get there on time!"
"Is that why Kiki-san booked the whole place?" Gin pondered.
"Well, that's one way ta guarantee ya get a table. Since they don't reserve single tables, reserve the whole damn place!" Michinari was still quite hyped.

"But I swear when I said she must be rich, I thought she booked a nice comfy restaurant." Aran speculated. "But if she booked all of MasaKen's, top and bottom floors, then she's either rich-rich or is close enough to Masamune-san ta get him ta do her a favor."
"Masamune-san?" The other three questioned immediately.
"Ya, Masamune Kenshin-san. The owner of the restaurant." Aran replied.
"Oh! So he took Masa from Masamune and Ken from Kenshin!" Gin seemed happy to have understood that.

Masamune?

Kita decided to focus on the elephant in the room.
"So why did you two drag us out of lunch?"
"Because we have ta get ya ready fer yer date!" Aran said, as a matter of fact.
"Ya, ya weren't plannin' on wearin' that, were ya?" Michinari asked.
Shinsuke chose not to answer that.

"THIS IS EXACTLY WHY WE ARE HEADED BACK TO THE HOTEL NOW!" Michinari practically exploded.

"This is all ya got!?" Michinari was practically in tears at this point.
"Yer clothes are so...plain, Kita-san." Gin said.
"I shoulda helped ya pack." Aran was disappointed in himself.
"I didn't expect this ta be fancy either, Aran," Shinsuke replied, slightly embarrassed.
"Do we have time to go shopping now?" Gin asked.
"No, it won't leave enough time fer actually gettin' him ready," Aran replied. "We gotta work with what we got, and just spare enough time ta buy presents."
"Kita-san, what presents do ya wanna get?" Gin asked.
"I was thinking, chocolates and flowers?" Shinsuke really wasn't so sure about anything he had preplanned anymore.
"Classic and delicious! Good idea Shin!" Aran's approval restored his confidence.

"FOUND IT!" Michinari's shout from across the room shocked them all. He seemed to have found his way into Shinsuke's clothes and pulled out a pair of black suit pants and a black shirt he brought. "My interview suit will go great with these! I'll let ya borrow it! Now ta find shoes!"
He buried himself in Shinsuke's clothes again. "Toshi! Help me out!" Gin rushed over to help his boyfriend.

"Okay well, we also need ta do yer hair," Aran stated. "And we need ta get the chocolates and flowers."
"Ya'll are really goin' over the top." Shinsuke was beginning to get nervous.
"No, we are not!" Michinari declared as he triumphantly held up a pair of loafers. "Yer goin' ta MasaKen's fer cryin' out loud! Ya've been planning everythin' down ta the T fer all of us when ya were captain, but now let us do that fer ya while ya sit back and relax!"
Michinari laid out the shirt and pants on the bed and the pair of loafers at the foot of the bed. "Aran, yer watch."
"Right." Aran took off his wristwatch and handed it to Michinari, who placed it on the shirt. "Imma go grab my suit now. Aran, go buy chocolates. Toshi, find a florist on our way to MasaKen's so we can buy fresh flowers and do his hair. Shinsuke! Eyeliner! I'll be back as soon as I can."

With that Michinari walked out of the room and closed the door behind him, like a man on a mission.

"I love that man." Gin stated absentmindedly.
"We been knew." Aran replied.

Within 2 hours, Gin had styled, ironed, curled, and sprayed his hair with more hairspray than he had ever used in his entire life, which is not a lot, to be honest. Aran brought a giant box of "luxury assorted chocolates") and then the two proceeded to help him get dressed.

Aran lent his cufflinks as well, which he had with him for reasons Shinsuke couldn’t comprehend.

"Honestly, if it was any other restaurant, I woulda said yer good ta go." Aran declared upon inspection.
"No seriously, how fancy is this place?" Gin asked, pretty pleased with his work on Shinsuke's hair.
"Think multiple Michelin Stars, Gordon Ramsey type places but friendlier and cozier. Not as dark. Caters to rowdy groups of athletes and even families."
"So, fancy restaurant fer the general public?"
"Ya, given that said general public has been saving up fer a while. Like walked home instead of takin' transport fer a month, not like had ta sell a kidney."
"So ya've been there with yer team before?" Shinsuke decided to join the conversation, hoping to calm down his nerves.
"Oh yeah, it's a very volleyball-friendly restaurant."
"How is a fancy restaurant volleyball friendly?" Gin asked, completely lost.
"Do ya know the owner in person?" Shinsuke is just plain curious at this point.
"Well, we've been there enough times fer Masamune-san ta know us personally."

There it is again.

“When ya say Masa-" Shinsuke finally decided to ask, only to be interrupted by a sweaty, out-of-breath Michinari.

"I'M BACK YA WHORES!" He announced.
He practically threw the shopping bag in his hand to the bed, while setting down the coat hanger gently and unzipping the cover. He revealed a grey plaid blazer with a crimson satin pocket square.
"This is yer interview suit?" Aran asked in awe.
"One of them."
"He has three." Gin adds.
"One fer the ones I just wanna get over with, one fer the one's I might get but might quit, and this," he holds up the suit as it presenting it on a silver platter, "is fer when I wanna say 'I'll be yer whore, I'm all yers".
Aran and Gin burst out laughing, while Shinsuke stares at him deadpan and asks, "Yer puttin' me in yer whore suit?"

Shinsuke's words brought on pin drop silence, only to be disturbed by Aran and Michinari's laughter a second later. Gin buried his face in his hands out of embarrassment, still not used to humor when it came to his stoic senpai.

"Well, it's a whore suit only if yer wearin' it ta yer job interview. If ya wear it ta yer fancy first date, however," Michinari helped Shinsuke into the suit and turned him to face the mirror. "Ya look like a million bucks."
Shinsuke could not argue with Michinari. The gray plaid blazer did go quite well with his black shirt and pants. And the crimson pocket square did add a nice pop of color. Maybe, it needs a little more…
"Ya can put this on on yer own, right?" Michinari asked, handing him a matching crimson tie.

There.

"O' course." Aran helped him take off the suit so he could put the tie on.
"Now yo two!" Michinari in leader form never gets old. "We gotta leave in half an hour so, Aran I'm pretty sure ya got something perfect ta wear. Toshi, imma pick yer outfit which yer gonna wear, sit still and look pretty while I take a shower."
"Michi, if ya take a shower we're gonna be late!" Gin protested.
"Na we won't!" With that, Michinari pulled Gin out of Shinsuke and Aran's room and left them to get ready.

"Nervous?" Aran asked for the umpteenth time on the train, as Shinsuke stared out the window.
"Kinda?"
"Yer not even sure if yer nervous." Mused the pro player.
"People get nervous when they try ta be somethin' they ain't. When they try ta push themselves harder than they should." He turned to look at his best friend. "No one gets nervous when they do everyday things."
"Yer givin' me deja vu now Shin." For what seems like the first time in his life, Aran could see genuine nervousness in Shinsuke's face. "I get it. Ya don't meet people ya met on the internet every day. Ya don't know the outcome. Ya want things to work out cause ya really really like her.
It's not just somethin' ya haven't done before, it's also somethin' yer emotons are tied up in. It makes complete sense ta be nervous.
But, at the same time, ya don't have ta do anythin' different. Ya've been speakin' ta her fer over a year, ya've been yerself right? And ya have 26 years of experience bein' yerself. Ya got nothin' ta worry about!"

And this is why Aran is Shinsuke's best friend. While most found him to be too prideful or conceited, or even straight up unapproachable, Aran decided to actually socialize with Shinsuke before taking others' word for it and find out for himself.
While it did confirm that Shinsuke is indeed hard to talk to, Aran decided to be unfiltered to him, always speak his mind, and - perhaps the most important thing to Shinsuke - he never hesitated to state his opinion whenever he felt Shinsuke was overanalyzing something amazingly out of the ordinary just to try and fit it into the mediocrity Shisuke usually submerges himself in.

Like when Shinsuke became captain of their high school volleyball team and couldn't comprehend his emotions when he burst into tears, he tried to justify the event by explaining how it was simply a result of the cumulation of all his actions over the years. He couldn't comprehend it himself but, to Aran this sounded like Shinsuke wasn't allowing himself to feel pride or joy for his own achievement, and it pissed him off. He did take a moment to consider what Shinsuke was saying, but in the end it didn't make sense to him. His confusion eventually erupted and he declared to the newly appointed captain, "Who cares about the small details? If you're happy, you're happy!"

That was perhaps the first time anyone validated his emotions. Sure, it is the result of all his hard work, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be happy. The thought had never even occurred to him. Maybe it's because he had embraced mediocrity so much for the longest time that he never realised mediocrity can be pretty amazing.
Aran can see it, and he is one of the closest people in his life.
Kiki - despite living an amazing, mysterious life - can see it too.

I'm really surrounded by amazing people.

Lucky, aren't I?

Unfortunately, Michinari did end up taking too much time taking a bath, so they had to leave him with Gin to be able to make it on time. The couple will join them later.

"Ya sure ya'll be able ta get them in later?" Shinsuke asked as they were walking from the train station to the restaurant.
"I'm pretty sure. Masamune-san is quite understanding. Besides, after Michinari pulled all the stops today, he deserves it."

Shinsuke looked at the box of chocolates and the enormous bouquet of fully-bloomed red roses. A smile formed on his face. He really is lucky.

"He does." Shinsuke agrees. "So, are ya close with Masamune-san?"
"Close as in we visit his restaurant every time we are in Tokyo. Like I said, it's very volleyball-friendly."
"Yer gonna have ta clarify that this time."
"Well, Masamune-san used ta play volleyball in highschool. He has a lot of fond memories. The team has a lot of achievements from when he was captain, ya know? So he has pictures and some trophies or medals he won during that time displayed at the restaurant. Like this specific area dedicated to the volleyball memorabilia."
"So ya meant volleyball inspired decor?"
"Ya, and there's also a volleyball court at the back that's off-limits to regular customers."

Shinsuke nearly choked on his own spit. "I was not expecting that."
"As far as I know, the building used ta be a family home. Masamune-san renovated the place ta be a restaurant, but kept the volleyball court out the back. Nostalgia and all."
"I understand. I'm picturin' a lot of medals and trophies fer one person."
"Oh it's not just his," Aran added. "His younger siblings played volleyball after him too. They decided ta put all their prizes at the restaurant, so it's pretty stacked."
"That's nice." Kita smiled at the memory of his and his siblings' drawings on the wall in a collage at their grandma's place, and imagined a bigger and flashier version of it at the restaurant. Though the size of it depended on the number of siblings. 

"Which high school is he from by the way?" Shinsuke mused. Maybe they've played the team at some point?
"Oh, he's a Tokyo local. He's from Itachiyama."

Kita stumbled on his feet, just a little bit.

"Ya okay Shin?" Aran grabbed his elbow.
"I'm okay." He reassured him. "Guess I didn't see that pebble. So, Itachiyama?"

The thought did cross Shinsuke's mind before, but this is when he's finally getting to talk about it.

"Ya, that's where Kiyoomi-kun is from too." Aran said with a smile.
"Right." Shinsuke's nervousness was starting to resurface. "So he and his siblings have a lot of high school volleyball achievements, I'm assuming?"
"Yes." Aran confirms. "Collegiate and professional too, to be honest. There's so many of them, they have all sorts of achievements ta offer!"
"And how many of them are there?"

Shinsuke knows his denial is plain absurd at this point. Masamune from Itachiyama. Coincidence?

"Seven siblings! All Itachiyama Alumni!" Aran laughs heartily. "Talk about a big family! That too, a big volleyball family!"
"And when ya say professional?"
"Well, his younger brother is Masamune Keigo, the official coach of the Green Rockets. His younger sister, Masamune Kiyoka..."

Shinsuke didn't hear a single word after that. 

All this time, regardless of how many signs - or clues - Shinsuke picked up on, he ignored them for the sake of, well, the improbability of it.
A part of him would like to believe Kiki asked Masamune Kiyoka, her high school friend, for a favor. That seemed very probable. However, the chances of both of them having six siblings, two older brothers, and being the third child?

Maybe it's a Tokyo thing?

Maybe?

Sure.

Why not?

His thoughts were interrupted by Aran knocking on the door of the restaurant.
Shinsuke was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even realize when they had arrived.

He looked up and proceeded to take in their surroundings. They stood under a canopy, in front of - what he assumed - the entrance of the restaurant. The door blended in seamlessly with the windows, having a similar glass with a black wooden frame. The abundance of clear glass gave him a full view of the inside of the restaurant.
He took in the view - the interior walls had exposed brick, black wood paneling contrasted with the occasional light wood, and gray walls alternated throughout the space. Some featured paintings and some featured structural art.
Shinsuke's gaze roamed the interior, until it landed on a man in a black suit making his way to them. The man opened the door and let them in.

"Ojiro-san!" He exclaimed, taking Aran's hand.
"Masamune-san!" Aran shakes his hand with a huge smile.
"What brings you to Tokyo this time of the year?" The black haired man had a warm smile plastered on his face.
"Just accompanying my friend Shinsuke here." Aran lightly slaps his shoulder.

"Ah, you're Shinsuke-san!" The man turns towards him and shakes his hand. "What a coincidence! I'm Masamune Kenshin, the owner of this restaurant. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Please, call me Shinsuke." He bowed slightly, recalling this man's introduction from Aran. "The pleasure is all mine."
"Your date is waiting for you upstairs." Kenshin stated without any hesitation, making Shinsuke blush.
"I'll be at my usual spot." Aran said, taking leave. "Two of my friends will be joining me soon."
"Of course, Ojiro-san. I'll have your server right away! Please feel free to order whatever you like. It's on the house tonight."
"Lucky!" Aran mused as he made his way towards the back, where Shinsuke assumed the volleyball decor was.

"Please follow me Shinsuke-san"
"Right."

Shinsuke took one last look at his friend, who had his thumbs up and a supportive smile on his face.

Shinsuke followed Kenshin through the restaurant, up an expansive spiral staircase, to the second floor overlooking the first. While the first floor was decorated cozier, the second seemed to have symmetrically placed round tables lined with lavish table runners and decorated with extravagant tableware. Each piece was so carefully placed, Shinsuke couldn't help but admire in the few seconds he could spare.
The floor was also covered with a lush carpet, with tall, ornate flower vases lining the edges by the intricately designed banister.

Shinsuke followed Kenshin towards large open doors to what seemed to be a balcony. He took one last look at the entire restaurant, top and bottom floors, and it finally hit him.

Upscale Comfy

The balcony was separated from the rest of the top floor by a set of large doors lined with light curtains flowing in the evening air. The doorframe and banister were decorated with fairy lights, creating a warm environment despite the chilly evening.
The closer he got, Shinsuke could see a dark silhouette of a woman pacing back and forth on the balcony and the clatter of high heels getting louder and louder. The detailed tattoos on her back became clearer when they reached the balcony entrance.

"Kiyo, your date's here." Kenshin announced.

The silhouette immediately turned around and Shinsuke's breath caught in his throat.

Sure, the black satin slip dress with several body chains peeking out its various crevices didn't fail to do justice to her captivating figure, but it was really the familiar tattoos, lips, and eyes that really caught him. The features he could get a glimpse of over the past year were framed by a signature pink hairstyle and two tiny moles right above the right eyebrow.

She walked over to him and her smile widened.

Shinsuke was still too frozen to compose himself when she brought up her bejeweled fingers to her mouth and cleared her throat.

"I-" He still couldn't find the right words to break the ice.

"Hey, I'm Kiki." She clasped her hands and tilted her head to the side. "But the world knows me as Masamune Kiyoka."

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

"I'll send your server over with your drinks," Kenshin stated once they took their seats on the dimly lit balcony overlooking a pond reflecting the moonlight.
"I think we'll just have water for now," Kik-Kiyoka spoke for him, clearly picking up on his dazed state.
"Alright then."
"Ah, Ken-nii"
"Nope." Kenshin turned around immediately. "Tonight, I'm your host and chef." He pulled out a black apron that the two didn't notice earlier and tied it around his waist. "I'll be your brother once this date is over."

Before turning around to leave, he leaned next to Shinsuke and added, "If you need an out, just say you need to go to the washroom and head downstairs. I'll lead you out the backdoor."
"Nii-chan!"

He finally left, his subtle laugh echoing down the hall.

"I'm guessing that's yer eldest brother?" Shinsuke finally managed, Kenshin's lightheartedness calmed his nerves a bit.
"Yeah...I swear I'm not scary!" Kiyoka seemed a little bothered by Kenshin's teasing. "Ken-nii's just teasing! He's not used to this!"
"Not used ta you comin' here with yer dates?"
"Not used to...well," Kiyoka seemed to ponder for a bit. "That and the fact that I actually am on an actual date. And like I'm actually out on a date and not at my place or whatever."
"So yer siblings had accepted ya wouldn't be in a relationship?"
"I guess? But like Ken-nii and Kei-nii know that it's mostly cause I couldn't really connect with anyone I met before, and they don't want me to be in a relationship where I didn't feel that. Chiaki doesn't really think about it, but the literal children probably think I'm a player or something." Kiyoka chuckled.
"Right, names."
"Oh yeah." Kiyoka straightened up. "I didn't tell you any of my siblings' names either cause we're all more or less Google-able and you could've figured it out."
"Google-able?" Shinsuke laughed.
"Yeah! Like if you knew their names, you could've Googled them together and found me out! Especially from the Itachiyama Alumni website."
"Right."
"So you met Ken-nii, the second is Kei-nii. Masamune Keigo."
"The coach of the Green Rockets."
"So you do know him?"
"Aran mentioned on the way."
"Aran-san is here???" Kiyoka basically jumped up. Shinsuke mentally patted himself on the back.
"He's home for the off-season." Should I show off? "And he's my closest friend so..."
"Right, of course!" Kiyoka turned to her left and rested her cheek on her palm, somehow managing to look regal despite looking away.

Shinsuke noticed three things in the five seconds their gazes didn't meet.

Number one, Kiyoka's cheeks don't flush when she's flustered, but her gaze does become weary and she observes before twisting and swatting a strand of hair away from her face before turning back to him. Given what he's learned of Kiki's personality so far, she definitely wouldn't want you to see her fangirl in person, checks out.

Number two, while she flicked her hair away, he could briefly focus on the two moles right above her right eyebrow. They look familiar, but not in a 'saw them on TV' kind of way, but in a 'saw them in person but on someone else' kind of way, which is why, he's sure, she never even let him glimpse the right side of her face. They're very iconic. He must remember to ask her later.

Number three, her reactions. What Shinsuke learned about her over the course of their interaction is that Kiki is very confident, unapologetic, and unfiltered - traits that he genuinely admires about her. He also learned that whenever she feels a way she doesn't want to feel, which is usually love or care, she tends to shy away from it. Deny its existence, deny herself deserving it, and so on.
Feelings she doesn't want to feel in person also include fangirling.

"So, have you heard of MasAki Gaming?" Kiyoka asked tone back to normal.
"Yes." Shinsuke decided to not push the delicate topic any further. "Naoto is a big fan actually."
"Oh? Your little brother is a fan of my little sister?" The ever so familiar cheeky smile found its way to her face.
"So it seems." Shinsuke smiled, having learned of another famous Masamune, one who he can tease Naoto about.
"Chiaki played volleyball until college, but to be honest she has always been passionate about gaming."
"What position did she play?"

"Middle Blocker, despite not being super tall. She was an extremely strategic blocker, like she found the ultimate hybrid of read blocking and guess blocking, and perfected it." Kiyoka's smile radiated pride for her sister, which also made Shinsuke think that maybe she wished she could play with her more. "She actually wanted to drop out of college in her second year because she had learned everything she wanted to learn, but then Kae was like 'aww, I'm gonna miss knowing you'll be there to block any spike when I'm not on the court!' and it's like something went off inside her brain." Kiyoka chuckled. "And the next day she was like 'well since I already spent two years working on this degree, I might as well graduate'. We all knew she was just making an excuse because she also wanted to keep playing with us for as long as she can, but we didn't say anything. Despite how scary she was on the court, she can actually be quite shy about her feelings".

Ah, so it runs in the family.

Kiyoka paused for only a moment before waving her hand. "Sorry! Kae as in Akamatsu Kaede." Of course, she'd know the Paris Hilton of Japan! "We've been best friends since...honestly, I can't tell you exactly. But Kae, Kiyo, Toya and I have been inseparable since middle school. That's Sakusa Kiyoomi and Komori Motoya."

That reminds me.

"Speakin' of Sakusa Kiyoomi..." Shinsuke gestured at the two moles above her right eyebrow, which are very similar to that of Sakusa Kiyoomi's.
"Right!" Kiyoka's left hand subtly brushed over the moles. Shinsuke noted how she uses her hands while speaking, although her movements are not too frantic. "This is the first-ever tattoo I got...when I was fourteen."

Shinsuke could clearly see the nervousness in Kiyoka's tone and body language. It helps that she wasn't even trying to hide it, and it's completely justified given

The legal age to get tattoos in Japan is 20.

"That's illegal, Kiyoka-san." Shinsuke interjected without a second thought.

Kiyoka was completely taken aback - eyes shot up, her hand flew to her chest and she sat straight up, her back completely touching the backrest of the chair.

"Firstly, yes it was illegal. My last crime even. Secondly, ouch."

It took him a while to realize why she was offended. Firstly, they hadn't used honorifics in what felt like forever. Secondly, this is the first time he called her by her actual name.

"I'm sorry, I didn't..." Shinsuke could see the disappointment despite her smile.
Kiyoka sighed heavily, elbow on the table, cheek resting on her palm. "I was expecting you to be over the initial shock by now. I hoped I had waited long enough for you to know me despite my image, but oh well."
"I'll get over it soon, I promise Kiyo-"
"Kiki," Kiyoka interjected. "I'm your Kiki, remember?"

Any signs of the initial nervousness and slight shiness were completely erased from all her features now.

Shinsuke cleared his throat.
"So, what were ya sayin' about yer last crime, Kiki?"
Kiyoka's smile widened and the edges of her eyes crinkled a little.

"Kiyo used to be bullied a lot for the moles on his forehead. Normally I would beat those kids up but by the end of my second year in middle school, Ken-nii had gotten so many complaints about me, he made me promise not to get in trouble again. But then the bullies started bullying Kiyo again! I couldn't just let my bestie get bullied while I'm around! Or let people think I mellowed down!"

Classic Kiki.

"So instead, I found a shady tattoo place and got the moles tattooed on my forehead. I mean, sure it hurt like hell but the look on the bullies' faces when I backed them to a wall, punched it right beside their head, and asked 'you got a problem with moles?' - absolutely iconic." 

Shinsuke had to join her and laugh. Not only was that truly iconic, that was also very Kiki. He could just imagine little Kiyoka backing little bullies to the wall in a school hallway and asking them that while staring dead into their souls. One of them may have even peed their pants.

Seriously, why was my mind still processing being here with Masamune Kiyoka?

"I'm guessin' those bullies never came fer Kiyoomi-kun again?"
"Absolutely. Kaede and Motoya too."
"Didn't ya get in trouble fer gettin' tattoos though?"
"The school couldn't tell me to get it removed! I just got a strike. Three strikes and you're expelled. Kei-nii laughed. Ken-nii said he's proud of me for not getting violent."
"Yer brothers had such a high bar fer ya."
"Listen, it was completely reasonable. The bar got higher as I became older and more matured or whatever."
"Has the bar always been that low?"
"Nah. I wasn't always the problem child. I only started acting out since our mother left. I was the most perfect little girl before that." She made air quotes with her fingers when she said 'most perfect little girl'.
"Perfect is overrated," Shinsuke added.
"It doesn't sound right coming from you!"
"I'm by no means perfect."

Kiyoka shifted to her other hand and her lips perked up cheekily. However, her eyes reflected something different.

Curiosity.

Endearment.

Fondness.

She leaned forward and looked into his eyes.

"You most definitely are perfect."

Her words made him feel ways he could not describe, but he knew what they were. He just didn't know he could still feel that way, without any hints of guilt or resentment. It made him happy.

I'm so glad I decided to indulge a suspicious fan.

He stared back into the depths of her obsidian eyes that he could only catch glimpses of. The moonlight reflecting off of her dilated pupils in a shiny white canvas, framed by bold lashes, accented with perfectly shaped brows, arched to mimic the curve of her perfectly plump lips...

"So..." He blinked and cleared his throat. Kiki also leaned back into her chair, pouting only a little. "Does everyone in your family have some experience with Volleyball?"
"Ken-nii used to play Volleyball until he dropped out in his third year, but he was the captain for a few months. You already know about Kei-nii, me, and Chiaki. Chihiro, my sibling, is the libero of their university's men's team. They do plan on going pro after graduating."
"That'll make three of ya in professional Volleyball." Knowing how much Kiyoka loves Volleyball, he could tell she's happy about that too. And that made him happy.
"Yep! And the twins..." Kiyoka's eyes squinted and lips pouted. She looked like she was thinking really hard. "Well, they're in high school. They are on the teams, but I don't think either of them is a regular. Like Ejiro gets called to serve once in a while. And Ichiko is working on her jump floater. But both of them seem more interested in the student council stuff."
"So they did follow yer footsteps in one way."
"Yeah...as long as they go to university or have jobs by the time they graduate, I'll be happy."

"Here's your water!" A cheery voice announced.
"Speak of the devil" Kiyoka muttered under her breath.

Shinsuke turned around to see a young girl with black hair and hazel eyes in what seemed like a server's outfit. She placed two tall glasses in front of each of them and filled them up with water from her jug.
Then she handed each of them a menu. "Here is our selection of drinks. What would you like to try?"

Shinsuke thanked her and glanced over the list of drinks he had never heard of. Luckily for him, the menu had a small description of each drink under their names.

He was halfway reading when Kiyoka spoke up.
"I'll skip the alcohol tonight."
"Huh." The server seemed surprised.
"I'd like to make it out 100% sober through the night." She smiled and handed her back the menu.

Wait, do I want alcohol?

"I think I'll skip it too." Shinsuke handed back his menu as well.
"Alright then. I'd hand you food menus now but your order is already placed." The server leaned closer to Shinsuke and lowered her voice a bit. "I can still give you a menu, Kiyo-nae's taste can be a little..."
"Did I mention, since this is my family's restaurant, we don't have to tip the server?" Kiyoka stated.
"I'll be back with your entrees!" The server bowed and practically ran back inside.

"Ichiko?" Shinsuke asked.
"Yep. The twins work here part-time."
"It's nice that they're workin' in high school."
"Ya. I do miss their presentations though."
"Presentations?"

"Oh, story time!" Kiyoka took a few sips of her water and placed the glass back on the table. "The twins obviously grew up more spoiled than the rest of us, right? They are the babies of the family! But given how hard each of us had to work, we wanted to make sure the youngest three would understand the value of money.
Chihiro worked here part-time in high school too but all three of them had to earn money from us in middle school as well.
We did pay for all their necessities without them asking but whenever they wanted something that was a non-necessity, we basically set up Shark Tank. They had to make a presentation on the thing and had to convince us that it is, in fact, something that is equal to us investing in their future."

"That is actually quite smart." Shinsuke was genuinely impressed. "They felt like they had ta earn whatever it is, which means they definitely valued it, and it increased their charisma and presentation skills."
"Exactly!" Kiyoka pointed at him with the index finger of her right hand when she said it. Shinsuke could've sworn he saw a glimpse of something in the split second it took her to position her hand.

"Do ya have a tattoo there?" He asked.
"Oh, this?"

Kiyoka held her finger in front of her like a child would hold a mustache art on their upper lip. There was indeed a tattoo there. It read in all-caps ' EXACTLY '.

"What's the story behind this one?" He asked.
"None I guess! This is one of my 'I'm finally legal!' tattoos!"
"Yer what?"

Kiyoke held up her hands on each side of her face. She spread the fingers apart so he could read each word tattooed on the sides of each finger.
On her right hand; on the side of her middle finger was BRUH... , the next one read MEH and the one on the pinky read PROMISE .
On her left hand; the tattoo on the index finger read HMM... , the middle finger's read EAT IT! And the pinky had a winking face with the tongue stuck out.

"Wow."
"Oh, there's also these." She held up both her thumbs. One read GREAT while the other read FOR REAL.

She then showed him how each made sense with her body language, as she had specific hand gestures for specific situations, like how she always leaned her chin on the index finger of her left hand when she's thinking, therefore hmm...

"...so technically a double thumbs up would read 'FOR REAL, GREAT' cause usually my single thumbs up is sarcastic."
Shinsuke laughed at that one, but his personal favorite was the pinky promise.

"What did ya call them again?"
"My 'I'm finally legal!' tattoos. I got them all on my 20th birthday. I was so happy I wouldn't have to go to shady places anymore that I went ham, which explains the lack of creativity."
"I think they're pretty creative," Shinsuke reassured her. "Also, how many days exactly did it take ta get yer mole tattoos?"
"Ow um.." Kiyoka hesitated.
"Kiki?" although he was concerned with her hesitation, but a tiny part of him was happy at Kiyoka's inability to lie to him like Kiki always did.

"See this?" Kiyoka pointed to the tattoo on her left bicep - the words PARTNERS IN CRIME written multiple times around her arm with circles between on either side of the three words. It looked somewhat like an armband. "Kae and I got this as high school graduation tattoos. And this one," Kiyoka pulled the strap of her dress a little to expose what looked like a tiny dual-toned wolf head. Half of it was black and the other half was pink. It wasn't very detailed either, the head was made up of multiple triangles placed together.

Neat.

"This is Kiyo and my matching tattoo. The only difference is the colors. The colors are inverted on his one. And um..." Kiyoka glanced back and forth, seemingly unsure. "Toya's one's on my back,"

"And these are all yer graduation tattoos?"
"Yep! We were all going separate ways, so we wanted to do something special." She shrugged. " Although, in the end, it was just one of us. Toya's the only one who didn't go to college."

"Here's your entree!" Ichiko announced as she came back, placing two plates in front of them. "Please enjoy."

Shinsuke looked at his plate, uncertain.

"What?" Kiyoka chuckled.
"How do I...?" He wasn't even sure how to finish the sentence. He didn't even know what was on his plate. There was some kind of noodles, but they appeared crunchy. There was definitely a sauce glazing over what appeared to be tiny pieces of karage with small jelly drops on top.
"I guess I should've mentioned this is a fusion restaurant," Kiyoka added as if that answered whatever his question was. "And the menu I ordered is the Walk Down Memory Lane."

"What memory?" This time Kiyoka let out a hearty laugh at the obvious confusion on the man's face. "Remember what an awful chef I am?" Shinsuke nodded. "So Ken-nii had to do all the cooking despite working. That's how he grew passionate about food. All the dishes on this menu are born from nightmarish concoctions from his experimental days."

Shinsuke glanced at his food warily.

"Don't worry. If the food really was nightmarish, Ken-nii wouldn't have seven branches across the country serving the same menu." He couldn't argue with that logic, so he took a deep breath and reached for the chopsticks. He dipped the karage into one of the seven sauces and took a bite, and instantly his mouth filled with flavor.
Never in a million years could he have fathomed the flavors could work together in perfect harmony, yet here he is, savoring each bite like it could be his last.

"I'm guessing you liked it?" He opened his eyes to see Kiyoka smiling at him.
"It's delicious." He confirmed.
"Of course it is! Why else would it be on the menu?" She chuckled and took a bite of her own food. "Remember how I said this menu is called the Walk Down Memory Lane?"

Shinsuke nodded.

"Each dish has a lore that tells the story of the Masamune Siblings!"

Kiyoka told him of how Kenshin had left the noodles to soak and came back to the horror that Chihiro, in an attempt to help him, had deep fried the noodles and boiled the marinated chicken breasts. It tasted wrong, but somehow Kenshin found a way to make it work.

Each story came with a follow-up question from Shinsuke, which Kiyoka was more than happy to answer.

Kiyoka told him the story behind each of the five dishes, ending with the desert, which seemed like a smashed white chocolate sphere, with multiple smaller desserts inside.

"I'm telling you, he literally threw each of our favorite desserts into the ball and then dropped it on the plate!"
"With all due respect, this must be a sin!"
"We were more surprised he didn't ask Kei-nii to set it for him so he could spike it at the plate!"

And just like that, dinner was over.

Shinsuke had met so many families over the years - neighbors, classmates' families, teammate's families, clients, and their families - but he never learned so much about a single family over one dinner as he did the Masamunes'. And honestly, he's glad.

"So, how did you like your first fusion experience?" Kiyoka asked as Ichiko cleared up their table for the final time.
"That was...wow."
"Did not expect you to start using improper adjectives." She teased.
"Incredible. I'll give ya more when it comes ta me."
"Okay." He's seen Kiyoka's grin so many times this night, he might as well be addicted to it.

Here's the thing about meeting Kiki, who just so happens to be Masamune Kiyoka.

He's seen Kiyoka on TV so many times over so many years. His impression of her was always powerful, talented, inspiring, intense, genius, and anything that falls in that category. Now that he's met her in person, as Kiki, he perceives her as dedicated, sincere, smart, witty, playful, caring, cheeky, and so on.

As Kiki became Kiyoka, his separate perceptions of the two morphed into one, and now both the personalities have become something much more superior than either has ever been.

A day ago he would've described Masamune Kiyoka as a fierce warrior.

Now, he'd describe her as the most breathtaking creature to ever grace the planet.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Kiyoka was not as flustered when meeting Aran as she had been when talking about him. As expected, she knows perfectly how to keep her demeanor despite the situation.

Aran was ecstatic that Kiki is Kiyoka, saying how glad he was that she’s not a mafia assassin and that volleyball runs in Inarizaki's blood. That statement made little to no sense to Shinsuke, but he appreciated the sentiment.

While Aran was calm and collected, Gin and Michinari were basically fangirling over her and had a mini photoshoot with her.

"Just don't share them with anyone now okay? I'll tell you when it's okay." Kiyoka asked.
"Okay!"
The two were too excited about meeting her to argue the slightest.

After a brief tour of the downstairs, along with the Volleyball memorabilia and the court, and a souvenir from Kenshin and Ejiro, who had been the sous chef all this time, the restaurant staff bid them good night.

"I'll walk you to the station." Kiyoka offered.
"Ya don't have ta. It's late." Shinsuke objected.
"It's only a five-minute walk from here." Kiyoka insisted.

Aran and the hyped couple walked a few feet ahead of them, giving them some privacy.
Shinsuke and Kiyoka talked about things she had left unanswered over the last year. He was surprised to see she had noted down everything on her phone because she planned on answering everything when they met.
He found it extremely endearing.

"And that's all I had noted down," Kiyoka announced.
"I would offer similar situations on my part but..."
"Ya ya, I get it!" Shinsuke laughed, finally being able to tease her like normal. "I'm 176 centimeters, by the way."
Shinsuke was understandably confused. "Okay."

It is true she has been towering over him in the terrifying heels she was wearing (his guess was at least 185 centimeters in the heels), but it's not like he had asked her.

The only noises echoing in the dead of the night were their footsteps as they walked under the moonlight. There were the occasional cicadas every time they passed a tree, but otherwise, it was quiet.
Night time Tokyo was something he hadn't fathomed.

The silence only broke when Kiyoka broke into laughter.

"I'm sorry." She said when she finally recovered. "I just wasn't sure how you'd react."
"React ta what?" He genuinely had no idea.
"Well, most guys absolutely hate it when the girl is taller than them. They tend to misbehave in various ways as a coping mechanism against their suddenly inflated inferiority complex. Obviously, I don't like those men. So wearing super high heels is something Kae and I came up with to weed them out early."
"Ya were plannin' on weedin' me out by wearin' scary heels?"
"It's not like I don't like heels!" Kiyoka chuckled. "I knew you weren't one of them, but I was super duper curious about your reaction. It was priceless by the way."
"I had no reaction."
She pointed at him. "Exactly!"

"Ya sure ya can go back on yer own?"Shinsuke asked once they made it to the station. It's not like he didn't trust Kiyoka to take care of herself, it's just that the way to the station was eerily quiet and even the station was only filled with the mechanical clanking of the machinery.
"Yes!" She reassured him. "No one or nothing in Tokyo that has a heartbeat has the guts to mess with Masamuna Kiyoka!" She declared triumphantly. "I'm gonna walk back to the restaurant now and get my stuff. Then I'll head home on my bike."

Of course.

"Stay safe, okay?"
"You should be saying that to anything with bad intentions lurking in the shadows."
"I assure you I was." Shinsuke indulged.

The sound of the train stopping echoed throughout the empty station.
"Shin, this is us!" Michinari called.

"Thank ya so much fer an amazin' birthday." He said, taking her hands in his.
"The pleasure is all mine." She smiled and squeezed his hands.
"Call me when ya get home?" Shinsuke said, broadening her smile.
"Okay."

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

"Did ya seriously not kiss her?" Michinari asked in disbelief as Shinsuke took his seat behind him.
"I don't think I should've," he answered.
"Bullshit! Ya just didn't wanna appear improper!" Michinari spat.
"Ya sure ya wrapped yer head around the whole identity crisis thing?" Aran asked.
"Yes." Shinsuke replied. "There's no reason not to."
"Ya wanna go through her real profile?" Gin asked, holding his phone out to him.

So this is what they have been going through.

He accepted the phone and started reading from the top.

Masamune Kiyoka
Professional Volleyball Player
Japan National Women's Team | Wing Spiker
PNK Wolves | Wing Spiker
Chuo Women's Volleyball Team | Wing Spiker (Alumni)
Itachiyama Girls' Volleyball Team | Wing Spiker (Alumni)

Her handle was simply @kiyokaofficial and her profile picture was a picture of her in her National Team Uniform wearing a gold medal.
Her posts were in the thousands, above 10 million followers, and hundreds of millions of likes.

Most of the posts were photos or videos of her matches or training. There were some photos at formal events and some sponsored posts and photo shoots. He did come across some family and friend photos, but even they seemed quite tame.
The only informal posts he could find were some mirror selfies and this one photo of her and Komori clinking wine glasses with Kiyoomi and Atsumu kissing behind Komori and Kaede and (he assumed) her boyfriend making out behind Kiyoka. The caption read #singlelife.

"This is her real account?" Shinsuke asked.
"Yep. Look at the tick beside her name." Gin answered.
"It seems kinda..."
"Bland?" Aran asked. Shinsuke nodded. "Ya, most athletes have to tone down everything on their official accounts. Ya've seen how Kiyoka-san has been hiding her tattoos during local matches, right?"

So that's why I couldn't recall so many of the tattoos that have been there for years.

"She and many others with visible tattoos wear compression gear or use concealer."
"What kinda concealer makes it through a wild professional match?" Michinari asked in disbelief.
"They have a special one fer athletes."
"Man, Japan's tattoo stigma is crazy!"

Stigma.
That's right.

Kiyoka said she had to find ways to be scary without being violent when Kenshin made her promise. So she started getting tattoos and piercings. When Keigo asked her what she wanted for her 15th birthday, she made him get her three piercings on each ear, and that was just the beginning.

She started looking like a delinquent, even though she wasn't violent at all at this point. All she had to do was appear angry and not talk too much.

She had to change that in high school, of course, when she became the president of the student council. She became friendlier and stopped dressing so unapproachable.

She started acting out to try and get her mother's attention.

She appeared unapproachable to protect her friends and younger siblings.

She mellowed down to satiate the school.

She tolerated misjudgment to maintain harmony in her college team.

She hides her tattoos and piercings to keep the Japanese society happy.

When has she really been herself?

Shinsuke handed back Gin's phone and pulled out his own. He went on Instagram and opened Kiyoka's 'fake' profile:

Bad Bish Incognito
she/her
25
Pisces
I still don't care for zodiac but WHAT ELSE DO I PUT HERE???
Here for simping and pining uwu

The chibi on her profile picture drawn by her friend Hitoka Yachi perfectly depicted what she looked like; from her pink hair to the leather jacket and bike.
She had 2 posts: one was a repost of her profile picture and the other was a screenshot of Shinsuke's Say You Won't Let Go cover, which he performed for her birthday when they first met.
She had 10 followers: Naoto, Gin, Michinari, Kaede, five other fake accounts, and of course, himself.

Her handle: @badbishincognito03.
She changed the spelling for him, albeit in vain, but it did get her a nickname. And 03, which he now realizes is her jersey number for both her Wolves' and National Team Uniform. It's also been the number for her collegiate team, her high school team, and her middle school team.

She's the third Masamune, and despite how much love she has for her teams, the Masamunes will always be the most precious to her.

It took him a second to realize the unusual element on her profile: the green circle around her profile picture, indicating a story for close friends.

Curious, he clicked on it. 

The first photo was a selfie showing just the left side of her face, mouth covered with her ornamented hand. The caption read: Got a cute date today!
The second photo showed her shaking hands with a woman, whose face couldn't be seen because the photo cut off at her shoulders. There were shopping bags and a mirror in the background. Caption: Bestie's here to help!

Ah, Kaede.

The next photo showed her dress, jewelry, heels, and a lot of makeup on the bed. Caption: Geared up!
The fourth photo was another selfie, this time it was her left eye, hair, and the ceiling. Caption: This is gonna take forever! What if he gets there before me?
The next photo was a mirror selfie taken on a full-length mirror. Her face was hidden but it showed off her whole outfit. Caption: Tada! I hope he likes it!
The next photo was taken on the restaurant balcony, the table where they had their dinner in the center, framed by the beautiful curtains and fairy lights, and the pond reflecting the night sky in the background. It looked stunning. Caption: I hope he likes it (x2)
The last photo was of their table, taken from her seat. The table piece was in the center, along with the handkerchiefs and cutlery. Her left hand rested on the table, as did both of his. Caption: HE'S SO FUCKING CUTE I JUST CAN'T dwbkibcjwbvkbswvwj

Shinsuke chuckled.

When did she even take that photo?

This is so Kiki.

When did she change her bio?

He found her excitement throughout the whole day extremely adorable. The fact that she was so excited to meet him and was so happy to have met him, made his heart all warm and fuzzy inside.

Over the period of time that they've known each other, he learned how unfiltered and unapologetic Kiki really is. This fact paired with all the words in her story made him even more emotional.

This is who she really is.

This is how she really feels about me.

"It honestly gets so exhausting, having to pretend I'm someone different. I become Kiki when I need to breathe."

Her words resurfaced in his mind and he became irritated as if he needed to sink them back down.

"I become Kiki when I need to breathe"

"Here for simping and pining."

"I'm your Kiki."

What am I doing here?

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

No seriously, what am I doing?

Shinsuke thought to himself as he ran through the station, made it to the main street, and followed the path shown on the map on his phone.

This is insane.

He had gotten off the train at the first stop, despite Aran's insisting that this wasn't their stop. All he knew was he needed to get back to MasaKen's before it was too late.

He couldn't tell how long he’d been running. All the thoughts in his head had morphed into a meaningless jibber-jabber. All he knew was he needed to follow the blue line on the map.

Shinsuke liked to believe that even though he hadn’t played Volleyball since high school, his training hadn’t gone to waste. It helped him build healthy habits around taking care of his body and keeping himself fit. He wouldn’t have had such a healthy body now if it weren’t for all those years of Volleyball.

But now he’s second-guessing himself. Now he’s beginning to think that all his training wasn’t just for a healthy body. Those thousands of days of intense training had prepared him for this exact moment - jumping from the train to the platform, skidding on the empty pavement, dodging a couple of rats running across the street, jumping over a puddle - all while staring at the blue line becoming smaller and smaller.

It’s getting kinda stuffy.

Shinsuke’s right hand flew up to his tie to loosen it and then unbutton the first two buttons of his shirt as his dark-tipped silver hair swaying in the wind reflected the moonlight, all the while glancing back and forth between the road and the phone in his left hand. 

 He put his phone back in his pocket when the line showed only twenty feet.

I hope I’m not too late.

Just as he turned around the corner, the pink hair shining in the silver moonlight caught his eyes.
Kiyoka was standing outside the restaurant, just outside the shade of the canopy.
She seemed to have swapped her frightening heels for a pair of black combat boots, put on a black leather jacket (therefore, unfortunately, hiding her tattooed back from his point of view) and a pair of matching black fingerless biker gloves; and appeared to be searching for something in her tote bag while struggling to balance the giant rose bouquet.

Maybe the biggest bouquet was a mistake.

“Kiki.” He called as he reached her, dropping his hands to his knees while catching his breath.
Kiyoka immediately turned around, clearly surprised.

“Shin? What are you doing here?” She asked in confusion. “Did you forget something? You could’ve just called me and I would’ve picked it up for you.”
“I did forget somethin’.” He finally looked up at her and stood upright. “I forgot ta ask ya somethin’.”
“Something that couldn’t wait until tomorrow?” She reached into her bag and handed him a tissue, which he gratefully accepted. “Did you miss your train and run all the way here?”
“I got off at the next stop and ran from there. I didn’t wanna miss ya.” He wiped the sweat off his forehead.
“Wha-”
“I forgot ta ask…” He had wiped his face completely, but he’s sure he’s still flushed. He stood straight and yet somehow even in her three-centimeter (?) combat boots, she appeared taller than him.

Well, she is taller than me.

His eyes focused on hers - her obsidian orbs wide with curiosity shining in the moonlight, perfection reflecting perfection. He could stare into them for a lifetime, but he knew for a fact he felt that way only because they’re her eyes, and anything of and about her is just perfect.
He had to blink away the reverie before he ‘forgets’ to ask again.

“Can I kiss ya?” Somehow all the hesitation he had up until this moment vanished in an instant.
What did appear for the first time ever, however, was the subtle hues of pink, dusted on Kiyoka’s cheeks.

So she does blush when flustered, just takes a bit of work.

He mentally patted himself on the back yet again.

“Y-yes.” It appeared Kiyoka had to manage this time. “Thought you’d never ask.” Her lopsided grin found itself back on her face and the moment of vulnerability lasted mere seconds.
But that doesn’t matter now. All that matters is she took a step towards him and leaned in until their lips finally touched. Her hands found their way to the nape of his neck while his found their way to the small of her back, under her jacket.
She shuddered a little as his cold fingertips met her warm skin. Her reaction only served to deepen the kiss, and they stayed like that, basking in each other’s warmth until they needed to replenish the oxygen in their lungs.
Their foreheads stayed together as they gasped for air, satiating the pain in their chest. 

“Was that the last train back ta the hotel?” Shinsuke asked between heavy breaths.
“ Yep.” Kiyoka smiled.
She pulled back, separating their foreheads as her hands found their way to his waist.

“You know, the moon’s just as gorgeous as the sunrise.”

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Shinsuke couldn't point out exactly when it started, but it couldn't have been more than a few months after the 10,000 followers celebration, that his mind had but one idle thought - Kiki.
There was not a single question about her that he didn't think of.

What did she do first thing in the morning?

What made her passionate about her job?

If she could be anyone she wanted to be, who would she choose?

How did she feel dancing in nature’s light beside her big windows?

What was her favorite sound?

What did her world look like?

There wasn’t a single moment last year when he didn’t find himself preoccupied with these questions. The only slight hiccup was when he had to process the fact that his Kiki is the Masamune Kiyoka.
But that part’s over now.
Now he’s at the part where all the questions he has ever had, and even the ones he didn’t know he had, were answered.

Now he's at the part where he knows.

He knows how MasaKen's is her comfort place.

He knows how her days consist of her training hard to further her career in every way possible, and reach her full potential.

He knows how she sucks at singing, but can pull the rug from under his feet with her intricate dance moves.

He knows how she cherishes every good thing in life and immortalizes everyone and everything important to her in the form of tattoos.

He knows how the air cutting through her hair as she rode her bike through the Tokyo nights made her feel powerful.

He knows how her ‘rebel behavior’ is just a weapon she chose to protect herself and those she loves.

He knows how a Hailey’s Comet of a blush dusted her cheeks ever so slightly, reminding those who notice how she can also be vulnerable and true.

And of course, since he’s the luckiest human to ever walk on Earth as of 30 minutes ago, he knows how her lips tasted, engulfed in the warmth and sweetness of herself.

These realizations flooded his mind, occupying every nook and cranny the entire duration of the bike ride back to her place.

He wished she hadn’t tied up her hair and allowed it to flood his nostrils with her scent as well; but he couldn’t really complain as he basked in the quiet, magical Tokyo he never knew existed, the Tokyo that created the perfect mold for the kingdom the moon ruled over, the Tokyo that perfectly embodied Kiyoka’s domain.

The Tokyo that’s Kiyoka’s world.

He cherished every moment of it. Every second they spent close, every second their skin touched. Their lips were inseparable as they took the lift upstairs and only separated once they stepped inside the apartment and proceeded to take their shoes and coats off in the genkan.

Shinsuke followed her suit and placed Gin’s whore-blazer in her coat closet beside her leather jacket, and placed his loafers beside her boots in the shoe rack. He watched as Kiyoka took out her devil heels from her bag and placed them in a row that seemed to only hold heels. 

So organized.

Kiyoka proceeded to take out some things from her tote bag and Shinsuke proceeded to watch her. She took out the chocolate box, as well as her keys and small trinkets, and hung the bag on a hook beside the door while placing the smaller things on the console table. Right as she was about to step out of the genkan and into the actual living space, she turned to him.

“I don’t really have guest slippers.” She stated, unsure. “This is a slipper-free household. Come on in!”
Kiyoka grabbed his hand with her free one and led him inside. “Pixie’s got it covered,” She said, nodding at an automatic vacuum cleaner charging on its dock. 

Her fingers gently intertwined with his as she walked him to the open living space with high ceilings and the infamous two-story windows. 

Shinsuke’s breath hitched for the second time that night. Sure, he had an inkling of an idea  of how breathtaking the view from these very windows is during dusk or dawn, but never in a million years did he ever fathom how truly hypnotizing it could be in the dead of the night. 

Camera lenses cannot do enough justice to the sunrise or sunset, no matter the quality, so of course, they can never even try to do justice to this night view.

"I'm gonna put these away." She said, gesturing to the chocolate box and giant bouquet in her hand.

Seriously, how is she holding both of them in the same hand?

"Make yourself at home!"

"Okay." 

Shinsuke watched as Kiyoka pulled away, towards the other end of the room where the kitchen was located. 

The steel stove, chimney, fridge, counters and cabinets were up on an exposed brick wall, while the massive kitchen island was made of a grey stone, the texture of which was enhanced with base lighting emitting from the floor. Three stainless steel and black leather bar stools stood at the island.

Shinsuke heard the thud of the fridge door, as Kiyoka moved on to the roses.

He watched as she took out a large crystal vase and filled it up with water. She then added some kind of powder to the water and stirred, before taking out scissors to cut the paper and ribbons holding the roses together, and gently placing them into the vase.
She then carried the vase to the glass (or is it epoxy?) and wood dining table separating the two spaces, and centered it. 

Kiyoka proceeded to position each rose carefully, shaping the bouquet with unhindered focus. It’s one of the qualities of hers that Shinsuke admired so much - putting her hundred percent into whatever task she has at hand. He found it almost as admirable as her ability to prioritize urgent tasks over ‘desirable’ ones…even with the atmosphere and emotions.
But it is nice to see she didn’t want the roses he bought her to just die, so that’s fine.

It’s rude to stare, Shinsuke.

Shinsuke decided to turn back to the enormous windows that stretched out in front of him. The sky was so full of stars, he had to remind himself he was, in fact, not in a Google image of the galaxy, but in an apartment in Tokyo. 

What was the last number I saw on the screen in the lift?

Of course, it was hard to remember, given the numbered hazy glimpses he had, amongst the task at hand.

27.

You can really get a great view of the sky and the Tokyo outline from this height. It was around this time that he noticed the lights in the apartment were dimmed. All the lights in the living area were turned on, but he could tell they were not glowing to their full capacity. 

She must really like the stars.

The soft, shimmery starlight flooded in through the walls of glass and lit up the entire place. It cast a soft, almost dreamy glow on every surface and made everything seem more charming, so of course, he had to note what effect it had on Kiki.

Kiki looked ethereal as the starlight outlined every edge of her silhouette, highlighted every bit of the pink length of her hair, and brightened up her eyes. She was still slightly hunched over, arranging the flowers, which allowed for her rhinestone body chain - the one that went from her choker and disappeared under the neckline - to sparkle fiercely, causing his eyes to trail down its length, appreciating her beautifully highlighted curves on either side of the valley of her chest, all the way down to God knows where under the delicious low cut cowl ne-

"Enjoying the view?" 

The words startled the silver-haired man and brought his attention back to her face - her eyes fierce and her lips quirked up, as if challenging him.

"Ya really like stars, dontcha?" He shot, turning back towards the vast windows in front of him.
"Of course." Replied the athlete. "What's not to like about them?"
"I always thought ya were more of a sunny skies kinda gal." He said as she approached him.
"Well, believe it or not, the first time I visited this apartment, it was late at night. I got embarrassingly drunk and got lost." She took a seat at the divan part of the sectional sofa and patted the spot beside her. "Yet I managed to find my future home." A subtle smile made its way to her face. 
"I thought ya didn't get drunk?" He sat down beside her.
"It was a bad day." 
"Well, at least ya found this place."

Kiyoka smiled widely and turned back to the stars. "It's nice to have a constant to look up to." Said the woman, resting her chin on her hand. 

“‘A constant ta look up ta’?” The man questioned her choice of words.

“Well, kids who have a normal childhood - grow up in a healthy environment with loving and caring parents - they usually have someone to look up to, like a role model, or whatever.
I never really had that. My sibs didn’t either, to be honest. I mean, you can only spare enough time to observe someone when you’re not trying to figure out how to put food on the plate or pay bills every waking hour.
The sole thought on my mind was how we were going to make ends meet and how we can save up more and such. I only ever observed people when I needed to” she let out a sigh. “You get me?”

“I do.” Once again, Shinsuke was rendered speechless. “Ta be honest, it never occurred ta me how some kids never really have anyone ta look up ta. I’ve always looked up ta my grandfather so I guess it felt natural ta me.” 

Kiyoka smirked once again and turned back to look up. “I guess it also has to do with the fact that I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone. After our father passed away, Tokyo really did not like us, so I always found people repulsive. And then when mother left, I couldn’t trust anyone at all. The only thing that remained the same was  the stars.
I always liked looking up at them. Maybe because they reminded me that no matter the changes in life, I’ll always remain me, and so I can always trust myself.
And I can shine brighter if I choose to do so.”

Shinsuke looked back up, and back to her.

You’re indeed shining.

“But also, the stars totally earned it!” Kiyoka leaned back, resting her weight on her palms behind her. “I mean, look how high up they are! If they weren’t burning so much hydrogen relentlessly, they’d never shine! You know how hard it is to burn so much hydrogen all the time, non-stop?”
Kiyoka laughed and he joined her. He sees where she’s going with it and he can’t stop falling even more.
“So I guess I felt motivated to work just as hard and shine just as bright. I wanted to inspire people too, just as much as they inspired me to never give up. If I shined bright enough, I’d touch enough people and inspire them to become better. I could inspire so many kids to be hopeful and work on themselves no matter what.”

So this is what it’s about.
She wants to be a guiding light for people, especially kids, going through similar situations as she had.
No one knows better than her how hard that is.

No one knows how hard a star works until it stops burning.

“Ya are a major inspiration, especially ta so many kids. So many little girls, too. The number of girls trying out for Volleyball back home increased a tonne in the last few years and I’m pretty sure ya played a major part in that.”

“Hyogo has Maizuno Sayaka, though. So I’m pretty sure that’s her doing.” Kiyoka stated quietly.

“Yes, but Maizuno doesn’t have pink hair or wear number three. Seriously, my brother-in-law has to restock pink hairspray once every month, and probably once every week during volleyball season! Not to mention the amount of the women’s number three jerseys selling out right before any international tournament.
Ya already are a star, Masamune Kiyoka.”

Shinsuke wasn’t sure if it was okay to call her by her actual full name even in this context, but one look at her reassured him.

She was staring back at him, pupils dilated so wide, he felt the obsidian ocean pulling him in. And before he knew it, their lips met again.
Shinsuke instinctively closed his eyes and took in every split second of this experience. Being here, in this magical apartment, with Kiyoka still felt like a dream to him. He’s finally with his Kiki, and every step they took tonight told him she loved him just as much as he loved her.

That might be a bit presumptuous at this point.

He leaned back and let her deepen the kiss.
His back was met with the soft surface of the sofa as she pressed down against him, bodies perfectly aligned.

Finally picking up where we left off.

His right hand caressed her face as his left hand held onto hers beside his head. The kiss deepened but the pace slowed, and then Kiyoka suddenly pulled away slightly.

They stared at each other, gasping for air when she said it.

He never thought his heart was capable of skipping a beat ever again, but the two extra words proved him wrong.

"I love you so much."

The words kept echoing in his head, hearing it once wasn't enough for him to believe it.

"I mean, um-" the dusted pink returned to her cheeks, as she scrambled to collect herself on top of him. "I-I wanted it to be more special when I said it." She laid down, burying her face in his chest, hiding from him.

Fucking adorable.

He leaned up on his elbows. 

"Was that the first time ya said 'I love ya' ta someone?" He asked.

Kiyoka's indecipherable answer was muffled by his shirt.

"I can't hear ya." 

"I said- " Kiyoka looked back up at him. "Not really but, I never really said it before in a " she turned back to the side, hiding her face again "non-platonic, very romantic, I'll-visit-Hyogo-every-off-season-video-call-you-before-every-match-share-my-space-with-you-cuddle-with-you-every-chance-I-get-have-breakfast-with-you-go-running-with-you-do-all-of-life's-mundane-tasks-with-you-while-feeling-super-special-wake-up-next-to-you-every-morning-as-the-luckiest-being-on-the-planet-and-show-you-off-to-the-entire-world-because-you're-the-most-precious-creature-to-ever-exist-and-I-love-you-so-much kinda way…Yeah."

Something snapped inside Shinsuke at that.
He grabbed the back of her head and crushed their lips together. Kiyoka was taken aback, but she kissed him back a second later.
His other hand journeyed down her bare waist as he turned and pushed her down onto the sofa, his hand moving from her head to the sofa surface beside it as he hovered over her.
He kneed the sofa between her legs, separating them as his hand trailed up her thigh through the deliciously high slit he’s been eyeing all night.
He broke the kiss to lean in and whisper in her ear.

“The was absolutely the most perfect fuckin’ way ta say it.”

Shinsuke felt her body freeze and her breath hitch. He went back to placing a deep passionate kiss on her lips as her fingers tangled his hair. He then slowly made his way down her jaw and neck, leaving little pecks along the way.
The hand on her thigh glided up as well, past her thigh chain, and even past the waistband of her panties, and rested on her waist.
His lips’ journey was rudely interrupted by the choker part of her body chain. He ignored it and skipped below it until he was interrupted by yet another strand of stones running across her chest. 

This time he pulled back and stared in confusion.

How am I supposed to do this?

How do you even take this off?

His thoughts were interrupted by the muffled sounds of Kiyoka's giggles. 

"Did ya wear this on purpose, Kiki?"
"Well, I did purposely wear it!" she teased.
“Is this supposed ta be another test?” Kita recalled the scary heels she had on earlier that night.
“Maybe..” Kiyoka propped up on her elbows and brushed her lips against his. “I wanted to see how much you really wanted me.”

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Kiyoka stumbled upon the apartment one night during one of her lowest lows. She decided to make it her home when she witnessed the breathtaking view of the galaxies, way above the city skyline, it had to offer. She could also access the magical views of the sun it had to offer, and she considered herself lucky.
Shinsuke agreed, but he knew she could never be as lucky as him in this very apartment - his eyes opened to the sunrays flooding into the apartment through the glass walls, illuminating the entire place in a soft golden glow in the background while highlighting the outline of the God-gifted creature resting her head on his chest and her arm sprawling across his torso, hugging him close. Her steady breathing gently grazed his skin, the buttery vanilla aroma of her luscious locks, her natural black fading into a soft pink, invaded his nostrils, Her smooth skin spread a gentle warmth over every inch of his that touched her - no, Kiyoka can never be this lucky in her own home.

She definitely wasn't lying when she warned him last night of her habit of hugging whatever (or whoever) is next to her very tightly in her sleep. 

Hence why she had this ungodly amount of pillows on her bed.

He carefully lifted her up slightly, just enough for him to slip out, as the cool metal of her rings gently grazed him. He stood up, picked out a large pillow from the pile, and placed it beside her before gently dropping her wrist back to where he was, resting it on top of the pillow. She moved ever so slightly, only to hug the pillow closer to her.

So adorable.

He took a moment to appreciate the sight before him. Natural light really does pack magic.

The light bouncing off the walls cast a soft glow on her skin, highlighting her curves perfectly.  Her messy hair framed her face, bringing attention to her thick lashes and swollen lips. 

He did get flustered when his eyes landed on the string of crystals around her neck with a few uneven strands hanging from it - the remnants of her body chain. He did end up getting a bit too feral and breaking it. One glance down at the living room was enough to notice the uncountable uncharacteristic sparkles on the rug near the sofa and confirm his conviction. 

I did go a little too…wild.

I'll buy her a new one.

I hope they're not too expensive.

The morning glow also perfectly accentuated her muscles, including the delicious ones in her legs. Unlike last night, he could actually clearly read the tattoo on her thigh now, which happened to be the one from her friend's book.

His lips perked up in a smile

What a line to read first thing in the morning.

"I guess he is the best thing I never planned for."

I don't know about me, but thank you for being bold enough to waltz into a stranger’s life and lighting up all their plans on fire.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

"Please tell me you actually slept with her!"

This is exactly why Shinsuke did not call Michinari. The only person he expected to be up this early is Aran. But it seems Michinari couldn't hold his curiosity and snatched Aran's phone the instant he saw Shinsuke's name light up the screen.

"Michi!" Shinsuke could practically hear the fluster in Gin's voice. 
"Okay, that's enough." Finally, Aran's voice broke through the chaos as he snatched his phone back. "Hey Shin, how's it goin'?"
"Mornin' Aran. Did you guys not sleep?" Shinsuke said, plopping another crystal in the bowl he found in Kiyoka's kitchen cabinet. Judging by the blinding amount of shimmer on the rug, it's gonna take a while. 
"Yer dodging the question we've stayed all night for, Shin." Aran shot back.
"That's not healthy," Shinsuke answered with flushed cheeks. He shifted his weight to his other knee to pick up another crystal, instantly regretting the sudden movement as his back cracked again and he let out an involuntary groan.
"Well, sounds like ya had a good night." Aran let out a hearty laugh, fueling Michinari's excitement even more.
"Shin ya dirty dog!" He screamed out and (it sounded like he) snatched back the phone. "I knew ya still had it in ya! So tell me…"

And thus began the once-upon-a-libero's incessant questioning. 
Shinsuke let out a sigh. This is exactly what he wanted to avoid. 
He would've put the phone on speaker and continued picking up all the crystals, but he doesn't want Kiyoka to wake up to Michinari's shrill voice. 
He wanted her to wake up to the salivating aroma of his home-cooked meal but since she doesn't cook, she doesn't have any groceries. Her cabinets were stacked with processed snacks and the fridge was stacked with microwave meals from her gym, so he decided to pick up the crystals instead.

He's holding his phone to his ear with his left hand and picking up the crystals with his right, slowly navigating his way with his feet so as to not hurt his back again. 
Normally, any logical human being waking up with a sore back (amongst other sore body parts) would take a nice steamy shower to help relax their muscles. 
Shinsuke had the same plan, as he is also a logical human being. However, Kiyoka has a thing for mirrors, and the full-length ones in her downstairs bathroom gave him a full view of the evidences of last night plastered all over his neck and pecs. 

Seeing them, his thoughts drifted back to the events of last night. His imagination can be very vivid sometimes.

In a single shut of his eyes, he recalled everything - him pushing her legs apart and over his shoulders on the couch, her guiding him with his hair twisted around her fingers as he worked his tongue between her thighs, the droplets of sweat that formed on her neck and made their way down until finally falling off the peak of her breasts that rocked above him while he had his hands on her bottoms as her thighs plastered him to the bed - cold shower it is .

He's gonna have to do something about it later, preferably after he has at least prepared tea for her since breakfast was out the window. 

"Shin," Aran's voice brought him back to reality. "How are ya really?"

Of course, it would be Aran.

Shinsuke's mind drifted all the way back to the beginning - the playful banter between complete strangers creating a caring bond, causing them to become each other's habits, and their reactions to the Christmas incident at Kiki's family proved that they were each other's rock, the musical back-and-forths filled with so much emotion, the long-awaited meeting and date, her unfiltered self which only a select few could witness, her magical home, her dilated pupils under heavy lids, her hungry yet gentle touch, her skillful yet careful movements.

The morning may not have gone as planned but it was only a matter of time before he learned her way of life.

But all those enchanted moments topped with her heartfelt confession in words purer than the snow on the mountains of Hyogo -

A smile found its way to his face despite his aching back.

"I'm alright," he replied. "Better than I've been in a very long time."

The weight of his words finally hit him and his eyes began to sting ever so slightly. He turned towards the glass windows and allowed himself to bask in the warmth of the rising sun that felt much like the love he's been exposed to since his eyes landed on her at MasaKen's last night.

"I guess I hadn't realized how much I've been holding myself back until now. I never thought - "

wake up next to you every morning as the luckiest being on the planet and show you off to the entire world because you're the most precious creature to ever exist and I love you so much

Kiyoka's words and actions displayed dedication and conviction rivaling that of her performance in volleyball. She treated their relationship like it was her most prized possession. When she looked at him, her eyes displayed love, warmth, and enthusiasm which reminded him of the match against Karasuno in his last year of high school.

"I never thought anyone could feel lucky being with me,"

Aran responded after a moment as if taking in words with careful consideration. His chuckle called everyone's attention.

"Of course, it had to be Kiyoka-chan"

Shinsuke appreciated his best friend's approval of his love.

Aran had to restrain himself from wanting to punch Ren after he was caught cheating, while also physically restraining Michinari.
Aran was there to console him, make sure he was okay, hydrating, and all that because he knew Shinsuke was pretending to be okay in front of his friends and family, especially his grandmother, mostly because he didn't want people to start hating Ren because of him. Aran always had his back, no matter what.

So of course, Aran's approval is necessary.

"So ya did have a good night, huh Shin?" Michinari's voice broke through.
"Michi! We're havin' a sweet moment here!" Aran protested.
"What does this have ta do with that?" Gin asked.
"Well ya see my darlin', this is how the dick func-"

And Aran cut the call.

Thank God.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

"Good morning, handsome," Kiyoka said as she put her arms around his waist from behind, and kissed his cheek. "So you are the type to get cozy on the first date."

Shinsuke turned around, pulled her closer by her waist, and kissed her deeply.
"Good mornin'."

"Could get used to this." She smiled widely and kissed the tip of his nose. "Was hoping to wake up to your face, but you woke up early." She pouted so adorably, his heart did a thing . "Did I not wear you out enough?"
"Well, I was hopin' ta make ya breakfast but-" he gestured at the fridge with his phone. He's been looking at YouTube videos on using coffee machines but he can't seem to find one for the exact model Kiyoka has. "Also my farmer's muscles are pretty stiff but they always wake up on time."

"Aww, my sexy farmer." Kiyoka turned him around and traced her palms on his bare back. He's been walking around solely in his pants, wanting his shirt to get some more air. Said shirt is now unbuttoned on Kiyoka but he can't really complain.
"Ah, that feels good." He finally relaxed his shoulders as the magic in her hands undid any knots they could find. "How do ya operate this thing?" He asked, pointing at the coffee maker. "Even YouTube doesn't seem ta know."

Kiyoka giggled and walked towards the machine. She pulled out a drawer under it to display her plethora of coffee tubs. "Choose your flavour."

She then proceeded to make each of their drink as Shinsuke watched her intently. Her movements were fluid, but still stiff for her. Guess I wore her out a little too.

Shinsuke leaned on the counter as he sipped his freshly brewed coffee while Kiyoka sat on the island opposite him. He finally experienced the magical morning view in person with his warm beverage, just like Kiyoka has been doing all this time.

Except

She never had herself in her view.

Shinsuke almost didn't pack this shirt, but he's so glad he did. Not only does it compliment her skin tone and the lighting perfectly, but somehow it being on her made it look a hundred times more expensive than it actually was.

Also, as gay as Michinari is, Shinsuke still didn't like the idea of any other man's shirt touching her bare skin. 

His eyes traced her curves highlighted by the morning sun in a golden glow. He traced the line from her ear to her neck, over her collar bone down the valley between her curves, until his eyes landed on the tiny bit of black ink peeking out from under her left boob. 

You could only see a millimetre or two normally, but he saw it in its entirety last night.

He almost choked on his coffee. 

"You okay?" Kiyoka asked, intrigued by his smile.
"That has ta be one of my favourites." He pointed at her left boob.
Her hand immediately flew to her right boob."Hey! Don't hate on Righty! She may be a little smaller but she has a lot of love to give!"
This time he actually giggled, which made Kiyoka smile even more.

"I meant yer tattoo."
"Oh, this old thing?" Kiyoka pulled the shirt aside and pushed up her boob to reveal the writing

You can't see me

It's only funny because her curves are pronounced enough to hide it. 

He loves her sense of humor.

"It's actually kinda adorable." 
"Adorable?" Kiyoka giggled, and the man set aside his drink to grab her by the nape of her neck and kiss her.

"By the way," he said when he broke the kiss. "I love ya too."

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

"See? How did he even get that?" Atsumu protested as he was rewatching the Black Jackals vs Raijins game with Kiyoomi. "He's gotta have black magic or something 'cause that shit's crazy!"
They've played back the clip of Komori Motoya receiving Atsumu's jump serve multiple times, but Atsumu still isn't convinced.

"Toya's really good. " Kiyoomi calmly replied, although Atsumu knows his boyfriend is also pissed. "He does have all those years of experience of receiving my serves."
"Omi-kun! Are you sayin' my serves suck?"

It's been four years now since Atsumu moved to Osaka from rural Hyogo, and his accent has evolved into a hybrid of the two. 

"Your words, not mine."

They decided to have a relaxing staycation at Kiyoomi's old place in Tokyo instead of visiting people this time. It's been a while since they've taken some time to themselves so this was pretty relaxing.
Atsumu kept watching the rest of the match while Kiyoomi retreated to the kitchen to make tea for them both. Kiyoomi really got him into teateas since they started dating.

"You do have a group chat with your high school friends or your high school volleyball team, right?" Kiyoomi asked from the kitchen. 
"Ya. Why?" 
"Got any texts?" 

Why would I?

Atsumu checked his phone regardless, and as he expected, there was no activity in his old volleyball team group chat.

"Nope." He paused before adding. "Should I be getting a text?"

It's not either of their birthdays.
Or their anniversary 
Or anyone in the team either.

"I think you'd like to see this." Kiyoomi emerged from the kitchen and placed both their cups on the center table in front of him, before handing Atsumu his phone.

The screen displayed an article.

Atsumu graciously accepted the phone before mumbling a thank you .
He had to reread the title multiple times before it could finally sink in.

New Ship Alert! National Volleyball Star Masamune Kiyoka Spotted On A Cute Outing With Hyogo-based Cover Artist Shinsuke

 

Kita-san???

The blonde fumbled with the phone before collecting himself and scrolling to read the rest of the article.

" Some may say it's just a cute friendship between the unlikely duo, but we say traveling all the way to the big city to hang out with someone and going on a grocery run with them while munching on some snacks on the train is a good few steps above just that.
The photo was sent to us by a fan of the singer who simply wanted to take a photo of the social media star outside the mountainous farmlands of Hyogo. 
'I just wanted to show people that he was in Tokyo because he claimed to have no interest in traveling outside Hyogo when we (the fanbase) asked him to do tours! But not only that, but he was also out with a girl! But then she took off her mask to eat and it was Masamune Kiyoka?! I was over the moon to witness that in person!' "

Atsumu scrolled past the rest of the article to look at the photo. 

It was indeed Shinsuke and Kiyoka on a train. They were surrounded by a mountain of grocery bags, with a breathtaking view of the Skytree in the window behind them. They both had pulled their masks down to their chin to feast on the (curry? Chinese? meat?) Buns in their hands. 
It seemed that Kiyoka did try to hide herself with the hood on and the mask but her obsidian eyes and double mole tattoos on her forehead (same as that of his boyfriend) gave it away even though you can't see her trademark pink hair. 

Kita-san is in Tokyo???

Without thinking, the blond called Shinsuke's phone. The call was received in 2 rings, but it wasn't the soft voice of his former team captain that answered.

"Hey, tsum-tsum!" It was in fact the playful, low feminine voice of his boyfriend's best friend. "I see you've actually read the news for once."
"I read the news!" Atsumu protested. "What are ya doin' with Kita-san's phone?" 

As Kiyoomi had mentioned multiple times before, his accent did seem to come out whenever he was overexcited.

"Well, Shin can't come to the phone right now. He's making me dinner!" Kiyoka cheerily replied.
“Are ya makin’ Kita-san work while ya feast on the fruits of his labor? And since when have ya been on nickname terms?"
"Excuse me?" Atsumu could practically see her deadpan expression.|
"Sorry, ma'am."
"That's what I thought."

Despite how long they've known each other now, Kiyoka remains the second most terrifying person in Atsumu's life (the first being Shinsuke, of course). Sure, she's not as terrifying now as she was when they first met, even though it was a 'just to put him in his place' prank she pulled. Of course, Kiyoomi's notoriously smooth best friend helped him with everything from the texts to the date plans and therefore Atsumu already had her approval before they even met.

"Put the speaker on," Kiyoomi said. Atsumu did so and his boyfriend continued. "I see the date went well, Kiyo."
"Yep! It was great! It's almost like I popped all that bubble wrap for nothing."

"I told you you had nothing to worry about." Kiyoomi turned towards Atsumu, resting his elbow on the back of the sofa and resting the side of his head on his palm. His raven curls shook ever so slightly, casting spiral shadows on his face. His entire face radiated a soft glow, a sight that was rare yet Atsumu managed to catch a glimpse of ever so often. His lips curved up in a slight smile, revealing all the softness and warmth the man only ever offered to those he held closest to his heart, reminding the blonde exactly why he fell in love with the breathtaking creature in front of him.

"I do not pity those who have to worry about their best friend falling in love with a waste of a being." Kiyoomi continued.
Kiyoka scoffed. "Easy for you to say!" The two broke into laughter, inciting a loop of confusion in the setter.

The loop broke only when he thought he heard someone else say someone on Kiyoka's end, amidst the low clattering of kitchen utensils.

"Atsumu. Kiyoomi-kun." Shinsuke's voice called them. Kiyoka undoubtedly put the phone on speaker as well. "How is yer vacation so far?"
"Hello, Kita-san!" The boyfriends perked up and greeted the man at the end of the line immediately. "It's been great Kita-san!" Atsumu added promptly.
"Well, firstly I'm sorry you two had ta find out this way. I probably should've listened ta Kiyoka when she suggested ordering all the kitchenware online but I didn't wanna wait a few days to feed her a proper home cooked meal after witnessin' the state of her fridge."
"Shin!" Kiyoka pouted while the two men on the sofa chuckled.
"Don't worry Kita-san," Kiyoomi replied. "We invite her over whenever we make something nice."
"And she visits Kei-nii-san too every now and then." Atsumu added.
"Well, I am glad she has access to real food at least." Shinsuke paused long enough for some more cluttering to die down. "Secondly, yer place is close, right?"
"About 15 minutes by train." Atsumu couldn't hold back his excitement. Kiyoomi hit the back of his head and mouthed 'they just got together'.
"I'm making Tekka don." Kita announced. "And there's enough fer all of us."
"Oh, Kiyo!" Kiyoka's voice snapped them back towards the phone. "We also have your favorite brand of umeboshi!"

Atsumu could practically see Kiyoomi's mouth water. Umeboshi is his one weakness. It's actually quite adorable.
The only thing more adorable than that is the face he makes when he's actually enjoying said Umeboshi, so they had to accept the invitation! 

“Ugh Kiyo! If you don’t stop looking cuter, Atsumu’s gonna start looking dumber!”
“Hey!” Atsumu spat at Kiyoka as she rudely interrupted him observing his adorable Umeboshi-consuming boyfriend. “I don’t look dumb!”
“You do when you’re all lovey-dovey in your eyes.” Kiyoka chuckled as she took a seat opposite Kiyoomi at the kotatsu, placing her and Shinsuke's bowl in front of them. 

"Well, how else am I supposed to look at my beloved boyfriend?" Atsumu retorted, said boyfriend groaning beside him.
"Anything beyond respect stays outside my home!" She announced and placed a chopsticks-worth of rice in her mouth. At this point, Shinsuke came back with the remainder of the dishes.
He placed the plate of karage and prawn tempura on the kotatsu before placing a kiss on Kiyoka's forehead and plopping down beside her.

"Hypocritical much?" Atsumu desperately tried, voice almost cracking uncharacteristically at the h.
"Nah, didn't tell you to not look dumb at your place." She flashed her tongue, making the setter seethe in annoyance.
"Now, now Kiki." Shinsuke finally spoke. "Let's not make fun of our guests-"
"Thank you so much Kita-san!" Atsumu was almost in tears.
"-or how dumb they look." With these words, Shinsuke shattered Atsumu's last bit of confidence. "Itadakimasu."
“Shin!” Kiyoka let out a hearty laughter. "Itadakimasu!"

Atsumu had turned into a lifeless statue until Sakusa held up a piece of delicious meat in front of his face. The blonde sniffed, and then immediately inhaled the meat in a gulp, savoring the taste of Shinsuke's signature sauce he hadn't had in a while.
The salty-sweet, yet tangy flavor cut through the melty fat layered on top of the freshly prepared protein. It made him nostalgic and oddly homesick.

Apparently that’s what he needed to cure his absentmindedness.

“Wait,” he sprang back into conversation as soon as he was done savoring the treat. “Are you two already on a nickname basis?” He was too distracted to register the Kiki and Shin earlier.
“Well, yeah.” Kiyoka swallowed her food in too few bites to answer him. “We’ve known each other for over a year now.” She shrugged and took a bite of the delicious meat.

Atsumu could practically see her eyes get bigger as the burst of flavour hit her tongue. She’s literally the last one at the kotatsu to taste Shinsuke’s delicious food. Kiyoomi had it when Atsumu took him home to Hyogo.
He feels kinda happy for her. For the food, not so much the…situation here.

“Holy shit Shin!” Kiyoka’s pink strands cut through the hair at the speed she flipped her head to turn to the chef in question. Shinsuke barely looked surprised as he softly smiled at her. “If I knew how good you are at cooking, I would’ve married you by now!”
The farmer chuckled lightly. “Now now Kiki. That’s too fast, even for us.”
Kiyoka blinked a few times before the new couple shared a laugh.

Atsumu noticed Kiyoomi snickering before taking a bite of his food. Kiyoomi was aware of the whole ordeal, from the very beginning, in fact. Kiyoka had been a hundred percent, completely transparent with him.
While it did warm Atsumu’s heart that Kiyoka was open with Kiyoomi about Shinsuke the same way Kiyoomi was open with her about Atsumu, he knew that Kiyoomi’s only happy for them now because he has been thinking of this from Kiyoka’s point of view, which is great. But…

Atsumu observed the smile on Shinsuke’s face as he wiped a bit of sauce that was stuck at the edge of Kiyoka’s lips. Kiyoka's cheeks dusted red ever so slightly and she quickly fed him a piece of meat in an attempt to hide her fluster. Shinsuke won both the food and the sight, lips curving up as much as they could as he chewed.
The sight is sadly familiar to Atsumu, and not from long ago. Except the person sitting beside Shinsuke used to be someone else. 

Atsumu would love more than anything in the world for Shinsuke to find love again. The heartbreak was absolutely brutal on the angel of a man. And although it does seem like his heart has healed, the person beside Shinsuke now is Kiyoka.
Granted, Kiyoka very easily made it to the top 5 most trustworthy people in his life, so much so that if they ever decided to have kids, Kiyoka would undoubtedly be the Godmother. And sure Shinsuke would undoubtedly be the Godfather, but a relationship can't be considered a good match solely based on co-godparenthood. 

Kiyoka had a plethora of green flags as a friend but as a romantic partner? Atsumu has never seen her with the same guy for more than a few weeks.
And Kita-san is fragile. 

"Atsumu!" Kiyoka's voice brought him back to reality.
"Huh?" He was so lost in his thoughts, he missed a big chunk of the conversation.
"I asked what you think about turning that space into a studio for Shin?" The vice-captain of PNK Wolves asked, pointing at the barren area underneath the loft which became an awkward storage space with no particular purpose.
"Is it...big enough?" The blonde asked, unsure. They're already planning on Shinsuke moving in? He knew all the other three knew he hadn't been present for the whole conversation, but if they were willing to go along, he was not going to acknowledge it either.
"Obviously it is!" Kiyoka interjected. "I mean just picture this: An L-shaped desk on this side, a two or maybe three monitor setup, facing...." Kiyoka continued to explain her vision of using shoji screens to divide the studio from the kitchen and genkan; and using acoustical foam on the other two concrete walls; but Atsumu couldn’t hear any of that.

He absentmindedly nibbled at his food while wondering.
Kiyoka is going to modify her home beyond her taste for Kita-san?

His mind went back to three years ago, on the night she discovered this apartment for the very first time.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Atsumu and Kiyoomi were the last ones to make it to the club, where their Tokyo friends were waiting for them. Kaede, Kiyoka’s ‘Partner in Crime’ insisted everyone be there as it was a special occasion, which made Atsumu want to put on his new black corset with gold trim that he recently bought on a whim. Unfortunately he had not considered how difficult it would be to get into and despite Kiyoomi’s help, it took him half an hour simply to put it on!
Thankfully, they could run past the line in front of the club and simply walk in, bouncers knowing them well enough by now to not stop them at all.

“There you are!” Kiyoka said, as soon as they were in sight of the entire gang. “A minute more and Kaede would’ve spontaneously combusted!”

Before Atsumu could register the jittery blonde woman standing in front of everyone, he registered Kiyoka, who was wearing a black corset top silk dress witrh a slit, and she’s absolutely pulling it off.
Dammit!
Kiyoka noticed his annoyance and smirked.

“Okay I cannot wait anymore!” Kaede erupted. Her dress was strikingly different to Kiyoka’s, which piqued Atsumu’s interest. Kiyoka and Kaede usually match whenever the gang’s together. They’ve been doing so for as long as Atsumu can remember.
Everyone circled around on the couch. Atsumu, Kiyoomi, Motoya, Kiyoka, Eita, Tsukasa and Aoi - the former Itachiyama captains of the boys’ and girls’ teams respectively - all circled Kaede while Shuichi, her boyfriend, stood up next to her. As soon he laced his fingers with her left hand, she pulled up their hands to display the giant diamond on her finger.

“We’re engaged!” Kaede squeaked and everyone burst into cheers.
“Fucking finally!” Motoya chimed, shaking Shuichi’s hand.
“The princess becomes the queen, or whatever…” Eita teased, hugging her.
The congratulations kept rolling for a few more minutes, with everyone cheering in their own way. The couple that pined for six whole years before actually making it official is finally tying the knot! Even Atsumu was happy for them!

Soon, shots were called and drinks were ordered. Kaede and Shuichi were practically joined at the hip all night. They seemed to be discussing about wedding planning with Tsukasa and Aoi, who got married themselves a couple months prior.
“Hey, Omi-kun! Will we also announce our engagement at a club?” Atsumu chimed.
His boyfriend glared at him with a pretty prominent frown on his face, making the setter laugh.
“I know, I know!” The blond reassured the concerned man. “We’ll just have a tea party at our place or whatever you want. 

Atsumu looked around to find Kiyoka and Motoya scheming something at the bar and Eita chatting up a girl beside them.
Some things never change.

Kaede practically dragged everyone to the dance floor at some point and everyone began to strut their stuff. Atsumu only stayed for a while, before returning to his boyfriend who was tucked away from the crowd in the VIP section.
“You’re not gonna dance? Not even today, Omi-Omi?”
“Not even if she promises to pay for our entire wedding.”
“So we are getting married?”
“Obviously!” Kiyoomi scoffed. “You think I’d actually live with you if I didn’t plan on it otherwise?”
“Omi! That’s not nice!” Atsumu blurted and Kiyoomi chuckled, pulling his boyfriend to his chest. The spiker placed a soft kiss on his forehead, making the setter blush.
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Omi.”

They stayed like that for a while, basking in the LEDs and sipping whatever expensive wine Kiyoomi ordered.
Atsumu didn’t drink much though. Something told him, he shouldn’t get drunk tonight.

While Kiyoomi lazily twirled his locked in his fingers, Atsumu turned to briefly observe the crowd on the dance floor. He spotted the red dress below the blonde locks, accompanied by a figure dressed in all black.
Okay Kaede’s safe with Shuichi.

He noticed the other couple dancing slowly by them loving gazing into each other’s eyes like a newly married couple.
Iizuna-san and Hina-san, check.

He spotted Motoya at a booth, chatting up the same girl Kiyoka was talking to earlier.
Son of a gun finally managed to not let Kiyoka down!
Speaking of Kiyoka…

He started to get frantic as he couldn’t seem to spot her anywhere. How can such a bright fluff of pink hair just vanish?

“Semi-san,” He stood up and called the attention of the dusty bonde man practically eating a man’s face on the couch beside Kiyoomi. “Can you keep an eye on him while I go to the bathroom?”
Eita gave him a thumbs up without breaking the kiss.
Kiyoomi is a sleepy drunk, so he should be fine with Eita in the vicinity. 

Atsumu walked past all the booths and then made his way to the dance floor.
Normally at this point, Kiyoka would be dancing her ass off, calling the attention of the entire club, making it to everyone’s Tiktoks and Instragram stories. It’s two of her top 3 favourite activities - dancing and being the envy of the wannabes. But not tonight,
Atsumu basically combed through the entire population, but couldn’t spot her.
Why Kiyoka?

He groaned as he made his way to the bathrooms. Luckily for him, he still had game.
“Excuse me beautiful.” He flashed his 10000Watt smile at the first girl to come out of the bathroom corridor. One glance at him and she already flashed a flirt smile and twirled her hair between her fingers.
“Yes?”
“Would you happen to spot a girl with pink hair and a black corset in there?”
“Nope.” She shot and power-walked away from him.
Dammit! Why are we all so sexy!?

Atsumu checked the stage, the DJ booth and eventually walked over to the bar. He assumed Kiyoka had found some hot dude to flirt with but when he finally spotted her pink hair poking out, he was surprised to realize she was all alone. She seemed to be deep in thought as she sat at the bar and twirled her drink glass, occasionally taking a sip.

Atsumu was getting for her for the first time ever in his entire life, seeing her in a state he never knew she was capable of being in. His thoughts were interrupted by the locker room talk of the guys sitting at the bar near where he was standing. 

“Damn, she’s so much hotter in person when she’s not on the court, sweating like a disgusting working class man!” One of them said.
“She actually has such a nice figure!” The other chimed in.
“If only she wasn’t so loud and aggressive, I would’ve totally been so into her!”
“Really? With that side-shave and that pink hair? It’s like a ‘good man repellant!’”
They both shared a laugh and Atsumu wished his vision had the power of burning people.

“Nah, but seriously, with that sexiness, I wish I could get a taste one time, just to know, you know?” The disgusting man continued.
“Oh really? What you gonna do next? Paint your nails and wear a dress for her too?”
“Eww, what the fuck man!” They laughed again.
“Well cause do you seriously think girls like her can ever get a real man ?”

Normally Kiyoka would make them eat their words, but it seemed she was too lost in her own thoughts to even notice them. Atsumu, however, was not.

He slammed his card on the bar right next to them, the collision between the countertop and his experienced setter hands loud enough to call the attention of everyone in the vicinity, jolting the disgusting rats and turning their attention to him.
“One strawberry Mimosa.” He ordered the bartender, who took his order without a word.

"It seriously sours my mood to no end hearing pigs that don't even bother to wash their asses talking big about what a real man is. Why don't ya piss off while I'm still being nice. Pick a history book on yer way to yer mommy's house while you're at it." The people at the bar try to contain their laughter because Atsumu is being loud on purpose. "What do they say? Ah, yes. Man like ya haven't seen pussy since you popped outta one, so I advise ya ta be more humble, unless ya want the entire club ta watch ya humiliate yerself further, or I should say all of Japan since people love making viral content these days." his eyes then point to the exit as if to say get out .

"Whatever!" The first guy scoffs. "This place sucks anyways!"
"Man volleyball players are aggressive for no reason!" The other tries to retort as they walk towards the exit.

"It's 'cause we represent the nation, while you represent the unwiped poo-poo stains through yer pants!" Atsumu calls out after them and the people at the club cheer. 

At this point, the sober people in the group had observed the commotion and cheered him on. He turned back to see Kiyoka frowning at him with annoyance that reminded him of Kiyoomi. He smirked and took a seat beside her.

"Whatcha drinkin?" He asked, as if he hadn't conducted a soap opera 2 seconds ago.

She squinted at him before calling out the bartender. "Yo barkeep! What's it called again?"

Atsumu didn’t hear the name. He was too busy counting the number of empty glasses on the countertop in front of Kiyoka and the casual 5000yen tip she just handed the bartender who had been serving her.
“I assumed you’d have a guy all charmed on your arms by now.” He asked the clearly drunk woman.
“Nah, checking out hot guys isn’t fun alone.” She announced nonchalantly. You he didn’t know her for years now, he wouldn’t know she was drunk.
Dammit, she’s a better drunk than me too!

“What about Semi-san?” He asked of her usual go-to if there wasn’t a stranger she fancied.
“He got with the hot guy.”
“Heh.”
So who’s she regretting? Semi-san or the guy he got with?

“Saw ya wingwoman-ing Motoya earlier. He’s still talking to that chick.”
“Atsumu,” Kiyoka turned around to face him directly. “I am the greatest wingwoman ever! You should know by now. Watch those two get married in like…12 years.”
“That’s a lot of years!” Atsmu mused. Interestingly, Kiyoka is scarily accurate about these kinda things. Her intuition when it comes to the relationship between people is God-gifted.

“So why are you all alone by yourself?” He finally asked.
“I’m not exactly in the mood to entertain strangers.” She answered. “Thought I’d entertain our lovely bartender here tonight.”
The bartender blushed softly at her words. Ya, Kiyoka has that effect on people of any gender. Getting any kind of compliment or praise from her is confidence that’ll last you a decade.

“Did you leave Kiyo alone when he’s absolutely trashed?” She side eyed him. It was a threat.
I mean it wasn’t. but it was.

Having located Kiyoka, he could return to his very drunk boyfriend. But the fact that she’s consumed more than 3 glasses of alcohol is concerning. In all the years that he’s known her, he’s never seen her drunk.
This is very concerning.

He went back to his boyfriend, completely passed out on the velvety sofa of the VIP section, with Eita on the sofa next to him, being anything but civil with the aforementioned hot guy.

The night went on eventlessly until it was time for everyone to leave. Atsumu decided to stay sober this time, seeing as Kiyoka wasn’t, which makes them down one sober chaperone. 

Sober Shuichi went with his very drunk fiance to their fancy private car with a private driver. Sober Aoi and drunk Tsukasa helped the others somewhat, before calling an uber. Tipsy Motoya got drunk Eita into a taxi and was planning on leaving with the girl, until Atsumu got a call from Kiyoka’s number.

Huh?

“Kiyo?” He greeted.
“Tsumu, take me home.” She ordered.
“Um…sure. You can crash with us tonight. I’ll come get you to our ride. Where are you?”
“I don’t know.”

What the actual fuck is going on tonight? Did Atsumu and Kiyoka switch bodies or something?

“What do ya mean ya don’t know? What’s around ya?”
“The stars.”
“Are ya on the roof or something?”
“I don’t think so. There are walls here.”
“Just…”Atsumu rakes his hand through his hair, frustrated at not having any idea what to do. He’s never encountered drunk Kiyoka and he doesn’t know the do’s and don'ts. He doesn’t wanna make a wrong move. “Send me your location on your phone okay? I’ll come find you.”
“You’re smart.” She’s complimenting me now?

Motoya kindly explained the situation to the girl and promised to call her so he could take Kiyoomi home while Atsumu went to find Kiyoka. The location she sent was a few blocks away, and there's no way he could being her back to the club and go home together.

Atsumu ran through the streets following the line on the screen. To his relief, his surroundings seem to become more and more polished as he went.
The location took him to an exclusive residential high rise, with the current receptionist being a die hard volleyball fan. 

That explains this .

"Hey Kiyo, enjoying the view?" He said as he plopped down beside her on the concrete floors of an empty lofted apartment with massive windows and an unobstructed view of the city and the stars.
"It's pretty here." The spiker said without looking at him. "I feel...peaceful."

Atsumu joined her in appreciating the stars. This wasn't a view you could get from just anywhere in Tokyo. It's second only to the Skytree.

"Haven't been feeling that way recently?" He asked. "Want me to throw you some tosses tomorrow?"
"Na, Junko's fine. I don't want you to spoil me." She said as if breaking his heart meant nothing. "But I might have to spike a little. Maybe I'll feel better. Say, you think we could spike here?"

Atsumu looked around and took it all in. The ceilings are high, sure they could practice but both Kiyoka and Kiyoomi have very powerful spikes that the windows may not be compatible with.

"Wanna move here?" He asked.
"Would be nice. The garage can store all my bikes too...I think. I haven't seen it yet."
"Would be cool if we could afford it." There's no way any of our paychecks can support this unless the Sakusa's could consider us poor enough for a donation.
"I can if I live in the dorms for a few more years and not make any unnecessary purchases." She said flatly.
"You really like it here, huh?" He's surprised she sounds so sure.
"I need to move on too." She announced, surprising the setter further.

Atsumu whipped around to face his friend.
"Move on?" That gave him whiplash. What in the world would make Kiyoka think anything needs to change? She graduated top of her class and MVP, is doing great in her new team, already giving the setter a run for the face of the team, sure the living situation is not the best but she's mixing in well there too and she hangs out with her people whenever she can. Not to mention her game has always been on point.
Although...must be tiring moving from man to man and never feeling any emotional connection and just giving up or whatever.

Oh wait, Kaede just got engaged.

"Ya knew about the engagement, didn't ya?" The blonde asked.
"First one to know!" She said it with a tone of pride.
"And how did that make ya feel?"
"What are you, a therapist now?" She retorted with a chuckle. Atsumu's poker face is very funny. "Like I'm the only one left behind."

She rested her weight on her palms behind her, eyes unwavering from the galaxies. Her eyes displayed an emotion Atsumu had not seen on her before, one he couldn't properly identify.

"What's that even supposed ta mean?" The Hyogo country bumpkin seemed offended. "Ya think ya can get rid of me and Omi even after we get married?"
Kiyoka stared at him, wide-eyed before bursting into laughter. "I suppose you're right, you can't get rid of me that easily! But..."

Her laughter stopped and she continued with a sad tone. "No matter how close we are, one day I'll just be an afterthought, fade into the background as your lives go on at full force. I mean that's unavoidable! People don't spend their entire lives planning what to do next with their friends or siblings or kohais or whatever." Her eyes glistened, tears threatening to fall, sending a speck of fear through Atsumu. "People spend their lives planning ahead with their partners, taking care of their kids, and growing old with who they love the most." Now Atsumu's eyes began to sting. "So yeah, I'll just be an afterthought." She quickly wiped her eyes before Atsumu could see it, breaking Atsumu's heart a little.
Kiyoka can cry?

"O-oye!" Atsumu scrambled to his feet. "It's not like you're gonna be single forever!" He couldn't tell if reassurance is the way to make Kiyoka stop crying but he's low on ideas right now. "I mean, did you really expect an easy love story when you chose to be attracted to men only?"
Kiyoka took a moment to register his words again and then burst out laughing. "You mean like Kiyo chose to be attracted to men only too?"
"Ya know what I meant! We all know straight men are shit! Life would be so much easier if ya were gay and ya and Maizuno had hate sex a few times a month!"
Kiyoka's laughter only grew louder. "Kanoka just comes home one day to find her girlfriend being pegged by their mutual rival?" She laughed as if that's the funniest shit ever.
"Kiyoka, I love you but, between getting drunk and this conversation, you've been giving off a lot of bottom energy." Atsumu took the opportunity to tease her.
Kiyoka gasped in betrayal. "You did not!"
"Hey, all I'm saying is if you were gay and you, Kanoka, and Maizuno went official, you'd be the hottest trouple in international volleyball history! Almost as hot as Omi and I as a couple."

"Heh! No issues!" She fisted her hands in front of her determinedly. I'll make it to vice-captain in no time! Then I'll be the captain! I'm gonna be the best-looking volleyball player in the entire nation!" She poked her tongue out at Atsumu. "And...at this point, I might even be making enough to have an agent! I'll do brand deals and shit! The kids are gonna love me!"

She stood up and wobbly made her way to the vast windows. "I'm gonna keep shining so bright, no one but the stars can compete with me!" She turned around energetically, but her attempt at appearing triumphant was very evident to Atsumu...which was also something that has never happened before.

"And then I'll buy this place! I'll make it my own! I mean, the concrete and brick walls, the black iron hardware, the huge windows, the single bedroom, the loft, the simple layout and obviously the stars! My biggest competitors! This is absolutely perfect for me! I'll decorate this place exactly to my liking, cater only to myself! I don't have to think about anyone else!" She gestured towards each feature of her potential home. The gesturing did seem a bit much for her drunk self.

Atsumu rushed to grab her before she lost her balance.
"Easy now! Okay, I think we had enough adventure fer one night." He grabbed her heels in one hand and placed one of her arms around his shoulder. "Let's go home and rest up, okay?"

He began walking at a slow pace so she could keep up.
"Tsumu...do you think anyone will ever really love me like that?" Atsumu stopped in his tracks at her words. "Like...actually commit to me?"

Atsumu would describe Kiyoka in a lot of words - strong, headstrong, scary strong, intimidating, ambitious, persuasive, irresistible, plain scary, determined - but he could never ever even imagine her to be anywhere near unlovable.
Her question now, though, let him know she felt that way - at least in the romantic sense.

"Absolutely." He answered without hesitation. "Not a straight guy though, from what I've seen tonight."
"A gay guy?" Kiyoka looked at him, concerned. Her expression made Atsumu laugh and he resumed walking.
"You're forgetting that sexuality is a spectrum and there's plenty of bi guys out there, much like yours truly." Atsumu reminded her. "There are also guys who are pan."
"Foooooooooooooood"
"Not that kinda pan!" Atsumu interjected, making the spiker laugh.
"I guess there are," Kiyoka admitted.
"Ya, and I'm pretty sure you'll find a good one who loves you and cherishes you for who you are!" Atsumu reassured her.

They continue in silence out the door of the apartment, where the receptionist was waiting to close the door.
Atsumu thanked him and reminded him this was their little secret, which made his eyes sparkle.
While in the lift, he called an Uber and took Kiyoka to the waiting area in the lobby.

"Y'know, Tsumu," Kiyoka broke the silence as she lay her head on his shoulder. "If I ever did really find someone like that, I'd share my safe space with him."

Atsumu looked at the spiker in awe, as she drifted into slumber in the Uber.
"I bet ya would."

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

"...we could even set up a green screen if..."

Atsumu's mind drifted back to the present, to Kiyoka still describing her vision for the studio for Shinsuke.
He watched as the spiker picked up a karage and took a bite while still talking, getting sauce stuck at the edge of her lips.
Shinsuke, who was watching her talk intently the whole time, wordlessly took a paper napkin and wiped off the sauce at the edge, making Kiyoka blush ever so slightly and the pair shared a giggle.
Kiyoka can blush?!

A smile spread across the setter's face as he watched their interaction and realized they'll be fine.

Because no one knew how to love better than Shinsuke;
And no one knew how to give back tenfold, better than Kiyoka.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Masamune Kenshin:
Dear all, it has come to my attention that there have been certain rumors going around about my restaurant, MasaKen's, regarding our waitlist and the "unfair treatment of customers". We were waiting for the rumors to die down themselves as people visiting us would notice the truth eventually, but as that doesn't seem to be the case, I decided to take it to Twitter and address them myself(1/?)
|
Masamune Kenshin:
MasaKen's restaurant or staff is not partial to anyone based on their fame or influence at all. It may seem so due to certain situations, so let me clarify.
I, Masamune Kenshin, owner and head chef, have six siblings, three of whom are famous in the volleyball world (Keigo, Kiyoka, and Chihiro). Chiaki (or as many of you know her, MasAki) is a famous gamer and streamer. The twins are, well, twins. (2/?)
|
Masamune Kenshin:
Of the famous 4, Keigo is married to mangaka Tenma Udai. Kiyoka is dating cover artist Shinsuke and Chihiro is dating their teammate Takashi, three more famous people.
Other than that, volleyball players such as Sakusa Kiyoomi, Miya Atsumu, Bokuto Koutaro, and Iizuna Tsukasa are all family friends. Gamer/streamer Kodzuken is also one of them. I literally saw these kids grow up in front of my eyes. (3/?)
|
Masamune Kenshin:
The twins aren't dating anyone, as far as I know. Or even if they are, they're not noteworthy, I guess.
Basically, like many other businesses, we have an area dedicated to family and friends of the staff. This area cannot house anyone else, even during rush hour. Staff family and friends can use this area whenever. And because we have so many famous family and friends who can use the facility, it only seems like celebrities don't need to wait in line like other customers, and there is a VIP section of some sort. (4/?)
|
Masamune Kenshin:
I promise you, celebrities have to wait in line like anyone else. If let's say, Fujii Kaze ever came over, he will also have to wait unless he befriends any of the Masamunes beforehand or starts dating either of the twins.
So in conclusion, everyone has to wait unless they qualify for the family and friends space. Doesn't matter how much money you have or how many followers you boast. The only way anyone can get on the family and friends list now is if you date either of the twins. (5/5)
          |
          Masamune Keigo ✅ :
          Tell me the twins are the runt of the litter without telling me the twins are the runt of        the litter! 😂😂😂
          |
          Masamune Kiyoka ✅ :
          Kei-nii! That's mean! 😠
          Anyways ya'll we got a set of twins for sale! One boy and one girl! They go to college I swear! 🤣🤣🤣
                    |
                    Masamune Ejiro:
                    Kei-nii! 😭 Kiyo-nee! 😭
                    |
                    Masamune Ichiko:
                    Ken-nii! 😭 Kei-nii and Kiyo-nee are being mean to us again! 😭
                              |
                              MasAki Gaming ✅ :
                              I keep telling you two to stop being so dramatic and they'll stop teasing you! 🙄
                    |
                    Masamune Chihiro ✅ :
                    Oh thank god I'm not the runt of the litter! 😌
                              |
                              Masamune Kiyoka ✅ :
                              My precious baby! 😭 Why would you ever even think that! 😭
                              |
                              Masamune Keigo ✅ :
                              Bestie you're literally a Division 1 libero??? 🤨 🙄
                    |
                    Masamune Kenshin ✅ :
                    Could you guys not be childing in an official announcement goddammit! 

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

"Hello everyone." Shinsuke sat on his recording chair and turned on the camera in his Tokyo studio to record his video of the week.
"As you can probably tell, this week's video will be a bit different. I am recording in advance, of course, but this weekend marks Kiyoka and my third anniversary. I wanted to surprise her with a song from her place before she got back from her tour.
We do have plans for our anniversary of course, but I have multiple surprises planned for her. This is the first. She will be returning tonight, so let's get this recording out of the way."

Shinsuke paused the recording and repositioned his mic. He picked up his guitar and checked himself out in the camera lens one more time before restarting the camera. He's picked up a thing or two from Chiaki in the last 3-ish years.

one, two, one, two, three-

"I wrote another love song baby about you
I've written one for every second without you"

Right as Shinsuke made it to the last verse, the Shoji door slid open ever so slightly and Kiyoka peeked in.
"Aren't you supposed to be on the train right now?" She asked, sliding the door open further and entering the studio.
"Aren't you supposed to be in the place right now?" He asked back, putting his guitar down and opening his arms for her.
Kiyoka hugged him and sat on his lap, placing a peck on his lips. "I came early to prepare your surprise for when you came home tonight."
"Believe it or not, same," Shinsuke confirmed and they shared a chuckle. Kiyoka leaned back down to kiss him passionately.
"Well, finish your recording! I'll freshen up and order some gyoza and ramen from the place you like!"
With that, the vice-captain of the Japan National Women's Volleyball Team left the 3 Million Subscriber cover artist to finish his recording.

"I swear, after a whole day of travel, this broth is everything!" Kiyoka exclaimed, savoring the warmth of their food.
"It's not my favorite restaurant in Tokyo for nothing," Shinsuke added.
"Should I relay that to Osamu?" She teased him.
"It's fine, he doesn't serve ramen or gyoza."
"So my anniversary surprise is a cover, huh?"
"Who's to say it's just one?"
"Absolutely! It's definitely one of few though!" Kiyoka teased him.
"Who's to say I didn't ruin your plans to record yourself dancing?" Shinsuke teased back.
"Who said anything about me not causing a ruckus at the airport?" She poked her tongue out at him and he playfully gasped.
"Did'ja dance into some tired Karens?"
"Nah, I sang till their ears fell off." Shinsuke laughed at that one. She's actually quite the singer now.

"Which reminds me..." Kiyoka left the dining table to rummage through the bag she had left on the sofa. She pulled out a large orange envelope and sat back at the table, handing it to him. "The photos from the wedding came back!"
"Oh!"
Shinsuke has been waiting for this. He's sure the photographers caught some magical moments between the two of them during the ceremony and especially after, at the reception. Especially when Kiyoka got on stage and sang her heart out to "For You" to him in front of everyone and Eita helped her with the duet. Shinsuke and Haruhi - Kiyoka's agent and friend, and Eita's long-term girlfriend - stared at them from the dance floor, half wanting to hide and half wanting to join them on stage.

The first photo he pulled out was that of the happily married couple - Keigo and Tenma - with their arms around each other as Keigo dipped his head to kiss his husband at the alter.
Shinsuke and Kiyoka went through the photos while reminiscing the events behind each of them - the spiking of a volleyball instead of throwing a bouquet, the emotional but embarrassing speech Kiyoka gave at the reception, the "drunk uncle" moments by the couple's close friends, the first dance, the choreographed dance by the pro-volleyball players and their partners. Shinsuke even sang at the wedding while Eita and his band played. It was an extravagant night full of warmth and love at MasaKen's.
Eventually, Shinsuke flipped to a photo of the ring exchange. He looked closely at the rings and his mind went into overdrive. He subconsciously grabbed Kiyoka's left hand and pulled it towards him, displaying all her fingers on his palm.
All her fingers had rings and tattoos on them, sans the ring finger. He went through each of the rings and squinted at their differences.
Is there a single ring in this entire world that would go with all of these but also stand out?

Over the years, Shinsuke has learned that Kiyoka's ring collection is unmatched, as is her taste in jewelry. It's extravagant in a muted intimidation kind of way. He himself isn't sure exactly how to describe it, but the mere thought of choosing a ring for her made him feel like there wasn't enough air in the room.
What ring do I buy for the woman who has all of them?

"What?" Kiyoka giggled at his worried expression.
"How do I find one that matches these but also doesn't?" He flipped over her hand to show her her own rings.
Kiyoka chuckled at his cuteness. She got up from her chair and sat on his lap, taking his left hand in hers.
"You don't. You find something that matches us."
"There you go with your jewelry sorcery again!"
Kiyoka chuckled at his words again and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Take your time and I'll put a ring on your finger!"
"I'll just take you to a tattoo shop." Shinsuke deadpanned.
Kiyoka gasped. "Shin that's so smart! Till death do us part anyways, so might as well get something permanent!"
Shinsuke did not foresee this development when he threatened to take her to the tattoo shop.
"Huh, my only tattoo." He actually liked the idea now that he said it out loud.
"I'm game if you are," Kiyoka said with a smile.

Shinsuke placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her in for a deep kiss.
When they parted, he couldn't let her go and held her in place. The tips of her millennial pink locks gently grazed his face as his golden brown eyes locked with her obsidian ones, and his thumb gently grazed over her plump lips, the ones he's kissed a million times by now. His left-hand tucked her hair behind her ear, so he could get an unobstructed view of her face. His hand stays on her cheek, cupping her face like it's his most precious possession.
The moonlight shone through the vast windows, casting a dreamy glow on her features, exactly as it did the first day he met her. His fingers played with her stray strands, as she leaned down to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.
I could do this forever.

Acting on my emotional impulses always seems to be the perfect answer when it comes to you .

"Kiki,
Every day with you feels like an intense rally.
No matter which side of the court the ball falls, I feel like I'm the one who won.
If life with you is a game of volleyball,
then I don't care how many rallies there are.
I'll keep bumping up the ball relentlessly to see you smile over and over again.
I'll keep playing the game for an eternity, even then an eternity with you isn't enough for me.
I need you for as long as the world spins,
for as long as the sun doesn't blow up to consume us all.
I need you for as long as my consciousness exists.
for you to color every day of my existence in the rosy hues of your love.
I need you to light up the dark corners in my mind with that magical smile of yours.
I need you to breathe new life into every aspect of my life that has lost meaning.
I need you to reestablish my sense of self and give my existence a new meaning every day.
I need you to kiss me good night and wake me up to the enchanting spectacle of the sun rays casting a golden glow onto the most beautiful creature to ever grace this hellish world.
I need you like my lungs need oxygen, like my life needs water and my eyes need sleep.
I need you to live in my every day as if my existence ceases without you."

Shinsuke gingerly placed his fingertips on her cheeks, as her eyes glistened and a single teardrop trailed down her cheek.

"Will you go get matching tattoos with me?"

Kiyoka’s eyes teared up and she choked up a little.
Looking down at him while still on his lap, she croaked, “Shin, I think this is when one of us was actually for real supposed to be on their knees.”

Shinsuke chuckled and wiped her tears.
“I’m sorry, Kiki.” He got up and kneeled down in front of her. “It’s just that whenever I’m with you, I’m too starstruck to do anything right.”

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★
THE END
★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★