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“Hitoka-chan, I’ll take these bags. Can you just take the spare jerseys and towels for me?”
“Yes, Kiyoko-senpai! Go ahead, I’ll meet you at the gym.”
“Thanks. See you in a bit,”
Yachi smiled as she watched her co-manager’s retreating back. Then, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
‘Okay, Hitoka! You can do this!’ she reminded herself, pumping up her energy for the task.
It had been a few months since she started her role in Karasuno’s volleyball club, after being coerced by her persistent first-year peers. But she had truly been enjoying the job! Plus, it was helping to reduce some of the shyness she’d always felt around the opposite sex.
Today, they were accompanying the team for two days of training in the Tokyo prefecture. The friendly competition between Karasuno and Nekoma High had recently been rekindled, due to the new blood of the team and its management, thus leading to more opportunities for matches and training camps between the rivaling powerhouses.
Yachi took up the large duffel bag of supplies, grunting slightly as she made her way to Nekoma’s main gym. She stopped right in front of the closed gym doors, listening in to the familiar sounds of squeaking shoes on wooden floors and sharp whistle blows.
Her hand was already turning the door handle, when suddenly, she heard a small sound coming from the bushes nearby.
She paused, turning to the source.
“Was that a…?”
She dropped her bag at the gym’s entrance and slowly followed the noise towards the bushes. Her eyes trailed to the ground, noticing the small pawprints leading to what could only be…
She went down on her hands and knees, peering into the foliage of the bush. “A cat!” she called happily.
And sure enough, looking back at her was an adorable black kitten, hiding itself from the bright sunlight. It meowed back at her.
She giggled, extending her fingers out slowly to the kitten to scratch it behind the ears. Its head moved towards her touch, and it purred in delight.
“You shouldn’t be here, little mister!” she scolded lightly, confirming its sex with a quick look.
Yachi took the small animal in her arms, cradling it close to her chest. It looked up at her with curiosity.
“Hmm… What should I do?” she pondered aloud.
As if on cue, she heard some rustling behind her. She turned her head quickly, only to realize that her face was inches away from that of Nekoma High’s infamous volleyball captain.
“Yo!” he greeted.
“Eep! K-Kuroo-san!” she stammered, scrambling back to a standing position. The kitten in her hands whined at the sudden movement.
He grinned. He brought himself back up to his feet but leaned towards her, his hands on his hips.
“I was wondering why someone just left their stuff at the door. Guess you were a little distracted there, huh, Yachi-san?”
Before she could blurt out an excuse, his arms went forward, and he took the kitten from her. He cradled him gently in one arm, wagging his finger in front of the kitten and chuckling as he pawed at it excitedly.
Yachi was so fazed by the adorable sight that she almost missed Kuroo’s next words.
“Is this little guy yours?” he asked, looking at her directly.
She blushed and shook her head quickly.
“N-no, I just found him in the bushes a few minutes ago. He… He doesn’t have a collar either,” she answered, her eyes dropping to her feet.
“Oh really?”
As she stood there, looking (with apparent interest) at her shoes, Yachi was suddenly aware of the fact that this was the first time she’d been alone with Kuroo. And the first time he’d really called her by name.
She stole a quick glance at him, still playing with the kitten.
Kuroo was quite tall for his age, and his distinct features gave him an automatic air of mischief. His onyx hair was always wildly messy, from what could only be bed-head, but somehow… He made it look quite…dare she say it… sexy.
She blushed again, and as if hearing her inner thoughts, he lifted his head up and smirked at her.
“Hey Yachi-san…”
“Y-yes?”
He turned the kitten towards her and put him by his face. The kitten yawned, his tail wagging lazily in the air.
“Doesn’t he kind of look like me?”
Yachi laughed, reaching out to scratch the top of the kitten’s head. His eyes closed slowly in response, savoring her gentle massage.
“Now that you say it… I guess so! He does have rather fluffy hair!” she mused.
Kuroo smile grew.
“Huh, that’s a cute laugh you’ve got there, Yachi-san.”
Her eyes widened and she immediately stepped away from the two, denying it profusely.
“I-it’s just a n-normal laugh! D-don’t be f-fooled by it!” she stammered, causing Kuroo to snicker.
“Pfft! Whatever you say... But now, for the hard part… What to do about him.” he thought aloud, looking down at the kitten that had now fallen asleep in his hands.
Yachi frowned, looking towards the gym door. “I guess I should tell the coaches about him,”
“Hmm… I’m not sure about your coaches.... But I wouldn’t count on getting help from old man Nekomata. I saw him chase after some rabbits with a broomstick once,” Kuroo stated, shaking his head at the memory.
Yachi paled. She had always loved animals, and she didn’t want anything happening to her new furry friend.
“What should we do then?” she asked. Without much thought, she pulled on Kuroo’s jacket in a silent plea for help.
A smile tugged at his lips as he looked into her sad eyes.
“W-we?”
She nodded, pouting now.
“Well, if you’re gonna look at me like that…Ahem!” he blushed, closing his eyes as he thought of a plan.
“We …should start by asking the teams… Who’s allergic, and who might be okay with taking the little guy home,” he suggested.
“That sounds like a great plan! I’m in!” she beamed.
He smiled, and with a decisive nod, he began to make his way back towards the bushes.
“Wait… What are you doing Kuroo?”
“Quick, give me your jacket.”
“What?”
“Just trust me.”
Yachi hesitated a moment, but she unzipped her team jacket and handed it over. He gave a small thanks and he bundled it up to a cushion-like shape, moving it to the base of the large bush. Crouching down, he placed the sleeping kitten carefully on it. He then took off his jacket, letting it hang over the bush to form a curtain for him.
“That’ll do for the meantime, I guess… We can check on him during our break. For now, we’re late for practice, “ Kuroo announced. He stood up and grabbing Yachi’s wrist, he spun her around to follow him into the gym.
“B-but!” she protested.
He grinned back at her, pressing a finger to his lips.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be our little secret.”
---
Yachi had spent most of the morning practice looking at the clock, waiting for the chance to check on their kitten. When she was told to take a breather, she practically sprinted out of the gym doors.
She walked quickly over to the bushes, and ducked her head to peer under Kuroo’s make-shift cover. The kitten greeted her immediately with a happy purr.
“Hello to you too… Hmm… Let’s call you Neko-chan!” she decided, giggling and petting the kitten again. The kitten meowed back happily.
“Not a very original name, I’m afraid,” came a familiar voice behind her.
She turned to find Kuroo standing over her, holding a plastic bag.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Some stuff for Neko-chan,” he answered, smiling as he sat down next to her. He then took out a can of tuna and a bottle of cold milk from his bag.
“Where’d you get that?” she questioned.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said simply.
He opened the can of tuna and used the lid to scoop some out, placing it in front of the kitten. He meowed appreciatively and began to bury his face in his food.
“You want to give him some milk too?” Kuroo asked her, nodding at the bottle that she was now grasping with two hands.
Yachi shook her head. “I’m warming it up a bit first with my hands, I don’t want it to be too cold for him,”
He blinked, cocking his head to the side. “Oh, I didn’t know you had to do that.”
She laughed. “Actually, I’m not too sure either. But I learned in home economics that you had to do that for babies, so I thought…” she trailed off, losing confidence now.
Kuroo placed his hands over hers gently. “Sounds logical to me,” he said simply.
Yachi flushed.
“S-so… Any takers for Neko-chan?” she asked, trying her best to act as if their hands touching was not the least bit embarrassing for her.
He shook his head. “Afraid not… Inuoka really wanted to take him, but his sister is super allergic to cats. How about you?”
“No luck on my end, either. I wish I could take him, but my mom doesn’t allow pets in the house,” Yachi replied sadly.
They sighed in unison.
Kuroo removed his hands from hers, and pet the small kitten again, using his finger to wipe the residue of food from his whiskers.
“Messy little guy, isn’t he?”
Yachi smiled. Opening the warmed milk bottle, she tipped some of its contents into the bottle cap, and placed it near the kitten. He raced towards it immediately.
“Hungry too,” she noted.
Kuroo stared at the kitten for a few more moments, and finally, he stood up.
“I’m not giving up. I’m calling my Pops up right now… I’ll convince him to adopt!” he vowed.
“R-really?” she asked, eyes widening.
“Yeah. And I better do it now, break’s almost over,” he muttered, rushing towards the gym.
“I’ll be back!” he called.
“See you soon!” she shouted back, laughing.
She turned back to the kitten in question, and gasped. In the mere moments without supervision, he had knocked over the unattended bottle of milk and had upturned the can of tuna. Pieces of fish were now stuck to his torso and a river of milk pooled onto his pseudo-bed.
“My jacket!” she shrieked, pulling it away from the milk puddle. She groaned and shot a half-angry look at the culprit; the kitten wasn’t paying her any attention, though, busying himself instead with the milk on the ground.
“You’re lucky you’re adorable…” she muttered, sighing.
She had a good fifteen minutes left on her break. Plenty of time to do some damage-control.
“Stay right there, okay, Neko-chan? I’m going to clean this jacket off and get some towels to clean you up,” she said, running towards the changing room.
When Yachi returned, however, the kitten was gone.
Kuroo’s jacket, she noticed, was also missing.
“Neko-chan?” she called out, circling the bush repeatedly.
“Kuroo?”
‘Did Kuroo take him…or did something bad happen…’ she thought, worrying now.
She suddenly felt a hand rest on her shoulder, and she turned quickly, hoping to see the dark-haired captain. Instead, she found her female colleague standing in front of her.
“Ah! Kiyoko-senpai, what’s wrong?”
Kiyoko frowned.
“I should be asking you that. You’ve been running around all morning like you’re on some secret mission…” she pointed out, eyeing her suspiciously.
“I- I’ll explain later, I promise. But first… Have you seen Kuroo?” Yachi asked desperately.
“Kuroo? He got pulled away by Coach Nekomata a few moments ago…” Kiyoko replied.
“Do you know where they went?” Yachi pressed on.
“I think they went to his office,” she guessed.
Yachi wasted no time, and turning on her heel, she sprinted off to main campus building.
“Thanks a ton senpai! Gotta go!”
“Just don’t be late for practice this time, Hitoka!”
--
Yachi could already hear the yelling from outside Coach Nekomata’s office.
She braced herself mentally, and then slowly opened the door. Kuroo was sitting across from his lecturing coach, writing what seemed to be an apology letter. His jacket was slung on his shoulder, but his kitten was nowhere to be found.
Finally noticing her presence, Kuroo turned around, a look of shock on his face.
“Y-Yachi! What are you doing h-” he blurted.
“Sorry sir, I’m responsible too!” she interrupted him, walking further into the room.
The coach turned to look at her, bewildered. She met his gaze with a determined one.
“Yachi-san… Are you telling me that you are also responsible for breaking into the cafeteria and stealing food from said cafeteria?” he asked, anger etched onto every word.
Yachi paled. She obviously misunderstood the situation. Was this not about the kitten?
She turned to glare at Kuroo, who gave a weak smile in response.
“Neko-chan was hungry… And to be fair, I left enough change to pay for the food I took… So technically, I didn’t steal. The broken cafeteria door, however, I have no excuse for,” he admitted.
“Just keep writing! You’re lucky I found out rather than the school principal, you punk!” his coach barked.
“Yes Coach!”
The older man sighed and turned his attention to Yachi again.
“Kuroo already told me about the kitten, so you don’t have to worry, Yachi-san. I had him sent to the nearest animal hospital.”
“But he-!”
Yachi was about to complain, but the stern look on the older man’s face told her to listen.
“Look, I know you both meant well, but you shouldn’t have hidden him here. This is a dangerous place for such a small and vulnerable animal. That kitten is certainly in better hands with a vet than in the clumsy hands of teenagers, anyhow,” he scoffed.
The coach then got up from his seat and walked to the door.
“I’m leaving now. Kuroo, finish that apology letter and come back to practice. We’ve wasted enough time already.”
“Yes Coach…”
“And Yachi-san?”
“Y-yes?”
“Next time, don’t follow this fool. No matter how charming he may be to you,”
“Er… yes sir.”
Yachi waited until he was out of earshot, before letting out a huge sigh. She put one hand to her chest and felt her heart beating rapidly.
“Thanks for coming to get me…” Kuroo said quietly, still scribbling on his page.
Yachi shook her head, a small smile on her lips. She sat down next to him, tugging gently at the bottom of his shirt.
“Don’t thank me, I’m the reason why you got into trouble in the first place. Neko-chan… he got taken away because I was careless too,” she murmured.
“I’m really sorry, Kuroo.”
Kuroo turned towards her now, propping his elbow up on the office desk and cupping his jaw with his palm. He regarded her apologetic face for a moment, before letting out a small groan.
“It’s no use… I can’t bring myself to get mad at you. Not when you put on such a cute face,” he said matter-of-factly. With another huff, he returned to his page.
Yachi blushed but made no further comment, watching as he completed his final sentence.
“But it’s fine you know…” he started again.
Grabbing his finished letter, Kuroo stood up from his seat.
“My dad agreed,” he stated, a sly smile on his face.
Yachi took a minute to process his words.
“Wait… You mean...?”
Kuroo nodded, extending his free hand to her.
“I was thinking of picking Neko-chan up from the vet during our lunch break…Are you interested in joining me?”
She took his hand, bringing herself up to her feet.
“I am… but your coach told me not to follow you, Kuroo,” she teased.
“Oho…Does that mean that I’m charming to you?” he countered, smirking.
Yachi blushed furiously. Making a clumsy excuse that they were late for practice, she quickly made for the exit and dashed out.
She hadn’t denied the suggestion though, she realized.
Kuroo’s voice rang out again from the office. “Don’t worry, Yachi!”
“Your secret’s safe with me.”