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𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 ⇝ 3.9k

Excited chatter filled the halls of Shiritorizawa, the people in the halls crowding around the doorways and making it difficult to enter the classrooms. It was the beginning of April, which meant the start of the first term of the school year. As you walked through the crowd you tried staying close to the walls to avoid the guys in their white uniforms who were running down the already-too-packed hallway to tackle their friends. 

It seems you were wrong to think that the third-year hall would be calmer than the second or first years. If anything, since everyone knew each other, they were even more rowdy than the underclassmen.

"Excuse me," you mutter, pushing past the people that were standing in front of your homeroom classroom. You enter and look around; the desks were clean, and the windows were open, letting the warm spring sunlight into the room. People were scattered around, mingling with their friends and smiling since they got put into the same class. 

That's when you caught a familiar flash of bright red hair, Satori Tendo. Before you could even do anything, he spotted you and his eyes widened, his mouth dropping dramatically.

"Chef?!" He shouts and some people turn their heads in confusion. You seethe, why must he embarrass you on the first day...

You sigh before walking over to him. Tendo was sitting on a desk, a boy with grey hair standing in front of him with a stoic expression. He was also looking at you as you walk over, stopping next to the desk.

"Chef?" The boy asks, glancing back to Tendo with a gaze that asked for an explanation.

"Oh! Right, this is y/n l/n," Tendo says, a cheeky grin creeping onto his face as he leans over and slugs his arm over your shoulder and pulls you closer, "We had some classes in our first year together, and since then we've been inseparable! And I may call her chef because she's in the cooking club." 

You give a small smile to the guy, "hello," you say politely.

"Hi," he responds.

It was quiet for a moment, awkwardness slipping through the air before Tendo squeezed your shoulder, "This is Semi-Semi, he's the backup setter for the volleyball team," Semi-Semi seems to frown at his lame introduction.

"Semi-Semi?..." you repeat, a small laugh in your voice.

"Semi Eita, actually," Semi corrects, shooting a glare at Tendo, "Semi-Semi is just some stupid nickname this idiot came up with."

You smile at this; they must be close if he's insulting Tendo. The red head just smiled smugly, proud to have come up with the cute name.

"He's just a little tsundere," Tendo said, brushing it off, "he secretly likes it when I call him it," 

"As if," Semi retorted, a bit of sass in his tone which made you stifle a laugh.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Semi, I hope we get along," you say, and he looks down at you before rubbing the back of his neck and glancing away.

"Right, yeah, me too," he mutters, pursing his lips slightly. Tendo blinks at him before pulling his arm off of you and cocking his head to the side.

"Wait, so does this mean you're in this class too?" he asks excitedly, sparkles in his eyes as he crosses his legs on the desk.

You nod, "Yep, seems we'll be classmates once more in this exciting year," Tendo ignored the obvious sarcasm in your voice. A lightbulb then flicked on in his head and he narrowed his eyes at you, you take a cautious step back.

"Speaking of exciting years, it's our last," he pauses for a moment, "are you still in cooking club?"

"Yeah, they tried promoting me to president this year, but I refused."

"Why?" Semi chimes in, a bit curious.

"Well, its staring to look desolate in there. Other than me there's only like two members and no one wants to join," you chuckle dryly, trailing off before jumping back in, "But! This year, I'm going on a recruiting mission for the first week to hopefully bring in more members before the faculty shuts us down," you say smugly, and Tendo raises an uncertain eyebrow.

"Who would want to join such a boring club....?" Tendo groans which earned him a smack on the shoulder from you. 

"It's not boring! You just don't appreciate the art of cooking and fine dining cause you're a slob!" You counter and Tendo exhales heavily before leaning towards your face. 

"boring." he wheezes out and you roll your eyes. Semi chuckles softly at the interaction.

"I got it!" the idiot raises his finger in a matter-of-fact way, "how about you join our volleyball club as the team manager!" 

Semi processes his words before tilting his head back, "Are you serious? Would coach even allow this?-"

"Shh Semi-poo!" Tendo snaps and the grey-haired boy had to bite his tongue to hold back an insult.

"As I was saying, you should totally join as our manager," he then grabbed your shoulders and shook you, "I mean, just imagine it! All of the guys pumped up because they have a new manager that's a girl!" he squeals, and you stare at him like he was insane. 

"Uh, I'm going to stop you," your grab his wrists so he would stop shaking you, "right there. So yeah, if you weren't listening before I'm kind of in a club. If your slow, I can say it again," you then give him a small reassuring smile, "Tendo, look at me, yup, like that. I'm in.... a club," you then gasp and look around, "woahh, did you hear that? she's in a club!" you exclaim dramatically, and Semi looks away, snickering behind his hand.

Tendo frowns, "come onnnn," he groaned, "it's dying. I give it till next week until tumbleweeds will be rolling through that room." he then yanked you forward, and you were taken aback by how close he was, "just come by today and watch practice, please?" he whines, trying to give you puppy eyes but looking like he was trying to snatch your soul instead. 

"I said no-"

"Look! Even Semi-Semi is asking," Tendo says and you look over to Semi who just had his arms crossed. He simply shrugged.

"way to have my back..." Tendo mumbled, and Semi narrowed his eyes at him, "you called me 'Semi-poo', I will never have your back again, now and into the distant future,"

"dramatic much?" 

"Okay, stop bickering already," you huff, pushing Tendo's face away from your own, "I'll come by today, but that doesn't mean I'm joining alright? I'm just curious,"

"Yes, manager," Tendo grins and you roll your eyes at him, "I'm not-" you were interrupted by the bell that signals the start of class.

"Oo! Sit next to me!" he says, grabbing your wrist and pulling you down into the seat beside him. You looked up to see if Semi would protest but he was already taking the chair in front of Tendo. The teacher, a woman, walks into the classroom and sets her bag down by the desk before writing her name on the chalkboard.

'Mrs. Kanako'

She then begins explaining how homeroom works but you've been through this time and time again, so you don't pay attention. Instead, you think about the school's volleyball team. In middle school you played for the girls' team at school, but it's not like you stood out for being exceptionally talented. You were just a libero, even though you weren't particularly good at defense...

You are aware of the Shiritorizawa's reputation with sports though. Especially the boys' volleyball team. After all, you guys did have Wakatoshi Ushijma. He's like a freaking celebrity, being ranked the number one ace in the country in high schools. He was popular at school too, but it was obvious he didn't really like the attention when he's just trying to walk through the halls.

You've only talked to him once, that being when you punched a vending machine in your second year when it refused to give you your milk and he was standing behind you, waiting patiently. It was an embarrassing exchange to say the least, him asking if your hand was okay before lecturing you about damaging school property. He never cast you another glance when passing you in the hallways again.

Nevertheless, the day goes on and by lunch your already tired. Just mindless classes and teachers boring on about their rules and expectations. You tread the halls, walking over to a vending machine, coincidentally the exact one you had once previously punched. Your fingers hover over a button before you chose to just get milk again. The carton drops to the pickup box, and you bend over, sticking your hand in and grabbing it.

Just then you felt a hand slide onto your hip, and you jolt up, whipping around with wide eyes to see the guy who had grabbed you. But it wasn't a guy, it was a girl, your best friend in fact. Chiyo smirked before placing her other hand on your hip and pulling you close, "what's a pretty girl like you doing all alone in a school like this, hm?...." she murmured, placing her chin on your shoulder.

You laugh softly, "you scared the shit out of me," you breathe, and she giggles. Chiyo was a cute petite girl with dark hair that was so long it brushed the back of her knees. That's why she always kept it in a braid. She was pretty, and the two of you had met in your first year, having almost all of your classes with her. 

"What, you think I was some pervert dude or something?" She asks, letting go of you and tilting her head to the side.

"Yeah, actually," you reply, and she huffs.

"Well, if any guy does actually ever touch you like that, even if you consent, just let him know that he's got competition," Chiyo says, flashing you a wink and you playfully roll your eyes.

Changing the subject, you speak up, "Do we have any classes together this year?" you ask as you guys then begin walking towards the staircase to walk back up to the homeroom floor.

She simply shrugs, "I don't know, what do you have after lunch?"

"Calculus, language, then home ec, you?"

By the frown on her face you could tell that the two of you had no classes together, "Chemistry, music, then study hall," Chiyo then sighed loudly and threw her head back, "damn, this school hates to see two baddies together," 

You cringe at her words, stopping on the stairs to look at her, "Baddies...? Seriously?"

She flashed you a sly smile, "What? Am I not allowed to compliment my best friend?"

Shaking your head you continue ascending the stairs, "Whatever, you spend too much time online," you murmur.

"And you not enough,"

You both chat casually as you walk down the hall before turning into your home room class. Chiyo's eyes then light up when she sees Tendo, she liked hanging around him, he was always fun.

"Satori!" She exclaimed and he turned at the sound of his name.

"Oh, hey Chiyo, I haven't seen you around in a while," Tendo says with a smile and we stand around him. Semi was there too, leaning against his desk but then there was also another boy, one that you didn't recognize. He was shorter than Tendo and Semi but taller than you and Chiyo, with cropped sandy-colored hair that was parted unevenly to both sides.

"Hello," you say to him with a friendly smile, "Im y/n l/n, third year," you say, and he looks you up and down as if examining you before responding.

"Shirabu Kenjiro, second year," he says bowing his head respectfully. 

You blink then wave your hand, "Oh- uh, no need for formalities or anything, you can chat casually with me," you said and Semi huffs with amusement. 

"Yeah, Shirabu, no need to be so tense," he muses in an almost teasing way, but Shirabu seems unaffected.

"Yamako Chiyo," Chiyo cuts in, a slight pout on her face because the second year didn't spare her a glance, "third year, by the way..." you roll her eyes.

"Little Shirabu here is the current setter for the team," Tendo eyes you as if gauging your reaction, "he replaced Semi-poo here, he's that good," 

"You don't have to remind me," Semi mumbles, crossing his arms and looking away. Shirabu looked down at the ground, a small blush on his face from the compliment. 

You knew what Tendo was trying to do, trying to get you to know the team so you're more likely to say yes to his offer.

"Can I go now?" Shirabu asked in a quiet voice, "It's weird for a second year to be on the third floor," 

Tendo rolled his eyes, "Whatever, you can leave. Go on, scamper off,"

"Nice meeting you l/n, Yamako," he says before leaving quickly, keeping his head down.

"You embarrassed the poor dude," Chiyo went on, crossing her arms as she stared at the entrance of the classroom from where he once been.

"Y/n needs to know the members of the team she's know a part of," he explained casually and Chiyo raised an eyebrow before turning towards you.

"What? You're joining the boys' volleyball club?"

"No," you shoot a quick glare in Tendo's direction, "I am not. I'm still in the cooking club,"

With a scoff Chiyo shook her head, "That thing? I thought you quit last year..." she mumbled, and Tendo pointed at her.

"See?! It's so boring that people don't even care about it!" Tendo tried reasoning and you just frowned. You couldn't even argue with him because he wasn't wrong. 

෴

After lunch ended you went to the last of your classes, first calc. You sat in the back, leaning against the desk boredly when you saw Ushijima enter. Your eyes widened and you stared as he walked all the way to the back. You first thought he would sit next to you, but he sits directly in front of you. Huh, interesting.

The day of classes finally ended, and you began walking over to the volleyball gym. Sighing, you step up before peeking through the crack in the door. You didn't want to enter just yet.

"Excuse me," a deep voice was heard behind you, and you glance over your shoulder, swallowing when your met with the chest of someone. Your gaze moves up to see none other than Ushijima staring down at you with a stoic face.

"Sorry," you step to the side, and he glances at you before pushing the door open and walking inside. Your heart hammered in your chest as you follow loosely behind him. Jesus, that is one scary dude...

You try not to look dumbfounded as you look around the large gym. It had two courts and high ceilings; baskets of volleyballs being carted around by guys presumably on the team. You couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by it all. There was no way you could manage this!

"Oh, mighty chef," a voice coos and you look over to see Tendo jogging up to you, "finally, oh finally you have graced us with your presence!" Ushijima looks over at the commotion and you grab tendo's arm, squeezing it.

"Do you ever shut up!?" you whisper-yell and he sticks his tongue out sheepishly. 

"O' captain Ushiwaka!" he calls, and Ushijima turns on his heel and walks over, his steps surprisingly silent, "Meet our new..." he trails off when you curtly shake your head. No. you silently said. 

"-chef. Our new chef," 

You wanted to groan in annoyance, but you simply gave Ushijima an awkward smile, "Im uh-"

"A chef? Tendo, who is this?" Ushijima questioned, but his tone wasn't impolite, just confused.

"This, Ushiwaka," Tendo slides his arm around your shoulder and pulls you to his side. You curse under your breath as heads turn, "Is our only hope, our light amidst the grey, our-"

"Satori!" you hiss, and he stops before clearing his throat.

"Y/n l/n. She came to watch the practice today 'cause I'm trying to convince her to join as the manager," he sighs in defeat and Ushijima paused before looking down at you. The gears then turned in his head.

"You're the vending machine girl," he says, and you pray the god(s) to strike you down.

"Vending machine girl....?" Tendo inquires, his arm falling from your shoulder.

"Yeah, vending machine girl," the ace says simply, blinking.

"Okay..." He looks away from his captain before down to you, noticing the frown on your face, "care to explain?"

"I punched a vending machine last year, it hurt, he saw, he yelled at me, end of story," you say quickly, and Tendo raised an eyebrow.

"I did not yell at you," Ushijima stated, "I simply told you that you shouldn't damage school property is all,"

You cross your arms then look away, "you sounded like an angry teacher,"

Ushijima said nothing to this, just staring at you.

"It's stupid you remember anyways, it was forever ago and a brief interaction..." you muttered to yourself, trying to push away your embarrassment. The ace then raised an eyebrow.

"It was memorable," he blurted, and you stare at him, your mind blank before Tendo chimes in.

"oookay..." he then clapped his hands, "let's steer the topic away from vending machines and potential love interests-"

"huh?" you reel.

"-and focus on practice! Y/n, you can just plop down here on this trusty bench and let's get working!" he says, laughing before it died out when no one joined him. Both you and Ushijima were staring at him like he was weird. He was, just a bit.

"What's with the enthusiasm?" you complain and he laughs dryly before grabbing your shoulders and sitting you down on the bench.

"there, there, little chef. Just watch and zip those lips," 

You watch, stunned with confusion at his rush with you as Ushijima and him walk away together. Ushijima looks back at you then to Tendo, "why do you call her chef?"

"She used to be in the cooking club, but it died." he says casually.

"Oh. That's unfortunate," 

"I know, poor thing. She's heartbroken about it which is why I offered the manager position," Tendo exaggerates and Ushijima glances at your form once more before returning his gaze to the court. 

He felt a little bad. 

෴

Practice went on and you simply just sat and watch. After a while though you did look around, wondering where the coach was, but it didn't seem they needed it. Everyone stayed on track and if they didn't Ushijima would intervene. It was usually to tell Tendo to stop bugging the others or to tell Shirabu to focus and not pick fights with a dark-haired first year who had a funky haircut. 

But what you weren't expecting was the sheer power and force that came behind Ushijima's spikes. Of course, you had heard about it and that's why he was the ace and captain but still, it was terrifying to witness.

Your eyes were wide, and your hands tingled as you thought about how bad it must hurt to be on the receiving end of one of his spikes. 

෴

"It was incredible, how does someone have that much power anyway?" you ask as Tendo walks with you back towards the dorms. The sky was painted in orange and pink hues as sun sets; the lamps around the campus slowly flickering on to prepare for the coming night.

Tendo grins proudly, "I told you y/n, we have the best team in the prefecture. You would be proud to be our manager," 

You didn't even shoot him any glares at his words because now you were intrigued. You really did want to be the manager just to be amazed every time you watched Ushijima play. 

"So, miss chef," he stops in front of the door to the girls' dormitories. He then drops to one knee, opening his fists in a makeshift ring box as he looked up at you with hopeful eyes, "will you," he sniffled to add to the effect, "will you make me the happiest man in the world... and be our manager?" 

Your hand slaps over your mouth before you nod, fanning at your face, "oh my god, oh my god yes!" you squeal and he grabs your left hand, pretending to put a ring on it, "oh! You're going to make me cry!" you say, blubbering a bit and he shoots up, wrapping his arms around you and you wrap your arms around his neck.

You pretend to cry into his shoulder before pulling away. Something then got caught in your eye and you look over his shoulder to see Ushijima standing there, just staring.

"Ah!" You scream and Tendo screams too for some unknown reason before pulling away and looking around, going to a kung-fu pose.

His chest heaved with heavy breaths, but he relaxed when he saw Ushijima, "oh, it's just Ushiwaka," he breathed, placing a hand over his chest and sighing loudly, "made me think it was some guy with a knife,"

"What are you two doing?" Ushijima asks and you swallow, running a hand through your hair as a small blush creeps up your neck. You hoped he didn't take your relationship with Tendo the wrong way...

"Just reveling in happiness," said Tendo, "she just agreed to my proposal,"

Ushijima looked to you, a slight crease in his brow, "Your.... getting married?"

Tendo then bursts out laughing and you run an exasperated hand down your face, "Oh god! Oh!" Tendo exclaimed, holding his stomach.

"It's not that funny," you say, kicking the back of his leg and he stumbled forward, wiping a tear from his eye.

"No, no, we're not getting married. I could never marry this stinky rat," 

"okay well that's just unnecessary,"

"She agreed my proposal to be the team manager," 

Ushijima steps forward, "The coach will-"

"If the coach says yes," Tendo said, a cheeky expression on his face.

Your mouth drops, "What?! You didn't even tell your coach before bothering me with this?!"

The goofy red head just stuck out his tongue, "whoops,"

"god, you really are a moron, aren't you?" you sigh, placing a hand on your hip and Ushijima gave a curt nod, agreeing with you.

"Whatever, tell me what your coach says, I'm going to my room. See you," I then look to Ushijima, "Goodbye, it was nice to actually meet you,"

"Likewise," he responds, and you turn and walk into your building.

"You two are close," Ushijima comments and Tendo nodded as they turned to walk to the boy's dormitories, "Yeah, we've been friends since our first year, don't think she liked me at first to be honest,"

"I can't imagine why," the ace clipped, and Tendo frowned, his hair drooping with him.

"well that was just cruel...."

Ushjima huffed with amusement then glanced over his shoulder to the door you disappeared behind. 

How Interesting....