Work Text:
The school bell rang, signaling the teachers to end their lesson. It was lunch time now. You searched for your lunch box and you set it on your desk. You sat still, waiting for your underclassmen to arrive. Yahaba texted you during the break, asking you to explain an exercise to him and Watari. He said that he would pick you up.
“Hey, pretty lady. How come you’re alone?” a classmate suddenly approached you, standing in front of your desk. You looked up to him as he kept speaking. You were acquainted with him. “Do you want me to keep company with you?”
“I’m sorry but I’m going to leave soon. I’m waiting for my underclassmen,” you replied, trying to sound nonchalantly. Your classmate wasn’t a bad guy. He just liked fooling around a lot and he was really blunt. But you felt slightly uncomfortable that he was trying to get close to you the last few weeks. If he was simply doing it because he was friendly, then it would have been fine. But you knew that he was hitting on you.
“Your underclassmen? How cute. Wouldn’t you rather spend your time with me?” he asked with a smug look on his face as he bent down to you. You leaned back, trying to put a distance in between you.
“Excuse me, the volleyball’s manager’s so-called ‘cute’ underclassmen are here to pick her up,” you heard a familiar voice, calling for you. It was Yahaba. His voice sounded sweet but he only talked this way when he was displeased about something.
You smiled at your classmate and you grabbed your lunch box, standing up. “I’m sorry but I need to leave now. I already promised my ‘cute’ underclassmen to eat lunch with them.”
You heard him clicking his tongue before leaving the classroom with Yahaba and Watari. The libero, who hasn’t spoken yet, asked you in a concerned voice if you were alright. The setter’s expression was annoyed and he swore that he would do various things if your classmate bothered you again.
You laughed at their completely different reactions and you told them that you felt uncomfortable but that you were fine now. You thanked them for stepping in and as a token of gratitude, you would gladly help them with their studies. In response, Yahaba snorted because you had already promised to help them before the situation even happened.
After your lunch break, you hurried back to your classroom. You didn’t want to be late for your next class. You recalled your schedule for today. You had to change the classroom for the next period. Then you entered the room before your teacher, sitting down at your desk and putting away your empty lunch box. The lesson started as soon as the door slid open and the teacher entered.
You had to pay attention for fifty minutes and take notes in between. The lesson passed quicker than you thought and it was time to walk to the other room. You packed all of your things, stuffing them in your school bag. Afterwards, you only had club activities, so you wanted to make sure that you didn’t forget anything.
You headed to the hallway with your school bag in your hand. You passed by the second year’s classrooms to go to your destined room. They were currently having the short break too. It was starting to get noisy. You took a peek in the classrooms as you walked by. You didn’t know any of those people. Surprisingly, you didn’t see Yahaba or Watari. They must have moved to another room.
But then you spotted Kyoutani. He sat in the first row, close to the windows. You stopped for a second and the boy noticed you. You raised your spare hand and you were about to wave to him but he suddenly turned his head away. He was acting like he didn’t see you. You sighed but you let go of the situation, continuing to walk.
All of a sudden, you heard someone calling your name but they were cut off. You turned around but you didn’t see a person who was trying to approach you. Were you just imagining it?
You were about to head to your next lesson’s room when you heard a loud bang nearby. You stopped in your tracks, turning around again. The other students were aware of the noise as well and they looked in the same direction as you.
Then you saw Kyoutani who stomped out of the classroom, shutting the door loud enough for everyone to hear. His expression looked grumpy. He scowled at everyone who was staring at him. Then he saw you and he glared at you for a moment. His facial expression seemed to have softened slightly. He turned away, going to the opposite direction of where you were heading to.
The whispering got noisier and you were watching your underclassman leave for a brief moment. You were confused about the situation but you were about to leave again. Suddenly, the door slid open and your classmate appeared, rubbing the back of his head. You blinked in surprise.
He walked towards you with a sour expression on his face. He said with frustration: “Please tell the team’s dog to stop being aggressive towards other people. And he should stop trying to meddle in other people’s businesses.”
Now, you could guess what happened by your classmate’s appearance. Kyoutani wasn’t showing it but you believed that he was trying to protect you. “Don’t call him a dog. And I think you gave him a reason to get mad at you.”
“Whatever,” your classmate responded annoyed, walking off. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to you or anyone anymore. You kept your distance as you headed to the same direction. Maybe this incident was making him think that it wasn’t worth the trouble to get close to you.
You entered the room and you sat down at your seat, setting down your bag. Your seat neighbor friendly approached you and you smiled at her, greeting her back. You were on good terms, so you were glad that you were sitting next to each other.
Now, you were waiting for your teacher to start the lesson. You weren’t on cleaning duty today, so you could head to the club room right away. As you got caught in your trail of thoughts, your teacher arrived.
After the lesson ended, you bid your friend goodbye who was done packing her things before you. She wished you luck for the club activities as you wished the same for her. Then you left the room, walking to the school lockers. You took off your indoor shoes and you switched them with your outdoor shoes, putting them on.
You closed the locker and you heard two male voices, speaking behind you. You turned around to face two classmates. “Hey, could we talk with you for a second? Our friend has been in a bad mood since the break and it’s pretty much annoying.”
They were friends with your intrusive classmate. They were standing rather close to you, making it difficult for you to leave. You felt uncomfortable, so you politely refused. “I apologize but I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do about it. And I have club activities right now, so if you would excuse me.”
You turned away but then one of them suddenly moved and he stood in your way, resting their shoulder against the lockers. “Excuse me, but we’re not done talking to you yet, ‘pretty lady’. We would really appreciate it if you came with us.”
He was imitating your classmate by saying the words which were supposed to be a compliment. But your classmate’s friends were being even more obtrusive than himself. You didn’t like this situation. You tightly held onto your school bag, refusing one more time but you were interrupted when someone grabbed your arm, pulling you away.
You were surprised by it and you lost your balance for a moment. However, someone supported you, steadying your balance. You looked up to the person who had grabbed your arm. It was your underclassman, Kunimi. He was looking at you expressionless and asking if you were okay. You slowly nodded as he let go and you took a step back.
“I’m sorry for surprising you. But we couldn’t think of anything else,” he apologized to you as you turned around and you looked at the scene in front of you. Kindaichi, your other underclassman, had pushed one of your classmates away, so that there was enough space for you to escape. “Kindaichi, we’re done. Let’s go.”
“Hey, is this the way you treat your upperclassmen??” the classmate who got pushed away shouted angrily. Both of your underclassmen were already pushing you forward to the exit.
Kunimi stopped in his tracks and he turned around, replying to them. “Then is this how you’re supposed to treat another person? She already rejected your ‘request’ and you’re still coercing her.”
Kindaichi who walked behind you had a tense expression on his face. He seemed to be nervous about this situation. Then Kunimi caught up with you. You heard a slam and swearing behind you as you left the entrance. The calm boy told you not to mind but that you should call for help the next time this happened again.
You gave a small laugh, thanking both of them for saving you. You probably shouldn’t laugh at this situation but you felt reassured at their side. Everyone kept protecting you, even though you should be able to protect yourself. Both Kunimi and Kindaichi sighed. They were glad that nothing happened to you.
Then you separated ways, going to different changing rooms. You stood in front of the door, taking a deep breath before taking your keys out. Next, you unlocked the door and opened it, stepping inside. You shut the door and you proceeded to walk to the lockers, opening the one where you had already placed your sports bag.
You quickly changed your clothes, taking your bag with you. You left the room and you locked the door before going to the gym hall where everyone was already setting up the volleyball net. All of their heads turned to you when you entered. You stopped in your tracks, looking from one side to the other. Abruptly, everyone continued doing their work. You blinked surprise but you sat down at the stair case, changing your shoes.
As soon as you stood up, you pulled the bag along with you, heaving it over your shoulder. You turned around but someone was standing in your way. You saw an irritated expression which was directed at you. Your instinct told you that you should just leave the gym hall.
But he grabbed you by your shoulders before you could even turn around. You felt timid. You were probably going to get murdered at the spot. Then he removed his hands from your shoulders and he reached out for your face, pinching your cheeks. “Why didn’t you just forcibly push them away or call for help when you were cornered by those idiots??”
He let go of your cheeks and he sighed. You reached your hands towards your face and rubbed the spots he had pinched. “Iwaizumi, I didn’t want to use violence nor did I want to cause a ruckus…”
“But who knows what would have happened to you if Kunimi and Kindaichi hadn’t been there,” he said angrily, crossing his arms. “I swear if I see your classmates coming too close to you…”
“Then Iwa-chan would use his inhuman strength to crush their skulls,” the captain finished, appearing next to his enraged childhood friend. He laughed after making the joke and Iwaizumi frowned at him. “You’re such a worrywart! They wouldn’t dare to lay a finger on her on the school grounds and it was at the entrance where everyone was heading to.”
The vice-captain snorted and his expression softened. He pointed at his friend with his thumb and he replied, looking at you: “Oikawa was holding a water bottle in his hand when Kunimi told us what happened. He just smiled and crushed his bottle.”
“Oikawa, get wrecked!” you heard the other two third-years, shouting and laughing in the background. Oikawa cracked a smile, suppressing his annoyance and pretending that he didn’t know what they were talking about.
Both of them joined you. Matsukawa put his arm around Oikawa’s neck, grinning at him. Hanamaki stood next to Iwaizumi, looking at the captain as well. Then your pink-haired teammate spoke up: “He may not look like it but he’s really concerned about your well-being. Honestly, he can be as violent as Iwaizumi. But he wouldn’t hurt them physically. He would demolish your classmates verbally.”
“Alright, it’s time for practice,” Oikawa loudly clapped in his hands, cutting off the conversation. He removed Matsukawa’s arm and he walked away. You watched him leaving and the other third-years turned their heads to you. The duo shrugged and they both smiled at you before following the captain’s lead.
Iwaizumi stayed behind for a moment. He suddenly raised his arm which startled you. Surprisingly, he ruffled your hair and he told you to be more cautious the next time. You fixed your hair as you watched him, joining the others. You closed the gym door and then you set your bag down. You felt better now. Everyone was trying to protect you, so you had to do your best too.
After the practice ended, you walked back home with the other third years. Oikawa and Iwaizumi lived in the same direction as you and the other two wanted to stay over at Iwaizumi’s place to do their homework. You stopped by the convenience store where Matsukawa and Hanamaki wanted to buy something. You all went inside, looking around for a bit.
You left the place first as the others were paying for their items. The automatic doors opened and you stepped outside, encountering your classmates from earlier who just passed by. The three of them stopped in their tracks. The classmate who got pushed by Kindaichi grinned at you. “Oh, seems like we can finally talk after all. You really ought to discipline your underclassmen. It’s rude to interrupt conversations.”
You felt your stomach turning over. You had a bad feeling about this. But you couldn’t just run off. You wanted to clear this issue, so you stepped outside, making space for customers who wanted to enter.
“What the hell, guys? This seriously happened?” your other classmate asked in an amused tone. Then he turned towards you and his expression changed. “Hey, sorry about acting that way earlier. And sorry, if my friends offended you in any way. They just wanted to cheer me up… Are you alone right now? How about you hang out with us? I can make it up to you.”
“I’m sorry but I’m waiting for my friends right now. But I appreciate your apology and the invitation,” you respectfully declined his offer. You still didn’t feel well but you actually had the feeling that he could be a good person. He just had an assertive way of approaching you.
“We’re really not bad people, so you don’t need to lie to us,” his friend who hasn’t spoken yet replied to you. “It was wrong of us to force you and we should have asked you differently. But we really don’t want to harm you.”
You politely refused again, insisting that you were with your friends which was true. But they still kept bugging you, trying to convince you to go with them.
“The lady said that she doesn’t want to. Why don’t you just leave her be?” a familiar voice said. It was Oikawa. The Seijoh third years suddenly stood next to you. You didn’t notice that the doors opened again and that they had stepped outside.
“We just want to be nice to her. Don’t frame us as the bad guys here,” one of your classmate’s friends raised both of their hands, assuring Oikawa. They volleyball captain crossed his arms, giving him a cold look.
Your classmate who has been pushy since the beginning suddenly asked jokingly: “Are you supposed to her bodyguards or what?”
“Look, we’re not here to fight you. We want you to respect our manager’s wishes. If she doesn’t feel comfortable then give her some space,” Matsukawa replied calmly, trying to prevent a possible conflict.
“Well, maybe she’s just shy about this situation. We could help her getting used to this,” your classmate responded, shrugging. His friends agreed with him. Oikawa was about to respond to them but then Iwaizumi stepped in front of you.
“She’s clearly not comfortable. Anyone can tell who has eyes and a brain,” he said angrily, furrowing his eyebrows and looking directly at his opponent.
Your classmate laughed in response, turning to his friends. He pointed at Iwaizumi, obviously underestimating him. “Is this shorty seriously trying to provoke me? What the hell is your problem, man?”
“I think you shouldn’t see or hear what’s about to happen,” Hanamaki whispered, pulling you away. You turned around to Hanamaki, confused over what he was implying to. But then he covered your eyes with his hands. Someone else covered your ears. You couldn’t see anything and you could only hear the sounds damped.
You heard your classmate yelping and someone landing on the ground. You picked up loud steps, shouting and swearing from both Iwaizumi and your classmates. “Hanamaki, please don’t tell me that they’re fighting-“
A thud, followed by a groan confirmed your apprehension. You heard Iwaizumi yelling and then the distant voices of your classmates, swearing again. Instantly, you removed all the hands, looking at scene in front of you. Iwaizumi watched your classmates leaving. He turned around to you, revealing a bruise on his cheek.
You felt guilty. You felt like your heart was being squeezed. Immediately, you went towards him, worrying over him. “Iwaizumi, are you okay?? And you’re not supposed to-“
“Don’t worry about me. It’s just a small bruise. And those three aren’t going to talk about today. We have proof and witnesses that you were harassed by them, so they won’t try to get close to you anymore,” he huffed, interrupting you. His face was showing resolve as he talked.
You bit on your lower lip and then you laughed exhausted. “I can’t believe you guys… This could have ended up badly for us. I really don’t know what to say… But thanks for everything today. I don’t think I could have dealt with this situation without you. Sorry for dragging you into this mess.”
Someone slapped their hand on your back, startling you. It was followed by two more hard hits. They walked ahead of you a few steps and then they turned around to you. Matsukawa spoke up: “Depend on us sometimes. We’re teammates and friends after all.”
Those were the only words which you needed to hear right now. You couldn’t help but give them a heartfelt laugh. You thanked them, stepping forward. One last person slapped their hand on your back. You smiled in response, walking along their sides and watching the sky which was painted in an orange color. You were proud to be a member of Seijoh’s volleyball club.