Haikyuu!! Tobio's Girl. Chapter 19

Reina stepped off the bus and took a deep breath. The summer was hot. It was nice to feel the sea breeze on her face.

"It's the sea, it's the sea! Kageyama! Let's chase to the water," Hinata was shouting behind her. Without a second of hesitation, they both run by her with a loud "Aaaaaaaa!"

Reina looked back to see Yachi, other members of the volleyball team, as well as their alumni looking with excitement at the view. The whole trip was just a fun event to let go a bit after their loss to Dateko in the Inter-High finals. For Reina, who tagged along, it was a major event.

It was one of her dreams to go with a special someone to a day at the beach: play around in the water, feed each other treats from local stalls, make romantic messages in the sand, go on an iconic walk in the sunset. This was her chance to experience all that for the first time...

Yeah. Right. As if...

She looked at Kageyama. They haven't even set up their place yet, and he already went to call dibs on the court for beach volleyball.

Not that she didn't enjoy herself. She had her camera, so she spent a lot of time taking pictures. And now, she was sitting with Yachi at their camp, enjoying the view of the court and the sea. The guys were playing without a break, rotating a lot. But somehow at least a few of them were hanging around where she, Hitooka, and Shimizu-senpai were, scowling at any passing guy that even looked their way. This was all very flattering and ridiculous at the same time. Reina sensed, however, a tiny bit of disappointment from the Karasuno guys over the fact that she wouldn't take off her cropped t-shirt at all times, Shimizu-senpai wore a pareo, and Hitooka, well, looked just as cute in her swimsuit as she always did.

Reina heard a buzz from her phone. She looked at it.

"Eri sent me a message. She says that she wishes she was with us now, and Tokyo has extremely hot weather," she said to Yachi.

"She went to Tokyo?!"

"Yes, she had a deal for a photo shoot. She said it's her chance to shine. Miyako and Sawako went on a trip abroad with their families. They wrote me they wanted to meet up too."

"Aww... Don't you miss your friends? Now that you are in an advanced class, you don't have a chance to hang out that much." Yachi asked.

"It's ok. We meet when we can. We would more, if not for my robotics. I'm glad that at least I'm with you in class now," Reina said and smiled at her.

"And you're doing well too. I'm surprised that your parents didn't push you to go for an advanced course from the beginning. Aren't they both acclaimed scholars?"

"Well, you know... My parents were always like, 'we're just glad that you're alive and well, so you can do whatever you want.' "

"Reina-chan, you went through so much... I can't even imagine..." Yachi teared up.

"It's ok. It all worked out in the end."

"It's nice to take a break like this." Yachi stretched her arms and breathed in. "Although, if we won the qualifiers, we would be at nationals right now," she added regretfully.

"That match was epic, though. Kageyama was upset about the loss, but after thinking for a while, he was glad that he had a chance to play against them."

"And how's the robotics competition? You passed the first round, right?"

"Yeah, we managed somehow. But I don't know how much longer we can hang onto it. Programming's tough. For the first time in a long time, I feel I'm learning something new. I started it on a whim, but it's actually fun. Building robots."

"You've worked hard."

"I know. Between newspaper club and robotics, I would often stay at school as long as Kageyama. Isn't that an ultimate indicator of working hard? At least, we would go home together."

"But now, when the summer break started, you guys should have more time to see each other. I mean, he can't train all day long. He has to rest sometimes."

"Do you want to try him on that? We did meet a few times, but we just hung out at home, abusing AC. I found this foreign website where you can watch matches from the end of the court, and we've been watching a lot of European volleyball."

"Aren't you upset that most of the time you spend with him is about volleyball? Even now, when we came here... Tanaka-san and Shimizu-senpai went to do things on their own. But Kageyama hasn't left the court once."

"Hitooka-chan, you're the one person that I don't want to hear about it. You devote much more time to volleyball than I do. Even if you're not a player."

"Well, I guess you're right."

"Besides, just look at them. Isn't it fun to watch? Like the ultimate mix of goofiness and awesomeness."

They watched Kageyama make a nice jump serve, only to slip while landing. He barely kept his balance.

"Oh, it almost got me this time! Sand's amazing!" he shouted.

Hinata didn't have that much luck. He managed to receive the ball but buried his face in the sand afterward. He was now spitting it out.

"And it's Kageyama we're talking about," Reina added, "If you try to engage him in a conversation about anything else, he will just fall asleep. It's fascinating. Anyway, I like volleyball in itself, so I don't mind at all. And if I want to do something different, I have plenty of time to do whatever I want while he plays. Speaking of which," she stood up," do you want to go into the water?"

"That's a great idea!"

Reina gleefully went running into the sea with Yachi, soon followed by other guys from the team. They were watching Nishinoya-senpai jump into the water off people's shoulders when a sudden wave almost tripped her. Swirling around, she somehow managed to hold her footing.

"Hey, are you OK?" Kageyama appeared in the water near her.

"I'm fine. When did you come here?"

"Well, you wandered off so suddenly..."

"So you just followed? Aww..."

"I wanted to cool off! I got hot playing!"

She laughed and splashed him in the face.

"Hey!?"

"What? You said you wanted to cool off."

For a second, he was just standing there staring at her, water dripping off his angry face. Then he splashed her back. They went into a regular water fight. They didn't see the next big wave coming. It pushed her straight into his arms and fell them over. They weren't in a rush to collect themselves back up. Did she enjoy half-naked Tobio holding her in his muscular arms? Yes. Is she going to admit it to him? No.

"That's what you get for starting a fight," he said when they were standing again.

Reina thought that she wouldn't mind a repeat of that. At that moment, however, she realized that Kageyama was looking at her chest. It seemed he noticed something. Then, he moved his gaze back to her face, acting as if nothing had happened.

But she had lost her mood already. She realized that her soaking t-shirt made the skin underneath much more visible.

"I think I had enough of playing in the water," she crossed her hands over her chest and quickly went out. Kageyama went after her. When they reached their things, she wrapped herself in a towel and sat down curled up. That's what you get for trying to look cute. Although, if she came in a one-piece swimsuit with high coverage, it would be even more apparent to everyone that she was trying to hide something.

"You shouldn't stay in wet clothes. You won't get dry, sitting like that," Kageyama said.

"I'm fine." She wrapped herself up even more.

"Here, you can take mine." He threw his favorite "setter's soul" t-shirt on her head.

"Thanks." She looked up at him in awe. That gesture was so effortless and yet so touching. For sure, she found herself a considerate boyfriend...

"I was wondering why you're wearing a t-shirt over a bikini. I mean, with a body like that, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Was it because of those scars?"

Ok... so her boyfriend was just as blunt and inconsiderate as he always was.

"Sorry, I didn't want to shock you like that," she said when she changed her shirt and sat down next to him.

"Shock me?" He bent his head sideways in confusion. "When I saw it, I only thought that it made sense, that you have some scars after being operated on. Rather, I was worried you'd get mad at me for staring at your boobs."

"Would you... would you prefer I didn't have any?" Reina asked.

"What?... Boobs?!"

"Scars, you idiot!"

"Hmm... Would you prefer I... I don't know... didn't play volleyball?"

She pondered on that concept for a moment.

"I cannot even imagine that. You'd be a completely different person then. But what does it have to do with this?"

"Wouldn't you be a completely different person if you didn't have to deal with all of that all your life and didn't have the guts to go through with those treatments?"

"You might be right about that."

"Well, I like you... because you're you... And if that's a part of what made you...you..." Kageyama lost track of his mind somewhere and gave up. He stretched and yawned. "Anyhow, you're blowing it way out of proportion. So you have some line on your chest, who cares? You're still hot. I'm hungry. Do you want to go get some food?" he asked and stood up. She followed him eagerly. Who knew that his bluntness could lift up her mood so much.

"Yakisoba, 2 sets, extra-large," the clerk announced. Kageyama hurried to get the food and brought it back to Reina.

"Oh, thanks. Though I doubt I can eat a portion that large," she said when he put it on their table.

"Actually, I was going to eat both of them, but you're my girlfriend, so I'll share. Here..." He stuffed a huge bite into her mouth. She barely managed to swallow it.

"Oh my, you got sauce on your face." He laughed.

"It's your fault. You shouldn't feed people like that!"

"Sorry, I'll wipe it off for you" He looked into her eyes and softly brushed her lips with his finger. She felt a tremble going like lightning through her whole body. And it wasn't that she was nervous about being with him. It was a completely different sensation. She blushed.

"Here, I'll give you some too. Open wide." She took a piece of her takoyaki to feed it to him. He complied eagerly.

"Well, aren't you an obedient child," she said, smiling.

"I don't mind getting fed with tasty food. Give me more."

After eating, they strolled back to their camp to rest a little. Reina was glad to spend at least that little while with him. It was nice to just sit together and look at the waves. She hoped he would stay a bit after eating so much, but he was too restless for that. Soon he grabbed a volleyball and started to spin it in his hand. She thought he couldn't wait to go back on the court and play with the guys.

Instead, he just kept messing with the ball and glancing at her. Then he reached it towards her.

"Would you like to play some volleyball with me?" he asked.

She looked at him with wide eyes. She was so stunned she did know what to say. "What?! I... I... can't... I mean... I don't know how. You know I never did before."

"C'mon, we can just do some passing. I won't tire you out, I promise." Tobio seemed eager to do this.

She felt a warm feeling inside. Still, she had some concerns.

"Are you sure you want to play with me? It's probably going to be pretty bad."

"No one is good from the beginning. Come, I'll teach you. It's going to be fun." He stood up and gave her his hand.

"Okay, if you say so." She let him pull her up.

They found a nice spot and settled in position.

Reina looked at the ball in her hands. She did help Kageyama practice a few times before, but she was only throwing him balls to set. She never truly played with him. This felt special.

"Ok, so let's do this," Tobio said.

Reina smiled at him. This is it. She threw him the ball as she usually did, and he bounced it back straight to her. She tried to do the same, but the ball just slipped off her fingers and landed at her feet. They tried again. It went sideways this time. And again. It ended up halfway between her and Tobio. Does it count as progress? She looked up. He was staring at her without a word.

"What?! I told you, I don't know how to do this!" She was getting defensive." And you were supposed to teach me!"

A scowl showed up on Kageyama's face. Outsiders would think that he got angry, but she knew it meant that he was thinking hard.

"You need to come at the ball with a purpose. And put some gwaah! into it," he said.

"Huh?"

"How to explain it to you..." he was thinking for a while. Then he recited, "You need to change the direction of the ball's movement upwards and forward to the target you want to reach. And you need to exert enough force on it to compensate for gravity and air resistance; otherwise, it would fall."

"Tobio, I'm proud that you still remember the science I've taught you, but it doesn't help my technique much. Can't you just... I don't know... show me, how to move my hands?"

With a sigh, he came over to her. Using vague words like "go swoosh and then pow," he showed her how to put her hands together. Following his movements, she started to get it a little bit. Still, she was worried that he was annoyed with her incompetence and regretted this whole project. But she wasn't going to quit if he wasn't.

They tried passing again. This time she was at least managing to put the ball close enough to Tobio that, with some hustle, he was able to volley it back right to her hands. They were going at it for a while until she hit the ball so far away that he couldn't get it.

"Sorry," she said when he brought it back. "It must be a chore for you to deal with someone with no skill whatsoever."

"Not at all. It's refreshing." He answered, still breathing hard from the exertion. "Your passing is so ba...aa... I mean, you put the ball in such weird places it's challenging for me to receive. It's good practice. We should do this more often."

"Aren't you happy to be mean?" she said, blushing. "I'm trying to get the ball back to you. Why won't you just teach me how to do it properly?"

"Well, you just need to try and try again. You'll get it eventually. Let's go!" He smiled at her happily. She liked his weird, sinister smiles well enough, but a smile like that was a sudden shot straight to the heart.

"Tobio, please do not ever smile this way at another girl," she said unwittingly.

"What?"

"Nothing. One more time." She giggled and threw the ball.

8i8

Meanwhile, the Karasuno team...

"So it's Asahi and Nishinoya on one side, and who's joining Kageyama now?" Daichi was trying to figure out the playing order together with Ennoshita. "Wait, where is Kageyama anyway?"

"It seems he went off somewhere with his girlfriend," Ennoshita answered after looking around.

"Wow, I'm impressed with Takenaka-san. To think there is someone in this world with the power to drag Kageyama away from the volleyball," Daichi said.

"But I'm envious. I guess even Kageyama wouldn't miss a chance for a beach date with his girlfriend." Kinoshita commented.

"Actually, I have seen them down that way a moment ago. They're practicing passing," Yamaguchi said.

"Oh... Right... It's Kageyama we're talking about." Daichi said.

"Right... But is she going to be ok?" Ennoshita asked.

"Sure. I mean, he wouldn't yell at his girlfriend, right? Right?!" Daichi became concerned as well.

8i8

When Reina and Tobio stepped out of the bus that took them home, it was late evening already. The streets were empty, and pavements were giving off the summer heat. The only sound they could hear was the crickets singing.

Tobio took her hand. Reina thought that although she enjoyed having fun with everybody at the beach, being alone with him was what she liked the most. She was a bit sorry, that soon they would get home...

Wait.

She looked around and realized something. Should I ask?

Maybe she shouldn't. It was so lovely, the evening almost magical, why should she care... Let's just enjoy it.

After a few minutes, however, she thought that maybe it was better to ask.

"Tobio, where are we going?"

"Umm, your house... yeah, I'm walking you home."

"But it's not the way."

"Um... your house... eventually?"

"You don't want to part, do you?" she asked with a smile.

"No," he admitted shortly.

Reina's heart squeezed with delight. She couldn't resist teasing him a bit.

"But...don't you have to wake up at dawn to do your running and strengthening and then go to the team practice?" she asked, feigning concern.

"Yes, I have all that tomorrow... and then I go to Fukurodani group training camp for a week, then for two weeks to the National Youth team training... And, sure, I am hyped for all that, but as for tonight... I know it's late... but just for a little bit... do you want to go look at stars, maybe?" He looked at her with unexpected affection. It stirred Reina to the core.

"Well... Why not? Although, it's a full moon tonight. I doubt you can see any," she said playfully to regain her composure a bit.

"I don't care... I mean... we can look at the moon," he said, still looking deeply into her eyes.

Then he put his arm around her and pulled her closer.

The end.

8i8

Just kidding, I wrote more. The reading order is:Tobio's Girl(this is the last chapter of it)

Tobio's Girl. Misplaced Chapters (a glimpse at their life in the second and third year of high school. Misplaced due to slightly more mature content, although it's nothing extreme. It's optional to read it. You don't have to know it to understand the next part.)

Tobio's Girl. Timeskip. ( As the name suggests, it goes to the Timeskip timeline. It has a slightly different vibe to it, more josei than shoujo. However, I tried to keep mature themes in it under control and not explicit.)

You can find those stories on my page. Thank you for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it. Please share your thoughts. I hope to improve my writing, so I would appreciate any feedback you can give me.