XLIX

September 12th, 2021

So likee I looked at yall's responses about the second male lead, and I agree that Isuma has too much going on right now to be worrying about another guy as well. My original idea was to have someone like her LATER, like during college, when things are less complicated. 

Oh, and it's probably going to be Tamiko, bc I don't want to break Suna's heart. And I like their platonic friendship.

Isuma and the others were all cautious over the next few days, but the first she accidentally went somewhere by herself, she sorely regretted it afterward. 

It was just before practice; at the time, it had seemed like a small thing- running a small errand to the nearest convenience store didn't seem like a particularly dangerous task. Of course, if they had known they may have protested, but their coach wanted the meat buns to be a surprise.

So she went alone, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

The nearest convenience store wasn't very near at all- it was a good fifteen minutes away if someone was in a hurry- but the walk was relaxing and usually peaceful. Unless, of course, you were on the volleyball team. They had to run up and down the hills on the way to the store as practice, and it was a pain. Isuma had seen the state of the other second-years after running it ten times in a row; they hated it with a passion and would glare at the street every time they walked down it, as if the asphalt had somehow offended them.

The convenience store was oddly empty when Isuma arrived. Usually, it was crowded with students seeking a bite right after school, and the owners made a mint. At the moment, the only other people in there were two third-year girls.

The cashier looked up from his phone when Isuma entered. "Yes?"

"Um, I have an order. From Kurosu Sensei." Isuma held out the piece of paper to him; he glanced over it briefly before crumpling it up and tossing it aside. "It's ready. Give me a few minutes."

He vanished into a back room and returned briefly with a paper bag; Isuma gingerly took it and thanked the cashier. Before she could push open the door to leave, someone clapped their hand on her shoulder. "Excuse us."

She turned around: it was the third-years she'd noticed earlier. Only now they were accompanied by two young men; their uniforms were black and white, distinct to Inarizaki's. They were eyeing her beadily, like a boxer might look at their opponent before a match. The one who'd spoken to her was tall with long brown hair, while the shorter, blonde girl hovered in the background. "You're from Inarizaki, right?"

"...yes." Isuma cautiously replied, her eyes flicking back and forth between the four of them. The girls exchanged glances. "Good."

The tall girl moved so fast Isuma barely had time to react; the girl's hand missed her by mere milliseconds. Isuma couldn't regain her balance and crashed into the store's window. The cashier leaped to his feet. "Hey! No violence in my-"

"Shut it!!" The taller boy snapped. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Isuma, who had gotten to her feet. A few months ago, she may have been terrified, but now she was on guard. And the boy noticed. "Calm down, sweetheart, I don't have a bone to pick with you. Just do me a favor."

Isuma gripped her arm tightly, watching him. "What do you want?"

His eyes swept over her. "Do you know where the Miya brothers are?"

Her heart froze and she must've reacted physically in some way because the young man smiled. "Perfect. Tell me."

"What do you want with them?" She asked, her mind racing. He answered, "Nothing. It's their sister I'm looking for."

Isuma's eyes widened briefly. "...Atsumu's in Tokyo, for the Youth Camp. Osamu-kun is probably at volleyball practice." The young man nodded. "Good. And their captain? Kita?"

"...probably with Osamu." Isuma wanted to kick him, but she couldn't do that without the others around. The young man tilted his head. "And how do I know you aren't lying?"

Isuma involuntarily flinched. Fast as a viper, he grabbed her wrist and gripped it so hard her whole arm exploded with pain. "What else do you know?"

"Nothing! Let go!" Her body reacted on its own; she kicked him so hard he groaned and released her. The blonde grabbed Isuma's arm. "Hey! What the heck is wrong with you?!"

Isuma looked at her. "What's wrong with me? You just assaulted me. This is self-defense!"

"He just asked a question!" The other girl protested. Isuma picked up her bag off the floor; her wrist was burning with pain as if someone had jabbed a hot wire into it. The other teenager attempted to stop her from leaving, but the first one said, "No. Let her go."

Isuma practically ran out of the shop; the tall girl snapped, "Why the heck are we letting her go?! She'll tell the Miya girl we're searching for her! How else are you going to get back at Kita, Orimoto Senpai?!"

He answered, "She won't tell her. She's Miya Isuma."

The other three momentarily fell silent, surprised. "How do you know?"

"I just do. But I'm sure."

***

No one had noticed that Isuma had taken a little too long to get back, and she was grateful for that. She first tracked down Kurosu Sensei; he was talking with Kita and Suna in the gym when she found him. Suna immediately noticed the way she was holding her wrist and started to say something, but Kita signaled him to stay silent. The coach said, "Thank you, Isuma-san. Could you leave this in my office?"

"Yes, Sensei." Isuma left the three of them without glancing at Kita or Suna. Kita turned towards their coach. "Excuse us, Sensei."

"Go on." Kita and Suna waited a minute to give her enough time to get to the office and then left themselves. Isuma was wrapping a bandage around her wrist when they entered; she moved her hand behind her back and avoided their gaze. Suna took one look at her and asked, "What happened?"

Isuma wanted to say 'nothing,' but her mind decided otherwise. She found herself telling them everything that had happened; the words came naturally, as if they were fighting to be said. Kita let out his breath when she finally finished, but Suna said, "Let me see your hand."

He tried not to react when he saw the bruise, but she noticed him tense. "It's fine. It doesn't hurt anymore."

Suna didn't hear her. He wanted to turn around and punch Kita- screw the consequences. "Isuma, go back to the gym. Tell your brother."

She didn't move; her eyes were darting back and forth between Suna and Kita anxiously. "...okay."

The moment she was gone, Suna wheeled on his captain. "She's my best friend, Kita-san. You can't expect me to approve this. She almost got beat up because of you." Kita replied, "Then you understand why I'm about to do this."

Suna wanted to scream. How was the guy so calm, so collected? When the girl he liked was going through so much? "I do. But if Isuma's hurt again because of you- physically or emotionally- I will never forgive you."

Kita didn't protest. "I won't argue. You have every right to do that. Like you said... you're her best friend."

Outside the office, Isuma was silently listening to everything. 'What does Rintaro mean...?'

***

Other than a quick hello, Isuma didn't have much time to talk to Tamiko or Hinosa the next day. The gym was crowded with 8 different teams, some of which didn't get along with each other. The first chance he got, Hinosa pulled Isuma over. "Hey, Miya-chan, do me a favor."

"What is it?" She glanced at him curiously. "I need to convince Tami-chan to be captain next year. I've been trying to persuade him for over a month now, but he won't agree."

"What makes you think he'll agree if I talk to him?" She questioned. He shrugged. "Just a hunch."

"...okay. I will."

Once all the teams had arrived, she and two of the other managers- Riko and Saru- had nothing to do but watch the teams practice, which wasn't exactly interesting. Riko admitted, "This isn't usually interesting, quite frankly. This is my second year being here, and to be honest, it's basically what I watch every day."

Riko was a second-year at Hazunari, which was much farther away than the other schools. She was the exact opposite of Isuma: cheerful, and social, but also friendly. Saru was a first-year at Shazun; she was similar to the girls in Isuma's class, the type that knew who was dating who or which couple broke up or which girls liked a certain boy.

At one point, they began exchanging stories and complaining about the bad aspects of being a manager. After recalling a particularly funny story about her team, Saru said, "Okay, your turn, Miya-chan."

"Actually, I have a question for you," Isuma replied. Riko shrugged. "Go for it!"

"Why did you become a manager?" Isuma asked. Riko laughed. "That's an easy one. My older brother is our captain. Him, over there."

She pointed across the gym; Isuma could instantly see the similarities. They had the same wavy brown hair and warm hazel eyes. "I can't play volleyball because I have asthma, but he convinced me to at least be a manager. That's kind of it."

"My friend on the team asked me to." Saru said and turned towards Isuma. "What about you, Miya-chan?"

"My brothers and Kita Senpai convinced me. I didn't want to at first, but I enjoy it now-" Someone's shout cut her off. "Watch out!!"

All three looked up; Isuma barely registered the volleyball flying towards them, but Riko immediately stood up and blocked it. "Nii-san! You want to kill us?!"

Her brother yelled back, "It was Yamato!"

A boy squeaked, "Sorry!!"

Riko sighed and sat back down. "Sorry. The first-years are clumsy."

"It's fine. That happens a lot." Saru laughed. She glanced at Isuma, who was looking at the volleyball on the floor, her eyes oddly blank. "Miya-chan?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry. What did you say?" Isuma asked. Saru shook her head. "Nothing- wait, Miya-chan, what happened to your wrist?"

Isuma looked down; the bandages on her upper arm had slid down, revealing her bruise. "Ah, it's nothing."

She recovered the bruise gingerly, wincing briefly. Riko and Saru exchanged glances but decided to let it go. "Okay. If you're alright."

Saru searched for a new topic. "That's your captain, right?"

She gestured to Kita, who was currently playing libero- why, Isuma had no idea- for Kato High. "Yes. That's Kita-san."

"Do you know him?" Saru asked. Isuma's eyes flicked over to her. "Yes, of course."

Saru looked ready to interrogate her, but she was saved by Kita and Akagi approaching. Isuma stood up. "Give me a second."

Saru and Riko watched as Kita and Akagi said something to her. She shook her head and replied quickly. Saru sighed. "It's cool how Miya-chan is close to her team."

"You aren't, Saru?" Riko questioned. Saru shrugged. "Not really. They're just, you know, the team."

Riko continued watching them. "Yeah. I'm worried about her bruise. What do you think happened to her?"

"I don't know. It looked like someone gripped her wrist too tightly." Saru guessed.

Akagi walked away after a few moments, but Kita and Isuma continued talking. To their surprise, he took her arm gently and motioned to her injured wrist repeatedly. Isuma seemed to reassure him and pulled her arm away. Riko asked, "You think they're dating?"

"...I hope not! Kita Senpai's so attractive!" Saru and Riko both looked at each other and then laughed in harmony. Isuma returned shortly. "Sorry about-"

"Are you and Kita Senpai dating?" Saru asked, cutting her off. Isuma repeated, "Us? No, definitely not."

Riko raised her eyebrows, unconvinced. "Really?"

"Really," Isuma promised. Saru asked playfully, "So it's fine if I ask him out?"

Isuma glanced at Saru, who actually fell off her chair, startled by the intensity of her gaze. "No."

She didn't actually say it, but Saru sensed the implied threat: 'Do you have a death wish?' 

Saru swallowed. "...never mind."

TYTY for reading fam :>