𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 {𝐔𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐚 𝐱 𝐅𝐞𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫}

Chapter 46: Unexpected Unveiling

Thank you to brownieruffle for the lovely drawing above!

*Your POV*

"I assume you all studied well. Just relax, breathe, and answer the questions one by one. Bring your tests to the front when you've finished. With that, you may start."

The teacher sat back down at their desk while every student began. This was the last final I had to take. I'd already overcome the others.

I scanned the first page to get an idea of what I was dealing with. I recognized a lot of the questions from earlier material which soothed my nerves, but I couldn't be too excited by all of the calculations I'd have to do.

I subtly glanced back at Ushijima to gauge his reaction. He was unreadable as usual, but from my seat several feet away, it looked like he'd already worked halfway down the sheet. Of course, just another thing for him to ace. He was quite academically adept despite it appearing as though volleyball was the only thing he ever thought about.

I frowned back at the problems in front of me and wondered why this was even necessary. However, I knew that moping around wouldn't make it any easier.

Approximately forty-eight minutes later, I turned my test in with a deep sigh of relief. Truthfully, I was just glad it was over even if I didn't do very well. I still hoped I scored high enough not to have to retake. That would really put a damper on things.

After the class ended, I approached Ushijima to walk to the cafeteria.

"So? How do you think you performed?" I prompted.

"Well."

"That's it? No struggles or troubles? Just 'well'?"

"Yes."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, "Not everyone is a smarty-pants like you, Mr. Perfect. Some of us actually have a hard time."

"Maybe we should've studied more instead of watching that movie."

"Maybe, but then I wouldn't have gotten this."

I yanked my phone out of my pocket and showed him my homescreen, the photo of him sleeping. His eyes widened.

"When did you take that?"

"When do you think, brainiac?"

"You should change it." He suggested, embarrassed.

"To what? We haven't taken a whole lot of pictures together yet."

"I suppose you're right. Can I see that?"

I handed him the device, and he opened the camera app. His arm pulled me into the shot by the waist, and he touched our cheeks together in an affectionate manner before pressing the button.

"Use that one instead." He told me.

I went to settings to set the wallpaper, but instead of replacing the original photo, I made this one the lockscreen.

"All done." I smiled sneakily. "You're kind of a softy, you know that?"

"I am not."

"I think you are."

"No."

"Yes.

He stopped walking and ran his fingers through my hair, gently tugging near the base of my skull to tilt my head back with the assistance of the knuckle under my chin. He brought his face close to mine with a smirk before speaking in an undertone.

"You didn't think I was soft when you were panting underneath me."

The record in my mind scratched, freeze frame. My breath caught in my throat, and I stared in disbelief at what I'd just heard.

"Come on, honey. We've got places to be." He called smugly, a couple of yards ahead of me by now.

When we got to the lunch table, they were discussing their plans for the break that would begin at the end of this week.

"Apparently, I have to spend some time at my grandparents' house because they're old and need help or something. I don't know. I'll probably just mix up their medication and play with the dog." Semi said.

"You're starting to sound like Tendou." Kawanishi commented.

"I'm offended that you think I'd be so careless as to mix up medication. I'd obviously do it intentionally." The redhead only half-joked.

"If you're going to be so bored, why don't you just text your girlfriend." Yamagata teased, wiggling his hands in the ash-haired boy's face.

"Girlfriend?" A few voices came.

"Yamagata, you moron! She's not my girlfriend, but maybe soon..."

"Who is it?" I pushed.

"Bashira and I may or may not have a thing going on. Don't quote me on that!"

After Uchida left, the team needed another manager. Because Bashira was the first person to come to mind, I asked her. It took some convincing, but she eventually signed up. Since then, she'd become closer to everyone, but I guessed I'd somehow totally missed the flirting between the two of them. She was absent today, so we could talk about this openly.

"Are we allowed to know the details, or is it your dirty little secret?" Shirabu asked, leaning forward with intrigue.

"Well, we've been texting for a while, and we even admitted that we like each other, but nothing has been done about it yet."

"Ugh, you guys are going to be so cute together!" I exclaimed.

"Why don't you just ask her out?" Ohira asked.

"Easier said than done."

"Hey, when I filled her in on what was happening between Ushi and I, she brought up that I could ask him to be my boyfriend instead of waiting, so maybe she's willing to make the first move." I told him.

"I don't even know if she's interested."

"Oh, come on, a cutie like you? She has to fall, but if you're so unsure, I can talk to her about it without letting her find out we had this conversation."

"That would actually be pretty helpful, thanks."

The presence beside me became heavier, and I turned to see my boyfriend staring at the table with an expression that was slightly more serious than normal. I hugged his arm.

"Don't worry, you're a cutie too."

He didn't respond, but I could feel his muscles relax. He was definitely a softy.

After school, Ushijima and I walked together like we normally do. I asked him about his summer plans because he didn't speak earlier, and he stated that he'd be training with the team and spending time with me. I liked that answer.

We arrived at my house, and I noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway. At the front door, I fished my keys out to unlock it and entered to see my mother standing alone, or so I thought. She looked at me with some sort of negativity that I couldn't place. That was, until someone emerged from around the corner. Shock washed over me, and I froze.

"Dad?"

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