Philophobia 2.0

Something Sweet

Ai raises her eyebrows and stares at Kurosu unamused. When she finally speaks, she gives the head coach a firm no—which surprises the players in the gym, especially Atsumu. He was on the verge of going off, with a whole tirade planned and everything where Atsumu was going to humiliate Ai so horrendously that she'd never step foot into his gym again. Yet, with a singular two-letter word, Ai managed to freeze Atsumu in place with a raging expression—his furrowed eyebrows planting frown lines in between them and his jaw nearly hitting the floor. He was even beginning to shake, all too angry just for the absurd reason that he couldn't get back at Ai (from her alleged dissing of him this morning).

"I'm only here to rest, I already told your team that I have no intentions to intervene or distract their practice. Please go on as if I weren't here."

Kurosu stares at Ai for a moment or two before he nods and eyes the boys surrounding her. "Well, all of ya heard the girl. If she needs anything, Omi n' I will be here to help."

Although they were rather reluctant about it (particularly Kita and Osamu), the four boys jogged to the court, and practice resumed. Even though they were privileged enough with two coaches, Omi and Kurosu weren't usually needed—not with Kita serving as both the team captain and defense specialist. He was a strong authority figure, making it easy for Kita to take charge of drills and keep a stern eye on the rowdy second years.

With that in mind, Kurosu let Omi take charge for today, and he sat next to Ai.

They were both silent for a good while as they watched the boys practice—particularly Ai. She'd alternate between examining her knee, making sure the budding redness was dying down, and getting lost in the varying drills the boys were participating in. Kurosu couldn't help but notice the way her expression changed dramatically; her eyes finally had life in them, sparkling as they flickered left to right and right to left, watching the boys like a hawk.

Ai typically looked like she was without feeling, with most of that aura coming from her eyes. Those pretty grey eyes, which were usually blank or exhibiting an unamused deadpanned expression, transformed instantaneously whenever volleyball was involved. Despite her expressionless self, Ai was the poster girl for an innocent and pure personality—many surmised it had to do with how quiet and pretty she was. However, whenever she was watching or playing volleyball, completely focused, Ai exuded an entirely different demeanor. Anyone could feel something fierce and almost deadly coming from her when she centered on the sport, and although she had a small stature, many found the Kimura an intimidating (and downright frightening) force.

Unable to help her time as a guardian libero, Ai locks her gaze onto Akagi and his form, watching him dig the most impossible of balls as she thinks back to fond memories. Every few minutes, though, her eyes were helpless in drifting toward spikers, like Kita, Osamu, and a few other players she didn't know.

Meanwhile, Kurosu was watching Ai with mild amusement—much like Ginjima, he knew exactly who the Kimura was. As a good friend of the coach of the girls' team, Kurosu made it a habit to watch out for star players on girl's teams as well as scouting for his own. After all, Inarizaki was never above snatching an innately talented player from another district (Suna was a prime example of that, being scouted from Aichi).

"D'ya miss it?" Kurosu asks after a while.

Ai raised her eyebrows at Kurosu, tearing her gaze off of practice as she stared at him in confusion.

"How did you know?" She asks.

Kurosu offers a smile and tells Ai about the times he'd acted as a scout for the volleyball teams, adding that Suna was his most recent addition. Ai nods and faces practice again, crossing her arms and sharpening her gaze as she sees a first-year fumble the volleyball when it had been tossed so perfectly.