word count: 1.2k
seiu sato was pushed under the spotlight and when she heard the news about an article which could have been written about anything but if it was enough to have her best friend pin her on the floor in a fit of rage, seiu was scared. not for what was about to come out of her mouth but for her life. was it really that horrific?
"IS IT TRUE?"
niji shouts, not getting off me.
"WHAT ARTICLE ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT?"
i shout back,
"NIJI CALM DOWN"
tori says, pulling her back.
niji slowly stands up before giving me the eyes then walking to retrieve her phone before opening it to a webpage,
my eyes widened at the text before me,
"Kiyoomi Sakusa and Seiu Sato spotted kissing behind the gym after sharing a win at Interhighs"
i burst out laughing. the room was filled with my ugly laughter because no one else dared to make a sound after the stunt niji pulled,
"that's-"
i start, still recovering from my laughs,
"that's not me"
i manage to say in between my howls
"but whoever that is has got to be stupid kissing him in plain sight. haha poor girl is about to have it ROUGH"
"are you sure that's not you?"
junabi, our middle blocker and tori's best friend, asks timidly,
"positive. i haven't even had my first kiss yet"
i say, catching my breath.
"also that's the ugliest beanie i've seen in my entire life. i would never EVER wear that thing. my brother has one it's disgusting HAHA"
niji punches me softly,
"because i swear on my life if you do date someone WITHOUT TELLING ME i'll kill them before i punch you in the stomach-- not your arms thought because you need them to receive. YOU CAN'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT"
"I DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING!"
i reply in protest
"ALSO WHY WOULD YOU JUMP ME"
"i'll be honest i kind of just felt like it haha.. it also adds to the dramatic effect!"
she admits, rubbing the back of her neck
i roll my eyes before continuing to read the article,
"Star player, Seiu Sato and Kiyoomi Sakusa have been spotted by high school volleyball fans sharing a celebratory kiss in private.
"I for one am a little upset that my baby Sakusa is kissing another girl other than myself but I'm glad Seiu isn't that ugly. At least she's kind of cool." one of his fans quote"
i read out loud,
"THAT UGLY? EXCUSE ME? I'M NOT UGLY TO BEGIN WITH. AND WHO EVEN ARE YOU SAKUSA DOESN'T EVEN KNOW YOU!"
i shout earning a few laughs in the still silent room.
"but i wonder who it i-"
as i scroll through the article i zoom into the picture to get a better look to see a familiar red polaroid camera around their neck.
YORU?
no this can't be...
as i continue to examine the image he does have the same body type. and my brother does have that beanie. and now that i think about it, he's never talked about anyone romantically in a while. oh. my. gosh. yoru is dating sakusa.
i'm gonna vomit. the pose was so intimate too; sakusa's hands holding the back of his head while yoru's arms were wrapped around his neck-- i can't believe my eyes! this is disgusting. i'm mentally incapable of imagining my brother kissing someone so seeing this in real life felt like i was breaking the law of everything.
"what's wrong?"
tori asks,
"nothing.."
i reply, quickly handing back niji's phone,
"let's eat!"
oh boy were we going to have a talk.
‿‿‿‿
the room was softly lit by the moon, shining between the cracks that the curtains failed to cover. all the girls were sound asleep, knocked out from the matches we had today. i check my phone,
23:04
perfect, yoru's still awake.
as i walk out of the room i imagine what he would say, what excuse does he have for not telling his own sister?
finding a seat by the sandstone plates surrounding the neat garden, i wait as the call rings,
"hello? seiu? what are you doing still up?"
"nuh uh I'M asking the questions here mister."
"uh oh"
"uh oh INDEED"
i whisper scream,
"what was that photo released of you and sakusa kissing at the interhighs?"
"HUH WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY I'M NOT DATING SAKUSA HUH SHOW ME THE PHOTO"
"AGAIN I will be asking the questions."
i forward the article to his number,
"sis, i can explain"
"okay well get to explaining"
"actually i can't explain"
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? in plain sight?"
"you're not mad are you?"
"you're right im not mad at you"
"thank goodness because--"
"IM FURIOUS. you didn't think to tell your own freaking sister who you were dating? i tell you everything that goes on in my life but the only way i find out about your first relationship is through a cheap article?? i've never even met the guy! you've never said a word about him. i get it if you don't want to tell mum and dad for whatever reason but me? come on man! we're siblings separated by a year. we've always been so close, so why??!"
"listen, sakusa didn't want anyone to know. not until he was ready. empathise with me here, imagine what would happen if word got out about us. girls are already going insane that he got caught kissing someone the only reason it isn't as bad as it would be is because it's YOU, seiu. everyone loves you. please.. i know this is a lot to ask but.. can you pretend to date him for a little longer? until we sort out what's going on."
i think for a while,
"you know yoru it is a lot of ask for. i'm gonna go pro after high school and i can't have anything get in the way. especially romance even if it's fake"
i pause,
"i understand--"
"but... you are my brother and you would do the same for me. and i guess that's understandable why you would hide it from me. i'll do it. BUT ON ONE CONDITION,"
"thank you so much seiu i literally love you so much. tell me, what is it."
"you tell me EVERYTHING that happened, how it happened and when it happened."
i hear a chuckle come from the other line
"okay, here's how it started."
he proceeded to tell me that they first met because yoru was a germaphobe as well. it's not clinically diagnosed but he won't even sit on a toilet seat without wiping it down then placing paper towels on it for extra measure or he won't touch the tap, lock or door using his bare hands. he's never even touched a bin in his whole life he always asks me to open it for him or he'll use the rubbish in his hands as a glove so we don't really need to get it diagnosed. anyway, he hates germs and that's one thing they shared in common. soon sakusa started becoming more comfortable with him and they started talking... for 11 months.. during those months, they fell for each other really hard and sakusa was so overwhelmed after the interhighs he went for it. yoru did add that they brushed their teeth after and used mouth wash because it all happened in a whim.
"yoru, do you mind if you give me his number? i should probably text him about the details and stuff."
"yeah sure of course"
he says before he sends a message his number attached,
once yoru was feeling sleepy and hung up, i sat stationed for a bit; it was nice, sitting under the light of the moon. but what was i to do now? should i call sakusa? what was i to say? then it finally occurs to me; this is going to be a bloody mess.
‿‿‿‿
ČTEŠ
soundless: the summer of 2003 || k. kozume
Romanceᝰ "my life is filled with an endless irony. the libero position is often overlooked due to the flashy nature of those we protect yet being the best libero in the nation might...
