Wings (Haikyuu Fanfiction Series!!!)

29. Uplifting

Kimiko POV
(At Shiratorizawa Academy ~ During lunch)

As I flip through the pages of my class notes, I take a bite of the sandwich I bought from the cafeteria to keep myself from starving. Every second that I'm free, I have to study so I won't fall behind, especially now with exams coming up. I need to be the top of my class.

Earlier, Amu invited me to a studying group with the boys' and girls' volleyball teams but I declined her offer.

I'm not good studying with too many people around. I'll get myself easily distracted and lose more time that could have been used to study. Not to mention, Amu is under a scholarship so she's smart. I don't want to drag her down or distract her in any way.

I feel a sudden gush of wind and a few pages of my textbook turn, making me lose the place where I was reading. I sigh.

I glance over to Ken who's checking his cellphone for any text messages he received. He notices me looking his way and I quickly bring my attention back to studying. 

"You seemed focused," Ken points out as he walks over to my side.

"Not really," I shrug.

Ken takes a seat down and pats me on the head. "Studying is good but you should enjoy the weather rather than keeping your head in that book all that time." He advises out of the concern of my well being.

"Thanks for the words of wisdom Ken, but you know I have to put in more effort into studying compared to others to get good results. After all, I have to be..." I pause. 

I remember when I was younger, I would study all day and night to catch up to my older sister. Even though we were a few years apart, my mom wanted me to be better than Natsu-nee. I had all these tutors provided to me when I was homeschooled so I could reach to Natsu-nee's level yet, I had to deal with the pressure and loneliness in order to be a candidate for the Serizawa family.

But now... is it even worth it if I'm not taking over the Serizawa family? It's been engraved in my mind for years to surpass my older sister that I never thought for myself and what I want to do.

"Kimiko?" Ken calls out to me, worried why I stopped midway in my sentence.

"Is it worth Ken? Studying this hard to be the head of the family?" I mumble.

Ken hears the change of tone in my voice. "What do you mean by that?"

Seeing his confused expression, I realized how misleading I sound. Ken doesn't know that I overheard the conversation he had with my father. "It's nothing. Just rambling to myself."

"... To answer your question, I believe that studying is always worth it and will give you more career opportunities when you get older," Ken states and looks up at the sky. "I have been blessed with the job position of taking care of you after being abandoned by my father but eventually, I want to pave my own path with the education and skills that I learned rather than continuing to rely on the Serizawa family." 

"I see.... Ken do you ever feel like you're forced to take care of me?" I question.

Ken turns to me surprised by my words. "Never. It's like taking care of the little sister that I never had." He grins and a soft smile forms on my face.

"Thanks Ken. Having you here makes it bearable living in the Serizawa family household," I admit. "Sometimes I feel like I'm the unwanted child to my father compared to Natsuki who had father's attention." 

"Kimiko, that's not true it's just—- never mind," Ken hesitates then glances at violin case. "Are you working at the cafe today?" He asks as he changes the subject.