I Can't Say "I Love You" | Kuroo Tetsurō

Chapter 18: Alike

Tsukishima had been avoiding Kuroo and Bokuto since that night. Of course, the Fukurodani ace didn't mind his aloof behavior towards them, and he didn't force the middle blocker to practice with them if he refused. Kuroo, on the other hand, felt a bit guilty for pushing it too far and went to apologize to Karasuno's captain for what happened.

Meanwhile, Mirai had been feeling odd lately. Since it wasn't because she was seriously ill or in danger, she decided to ignore it for the time being, but the Nekoma manager couldn't help but feel queasy. Glancing around the gym during break, she was almost certain that someone was watching her.

It was easy to tell once she got used to Lev's not-so-subtle stares in class and Kenma's fixated observances. However, this time, she could not seem to find out who the persistent little spy was.

"Mirai-san, you're making weird faces again." Lev laughed and pointed at her scrunched up face.

The girl sighed heavily and shut her eyes, giving up on her search. She turned to Lev and shrugged, telling him what she had been suspecting since early morning. The silver haired giant looked shocked to hear the news and started scanning the gym to check.

"Hmm...I don't see anyone looking at you, Mirai-san. Everyone seems busy with the practice matches." He informed the troubled manager.

"I see..." she sighed, smiling and shrugging it off. "Well, whatever. Thanks for your help anyway, Lev. You should go back before the next set starts."

"Okay," he nodded and waved goodbye as he headed back to the group.

Mirai's eyes followed his movement and spotted Kuroo waving his hand at her direction. He discreetly pointed at her and his mouth started to move as he mouthed the words 'Are you okay?'

"He's worried about me..." she smiled at his thoughtfulness and gave him a thumbs up to show that she was alright.

The Nekoma captain gave a slight nod before giving all of his concentration into their next game. Their team was going to be playing against Karasuno and - although the players from Miyagi never won against them once - their unpredictability in their plays made it difficult to win easily, especially with their number 9 and 10 who were practically monsters at volleyball.

"Mirai-san, do you have a minute?"

Her thoughts were interrupted when Yamaguchi suddenly spoke to her and she hurriedly forced out an awkward smile to hide her uneasiness. "Yes, how can I help you, Tadashi?" She inquired a little too formally.

Yamaguchi chuckled, making her relax at the sound of his angelic laughter.

"Mirai-san, you don't have to be so formal with me, you know. We've been friends since our second year of middle school." He reminded with a beaming smile.

Honestly, this boy was an angel who was best friends with the devil. If Yamaguchi wasn't the perfect example of purity and innocence then she didn't know what was.

"Sorry, I guess I just got nervous because you're usually with..." she glanced over at Tsukishima from the Karasuno side of the court. "...you get the idea."

"Yeah...I'm sorry about what happened." He exhaled loudly and scratched his head. "Tsukki is...complicated. I don't expect you to fully understand him like I do, but...I hope you guys can be friends again someday."

Mirai turned red after hearing his honest thoughts about her and Tsukishima, slowly nodding in agreement to his statement.

"Maybe someday," she told him.

Yamaguchi gave her a small smile, relieved that she was becoming more comfortable around him again. In truth, he didn't want to lose Mirai as a friend. She was always nice to have around and it seemed like a waste for their friendship to just fade away because of what happened between her and his best friend.

"Wanna talk later? I mean it'll be nice to catch up and talk about our new schools or something." He suggested, his eyes shining with hopeful pleas.

Who could resist his adorable face, really?

"Sure," she said, pointing towards the group of volleyball managers. "You know where to find me."

Yamaguchi nodded and waved goodbye as she jogged away. He was really happy that him and Mirai were on good terms once again.

From the other side of the court, Tsukishima was watching the interaction between the two ever since Yamaguchi made his way over to the Nekoma manager. His eyes followed after Mirai as she ran around the court, carrying bottles of water and fresh towels for her new team.

"Oi, Tsukishima! What the hell is up with you?!" Hinata suddenly yelled.

Tsukishima looked down at the orange haired ball of energy and scowled, causing the smaller player to flinch and back away.

"W-What? Wanna fight?!" He stammered from behind a confused Kageyama.

"The heck are you doing taunting him for, dumbass?" Kageyama asked.

Tsukishima scoffed at Hinata, glaring a mean message for him to mind his own damn business, before stalking off to his position on the court. His mood was getting worse by the minute, and if he didn't focus then Kuroo was going to make fun of him for it.

There was no way Tsukishima Kei was going to lose to some 3rd year volleyball veteran with a crazy hairstyle. But still...Mirai looked really happy with Yamaguchi.

He would never admit it, but he really missed teasing her. Or maybe...he just missed her?

Making Mirai's face turn red with embarrassment was always fun to do back in their middle school days. However, it looked like Mirai found someone else who had the same effect on her in Nekoma.

"Hey Tsukki,"

A voice called him out and he pulled his gaze from the floor to the source of the sound. It was Kuroo.

The Nekoma captain waved him over and he sighed. He really didn't want to have to deal with this rooster head right now.

Nevertheless, he walked closer to the net and stood in front of him.

"What do you want, Kuroo-san?" Tsukishima narrowed his eyes. He didn't trust this guy one bit.

Kuroo didn't have the usual smirk on his face like he always did, instead, he was frowning at the blond middle blocker. The entire court could probably see sparks flying between the two as they stared each other down.

Mirai was among the curious spectators. She stood with the other managers as they watched the two opposing middle blockers. What was going on?

Sugawara had stepped forward to pull their first year back but Daichi stopped him -  shaking his head and silently telling him to leave them alone. The silver haired setter hesitantly obliged to the orders of his captain, but looked on worryingly.

"Tsukki, you should know something," Kuroo said, speaking quietly so that only the blonde could hear him. "...I'm in love with Mirai."

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "And what's that got to do with me?" He asked the Nekoma captain. "You can have her for all I care. I'm not her mom or anything."

As soon as he turned around to get back to his position, his shoulders twitched when he heard the scheming captain chuckle behind him.

"No, you're not." Kuroo replied, a growing smirk finding its way to his lips. "But you're my biggest rival."