Closely. [Kawanishi Taichi]

one.

You quirked an eyebrow upon seeing that Akari had been grinning for quite a while. Plus, she was humming to her favorite tune. Not that she was acting out of character or whatsoever, it was just that you were curious about what made her so happy.

Noticing your expression, she leaned in a bit closer; as if she wanted to spill out a top secret.

"You haven't heard rumors?" She asked, a smile stretched on her face. You shook your head, as she expected you to. You were never a fan of getting involved in gossips or such; it had been Akari who kept you up to date with the talk of the academy. It must be really important, if she wanted to tell you so soon. She gestured her hand to get you to come closer to her.

"Ushijima-san accepted my confession!"

You turned your head that instant. Akari beamed with the brightest smile you have ever seen; and so she must be really happy. You thought of how many times she had actually talked about the ace, complimenting everything about him; let it be his skills or his flaws, Akari admires the guy simply for who he is. Perhaps it was because she spent her childhood with Ushijima, you could never tell; one thing for sure was that you really hoped that they would end up together.

"But, I'm anxious if his fangirls would be against this.."

She said, almost inaudible. Your eyes gleamed with some sort of spirit, no one could tell- as you pat her shoulder.

"I'll protect you, Akari-chan!" You said without missing a beat. Akari seemed a bit shocked upon your response, but soon giggled as she ruffled your hair. It was funny to see that you were enthusiastic about her relationship, even getting to the point to be her guardian angel.

"Do you have club activities today?"

You packed up your things and made sure that you left nothing, soon walking out of your classroom. Lucky for you that the Art Club had no activity for the day; you were able to come with Akari to the volleyball's practice match that day. You walked down the hallways, wasting no time to get yourself to the gym where the match would be held at.

"(Y/N)?"

You looked up ahead to the source of the voice; it was Shirabu, quirking an eyebrow at you. "I've never seen you at our matches before..?" He meant it to be a statement, but it rather came out as a question. Sure enough, he had never seen you anywhere close to the gym- so what exactly brought you here out of the blue?

"I'm with a friend of mine." You simply said, hoping that he could understand. Shirabu nodded.

"Oi, Shirabu! Hurry up."

"Ah, right! See ya' (Y/N)-san!" Shirabu said before jogging of to the gym to catch up with his teammates. The boy at the entrance looked at you, still holding the door open.

"(Y/N)-san." He called out, gaining your attention without fail. Seeing his face, you could tell that he is one of Akari's classmates; class 2-5, perhaps your regular visits had made him aware of your existence. "Are you coming in?" He asked, holding the door still.

You felt blood rushing to your ears when you realized that he was actually waiting for you to come in; despite your embarrassment, you did not cover your ears; instead, you walked ahead, making your way into the gym.

"Sorry." You said as you passed the boy, quickly searching for your friend at the bleachers. Said boy only watched you as you walked off to the bleachers, meeting with one his classmates.