Tangent | Soukoku; AU [✔]

16 ➳ adjustments // n.c

i feel someone's eyes prying on us, but i wasn't really sure who and what it was.

early in the morning and we were already at a losing streak. even with the challenger support with us, none of us could calibrate with her set and engaging styles.

xyren was just... too overpowered even for our jungler, akutagawa, to get along by. he was the highest ranked player amongst us, and although he can sometimes cope with her tactics, the rest of us would easily be flustered by their sudden courses of action.

team coach wouldn't be proud about this, obviously. it was only a few days left before the eliminations and we still aren't able to adapt to the new team member.

we took a break for a while, going out of the practice room to buy some snacks and get some fresh air. looking around the hallway, i made an attempt to find the glare that i've been feeling since a while ago.

but there was none.

"hey, support!" kajii hung his arm around xyren; ah, how lucky... if only i was taller. "don't you think that you are a little too op for shorty?"

"i heard that, lemon head!" i retorted, only to get an insulting smirk in return.

xyren paused for a while to look at me, in which she spoke afterwards, "i'm sorry... if that's the case, then."

her dead and monotonous ways of talking made it difficult to cipher the emotions of her words. whether it was a genuine apology or a sarcastic joke, made me feel like i was never the one carrying their boosted asses in all the tournaments.

"i-i'm doing fine! don't belittle me!" was all i had to yell before everyone except the female had burst into shattering laughs of hysteria.

i didn't get what was funny about what i said, until the red-eyed girl (gladly) explained it to me, crouching to my level as she whispered;

"you just made a joke about yourself."

oh.

OH.

those jerks.

i went along xyren to guide her around the university since she is still new to the environment. we had ourselves some bento that were normally served at the cafeteria. she had a normal bottle of water while i got myself a can of root beer.

team coach only gave us ten minutes of break time. if ever that we aren't able to finish our meals before the time is over, we could bring them back to the room but we aren't allowed to eat them inside.

the woman next to me was extremely taciturn; she was sitting next to me yet spoke no words. she just continued to eat as much as she could before break time was over.

"say, ren," i broke the ice, making her stop eating for a while to entertain me. i scratched the back of my head before proceeding. "am i too weak for you?"

"you're okay." xyren mumbled, covering her leftovers and drinking her beverage. she put her foods next to me before standing up, stretching her body in minimal movements.

i would have questioned any further, but i had no time left since we had to go back to the practice room now. her words were positive, but i was not satisfied.

maybe because i just couldn't figure out what she truly means?

how i wished this giant would speak more.

everyone was back along with their unfinished food and drinks, arranged in a circle with ougai at the center. he was going to discuss a new strategy that he thought of while we were gone.

"no wins yet for us," team coach stated, earning a heavy sigh from everyone else. "this is just practice; what more if this was already the elimination rounds? we would have been swept from the first round already!"

the boss' sharp red eyes pierced into everyone's soul, but had stared at me the longest. i was taken aback for a moment until all i could do was hang my head low.

he flipped over some papers to review what he was about to announce. the glare never left me until the most dreaded words came out of his mouth;

"chuuya, you're gonna have to be support for the meantime."

  ☀️ 

mental illness sucks please send help
--risu