Shy

Chapter 13

          Sigh.

Tanaka was able to breathe again after Tsukiko dashed out of the classroom. She left as soon as she noticed them looking back at her. Hopefully it was only due to embarrassment and not because she was avoiding him. She had no reason to...right?

The second-year wing spiker was seriously thinking about whether or not he should go after her when his thoughts were interrupted by Narita's voice. "Oh, hey. That was the girl that came to see some of our practices a while back."

"She did!?!" Nishinoya exclaimed. There was no way he could've missed a girl going to see their practice – Especially not an "Ojou-sama" like her. Narita responded, "Ah, it was before you and Asahi came back though."

Kinoshita chimed in, "Yeah, and don't you mean she's the girl that came to see Tanaka practice?" He put special emphasis on the wing spiker's name, causing all of the second-years to smirk at him with the exception of Nishinoya.

"Ryuuuuu!!!! You never told me you got a girlfriend!!" The libero laughed and smacked his back in approval with enough force to cause the others to shiver at the sound. His statement prompted a blush that Tanaka hadn't felt since having Tsukiko admire his spikes.

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I-it's not like that, Noya-san! She was just repaying me for a misunderstanding...or something..." His voice grew more quiet and hesitant towards the end. She really wasn't his girlfriend, but openly admitting that brought him much disappointment.

Nishinoya tilted his head and looked at him curiously, as this was quite unusual for his friend. Basically nothing could get him down. Not even getting ignored by Kiyoko-san. In fact, the boy rather seemed to enjoy it! So why was this new girl any different? Well, regardless, Nishinoya wanted to cheer his friend on.

He pat his back, much softer than before. It was like the kind of pats of reassurance you would give on the court when a teammate messed up a receive or had one of their spikes blocked. "Ryu! Don't mind!"

"Eh? Ah, okay, thanks...I guess...?" Did he really seem that put down from this?

Kinoshita chuckled at the libero's choice of words. "Nishinoya! This isn't like some volleyball match." The other second-years snickered. "You're treating it as if he got dumped or something." Ennoshita added, trying to hide his snickering with his hand. "Shut up, you b*stards!"

Unbeknownst to them, Matsumoto was listening intently to their conversation. Although, it probably wasn't too hard, seeing as the excitable duo were always particularly loud. He smirked to himself, hatching a little plan of his own. Oh, he couldn't wait for club activities to start.

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With her extreme embarrassment and small stature, Tsukiko easily wove through the crowds of students returning to their classrooms. After what felt like an eternity, she reached her own classroom and slid into her seat, panting a little from her speed walking/ running.

The small bit of exercise didn't help to cool the heat on her face and she put her hands on each cheek to somewhat hide the scarlet hue. She couldn't believe what had just occurred! Tsukiko had wanted to see the boy, yes, but her eyes naturally gravitated towards him whenever she wasn't talking with Matsumoto. She hadn't even been thinking about her actions – they just happened. And to think she had gotten caught too! She was mortified.

Still looking down at her lap, using her hair to cover the rest of her face, she sighed in distress. This predicament caused her much more concern than she would've thought. Hopefully he didn't think that she was weird or anything.

Tsukiko's sigh drew the attention of the blonde girl seated in front of her. "U-um! Kita-san, is everything okay?" Still being absorbed in her own thoughts and not expecting anybody to be talking to her, Tsukiko's head shot straight up, surprising the blonde.

Tsukiko stared wide-eyed at Yachi. The two girls weren't especially close like normal friends. They could be considered cordial acquaintances at best. It wasn't because they didn't like each other, but because of Tsukiko's reserved nature and Yachi's, not as extreme, but timid enough personality. They occasionally exchanged small pleasantries before class started and notes when the teacher went through the lesson too fast.

It was safe to say that, out of everyone in the class, Tsukiko probably "talked" to Yachi the most. Yachi's similar timidity put the girl more at ease than when she spoke with others. She didn't forget the shy smiles they exchanged with each other on Tsukiko's first day either.

"I-I'm sorry! E-everything is o-okay!" Tsukiko couldn't do her regular bow, so she opted to just bow her head, almost as if in shame that she was worrying another person. Yachi became flustered and wanted to relieve Tsukiko's concerns. She was about to ask again to make sure if things were really okay, but the teacher walked in as the bell rang, signaling the start of class. Instead, Yachi nodded assuredly at Tsukiko, encouraging her in whatever problems she may be having.

If anything, though they may not be considered real friends yet, Tsukiko was glad that she made at least some progress in attaining meaningful relationships.

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After school, Tsukiko was in the Student Council room, helping the Co-President, Hanamura, with the piles and piles of paperwork. Suddenly, the sliding door slammed to the right and Matsumoto bursted into the room.

"Hey Prez!!!" "Be quiet! This isn't some playground and as a member of the Student Council, you should at least hold yourself to a higher standard and act as such! How many times do I have to tell you that?" These types of interactions were normal between the two Presidents with their clashing personalities, but Tsukiko always felt uncomfortable being on the sidelines anyways.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the boys' volleyball practice?" Tsukiko perked up at that, not without Matsumoto's notice. He turned to completely face Hanamura at her desk, leaving his broad back towards the first-year.

"Right, right! I'm going there to evaluate whether or not they can continue to practice in the gym all by themselves, right? I mean, after all, they haven't been doing so hot in tournaments, so it's a little unfair for other sports clubs to have to share spaces and whatnot. I was thinking, maybe I could bring along Ki-chan? It'd be good experience for her to have as the Vice-President. Pretty soon, she'll have to deal with clubs fighting for spaces!"

Hanamura looked at the other President in confusion. Although it was true that they needed to assess whether club spaces were being properly and appropriately used, it wasn't necessarily true that a sports club's performance in tournaments determined the space they were allotted. That was solely up to the conflicting sports clubs, and the Student Council only had a part in ensuring that no future problems would arise.

She was about to open her mouth to question what Matsumoto was talking about, but he held up his index finger to his lips in a type of shushing motion and winked at her. His actions went unnoticed by Tsukiko since he was completely facing the female President. Quickly, he asked, "So? Do you think it's a good idea to bring Ki-chan?"

Hanamura continued to look at him with suspicion, but after working with him for so long, she knew better than to object to whatever it was he was trying to do. She responded, "Yes, that's fine. But remember that this is your job! Don't you dare try to put all the work on Kita-san!" Matsumoto laughed, ensuring her that he wouldn't. "Come on Ki-chan! Let's go! Let's go!" He gently pushed her out of the room.

His actions were interrupted by Hanamura calling out to him. He left Tsukiko standing in the hallway and walked back toward the desk. The Co-President looked at him critically and reprimanded him, "I don't know what scheme you're planning, but you better not do anything to disgrace the Student Council."

"It's okay! It's nothing serious! It's just for Ki-chan's own good!" With that, he went to the gymnasium, dragging Tsukiko along.

Hanamura shook her head and sighed at his actions, wondering what he was going to do to that poor girl.