Shy

Chapter 29

I'm rooting for you!

Tanaka was currently shaking with excitement, staring at the message on the charm. Not only could he not wait for the first match to start, but he also couldn't wait to see Tsukiko in the stands.

He received a slap on the back by Sugawara. "You seem pretty pumped! I wonder if it's for the match or for something else? Or rather...someone else?" The vice captain teased. "S-Suga-san!!"

"Oh, so Kita-san is coming then!" Daichi joined in. "Make sure to do your best!" He pat the second-year on the back. "I-I would do that anyways!!" Tanaka shouted indignantly, embarrassed by the teasing of his upperclassmen.

"Better hope he doesn't mess up then." Tsukishima muttered, but still loud enough for the wing spiker to hear. "What was that, Tsukishima!??" He lunged at the blond, only to be pulled back by the scruff of his neck.

"Stop that! It's almost time for us to warm up on the court!" Sugawara chastised. They all marched onto the court, preparing for their first match against Tokonami.

Tanaka was practicing his serves when he hit a particularly strong one. I'm feeling good today. He thought to himself. He reached into the pocket of his shorts to feel the fabric of the charm, grinning like an idiot.

"UUUOOOHH!! Ryu, your girlfriend is pretty in normal clothes too!!!" Nishinoya shouted with glee. Tanaka jumped at the sudden exclamation, a blush rapidly forming on his cheeks. He quickly swerved to see Nishinoya and a few others looking up at the stands. The libero's eyes were sparkling like they would when he would greet Kiyoko.

Tanaka quickly followed their line of sight to find Tsukiko standing just behind the railings.

His breath caught in his throat.

Just like on their 'date,' he could only see one thing. He could only see one girl. All of the surroundings and people faded into a blur.

Like on the date, she was just as cute - just as beautiful, if not more so. She wore a similar pleated, pastel pink, high waisted skirt that reached the top of her knees. It was met with a white, long-sleeved crop top with a turtleneck. Being as modest as always, she wore black leggings underneath the skirt to cover the rest of her legs. The same pastel pink, shoulder bag was draped over one arm.

Being as loud as he was, Tsukiko clearly heard Nishinoya's shouts. She blushed furiously because she now had several people's attentions due to the compliment. More importantly, she was referred to as Tanaka's girlfriend.

She crouched a little, as if trying to hide behind the railing because of her embarrassment. Her eyes met Tanaka's and they both stopped just to stare at one another.

Tanaka was admiring her in her normal clothes, but this was a first for Tsukiko as well. She had seen the boy in his gym clothes and in the pinny jersey often used during practice, but she had never actually seen him in the true Karasuno Boys' Volleyball club uniform.

Cool.

She thought to herself. Tsukiko believed the outfit really did suit him. In particular, it really showed off his arm and leg muscles. Her thoughts were interrupted by another loud shout.

"Kita-saaaaan!!! You made it!" This time, it was Hinata jumping up and down in excitement. Tsukiko jolted in place. What was she just thinking?! She shook her head a bit to rid herself of such impure thoughts.

She gave a small wave and a shy smile to the team. "Kita-saaaaaan!!!" Hinata shouted again to get her attention. She glanced at him to see that he was still jumping, now with his hand stuck out, holding one of her handmade charms. "Thank you so much for the omamori!"

Some other members of the team also took out their charms to let her see, bowing slightly in thanks. Tsukiko's eyes sparkled, and she gave them all a wide grin with slightly pink cheeks.

The warning whistle blew, signaling the end of their warm-up. All of the members but Tanaka started heading off. He was still looking up at Tsukiko, meeting her gaze.

Slowly, he took the charm out to show her. Grasping it in a fist, he held it to his chest and over his heart. He smiled at her gently, gave her a firm nod, then jogged to meet the others.

Tsukiko's entire face blew up at that. If it weren't for the turtleneck, one could see that the blush had even reached her neck. She was now wondering if it was a bad idea to wear it because of the extreme heat she felt.

Another whistle blew, signaling the start of the match. Her eyes became fixated on the court, the other team serving first. It was quickly received and set up for Tanaka to spike. The ball hit against the block and flew past the blockers, earning Karasuno the first point.

Tanaka quickly looked towards the stands to see Tsukiko in awe, giving him a boost of confidence.

He shouted in triumph along with Nishinoya, but got too excited, earning themselves a reprimanding from Daichi, Sugawara, and even the referee.

The wing spiker glanced back up at Tsukiko, meeting her eyes and seeing her hiding a small giggle behind her hand. Blushing, he quickly looked away and prepared for his own serve.

The match continued heavily in Karasuno's favor. Throughout both of the sets, Tanaka continuously watched out for Tsukiko's reactions, especially when he scored.

He would catch her clapping or jumping a bit in excitement and nodding her head at him in acknowledgement. Other times, he would see her mouthing words of encouragement like 'Nice kill!' or 'Fight!' or 'Do your best!'

She never said these out loud or cheered but perhaps he had expected a bit too much, knowing her shy nature. Even so, her silent cheers weren't too bad either.

Tanaka knew that they were only meant for him because she would only do it when he was watching.

Her cheers were just for him.

No, this wasn't bad at all.

The team had a short break before their next official warm-up and next match. When the opponent came onto the court, Tsukiko recognized the name Datekou. It was one of the teams that Tanaka had mentioned as per their 'agreement.'

Their entrance was followed by loud cheers since their team seemed to have much more support than Karasuno. Though she was startled by the noise at first, even Tsukiko thought that the cheer was quite catchy.

Just as before, Tanaka looked up at the stands to see that Tsukiko was still there. She was a bit shaken by the cheers for Datekou and the lack thereof for Karasuno. Feeling a bit bad at that, the shy girl felt as though she should at least try saying something.

Prompted by Tanaka's gaze, she used her hands to cup around her mouth and semi-shouted, "D-Do your best!!" It wasn't that loud, but it was just loud enough for him to hear. Feeling embarrassed again, she strengthened her grip on the railings and slightly crouched down like she was hiding.

Tanaka's eyes widened significantly. He was fully expecting her to mouth the words again, but actually hearing her was a pleasant surprise. Tanaka flashed a full smile, gave her a thumbs up, and jogged onto the court. He gripped the charm still in his pocket along the way.

It was nice to know that Tsukiko was doing her best as well.