ROADSIDE FLOWERS ( t. kageyama )

ii. dandelion fluffs

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roadside flowers.
chapter 2: dandelion fluffs

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kageyama tobio and i were nothing alike; him being the radiant brilliance of the sun while i was the pale, lambent glow of the moon.

and when the sun disappeared, the moon arrived.

those were my exact thoughts during the second day of school, when i rushed to the gymnasium where i had heard from yukari-senpai that the newcomers of the volleyball club were going to 'battle it out'. unfortunately, when i arrived, the only person in the gymnasium was a beautiful lady picking up some volleyballs.

i kept on watching her, having no confidence to speak out. i was maladroit in triggering conversations, who could blame me? i would have even had lunch alone if it weren't for yukari-senpai pulling me to the rooftop to introduce me to some of the basketball club members.

the more i think about it, the more my thoughts darken and go back to how my brother is right and how i should have just went to shiratorizawa. or even aoba johsai for that matter. i miss my old friends, but the whole dilemma of being inept at starting conversation strikes again. my words fumble over the phone and naomi and akemi are probably busy with their new lives.

it's been months since tobio-kun saw me. he's probably busy with his life too. i clench the hem of my skirt. i am probably the only one still stuck in the past.

"what business do you have here?"

the beautiful lady earlier is standing in front of me and startled, i scamper backwards and my butt comes in contact with the hard concrete. one of my fingers get pressed between the two of objects and it's now a shade of red. i let out a yelp and she rushes toward me with worry. mortification fills my chest as i sit on one of the stools the lady provided while she headed to the storage room to get the first-aid kit. i told her that it was fine even when the finger throbbed in pain, but she insisted and now she's heading toward me with a concerned look on my face.

"i'm sorry for startling you earlier...?"

"teruko," i answer with a squeaky voice. looking at her directly at this proximity makes me feel as if i'm nothing but an insect. "kirishima teruko."

"that's a nice name," she says and at the corner of my eye, i see a smile on her lips. "i'm kiyoko shimizu, i'm the manager of the volleyball club."

"n-nice to meet you, shimizu-senpai and i'm sorry for the intrusion." my cheeks redden when i realize how high my voice turned out to be. i look at the floor and fidget nervously with the hem my skirt.

"don't mind it, i should be apologizing for startling you." her voice is gentle, it's soothing, but it does not alleviate the situation. we introduced ourselves earlier, but i still cannot look her in the eye.

"there's no need to apologize, senpai," i mutter, my voice too squeaky and a new flood of embarrassment surges. "err... i shouldn't have peeked like that."

she laughs a little and it's an elegant laugh that highlights her lips and produces beautiful crinkles near her eyes. "but still... that was very surprising, how long had you been standing in the doorway?"

"a couple of minutes..."

"i didn't notice you immediately," she says. "that's some ninja like skills."

i understand she's telling some jokes to make me feel better about myself, but i don't say anything at all, only a brief nod. when she's finished disinfecting my finger, she wraps a band-aid around it.

"that's better," she says when she's done. "what were you doing here anyway, teruko-chan?"

"err... i was looking for my friend," i swallow a little to pause. "i heard from yukari-senpai, she's my senpai from the basketball club, that the first years were going to have a volleyball match and my friend was always interested in volleyball and i figured he'd be here."