REINCARNATE

Extra: 3/3 FIVE AND SEVEN

"How is he?" Akari poked her head into Kenta's room where her mother sat at the edge of his bed, her hand on his forehead.

"We've called the school, he won't be attending class or practice until he's healed. We've also notified and complained about Koyama's behaviour, but considering how Kenta was the one who started the fight I doubt he'll get much justice from it." Her father sighed and rubbed at his temple with a knuckle, a frustrated frown on his face. He was late for work. "Boys fights really can get ugly, he's lucky he hasn't sustained anything that would've sent him to the hospital."

"Girls fights are way uglier, trust me on that." Akari replied weakly as she slipped inside and walked over to where Kenta lay unmoving on his stomach, his body rising and falling in steady breaths. Her stomach rose to her throat the closer she got, weak was a word that she never would've described Kenta with but that was how he looked in the moment.

"Akari, stay away from Kenta for now." The thermometer's cap clicked shut as her mother slipped it back into its case. "He's got a fever."

"I want to stay home today." She blurted out suddenly as she placed her palm on his bare shoulder, his skin was blisteringly hot.

"You have school to attend." Her mother reasoned patiently. "Kenta's going to be fine, he just needs to rest."

Akari, ever obedient, nodded slowly as she straightened up and smoothed out her uniform, a look of angry resolve in her gaze. Her mother hummed in approval and turned to leave, her soft footsteps fading away as she went downstairs to finish preparing breakfast.

"Don't be late for class!" Her father called, his heavier gait echoed through the hallway as he closed the door behind him.

Now alone, Kenta opened his eyes to see Akari's turned back, fingers busily buttoning up her blouse. A coil of envy gripped his throat as he found himself wanting to reach out, wanting her to stay with him for a little longer. He needed to finish confronting Ichirou, by himself, as vice captain. He'd already overhead talk from the juniors that they were debating leaving the team because of their captain's cold behaviour, and this was something he couldn't allow especially with Nationals in two weeks.

"Don't go after Ichirou." He murmured through a haze of medication.

Akari hesitated for a moment before slowly turning around to face him, an unreadable scowl on her lips as she crouched down next to his face and poked his cheek.

"Don't go after Ichirou." Kenta repeated himself, throwing a light smirk into his tone, already knowing how she would respond.

"Bold of you to assume you can stop me."

Akari ate methodically, rotating about the contents of her lunch. Chicken, rice, veggies, a sip of miso. The food tasted bland and monotonous, she chewed each bite like it was cardboard until her appetite just gave up entirely. Her mind was steeped in suppressed anger, the venom mingling in her passive gaze as she glared at the table.

"What'd the table do to make you this mad?"

Rintarou slid into the seat across from her, his eyebrows furrowed as he focussed on balancing the carton of juice on his lunch tray.

"You heard about what happened to Kenta right?" She asked, plucking a carton of strawberry milk from her backpack.

The middle blocker heaved a sigh and nodded, his mood diminished. "Yeah he texted me this morning, how is he?"