Pterodactyl - Tsukishima Kei x OC

Chapter 24: Faint Smile

Chapter 24:

"What are you doing here?!" Bokuto beamed, grinning widely.

"Long story," Mizuki answered timidly, "Remember Rina and Mina? Well, we all attend Karasuno High now."

"Really?" He gaped, his eyes twinkling in curiosity, "You know, I've never heard of that school until Kuroo told me about them."

"Yeah," She scratched her head, "It's pretty far from Tokyo."

"Bokuto-san was really hoping that you would attend Fukurodani after junior high," Akaashi commented.

"Sorry about that," Mizuki laughed softly, "If I didn't move back to my hometown, I would've attended Fukurodani for sure."

"I have to text Kojima about this! She'll be so happy that you're here in Tokyo!" Bokuto giddily sprinted towards the bench to get his phone.

"Kojima and Bokuto-san recently became friends after discovering their shared love for barbecued meat." Akashi murmured as the two watched him rapidly text.

"Is that so?" Mizuki smiled and faced him, "How are you, Akaashi-san?"

Kei drowsily placed his bag on the gym floor. He was unable to sleep on the bus because of his loud and rowdy teammates. As soon as he looked up, he noticed Mizuki surrounded by two boys wearing Fukurodani Academy jackets. They seemed to be comfortable with each other which irked him slightly.

"According to Yaku," Sugawara chimed in, taking a seat beside Kei, "The one with the spiky, gray hair is the ace and captain of Fukurodani. His name is Bokuto."

Kei remained silent, watching Mizuki interact with them. He recalled her telling him that she was supposed to attend Fukurodani after junior high if she didn't move back to Miyagi.

"The one with the black hair is Fukurodani's setter," Sugawara continued, "His name is Akaashi."

Kei also remembered that Mizuki's ex-boyfriend was a setter from Tokyo. He felt even more agitated now. He didn't even realize that his fists had clenched up until Sugawara informed him of it. He excused himself and went to the restroom. Kei never found out anything about her ex-boyfriend - he didn't know what that guy's personality was, what he looked like, or what his name even was. He removed his glasses and splashed some water on his face. He didn't know why it was bothering him so much.

Meanwhile, Mizuki had spoken on the phone briefly with Kojima, her old classmate from junior high, through Bokuto's phone. Kojima sounded so excited to hear from her, especially because she admired Mizuki and her volleyball expertise. Although they couldn't meet up during the weekend as the Fukurodani girls were in their own weekend training camp, Kojima promised that she would convince her coaches and teachers to include the Karasuno girls' volleyball club during the future week-long training camps.

"Let's catch up after the practice games, Toma-chan!" Bokuto stated as he and Akaashi returned to their team.

Mizuki looked at the time and realized that it was almost 1:00 pm. She had to meet her father's old teammate soon. She still remembered how to navigate around Tokyo, and since Nekoma wasn't too far from the train station, she made a decision to use the train instead of taking a taxi. She was just about to leave when Kei stopped her.

"Hey," He murmured, "Are you going to be alright traveling by yourself?"

"Yeah," She reassured, a teasing smile forming on her face, "Why? Are you worried about me?"

Kei rolled his eyes and said, "If you get lost, don't come crying to me."

"You're so caring..." Mizuki sarcastically replied.