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Boring
Chapter 6

She just stared at him. For a full minute. Oikawa Tooru. He was popular according to what she watched the night before. And seeing the videos, she saw his skills as a setter. It was clean, precise, and his serves are powerful. He's almost like-

"Ah. Are you here for the practice match?" He asked another question to her, not even bothering if his two former questions were left unanswered.

Waking up from her stupor, Koharu only nodded as an answer. She was intimidated. She saw his plays on the video and she could tell that the man in front of her is a fierce player. She saw the seriousness in his eyes whenever he sent that inhumanly powerful serve, saw the intense concentration on his face when he tosses the balls to his teammates, saw the storm of frustration in his eye, albeit hidden, whenever his team lost to Shiratorizawa. So basing from the videos she watched, she assumed that he'll be the same off games.

"Is that a first aid kit?" He asked again, smile not leaving his face. "Is someone injured?"

She tried her best to answer with a straight voice, as to not show her nervousness. "K-Kageyama-kun was hit on the head. He said he's fine, but our manager insisted to at least put an ice pack to it."

"Tobio-chan got hit on the head?" He sounded as if he almost laughed out loud. "I wanted to see that!"

Is this what they call personality gap*? Because if you look at him now, Oikawa doesn't look like he's an intense person on the court. He almost seemed like a laid back person. But most importantly...

...Tobio-chan?

She didn't know what to say so she stayed silent. She also watched Oikawa, waiting for him to at least clear the way so she could go back to the court. A few seconds passed, Oikawa, who seemed like he was thinking about something, gave her a close eyed smile. Something about it made Koharu want to take a step backwards, although she resisted the urge.

"What's your name neko-chan?" He said, tone having a hint of flirtiness in it.

...Neko-chan?

"Kobayashi Koharu." She said with a small voice, gripping the first aid kit a bit more tightly.

"Then Koharu-chan." He started, smile not leaving his face. "My ankle is actually sprained right now, so I'm having troubles while walking. Would you be a dear and accompany me to the nurse's office?"

But she needs to go back to the court so she can treat Kageyama. "B-But-"

"Pretty please?"

Koharu hated herself for being unable to say no.

"Excuse us!" Oikawa greeted as he opened the door to the infirmary. He entered and waited for Koharu to follow him before he closed the door again. "Sensei, I came for my check up on my ankle."

"Oh, Oikawa you're here." Said the doctor, he motioned for Oikawa to sit on a chair so he could check his injury. The moment the setter settled on the seat, the doctor noticed Koharu's presence. "And you? You don't seem to be a student of this school."

"I-I'm-" Koharu started.

"She's with me sensei." Oikawa said fluidly cutting Koharu off. Not that she minded, she didn't know what to say anyway. "Koharu-chan helped me come here by letting me lean on her while walking."

She almost shivered when he said those words. The whole trip to the infirmary was so uncomfortable for Koharu. Oikawa would smile then suddenly lean on her arm saying that his ankles really hurt and asked if she could carry him. When she said she couldn't, he said 'too bad'. She was utterly confused. Was he serious or not? She really couldn't tell. So the whole trip, it felt like she was being played at by the brunette setter.

"Leaning on her? Your ankle is already fine enough for you to not need an assistant while walking." The doctor said with one eyebrow lifted. "You can go back to practice now actually."

"Ah is that so? That's good then!"

Koharu wasn't sure if she wanted to be angry or not by what she heard. If he was already fine, then why did he have to take her to assist him in the first place?

After putting his shoe on, Oikawa stood up and went to gently pull the quiet girl towards the door. "Well then, thanks sensei! We'll leave now."

And with that, they were back at the hallways.

The trip back to the gymnasium was silent, but Koharu was uncomfortable. She hated moments like these. When there's only two of you and the person with you, who seems to talk a lot, is silent. It made her feel anxious if she did something wrong or pressured to talk so the person with her won't feel bored. She supposed a small chat won't be bad, but she's not really good with those.

Should I talk to him? Or should I just stay silent?

Before she could make a decision, Oikawa finally broke the silence. "So Koharu-chan, are you Karasuno's manager?"

Glad that he was the one who started the conversation, she answered. "No. I was given the permission to watch as long as I help with managerial tasks."

"Ara. You only wanted to watch?"

A nod was her only answer.

"Do you know volleyball, Koharu-chan?" He seemed like he was good at conversations, and Koharu was glad that it wasn't ending awkwardly.

"No. I only watched for the first time yesterday."

"Oh, why did you want to watch then?" He genuinely sounded curious.

"B-Because of Kageyama-kun." She blurted out without thinking. The moment the words escaped her mouth, she wanted to slap herself. She saw a twinkle from Oikawa's eyes and knew that then, that what she did was a mistake.

"Eeehh? You're Tobio-chan's fan? Tobio-chan?" He repeated Kageyama's name as if it was the joke of the year, and it rubbed Koharu the wrong way. "But he's all grouchy and all he thinks about is volleyball."

Oikawa continued to describe Kageyama in his own terms and it ticked Koharu more. Somehow, even though they barely knew each other, she felt the need to defend his schoolmate. "H-He's cool when he plays and he has beautiful eyes." She said, a small frown showed on her face.

This made Oikawa pause and look at her. "Ara. Your expression finally changed Koharu-chan. Cute!" He laughed out loud.

Seriously, she could never understand this person's train of thoughts. She watched Oikawa again with a frown.

"Well, it's true that Tobio-chan is cool in volleyball." He sobered up from his laugh. Koharu blinked because suddenly, it felt like the conversation took a different turn. "He's a genius, after all. He's not called King of the Court for nothing."

Silence.

It was a brief silence. Koharu looked at the brunette as he closed his eyes. The moment he opened it, all his laid back traits disappeared and was replaced by the intense Oikawa that she saw in the videos. Koharu, again, felt the urge to take a step backwards.

"But that isn't enough to defeat Aoba Jousai."

Personality gap indeed.

She didn't reply. She didn't know what to say to that bold declaration he gave her so she just stood there and stared at him. Her hands gripped the handle of the first aid kit tightly.

Then suddenly Oikawa clapped his hands. "That being said, Koharu-chan! Let's hold hands while walking to the gym!" He said as if nothing happened. As if he didn't show her his intense aura. Koharu felt like she didn't have energy to answer him anymore.

Personality gap indeed.

Finally they won a set. As the team gathered for a small and short break, Hinata was slapped on the back by his senpai Tanaka. It was quite painful, his senpai was a powerful spiker after all so it's no wonder his slaps were strong as well. He coughed but the moment the wing spiker shouted "A comeback victory!" He couldn't help but cheer with him.

"Victory!" He kept shouting this with his cool senpai like a chant, not minding Kageyama who seemed to be saying something to their captain about something serious. Kageyama is such a party pooper, when in times like this, he should just celebrate.

Their chant was cut short when their team heard the shouts of the females watching them from the second floor. He turned to look when he saw the coach of Seijoh talking to a guy with brown hair.

"Oh, you're back. Oikawa. How's the ankle?" The old man asked.

"It's fine. I can get back to regular practice. It was just a slight sprain." The new guy with curly hair smiled showing an OK sign with his hand.

"For crying out loud! Be careful. You're the one that asked to play against Kageyama. What do we do without our official setter? It's embarrassing."

"I'm sorry." He said then the girls shouted something at him and he waved at them. When he waved, the girls shouted more. Maybe they're his cheerleaders? Cool!

It seemed like Tanaka-san didn't like him one bit.

"Kageyama-kun, who's that laid back guy? I find him unpleasant." He heard his senpai say.

"He's the captain of Seijoh." Hinata heard his captain say. It surprised him.

"Oikawa-san is a super aggressive setter." He heard Kageyama say with a very serious tone. "His attack power is also the top of the team."

Even Kageyama acknowledges that players abilities. Hinata could only gulp.

"And he has a terrible personality."

"Coming from you, that's scary!" He could only reply in surprise.

"Maybe even worse than Tsukishima."

"He must be really bad!" Because he really hates Tsukishima's attitude, so hearing from Kageyama that someone's worse than Tsukishima, then that really is bad! Hinata continued to listen to Kageyama as he continues to describe the newly arrived captain of the opposing team, which he learned by now as the Great King. He even learned that Kageyama learned the killer serve from him. But scary as he is, they need to focus on the match now.

"Anyway, go and get warmed up. Even more than usual." Hinata heard the coach of Seijoh talk to the Great King. It was a usual thing to say, of course, but the next words that he heard totally brought his and his team's attention.

"Also, Oikawa, who's that girl you brought with you?"

"Oh! This neko-chan is Koharu-chan. She helped me along the way to the infirmary. Isn't she nice?"

Hearing the familiar name, most Karasuno players quickly turned their heads back to the captain. And surely, there was Koharu, hands entangled with the Great King's hand, looking uncomfortable as ever.

"Kobayashi-san!?" Most of them shouted in surprise.

"Oi you bastard! What are you doing with our temporary manager huh?" Hinata heard his senpai roar in warning. Now everyone's attention is on them.

Truly, what is the Great King doing with her? A HOSTAGE SO THEY COULD WIN? Hinata could only tremble in worry for Kobayashi-san and fear from the Great King. Kageyama told him that the Great King has a bad attitude. Looks like it's true!

"Ah? Koharu-chan accompanied me to the infirmary. Isn't she nice?" The Great King smiled and pulled Koharu closer as if planning to hug her.

Hinata gulped. Such a simple action from the Great King made a huge uproar from the people. Kobayashi-san never looked so uncomfortable, it looked like she was getting sick. Shimizu-senpai, for the first time since he met her, frowned deeply, as if a mother cat wanting to protect her kitten. The girls who cheered for the Great King glared daggers at Kobayashi-san, like she was their greatest enemy. Some of the Seijoh players either sighed or placed their palms on their faces as if their teammate's actions are normal and embarrassing them. Other people watching were either confused asking others what was happening. Most noticeable reaction, of course, was his senpai, Tanaka, who was shouting from the top of his lungs.

"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OUR TEMPORARY MANAGER! You bastard!" He roared.

"Ehh? But it's true. She even helped me lean on her when we walked together. Right Koharu-chan?" The Great King smiled as if there was never an uproar to begin with. "Hey, Koharu-chan, want to transfer to Aoba Jousai?"

"SHE WON'T BE TRANSFERRING ANYWHERE YOU-"

"Stop messing around and go get warm up you skirt-chasing crappy guy!" A scary member, Hinata thought, shouted at the Great King and threw a ball at him, cutting everyone's reaction. And with that, the Great King laughed and went to the side to get warm up.

"Okay, okay. Always so angry Iwa-chan! Koharu-chan, I'll be going now okay? Thanks for everything!" The Great King laughed and waved goodbye to Koharu. After doing so, he walked to the side of the court and went to do his warm ups.

Just his entrance and actions were enough to make people react greatly. Hinata thought. He really is the Great King!

After the scene, Koharu tiredly walked beside Shimizu. "S-Shimizu-san, I'm sorry f-for the ruckus." She said, eyes not leaving the floor.

"It's fine." Shimizu replied, smiling at her slightly. "Did he do anything strange to you?"

Koharu shook her head profusely. She may be uncomfortable but Oikawa didn't do something that strange to her. "H-He didn't."

"That's good then." Shimizu looked relieved for a moment, before giving her a notebook. "It looks like Kageyama-kun doesn't need an ice pack. Would you help me keep records of the match instead?"

"O-okay!"

So then, Koharu watched and recorded the match with Seijoh. She observed the opposing team, they seemed to be working fluidly, but it seems lacking. Like there's an important missing piece. But that doesn't mean Seijoh isn't strong, they still are keeping up their pace against Karasuno. Especially that person who threw a ball at Oikawa earlier. He's so intense, almost as if his spikes would leave a hole on the ground. Maybe he's the ace.

After a brief break since their team scored, Koharu stole a glance to Oikawa. He must be the missing piece. After all Oikawa is the captain, and the supposed best setter in the prefecture. As she was watching him (he seem to be taking his time warming up), he noticed her and gave her a warm smile. Koharu, being shy at getting caught for staring, only looked away.

The match progressed with Karasuno on the lead. Just one more point and they win. She thought. But then she heard the referee blow the whistle and Koharu saw Oikawa finally step in the court. Seeing him holding the ball, Koharu could only think that getting the one point wouldn't be so easy.

She watched, eyes focused on Oikawa. He said something before serving, and it made Koharu shiver. It's like getting a glimpse of how intense Oikawa can be.

Then he served.

If the ace of Seijoh's serves could leave marks on the floor, Oikawa's serves could definitely tear arms off.

Her eyes sparkled. It's just a serve, but how different it can be from person to person is interesting. She watched so closely she almost forgot to record the score.

Oikawa seemed to be targeting her classmate Tsukishima since he's apparently not that good in recieving. And since the first time meeting her classmate, Koharu saw Tsukishima look unbelievably pissed off. But they still continued the match.

A few more tries, and a speech coming from Hinata, Tsukishima finally recieved the ball properly. Koharu noticed Oikawa still being the laid back person he is. But Hinata who did the super quick, made the laid back expression from Oikawa melt. Koharu's eyes once again sparkled. Hinata with his height so little compared to most of the players, managed to intimidate them with his burning passion for volleyball. It's so captivating. Everyone is so captivating.

And Koharu had never felt so lucky to be meeting them.

On their way home, they met with Oikawa again, who was waiting for them just so he could declare that he wanted to crush his beloved junior in an official match. And for Hinata to declare that the receivers will train harder so next time they won't miss anymore serves given to them.

She only watched in silence as both teams went on their own ways. When Oikawa saw her though, he waved at her and shouted a small "See you again soon Neko-chan! Stop by Aoba Jousai from time to time okay?"

Tanaka and Hinata erupted again shouting things like "Hell no" or "Stay away from her" and it made Koharu smiled slightly. Oikawa was confusing to deal with, but he's definitely fun.

While on the bus, most of the Karasuno players were already sound asleep. They're definitely exhausted from the match. Sitting beside Koharu was Shimizu who was arranging the records on her notebook.

"Kobayashi-chan can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Um, yes?" She replied. A bit nervous for the sudden conversation.

"Would you like to join the volleyball club as a manager?" She said. "I've been thinking about recruiting one because... well, I am in my last year of high school. I won't be around here anymore next time."

Koharu paused. A manager? Me? The thought is nice, and the reason behind Shimizu's invitation is valid but...

A boring person like me as a manager of these very interesting people?

Her discomfort might be showing on her face because Shimizu quickly added "I-I'm not forcing you to do it. And of course, you can still watch our practice whenever you like. But please think about it?"

Koharu paused before giving her a short nod. "I'll think about it."

To be continued...

Author's note:

*I wanted to put gap moe instead of personality gap, but I didn't think it suits Oikawa's sudden bursts of intensity. I made up personality gap. If there is indeed something called "personality gap" that is legit out there, then I'm sorry if I used it wrong.

Well. I'm terribly sorry for the delay of this chapter... believe it or not I had difficulties with the point of view of Hinata in this. It was all over the place and I can't seem to get inside the cinnamon roll's head smh

But with this chapter out, I think (think!) I'll be able to make a schedule for this story. Maybe every other week. I'm not sure yet. Thanks for all the support for this story! I really appreciate it! Lots of love for all of you people out there!