"I told you before to keep your voice down and not get us kicked out." Hitomi admonished Nishinoya with a pointed look. The libero avoided her eyes, fidgeting in place. Although, rather than from nervousness or shame, it was more like he was antsy. It was like he was holding back what he wanted to say.

The two of them had been kicked out of the library for being too much of a disturbance, or rather, for Nishinoya being too much of a disturbance. He had gotten loud and angry at some boys whispering around them.

Hitomi had largely silenced the whispers earlier when she told off another pair of boys for gossiping in the library. Unfortunately, this peace did not last long because these new boys had come in after that confrontation. As such, they hadn't witnessed her scolding and were unaware of the ensuing wrath when they started their own whispering. Except it was Nishinoya who eventually couldn't take it anymore, pouncing on them with a growl and earning him, as well as Hitomi, a ticket out of the public library.

"…I didn't like the way they were looking at you…or talking about you!" The boy finally shouted out, his brows furrowing deeply with the frown on his lips.

Hitomi gave him a slightly incredulous look. "And you're sure that it's not because they were also making fun of your height?" She thought but didn't say aloud because she knew it was a sore subject for him.

Well, it was true that those boys were being incredibly rude and their words were no better. In fact, they were far more vulgar than the previous pair of boys. Hitomi sighed and raised an eyebrow at him. "What does it matter? I couldn't care less what they were saying. I'm already used to having those things being said about me anyways. I ignored them, so why couldn't you?"

"You shouldn't have to get used to it!" Nishinoya declared vehemently, almost surprising the girl. It was obvious that his anger wasn't directed at her but at the situation. She knew that, but his genuine distress was a bit surprising and sort of heartwarming.

Hitomi had met plenty of guys who were the 'chivalrous' type. The kind that had the angle of being nice to women, thinking that it somehow warrants romantic feelings or a reward of some sort. The kind that acted gentlemanly and put down other men for filthy and predatory behavior when they, themselves, were acting just the same but just in a subtler manner.

Nishinoya Yuu wasn't playing that card. In the past, Hitomi wouldn't have hesitated to pin him as such a type. After getting to know him and seeing his expression now, she knew that wasn't what he was doing. He might be a bit of a pushover when it comes to women, but he understands the boundaries.

For that, Hitomi was surprised. Not because she didn't expect him to be respectful to women, but because she was so wholly unused to this. By now, she understood that he was purer and a bit more naïve compared to the guys she was surrounded by thus far, but that didn't mean she would know how to react to such wholesomeness when all she knew was to be cold and uncaring.

The girl looked away in embarrassment. "If you're going to react that way every time a guy talks about me like that, you're going to end up making a lot of enemies." She remarked, starting to walk off in a random direction.

Nishinoya instantly followed her. "I'll fight them all if they lay a hand on you, Hitomi-chan!" He announced with absolute confidence, and Hitomi didn't doubt him at all.

"But…" He started again, looking sheepish. "…I'm sorry for getting us kicked out. Especially after you came all this way just to help me with my summer homework!" He finished with a respectful bow. After a moment, he was still in the bowing position but raised his head slightly to peek up at Hitomi. "…You're not mad…are you…?" He asked with hesitation, his face donning an apprehensive look.

No, Hitomi wasn't mad at all. If anything, it was almost refreshing being around him. Not that she would admit that though. She was a tad annoyed about being dismissed from the library, but they had actually managed to finish a majority of Nishinoya's homework so she wasn't too bothered by it. "How are you going to make it up to me if I say I am?" She decided to tease him a little, not actually that upset.

For some reason, Nishinoya started fantasizing again at her question. A faint blush dusted his cheeks as his eyes sparkled with some unusual enthusiasm. "Y-You can punish me if you want, Hitomi-sensei!" He suggested, even though it sounded a bit like he was pleading.

Hitomi just gave him the most deadpan expression, but there was a clear aura of disgust surrounding her. On second thought, maybe he wasn't so pure and naïve. What did they call these types of people? Closet perverts? Yeah, maybe he's that instead.

Hitomi should have left when she found him at their meeting spot with that gross, blissful look on his face earlier. With what he just suggested and how he referred to her, she now had an idea of what he was imagining at that moment. She promptly turned around without a word, continuing forward. "H-Hitomi-chan! Wait!" Nishinoya shouted after her, frantically following.

He fell into step with her, glancing at her from the side every so often. His peeking was obvious, but Hitomi only ignored him while she walked. It wasn't until they had reached a destination that he realized he had no idea where they were going.

Nishinoya glanced up, reading the sign at the top of the building. They had arrived at a cozy café, presumably for lunch. Noticing his momentary silence, Hitomi addressed him. "It's around lunch time, so I figured we could come here. They seem to have good reviews and I heard they have a new shaved ice flavor…" She mentioned with a hint of excitement that she tried to unsuccessfully mask.

Hitomi had never been to this café, but she had also never really been into town all that much. There really wasn't a need when you had no friends and you had a handful of servants to answer your every call. Knowing that she was to spend the day with Nishinoya, however, made her research places to go beforehand.

This cute café had come up in her search, and Hitomi was enamored with it. She was known to have quite a sweet tooth, given how often she buys snacks and candies at the convenience store. While browsing their website, she came across their promotion of a new shaved ice flavor. That, along with the fact that they also sell regular food, sealed the deal for her.

Nishinoya noticed the sparkle in Hitomi's eyes. He felt his cheeks heat up again and his heart thumping rapidly against his chest. It was a good thing that Hitomi was looking away in embarrassment, otherwise she would have noticed how deeply he was staring at her.

What was this? She was so cute! It was like all of his troubles in this one moment had suddenly just disappeared. The anger he felt at strangers talking about her and the worry he had when he thought she was mad at him were so easily washed away with her presence.

If he felt like this now, he couldn't wait to see how it'd feel when she gives him a full and genuine smile.

The libero beamed up at the tall girl, flashing his pearly whites. He swiftly stepped forward and opened the door, holding it open for her. She thanked him as she walked in, feeling refreshed as the cool, air-conditioned air blew over her. The two of them waited at the entrance for a waiter to seat them.

A young man in the café's uniform listlessly walked over to them, noticing Nishinoya first. What the—a little kid?! He mentally sighed at the prospect of having to serve another brat. "Welcome! How many are we expecting?" He gave the standard greeting with fake enthusiasm.

"Just two, thank you." Hitomi responded, catching his attention for the first time. The waiter was so focused on the idea of having to deal with another 'child' that he hadn't even noticed who that 'child' was with. When his eyes met Hitomi's, he gulped. What a beauty! Time to turn on the charm!

He picked up two menus, his posture instantly straightening up and his fake enthusiasm turning into real enthusiasm. "Right this way, Miss!" He exclaimed, seemingly ignoring her direct company now. He led them over to a small booth by the windows with a pep in his step. "These are the best seats in the house! Just for you, sweetheart! I'll be right back with some water!"

Hitomi gave a small grimace as he left. Ugh, she knew exactly where this was going. Maybe she should have researched the employees at this establishment too.

"Wow! That's super nice of them! No wonder they have good reviews!" Nishinoya complimented without a hint of sarcasm or suspicion. Hitomi blinked at him. He was either ignoring the waiter's ulterior motives because she had told him off earlier or he was completely clueless. She figured it was probably the latter, causing her grimace to turn into a small smile of amusement.

She doesn't remember the last time she felt so at ease being in public. She's always had to deal with guys like the ones in the library and like this waiter. She was entirely used to that, but she was never so relaxed. Hitomi smiled to herself as she watched Nishinoya eagerly open up the menu, his eyes darting to and fro to figure out what he wanted to order.

The waiter soon returned with two glasses of water. He set them down and took out his notepad, not taking his eyes off of Hitomi. "Can I get anything for you, sweetheart? Maybe my number?"

Nishinoya's ears immediately perked up at the obvious pick-up line. His head jerked up to glare at the waiter, but the guy was completely ignoring him, focusing intently on Hitomi. He then took a peek at Hitomi who was, in turn, completely ignoring the waiter. Her words from earlier popped into his head.

"I ignored them, so why couldn't you?"

The libero grit his teeth, begrudgingly going back to reading the menu. His hands gripped it tightly as he read. He bit his lip, holding in his outburst because he didn't want to upset her again. After all, he had already ruined their study date in the library. Hitomi was kind enough to give him a second chance by suggesting this place. He didn't want to ruin the day any further, even if it meant dealing with this prick.

The waiter's smile dimmed a little when he realized Hitomi had no intention of acknowledging the pick-up line. "If you want to know what's on the menu, it's me-n-u honey." He tried again to no avail as Hitomi simply flipped the page. No problem, all he had to do was up the charm and charisma.

He tried several more one-liners, each more obvious than the last. With each one, a new vein appeared on Nishinoya's head. Just when he almost couldn't take it anymore, Hitomi's voice interrupted. "I'll start with a cup of Earl Grey tea, please. Nishinoya-kun, do you know what you're drinking?" She asked, her question jolting him out of his rage.

This whole time, he had tried reading the menu but kept getting distracted because of that stupid waiter. He quickly looked down to read the drinks. "Melon soda!" He blurted out the first thing he saw.

Hitomi nodded and then turned back to reading her own menu. "We'll have Earl Grey tea and melon soda then. Feel free to wait on other tables because we still need time to figure out what we want to eat." She directed the waiter without even so much as a glance, easily dismissing him.

The employee was a bit put off at first, but then regained his senses. Oh, so she was playing hard to get, was she? No matter! He smirked, accepting a challenge that didn't exist, and jotted the drink orders onto his notepad. He promised to be back soon, walking off to take care of other patrons.

He returned all too soon, setting down their drinks while staring at Hitomi with those same perverse eyes. He was about to try another line, but she quickly shot him down by ordering before he could even open his mouth. When she was done, she closed the menu and handed it back to him. All while ignoring him and sipping at her tea.

Nishinoya followed suit, ordering right after her while glaring at the waiter. The waiter glared right back but couldn't stay much longer because it was now peak rush hour. He would surely be chewed out by his boss for dilly-dallying, so he reluctantly left with the menus.

Hitomi finished her cup of tea and excused herself to the restroom. Nishinoya nervously glanced at her as she headed to the bathrooms. Was she upset again? At him? He thought he was doing a much better job of keeping his anger in check, but maybe he was wrong.

The boy sighed, rubbing his head in frustration. Nothing was going right today! Then, it dawned on him. Hitomi really dealt with this kind of thing every time she went out? When they first met, had he also bothered her like this? He was getting so annoyed with all the other guys bothering her today. Did Hitomi get this annoyed at him when he approached her for the first time?

His mood swiftly dampened, turning almost gloomy. How could he have been so oblivious? Wait a minute…did she even want to come out here today? Or was it only because he had pestered her so much? He suddenly lost his appetite, and for such a big eater like him, that really meant something.

He was so absorbed in his troubling thoughts that he hadn't even noticed Hitomi was taking quite a long time, nor did he notice that she had yet to return.