Monochromatic: Haikyuu Fanfic

Chapter 4: Messenger

Angel (n.) - A messenger - a communicator between the heaven and the human world. Also known as a bridge that connects the gap between them.

"Enjel-senpai!" A group of girls surrounded a tall girl - they all seem to crowd around her, smiles evident on their bright faces. Fukui greeted back with a small sheepish smile at the girl.

"Do you need something, Fujimoto-san?"

"P-Please give this to Oikawa-kun for me!" The girl looked flustered and bowed stiffly, startling Fukui. The smaller girl, named Fujimoto, held out a card between her trembling fingers. It scented lightly of perfume, and small patterns traced around its border - a swirly, floral type. Fukui took the envelope with great care, as if it could be contaminated by her reckless touch.

This is incredible, she thought in amazement. It's like I really am living in a shoujo manga...!

"I won't let you down...!" Fukui nodded to reassure the girl. Lifting the envelope to her line of sight, her mouth gaped. The paper looked even more intricate at close range. Even the paper felt soft...

"By the way, Fujimoto. Where'd you get this kind of paper?" She looked down on the second year. Fujimoto tilted her head cutely.

"Eh?" Fujimoto wouldn't have expected that question. "There's a small stationery store right by this old store..." Fujimoto mused. "... Foothill Store, I think? Their letter sets are fairly expensive, but I think it's worth the buy!"

"Huh... Right by the Foothill Store..." Fukui vaguely remembered the shop, she must've passed by it once or twice since she got here. Maybe she could stop by after school, so she could mail some to -

"Do you have anyone in mind, Enjel-senpai~?" Fujimoto broke her trail of thought. The messenger raised her arms, forming a huge X.

"Of course not! I was just curious."

***

Fukui took time to search for the setter - which didn't take much work. All she needed to do was to ask a random spectator, surely he wouldn't be all that hard to notice if he ever passed by. Surprisingly though, no one was able to give her directions.

The envelope still remained undamaged between her fingers. The school's campus was fairly big, yet she had a gut feeling of just where he might be. It wouldn't surprise her one bit if he really was there during lunch period...

Slowly, her hand creaked open the gym door.

Sure enough, Oikawa was there. He stood by the courtline, breathing heavily with a volleyball in his grasp. The volleyball was pressed against his forehead, as if he could harness a wild surge of concentration from it. Fukui can't quite sense the typical, light-hearted aura around him like usual. The air felt heavy - and this side of Oikawa seemed like an uncharted territory for someone like her, even as a childhood friend.

"Ume-chan?" The setter noticed her presence and his normal demeanor came back. Fukui was quite relieved now that the tension disappeared.

She handed him the envelope.

"Eh?! Another one?!" Oikawa scanned the envelope and then hits her lightly and playfully on her head. The paper got crumpled by it's impact, and Fukui grimaced at the envelope as if it were a wounded, fragile object.

"Y'know... The girl worked hard on that letter. The least you could do is give her a polite declination." Fukui scolded lightly, clearly unamused. She's read enough to empathize with them - mangas she'd read usually depict the heroine staying up all night, hair tied up and all as she wrote the love letter. It only showed a couple images to emphasize the heroine's hard work, but Fukui felt that it would've taken a load of courage to do so.

"Ume-chan!" it's Oikawa's turn to pout now. He protested with an indignant tone. "You're supposed to be my friend - on my side!"

"I am." Fukui retorted. "All I'm asking for is a little respect."

"But Ume-chan!" He protested once more. "Why do you keep listening to them anyway? You know they're only nice to you because you're a way to get to me. They're just being nice to you so they could use you...!"

"I don't care." Fukui said - and Oikawa's babbling halted to a stop at her response. He looked at her disbelievingly. She hesitated a bit before continuing, "I've never had any girls to actually talk to me before... Not even back at Tokyo. I don't care, even if I'm just a convenience to them. Even if it's just temporary friends."

For once, I felt like I belong.

"Ume-chan..." Oikawa trailed off in pity. His tone seemed concerned, yet he delivered the biggest blown ever known to mankind:

"...You're pretty pathetic, y'know?"

Fukui felt an arrow shot through her, her eyes showing no signs of light as she chuckled darkly in reply, focused on the gym's floors. She spoke grimly as she was hunched over in dejection, teetering over as if to pass out on the floor.

"I...I guess I am..."

"Ume-chan, don't fall! Your uniform will get dirty!"