Clawed & Flawed: A Nekoma Story

Chapter 7

Sunday – 1 P. M.

The sun had made its way to the peak as the breezy day became warmer. Kuroo ate lunch with his grandparents and father before leaving the house to cook for his unique acquaintance. He changed into a plain grey shirt with hood and black sweatpants with white stripes running on both sides of his legs. He decided to wear his pair of sport shoe and carried a heavy sack of rice over to Shiro's house.

The gate was unlocked, and the front door was slightly ajar. He wondered if it would really be appropriate to let himself in even though the owner had given him permission earlier that day. Although in this case, it happened in a dream-like state. Upon hearing no rustling inside the house, the spiky haired teen pushed the door open to find a pair of house sandal laying nicely near the shoe rack.

'Eh? He has gotten the hang of wearing two shoes? Still, I wasn't expecting him to prepare one for me. I guess I did say I was going to visit. Well, I better get cooking. The faster I finish making lunch, the sooner I can help out with those boxes. Then I'll have the rest of the day to do whatever I want.'

As he walked further in, he noticed that the boxes under the stairs were not there anymore. He set the bag of rice on the dining table before searching for it. The familiar sliver of white hair coming out of the black baseball cap immediately caught his attention. Before long, he stumbled upon the stacks of folded boxes along with the person holding them. Shiro had fallen asleep in the middle of the stairway whiles using the cardboard as a pillow.

'Heh, this brat. I wonder what else you have up your sleeve. Wait, why was I worried about his endeavors? Forget it, just do your duty as a captain.'

The captain opened the bag of rice and started to wash them before putting it in the rice cooker. He reheated the miso soup and cooked a vegetable and meat stir fry. The smell of the fragrant rice and sauce being tossed in a pan must have woken the sleepy child up. Shiro jumped off and skipped about eight steps before sticking a perfect landing on the wooden floor.

"God! Did you just jump down from all the way up there? Did you hurt your feet? Please stop doing things on a whim!" Kuroo whipped his head around before turning the stove off.

"Sorry if I scare you, but I've gotten pretty good at landing without putting much pressure on my feet, spine, and shin. Didn't you hear how soft I landed?"

Kuroo served the meal and sat on the chair opposite of his host, "So, you do know the danger of a botched landing."

"Ehehe... Don't worry, it's not the reason why I didn't play competitively anymore. I'm not injured. Let's eat."

'Oh? He used to play in competitions during his middle school years? Now this is interesting,' he thought.

"Uhm, no. I just ate at home."

"You're making me look like a bad host. How can I let the guest watch me eat? I won't let that slide," the hooded figure stood up and went over to the fridge.

Kuroo tried to see what Shiro was trying to do, but they had blocked the view perfectly. The white-haired junior produced a single serving of milk pudding and a tiny dessert spoon.

"Here, have some dessert. Don't worry, it has a low sugar and fat content."

The two continued to eat in silence as the older of the two got teary eyed from the softness and nostalgic value that the sugary treat held. This time, Shiro took on the duty of washing the dishes and stored the rice in a container afterwards.

"All done. I'll go change before we head out."

"Huh? You're done with everything?"

"Mhm, it would be kinda embarrassing if I hadn't done anything in the past 4 hours. Just wait here, I'll be quick," Shiro sprinted up the stairs without making much noise.

'I might've misjudged you as another reluctant athlete, but I guess you were a shy slow bloomer who can get all pumped up and energetic when you want to.'

Thumps and faint clamoring were heard from the second floor. To kill time, Kuroo decided to check if Kenma would want to join them in their antics.

Kuroo: - Kenma, I'm bringing the new kid around. He lives in our neighborhood too. We might go to Yukiyagawa Riverbed later on to play volleyball. Wanna come? -

Kenma: - No. My parents are dragging me along with them to a relative's house. Sorry. -

Kuroo: - See you tomorrow then. Don't sleep too late, we have extra practice now that the Inter High is less than a month away. You're still in charge of helping Lev. ┐(Wヮ￣)┌ -

Kenma: - //눈_눈\\ -

The volleyball captain pocketed his phone and sighed. The pressure put upon his shoulders kept on piling up as the assistant coach took a leave of absence. To add to the load, the new middle blocker was a giant pain in the ass to teach. Other first-years were struggling with their confidence although their abilities were more than sufficient to help the team.

With a new unknown variable getting in the mix, his goal of getting into the nationals and making the coach's lifelong dream into a reality became increasingly harder. Though teamwork was the basis of Nekoma's game style, Kuroo had took on the responsibility of bringing balance to the group. His eyebrows tensed with stress as strategies swirled around in his head.

'So many things to do, so little time left. I know it's unlike myself to fuss about the future, but for once I finally feel like we stand a chance. This team, I want to play with everyone as long as I can. So, this is what it feels like to see the light at the end of a tunnel...' he brooded.

"Pillow-senpai!" a blue and yellow ball flew over in a perfect arc.

'A one-handed toss? Does he play basketball?' Kuroo's gaze was fixed at the setter.