Training Trepidation Into Composure

Chapter 5

(Header was commissioned by Kanon on Twitter)

Yachi gripped the notebook she'd brought with her closer to her chest and stared straight ahead. She couldn't very well pretend she hadn't seen him. She'd already waved back, she'd already locked eyes. This was her fate now.

She stood in line and tried to avoid the inevitable by talking to Eri while the other manager filled her plate. "What's with the notebook?" She smiled conspiratorially, "taking notes on the competition?"

Yachi gave an awkward chuckle, "no, just some homework."

"Ah!" Eri said as she handed the plate back, a wise glint in her eyes "Good luck with that."

Yachi took her plate, then a deep breath. It would be fine. She walked to the table and sat down, moving her notebook out of the way and began eating. She listened at first, preferring to observe before jumping into any conversations. Sometimes at school, before the first year boys started eating lunch with her, she'd spend all of lunch like that. Just watching from the outside. Waiting to be invited in. She ate quickly and chuckled at the right times. It had been very lonely.

She watched as Tsukishima let his fork slide along the plate to make it look like he'd eaten more than he had so Daichi and Nishinoya would stop fussing at him to eat more. She watched Yamaguchi notice it too. She saw Hinata being his normal bundle of energy as Kenma watched with an almost indulgent smile, the kind one might see on an adult talking to a small child. Though it wasn't patronizing. Kageyama was also listening intently, though the scowl on his face was much harder to read. Yachi was just glad he and Hinata had patched things up between them and they were practicing their quick attack again. Even if it wasn't back up to par, yet. They'd get there.

She finished eating and moved her tray to the side to open her notebook. The boys were all so entranced in their conversations with their new friends, they hadn't bothered to include her, which was fine. She found that she didn't even mind it. She took out her pen and highlighter to summarize the notes she'd made during lunch the day before.

"So, little crow," came a voice to her right. She froze instantly. She'd been a fool to forget about him. He had avoided her that morning, but now he wanted to chat? She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and saw that he didn't look nearly as menacing as she thought he would. His brow was crinkled and he was turned to face her, almost like he was hiding her from everything behind him. "Are you always this observational at meals, or is witnessing the competition too good an opportunity to pass up?" She pursed her lips in confusion and he nodded at her notebook. "Taking notes on our weaknesses?"

"Oh, no I-" Why did everyone think she was so cunning?

She barely got a chance to defend herself before Tsukishima spoke up, almost like he had been itching for the opportunity to respond to Kuroo. "She studies at lunch because she doesn't have enough time after practices." His tone was curt and Yachi wondered what could have happened between their last match and now to make her friend so much more antagonistic than usual.

Kuroo seemed abashed though and glanced away, she saw his eyes flit to where Karasuno's third years were sitting. Suga leaned over Daichi to punch Asahi on the shoulder while they all laughed with Bokuto and some of the other Fukurodani third years. Yachi spoke up quickly, trying to defuse the situation. Though she didn't know why, as she rarely had luck doing so. "I'm on the college track. So I have to study a lot. Even when it's not very convenient." She shrugged and smiled. Kuroo just looked at her notes, his brow still furrowed.

"You're studying here?" He asked, incredulously. He tapped the corner of her notebook to turn it so he could read it better.

"I mean, yea. I don't have time after the matches since I help Kageyama and Hinata with their practice. And after that," she blushed, "well the managers usually talk before bed." She noticed the conversations near her died down a little and the boys all leaned in just a little. "And I don't get the opportunity for girl talk often... so." She shrugged, Kuroo didn't care about that. She shifted her notes back to the angle she was comfortable writing at and kept her gaze down. Which meant she didn't see the glare Kuroo shot at the nearby boys to mind their own conversations. "I guess I figured it was just responsible to study now if I planned to not study at night." She started highlighting key phrases and assigning footnotes to them for her reference guide.