𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 - 𝐭.𝐤𝐞𝐢. (信頼)

26

Mai bustled through the stands with the intention of reaching the vending machine for another drink, having finished her boba soon after opening it. The game between Johzenji and Karasuno had just reached the end of the first set, meaning she had around 5 minutes to get there and back. The excruciatingly fast plays had kept her on her toes for the past half hour, so she was treating the short trip through the hallway as a beak from the hectic volleyball game.

She jogged down the stairs, jumping over the last three steps and landing on the ground with a thud and a jolt before continuing her mission. She practically had the building's interior mapped out in her mind from the mere number of times that she'd strolled through the halls, so she knew that one left turn would lead her right to the closes machine stocked with the bitter drink that made up half of her daily intake. Mai rounded the corner, expecting to set her eyes on her ultimate goal: the vending machine. But standing between her and the beloved milk coffee was none other than her current second least favourite person in the whole of Japan, Oikawa Tooru, grouped with the boy she'd come to know as Iwaizumi Hajime and another boy that she'd never seen before, all three donned in Seijoh volleyball jackets.

Mai cursed inwardly, trying to map out a plan in her head to buy the drink without alerting the flirtatious third year of her presence. While she was mid-way through calculating the distance and the speed she would have to run, Oikawa turned around, as if he was hyper-aware of the girl standing five metres away.

"Mai! Come to see your favourite third year, have you?"

"Highly unlikely, shittykawa," said Iwaizumi, having been present for several of their awkward interactions and knowing exactly how Mai felt about the captain. Oikawa chose to filter out his friend's words, smirking at the younger girl.

"I just want to grab a coffee," she said dully, gesturing behind the group to the machine.

The two grouped with Oikawa were silent. Iwaizumi pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance and the other had a stone gaze. Mai couldn't gauge what emotion he was aiming to evoke, but all in all, she felt nothing but awkward in those few moments. The way his eyes pierced through her was absolutely terrifying, even more so than when she stole a pair of Kageyama's socks and he was inexplicably furious for a week. She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under the strong glare. He, unlike his accomplices, had dyed blond hair shaved into a buzz-cut, with the addition of two dark strips circling from his hairline above his ear all the way around the back of his head. He was very intimidating, to say the least.

"Oh, I'll get it for you. It's the least I can do after bothering you and four eyes for so long," Oikawa smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Milk or black?"

Mai stumbled over her words as she responded, highly taken aback by the boy's offer. He had been trying to seal the deal between them for almost 6 months, and he wanted to apologise now? With no prompting from the redhead or his best friend? It seemed extremely doubtful in Mai's eyes, but she couldn't judge if Oikawa was being sincere or not. She would usually never even think about accepting something from the third year, but it was free coffee. How could she refuse?

She stood firmly at a distance from the group, still very terrified of the blond.

Oikawa inserted his card into the machine, typing n his PIN until it beeped twice. He took it out and swiped the coffee from the small compartment, spinning around and offering Mai the drink with a grin.

"Thanks, Oikawa," said Mai, giving the drink a loving gaze comparable to how she looked at Tsukishima.

"No problem, pretty lady."

He took it back quickly after both Mai and Iwaizumi sneered at him, though for entirely different reasons. Mai had a history of telling Oikawa off for overstepping his boundaries; Iwaizumi just thought he was being obnoxious.