Clawed & Flawed: A Nekoma Story

Chapter 21

Wednesday – 12:00 P. M. 

As the lunch bell rand, Shiro slumped her head on the table in exhaustion. Her long hair covered her face like a curtain and flowed over the edge. She sighed heavily before looking underneath the table to see a pair of feet. It startled her as she jolted up straight.

"Hey! Freakishly tall giant! How much space do you need for your legs?" she whipped her head around.

Kuroo yawned and rubbed his eyes, "What's the matter? It's not like you were using the space."

"Are you calling me short?"

"If the shoe fits!"

"I'm normal-sized!"

"Wipe that pout off your face, Inu-chan. You'll always be like a tiny puppy to me," the captain smiled before heading out. "You know what it does to me."

"Shut up," she followed behind.

"Can I have a few minutes of peace where you two are not fighting over something insignificant and stupid?" Yaku smacked both of their backs.

"Ow! He started it," she looked away and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," the other agreed.

Wednesday – 16:00 P. M. 

"W-WHAT?!" Kuroo exclaimed.

The coach stared at the source of the noise before dismissing the issue and observed the rest of the gym.

"Shh..." Tora whispered and slapped Lev's arm. "Couldn't you have whispered?"

"Sorry," the rookie muttered quietly.

"W-why are you guys asking me this? What kind of person you think I am?"

"Well, we heard that you had Shiro-chan's house key and you even used it once. We just wanted to confirm that you didn't do anything bad to our new manager," the wing spiker explained.

"I dropped some stuff off for her. What kinda thing do you expect me to be doing to a girl living in a house alone?!"

"S-sorry," his juniors apologized in sync.

Kuroo sighed and put a hand to his head, "I guess I should've just returned it, huh?"

"No, my console is there. I'm planning to come over tomorrow after practice. And I wouldn't have let him take the keys if he was a pervert," his childhood friend walked by carrying a clean towel.

"Kenma, you jerk. What have you been telling people about me?"

The two strolled to the other side of the court as Tora and Lev smiled in relief.

"See, I told you he's not like that," Tora puffed up his chest condescendingly.

"Like what?" Shiro tilted her head, eavesdropping behind their backs.

"U-uh, nothing. Lev was just talking about how Kuroo-san hates height."

"Y-yeah, we've confirmed it. He's not a scaredy cat at all."

"Okay, now go and do your serve and receive practice," she commanded.

They bowed and ran to the side to continue with their routine. Shiro glided along the floor with her tablet in her arms. She sat beside her grandfather and slouched on the bench.

"Looks like you've already made some friends here," Nekomata-sensei grinned.

"Maybe," the manager passed the tablet to him before laying face-up on the bench. "I don't think you need to worry about them. I'm more worried about you honestly."

"Hahaha...what for?" She looked up at his sly expression, "Seriously?"

"I'm not asking you to forgive me for not taking you in, but I must confess that it's nice to finally be able to see you smile again."

"Chee, don't get sappy now, old man. I'm just doing my job anyway," she hid her face under the hood of her jacket.

"Come over to my house sometimes. You're still my granddaughter after all."

"Maybe someday."

"Inu-chan! Help us with spike practice!" Kuroo cupped his mouth to amplify his voice.

Shiro jumped up and dusted her pants, "Duty calls, I guess."

Coach Nekomata smiled and nodded as he watched her jog to the net. Kuroo had a large grin on his face as his classmate tried to hold back her frown. She knew that he would only bug her even more if she gave in to his provocation.

Wednesday – 19:00 P. M. 

The members began to wrap up with their activities and cleaned up the gym. The lone manager collected the empty bottles and dirty towels to the sink for a wash. The indoor toilet was locked and she was forced to use the one outside of the gym. She rolled up her sleeves before turning the water on to rinse the equipment.

Her concerns and guilt came back in a wave of anxiety. It made her heart skip a bit and triggered her anemia. Suddenly, she became dizzy as her hands trembled in cold sweat. She turned the water off and gripped the rim with one hand for support and covered her mouth with the other. Shiro was done with her task, but she couldn't find enough strength in her leg to get back to the gym.

'Did I not take my iron tablet this morning? I had breakfast and lunch as usual. Why is my head spinning?' she closed her eyes as her surroundings twirled.

Shiro crouched down and held the wall with both hands, covering her face simultaneously. She felt the chills on the tip of her fingers and abrupt sweat running down her temples. Her breathing picked up though it was shallow. Perhaps, her old nightmare had welcomed themselves back into her life. A warm hand reached out to her shoulder, taking her by surprise.

"Ah!" she exclaimed before falling on her hands.

"Sorry, did I startle you? It's cold at night and you've been out here for a while," he helped her up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get you worried. I just need to let them dry and—"

"No, just get changed and wait on the bench. I'll get everything done and walk you home," the tall leader walked her in. "God, why does Kenma have to skip on extra practice today? And Coach already left..."

Few minutes passed before the captain ran to the bench with both of their bags and draped his school blazer on her. The two walked home without saying much to each other. Kuroo stared at the bright moon above them and Shiro hugged herself under the thick layer of clothing.

"I'm sorry again," she mumbled shyly. "I didn't mean to make you do my job."

"It's okay. This is nothing. You've done a lot for the club too... Did you collapse because I made you work hard?" he took a quick glance at his friend.

"No, I think my body is just getting used to its new environment. Don't worry about it, I'll be fine after a good night sleep," she smiled warmly.

Kuroo stared at his classmate for a while before scrunching his nose in annoyance, "If something's wrong then say it! Don't underestimate my skill of dealing with people's problems. I've done this for years now. Hmph!"

Shiro raised her eyebrows, taken aback for a second before her face softened up again, "Hahaha. Okay, I'll try."