Aeonian - Oikawa Toru x Reader

Ch. 07 - Suddenly, Not So Good

I stood now in Gymnasium No. 3, in an aqua-colored shirt, with Aoba Johsai VBC written on the side of my chest. My hair was tied back, my notepad was in my hands with the general schedule for practices. I was, physically, prepared for practice.

Mentally, I thought I would fare just fine, but faced now with a team of strangers save for two, I nearly blanched.

Oh, good lord. These guys are tall.

The captain stood at my side, and he looked down at me worriedly when the silence stretched on a bit too long. But all it took was one encouraging nod from Hajime and a smile from Toru to knock some sense into me, and so I blinked and straightened up.

"As your captain said," I startled myself into speaking, "my name is Kageyama (Y/n), and I'll act as manager for the team. It's my understanding that it's been a long time since the boy's volleyball team has had one, but I'll do my best for you all."

I bowed, and for a moment or two, there was only silence to greet my words.

As soon as I lifted my head though, I realized I was the sudden focus of dozens of sets of eyes. Nearly everyone was smiling - save for Toru and Hajime, who looked confused at the sudden change - and a few of the guys shared glances before looking back down at me.

One boy standing right up front, a second year if I was right, grinned down at me. "Well, you're absolutely adorable."

"Nagisa, you can't say that," hissed one of his teammates, but the damage was already done. My cheeks were aflame, my entire body flooded with embarrassment.

"She is cute, though," another player said.

"There's no denying that, is there?"

"And she wants to manage us? How'd we get so lucky?"

"It isn't like he wants to manage you specifically, so get that look off your face."

"I'll take no nonsense when it comes to her," said the team captain. "I refuse to tolerate it. She's doing us a favor doing this, so show her the respect she deserves."

"All I did was call her cute, though!"

"Yeah!"

"Come on, tell me she isn't!"

"Laps, all three of you," the captain said, and begrudgingly, they all went.

"Personally," I said, and the captain looked down at me, "I'd have assigned diving drills."

The captain chuckled. "Yeah? I'll keep that in mind. Coach was right - you are tough." When he released the rest of the team to begin warming up together, we walked together. He introduced himself less formally than he had before, and began telling me the basics of how the practices were run.

"As one of the top teams in the prefecture," he told me, "we tend to be pretty serious around here."

"I've noticed," I said. "That much was obvious from the tryouts."

"Anyone can play volleyball here," he said. "They're in the next gym over, though. There is some good talent there, so a lot of those guys end up being pulled into our reserve team and eventually the main team, if they're lucky. There's not a lot of turnover here, though."

"No," I said, watching as the vice-captain (I'd been introduced to him, too) led the team through a few basic stretches. "I wouldn't think so. Everyone seems talented here."

"We're all hungry for the win," he said, looking at his team as well. "To be honest, it's strange for so many first years to have been admitted onto the team and not just sent to the recreational gym. Those four there, though... They're rare talents. Anyone can see that. I noticed you walked in with a couple of them, though. Getting friendly in your classes already?"