[English] ~𝒟𝒶𝓇ℯ 𝓉ℴ 𝒟𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓂~ Kenma x OC

Chapter 4: First time meeting

"Oh come on, Izumi-chan." Lev pushed his lip forward. I was sitting with Maru-chan, the libero of my team, under the big tree in the schoolyard, eating a banana. Maru-chan smiled and poked me in the side with her elbow. I gasped because it startled me. "Maru-chan...!" It took me a few seconds to get myself back under control. Since I had become friends with Maru-chan I spent most of my free time with her. Lev and Shibayama had also been part of my circle of friends for some time. Since then I was no longer so alone.

A sigh escaped me. "I'm sorry, Lev-kun. But this afternoon is our first game. My sister is bringing her new boyfriend and my mom is totally excited about him, so I have to go home with them right after the game to get to know him better. After that I have to go to tutoring." I wished it was different too. Maru-chan poked me in the side again, but lighter this time. "Are they coming to the game? How exciting." If only she knew. I wished that they wouldn't come. Shibayama tugged on Lev's arm. "There's nothing we can do about that. We have to go now. Maybe we'll come back later. Good luck with the game! See you around." With that he had pulled the sulking Lev aside and was dragging him along towards the school building. I suppressed a laugh. It was kind of cute to watch little Shibayama pull the giant away.

--

"Come on, warm up." Shiori shooed us through the gym. First we ran a few laps and then stretched before hitting a few balls. I started tossing a few balls for my teammates. "Izumi, don't toss so high!" Kairi whined loud enough for me to hear. But as usual, she hit my balls over the net flawlessly. I really had no idea why she didn't like me. It was the opposing team's turn to warm-up and we retreated to the side to put on our jerseys. This was my first game in Japan. Nervousness spread through me and I thought of Dad. He had always wanted me to play for Japan one day. And these were the first steps. I hope he was proud of me.

"We'll start with this lineup. Ito-san, make sure you match your passes to your teammates size. The opponent is especially strong when it comes to attacks. If you get around the defense, victory will be ours. March off." Nervously, I dribbled on the spot. A few spectators had gathered in the large gym. Not many but enough to distract me. Restlessly I let my eyes wander through the crowd. "Izumi, watch out!" I didn't realize until the last moment that the game had already started. I passed the ball to Yuko quickly. She smashed it in. "Sorry, I better watch out." Rookie mistake. What a bummer. This was not supposed to happen. I turned my full concentration to the game.

--

Our defense had successfully blocked the opposing player. I watched the three middle blockers. They had turned their attention to me. Perfect. Time for a feint. I hinted passing the ball to Kairi but put it in myself. Cheers broke the silence. "Well done Izumi!" The corners of my mouth lifted. Everything had gone well so far. We had won the first set easily. "Touched once!" Ayumi took a step back. I accepted the ball and played it up. "Ayumi!" She reacted immediately and smashed the ball into the opponent's court. My muscles were trembling. How I had missed the volleyball court.

We won. 25:14 and 25:18. The team cheered. "Strong performance girls. Line up." Shiori brought order to the chaos. We quickly lined up on the sidelines. "Thank you for the game!" Then it was over and I slid back down to earth. What a bummer. There was something else waiting for me and it wasn't as nice as this game. Grimly I packed up my things. I wasn't in the mood. Maru-chan tapped me. "What's with the long face, Izumi-chan?" I grimaced. "I'm about to have to watch my sister who's crazily in love make out with and adore her new boyfriend. Ugh." I pretended to cry. Maru-chan just laughed. "Don't complain so much. You'll get through it. Go on." Still looking grimly I left the locker room.

"There you are!" Hikaru beamed. "You were amazing!" I didn't know how to respond to her. She pulled me into a hug. Only now did I notice the figure standing behind her. I knew him... Didn't I? Oh hell no. It was Kuroo-san?! He grinned at me. "You've really got some talent. Congratulations on your victory." Confused I looked back and forth between him and my sister. Don't tell me that the two of them had something going on. "Izumi, that's..." I cut her off. "Kuroo-san. I know." Now it was her who was looking back and forth between us, confused. "We've met before."

Through the whole situation, I finally noticed that there was another person standing behind Kuroo. He kind of looked like a cat with his pudding-colored hair. I got lost in my thoughts. Kuroo took a step to the side. "This is Kozume Kenma. My best friend." Kozume Kenma. I looked at him. He seemed deeply engrossed in the game on his smartphone. "Kenma, seriously?! Put that damn thing down already." Kuroo nudged him rudely and he staggered. I suppressed a giggle. His eyes landed on me. He really does look like a cat. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kenma."

---

Kozume Kenma. I had heard the name before. The clatter of dishes could be heard from the kitchen while I looked in my mirror. My mother was still cooking and Kuroo, Kenma and Hikaru were sitting in the living room. Actually, I was supposed to help my mother, but I had talked my way out of it with the excuse that I had to freshen up. Do this, do that. I was sick and tired of it. And I wouldn't even be able to eat with them because I had to go to tutoring. What a bummer.

Disappointed that I had to leave the house again with an empty stomach I went to take a shower. Then I put on something comfortable and quietly walked down the stairs. Maybe I could sneak out? At least then I wouldn't have to play maid for the guests. I skipped the creaky steps and grabbed my sneakers. As I turned around I had to suppress a yelp. There was a person standing in front of me. And it was none other than Kozume Kenma, who was staring at me in amazement, holding his smartphone in his hand....