Connections || Aoba Johsai x OC

4 • The Gym

The walk back to the classroom was, odd, to say the least.

And as Mayumi thought about her next class, she couldn't help but feel some eyes on her while she walked.

"Who's that? I saw her eating with the volleyball team."

"I think she's from 2-6."

"This morning, I heard Oikawa-senpai invited her to watch today's training."

"'Ejiri-chan,' right?"

Yikes. Hope his fans don't go for my throat.

And if it couldn't get worse with people talking about her, now people are talking to her.

"Ejiri-san," a classmate called out to her, "Heard you were watching later?"

"Ah..." She sat down, more embarrassed than anything, "Yeah."

"Wow, Ejiri-chan, I didn't think you liked volleyball much. You didn't seem like the type." Another classmate commented.

"Oh, I've liked volleyball." Yumi opened the strawberry Pocky, deciding that she should just eat it. "Just haven't watched because it tends to get crowded."

One of her classmates, less interested in volleyball, sat down in his seat behind her, "Have fun being sandwiched by a bunch of first-year fan girls," he chuckled.

"I'll try..." She replies quietly, thinking over that offer from earlier. If I accept it, what are the fans going to think when they see a random girl in the gym with the boys...

Mayumi didn't care about her reputation, at least not much. If people weren't fond of her, then so be it, not her problem. She's just being realistic now-- some people aren't very nice sometimes. There's no telling if someone's going to get unrightfully jealous and start letting that out on her.

She's known what bullying is like, and she doesn't want to go through it again. Even if this time it would be for different reasons, it's still a bad experience no one wants.

Is she going to risk it?

. . .

Maybe.

Yumi sat uneasy while she ate her Pocky. It was good, yes, but the anxiety pecked at her for a while.

Eventually, Watari came back to the classroom with a minute to spare.

"Oh, so you're eating it anyway."

She blinked out of her trance and looked back up at him with a stick in her mouth. "I mean, might as well."

"Ejiri you didn't tell me earlier by the way,"

Mayumi looked at Watari expectantly.

"-What school you were before."

"Oh, I went to Shiratorizawa."

What. Whatwhatwhatwhat shiratorizawhatnow.

Watari looked weirdly shocked, at least to Yumi. "Uhm. Is that a.. bad thing?"

"No! It's just, uh," Watari cleared his throat, "nothing."

Didn't she say she had friends who played? OMG IS SHE FRIENDS WITH THE wait she never exclusively said it was the guys. UHM..!!!

"Something's bothering you, what's up?"

"You said your friends played volleyball?" He sat oddly stiff.

"Uhm..." She bit another Pocky stick, "Yeah?"

"I- I'd like to hear more about them-- and like, the other people you've learned the sport from..!" Why does he look so nervous to ask.. "If that's okay with you?"