Saerin didn't show up to school the next day. She hadn't responded to any of Kageyama's calls or texts, and now, her absence was like a glaring void that unsettled him. He had tried to focus in class, tried to block out the gnawing feeling in his chest, but it was no use. He needed to see her—to hear her voice, even if she didn't want to talk to him.
The following day, she finally returned, and Kageyama couldn't wait any longer. He spotted her near the school courtyard, talking to some classmates, but she barely glanced his way. His heart pounded, frustration building. She was distant, colder than he'd ever seen her. He needed to break through that wall, no matter what.
He approached her cautiously, but with purpose. "Saerin."
She glanced at him but didn't slow her pace, mumbling something about being busy and having somewhere to go.
Kageyama, feeling that familiar tightness in his chest, grabbed her wrist gently but firmly before she could walk away. "We are going to talk right now," he said, his voice tense but controlled. "Just stop making this harder than it already is."
She looked at him, her expression unreadable, but she didn't pull away.
Without another word, Kageyama led her somewhere quieter, more private—an empty classroom with the door closed behind them. The silence between them was thick as they stood facing each other, the tension palpable.
Kageyama took a deep breath, his grip loosening. "I know the truth now. About Kenji. Sugawara told me everything."
Saerin's eyes widened slightly, but then she sighed, relief washing over her features. "Oh..."
"I'm sorry," Kageyama continued, his voice softening. "For not trusting you. For letting that picture mess with my head. And... for believing what Sakura said. I screwed up."
Saerin leaned against the desk behind her, exhaling deeply. "I'm going to handle the situation with Kenji, but I should've told you from the start. I thought I should deal with it on my own... so I didn't handle it well when it came up. And then I kept running from the conversation with you, even when you were trying to talk to me."
Kageyama shook his head. "I should've trusted you. I get why you didn't want to tell me, but still, I wish you had. I didn't want to make this any harder for you."
Saerin nodded, looking down at her hands. "I'm sorry too... but now, I don't know if I'm ready for this. A relationship with you feels like a lot right now. I really like you, Kageyama, but with everything that's happened—it feels like so much work, like we're fighting all the time."
Her words hit him hard, but he wasn't about to back down. "I get that," Kageyama said, trying to find the right words. "But I really want to be with you. And I'm trying—trying to change, for you. I don't want to push you into anything, but... haven't you noticed? Haven't I been different?"
Saerin looked up at him, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I have, actually. Even now... the way you're talking, the way you're apologizing. You've really changed."
Kageyama's heart raced as he caught her smile. He hadn't expected to hear that from her, not after the way things had gone. "I'm not perfect, and I know I've got a temper... but I don't want to screw this up. I want us to figure this out, together."
Saerin studied his face, her smile widening as she saw the sincerity in his eyes. "You're not rushing me?"
He shook his head. "I don't want to rush you. I want to do this right."
For a moment, they stood there, the tension between them easing. Saerin pushed off the desk and walked over to him, closing the space between them. "Okay," she said quietly, her voice soft. "I can see that you're trying. I think... maybe we can figure this out."
Relief washed over Kageyama as the tension between them melted away. He hadn't ruined things—not yet, at least.
Saerin's smile stayed with him as they walked out of the room, a little closer than they had been before.
