Offline Connection (Kenma x Reader)

Chapter 4

Kenma was immersed in his game, the quiet of his room enveloping him like a warm blanket. He had just reached the boss level when-

BAM!

The door to his room flew open, and standing there with a wild grin was none other than Kuroo Tetsurou. "KENMA!" he shouted, loud enough to make Kenma's game jolt in his hands.

"Game over," the console blared in a taunting voice. Kenma's head whipped towards Kuroo, his normally impassive eyes narrowing at the disturbance.

"What do you want?" Kenma grumbled, clearly irritated. He was one level away from a new high score.

Kuroo, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, grinned. "Come on, we're all going out for lunch! The whole team's coming-it's the weekend, after all!"

Kenma's response was immediate and flat. "No."

Kuroo blinked, then leaned against the doorframe, unfazed. "Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

Kenma glared. "No."

They kept going back and forth, like a tennis match with one-word volleys. "No." "Yes." "No." "Yes."

Kenma was about to argue again but somehow, in his confusion, blurted out, "Yes-" and froze.

Kuroo's grin widened. "Great! Be ready in five minutes. I'll be waiting downstairs!" He shut the door before Kenma could even process what had just happened.

Kenma blinked, still sitting on his bed, his game forgotten. How does he always do that? he wondered, sighing in defeat as he turned off his console.

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Soon enough, the whole team was gathered at a local ramen shop. Kuroo, Lev, Yamamoto, Yaku, Kai, Inuoka, Fukunaga, and Kenma all crammed into a booth. Conversations swirled around them-mostly about volleyball and their upcoming matches. The third years were discussing their future plans after graduation, with Kuroo tossing in occasional jabs at Kenma for his "lack of a social life."

"Kuroo," Kenma muttered, eyes still on his console. "I'm right here. I can hear you."

"Exactly!" Kuroo leaned over the table, smirking. "That's the point. You should really be focusing on lunch, not your game."

Kenma barely acknowledged the comment, still engrossed in whatever digital world he was conquering. Kuroo sighed dramatically, throwing his hands up. "This kid."

While the team chatted and laughed, they waited for their ramen to arrive. Just then, the door to the kitchen swung open, and in walked their server with steaming bowls of ramen balanced on a tray.

The team was about to thank whoever it was when-

"Y/N-san?" Lev practically shouted, making everyone turn.

Kenma, hearing Y/N's name, finally looked up from his console. There she was, carrying their food with a bright smile, equally surprised to see them.

"Oh, hey!" Y/N said cheerfully. "I didn't expect to see you guys here."

"Y/N-san, you work here?" Inuoka asked, his eyes wide.

Y/N nodded as she set the bowls in front of each of them. "Oh I'm just helping aroun, my dad owns this place. I'm here today since some of the staff are sick."

The whole team greeted her, and Kuroo raised an eyebrow at Kenma, who was now looking straight at Y/N and-notably-not at his game.

After a bit more small talk, Y/N smiled and excused herself. "Well, I'll let you guys eat. Enjoy your meal!" she called over her shoulder, heading back into the kitchen.

The moment Y/N was out of earshot, Kenma quietly put his console down, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat. For a moment, it was as if time had stopped. The rest of the team stared at him, their chopsticks suspended in midair.

Kuroo blinked first. "Wait... you're... eating?"

Kenma, chewing quietly, raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

Lev, who had been watching Kenma the whole time, couldn't help but chuckle. "Kenma-san, you're actually eating your food without Kuroo stealing your console! Is it because Y/N-san served it?"

Kenma's chopsticks paused mid-bite, but he ignored Lev's teasing.

Yaku, wide-eyed, nudged Kuroo. "He's never that focused on food... unless Y/N's around."

Kuroo snickered. "Looks like Y/N's got the magic touch."

Kenma shot them both a sideways glance but said nothing, continuing to eat. Why are they like this? he wondered, trying to ignore their stares.

The team exchanged knowing glances, barely able to contain their laughter. Meanwhile, Y/N, standing by the counter, glanced over at Kenma from across the room. She saw him actually eating his ramen for once and smiled softly, clearly amused.

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After lunch, when the team went to pay, the shop's owner-Y/N's dad-appeared from the back.

"Don't worry about it," Y/N's father said with a smile. "It's on the house. Any friend of Y/N's is a friend of ours!"

The boys were shocked but quickly recovered, bowing and thanking him profusely. "Thank you so much!" Lev said excitedly, his height making the bow a little more awkward than necessary.

"Y/N-san, thank you!" Kuroo called toward the kitchen, where Y/N peeked out with a grin, waving goodbye.

Just before they left, Y/N and Kenma's eyes met across the room. She waved, a soft smile on her face. Kenma, in a rare moment of non-apathy, blushed slightly and returned the wave. No one else seemed to notice-except Kuroo, who caught the whole exchange out of the corner of his eye.

As the group stepped out into the fresh air, they barely made it two steps before the teasing began.

"Kenma-san, you're so different when Y/N's around!" Lev teased, bouncing on his feet.

"Yeah," Yamamoto chimed in, eyes gleaming. "You're all 'mm' and 'yeah' with us, but with her, you're... like a real person."

Kenma groaned, running a hand through his hair. "I'm the same with everyone."

"Oh, really?" Kuroo raised an eyebrow. "You didn't touch your console once while Y/N was serving us."

Kenma rolled his eyes. "I was eating."

Lev grinned widely, nudging Yamamoto. "Sure you were."

Fukunaga and Kai, ever the silent observers, merely chuckled under their breath, adding fuel to the fire.

Kenma, trying to remain indifferent, walked ahead of the group, but he could feel the heat rising to his face. Why does everyone have to make a big deal out of this?

As they continued walking, Kuroo sidled up next to Kenma, his grin widening. "You know, Kenma, I think Y/N's got you wrapped around her finger."

Kenma glared at him. "Shut up, Kuroo."

But despite his best efforts, he didn't realize that there was a small tug on his lips. The rest of the team certainly noticed, and as they walked behind him, they couldn't help but snicker quietly.

Kuroo leaned over to Lev and whispered, "That's twice in one day. He's done for."

Kenma, overhearing, shot them all a glare. "I can hear you, you know."

The whole team burst into laughter, and even Kenma couldn't help but roll his eyes with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Maybe they're not completely wrong...