Offline Connection (Kenma x Reader)

Chapter 7

Ever since that day in the club room when Kenma had the conversation with Y/N, something strange was happening to him. He didn't quite understand it, but every time Y/N was around, his face started heating up, and he'd catch himself blushing for no reason at all. It was embarrassing, and what made it worse was that his team had definitely noticed.

"Kenma, you good?" Kuroo would ask, smirking, every time Y/N's name was mentioned.

"Yeah, you've been blushing a lot lately," Lev teased, leaning in far too close to Kenma's face for comfort.

Kenma sighed, glaring at Lev but refusing to give an actual answer. He knew whatever he said would just fuel their teasing. Why was he even blushing? He never used to react this way. It wasn't like Y/N was doing anything differently. Maybe it's just the weather... yeah, that's it.

One day, while Kenma was walking to class, surprisingly without his console for once, he jolted when a familiar voice called out to him. "Kenma!"

There she was-Y/N, standing right in front of him with her signature warm smile. Kenma instantly felt his face heat up again, and sure enough, the volleyball team, who was walking behind him, let out a collective giggle.

"Hi, Y/N," Kenma mumbled, trying to keep his cool.

Y/N greeted the whole group, explaining that she wouldn't be able to join them for lunch because of a club project, but she could walk home with them afterward.

Kenma nodded quickly, too quickly, his heart racing for reasons he refused to acknowledge. "That's okay," he said. The others agreed, although they were all barely holding back laughter, sneaking glances at Kenma.

After Y/N waved goodbye and walked away, the team turned their attention back to Kenma.

"Bro, you're so red!" Yamamoto cackled, clutching his stomach.

"Dude, I thought you hated cardio, but your heart's sprinting a marathon every time you see her," Kuroo added, grinning like a devil.

Kenma just sighed, knowing there was no escape from the relentless teasing. Why me? He kept wondering. Why am I the one who always gets teased?

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Meanwhile, during lunch, Y/N was in her clubroom discussing the project with her members when a couple of students knocked on the door. It was becoming a regular occurrence for students to drop by, asking for Y/N's help with torn shirts, pants, or just random chats. She didn't mind helping people-it's who she was-but lately, it was starting to feel... excessive.

Today was no different. "Y/N, can you help me stitch this up again?" a boy asked, holding up a shirt that looked like it had been through a tornado.

Y/N sighed, giving the boy a tired smile. "This is like the third time this week. What did you do now?" Her voice had a slight edge to it, the way a mother would sound when her child broke something for the umpteenth time.

The boy shrugged nonchalantly. "I, uh, tripped...again."

Y/N stared at him, her patience starting to wear thin. "You know, maybe you should consider not tearing your shirt on purpose just to visit the home economics room."

Her club members, who were sitting nearby, exchanged knowing glances. They had seen Y/N's kindness being stretched too thin lately, and it was clear that she was starting to feel uncomfortable. Still, she was too nice to outright refuse.

Just as Y/N was about to tell the boy that he could come back tomorrow if it wasn't urgent, another voice cut through the conversation.

"Hey."

Both Y/N and the boy turned to see none other than Kenma, standing at the doorway, his usual calm demeanor in place, but there was something different this time. There was a subtle edge to his voice, something protective.

Kenma walked over, standing next to Y/N. "Maybe you should just buy a new shirt instead of tearing this one up over and over."

The boy blinked, caught off guard. "Uh... yeah, maybe..." he stammered before awkwardly backing away. "I'll... come back tomorrow."

Kenma watched as the boy scurried off, and Y/N, still processing what had just happened, blinked in surprise. "Did you just... save me?" she asked, her heart suddenly thumping faster.

Kenma shrugged, glancing away. "It wasn't a big deal. Those guys were starting to take advantage of you. You shouldn't have to fix their problems every time."

Y/N felt her cheeks warm, and for the first time, she felt herself blushing around Kenma. Her heart beat a little faster, and she wasn't sure why. "Thanks, Kenma. I appreciate it. You're right, I'll be more careful."

Kenma nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, no problem. You... wanna walk to the gate together?"

"Sure," Y/N replied, her smile returning, though she could still feel her heart racing.

As they walked through the hallway, both of them were blushing, neither quite knowing how to handle the sudden shift in the air. Kenma was unusually quiet, and Y/N couldn't stop sneaking glances at him, grateful for his help but also feeling... flustered?

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Meanwhile, from a distance, Kuroo, Lev, and the rest of the volleyball team were watching them with wide grins plastered across their faces.

Yaku elbowed Kuroo. "Hey, is it just me, or are both of them blushing now?"

"Oh, they're definitely blushing," Kuroo smirked, trying not to laugh too loudly.

Lev tilted his head, genuinely confused. "Do you think Kenma even realizes he's flirting?"

Kuroo burst out laughing. "No way. This is Kenma we're talking about. He probably thinks this is just some sort of... intense game strategy."

Yamamoto added with a chuckle, "He's more focused than when he plays video games."

As Kenma and Y/N approached the school gate, Kuroo and the others tried to compose themselves, but it was impossible. The moment Kenma glanced at them, his face still slightly red, they erupted into laughter.

"Kenma, you're all flustered!" Kuroo teased, wiping a tear from his eye.

Kenma, now thoroughly embarrassed, glared at them. "Shut up."

Lev leaned in, grinning. "Aww, you're being a gentleman now, huh?"

Kenma rolled his eyes. "It's not like that."

"Oh, sure, whatever you say," Kuroo smirked, clearly enjoying every second of this.

Y/N, who was standing by Kenma's side, couldn't help but laugh as well. It wasn't often that she saw Kenma being the target of so much teasing, and honestly, it was kind of cute.

Kenma sighed, feeling defeated. "Can we just go home?"

Kuroo clapped him on the back. "Sure thing, Mr. Hero."

As they started walking, Kenma glanced at Y/N and caught her smiling at him. Despite all the teasing, despite everything, it didn't feel so bad.

Maybe, just maybe, knowing her wouldn't be so bad after all.