[English] ~𝒟𝒶𝓇ℯ 𝓉ℴ 𝒟𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓂~ Kenma x OC

Chapter 22: Our Happiness on this Earth

Kenma put the tray with my lunch in front of me. "They don't want to take any chances while the person who released your information is still on free foot." I looked up at him uncertainly. "So what are you doing here then?" 

Kenma plopped down next to me. "Keeping you company, I guess." He handed me the chopsticks. "You should definitely eat more. You only ate a few fruits this morning." He had been watching me? Silence filled the room as I picked up the spoon to eat the steaming noodle soup.

"I want to apologize to you." Kenma broke the silence. Our eyes met. "This wouldn't have gotten so bad if I had been more careful. I didn't think about the consequences." His ears changed color and turned light pink. "I just wanted to be there for you at that moment..." I knew that everything that had happened wasn't his fault. Things happened at the wrong place at the wrong time, I couldn't blame him no matter how hard I tried.

"I know..." My heart threatened to jump out of my chest. I had missed him so much these past few days.

"Kenma?" I put my cutlery aside. He looked at me with half-closed eyes. "Hm?" I looked out the window. "Are you mad at me?", I asked while nervously playing with my fingers. He tilted his head thoughtfully. 

"Do I have a reason to be mad at you?" There were a thousand reasons. 

"It's just... all is messed up because of me. Your fans are now throwing hate comments towards you. I caused you so many problems and I pushed you away, especially after our kiss. There are so many reasons to be mad at me." 

Kenma sighed quietly. "I'm not mad at you. I've never been mad at you. I just don't know how to behave around you."

What did he mean by that? "How you should behave? What do you mean, Kenma?" 

Kenma leaned back and laughed quietly. He had put his arm over his eyes. "Damn. I actually just wanted to bring you something to eat... I actually hadn't planned on confessing my feelings to you yet." The butterflies woke up in my stomach. Kenma glanced at me. His cheeks were now the same color as his ears. "But apparently I have no other choice. You wouldn't believe me otherwise." He straightened up. "Ito Izumi, I've grown very fond of you over the last two months. You make my heart beat loudly, you're on my mind every second. I'm hopelessly in love with you."

My heart skipped a beat. Did I understand correctly? That feeling... He felt it too? "B-but why?", I asked in disbelief, unable to accept what he just confessed.

Kenma smiled slightly. "Does love have to have a reason?" Love. Was I really ready for this step? I looked at him uncertainly. "I don't expect an answer. I know that you don't trust yourself to take the next step right now. But I will wait for you. Until you are ready. Don't stress. First, take care of your worries." Tears welled up in my eyes again. I was really an emotional wreck. "No matter how long it takes, I'm here for you, okay?" My vision was blurry. I nodded vigorously. "Come here." I let him pull me to my feet and into his arms. "I'm sorry for putting those thoughts in your head, kitten. I didn't mean to." 

His hug felt like a warm, cozy blanket that wrapped me up and gave me security. "T-thank you. You really mean a lot to m-me." I felt him smile. 

"I'm glad we talked about this, kitten", he whispered.

----

After I finished eating, Kenma brought the tray of food back to the cafeteria. My heart was still beating really fast in my chest. I felt the urge to move. Thankfully, my silent wish was granted. Shortly after Kenma left, Kita-san, Osamu and Kuroo-san had joined me to tell me that they had found the culprit.

"It's a girl from Inarizaki High School, a first-grader*. She's a fan of Kenma's YouTube channel. Apparently she's one of his hardcore fans.", Kuroo-san said. We left the lounge. 

"Her parents have already been contacted. She will be banned from the training camp from now on", Kita-san added. A trace of pity spread through me. This training camp was one of the best in the whole country. But ultimately it was her own fault. She had not only harmed me, but also Kenma. Her misbehavior should not go without consequences, otherwise she would not learn from it. "You can take part in training again. If there are any more incidents, we will take care of them. It was announced at lunch that anyone who doesn't follow the new rules will be sent home." Oh wow. I wasn't expecting that.

"But there are a few rules you have to follow, Izumi." Kuroo-san appeared next to me again. "You are not allowed to leave the training grounds alone. You and Kenma should also avoid communicating with each other in public. We don't want to add fuel to the fire." I nodded in agreement. He leaned down a little towards me. "I didn't tell your sister. Don't worry about it." Relief spread through me. Fortunately, Hikaru didn't use social media, so she wouldn't find out about the whole thing for the time being. And as long as Hikaru didn't know, my mother wouldn't find out about it too.

-----

After the lunch break, I took part in the training sessions again. Atsumu welcomed me with open arms. "Izumi-chan, there you are again." I smiled at him. 

Oikawa wrinkled his nose before speaking. "We're now starting to train our chosen position, the setter. Before that, we'd like to get an idea of ​​your playing experience." He introduced the exercise we were supposed to do. "Please pass the ball to Kozume-san first. He will receive the ball and pass it back to you. Then pass the ball directly to Miya-san, who will then play it over the net."

I focused on my body. While I watched the others try and analyzed their steps, I thought about what angle I needed to stand at to play the ball in the best possible way. "Izumi, it's your turn", Oikawa yelled. I threw the ball up and ran. Kenma took it easily and played it back. He winked at me almost imperceptibly. The ball landed perfectly in my hands. A quick glance was enough to make out where Atsumu was. When he jumped up, I played it into his hands. "Woahhh, that was good, ya." Atsumu rubbed his hands in satisfaction. I thanked him for his compliment.

Then we continued. Oikawa-san had made some notes about what we should work on in the next two weeks. While we passed a few balls to each other, Kenma, Atsumu and he talked to each other to discuss how to proceed. "Please come together", Kenma said. 

Curious, we gathered together. "We have decided how we will proceed. We will split into three groups and then work individually on your strengths and weaknesses. The groups were formed based on similarities in playing behavior." Oikawa-san smiled challengingly. "Kato Ruri and Sato Sakura: You form a team. Miya-san will support you. Tamahiko Teshiro and Shuichi Anahori, you work with Kozume-san. And you two..." He pressed his lips together. "You have the honor of using my greatness to your advantage." Oh no, this could get really interesting in both ways...

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* In Japan, high school lasts three years. When you go up from middle school to high school, you are said to be in the first year of high school, once you have finished the first year, you are in the second year, and so on... Hence, first grader. Izumi would be a second grader in this case.