Eh? Ah, Sou. [Kise R.] ✓

「 十五 」

「 十五 」 Look Here

" Hey, blondie. " A particularly frosty voice had called out. " We need to talk. "

" Hmph. " Molten gold eyes sharpened. " Exactly what I was thinking, senpai-tachi. "

—

Yohime had been minding her own business. Really.

She had been sat on the floor in a shaded area of the roof, watching the clouds drift aimlessly across the bright blue sky overhead; soaking in the serenity the enveloped her amid her calm surroundings.

In fact, she just began to doze off, her tired eyes drooping, when a loud bang jolted her awake. She scarcely had a moment to fully awaken before she was wordlessly and unceremoniously hauled to her feet by her upper arms and pushed against the wall she had once been leaning on.

A pair of glaring gold eyes bored into her very soul— a gaze not unlike when he got serious in a game.

" Nijicchi! What have my fangirls been doing to you?! " The black haired girl, who was a smidgen annoyed, felt her stomach turn. She sucked in a gulp of air and tried to speak but no words would come out. The smallest tinge of fear filled her belly. Kise looked terrifying.

The blond clicked his tongue in impatience as she remained mute, squeezing her shoulders tighter, he barked: " How long have they been treating you like that?! Who exactly were they?! I'm going to have a few words with them! It's my fault that they're doing this to you! "

At that, Yohime spluttered—" Wha—! No! No! "— and pushed Kise back (not that it really did more than cause him to let go of her shoulders). Throwing her head in the air with a hastily constructed air of stoicism, she even managed to steady her voice before she added: " It's not your fault and-slash-or your problem. I am more than well equipped to take care of my— "

" Then why aren't you, Yohime? " Kise interrupted sharply. " You can't just keep everything bottled up! If you hurt, say you're hurt! If you're sad, say you're sad! Teammates share each other's burdens! " He grabbed her forearms in his impassioned speech, and a good thing he did, because Yohime felt a bit weak in her knees. " Friends share each other's pains! " Somewhere in her chest— warmth.

Friends...

She never really had many of them before. Even when she did, when she had anyone remotely close to her, she'd be an emotional crutch. She'd take and take and take the weight and the hurt and the pain but no one— save the family she barely saw— ever asked her to rely on them.

Until Kise.

The world was thrown into silence yet again, the serenity of the roof that lazy summer afternoon punctuated only by the pants of a blond basketball player who had spent his breath on his words. In that moment, she felt the most at peace.

" ... I don't hurt, " she had uttered in a soft tone after awhile. Kise opened his mouth, a frown marring his face, to begin his tirade again; but was silenced by the small smile that touched her lips. " I don't hurt... anymore. Thanks, Kise. "

Letting out a sigh of relief, the blonde nodded and released her, turning his back to the wall he had pinned her two, he slid down it tiredly; all energy spent. She sat beside him a moment later.