Days in the Life of a Nekoma High Schooler

The Re-established Provocation Expert

The score now is 24-24, so it's a deuce. The first to score two points above the other wins. I watch intently. They all look a little worn out, but otherwise they are completely focused on the game. So far the points were pretty much given to one team then the other, and back again. I don't really know much about volleyball, only some stuff that I've picked up from today, a few spare lessons from middle school and some matches on TV I occasionally watched with Kuroo and Kenma, but even I could sense that the match might not end soon. 

Dammit Kuroo ... Was this the catch? Make the volleyball match go on for so late that the store will be closed whether you win or not? Bastard.

Even so, I realise that I've enjoyed watching the match. It's strange how people can mess around and have fun for one minute and can suddenly become intense in the next ... It's a sort of a weird and epic complex.

"Hey, Chihirooo," Kuroo calls out to me.

"What is it, Kurooo?" I mimic.

"You're spacing out. You need to watch this part in particular, this is where it gets intense. Watch the moment your precious ice cream is snatched away by the victorious Kuroo Tetsurou."

"Right." I roll my eyes. "May the victor devour the ice cream." I say in a solemn tone. It is gone in an instant, though, and a grin springs to my lips. "Right in front of the loser's face too."

It's Kuroo's turn to serve. He can do those powerful jump serves, and he does one now. The ball is shot with lightning speed from his hand, and flies in a graceful arch across the court until it hits the top of the net, wobbles slightly, and falls onto Kenma's side of the court. He swiftly picks it up and Shibayama receives it neatly.
Yamamoto jumps to spike the ball, but only gently taps the ball when #2 and #6 jump to block him.
Yaku dives to save it, succeeds, and #2 receives and passes to #6, who passes to Kuroo who's jumped, ready to spike. He hits the ball, hard, and the volleyball shoots straight past Kenma and Yamamoto's block and bounces off the court.

25-24 to Kuroo's team. One more point and I'll have to walk home without the bus, dammit!

Well, it's not like I've lost to that trashcan yet.

"Damn, I was aiming for a service ace too," Kuroo mutters to himself. "Now I can't block either, now that I'm at the back ..."

For once I decide to spare him from my teasing, and try to think about the situations both teams are in.

So ... Kenma's at the front, and Kuroo's at the back ...

The ball is served from Kenma's side of the court.

After observing their match for a good hour or so, I notice that Yaku and Kuroo in particular have incredible defensive skills, while Yamamoto has a powerful spike.
He slams the ball hard to the ground, and the whistle is blown. 25-25.

25-26.
26-26.
27-26.

The numbers slowly crawl up, without anyone scoring two points in a row.
There had been a crimson-orange wash over the clouded sky in what had felt like moments before, but the sky is now inky, spilled with dozens of stars.

They've both made it into the thirties. 32-32. Will this ever end?!
In the next point, Kenma skilfully taps in a setter's dump, I think it's called (Kuroo was saying that it is one of Kenma's main skills). I think I have managed to pick up that Kenma's good at reading the opposition's movements, and being unpredictable. I definitely hadn't seen the dump coming.

32-33 to Kenma's team. Before I know it, Yamamoto whacks down another spike onto the other court, which Kuroo fails to receive. The whistle to end the game was blown, and I hear Kuroo spit a "damn it" which made me come back to my senses.

I have won my ice cream!! Okay, so what flavour? Vanilla? Strawberry? Chocolate? Wait, is the shop even open at this time? I check my watch. 6:47. It should be okay.

I can't help myself, and I have to grin widely at the defeated Kuroo.
I'm such a sadist ... But I don't care.

"Tch. You're a sadist, you know that Chihiro?"

"I know!" I can't suppress a laugh.

"Hey, it wasn't supposed to be a compliment. You should be concerned." He feints a serious look.

"No, it was just that I was thinking the same thing ... And also concluded that I do not care."

"Since when were you a free spirit?"

"Since forever, my friend." My smile widens. "Now, you've got a bet to repay, haven't you ..?"

***

"Ugh, you two are too much," Kenma mutters. "Chihiro, just choose one and let's go already."

I somehow managed to drag both Kenma and Kuroo to the nearest convenience store to redeem my ice cream.

"Okaaay. But Kenma, you're playing games anyway, so what's the difference?" Without waiting for a reaction, I turn my back on him to look at the contents of the freezers.

Mango sorbet. Raspberry sorbet. Mango. Raspberry.
Ugh, I can't choose!

"Okay, Kuroo. Rock paper scissors. If you win, it's mango. If I win, it's raspberry. They're both the same price, by the way, so don't worry ..."

"Okay."

Kuroo wins. He facepalms himself.

"Honestly, I should've won the match and not a game of rock paper scissors."

I hand the sorbet (mango, not raspberry) to Kuroo, who places it on the counter. And fishes out his wallet.

"Hm, true," I begin thoughtfully, "that would've been much better for you, but there's no point in complaining about something that happened in the past; you can't change it. You should think about how you're going to win the next match tomorrow. Maybe I'll have to be the one to get out my purse tomorrow."

Kuroo hands me my reward with a sullen expression.

"You know the moment you've been completely defeated when Yukimura Chihiro decides to pity you instead of mock you."

"Hm? But I was only saying true things. If I pitied someone, I would probably sugarcoat my words a great deal more ..."

"You still pity me." Kuroo insists, but he has regained the smirk on his face.

"You never learn, do you, Kuroo-san. If I truly pitied you, I would pay you back the money you spent to buy the sorbet, and give it to you. As you can see, I am eating the stuff right in front of your face - it's really good, too - so I definitely do not pity you." I smile at him.
"Oh, but can I just add," I continue, my voice dropping into a villainous tone, "if you really hate to be pitied that much, then why not make sure that you're not going to lose next time?"

"I hate you."

I laugh at his defeat. I'm a sadist. "I decode that as, 'Touché. You've won the argument.'"
"I think that on top of the sorbet and the argument, you've just won the title of the Provocation Expert." Kenma said quietly, his gaze still fixed on his game.

I glance sideways at Kuroo's huffy expression, his cheeks slightly red with annoyance.

Heh. Cute.

I grin to myself and shift my gaze to my cousin, who was rapidly pressing keys and muttering to himself under his breath.

So he can play games and listen at the same time after all.