Behind a strong man [Ushiwaka /Oc]

Chapter 36 - A damage

Tamiko stretched as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror. The short escape to the toilet had bestowed her a few precious minutes of quiet while most people were watching the matches. Now she was staring at her reflection. Her wavy brown hair was tied up and she was dressed in her favourite colour blue. A sigh escaped her. That girl in the mirror had become friends with Oikawa and she wasn't sure if she should regret it or not. At least all tension was over now and she gave her reflection a smile before adjusting her glasses. Her brothers team had won their first match, she was here with Ushijima and that tension was finally gone. Finally. Nothing could ruin this day. She opened the door of the female rest room and bumped into something solid. The collision caused her to lose her glasses and she held the bridge of her nose from the pain.

"I'm sorry," she winced.

She gave a quick apologetic bow and looked for her glasses when the sudden sound of shattering glass made her flinch. After a short desperate search she saw them, the frame twisted, the glass crushed underneath a stranger's foot. She wanted to just scream. These glasses had been bought from great saving and now they were broken. A boy, the one she had bumped into, suddenly leaned down and picked up the frame.

"I'm sorry about that," he apologized.

He handed her the frame and crouched again to pick up the glass pieces. Tamiko was frozen, paralyzed from the current situation. She watched him as he carefully picked up the glass and them put it in the bin.

"How much were they?" he asked once he was done.

She scanned him for a moment. He was towering over her, seemingly everyone did. He wore a black tracksuit, like Karasuno but she had never seen him before. Needless to say that he had to be from a different school. A few seconds passed until she realized that he had asked her something.

"What?"

"It's my fault that they broke so I might as well pay for a replacement." he shrugged.

He looked tired, his eyes hooded and dropped. But he was watching her with great attention. It made her feel a little uncomfortable, especially since her glasses were now gone.

"Uhm, I don't remember." she finally admitted. "But you don't have to pay."

"At least let me pay a part of it." he offered.

"No, really," she insisted. "It's fine."

Although it wasn't fine. It would take many hours of work to be able to afford them again. The contact lenses were already expensive in the long run and the glasses were a comfort. Her worry seemed to be dominant her expression since he proceeded to write something on a piece of paper.

"This is my name and phone number. Just call when you know the price." he explained. "Sorry, again."

Tamiko nodded and looked at the paper. Miya Osamu, it said. The name rang a bell but she wasn't entirely sure. She repeated the name out loud.

"You can read it?" he asked surprised.

She looked up to him again. This time he looked more awake. A sigh escaped her and she half smiled.

"Those weren't prescription glasses." she admitted.

That fact seemed to confuse him a little. Nonprescription glasses weren't usually expensive but those sadly had been just that.

"I see," he muttered. "Nevertheless, I'll pay for it."

"Thank you." she whispered.

She shyly twirled the piece of paper in her hand and put it in her pocket. To her surprise, Osamu was still standing before her, his eyes seeming to reflect interested.