love beyond species《tsukkiyama》

01 : 会議

会議: meeting

Tsukkishima woke up, a yawn escaping from his thin lips. He got up and brushed his teeth, changed into his school uniform, and headed out without a word. Kei's mom looked out the door with a puzzled look. The tall male usually said a small bye every single day without fail. She just shrugged it off, assuming that he was stressed with school and simply forgot.

'You forgot to say bye to mom, you asshole,' the voice in his head said. He ignored it, walking past the colorful houses on the route to school.

"Tsukki!" said a voice. He slowly turned around to see the one and only Yamaguchi Tadashi waving at him with his usual bright smile. 

"Hello," he said bluntly, turning away from Yamaguchi and walking ahead as if no one had said anything. Yamaguchi frowned and trotted up to him, having to catch up to his unusually quick pace.

"You okay? You're acting weird," he said, with a concerned look.

'If only you knew,' the voice in his head said. Kei just shrugged and looked ahead.

"I'm fine," he mumbled. Kei walked the rest of the way in silence, with Tadashi shuffling awkwardly beside him.

"I'll see you at practice, then," said Yamaguchi, with a small wave, and walked off into a different classroom.

Tsukkishima ignored him and looked at the rows of classrooms, entering the one his subconscious seemed to drag him to.

He sat in one of the seats in the back, not wanting to stand out among the others. He sat up straight, his dull eyes surveying the class. A girl who had straight blonde hair and a sparkly hair bow walked up to him, a rosy glow dusting her cheeks. She clutched an envelope in her hands and held it out to him, her head turned so she didn't meet his cold eyes.

"Take this! R-read it on your own time!" she said, bowing a few times and rushing off. Kei gave it a look and tossed it in the trash can, not even thinking twice about it. A far-off voice was scolding him for it, but he just shrugged it off.

The rest of the day was the same. Kei sat like a statue in every class, somehow absorbing all the material without taking notes.

The end of the day finally arrived, and Kei was ready to venture back home but was stopped by a certain freckled boy.

"Tsukki? Where are you going? We have practice!" he said, raising his eyebrows. He suddenly had a headache, and his arm twitched.

"Ah yes.  I simply forgot," he said, going in the opposite direction and to the gym. Tadashi stood behind him with a confused look and just followed him silently.

"You're LATE!" screamed a short boy with bright orange hair.

"Get away from me before I kill you," Kei said, clenching his fist. The people here annoyed him to death.

When everyone heard this, the gym fell completely silent. The teen jumped and hid behind a taller, dark-haired male.

"No need for death threats, Tsukkishima," said a grey-haired boy, with a concerned look on his face. Kei's head was pounding, and he reached for an arm to clutch it.

"I'm not feeling well. I'm leaving," he said, turning around and leaving the gym. Yamaguchi looked after him, feeling something he had never felt about Kei.

Fear.

Something was seriously wrong with him, he could tell. Throughout all of his years knowing Kei, Yamaguchi had not once felt scared by Kei, despite his typically mean demeanor, one that he knew was a facade. 

Kei was getting further away from the gym and Yamaguchi wanted to follow him, but he knew he wouldn't get better if he didn't practice. Maybe Tsukki is just sick. He took one last glance out the doors and walked back into the gym, where the rest of the volleyball team continued practicing as if nothing had happened.

Tsukki stood behind a small building to make sure no one could see him and clutched his throbbing head, his fingernails digging into his scalp.

It was going to be a long walk home.

w: 695