Strategize: Haikyuu Fanfic

Chapter 48: Watermelon

Third Person POV:

"Ayame, are the watermelons ready?" Shimizu asked, peeking over the counter, her voice took the girl by surprise, making the knife prick her skin as she tried to slice the fruit.

"Ita..." She muttered under her breath, wincing. She examined the cut, and sure enough, blood started oozing out of her forefinger.

"CALL 119!!" The bald second year panicked along with Noya.

"Calm down. It's just a cut." Ayame said as she washed her finger in the sink. After receiving a hello kitty bandaid from Yachi, and insisting that she's fine to Shimizu, she continued to slice up the watermelons.

Today, on the last day of the training camp, there was supposedly barbecue for dinner, which got everyone all hyped up. The sun started to set, and they all set up the grilled delicacy and fresh sliced fruits at the table outdoors. There was practically a pool full of drool from the four starved idiots: Hinata, Kageyama, Noya, and Tanaka. But before the camp members dig in, Nekomata Sensei spoke encouraging words.

"You have all worked hard over this week-long training camp! Your hunger will make the food taste delicious. Go ahead and mend your muscles to your heart's content. It's chow time!"

Everyone clasped their hands together and exclaimed in unison:

"ITADAIKIMASU!"

At first, you can barely hear anyone talk, as they're too busy shoving food down their mouths. But as the clock ticked by, it grew louder and louder. And it just so happens that Ayame was eating alongside the other managers, mainly with Shimizu and Yachi.

"Ryu. Tora." Noya called them, their eyes burning with determination. "We absolutely can't allow any guys to take advantage of everyone's good mood to get close to our managers!"

"Sorry, but I got to go grab some watermelon." Ayame whispered to the two, though that's not primarily the reason why. Immediately, Ayame fled the area before she gets involved with those three, which are always up to trouble.

Struggling to get through a forest filled with towering men, she bumped into someone familiar.

"Giraffe-san, can you move? I want some watermelon." She said to Lev, who grinned mockingly at the girl.

"Oh, this?" He grabbed the last slice of the juicy red fruit and raised it to his eye level, completely out of her arm's reach. Her eye twitched at the male, who took her stance, drew her feet back, and hurled her heel it to his face. She intended to hold back her force, but it was enough to send him down on the floor. The girl plucked the watermelon off his grasp and walked away as if nothing happened.

"195 cm... That's a new record..." Yamaguchi congratulated her, still shocked.

"I didn't know myself if I could reach it, but seeing how much I got irked, it was worth a shot." She mumbled before taking a small bite out of the fruit.

"I told you she's made of rubber." Tsukishima said to his freckled friend, who replied with a nod.

After that, the three ate in silence. But the two noticed that Ayame was having difficulty in eating her watermelon: she kept taking small bites, to the point that the watery juice trickled down the side of her palm, down to her elbow. They can't help but stifle out a laugh.

"You eat like a kid..." The freckled boy said in between his snickers.

"Well sorry." She said sarcastically, "I may be trained on table manners, but eating finger foods is another thing."

The three captains: Daichi, Bokuto, and Kuroo, along with the three men - well more like boys - who were supposedly protecting Yachi and Kiyoko, approached their direction. Daichi held a plate full of food and handed it to the blonde, who just raised his eyebrow.

"C'mon and eat more, Tsukishima!" Captain said cheerfully.

"Er...this is really too much..." He refused the offer.

The Nekoma captain turned to his setter, who sat across from us, busy playing with his gaming console.

"You too Kenma, here~" he waved a peice of steak in front of him, to which the boy shook his head vigorously in disgust.

"Meat! You've gotta have meat!" Bokuto insisted, to which both guys, who seem unappetized, just shook their head.

"You guys sound like some pushy uncles." Ayame said, licking the tips of her fingers after finally finishing the fruit.

"Ayame! Why did you leave us?! We're here to protect you!" Noya said in an [exaggerated] betrayed tone, to which the girl shrugged.

"That's the reason why I left the first place." She retorted. She felt the cold watermelon juice trickled down on the side of her wrist. Without hint of shyness, a she used her tongue, licking up the juice and letting it glide all the way up to her fingertips. The three stopped babbling immediately, so she raised her eyebrow at them, who's faces are all in a deep shade of red.

"Um...Senpai? Your nose..." She pointed to the libero, who touched his nose, which was bleeding profusely. Tanaka, who was still red, pointed accusingly at Noya.

"YOU-YOU'RE HAVING PERVERTED THOUGHTS?!"

"LOOK WHO'S TALKING!!" Using his other hand to plug up his nose, Noya pointed accusingly back at him, who was gushing out practically a river of blood out of his nostrils.

"TORA, YOU TOO?!"

The three panicked as Ayame looked at them in confusion. Fortunately, Daichi let out an ominous aura, which stopped the three from causing any more ruckus.

"You can pinpoint which ones own a pornographic magazine." Tsukishima snickered alongside Yamaguchi. She continued to lick the tips of her fingers, until Kuroo had a marvelous idea.

His smirk grew into a sly grin as he gently grabbed ahold of her wrist. Then, he stuck out his tongue and licked her forearm in the most suggestive way as possible, all the way up to the ends of her fingertips. The three idiots, infuriated, caused a rampage, which was immediately silenced by the captain again. The blonde was able to remain calm, though eye twitched, annoyed. 

"You missed a spot." Kuroo wore a smug smirk.

"You could've just told me." Ayame said, not a trace of blush in her cheeks. But then she started chuckling to herself quietly, as if she'd come to a realization.

"Nekoma. You really live up to your team name." She said grinning genuinely, which took him by surprise.

His cheeks had a tint of pink as he leaned to the tall blonde, whispering to him."I approve of her. I wish you both the best."

"Like I ever needed your approval." He shot back.