Singleplayer RPG

Chapter 3 - Unexpected Allies

The team stood quietly for a second. Kuroo then placed a hand on his hip and slanted a little.

"Dress up as what exactly?" he said with a slightly sharp tone.

The captain smiled playfully. "I was hoping you guys could come up with some ideas. Since the event is open to the public, maybe we should do something thematic so we can draw in potential first years. I was thinking we could dress up...as cats maybe?"

Yamamoto stomped his foot in front of him. "No way! That's way too embarrassing!"

Yaku raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh? So what's your idea?"

Yamamoto his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest. "We should all dress up...as samurai!"

The whole team went silent. Fukunaga then chuckled to himself a little. Kenma looked at Yamamoto with disgust.

"Samurai? Really?" Kenma said in a disappointed tone.

"What? Don't you think that would be cool?" Yamamoto said defensively.

"Seems more fitting of the kendo club than the volleyball club," Yaku said with his hand on his chin.

The team fell silent again as everyone tried to come up with ideas. Suddenly, the captain perked up. "Maybe we are over complicating this. Perhaps we should just wear our volleyball jerseys?" He spoke as if he felt defeated, but he smiled as though he still had a plan.

Yaku tilted his head. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of making us stand out?" Kuroo and Kenma nodded in agreement.

"How about one of us dressed up then...maybe one of the first years?" Kenma, Yamamoto and Fukunaga became more attentive. Yamamoto had a glimmer in his eyes. "No Yamamoto, you can't dress up as a samurai." Yamamoto slouched again. "Plus, you might scare off any newcomers. We need someone who has a strong presence, but who won't intimidate people." Everyone began trying to figure out what the captain meant, before all figuring it out one by one. Their heads turned to look at Kenma, who began to look very uncomfortable.

"Hold on," Kenma said anxiously. "Surely you don't mean me...right?"

The third years smirked as the captain walked up to Kenma, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Who else could we mean? You're clearly the perfect choice."

Yaku stood forward in irritation. "Hey, wait a second. Why does it have to be Kenma? Can't one of us do it instead?"

"Yaku, your short tempter might scare off the new members", the captain spoke bluntly. "Kuroo and Yamamoto are also out because they look intimidating. Fukunaga and Kai don't really have a presence, so people might not resonate with them. Us third years can't do it because we will be gone next year, so it preferably needs to be someone who will still be on the team next year, right?"

Unable to refute his words, Yaku clenched his fists. He and Kuroo weren't completely sure what he was planning, but they read between the lines and figured that his intentions weren't pure. Fukunaga seemed unfazed by the situation, whereas Yamamoto and Kai quietly listened to the third years.

"Okay," Kenma said quietly. "I'll do it."

Yaku and Kuroo looked at him in shock. "H-Hey, are you sure about that?" Yaku said. "You don't have to if you aren't comfortable with it."

"It's only for a few hours, right? It shouldn't be a huge problem. Besides, people will be focusing more on the fun stalls, right?"

Before Kuroo and Yaku could say anything, the third years quickly wrapped the meeting and left. The rest of the team quietly did the same, unsure of what to make of the situation. As Kuroo and Kenma sat on the train together, Kuroo finally spoke up.