Next Gen. (The rivalry continues)

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I knew I should have listened to my mother when she told me to sleep early last night but I couldn't help it, the new RPG game just came out. A horde of students raced through the hallways, a few of them bumped into me but I was too lazy to dodge them. 

I let out a silent yawn and stretched my arms, deeply regretting the fact that I slept at four in the morning. A familiar face slowly came in view and my eyes immediately gravitated at her. Nagisa smiled and waved at me, slowly stopping once she had reached my spot. 

" Good morning, Ushijima-Kun," she greeted with a bright smile on her face. Her sudden enthusiasm caught me off guard. It seemed like two days ago when she walked through the hallway as if there was a heavy rain-cloud over her. I smiled at her and greeted her with equal enthusiasm. 

" What class are you in by the way?" she asked. " Oh, I'm in class 2-E. How about you?" 

" Class 2-C," I raised a brow and smirked. Class 2-C is one of the few classes specialized for smarter students. It's no wonder I rarely see her outside the halls, they usually get busy during breaks to catch up to their classes or do their assignments. 

" You're a smart one, I see." I teased and nudged her on the side. Nagisa chuckled and nodded her head. 

" I might be average at volleyball but at least I'm good at math," her confidence brought a smile to my face. I was self-aware of girls around my age and thought they were all just a bunch of selfie driven Instagram loving ladies but seeing Nagisa is like a breath of fresh air. 

" Maybe you can teach me," I joked. Well-- half-joked, I need to catch up on my math. Once my mom sees my grades, she's not going to be too happy. 

" If we had met each other earlier, then we'd probably become close friends. Don't you think?" A few students ran past us and I had to move her to the right to avoid her getting hit. I awkwardly laughed and nodded at her question. Maybe, if I had opened my eyes more and paid attention I would have seen Nagisa. 

" Anyways, I have to go now. See you later?" She gripped her bag tighter and showed me a close-lipped smile as if she was hoping to see me later. Am I seeing things right? Her attitude changed after we talked more yesterday. Is this what I had to do to get closer to the opposite gender? That's amazing. I smiled, amused at what I had just thought of. We waved each other goodbyes before going on our separate ways. Leon stepped out of our classroom with a cheeky smile on his face, his intimidating posture caused several girls to squeal silently as they walk past him. 

" I never thought I'd see this day," He grinned while shaking his head. Leon's slightly blonde hair swayed along with his head like he was in some shampoo commercial. I couldn't help but punch him jokingly on the shoulder. 

" Shut up," I said as we both entered the room. 

" So when is the date?" He sat and leaned his cheek against his palm. 

" What date? Dude, we've only talked to each other yesterday." I raised a brow and laughed. 

" Even twelve-year-olds start dating nowadays. You're beyond late, Natsuki." I looked at him surprisingly. This guy has guts to call me out but only managed to date one girl in all his three years in junior high. 

" Well, that's because I don't have time for that stuff. Volleyball is more important," I leaned back against my chair and sighed. Of course, volleyball is more important. I grew up with volleyball in my life. I can't imagine spending my time on anything else other than volleyball. 

" You sound like my dad," Leon complained, the annoyance in his voice was obvious. 

" Oh. Sorry," I immediately avoided his gaze. Every time Leon speaks about his personal life I can't help but feel awkward. It makes no sense to me because I've always complained about how he never tells me anything and now that he is, my tongue gets tied up. I guess this is a confirmation that I'm a bad friend.