Pulchritudinous

16

"Big day! Big day! Big day! Do I have everything? No, I feel like I'm forgetting something. What could I be forgetting? Gah!" Chura panics, running around like a crazy person.
"Your pants." Koushi chuckles as he leans against the door frame.
"Ahh! Why didn't you warn us?!" Asahi covers his eyes, turning away.
"You're a mess, Chu." Daichi laughs, turning away like it's nothing major.
"Ni~! You didn't tell me they were here already! They didn't see the thing, did they?" She whispers, even though they are right there.
"No, they did not. I made sure they didn't go near it." He assures her, "Put on your pants before they get nose bleeds." He shakes his head, pulling the two away while closing the door.
"Man." She rummages through her drawers to find her uniform pants, a rubber band in her mouth.
She quickly slips them on and pulls her hair into a ponytail. Double checking her bag, she slings it over her shoulder and rushes out the door. Once downstairs, the three turn to her and smile. She smiles in return, placing her hands on her hips.
"Good morning, Sawamura-san, Azumane-san! Ready to see the surprise?" She jumps on her toes in excitement.
"You seem pretty excited about this." Asahi chuckles.
"She is. She spent the past few days deciding what to make and getting everything prepared. She even refused my help, saying that I'm part of the team as well so she invited Kiyoko and Yachi over to help." Koushi informs.
"Eh?! Kiyoko and Yachi came over?!" Asahi gasps.
"And you didn't invite us?" Daichi jokes, at least that's what the siblings think, causing Koushi to punch his arm.
"Anyways, come see! They're all individually wrapped for everyone too." Chura smiles brightly as she leads the ace and captain into their kitchen.
"Very Chura of you." Asahi comments as he picks up a small orange plastic bag tied with black ribbon, along with a doodle of Noya on it.
"They'll love it for sure, Chu." Daichi turns to her after finding his own, "Thank you so much." He bows, gratefully for her work.
"J-just doing my job as manager! The girls agreed it'll both motivate them and give them the proper nutrients for their games." Her cheeks heat up, looking to the side in embarrassment when he bows.
"Come on. Let's help her pack them so we can meet everyone at the school." Koushi brings out a container and starts gently placing them inside.
Within five minutes, the four of them exit the house and head for school. Chura isn't even playing this tournament, but she feels nervous. She believes in the boys but she's still feels uneasy.
"What's with that face?" Koushi nudges his sister, bringing her back to reality.
"Hmm? What face? I'm not making a face!" She laughs innocently.
"What're you worried about? Are you scared we won't make it to nationals?" Daichi asks, tilting his head slightly at the girl.
"N-no. It's not that I don't think you'll make it..." she licks her lips, "I'm just worried because only one manager is allowed on the court at a time so... I can't be down there with the team to encourage everyone. It's not the same being in the stands. And I..." She looks at her brother, making him stop walking, "I miss being on the court."
"I knew you'd eventually give in. You're in it as much as I am. We are blood." Koushi wraps an arm around her shoulders and squeezes her tight.
"Next year you plan on joining the girls team then?" Asahi asks when they begin to walk again.
"I'm still debating. I can't just leave the boys and Yachi. They're my friends now. Maybe I can do both... Somehow..." she taps her chin, thinking.
"If you want to play, don't resist. You'll regret it." Daichi looks at the other boys, "I almost didn't play this term, just for a measly second I thought I shouldn't. If I didn't, I would've regret it."
"Thanks, Sawamura." She smiles gratefully.
"You know, we never told you but you can call us by our first names. You're our close friend too, Chu." Daichi smiles at the younger Sugawara.
"Daichi~" he pats her head when her eyes light up.
A dark aura comes from the other side of Chura, making Daichi tense. He waves his arms around frantically, shaking his head as Asahi laughs at him.
"I-I don't anymore! Koushi!" The captain pouts.
"You don't what?" Chura looks back at forth between her brother and Daichi, blinking in confusion.
"He used to-" Koushi starts but Daichi cuts him off.
"Oi! Shut it!" Daichi warns, making Koushi smirk.
"Chura~!" Noya and Tanaka run up to the girl, about to tackle her when she's pulled out of the way suddenly.
"Why do you do this every time? Poor Chura has stuff in her hands too." Ennoshita tsks, letting go of her.
"Oh! Good morning, Chura! What's in your hands?" Kinoshita points to the container.
"This-" she stops when Kiyoko walks up to them.
"Will have to wait until we do roll call." The third year manager says.
"Aww, come on!" Tanaka whines.
"Is it a surprise?!" Noya beams.
"Is it for us?!" Hinata's eyes sparkle.
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise now would it, pumpkin?" Chura ruffles his hair.
"Alright, let's do roll call." Ukai announces.
Once they know everyone is there, the three hyper boys rush up to Chura. She blinks at them in surprise as they stare at her with puppy eyes.
"Chura~ What's in those bags?!" Noya asks.
"Now?" Chura looks at the coach and advisor for permission, to which they nod, "Kiyoko, Yachi, and I made these for the team. It's filled with nutrients to keep you energized for the games today. We hope you enjoy!" She bows to them.
The team stares at her in shock. They didn't expect her to go through all the trouble. It's sweet.
All three managers help hand out the bags to the boys, each boy thanking the girls happily. Chura fills with happiness seeing how they love the doodles she drew of them and their expressions when taking the first bite. The last bag Chura has to hand out is the person she really didn't want to give it to. She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath before walking over to him and clearing her throat. Kageyama raises an eyebrow at her when she looks away as she hands him the bag.
"H-here you go. I-I hope you l-like it." She bites her lip when he takes the bag from her.
She watches the boy examine his doodle. The corner of his lips rise ever so slightly, but only for a second before he looks back at her with a blank expression. She tenses up with wide eyes, holding her breath.
"Thank you." He nods in appreciation.
"Hinata, watch out-" Hinata bumps into Chura, causing her to fall into Kageyama.
Luckily, Kageyama catches her before they both could fall to the floor, leaving Hinata to fall on his bottom. Chura's heart picks up a faster pace as she looks up at him. Kageyama immediately looks away when their eyes meet, glaring at the ginger on the floor.
"Idiot! You made Chura run into me!" He yells angrily, letting go of the silver haired girl when she's on her feet again.
"Oops! S-sorry!" Hinata bows in apology but Kageyama still yells at him.
"Well, that's some progress, right?" Noya walks up to Chura, speaking with his mouth full of the snack she made.
"Do you think so?" Chura frowns, watching the two get pulled apart by the captains, "He didn't even look me in the eyes."
"He's defending you. I think so." He shrugs, stuffing more food in his mouth.
"Everyone get on the bus now. We're heading out!" Takeda sensei announces.
On the ride over, Chura sits beside Narita. They mostly talk about random things, but she becomes excited when he asks how she made the treats. She explains her whole thought process starting from her stressing out over doing something for them to how she made the food. He tells her she should make it again for them in the future, including the little drawings and she gladly agrees. Out of the corner of her eyes, she notices Kageyama staring at Narita, well more like glaring. She purses her lips, thinking. Maybe today...
"We're here! Sendai City Gymnasium!" Hinata exclaims as he prances out of the bus once they arrive, "This time, we're getting payback."
He starts running towards the entrance, Kageyama soon yelling at him as he catches up. Chura's eyes widen when the ginger bumps into someone. Chura gulps when the blonde, whose hair is styled in a slick back, turns around, looking down at the short middle blocker. Terushima's eyes light up when he recognizes who he is, instantly looking up behind him. His dark eyes catch her own, making her tense. Koushi stands next to her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.
"Ahh! Chura~ I'll get that kiss when we win!" He smiles innocently as he pushes Hinata's face away.
"Yuji." Koushi looks at the blonde with no expression.
Terushima glances at the older Sugawara, his lips pressed together with an unamused face. Eventually, he smirks and waves to him with a cheeky grin. Koushi makes no moves to irk the boy, but Chura's teeth grit.
"Who do you think you are, talking to our manager like that?!" Tanaka blurts out, both him and Noya about to pounce at him when a girl comes in front of the blonde, making them freeze in midair.
"Are they...?" Chura starts.
"They're frozen... In the air..." Yamaguchi confirms as he walks up beside her with Tsukishima on the other side of him.
"I'm so sorry about him." The girl bows then turns to Chura, "You must be Sugawara-san. It's nice to meet you." She smiles.
"H-how do you know my name...?" The grey haired manager raises her eyebrows in confusion.
"I heard you won the award for best libero in Tokyo prefecture in junior high. Other than that, this guy has been talking about you nonstop since-" she's cut off.
"That's enough! Thank you, Misaki-san." He pushes her in the opposite direction, before turning around and looking back at Hinata with a smirk, "See you on the court." He waves as he walks away.
"It really irritates me that he suddenly grew hot." Chura pinches the bridge of her nose, clearly stressed.
"Chura, you know that guy?" Yamaguchi asks when he's inside the building.
"Y-yeah. We went to elementary school together." She ruffles her hair in frustration.
"You don't seem so thrilled to see him again." Tsukishima raises an eyebrow, obviously curious at their relationship.
"He... It's a long story. Let's just go inside. It's cooler." She lets go of her brother and leads the team indoors.
"Suga-san?" Ennoshita looks at the male with a frown.
"Well," he purses his lips looking to the side when everyone looks at him for an explanation, "let's just say that he wasn't the nicest person to her during elementary. But I don't think it's because he hated her." He starts following his sister, leaving behind the curious boys.
Everyone settles into one area, relaxing before the first game. Chura calmed down, pushing aside the thought of Terushima as she talks with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima. Well, mainly Yamaguchi since Tsukishima keeps making snarky remarks in between, almost causing Chura to fight him.
Chura notices Kageyama sitting by himself, opening the snack bag from Chura for the first time. He carefully takes one out of the bag, squinting his eyes at the item. Yamaguchi's eyes follow Chura's, observing the raven haired boy once he sees what she's looking at. Kageyama takes a bite of the snack, chewing slowly as the taste fills his mouth. His eyes light up, pausing his chewing when he realizes how delicious it is. Chura smiles thankfully, looking down at her hands in relief.
"You haven't talked to him, have you?" Yamaguchi smiles sadly at her, making her look at him in surprise.
"Yamaguchi-" Tsukishima starts but Yamaguchi shakes his head at his best friend.
"It's okay. I've given up. I know I've lost." He nods in assurance at the blonde before looking back at her, "You need to soon. It's been three months since you stopped talking."
"I-I know." Chura bites her lip, "I think I'm just scared."
"Of what? What could possibly scare you about the king?" Tsukishima smirks, tilting his head to the side as he stares at her.
"Rejection." His eyes widen at her answer, "What if everyone is wrong and he doesn't like me back? Then I got my hopes up for nothing."
"I-I don't know what to say..." Yamaguchi frowns, "I'm sorry, Chu."
"It's not your fault, don't worry, Yams." She stands up, "I'm gonna use the restroom."
The two first years watch her walk away, without another word. Tsukishima looks at the freckled boy who sighs.
"Did you really give up?" Tsukishima asks softly.
"Yeah... I know they like each other so I figured it's time to give in." He looks to the side at the setter, "Didn't you see the way she looks at him? I don't stand a chance."
Chura looks around for the restrooms. Why is it so hard to find the freaking restroom? She stops when she sees four tall boys surrounding Hinata, Hinata looking like he's about to piss his pants from fear. Chura's eyes land on the boys restroom sign and purses her lips. What to do...? She clears her throat as she walks up to the group. Whispers come from different directions, multiple boys watch as she passes by to reach the group. She glances at some of the boys she passes from the corner of her eyes, making their faces redden. She giggles a bit at their flustered state before looking back at Hinata.
"Hinata! I was wondering where you had gone." She greets the ginger, making him blink back to reality.
"ChuChu-chan!" Oikawa beams.
"Oh, hello, Chura." Iwaizumi waves to her.
"Iwaizumi! Nice to see you again." She smiles.
"How come he gets a greeting but not me?! I knew you first." Oikawa pouts.
"Quiet, pervykawa." The two says at the same time.
"Ever since you two met, I've had double the pain." The captain of Aoba Johsai groans.
"Pervykawa." Hinata snickers, but stops when the said boy glances at him.
"So who're these two? Hi! I'm Chura! Are you friends of Hinata?" Chura faces the boy in green and the boy in maroon.
The boy in green and has white hair nods once, making her smile. He bows slightly in greeting, to which she mimics. The other boy just stares at her, causing her to blink in confusion. He looks at Hinata once more before turning and walking away.
"That's rude." She scoffs, crossing her arms as she watches him walk away.
"I would never ignore you like that, ChuChu-chan~" Oikawa goes to hug her but Iwaizumi pulls her out of the way, making the boy fall onto his face.
"Thank you, pervykawa. I'd never want that from you." She giggles, bending down and patting his head.
"You look very pretty today, Chura~" he sighs dreamily.
"Oh! Hinata," she ignores him, jumping up suddenly and making him whine like a child, "are you alright? That looked like a scary scene you were just in." She places a hand on his shoulder.
"All I wanted to do was use the restroom..." he frowns.
The white haired boy bows to Hinata in greeting, making him flustered but bow back. He nods to Chura before walking away as well.
"That's Aone. He's from Date Tech. We beat them at Summer Inter High." Hinata informs the girl.
"He seems nice. Quiet, but nice. Maybe you should try being like him, pervykawa." Chura jokes.
"What did I ever do to you?!"
"Oh! Is your nephew here?! I miss him!" Chura asks the boy.
"No, not today. But if you come home with me-"
"No." Both Chura and Iwaizumi shake their head in disappointment.
"Let's go before you cause anymore trouble. Sorry, Chura. See you later." Iwaizumi waves to her as he drags the flirt away by the collar.
Chura waves to them, looking back at Hinata afterwards.
"Why're you over here and not with the team, Chura?" Hinata tilts his head.
"O-oh. I um..." she rubs the back of her neck.
"You should talk to him soon. I... I asked him why he was getting so defensive earlier and I could see the tiniest hint of a blush. But I'm too sure. It was also hot outside." Hinata shrugs.
"Oh..." Chura looks at the floor, not knowing what to do.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring you down! I-"
"I'll wait for you out here, pumpkin. Go ahead and use the restroom, I don't mind waiting." She gives an eye smile, but Hinata can tell there's sadness behind it.
Once back with the boys, Chura and Yachi wish them luck and proceed to the second level. Yachi looks at Chura to see her zoning out, something she never does.
"Chura? Are you alright?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm good."
"You don't seem 'good'. What's wrong?"
"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine. I promise. Let's just focus on cheering the boys on." Chura smiles as they approach the railing.
Chura leans over slightly to see a team in yellow on the court with Karasuno. Her eyes land on the blonde, cursing under her breath. Yachi looks at her fellow manager in surprise.
"W-why'd you say that?" She asks.
"Because... It really sucks that Terushima got hot." She groans, glaring at him.
He must've sensed her anger in the stands because he turns around and looks up at her. Terushima waves at her with a bright smile, blowing a kiss to her teasingly. Chura's cheeks redden but she glares at him, sticking her tongue out at him like a child. He sticks his tongue out back at her, smirking then turns back to focus on warming up. Chura's eyes bulge out of their sockets. He's got a tongue piercing too?! Can he get any hotter?!
"Ch-Chura! Please s-stop banging your h-head against the r-rail!" Yachi panics, waving her arms around frantically.
The game starts soon after the interaction with Terushima. Chura's mood changes instantly once the whistle blows. She carefully watches the plays between the teams, a serious expression on her face. According to the man cheering on Karasuno with the girls, whom Yachi said is named Takinoue, Johzenji had been playing 2 vs 2 games every practice, which Chura thought was interesting. Another interesting thing is how similar the rest of the team is to Terushima, but she soon realizes it's cause he's the captain. Chura also overheard several people calling them "the party team", which sense makes when you watch them play. So far, nothing major has happened, except for that Spiderman move Hinata pulled. That boy always surprises her, it's insane.
The score is 17-18 of the first set with Karasuno in the lead. Johzenji has been pretty tough to play against because of how unpredictable their plays are but Kageyama seems to notice something last minute. Because of the late response, Kageyama gets six packed, making Chura's eyes widen.
"Shit!" Chura rushes out the door to get the first level.
"W-wait! Chura!" Yachi calls for her but she's already long gone.
Chura pushes past people to reach the entrance of the court they are playing on, not caring to apologize. She needs to get to him, she needs to make sure he is okay. She halts in her step when she sees Yamaguchi walking out of the gymnasium with Kageyama. Yamaguchi looks at the girl in surprise, quickly glancing at the injured boy to see his reaction. Kageyama blinks in surprise, not expecting to see her here, out of breath like she ran a marathon.
"Oh my god, Kags. Are you okay?" She immediately walks up to him and goes to touch his face but he pushes her hand away, glaring at her.
"I'm fine. I need to get back on the court right away." He starts walking away.
Chura watches him walk off a bit with a frown. Yamaguchi places a hand on her shoulder, her head turning back to look at him.
"I think you should use this time to talk. Tell him that since you're a manager you will take him. I'll let coach know you took him to the infirmary." Yamaguchi smiles.
"A-are you sure? You were told to do it."
"You guys need to make up. As much as I dislike it, it kills me inside knowing you like each other but aren't saying anything." He chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Thanks, Yams. I owe you one." She hugs him tightly before running again to find the boy.
Fortunately, he's barely around the corner, allowing Chura to catch up. He sighs when she walks beside him, not saying a word to her. At this, Chura also sighs, knowing he's not gonna talk first. It's up to her.
"Y-Yamaguchi said because I'm the m-manager I should take y-you so i-it's just us now." She informs the setter.
"Okay." Is all he responds.
Chura bites her lip. This is a lot harder than she thought. They enter the infirmary, Kageyama quickly getting checked out. His nose stops bleeding within five minutes to which he takes this as the chance to go back to the game. Chura bows, apologizing for his behavior and thanking the nurses for taking care of him before rushing after him.
"K-Kageyama! You can't just run off like that! They weren't done checking you out! They needed to check if you were dizzy and-"
"I'm fine!" He turns around and yells, causing her to jump along with a few others nearby, "Why do you care anyways? I don't have time for this." He scoffs, turning back in the direction of the gym.
Chura's fists ball up but she doesn't move from her place.
"What're you so mad about, huh?! I know that you saw Yaku and I kiss that night." His feet squeak against the floor as he stops, "Is that why you haven't talked to me in so long? Because if it is, you're an idiot."
"It doesn't matter if you kissed him. You must be together by now, right? That's why you kissed?" His voice is softer.
"Obviously you didn't stick around to see the aftermath." She walks closer to him, stopping when she's right behind him, "I cried during the kiss."
"What?" He turns around, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, "Why would you...?"
"Yes, Yaku was my first love and it felt right to kiss him, but I cried because I had realized that I didn't like him anymore. The person I really like... is you... And I told him that."
"You're lying." He grits his teeth, looking away, but she can see the hurt in his eyes.
She takes a step closer to him, cupping his cheeks in her hands. He looks at her, finally looking her in the eyes. She smiles and presses her lips gently against his. She lets her lips linger for a few seconds, not wanting to give him too much satisfaction. A small laugh escapes her when she sees him in a daze, his cheeks cherry colored.
"I like you, Tobio. It tore me inside when you stopped talking to me." She frowns, softly stroking her thumb across his cheek.
"I-I'm sorry. I was hurt seeing you kiss him when I was going to apologize to you I... God, I'm an idiot." He lowers his head in shame but Chura picks it right back up.
"Kags... How do you feel about me?" Her voice almost inaudible as she stares into his eyes.
His cheeks redden once again and he mutters something under his breath that she can't make out.
"What? I couldn't hear you." She leans closer to him, their noses almost touching, making his body heat up more.
"I-I-I like y-y-you t-too!" He blurts out, her eyes growing in size at his outburst, "Ugh, can I kiss you again?"
"Whoa there. Is Kageyama in there? You sure don't sound like him." She jokes, laughing as he rolls his eyes.
"Chura." He groans.
"How about this? You can have a real kiss if you pass the qualifiers. Deal?"
"Oh," he smirks, her heart palpitating, "we'll make it to the orange court, just you wait."