Reincarnated In Another World As A World-class Volleyball Player

Chapter Twenty-One

Hakuba Gao wasn't much different from how he was in his highschool days as he looked down at you with an irking disinterest circling in his slightly vitriolic orbs. His arms crossed against his chest as you met his bored gaze with your own facade of unamusement, the frown etched unto his face deepened before you finally allowed a hint of a smile to grace your face, the corners of your lips twitching upwards as you bowed politely, a bit disturbed given you weren't too keen on being overly posh, especially if the receiver of your actions was a kid.

The future wing spiker for Kamomedai High, fortunately, doesn't look all too unfamiliar with your actions as he begrudgingly greets you back with a bow of his own, though his limbs are stiff when he does it. A glance at Aika is all it takes for you to understand his out-of-character actions before you shift your eyes back to Hakuba, back already straightened as he pushes his hands inside his pockets, his eyes fixated on the left wall.

Your grandmother, a presence you nearly forgot about, clasped her hands together in delight as she happily commented on how cute the two of you were. Aika had agreed whole-heartedly with your grandmother's claims, a pleasant smile on her face as they began a conversation which seemed to solely revolve around the adorableness of kids, more specifically you and Hakuba. The boy in question didn't appear to be concerned about their comments, even looking quite satisfied as he smirked.

"Obaasan, obaasan- can I take Hakuba-san to an ice cream parlor? I saw one near here."

For a moment, your grandmother turns her focus to you and flashes you a heart-warming smile that reaches her ears as she agrees with a simple and curt nod. Though Hakuba doesn't seem too happy with your decision to include him in your plans, you ignore him as you grasp his hand as tightly as you can. You're about to begin the struggle of forcefully dragging him but you're interrupted by grandmother's words.

"Have fun."

It causes a grin to erupt on your face as you excitedly nod, dragging Hakuba as quickly as possible so he doesn't have much time to react. Surprisingly, he doesn't really fight back and allows you to maneuver him out of the room, you glance at your grandmother for a moment before smiling widely.

"We will!"

You shut the door and Hakuba stares down at you with slight annoyance as he crosses his arms once more, an expression that screams 'arrogance' painted on his face as he starts to speak to you.

"Thanks! I didn't know if I could survive another second in there!"

His words are unexpected to you as you freeze for a second, staring at him with a hint of disbelief in your eyes but he doesn't seem to notice a change of expression on your part. Though, he seems to realise what his words entail as he begins to speak again.

"But I'm not going anywhere with you! Those who are bigger are always superior to those smaller than them! Got it?! I don't owe you anything!"

Not that you thought he did, to begin with. It slightly worries you to boss him around in whatever circumstance and context given he seemed to be the kind of person that kept tabs on favours. You reply with an unsure and weak nod and he nods in return, turning on his heel as he begins to walk away.

Unsure of what your next move will be, you ask Tomo for some advice but the intangible database replies with his familiar baritone voice that there is no exact option that outweighs another.

'I'm sorry. There is no action that is quote on quote, "better" so, unfortunately, I cannot give you a response as it goes against my reasons of existence. If the answer I give to you harms you in any way, I will be deleted.'

You grimace at the possibility, Tomo was a huge help to you and though he wasn't exactly a person or an object, you cherished his existence.

'It's okay, Tomo. But, could you tell me the possibilities? I'll choose for myself. You won't get deleted in that scenario, right?'