Karasuno's Mangers: Little Ukai and The Runaway

39: Does This Qualify As a Kidnapping

Kuroo watched with mild amusement as Emiko entered the gym for the sixth time in the past half hour, let out a groan, only to walk right out. A few minutes later, she walked in again.

He leisurely strolled towards her and eyed her curiously. "What are you looking for Suzuki-chan?"

"My will to live," she grumbled.

"Now, now, Suzuki-chan why so dramatic? What did you lose? Maybe I can help. You know, there's not much you can see from down there."

She frowned, "I'm going to kill you."

"Emiko we talked about this. You can't kill off people when they mildly inconvenience you."

She turned around and nearly threw herself at the floor. "But Captain! He's so annoying, I think this is the one exception that you told me about."

"This doesn't count as self-defence Emiko."

She turned to Kuroo again. "You're lucky I respect Ennoshita."

"How rude Suzuki-chan," he pouted, "and to think that you're my favourite manager here."

She blinked, trying to decipher whether he was teasing her again or not. He sounded genuine but there was something behind that smirk on his face and that look in his eyes. She jumped behind Ennoshita.

"Alright, alright, I'll lay off," Kuroo walked away, "for now, at least."

Emiko turned her attention to the team. "Have you guys seen Mirae? I can't find her and she's not answering her phone."

"She was with Akaashi earlier," Shoji stepped forward. "Don't worry, I trust him."

Emiko frowned. Those two had been spending a lot of time together. She dragged her feet and made her way to the gym Fukurodani was practicing in.

"Um, Bokuto-san, I think you just missed our exit."

He glanced over and shrugged. "Oh I did that on purpose. There's this restaurant a few minutes away from here and their burgers are delicious, you have to try it!"

She didn't know what to say.

Bokuto had asked her for help sending out a package in the mail. He promised the errand would take a half hour at best but here she was, nearly two hours later, on the highway driving farther away from Shinzen High.

"But the team-"

"I can't drive back to Shinzen on an empty stomach, An-Chan." He groaned dramatically and patted his stomach, "I'll pass out and die!"

"Well we can't have you passing out and dying," Mirae bit her lip, "Alright, to the restaurant it is!"

"Sorry Suzuki-chan, I don't know where she could have gone."

"Was she here earlier?"

"She stopped by in the morning," Fukurodani's first year named Banko remembered. "She and Akari were organizing the storage room while we were practicing. Then Bokuto senpai came and she went with him."

Akaashi narrowed his eyes, a dozen scenarios running in his head. "I will call Bokuto-san and ask if she's with him."

The sound of pinball machines and dual-player combat games rang through the air like soundtrack to a teen-fiction movie. Mirae stepped closer to his side, flinching every time a random person bumped into her.

"Um, Bokuto-san, do we really have to play all the games?"

"Of course!" he cheered, yanking the tickets he won from the machine. His eyes were flowing in the dim-lighting of the arcade. He gestured to the prizes. "I have to win the giant owl for you. No one else can have it."