The Newbie ~ Tsukishima Kei

Chapter 21 ~ Aftermath

All those people had really stayed late for them, just to say congrats?

I get it, school pride, woohoo, but it's kinda late, y'know?

Either way, it felt nice. The cheering was sort of feeding her ego.

"Koisumi!" A group of girls stuck their heads out of the window, shouting out her name. They were the entirety of Akiko's fan club. They'd all stayed just for her, they didn't care about her team and she knew that. "Congrats!"

"Ah, thanks!" She called back, flashing her usual blinding smile.

Tsukishima narrowed his eyes at them. He tsked and looked away, but the gesture didn't go unnoticed.

"Bahaha!" Tanaka bawled. He slapped the bean pole on the back. "Tsukishima wants fangirls!" Tanaka certainly read the situation wrong but the simpleton didn't know that.

"Really?!" Nishinoya doubled over with laughter as well. "You wouldn't think a snarky giant would want fangirls!"

They couldn't stop laughing.

Tsukishima knew not to argue, since he just couldn't change those idiot's minds, ever. That didn't make it any less annoying, though.

Akiko knew what Tsukishima really thought, but she didn't bother to explain. It was quite entertaining.

Though, out of sympathy, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"AH! M-Sta Miyagi is gonna start!"

" 'Infertile soil will not bring forth splendid fruit' " Akiko wheezed hard.

Hinata had told her earlier what Ushijima said about volleyball and teams, all that shit. Use metaphors in volleyball, sure, but this particular metaphor was hilarious to her.

Yamaguchi, Tsukishima and her were walking home, even if Hinata had told her that just before leaving she was still laughing about it.

"What's so funny about it?" Tsukishima asked. Granted, it was cute seeing her laugh like this,  but for this long? It was starting to get annoying.

"I agree with Tsukki, how could you--"

" 'Then we must be concrete' "

The two of them cracked up, making Tsukki roll his eyes. The people he surrounds himself with are absolute children.

"I'm sorry Oikawa."

"What a way to start a conversation."

"Sassy bitch." Akiko muttered.

"I heard that, y'know." The setter sounded like he'd been crying. She couldn't blame him for that, though. (✨toxic masculinity✨)She along with her team, had cried after their match at Inter-high.

"Of course I know you heard that." Silence followed after that comment for a bit. Neither of them knew  what to say.

"Are you.. okay?"