Chapter Ten:
Bracelet

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"Ittekimasu!" She yelled, exiting her house, closing the door behind her. She turned around, seeing Tsukishima on the sidewalk beside their porch.

"Well, would you look at that. It seems like I don't have to wait anymore, " he said smugly. Y/n smiled, rolling her eyes. "Oh please. You say that like I make you wait for an hour when you only wait for five minutes," she said. Tsukishima chuckled. "Whatever. Let's go,"

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They sat together in silence, the only sound coming from the piano as she gracefully executed a piece she wrote. Tsukishima sat there, watching as her fingers skillfully glided across the keys, seamlessly executing something that seemed so difficult.

Before he even realized it, she ended the piece. "So, what do you think?" She asked him. He shrugged, making Y/n give him an 'are you serious?' look. He sighed. "The more I listen to you play, the more I realize how much emotions you pour into each piece. Anyone with ears can hear your intention. Simply said, it's great," he said nonchalantly, making Y/n smile.

The door slid open, catching their attention. "Good morning Tsukki, L/n-chan," Yamaguchi greeted, stepping in and closing the door behind him. "Morning," Tsukishima mumbled. Y/n smiled at him. "Good morning Yamaguchi-kun," she greeted. "I heard a bit of the piece you played while walking here. It sounded great!" Yamaguchi exclaimed. "Thanks," Y/n said, smiling.

She pulled up her sleeves, turning back to the piano. "You two have morning practice in ten minutes, right?" Y/n asked. Yamaguchi nodded. "Well, I have this piece I recently finished. My energy spikes up when I listen to it, so maybe I can try to see if it works on others too," Y/n said, glancing at then.

Yamaguchi smiled. "Go ahead," he said. She took a deep breath, then quickly hovered her fingers above the keys, gently tapping them as she started to play the piece. Yamaguchi watched in awe as Y/n proceeded to a much more complicated portion of the piece.

Tsukishima listened attentively, but his eyes weren't on her hands this time. He was glancing at her wrist, seeing a bracelet with a silver base and a glossy pink gem.

Yamaguchi clapped as Y/n ended the piece. She exhaled, smiling. "So?" She asked. "That was amazing, L/n-chan! Your music always affects the mood of those around you! And that makes it even better!" Yamaguchi exclaimed, making Y/n laugh.

"I try. After all, music is a way to convey my emotions," she said. "Anyway, we have five minutes till school and your morning practice starts. We should get going," Y/n implored, standing up and pushing the stool back to its proper place.

As Yamaguchi slid the door open, the two followed. "Oi, have you always had that bracelet?" Tsukishima asked. Y/n flinched, then looked at her wrist. She nodded, sighing as she pulled her sleeves down. "It was the last gift I received from my brother," she muttered.

"I see..."

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"GIVE IT BACK!" A familiar voice yelled around the corner. This piqued his interest. He turned the corner, his eyes slightly widening as he saw Y/n surrounded by several other students from another class.

"So this is why you always wear long sleeves? To hide such a pretty thing? That's a little selfish," one of the girls said. "I said give it back, damn it!" Y/n exclaimed, reaching out to grab it, only to fail when the girl's boyfriend grabbed it.

"Only if you can reach it," he said smugly, smirking. She was at a complete disadvantage. Although she was taller than the girls, she was quite short in comparison to the "leader"'s boyfriend.

She jumped up, her fingertips barely touching the tip of the jewel. "Oh? That's a nice jump you have. Too bad you can't jump as high as the guy in my class though," he said, twirling the bracelet with his finger.

"Just give it back! Please! You have no idea how important it is to me!" She exclaimed, attempting to grab it again. "Hmm, it's expensive," one of the girls noted. "But her family's rich, so they can probably get her another one," the other remarked.

"But it's more than that! It isn't just an expensive bracelet! It's an irreplaceable one! No matter how similar a replacement is, it will never be the same!" She exclaimed.

"Why are you doing this anyway?!" Y/n questioned. "Why? Well, you see, you have something that belongs to either one of these two," the leader said, pointing at the two girls behind her.

"Which is?!" She questioned in frustration. "Tsukishima!" They exclaimed in unison. "What the hell?! Are you kidding me?! That's so..! So damn childish!" Y/n exclaimed.

"He doesn't belong to either of you!" Y/n exclaimed. An irk mark appeared on the leader's forehead. "You seem to be missing something. We rule this school, and any of us can get anything we want," she said.

Y/n laughed. "I never knew I'd ever meet someone this stupid! It seems that you're the one missing something, a brain at that notion!" Y/n exclaimed. "Sure, the boys in this school practically praise the three of you! Sure, you do get anything you want! But Kei isn't an object that can be owned! He's his own person!" Y/n exclaimed.

"Did she just—" "call Tsukishima-kun by his first name?!" "Who does she think she is?!" They whispered.

"Who I am..? Who I am? I'm a normal person! A normal person that has befriended Kei!" Y/n exclaimed. "If you wanted him so badly, then why stoop this low?! There were so many more ways to get to him!" She exclaimed. The leader furrowed her eyebrows. "No one says that to my girls. Babe, throw it," she said.

The boy smirked, enclosing the bracelet in his fist as he pulled his arm back. "No!" She exclaimed, watching as it flew out of his hand. She prepared to run but stopped when the bracelet landed on someone's hand.

"I heard everything," Tsukishima remarked. He walked closer to them, standing beside Y/n. He loomed over all of them, being the tallest one in the group. "Now scram," he demanded.

Sweat formed on all of their temples as they saw Tsukishima's dark expression. Reluctantly, they all scrambled down the hall, glancing back at Tsukishima and Y/n as they did so. Tsukishima turned to Y/n, who was already crying.

"Oi, what's with the tears. I got your bracelet. Calm down," he muttered, holding the piece of jewelry out. She sniffled, wiping her tears.

"I-It's nothing... I just..." She trailed. "I was just scared... I didn't want to lose the bracelet..." She trailed. Tsukishima sighed, picking her hand up and looping it through the bracelet.

"Well, you have it back now. So stop crying, you look like a monstrosity when you do," he muttered, making Y/n laugh.

'If it weren't me or Yamaguchi he was talking to, they'd be offended. I know he isn't good with his words when it comes to situations like these, but I'm glad he cares...'

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Progress report

Tsukishima

Like: 120% - Max

Love: 20%

Y/n

Like: 92%

Love: 11%

Today's winner: Tsukishima Kei