a/n: hallo~ sorry it took a while. i was busier than i expected. =u=

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Kise Ryouta

To: Yukicchi
Subject: Kurokocchi!!!
Kurokocchi won with Seirin!

From: Yukicchi
Subject: Re:Kurokocchi!!!
I KNOW! THE FINAL SHOOT WAS REALLY COOL, TOO! ASDFGHJKL

Her reply made me stand up from my seat and scan the slowly decreasing audience for a white-haired cutie. I searched in front of me, the area to my left, and the area to my right, and found no sign of Yukicchi. I searched them again, and still to no avail. Groaning, I sat back down and felt Kasamatsu-senpai's frown on me.

To: Yukicchi
Subject: Where?
You're here?! Where are you?! Can I meet you?! ( > ∆ < )/

"You're too obvious," remarked Kasamatsu-senpai, frowning at my phone's screen. He crossed his arms and stared back down at the court, gaze following Seirin then Rakuzan as the started to go back to their respective locker rooms. In a second, the distinct sight of them was gone, as they disappeared into the corridors leading to this court.

"Won't it be better if she feels it first before I tell her, though?" I told him with one of my brightest smiles, the idea of troubling Yukicchi and making her heart throb with thoughts of me exciting me. I sat back down, unable to find her in this crowd (even if finding her in a crowd has become a new talent of mine recently), and waited impatiently for her reply.

"Tsk, whatever you say," I heard my upperclassman mumble with resignation. I grinned, and the vibration of my phone in my hand sent a spike in my heart rate.

From: Yukicchi
Subject: Re:Where?
We're off to congratulate Kuro-tan in their locker rooms! (/ ^ u^)/

Even if I'm really happy for Kurokocchi's victory, thinking of Yukicchi being alone with him and giving him one of those pretty smiles made me feel annoyed for some reason. I could even imagine her glomping him and hugging him dotingly, considering that they're childhood friends! I faced Kasamatsu-senpai, who raised an eyebrow at the conviction that flashed in my eyes. He let out a sigh on understanding, and waved his hand, dismissing me. I grinned, though I was more worried and anxious than grateful at the moment, and ran to the teams' locker rooms.

"Oi, Kise, wait!" 

I was halfway through the stairs when Kasamatsu-senpai called my attention back to him. He was now standing, his scarf in his hand. He threw it towards me, the scarf unfolding, fluttering forward, and I caught it midair. I shot him a questioning look, my feet itching to run to Yukicchi, and he shrugged. "Fangirls." I nodded, smiled at him, wrapped the scarf loosely around my neck to cover a portion of my face, and continued on my way.

After at least five pictures and autographs from fangirls with keen eyes, I was finally in front of the locker room for Seirin. It's not like my fangirls were a nuisance, but I was pretty sure I've spent too much time with them that Yukicchi might've done something with Kurokocchi that would be more than hugging! I knocked thrice impatiently, and, without waiting for an answer, I grabbed the doorknob, turned it, and pulled the door open. 

Inside was the rather cheerful team, who were still all grins at their victory. All eyes were on me once I opened the door, uninvited I didn't care about them at the moment however, and I searched the room for Yukicchi and Kurokocchi. Thank goodness they didn't seem intimate, as they were with this familiar girl with dark hair, who I first saw when I visited Seirin in Chapter 2---who's she again? Yuu? Yuri?---but it's clear that they were talking before I arrived, since they were standing beside each other.

The three were staring at me with wide eyes, but Yukicchi's surprised confusion suddenly lit up, her amethyst eyes sparkling. Is she happy to see me?! My earlier annoyance and agitation dispersed and disappeared at the thought, as I, ignoring the confused eyes watching me, practically skipped over to their side. She blinked, her vibrant eyes wide and her grin growing wider, and I found myself staring back... until she looked at Kurokocchi, who was staring at me with expressionless eyes. 

"What are you doing here, Kise-kun?" he asked, Kurokocchi's tone as flat as ever, as if they didn't just win the Winter Cup. 

I smiled vibrantly in reply, as I gradually placed myself between Yukicchi and him with each small step I took. I wrapped my arm loosely around his neck, which was still sort of sweaty, and pulled him toward me. "I'm here to congratulate Kurokocchi as well!" I told him, as everyone still continued watching me, "That game was so awesome! My heart was beating so fast the whole time!!!"

I heard a gasp coming from Yukicchi, and I saw her covering her mouth, cheeks pink, and eyes still wide. It took me another second to realize that she was trembling---or shaking, even! What's wrong with her? Did she finally notice my charm? Her friend gave her light pats on the back with a small smile. 

"Thank you, Kise-kun," was Kurokocchi's monotonous reply, but I could see a small smile tugging at his lips. "I appreciate your cheers earlier, as well." He scratched his cheek, looking up at me with those eyes that greatly reminded me of the serene blue sky. 

Excitement welled up in me. Kurokocchi just thanked me!!!

A muffled squeak coming from Yukicchi took my attention away from Kurokocchi for a moment. Her purple eyes travelled back and forth from Kurokocchi to me, and she even seemed to be getting more excited at the moment. Her friend was giggling, shaking her head, still patting Yukicchi's back. My earlier excitement was suddenly mixed with confusion, until an image popped into my mind.

That's how some of my fangirls... well... fangirl, only Yukicchi had more restraint.

Is Yukicchi my fangirl now?!

Kurokocchi blinked, and unwrapped my arm around his neck. He just rejected me again!

Yukicchi's friend then nudged her, and called her name in a hushed but scolding tone. The silver-haired cutie looked at her friend, blinked, and her left hand fell to her side as her right scratched the back of her head. She grinned sheepishly, then smiled at me---I did an internal cheer---and at Kurokocchi. She took out her phone from her uniform's pocket and flipped it open. Her eyes widened, and, without warning, she grabbed my hand.

She. Grabbed. My. Hand.

I'm currently holding hands with Yukicchi! She initiated the contact!

"I said I'll stay here for just a few minutes, Kuro-tan, and I guess I should leave now?" She tilted her head. Kurokocchi opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off, continuing, "I have... uh... an episode to watch! Yes! There's an episode airing tonight and I have get home on time!" She pulled me closer to her. Kurokocchi and Yukicchi's friend watched us in a mix of confusion, but that was the least of my worries. I think my heart is going to explode. "See you, guys!"

And without saying anything more or letting any of them reply, Yukicchi dragged me out of the locker room then shut the door. Wordlessly, she lead me through the hall with people going about, and I didn't want to say anything. I wanted to relish the moment as much as possible, intending to burn the warmth of her hand on mine into my memory. If I said something to distract her, she might pull away!

When we turned into the corner, where there were less people, she stopped, and, to my great disappointment, she took her hand away from mine. She faced me, and forced a smile. "Sorry for dragging you away from Kuro-tan again, Ryouta-kun."

"It's fine as long as you hold my ha---" I stopped and bit my tongue upon realizing what I was supposed to say. Ryouko-nee and Ryumi-nee drilled into my mind to quit being too obvious! That was being too obvious, right? Yukicchi frowned in confusion and tilted her head. "I mean, it's like this back then, right?" I said in reply with one of the most charming smiles I could make, crossing my arms tightly in front of my chest to keep myself from doing another intimate action with her. 

She smiled, unaffected by my earlier charming effort (like what the heck), and shrugged. "Want to get ice cream again for me to be able to make up for it?" She nudged my side playfully, and I chuckled.

"Your treat?"

"Of course!"

***

From: Ryouko-nee
Subject: Where are you?
Aren't you supposed to be home by now?

I pretended that I didn't see her message as I placed my phone back into my pocket. We are practically free to go home whatever time we want, as long as it's reasonable. I cleared that up with my parents, at least! They're pretty lenient, but it is always Ryouko-nee who makes sure we get home at a time strict parents usually set for their kids. Ryumi-nee is always the one who comes up with alibis and excuses; half of them believable, and the other half a little too bizarre. There was one time when she said that she had been preoccupied with an ESPer, a time traveler, and a humanoid interface, who were all insisting that she's a goddess and must do her duties properly.

"...and then Kaoru also likes Haruhi, but his twin Hikaru also likes Haruhi, so Kaoru," she drew an 'x' on top of the line that connected her adorable chibi drawing of the character Kaoru---or is it Hikaru---to the chibi Haruhi, then drew a broken heart beside it, "decided to give up on Haruhi to give way for his brother. That's so painful! Kaoru--- he---" She looked up at me, her lips pursed, and appeared as if she was about to cry. 

"Yukicchi?!" I panicked; my right hand holding the convenience store ice cream cone, I looked for a tissue in my bag. I had no idea what to do with a crying Yukicchi, and the thought just brought a pang to my chest! Moreover, as we're currently eating in the convenience store, some people passing by might think I made her cry! As I was searching my bag, a cliched scene in this JDorama my oldest sister was watching flashed in my mind, including her comment: "Now this is what a guy should do!" Instead of giving the girl some folded tissues, he gave her his very own handkerchief then told her to keep it.

An image of Yukicchi staring fondly at the handkerchief I'd give her brought a sense of excitement in my chest. 

I quickly fished out the blue hanky I brought for today. (I used one side to cover my mouth once today, but I decided not the mention that.) As I was about to hand it to her, she was already rubbing her eyes with her uniform's sleeve, making wet marks on the gray fabric. She threw what remained of her cone into her mouth and chewed. She now looked okay. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Just---Feels---"

...So much for the handkerchief scene.

I rubbed my hand against her back in an effort to comfort her, and it's just now that I noticed how small her frame actually was. Granted, she's taller than a few other girls I know, but Yukicchi just looked so... small. Petite.

"He just really loves his brother, doesn't he?" 

I nodded with a reassuring smile, and decided to say something to her, when my cellphone vibrated again. Instinctively, I checked it after excusing myself, despite having a feeling that it would be from Ryouko-nee.

From: Ryumi-nee
Subject: Nyehehehe
A little birdie told me that you're alone with Yuki. >:D

I was about to place the phone back into my pocket when it vibrated again.

From: Ryumi-nee
Subject: Nyehehe
This is probably a good time to ask her, don'cha think?

The vagueness of her message made me frown, as different questions I'd like to ask her flooded my mind. What kind of dates do you like? Do you think I'm hot? I'm hot, right? Are you really just childhood friends with Kurokocchi? Out of my team and the Generation of Miracles, do you think I'm the coolest? What kind of guy do you---

From: Ryumi-nee
Subject: Nyeh.
I'm assuming you have no idea, hopeless little Ta-chan.
What I mean is that you should go ask her if she has someone she likes romantically!
But remember to gradually veer the conversation to that topic. Don't shock her!
Sincerely, a romance manga fanatic. You can thank me later.
By, like, buying me some food.

"Ryouta-kun? Are you okay? You look kind of... flushed."

I backed away, my chair making a scraping sound against the tiles of the convenient store, and turned my face away from Yukicchi's range of sight, covering my burning cheeks with my hand. "I'm fine!" I told her, even if I was far from it. Onee-chan, why did you have to say that?! All my earlier confidence was suddenly gone, replaced by the worry and anxiety caused by the idea as it pushed the question Ryumi-nee suggested to the tip of my tongue, accompanied by the loud drumming in my chest. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Positively absolutely sure!"

Her voice went from concerned to somber. "Okay, then..." 

Did I make Yukicchi sad?!

An idea in the form of a question surfaced on my head, and, as it was heavily related to Ryumi-nee's text, made my heart thud harder and faster in my chest. I held my breath, not even sure if I should go with it or if I should let this heavy silence between us linger a few seconds longer, which made me want to scold myself on how so un-Ryouta-like I was being. I'm Kise Ryouta, dammit! People know me for my good looks, my sunshine-like smile, and my extravagant confidence!

I took a deep breath and properly faced her this time. She was slumped toward the table, left hand absentmindedly drawing random shapes and details on the piece of paper she took out to explain the painful circumstances of her favorite characters in the manga she was currently reading. As it confirmed my fear of pushing down Yukicchi's mood, I found myself immediately poking her quite playfully to pull her attention back to me. She looked up, eyes wide in inquiry, and tilted her head. I made another charming grin aimed to make her heart flutter, but she just blinked.

Here I go! 

"Actually, there's something that's on my mind for a while now, Yukicchi." It wasn't even hard to fake a troubled tone and expression; it comes from my years of modelling, which gave me practice on how to make different expressions without actually feeling them. I could be an actor! But, that troubled tone at the moment could mostly be linked to how I was feeling toward her future response.

She straightened up, her expression attentive and determined. "You can tell me! We're friends, right?" She grinned, as if proud of what she just said, and even if I had mixed feelings with her just referring to me as someone who's just her friend, I found myself smiling back. I haven't even asked anything yet, but why do I get the feeling that I somehow hit the friendzone?!

"Well," I started, trying to look as carefree as ever as I leaned back on my chair and let my arm rest on the table, "what do you think about romantic feelings towards another person?"

She opened her mouth, and I clarified my question, chuckling, "Towards a real person, Yukicchi. Not a fictional one." She pouted.

"Well, I think---" Suddenly, her eyes widened as large as basketballs, as her relaxed mouth opened wider in an open-mouthed smile. She blinked twice, thrice, and leaned toward me, grabbing my hands in the process. Yukicchi's so bold! She squeezed my hand, and I've never seen her face light up as much as it did right now. "Do you, perhaps, have romantic feelings for someone?!"

My heart just went bungee jumping.

Before I could process a decent reply to her question without mentioning that those feelings are towards her, she piped up again with an adorable but suppressed squee. "Can you tell me who's that person is? Is it Kasamatsu-senpai? Kuro-tan? Aomine Daiki? Some other person I don't know about?!"

I was about to say, No, it's not one of them, it's someone closer to you, actually, until the choices she gave me dawned on me. My eyebrows just scrunched up in confusion as I stared down at her, not even knowing where those ideas came from. She only stared at me enthusiastically for a few more seconds, then her excited expression clouded with something I couldn't point my finger on. I was pretty sure there was shock and confusion somewhere in there, though.

"Um... Pardon?" I asked, unsure if that what I should've said at the sudden change in her facial expression. 

She tore her gaze away from me and took her hands from mine. She scratched the back of her neck, the smile gone from her face as she bit her lip. She pursed her lips, took a deep breath through her mouth, and looked back at me with unease. "Can I trust you, Ryouta-kun? Promise you won't judge me? No matter what?"

Taken aback with how unsure and nervous she was being, I grinned at her in reassurance, placing both of my hands on her shoulders. "Of course!" I still wasn't sure how the conversation I was sure I was controlling lead to this situation, but I was pretty sure if I gained much more of Yukicchi's trust, then it wouldn't be as hard to gain her affections in the near future (if it's not directed to me, anyway). As people say, secrets make a bond stronger, right?

She somehow relaxed, and smiled a little, which was a relief. "Ryouta-kun, let me tell you a secret: actually, I'm a fujoshi. I like the idea of two guys having a romantic relationship together."

____

a/n: (this is completely unrelated to the story btw)
who's watching Miraculous Ladybug and/or has played Undertale?
pLEASE FANGIRL WITH ME
i just need more friends to fangirl with since my real life friends aren't exactly part of those fandoms ;u;