XXIV.

"Kinomi-chan," I heard a smooth voice called out my name which made me stir up in my sleep. His voice was accompanied with a violent shake on my shoulder, making me groan and then I turned to the other side, giving my back toward the intruder in my room. "wake up, sleepyhead. We'll be late for school." he continued to talk.

I moaned. "Ugh, how the hell did you entered my room, Tetsurou...?" I whined as I cover my face with a thick blanket. I'm sure I have locked my door last night and I even double checked it.

"I have a spare key to your room, silly." He chuckled, then I felt some weight on the edge of my bed. "Aren't you excited on your first day in Nekoma?"

"No," I stated firmly.

"Did you stay up late again, Kinomi-chan?"

I ignored my nosy stepbrother then focused on falling asleep again. But then the bastard poked me on my side, causing me to flinch.

"GAH!" I yelped and my body immediately sat up to give him a menacing glare. "Do you wanna die?!"

"I'll leave you." He tried to scare me but unfortunately he has to do better threatening than that.

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Is that supposed to be scary?"

He shook his head in defeat. "Come on, get up and prep. We'll get late."

"Make me."

Tetsurou closed his eyes, massaged the bridge of his nose as he sighed exasperatedly. "You don't want to do this the hard way." he opened his eyes and looked at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"What are you going to--" Before I could finish my sentence, the bastard tackled me and put me on his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes. "Kuroo fucking Tetsurou! I swear to God I will chop off your balls if you don't put me down this instant!" I screamed and resisted as he walked out of my room, walking on the way to the bathroom. I punched his hard back but he didn't even budge. He just laughed in amusement.

He led me to the bathroom and put me down on the cold tiled floor, just above the shower head. Before I could even move a muscle to curse at him, he turned on the shower, drenching me.

"I don't mind doing this everyday, though." He shrugged with a smile as he fixed the wrinkles off his school uniform.

"I fucking hate you." I grunted, getting up. "Get out."

"Why?" He asked teasingly.

I gave him an 'I'll kill you' look. He burst out laughing before offering his arms up as a sign of surrender. "Okay, okay. Calm down."

I rolled my eyes before slamming the door shut, with a little force than necessary to show him I'm pissed off. I took a deep sigh to calm my nerves as I stripped off my clothes and started taking a bath.

"Hmm, not bad." I mumbled to myself just as I took a look at myself in the full body mirror. This was my first time wearing a sailor type uniform, I was used to Karasuno's uniform which was more of a catholic style.

"You look like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, Kinomi." Mom commented as we ate breakfast as one family. The statement made Tetsurou let out a snicker but he concealed it with a bite off his toast.

"I'm still... well, trying to adjust..." I explained nonchalantly. That explained why Tetsurou had a hard time earlier waking me up. I'm usually not like this. I'm just not used to sleeping to other houses because I'm not comfortable knowing that I'm at a different house, a different city to be specific. I just moved here in Tokyo a few days ago and here I was, going to a school where the bastard beside me just goes to.

"Do you like your new school, Kinomi-chan?" Tetsurou's father asked.

"It's fine, I guess." I said nonchalantly without sparing him a glance.

"I'm sure you're going to like it there, Kinomi-chan." Tetsurou said with a smug smile.

I scoffed. "You're there, how am I going to?" It made Tetsurou's smug face fall into a frown. Mom and Teshi-san chuckled in amusement.

"Let me put some ice on that burn, son." His father said which made Mom laugh even louder.

"You two sure get along just fine." Mom reassured me. "Tetsu-kun's a nice boy." well, I wouldn't be too sure about that.

Tetsurou shook his head, a smile evident on his lips. "Salty, huh? Your boyfriend taught you well."

My eyebrows furrowed, "Huh?" My gaze switched to Mom and she gave me an apologetic smile and a peace sign.

"Well, I saw you two outside of the apartment all lovey-dovey and stuff and you two even ki--"

"He's not my boyfriend." I cut Mom off before she could finish that sentence. I could already feel my blood climbing up to my cheeks.

"Yet." The bastard beside me coughed.

"Shut up, you guys." I said with a huff but the blush was still intact on my face. I stood up and took my bag, yanking Tetsurou's arm up. "Tetsurou, let's go."

"Wait, I'm not finished eating yet."

"Come on, that's enough! We'll get late." I pulled his arm up and Tetsurou let himself get dragged by me. We gave our goodbyes to our parents and then we were on our way to school. Considering that I wasn't familiar with Tokyo, I have no choice but to stick around with Tetsurou, if I don't want to get lost.

I wonder how Tsukishima is, right now? I wonder if I ever cross his mind? Well to me, it happens all the time. But I try my best not to think about him most of the time, because it only tends to make me sad and miss him much more, his saltiness included but that's what makes him Tsukishima Kei.

He promised me that he won't fall in love with someone else. But honestly, I'm not holding onto his promise because no one can really tell, right?

But if he falls in love with someone else before I come back to him, where would I go?

But then I promised him that I'll come back to him. No matter what happens, whatever it takes, I'll come back to him. Even if he falls in love with someone else, I'll take him back with me.

"Who, Kinomi-chan?" Tetsurou asked as we were sitting at the benches, waiting for the train to arrive. Did I just said that out loud?

I crossed my arms and plastered on my irritated self, "It's none of your business."

Tetsurou smirked, "Oh, but it is. I'm your brother after all."

I don't know why but it made me crack a smile. Because of nostalgia, I guess? I looked at my right, to where Tetsurou was sitting. With a coy smile, I asked, "You sure are making this big brother thing a career. Let's reverse it then. How's your lovelife going on, Nii-san?" I said the last word in a mocking manner.

Tetsurou's expression morphed into something I couldn't decipher. It's like he went from one hundred to zero real quick.

He spread his arms on the bench, looking up, sighing before he replied, "It's a long story. You don't wanna know."

I was intrigued, to say the least. And... a little bit concerned, but curiosity ruled over. "Oh, but I do. I'm your sister after all." I mimicked him. "And besides, I have a lot of time." I shrugged.

Tetsurou glanced at me with those piercing eyes as if he was observing me thoroughly, like a cat watching over his prey. After a while, he smiled and stood up. "The train is here."

Yumiko.

I thought that I had already moved on. I thought that I had already accepted it. When he told me that he finally fell in love, he started to understand me. But I still just couldn't understand why.

I just wished it to be me. I just wished for him to love me. I just wished that I could have a place in his heart, to have some sort of importance to him. Is it too much to ask for?

I met him first. I loved him first. I know him more than she does. So why? That was the one thing I thought I could never understand. I wanted to get mad at the world because it was just so unfair.

Ever since middle school, I had done nothing but show to Kei how much I loved him. I thought that I could be contented with just that... I thought that not being loved back was okay as long as your intentions are pure. But deep down inside of us martyrs is that there is a part of us that still wishes that our love could be reciprocated, even just for a little bit.

We were childhood friends. I had loved him ever since. I only got the courage to confess to him when we started our second year of middle school. We were young, carefree and gullible. After I had confessed my feelings to him, he just smiled and asked me if I wanted to go steady with him, much to my shock and happiness. Indeed, we were young to be in a relationship but I took that as a chance to show him how serious I was with him. But it turned out that I was the only one existing in the relationship and he was just playing with my feelings.

Third year of middle school that he started to drift apart from me. I didn't know when it started, he just... became cold and distant.

I don't remember us ever breaking up though. I don't even remember something special that happened in the course of the one year we shared together.

I thought that it was my fault. That there was something wrong with me. That's why I followed him in Karasuno, determined to win him back.

But then, she came into the picture...

He once told me that my love was perfect, that it will never fail. But why didn't he want it then? How can he tell that it wasn't meant for him?

How is Mikazuki-san's love better than mine?

"Then why?" I asked him the one thing I was dying to ask him.

"I thought that it's already clear to you, Yumiko." He raked his blonde hair using his fingers.

"Because I just still don't understand!"

"Because she's Kinomi." Was his simple, nonchalant answer. "And she needs me."

"And I don't?" I whispered.

"I'm sorry."

"How can you be so sure that she'll come back?"

"She promised." I wanted laugh but at the same time I wanted to cry. "I don't mind waiting, as long as she ends up coming back to me."

Ah, not again. Not this again...

I could literally feel my heart at my throat, forming a lump that seemed impossible to remove even if I swallow multiple times.

Oh God, I feel so pathetic and desperate. What have you done to make me crazy about you so much, Kei?

I lowered my head, not wanting him to see the tears starting to film my eyes. "Is it too pathetic of me... to think that... while she's gone..." My voice broke, I looked up into his honey brown eyes that was laced with concern and confusion. "I could be a temporary replacement?"