☆★☆★☆★

"So, who is Sachirou?" Yuri asked, her eyes unabashedly peeking to the corner of her friend's notebook. "You never tell me that you're close with someone, let alone a boy."

Reina could barely register Yuri's question before another interruption to her supposedly peaceful lunchtime disrupted her routine again.

"Uh, Shibazeki-san," the voice that started to get familiar to her ears seemed to turn on the alert mode in her head. It was Ginjima Hitoshi, one of the wing spikers for the volleyball club. Out of all the second years, he was easily the most approachable, along with Kosaku Yuto. "Do you mind if I sit at your table?"

Reina, who was scribbling notes on her new Kokuyo notebook, suddenly stopped writing until her mechanical pencil lead broke. Leaning her back, Reina watched the cafeteria's ceilings as she contemplated whether it was the right decision to join Yuri's club to eat on their table. But then again, hanging around in class every single day during lunch breaks just proved how pathetic her high school life was since Reina exited her old club.

"What?" Reina blurted out, genuinely surprised. "Are you...being serious?"

It was not often that someone voluntarily approached her and Yuri's table. Not to mention the other kouhais from the lit club were watching this exchange with glaring interest in their eyes. The prize went to Sawaizumi Chiyo, who looked like she was ready to ask intrusive questions.

"Sorry, it is just rare to see someone, let alone from the sports club, approaching our table." Reina tucked her wavy hair to the back of her ears and adjusted her glasses that were slipping down the bridge of her nose.

"Yeah, we basically choose the corner of the cafeteria to keep up the invisibility," Yuri added with a smile. If she wanted to make Ginjima more comfortable, it was working, the latter's shoulders lost its tension as he heaved a sigh.

"Uh..." Ginjima scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. "Well, okay I have a little bit of ulterior motives. I heard the twins, well Atsumu to be precise, yammering about your wasted potential as a manager. We can't exactly ask the senpais to spare their time to help us study and I'm being real with you here, we the second years of the club are...not exactly having it easy with academics. You're the top of our class and uh, I need some help? With math, to be precise. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"Not even surprised that it was blondie who yammered about this," Reina muttered low enough so that Gin would not hear her.

It had been a week since she started to be the manager for the boys' volleyball club. She had yet to particularly form a close attachment to anyone, but they were an inclusive bunch. Well, at least her third year senpais tried to include her during lunch breaks,, but Reina always refused.

"You can eat with us on our table during lunch breaks, Shibazeki-san," Ojiro-senpai had said during the third day of Reina's stint as a manager. She was busy loading carts full of volleyballs, but for her gracious senpai, Reina was more than ready to give him her time of the day.

"Uh...but I don't really talk to anyone," Reina answered honestly. There was always an urge to be honest with Ojiro-senpai, not because he was intimidating (that role was reserved for Kita-senpai). "I'm not good with strangers."

She had no idea what stopped him from prying in, but Ojiro-senpai knew how to respect boundaries. Maybe there was the apprehension written all over her face and meeting new people meant that there would be questions. People would ask about her family and why she had sharp eyes and experience being the manager. Questions that she was nowhere near ready to answer.

He nodded as he patted her shoulders. "Just know that our table is always welcome for you whenever you feel like it."

Well, since one of your first string regulars is a regular client of mine, it would be awkward to pretend that I never talked to Suna before.

She still had no idea how to go to the cafeteria during lunch breaks and slid to their table oh so casually. Not to mention the stink eye she would be getting from the band club members. Although Reina could not blame them for holding a grudge towards her.

The second years were a whole different story. Well, it was not like they shunned her out. Osamu definitely was easy to talk to and they had Yuri as common ground. The problem was on Reina herself, who had a hard time to open up beyond what she thought was necessary.

At least she had made sure to make herself uninteresting enough so they would not pry into her past. Or even try to google her name.

And now Ginjima was the one who approached her territory first. Reina could not help but to feel that she was a coward and respect towards him. While a week was still too recent for her to develop any real camaraderie with the boys, it was not like Reina put in any effort to develop their relationship beyond fellow club members.

But since it was Ginjima who asked instead of Suna, Reina admitted that she did not feel the urge to turn him down. He had the courage to ask her for help, not asking for her homework answer directly without shame or whatsoever. Although, she'd rather be careful. As nice and friendly Gin was as a fellow second year, he was still part of the chaotic second year squad.

"Well, you can ask Yuri here," Reina answered, gesturing towards her friend, whose eyes rounded from surprise. Yuri probably did not expect that Reina would throw her under the bus like that. "I...am not exactly patient with teaching, she's definitely better. Yuri placed third on our year's class rank, and she's a peer tutor for one of your wing spikers, she's more than qualified."

"That's fine, I'll try my best not to make you lose patience," he answered so vigorously that it almost brought a smile to Reina's face. Almost. "Do you mind if the rest of the guys join me at your table?"

Now this was most definitely stretching it. Reina was well trained in not letting emotions spilled to her face, but even the best liars had their own tell. She could feel the corner of her eye twitched. Not to mention her stomach already churned, threatening to throw out the lunch that she had just recently eaten.

A hand placed on top of hers and Reina's eyes met with Yuri. With one glance Yuri managed to convey a myriad of messages.

It's fine, this is a start for you to form an attachment to them, you don't have to run away from it. I'm here for you if you're scared.

Looking into Yuri's face, her friend wore an encouraging smile that never failed to calm down the storm that started to rage within Reina's soul. Flicking her gaze towards Ginjima, who was already wearing his puppy eyes, Reina could only heave a sigh.

"I'm going to help with your studies," Reina announced a little bit loudly, but with the chatters and bustle of the rowdy student body in the cafeteria, it was hard to get her voice heard. "Just...One thing I need to ask of you."

"What is it?"

Of course his ears had to perk up like that and Reina could not help but to find herself caving in. It must've been either Atsumu's or Suna's idea to send Gin here. Osamu was not an option. He already had help from Yuri and probably he was not that gracious to share his notes with his twin brother, who was the real mastermind that caused this whole commotion.

Either way, it was Suna or Atsumu. Suna knew that Reina already closed her side business for a week ever since she decided to be the club's manager. Atsumu...well just because Reina could imagine him thriving in the chaos.

"I'm not doing this for free."

"Wow, Suna is not joking when he says that you're an opportunistic person."

A wave of irritation washed over her and from the corner of her eyes, she could see that Yuri's kouhais were eagerly waiting for a showdown to happen. But since it was Ginjima, Reina found it easier to hold onto her thinning patience just a little bit more. "Well, let's put it this way, if you and the rest don't give me a hard time, I'll do it for free. Let's just say this can be a bonding experience or whatsoever."

She really was that petty to use air quotes gestures when she said bonding experience. However, Ginjima seemed not to notice as a huge beam made its appearance on his face. "Ah...thank you, Shibazeki-san! And Osamu is also your wing spiker, since you're also part of the club."

Well, it was the first time indeed that she was reminded of her membership of the boys' volleyball club and Reina did not know what to make of it. Afterwards Ginjima turned his head and waved. Reina could only watch in horror when the second year batch of the club just suddenly emerged from the other end of the cafeteria.

"If there is a fangirl mob tailing the twins, I'm really getting out of here and the deal is off."

"Shibazeki-senpai, you sure that letting them eat on our table is a good idea?" Yamada Eri, the short haired treasurer for Yuri's club, inquired. From the way she shifted uncomfortably on her seat, it seemed Reina was not alone in feeling apprehensive.

"What choice do I have," Reina muttered as she sighed in resignation and looked down to her unfinished food.

Looking up, the other three second years from the boys' volleyball club were already taking their seats on the empty spots on Yuri's table.

Judging from Yuri's face that already reddened, it was easy to guess who took a seat right across hers.

"Ah, thank you for welcoming us here, Shibazeki-san. You're not an easy person to spot among the crowd," Osamu exclaimed as he picked up one of Reina's yakiniku from her tupperware. "Hm, yummy."

"Well, hopefully we're not interrupting some nerd convention or something like that." Of course Atsumu had the gall to wear a sneer as he slid down to the empty seat beside Reina's.

Reina could feel the corner of her eye twitched as she wore a smile that somehow pulled the corners of her mouth tightly.

As much as she knew that she had to step out of the shadows casted over her life by her brother's death, it did not make it any easier for Reina to suddenly just let a leash of foxes into her life. By mild coercion, no less.

"Well, I can assume that you're the one who is behind this," turning her head to the middle blocker, Reina flashed him with the smile that she was positively sure causing her to look like the weird clown from the anime Makoto always watching.

At least Suna had the audacity to put away his phone as he slid to his seat, not saying another word. Taking in the sudden addition of four boys to her table, Reina could only hope that all hell would not break loose.

She still had the fangirl mob and the grudge keeping members of her former club to worry about after all.

***

Surprisingly, everyone ate in silence. Reina quietly munched her bento (which her grandmother made) as she took in her surroundings, or at least the sudden invasion on her lunch table.

Suna was scrolling through his phone, but Reina could see the gears working beneath his cool exterior. Meanwhile, Ginjima and Chiyo already got on so well that nobody would have thought that they just met. Not that Reina was surprised. Her kouhai may be a little bit of an oddball, but her lack of apprehension in approaching almost anything somehow manifested into her own brand of charm.

Eri, on the other hand, just stayed put in her shell, not once acknowledging that there were strangers on her territory.

"You should talk to Osamu," Reina whispered to Yuri's ears, her eyes watching the gray haired brother who was still eating his lunch. "This is your chance."

"Rei-chan, I have zero grounds to work on if I want to talk to him. And it would make this situation even more awkward," Yuri whispered back, her hands gripping the edge of her skirt tightly to the point Reina could see Yuri's knuckles turned white. "You're the one who should start talking to them! You're their manager after all."

"Only for a week, yeah. Not nearly enough for me to actually open up and get to know them. And I have no intention to lower my guard unless one of them lowered theirs first."

Yuri rolled her eyes and Reina could tell that relief had seeped into her bones. "You're one to talk."

"Ahem."

Yuri and Reina immediately stopped their whispering session and turned their heads to the voice's source. Not so surprisingly it was Atsumu who decided to break the steady rhythm the whole table had going.

"Yes, is there anything you want to say?" Reina asked, raising her eyebrows as clasped both of her hands, bracing for a storm.

If there was anything she learnt from her first week as the manager, she should always be prepared for the possibility that a riot would break.

"Nah, just want to test if you're going to freak out having your table invaded by us," Atsumu responded with a shrug. But Reina was not fooled by the faux nonchalance he was oozing. "Although, Rei-chan, you never told us about yourself."

Reina stayed quiet, not wanting to dip her foot into the uncharted waters just yet. "Okay, so...why is that a problem? I think I already made myself clear about who I am."

"How about this," Atsumu wore a smirk that should have ignited some sparks of anger within Reina's soul. It dawned upon her realization the numbness she had always been afraid of, already took its roots deep within her heart. "What's your deal with Ichijou Mai and what's your experience with volleyball that you can see my tell about which serve I'm going to use?"

No, Reina was not ready for this. Not ready for having to have her past dissected on a table where everyone could poke on her issues. But if she told anything other than the truth, this motherfucker would have noticed.

Instead, Reina settled for what she had always been living for half of her life, the half truth. Truth was ugly, grotesque, and could only be taken in small doses.

"I had a brother who used to be an ace and my father made me watch his practice everyday to make sure he's well taken care of. And I somehow develop a keen eye for tells in the sport."

Reina could feel the mask of deliberate nonchalance she's wearing cracking, slowly yet surely. But she could not afford to take it off right now. Not when there was an audience to watch her break down. She would cry later tonight on her bed, mulling over every single thread of probabilities in which her brother did not have to die.

In which she did not have to move away from Nagano and forsake it just because she could not bear to be around everything that was familiar to her.

"Tsumu, stop it." Reina's gaze shifted towards Osamu, who already put down his food. "If she's not willing to share her info just yet, just let it be."

"What? I'm just telling what the rest of the second years have been thinking," Atsumu asked, obviously could not see or rather, refused to see, the tension lingering on the atmosphere. "But really Rei-chan, you're our manager, you're supposed to be chummy with the rest of us, not just the third years. I'm actually being kind here, laying out the info for you to the table for free."

Ah, so this is what it was about. Reina never out loud said that she was more comfortable around the third year students, but one could not just hide social preference just as easily.

Even though it was probably another misleading thread thrown by Atsumu to play his mind games, it was enough to serve as a temporary way out from the way her stomach twisted itself from the inside. Relief started to pour into her slowly withering soul, buying her a little bit more time to at least pretend that only mere minutes ago she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"I think it is hard to get to know each other when you can only see an easy way out from your academic responsibilities when we're talking," Reina replied, putting down her fork and spoon as she stared into Atsumu's eyes. "If you actually want to get to know the real me, just say so. It's not that hard, blondie."

Silence settled into the air, along with the tension that was just thickening. Flicking her glance to Atsumu, he definitely did not look sorry for cornering her like that.

"So..." Reina clapped her hand with a smile that certainly felt like cringe, from the way her face muscles twitched. "Any other questions?"

"I have one," Suna finally decided to speak, putting down his phone on the table. "Why don't you answer Atsumu's question about Mai?"

"Dear Gods, if you just want to have gossip material, just say it," Reina countered with an eye roll. "She used to be my friend, that's it. What's your deal with butting into people's personal lives? Do you guys put Ichijou through this interrogation session too or something? Look, if you guys want her number, don't ask me. I've deleted it from my phone."

"If you're not so closed off, we're not going to be very curious." Suna shrugged as he propped his hand on his chin, his keen eyes watching Reina. "And Shibazeki-san, if you're still going to stay as our manager next year, you're going to have to get used to us."

Would not be Suna if he did not spit out facts. The fact that Reina had to adjust from seeing him as her regular client to a fellow teammate just...it was not exactly an easy transition. And she promised herself not to bail when everything took into a darker turn and to adhere to that, she knew she had to get used to the aching smell of school spirit that the boys' volleyball club reeked.

"True, we're not the terrible twins you definitely think we are," Osamu added as he took a bite of his onigiri. Reina had honestly lost count just how much he ate. "What club you used to be in before accepting the manager position, Shibazeki-san?"

"The band club," Reina answered with no hesitation. That would certainly be enough to shut them up, knowing how dramatic Atsumu could be whenever the ensemble band club accompanied the volleyball club to competitions or qualifiers. "I used to play trumpet there, first chair. I'm not exactly athletically gifted so I decided to pick up an instrument and I chose trumpet."

"Why did you quit?" Ginjima asked and Reina thought that he would be caught up with his conversation with Chiyo. "If you're good then, why did you quit?"

Yuri's eyes bulged out of her sockets and Reina guessed that her friend had yet to get used to just how much audacity the boys just have in store. "Ginjima-kun, I'm not sure that it is a good idea to–"

"–no, it's fine, Riko," Reina interrupted, her gaze boring holes on Osamu to check if he reacted from Yuri's old nickname. Seeing him did not even budge, Reina heaved a sigh inwardly. "You guys got to be kidding me, if you haven't heard about the whole drama with the band Club last year."

The three boys blinked (except for Suna who only looked bored), which only signified Reina's suspicion that they were generally living in their own bubble. The kind of luxury that only jocks and athletes could afford.

"It was a huge mess," Chiyo volunteered the information as she dabbed her mouth with tissue. "And ninety percent of the reason shit hits the fan in the first place is because of you, Miya Atsumu senpai."

"Suna, you know about this?" Atsumu pointed his fingers at the middle blocker, who only let out a yawn as if this problem was hardly news for him. "Wait a minute, why is it my fault that the band club is having problems which ended up in Rei-chan leaving the club?"

"Sometimes brother, I wish I can say you're adopted like Thor did to Loki," Osamu exclaimed with a mock solemn tone. "But please do explain, Reina-san.."

"Now you're just pretending that you know the whole problem while you probably only know how Atsumu forced the ensemble band to follow his cue to be quiet," Suna remarked, for once put down his phone to the table.

"Although one thing is for sure," Gin said, clearing his throat to get the whole table's attention. "Can we just appreciate that everyone collectively agrees how thick headed Atsumu is? Clap with me if everyone agrees."

Unironically everyone clapped their hands as per Gin's instruction. Reina almost let a smile form on her face. Maybe Yuri was right , the prospect of staying next year when the third years graduated did not seem so bad after all.

"You still have to tell me what clownery did Atsumu pull off to the point you left the band club," Osamu said, not once looking sorry as he picked up food from Yuri's bento. The latter did not even try to stop it. "I mean, I don't even know your reach of annoyance could breach even another club, brother."

"Ugh, why is everyone out to get me?" Atsumu whined, causing everyone to laugh, even Yuri's kouhais (excluding Chiyo who had no qualms of ingratiating with Gin early on).

From the corner of her eyes, she could see Gin flashed her a rather huge grin. Another wave of relief started to wash over Reina's heart, triggering the realization in her head that all this time fear was gripping her tightly.

Fearing that the leap she was taking would end up with her falling to the abyss instead of jumping to the other side of the canyon where closure awaits her. As she let out the real laugh in front of her current clubmates, Reina could feel several gazes that bore holes to the back of her head.

Her grandfather was right, if she wanted to move forward with Inarizaki Boys' Volleyball Club, she still had some past settlements to be taken care of. 

☆★☆★☆★