Onigiri

Finally, A New Friend

You sigh in your seat. You knew you wouldn't have any friends in Tokyo, but things were getting kind of lonely.

Of course, that was until breaks. During your breaks, you spoke with Sakusa quite often.

During one of these breaks, you learned something very interesting about the boy with the face mask.

"So, do you intend to join any clubs, Sakusa?"

He nods. "The volleyball club."

Your eyes widened. "Really? Why?"

"I play volleyball."

"What position?"

"Wing spiker."

You let out a breath. "Like Osamu." You murmured.

"You know a bit about volleyball?"

"My best friend from back home is a wing spiker."

Sakusa paused for a second, thinking. "Where is your home, anyways?"

"The Hyogo prefecture."

His eyes widened. "That's... pretty far from here. Why'd you decide to come to Tokyo?"

You sigh. "To get away from my best friend's twin."

"Why get away from your friend's twin?"

"He was a bully and harassed me all the time. I couldn't handle it, so I moved all the way here. I live in the dorms by myself."

Sakusa nodded. "I also have my own dorm here. It's cleaner when I'm by myself."

"I get that."

The tall boy stares at you. "So... why did you choose this school specifically?"

You shrug. "I've heard good things about it. And it was far from my bully. It seemed like a good option."

"I guess we'll see if you're right."

"I hope I'm right."

"Me too, for your sake."

Sakusa looks over at you during class. What you told him at break was still fresh in his mind. He wondered if you'd get bullied here, too.

And something about that thought didn't sit well with him. He thought you were nice. He would hate to see you get bullied.

And he decided he'd keep an eye on you to protect you from anyone that would try to bully you.

As he was staring at you, you felt like you were being watched.

At first, you pushed that feeling to the back of your mind and focused on class. But as it remained a constant feeling, you grew slightly uncomfortable.

Out of the corner of your eye, you look around the classroom. You stopped, making eye contact with Sakusa. You raise a brow questioningly, confused as to why he was looking at you.

The boy's eyes widened when you two made eye contact. He shook his head slightly and faced forward, trying to focus on class.

You slowly turn your head away from the boy, returning your focus to class. But you kept wondering why he had been looking at you during class.

During lunch, you decide to ask him.

"Hey, Sakusa, why were you looking at me in class?" You tipped your head to the side, walking with the boy to the cafeteria.

He flinched slightly. It was almost unnoticeable. "I was thinking about what you told me at break. The bullying thing."

"Why were you thinking about that?"

He kept his eyes facing forward, feeling too embarrassed to look at you. "I'm worried for you. What if you get bullied here, too?"

You blink, surprised. "You're worried about me?"

"Yeah. What would you do if you got bullied here?"

"I'd treat em the same way they treat me."

Sakusa blinked, pausing momentarily. "You'd bully them back?"

"Why not? If they wanna treat someone like shit, then they should know what it feels like to be treated that way."

He'd lie if he didn't say he was impressed. "Is that how you dealt with it back home?"

You nod. "Except from Atsumu. I'll admit, I was too scared of him and decided to run away instead of dealing with him."

"Who...?"

"My best friend's twin."

"Ah, I see." He went silent for a few moments.

"I appreciate your concern, but you don't need to worry about me. I can really handle myself. But I'm glad I have someone here who cares enough to worry about whether or not I get bullied." You give him a warm smile.

Sakusa smiled from under his mask, not that you'd be able to see it. "Well, you are new to Tokyo. Isn't it better to have someone here look out for you?"

You heard the smile in his voice, your own smile spreading wider. "It is. Does this make us friends?"

Sakusa nods. "I guess it does."

"You're not used to making friends, are you?"

He flinches. "I usually tend to stay away from others."

You giggle. "I'm usually not good with people either. But I guess you're just a good person."

His eyes showed a little bit of affection, seeing how you were genuinely kind to him and respectful of his boundaries. "I wouldn't go that far. But, I'm at least trying to make you feel welcome here. It didn't seem like many other people wanted to talk to either of us."

You pout for a moment, the smile quickly returning to your face. "You're right. But that doesn't matter. You really only need one or two good friends in your life. You and Samu are the only friends I need in my life."

Sakusa felt his heart skip, touched by your genuine kindness. "I'll do my best to be a good friend for you."