Shy

Chapter 12

          Tap, tap, tap!

The sound of Tsukiko's footsteps were echoing in her head even though it was lunch time and the hallways were bustling with other students. Despite the noise, Tsukiko could only focus on her footsteps and her pathway – her pathway to the second-year section of the school. She was on her way to deliver some Student Council paperwork to Matsumoto.

Of course, it wasn't like this was her first time delivering papers to the Co-President. This was a common job that she had done many times in the past month, but that fact did little to ease her nerves at being surrounded by upperclassmen.

More importantly, she had to go to classroom one of the second-year section.

Tanaka was also a student of classroom one.

There was a likely chance that Tanaka was eating there for lunch just like the first time she visited, but for some reason or another, she had always just missed him all the other times. Sometimes he had gone to the bathroom or he had gone to the vending machines. Despite not having seen him much since the last time she went to a volleyball practice, she always thought about him being there when she was going to classroom one.

For reasons she couldn't understand, Tsukiko was hyper aware of this. It wasn't like he was any different from the other second-years...right?

Well, regardless of what was causing it, Tsukiko was so nervous that she ended up at the door to the classroom before even realizing it, just as she did the first time. Breathing in and out to calm herself, if only a little, she gently slid the door open.

Once again, Tanaka was eating lunch in his classroom with all the other second-years of the volleyball club. This time, it even included Nishinoya Yuu. The "overly excitable" boy had taken to using his lunch time to find innovative ways to practice volleyball. However, now that his one month ban on club activities was finally over and now that Asahi was finally back to the club as well, he no longer needed to practice at all times during lunch.

All five of the second-year volleyball club members were together in classroom one, particularly because of concerns about Tanaka's and Nishinoya's grades. Needless to say, their grades were far from exemplary, and to some (Ennoshita), far from satisfactory. Both of them had begged Ennoshita and Narita for assistance in their respective homework that would be due for each just after lunch, seeing as the two boys were enrolled in the college prep classes. They had even asked for help from Kinoshita. Although he wasn't in a college prep class like the other two, his grades were still better than the excitable duo.

"I don't get what you don't get! I just told you how to do this! Tell me what you don't understand!" Ennoshita was getting a bit annoyed.

"How can I tell you what I don't understand if I don't even understand what I don't understand?!?!?" It was evident that this was frustrating for both parties. Tanaka simply opted to give up and just slumped back in his chair, letting his head fall back and causing him to stare up at the ceiling in contemplation of his impending fate of lectures from teachers.

This train of thought did not last long, as he was rather used to being disliked by his teachers. Instead, his mind travelled to where it tended to travel for the past month.

Kita Tsukiko.

Ever since the last time she saw one of his volleyball practices, she had always eluded him. Not on purpose, of course. There weren't many chances for them to come across each other in the first place. Being in different years, they were in completely different sections of the school and being in different clubs, they had even less chance to interact.

However, on occasion, he thought he saw her in the midst of a crowd or the possible swish of her long hair when she turned the corner of a hallway along with a bustling of students. Those occasions never leaded to anything more and he felt more disappointment at that than he thought he would. As such, he was left to think about her constantly when he wasn't thinking about volleyball or being frustrated with school work.

He thought about her more-than-modest appearance, her demure personality, her signature 90-degree bows, her look of awe at his spiking, and most of all, her smile.

Oh, her smile.

It was something he'd seen only a handful of times. He could probably count the number of shy smiles she gave to him on both hands, if not one, but it was enough to know that he would give anything to see her smile at him again.

Just as he was reminiscing about her shy smiles and cute blushes, Nishinoya smacked the desk with both hands and leaned forward in his seat.

"OOOOOOOHHHH! Who's that cute Ojou-sama!!" His eyes sparkled at the "Ojou-sama." Tanaka, along with the other second-years, followed Nishinoya's line of sight. His breath caught in his throat. The girl that was just plaguing his thoughts was right here in front of him.

Kita Tsukiko.

Tsukiko, despite all her nervousness at coming here, was still vigilant in her duties as the Vice President of the Student Council. She was going over all the paperwork that she handed over to Matsumoto, one by one. Every time he stopped to skim one over, she took that brief moment to glance at the cluster of second-year volleyball players, or rather, at Tanaka.

This was the first time in a while that she had seen him. On occasion, she would hear his loud voice even amongst the noise of lunch time, or she thought she caught a glimpse of the top of his shaved head between people in a crowd. Those occasions never leaded to anything more and she felt more disappointment at that than she thought she would.

Matsumoto began to skim over another paper and she took that chance for another look. Just as she went to glance at him again, she was met with not one, but five pairs of eyes. All five of the second-years were looking at her, some with curiosity, some with moderate disinterest, and some with amazement.

She locked eyes with Tanaka in the same instant and she squeaked in both surprise and embarrassment. The telltale heat of her cheeks let her know that she was certainly blushing immensely right now from being caught. Matsumoto looked up from the paper at her small sound.

"Hmm? Woah!" He was about to ask what was the matter when she smacked the rest of the paperwork into his chest, and he scrambled to hold them before they scattered.

"U-UM! L-lunchIsAboutToEndAndIMustGoNow!" She all but yelped, momentarily forgoing her usual stutter for speed in the hopes that she could escape the classroom faster in embarrassment.

Tsukiko clambered out of the classroom, not acknowledging Matsumoto's yells of concern.