#manag

Always watching from her desk, she was too shy to approach him. Small groups surrounded him in class – he was a peoples person. She liked the way he styled his hair, the sound of his laugh, the colour of his eyes, and his confident demeanour. Though, the image of his personality that she had built of him in her head was completely different from what he turned out to be.

Who’d do such a thing as ‘crush on someone’ for a dare? To make somebody dependant on you for attention, only to take it away in an instant?

And there she was, stood in the rain, having fallen a second time. When was she going to change?

Holding his palm out, he felt the light drops of rain hit his hand; it had begun to sprinkle. He just started his jog as well, and without an umbrella, he decided to return home. Taking a shortcut through a backstreet that led to a shopping district, he caught a glimpse of someone unexpected.

Some people hold faces and personalities that are simply hard to forget. They don’t seek the spotlight, and they don’t ask for attention. People that even after one interaction, leave a lasting mark on you.

She may not know it, but for him – she was that person.

And to watch her standing there, drenched in the afternoon rain. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what was going through her head.  

But he knew one thing: he wasn’t going to let her slip away a second time.

Careful not to fall, he steadily paced towards her. As he got closer, he was surprised to see that she looked exactly as he remembered. Soft features, an air of elegance – how wasn’t she popular?

He wasn’t usually this, well – shy. It had been a while since he’d spoken to any person that didn’t know him. Especially a girl from his high school days.

‘She’d remember me, right? Maybe she’s at least seen me on TV since then..’ he thought to himself as he stood a few metres back, bracing himself.

He told himself that if anything, he’d just walk away like nothing, and with that he walked up to her, waving with a smile.

She was usually super over-observant out of habit. But to think she didn’t notice a man with orange hair was making his way to her? And waving!? Just how distracted was she?

In the few seconds he took walking towards her, countless thoughts raced through her head. ‘Am I loitering?’, ‘ ‘Have I dropped something?’, ‘Did I bump into him in a crowd and hurt him?’

Though as he stood there, saying hello with an air of radiance, her worry faded. “What’s your name?” he asked, a gentle smile tugging at his lips. He listened as she told him, leaning in to hear her voice over the sound of pattering raindrops.

He obviously knew her name. He knew it from high school, recalling a time where he paid close attention to the class roll being called during homeroom, listening for which name she’d respond to. But he never properly met her back then.

He wanted to hear it from her, to get to know her properly.

“I’m Shoyo. Recognise me?”

The name didn’t ring a bell. Tilting her head in confusion, she smiled, “No, I don’t.”

It was odd having a guy who was practically an Olympian ask a random girl if she recognised him. Though, he was slightly relieved that she hadn’t built an image of him already, that she wouldn’t speak to him only because he was well known.

“What are you doing standing in the rain wearing such a pretty dress?”

Shoot. She had completely forgotten how silly she probably looked. She decided to play it off like no big deal. “Just meeting with a friend who might be a little late.” The corners of her lips upturned in a shaky smile that spoke for itself.

“Are you sure?” He asked, narrowing his gaze. “Did they tell you they’re running late?”

“Um..” Her heart sunk. She got ready and left the house without a second thought, not checking her phone for a message on the way to their supposed meetup spot.

Reaching her hand into her purse, she took out her phone; no new notifications.

Swiping through the droplets on her screen, she opened the chat. She quickly typed a message asking where he was and pressed send.

Not delivered.

Her lips quivered once again, her sight glossed over by a layer of tears. Droplets of rain and her tears fell onto her phone screen simultaneously.

“Hey, what are you crying for?” He asked, placing a reassuring hand on her arm.

“I think.. I got lied to, again..” Her voice trembled, the words choking through a stream of tears. She cupped her face in her hands out of humiliation.

He frowned, his gaze taking in her trembling figure soaked in the rain. “You’re freezing...! You’ll catch a cold!” Unzipping his jacket, he draped it over her. It ha a strong smell of deodorant spray; the kind that’s advertised for sporty guys.

His unprecedented kindness shone brightly, casting a ray of light onto her longing heart. It had been so long since someone treated her with real kindness that she had forgotten what it felt like.

She noticed that he was only wearing a T-shirt underneath. He’d also get sick..

“Come on, let’s get you warmed up!” He smiled, patting her back gently. “I know a nice cafe nearby.”

“Are you sure..?” She questioned, sniffling. “...If you’re just feeling sorry for me, then-”

“Feeling sorry? Huh?” He scratched his head in confusion. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this..”

Did she hear him right? No, perhaps the sound of rain and cars passing by muffled what he said.

There’s no way anyone wanted to see her, to get to know her.

Upon entering the cafe, a waitress immediately rushed up to Shoyo, guiding him to a table. The cafe was warmly lit, and somewhat small; it seemed like a comfortable place to stop by.

The service was also oddly quick. Immediately after giving the two a menu each, the waitress returned with a complementary jug of water and two cups, before standing off to the side, close to their table to take their orders when they were ready.

“What’re you going to order?” He asked with his chin propped on his hand.

The menu was a double sided sheet, lunch and dessert. Her eyes scanned over the drinks section. “I’ll.. probably go for something warm.” She replied.

Raising his hand, the waitress came over.  “Are you ready to order?” She asked.

As he placed their order, she noticed how the waitress seemed a little.. nervous? She looked as though she had something to say, her eyes flittering between his face and the notepad she was holding. Come to think of it, when they met, he asked if she’d recognised him. Maybe he was someone who was known around these parts?

Once the waitress left, her gaze flickered over him. He didn’t exactly look familiar.. Maybe he’s a member of a community soccer club? He wasn’t exactly bulky, but sort of built.

“Mind if I ask you something?”

“Go ahead” He smiled, pouring a glass of water.

“I know it’s none of my business..” She said, resting her hands on her lap “But do you know that waitress?”

“Nope! Not even her name.” He took a large gulp of water. “She probably knows me though.”

“How?” She asked, curiosity taking over.

“Well, I don’t mean to brag, but I’m kind of an Olympian!” He said, his voice bubbling with excitement. She felt the thrill emitting off him as he spoke. What was someone like him doing hanging out with her?

“So you’re famous?”

“Yep! I play for Japan’s Volleyball team.”

“Woah..! Seriously?!” Her eyes widened in surprise. “You said your name was.. Shoyo, right?” She said, turning on her phone and typing his name followed by ‘volleyball’ in the search engine. Sure enough, countless articles filled the search results, his name and face plastered all over.

“You’re everywhere!” She laughed.

The two of them were so carried away in conversation that they barely took notice when the waitress brought them their orders. She found herself immersed; completely out of character for her. How long had it been since she’d been able to talk to freely to someone else? To be seen without feeling judged?

Flicking through the plethora of pages, she decided to check out some of the images associated with his name.

“You were so little!” She commented, tapping on a photo of what she assumed was him in middle school, turning the phone so he could see.

“Yeah, I got that a lot.” He replied, taking a sip of his drink. “To tell you the truth, I was in high school there.”

Taking a closer look at the photo, her eyes scanned the name on the jersey he was wearing.

“Karasuno..? You went there as well?”

“Yeah, you did too?” He replied, laughing awkwardly. He was doing such a bad job of hiding it. He couldn’t just come out and admit it; ‘I haven’t forgotten you since high school, please don’t leave me again!’ Especially when she didn’t even remember him..

Or so he thought.

Suddenly, a surge of memories that she had blocked out came rushing back into her head. Memories of things she did to fill her free time. She tried all sorts of things; making crafts, reading novels, playing sports and even watching them from time to time.

Back then, she had heard of a tournament that was going on. Posters had been plastered all over the school for the boys’ volleyball team, so she decided to check out one of their matches during the ample free time that she had.

“I did. And If I remember correctly, I watched you play a few times as well.” She said before taking a sip of her drink. “But at some point, I stopped trying to make friends. So I’m sorry that I couldn’t remember at first.” A nervous chuckle escaped her, and he laughed as well. She figured that there was no use hiding something so trivial from a person who went out of their way to cheer her up.

Seeing somebody like him in high school; you wouldn’t assume he played a sport that’s mainly dominated by tall players. Despite that, he managed to make a name for himself then and now. Looking at herself, she had given up trying to meet new people all because of a few unsavoury interactions, but what about him? Maybe that was why she subconsciously supressed any memory of him.

The conversation between the two of them grew stale. As she finished her drink, she offered to pay for the two of them; he told her he’d get the bill. The two of them stepped outside the café together; rays of the sun shone through the clouds as the rain had settled, and the air was crisp. She was still wearing the jacket he had given her earlier.

Shoyo noticed her demeanour change from when the two of them were chatting earlier. Not good, if they left each other on this note, who knows if he’d see her again?

“Oh, here’s your jacket” She slipped her arms out of it and held it out in front of her, a shy smile tugging at her lips. “Sorry, I guess I got a little too warm.” Though, he didn’t take it from her just yet.

“Hey.. So, um..” Running his hands through his hair, he felt nervous. This wasn’t like him at all! Suddenly, he cleared his throat, and looked her in the eyes.

“You know..” His tone was softer than earlier. “I’m not usually one to say stuff like this – I’m not that good with words.” She met his gaze; his eyes reflecting a level of sincerity that no one else had shown her before.

“From when I first saw you, I couldn’t forget you. I don’t know what it was - I’d notice those rare moments you’d speak to someone; a teacher, a student – you were radiant to me”

As she stood there, receiving a barrage of compliments that she had never heard, her feet were locked in place. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. There was really a person who felt so strongly about her?

He didn’t wait for a response. Placing his hands on the jacket that she held out in front of her, he wrapped it around her once more, gently tugging her closer. “I want to get to know you.. properly.” He said with a delicate voice. “I won’t let you slip away again.”  

For years, she had ignored the feeling of longing for a person who would just look her way. Someone she could be herself around. Someone who wouldn’t treat her as just another person in the background.

A soft smile spread gently across her face, tears forming on the corners of her eyes. Leaning into his hold, she rested her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart pounding quickly. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace in response.

“..And you said you weren’t good with words.”

“I do try sometimes.”