"Rii-chan!."
Akari hears her name being called by Shoyo but when she looks in his direction, she sees that he has company. The three of them tried to minimize their presence as they shyly stood behind Shoyo.
'Classmates?'
Before she could voice out her query, Shoyo already began explaining. "They said they wanted to invite me to a study session in preparation for the exam before summer break so they came to visit."
Akari eyed the crowd, not buying into such a lousy excuse. She could ascertain her guess when they become jittery while they stood under her gaze but even though they even made up a story, she did not get mad. Why would she when they just wanted to act cool while visiting her?
"That's a great idea." Akari smiles after a few seconds have passed, she pats the round stone table in front of her and beckons them over. "It's great that they have picnic areas like this. You guys can do it here."
One of the three newcomers, a boy with dark hair swept upwards and wearing square-framed glasses, exchanged a brief look with the other two before taking the first move to where Akari is.
"W-will it not bother you, senpai?" he asks while blushing.
Akari shook her head and smiled at them, this act further made the three blush.
Shoyo, on the other hand, pushed or pulled the other two over before handing Akari her drink. After seeing that the three remained standing around the table while exchanging glances among themselves, he sat on the bench beside his cousin and began sipping his own tea. Seeing this, the three no longer hesitated and sat at the stone stools surrounding the other half of the table.
'Never expected these boys to get easily embarrassed.' Seeing them settled down, Akari looks at Shoyo who was currently munching on tapioca pearls, "And they are?"
"Right, Rii-chan, these are my friends. This is Izumin," he began after gulping down what he was chewing and patting the shoulder of the messy light auburn-haired freckled boy seated on his other side.
"Sho-chan, that's not how you introduce people." Izumi chided Shoyo for his casualness. "I'm Izumi Yukitaka, senpai," he said as he bowed.
Before Shoyo could quibble with Izumi, the boy next to Izumi stood up and saluted. "Senpai, my name is Koji! I saw you win the tournament and I was awed by your winning shot! I-I-I'm a fan desu!!!"
"Baka, that's an even worse way of introduction." chastised the last one as he hurriedly pulled Koji to sit back down. He was the one who sat next to Akari. "I'm Seki Akio, though Hinata usually calls me Acchan. it's nice to meet you, senpai."
"Well, thanks for the support, I guess? And Seki? Akira-senpai's brother?" Akari asked, trying to divert the topic and Acchan nodded in confirmation. "Ohh!" Akari smiles at the three and gives her own greeting with a deep bow… "It's nice to finally meet you guys. Yo-kun has mentioned you all before and I give you my sincerest thanks for accommodating him in his practices when I could not do so."
"R-Rii-chan…" Shoyo did not expect Akari to say such things. He became teary-eyed after hearing Akari say that. He did not expect that even though he never mentioned his volleyball practices in school, Akari actually knew his situation.
"Silly, it's nothing much," Akari smilingly says as she ruffles this tangerine's head which Shoyo secretly enjoyed while the other three looked on with slight envy.
"I have eyes and ears all around the school so I know everything."
Somehow, after hearing those innocent words, they felt a tingling shiver wash over them for a second before vanishing like they just imagined it.
Must be their imagination. Yeah, that's it!
Akari claps her hands to get everyone's attention. "So, do you want me to help you with your revisions?"
"But Rii-chan, you're not good at stud–" Shoyo began to interject but a tight grasp unlike the kind and gentle one a few seconds ago took hold of his head that made him shut up.
"Whatchu say?" Akari's smiling face leveled with Shoyo's.
"T-Thank you for the he-help." Shoyo can't help but answer or he'll literally need help later to the emergency room, that's what ran through his silly head.
Akari releases her vice-grip and nods in satisfaction. 'No wonder that Kageyama enjoys doing this, it's quite therapeutic.' Akari can't help but muse to herself. "In return, you'll each owe me favors depending on how many subjects I help you with, yes?"
All boys quickly nodded their heads as if their lives depended on it… because it literally does.
—
In the beginning, the four were reluctant to agree to the deal after Shoyo's slip-up revealed crucial evidence of Akari's 'prowess' in academics. They're not judging, they just thought it was the usual drill. They all assumed that since she was the same as them--sports enthusiasts, academics are their weakness.
Until that belief changed today.
Japanese language, mathematics, science, and especially english…
Shoyo had long had his jaws on the floor, shocked at this new discovery that Akari, this cool-type cousin of his, was not an academic failure like him. If this was the 'around average' level that his mother told him before, then what was he… 'around trash' level?!
And what shocked him, even more, is that her way of teaching was quite interactive, especially with english because he had easily absorbed her lesson when he originally had the toughest time absorbing these things in class.
"Rii-chan, you're awesome!" Shoyo exclaimed while waving his arms wildly. "I think I can manage to pass this time and I won't have to attend supplementary classes during summer break! Yosha!!!"
'This guy is being extra like always.' Akari sweat-dropped as she leaned away in case she got hit by stray knuckles.
"Anyways, that's about it. Any questions?" Akari asked after she finished checking the outcome of the activity she made them do. "If not, that's a deal made with you guys owing me each 4 favors."
"Senpai, w-we learned a lot!" Seki was quite moved as he also saw the great effect of Akari's lessons on Shoyo. He usually took more time absorbing new knowledge but Akari truly made wonders. Though, he did consciously not say anything regarding her last statement.
"Thank you for the help, senpai." Isumi and Koji said together while Shoyo kept nodding happily at her side.
"Well, in case you have other queries until the exam before summer break, just ask me anytime. It won't count as you owing me favors in the meantime. Count it as my thanks for your visit today."
Akari's statement cooled them all in an instant, they were unsure which exactly had dampened their mood; the exam or the debt collecting?
"Now…" Akari began.
And all boys braced themselves for any possible heart-stopping statements this time.
"Care to play with me for a bit?" Akari beams as she takes the volleyball ball she placed between her and Shoyo and raises it for all to see. "Anyone?"
---
It was a few minutes past 4 pm. Four boys and a girl sitting in a wheelchair were staring at a volleyball court that happened to be within the vicinity of the hospital's garden.
"Th-There really is one," Izumi remarked.
"Whoa!!! A court!!!" It was Shoyo who squealed in delight seeing the unoccupied court.
Seeing this, Akari chuckles and hands the ball to him, who gladly takes it, and bounds over to the court first.
Unbeknownst to her, the three, who stood behind her, exchanged glances with each other before a quick draw of their choice of weapon. After that, Koji silently pumped his right fist in the air for his win over two scissors of his weak adversaries who could only look on in bitter jealousy.
"So senpai…" Koji walks cooly over and places his hands on the push handles and pushes Akari closer to the court. "How do you like us to play?"
"Actually, we never truly know how to play this sport, senpai," Izumi admits as he catches up and walks to Akari's right.
Acchan does the same and takes to her left. "We basically just pass the ball back to Hinata and he hits them downwards."
They finally arrived next to the court and the three noticed Akari deep in thought while her index finger taps her chin rhythmically on reflex.
'Ka-kawaii.' they all simultaneously thought.
"Izumin!" Shoyo comes running over. "Can you toss for me for a bit?"
"Um..." Izumi was uncertain so he looks over to Akari, waiting for her decision since it was her request for them to join anyway.
"I was thinking..." Akari suddenly spoke and the three stood at attention in fear that they got found staring.
"What? What is it, Rii-chan?" Shoyo asked, unaware of the others' worry.
"Let's do a drill for now," Akari announces.
"Drill?"
"Yeah." Akari grins. "I'll be the setter since that's the only thing I can do for now. I wanna see how you hit spikes."
"Yosha!!!" Shoyo celebrated then realized something and his eyes widened in surprise. "The ace setting for me?! Rii-chan, you can set?!"
Akari laughs at him.
"If you don't want the game to end without your control, you need to adapt. Besides," Akari wheels herself at the usual position of the setter. "I wasn't the most valuable substitute for nothing if I didn't have what it takes," she said with a wink.
'So cool...' the four all thought.
"Now, pass me the ball and do your run-up to spike."
"Got it." Hinata walks over to the center of the court and waited excitedly for Akari's signal for him to start.
But then she looks at the rest, "Why aren't you following Yo-chan? I told you I wanna see how you hit spikes. Spikes by all of you four."
"Ehh?!"