Chapter 2
I was panting as I was finally allowed off the barre at the end of practice. Practice had started at 0700, it was now 1500. Eight hours later. A full workday. Despite my unending insistence that I did not wish to pursue it as a career. I sighed as I pulled my water bottle from my lips and turned on my phone. My eyes bugged as I saw the notifications pop up all at once.
47 unread messages from: Japans Outcasts
I swiped to open the chat room app. I didn’t bother to read more than the past ten messages.
_lw00wl_: OYAOYAOYA GUESS WHO GOT A SPORTS SCHOLARSHIP!??!?!?!!!?
_lw00wl_: THAT’S RIGHT!!!! THIS OWL RIGHT HERE!! HOOT HOOT BITCHES!!!!
N0cturnal: You’re too loud
BedHead: BRO!
RollingThunder: Congrats man!
BedHead: WHERE TO BRO!!?!?!?
_lw00wl_: MSBY BRO!!!
DeadInside: At last. I can die in peace on the court.
Starved_of_Affection: WOOOOWOWOWWO!!!!! IM SO EXCITED FOR YOU SENPAI!!!!!
Starved_of_Affection: WHO IS SUNSHINEB0I10!!?!?!?
Starved_of_Affection: KEN-SAN! YOU’RE INTRIDUCTION IDEA IS BRILLIANT!!!!!! I LIKE WHITE!!!! I LIKE BOILED FLOUNDER!!!! I AM AN ONLY CHILD AND I AM 16!!!!! I AM 182CM!!!!! I AM ALSO AN OUTSIDE HITTER!!! I AM A MALE APLPHA!!!!!
DeadInside: Ah yes, when my sarcasm is ignored… I live for this feeling…
BedHead: Shush small child. HES A NEW MEMBER!!!! HE LOVES VOLLEYBALL JUST AS MUCH AS
YOU!!!!
_lw00wl_: HE IS MY NEW SON!!!
N0cturnal: I too, lay claim to the small flower.
_lw00wl_: BABE!!!!
BedHead: You two are disgustingly cute.
Kodzuken: Shush, you can’t say anything hypocrite.
Kodzuken: Even if I’m a part of it, you are disgustingly affectionate.
BedHead: You know you love me ;3c~~
Kodzuken: Move. That. Fucking. Paw.
BedHead: :3 c.
I tilted my head in confusion before shrugging. If I didn’t immediately understand it, I’m sure someone would explain later.
Sunshineb0i10: CONGRATS @_lw00wl_!!!! I START HIGHSCHOOL IN A WEEK!!! BUT I HOPE WE GET TO PLAY AGAINST OR WITH EACHOTHER IN THE NEXT YEAR!!!!
BedHead: It is so pure and sweet…@Kodzuken, take notes…
_lw00wl_: MY SON!!!! I THANK YOU AND HOPE SO TOO!!! YOU ARE SO KIND!!! BABE, WE RAISED HIM WELL!!!
Kodzuken: Shut. Up. I will do as I please… I don’t disagree though. I want it.
D1g1ts_p1z: Ooh~ Feisty~
PrettySetter: Wonder what that could possibly mean for chibi-chan~
Kodzuken: I will fucking fight, both of you.
Kodzuken: Leave him alone.
N0cturnal: We’ve known him for less than a day babe. Calm down.
Starved_of_Affection: SO, THIS IS SUNSHINEB0I10!!!!! I LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING TO KNOW YOU!!!
Starved_of_Affection: MY HIGHSCHOOLS VOLLEYBALL TRYOUTS START TODAY AND DESPITE BEING RECRUITED MY ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY!!! GOOD EVENING FRIENDS!!!
DeadInside: It’s barely evening…
PrettySetter: Hush my child. Just let him.
SunshineB0i10: @Kodzuken, you should refrain from mean vulgarities! It is not nice! Also, what does this (;3c) mean?? And this (:3 c)??
BedHead: Oh my god…
DeadInside: It is so pure… how did it find this chat?
PrettySetter: chibi-chan~
Kodzuken: I make no apologies for my actions @SunshineB0i10, they deserve it all.
Kodzuken: Google ‘emoticons’.
I closed out of the app to open my browser engine. I rarely used it. My mother insisted if I intended to gain knowledge, it needed to be from books. A quick search yielded many results.
SunshineB0i10: So, it is a pictorial representation of @BedHead’s facial expressions using characters? I believe I could use this one then. :-/
Kodzuken: Very good. BedHead was using ;3c to represent a sexually interested cat, cat because that is our school mascot. The c represents a paw he was lifting to his mouth in a ‘coy’ or ‘flirtatious’ manner.
SunshineB0i10: Oh… ://)
SunshineB0i10: Cat…? Are you two from Tokyo’s Nekoma???
BedHead: So smart~!!!!
Kodzuken: Yes, we are.
PM from @Kodzuken: Oi, texting is easier than this chat. 080-1234-5678 is mine and 080-8765-4321 is @BedHead’s.
My breath hitched and I froze. I had just placed my gymnastics bag down and was headed to shower but Kodzuken’s message caught me off guard. I contemplated silently before copying the first number and pasting it into my contacts to send a message.
Messaging with 080-1234-5678 (You have yet to make a contact for this number)
Hi! This is SunshineB0i10!!! I guess since we are now private messaging, I can give you my name! I am Hinata Shōyō! Please call me Shōyō! I live in Miyagi.
Hey. I’m Kozume Kenma. Call me Kenma. Tokyo, obviously. The other number is for my best friend and boyfriend, Tetsurō Kuroo.
It is a pleasure Kenma-san! Not to be rude, but I thought you were both Alphas? My mother has always told me that secondary genders can’t be together without a buffer?
Drop the honorifics, just Kenma is fine. She is wrong. Kuroo and I have been dating since second year of junior high. That isn’t to say we would be unwilling to accept a Beta or Omega into our relationship though. In fact, we’ve been hoping to.
Oh! That makes much more sense…
I sighed softly, oddly relieved I hadn’t offended him. I scrolled through my phone to set up contacts for both new numbers before sending a message to Kuroo-san.
Messaging with Tetsurō Kuroo
Hello Kuroo-san! My name is Hinata Shōyō! Kenma gave me your number. I am also SunshineB0i10! It is a pleasure to meet you!
Pleasure’s all mine Shōyō. Kenma calls me Tetsu, you should do the same. ;)
I flushed from ears to halfway down my chest. I shut off my phone and quickly moved to shower before heading out to help Natsu with dinner. An odd feeling welled up in my stomach and followed me as long as my thoughts remained on the two new contacts in my phone.