Smug Kuro

The teacher blows the whistle for the end of gym class, the sharp sound echoing through the loud gymnasium. Shoes squeak against the polished floor as everyone immediately starts standing up, grabbing water bottles and gym bags while complaining about how exhausting the class was. The air smells faintly of sweat and rubber from the balls scattered around the court.

Meanwhile, Kuroo just stays where he is. Completely still.

His dark eyes remain locked onto Kenma from across the gym, unwavering and intense enough to make it obvious to anyone paying attention. Kenma can practically feel the stare burning into the back of his head, but he refuses to acknowledge it. He walks toward the changing room without even sparing Kuroo a glance.

"Is it really necessary to stare daggers at him?" Tsukishima mentions with his usual laziness, shoving his hands into the pockets of his gym shorts as he watches the scene unfold with mild annoyance.

"Yeah, what's got you so interested in him anyway?" Iwaizumi asks while lightly stretching his shoulder, eyebrows raised in confusion.

Kuroo finally tears his gaze away from Kenma and looks at Tsukishima and Iwaizumi instead. His expression barely changes as he bluntly mentions, "He talks back."

Tsukishima and Iwaizumi both give him a long stare.

Iwaizumi even pauses mid-stretch.

"That's it? Talking back?" Iwaizumi says with an almost laugh, like he genuinely expected a better answer than that.

Tsukishima just rolls his eyes with a quiet scoff. "I'm getting changed."

Without waiting for another response, Tsukishima lazily jogs toward the changing room, clearly done with the conversation.

Inside the crowded change room, the noise is even worse. Lockers slam shut loudly, guys yell across the room at their friends, and the humid air feels stuffy from everyone changing at once.

Near the exit, Kageyama suddenly steps in front of Hinata and blocks his path entirely.

Hinata immediately glares up at him.

"Kageyama!!" Hinata whines dramatically, trying to shove past him. "I need to get out since I'm done."

Kageyama doesn't move an inch.

Instead, he silently stares down at Hinata, clearly doing this on purpose just to annoy him. Still, despite the cold look on his face, there's no actual malice behind it. Kageyama would never genuinely hurt Hinata, no matter how much he enjoys irritating him.

"Too bad..." Kageyama says flatly.

Hinata's cheeks puff out into an irritated pout, and for just a second, Kageyama's lips twitch upward ever so slightly.

A small smirk.

Tiny enough that most people probably wouldn't notice it.

But Kenma notices from afar while quietly changing near the corner of the room.

*Are they just more than bully and pushover?* Kenma thinks to himself, watching the way Kageyama's expression softens for barely a second around Hinata.

Hinata continues complaining loudly while trying to push Kageyama out of the way, and strangely enough, Kageyama lets him.

*Maybe I should ask Hinata later...*

.

.

.

Now... The time has come... To head back to the dorms.

The hallways are a lot quieter now compared to earlier, most students already disappearing into their own dorm buildings after practice. The faint sound of conversations and laughter echoes from farther down the halls while the evening sunlight pours through the large windows, casting long shadows across the floor.

And strangely enough, Kuroo and Kenma are walking together.

Usually, Kuroo would stay back for a while after classes are done, either talking to someone, messing around, or just wasting time on purpose. But today, for some reason, he's heading straight toward the dorms alongside Kenma.

Kenma notices immediately.

And honestly?

It's suspicious.

"Is there a reason you're going with me?" Kenma finally decides to mention after several minutes of awkward silence.

Kuroo slowly turns his head toward him, eyebrows raising slightly.

"What? Is it a crime to go to MY dorm?" Kuroo mentions with slight attitude, dragging out the word my on purpose.

"It's OUR dorm now," Kenma fires back almost immediately, irritation obvious in his voice.

*Why does he find the need to annoy me so much?* Kenma thinks bitterly while glaring ahead.

Kuroo only hums in response, clearly entertained.

The rest of the walk falls silent again.

Their footsteps echo against the empty hallway until they finally reach the dorm room door. Kuroo casually pulls out the key, unlocks it, and walks inside first.

As Kenma follows after him,

SLAM.

The dorm door suddenly shuts behind him loudly enough to make him flinch slightly.

Kenma immediately looks over with confusion and annoyance written all over his face. He grabs the handle and tries opening it again, only to realize Kuroo had already locked it from the inside.

Kenma sighs loudly in disbelief.

"Kuroo! Seriously??" Kenma yells.

Meanwhile, Kuroo has already made himself comfortable on the couch, lazily leaning back with one arm stretched over the cushions while smirking to himself like he just accomplished something amazing.

"What?" Kuroo says innocently. "You did say it's OUR dorm."

Kenma narrows his eyes dangerously.

Then Kuroo continues with another smug grin.

"Unlock it yourself then."

Kenma hears every word and immediately feels the urge to punch him directly in the face.

Instead, he aggressively digs the keys out of his pocket and unlocks the door himself with way more force than necessary.

"Kuroo! When I catc-"

But before Kenma could finish speaking...

He freezes.

There Kuroo was, standing only a few feet away, casually taking his shirt off.

Kenma's entire brain short-circuits.

"W-What are you doing!?" Kenma quickly yells out, immediately looking away for half a second before accidentally glancing back again.

Kuroo looks completely unbothered.

"What's got you so worked up?" Kuroo asks casually before grabbing a grape from a bowl sitting on the counter and tossing it into his mouth.

The smugness in his voice makes Kenma even more irritated.

"I usually walk around shirtless," Kuroo says, even though he absolutely does not.

And the worst part?

He knows Kenma knows he's lying.

"If you got a problem with that, you can switch dorms\~" Kuroo says with a sly smirk, his teasing tone sounding almost unbearable.

Kenma stares long and hard at Kuroo, immediately realizing exactly what kind of game he's trying to play.

"As fucking if!" Kenma snaps back instantly.

Kuroo pauses for a second before letting out a quiet chuckle.

"I realized this before, but you really do have a foul mouth," Kuroo says amusedly while slowly stepping closer.

Way closer.

Kenma instinctively stiffens.

"What?" Kuroo says teasingly. "Did you fall for me yet?"

The room goes silent.

Super quickly.

Even the playful atmosphere from earlier disappears for a second.

Kenma just stands there frozen, heat immediately rushing to his face after hearing those words. His heart skips embarrassingly hard in his chest, and to make matters worse, Kuroo is standing way too close now.

Close enough for Kenma to clearly see the amused glint in his eyes.

Kenma finally snaps out of it and pushes Kuroo backward slightly.

"Does it look like I fell for you?" Kenma asks with annoyance, though his voice comes out less steady than he wanted.

Kuroo only stares at him blankly for a moment before another sly smirk slowly spreads across his face.

"With the way you blush around me, yeah\~"

Kenma immediately goes silent.

His face somehow gets even warmer.

*Is he serious....?*

End of episode 4.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***