Although it was Sunday, the sports center wasn't particularly crowded.
Most of the badminton courts were practically empty.
After asking the staff to set up a court and renting a couple of badminton rackets, Oikawa quickly got Yui started on some warm-up exercises.
"Oikawa-kun, these exercises are so weird. But they actually feel pretty useful."
Under Oikawa's instruction, Yui followed along like a puppet on strings, performing one strange warm-up movement after another.
"Of course it is. It works even better if you do it while listening to some music. When we go see the cat together, I'll teach it to you."
Yui puffed out her cheeks and ignored him. After wobbling her way onto the badminton court, she raised her racket toward Oikawa with what she clearly thought was a very cool pose. "Oikawa-kun, I'm going to show you just how far behind you really are!"
What is this, Ryoma Echizen?
Oikawa lazily walked to the opposite side of the court and smiled. "Just wait. I'm going to make you regret being so cocky. Even when I'm playing against a girl as pretty and adorable as you, I won't go easy on you!"
Yui laughed happily, lifting her chin with a proud expression. "I don't need you to go easy on me. Just don't forget the rules we agreed on."
"No smashes, and you can't sneak shots into my backcourt. And… My defensive area is the doubles court, while yours is the singles court. Most importantly, you're not allowed to keep running me from side to side!"
Oikawa thought the rules Yui had come up with were practically asking him to surrender on the spot.
Still, when it came to sports, giving a girl leeway was only natural.
"Just wait. I'm definitely going to beat you badly!" Oikawa shook the shuttlecock in his hand. "I'm serving!"
"Bring it!"
The two of them stood diagonally across from each other.
As soon as Oikawa heard Yui's response, he tossed the shuttlecock high into the air.
Pia!
With a crisp sound, it shot over the net.
"Ah! That hurt!" Yui barely had time to react before the shuttlecock landed squarely against her chest.
"That doesn't count! That one doesn't count! You... you hit it way too fast! I wasn't ready yet!"
Even Yui, who was famous for being gentle and easygoing, shamelessly tried to bend the rules at a moment like this.
"Again. This time, I'll serve!"
Yui didn't bother worrying about whether the winner was supposed to serve. She simply grabbed the shuttlecock and, ignoring the diagonal-serving rule as well, sent it straight toward the other side of Oikawa's court.
Oikawa jogged a couple of steps and returned it with his racket.
The shuttlecock hung in the air for a moment before once again landing in front of Yui.
And somehow, it landed in exactly the same spot.
"Y-You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Yui looked at Oikawa accusingly, her eyes practically screaming, You totally did that on purpose.
"I really didn't. It was a coincidence. Seriously, just a coincidence."
Yui looked at him suspiciously, but didn't say anything. She served again.
This time, Oikawa had learned his lesson.
He exchanged a few shots with her, then deliberately let one slip past.
The moment Yui saw that Oikawa had missed, she practically danced around the court in celebration.
Her confidence soared.
Then Oikawa pulled the same trick again.
Every single time, the shuttlecock landed in exactly the same place.
"You're definitely doing that on purpose!" After a few more rallies, even Yui, slow as she could be sometimes, had figured it out.
Oikawa was really good at badminton. And he was absolutely messing with her.
"I can rub it for you, if you want." Oikawa looked at her with complete sincerity.
Yui rolled her eyes and puffed out her cheeks. "I don't want to play badminton anymore. Let's play table tennis."
Before long, their battlefield had moved to a table-tennis table.
This time, Oikawa didn't immediately crush her.
Instead, he kept returning her shots one after another, making every exchange just difficult enough to push her, while still giving her a chance to return each ball.
It wasn't long before Yui's face turned flushed with exertion, and her hair became damp with sweat.
Soon, she took off her turtleneck sweater and changed into one of the athletic shirts provided by the sports center.
To be honest, Oikawa was getting quite an eyeful.
Every time Yui ran around the table, she moved with surprising energy, and Oikawa found himself thoroughly entertained by the sight.
"Want to take a break?" Oikawa finally asked.
Yui didn't answer.
She simply gritted her teeth and kept going.
It wasn't until another five minutes had passed that she finally ran out of energy.
Oikawa helped her over to a nearby chair, where she collapsed and began resting.
Her black tights were slightly damp from all the exercise, and despite the sweat, she didn't smell unpleasant at all. If anything, there was a faint, unusual fragrance about her.
"Why did you have to push yourself so hard?"
"Here. Have some water." Oikawa handed her a bottle of water, then began helping her relax her sore muscles.
Yui tried to protest, but Oikawa's stern tone immediately stopped her. "Don't move around. If you don't loosen up your muscles now, you're going to be miserable tomorrow."
Yui said nothing after that.
She simply sat there quietly and let Oikawa help her recover.
Her face was still bright red from all the exercise.
...
..
After leaving the gym drenched in sweat, Oikawa took Yui out for food.
Then on the walk home, Yui started hiccupping nonstop. Oikawa had to fight not to laugh.
"This is all your fault! Why'd you let me eat both the fried rice and the noodles, if you hadn't I wouldn't be... hic..."
Watching her look so ridiculous, Oikawa finally lost it, his booming laugh echoing down the whole street.
Yui's face flushed with indignation, like she might burst into tears any second. "You're laughing! This is all... hic... all your fault!"
"Okay, okay, my fault."
Oikawa reached out and ruffled her hair, a little indulgently. Then his eyes lit up with an idea. "I've got a great trick that'll stop your hiccups. Want to try it?"
"Sure, let's try it!" Yui looked eager for a second, then quickly grew suspicious. "Wait, it's not that thing where you watch the cat that dances again, is it? That won't work, that... hic... that seriously won't work."
Yui shook her head so hard it looked like a rattle-drum toy.
Oikawa sighed in disappointment. "Yui, I have to say, I'm a little disappointed you're not taking advantage of this golden opportunity. Who knows? Maybe someday you'll want to watch my cat, but it just won't be there anymore!"
At this, Yui just kept her head down and said nothing, hiccupping away steadily, like clockwork, every few seconds.
Which only made Oikawa laugh harder.
The reason she was hiccupping so much was probably a stress response, exercising for so long and then suddenly stuffing herself with food.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you." Oikawa shook his head with a smile, then continued, "I actually know a really effective little trick for curing hiccups. Just do exactly what I tell you."
Yui looked at him and nodded.
"First, bend forward ninety degrees."
Yui did as told.
"Now tilt your head back as far as you can."
The pose was a little awkward to pull off, but she managed to tilt her head back as much as she could.
"I'm going to pour water into your mouth. Just take a few sips and you'll be fine."
Yui blinked, signaling for him to go ahead. Oikawa didn't say anything else, just opened the bottle and poured water into her mouth.
After doing this two or three times... Yui discovered, to her delight, that her hiccups had actually stopped.
"It worked, it really worked! I'm not hiccupping anymore, I really am not, and that awful feeling is way better too!" Yui stared at Oikawa in delighted surprise, grabbing his arm and shaking it hard to express just how thrilled she was.
"Of course it worked. And this, by the way, is a secret method I paid a small fortune for, from a famous doctor. So how are you going to repay me?" Oikawa looked completely serious.
Yui looked up, eyeing him hesitantly, terrified that the moment she answered she'd get roped into some trap and end up having strange things done to her again.
Was having a big chest really that great?
Honestly, Yui envied Yukino quite a bit, never having to deal with the struggle of not being able to find bras that fit, ever since they were kids.
"Ungrateful, are we?" Oikawa shook his head, feigning disappointment.
"I'm not! I'm not ungrateful!" Yui said, her voice barely above a whisper. "So, Oikawa-kun... what do you want me to do to repay you?"
"If you want to repay me, you've got to be the one to say it yourself!" Seeing her looking so honest and put-upon like this, it was genuinely hard for Oikawa not to want to tease her.
"Then... then you can do whatever you want." Yui hesitated for a long moment before finally biting her lip and forcing the words out, as if she'd already resigned herself to Oikawa having his way with her.
Just like what had happened before, in the movie theater.
For some reason, once she'd said it, Yui didn't feel as resistant to the idea as she expected. If anything, there was a small flicker of anticipation.
She figured her face was hot enough to fry an egg on right about now.
She silently cursed herself, wondering where on earth these shameless thoughts were coming from. But then again... it was Oikawa-kun.
If it was him, then even if he did—
'No, no!'
Her thoughts spiraling further out of control, Yui shook her head wildly, trying to chase the indecent thoughts out of her mind.
Oikawa, of course, caught the whole display.
He could even guess exactly why she was acting like this. In his eyes, it only made her more adorable.
He paused for a moment, considering.
Then Oikawa walked toward her. With every step he took, Yui's breathing grew a little more ragged.
Until finally, he was standing right in front of her, their bodies almost touching.
But to her surprise, the thing she'd imagined Oikawa doing to tease her never happened. He simply stood there in front of her and wrapped his arms around her.
The warmth of his broad chest suddenly settled her frantic, racing heart.
Close to her ear, she heard him speak.
"Idiot. Why are you overthinking things so much? Being happy is all that matters."
Yui pressed her face against Oikawa's chest. It was warm, warmer even than huddling under the kotatsu on the coldest days of winter.
.
.
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