After just half a day of training camp, the entire Karasuno team was worn out. Even Jin, with his system boost, felt dead on his feet. Dozens upon dozens of spikes had drained him more than any regular practice could.
At dinner, the team devoured food like starving wolves. Jin shoveled rice into his mouth, but his eyes occasionally flicked across the table toward Kiyoko. She caught his look once, and with a slight nod, stood up quietly. A moment later, Jin followed her out, one after the other.
She hadn't told anyone else, having Jin walk her home was just between them.
Waiting by the door, Kiyoko looped her bag over her shoulder and whispered, "This way. The back gate's closer."
Jin dragged his tired legs, each step heavy after the afternoon's spikes. His body screamed, but when Kiyoko glanced at him in concern, he straightened immediately.
"Isn't it too much, asking you to come with me when you're this tired?" she asked softly.
"How could it be? I'm full of energy," Jin replied quickly, waving his hand. 'No way I'm missing my senpai asking me for help for once.'
They slipped out the back gate. The sun had dipped low, and the dorm's remote location left them a long stretch of path half-swallowed in shadow.
Though the streetlights ahead offered patches of safety, the road in between was dark. Jin noticed the slight tension in Kiyoko's steps. Without thinking, he closed the distance, walking closer to her.
*Rustle!*
Something shifted in the grass.
"Ah!" Kiyoko gasped, instinctively clutching Jin's arm.
Caught off guard, Jin's exhausted legs buckled, and they both toppled sideways.
"Careful!" he grunted. In the fall, he twisted his body under hers, absorbing the impact. Pain shot through his back, but with Kiyoko trembling against his chest, it felt almost worth it.
She squeezed her eyes shut, clinging to him, cold sweat breaking on her brow.
The rustling in the grass continued. It was too loud, too steady, definitely not an animal.
"Who's there!?" Jin shouted.
Two heads popped up from the grass, a man with cropped hair and a woman with long hair.
"…It's not a ghost," Jin whispered to Kiyoko, squeezing her shoulder. "Just two people."
Kiyoko cracked her eyes open, still wary. "…Two people?"
Then her gaze followed Jin's, and her face flushed. The couple was hurriedly adjusting their clothes.
"They're… doing that? In the grass?" she stammered, voice barely audible.
Jin stiffened, cheeks heating. He tried to keep his expression calm, but his body betrayed him, frozen awkwardly above her.
Kiyoko shifted, trying to sit up. Jin, too tense to think straight, instinctively grabbed her wrist.
"Don't move-ow! It hurts…" he hissed.
"You're hurting me too!" she whispered sharply, squirming.
From the grass, the couple watched, completely misunderstanding.
"Wow, these kids are bold," the man muttered. "We at least hid in the grass. They're doing it right on the road."
The woman tugged his sleeve. "Let's leave them to it. Come on."
They slipped away quickly, leaving Jin and Kiyoko tangled on the ground.
Two minutes of struggling later, Kiyoko's cheeks burned as she tried to calm her breathing. "Alright. I'll count to three. Let go so I can stand up."
Jin didn't want to move, partly from pain, partly from stubbornness, but under her sharp glare, he sighed.
"One… two… three…"
He released her hand at last, feeling the warmth of her slip away. A pang of reluctance stirred in his chest.