The sun was already leaning toward late afternoon, spilling warm gold over the park's faded benches and uneven patches of grass.Kenma sat cross-legged on one bench, Switch in hand, posture relaxed but eyes locked on the tiny screen. Akira was sprawled beside him like a cat soaking up heat, head tilted back, silver hair catching the sunlight, blue eyes half-lidded in lazy contentment.Hinata was pacing back and forth in front of them, chattering about something Akira wasn't even pretending to follow.
"—and then I thought I had it, right? I'm this close to spiking over Kuroo's block, but nooo—he just—" Hinata threw his arms up in theatrical despair.Akira cracked a small grin. "Sounds like a skill issue.""HEY!" Hinata spun on him, cheeks puffing. "I'm improving!"Kenma didn't even look up. "Mm. Sure. Totally believable. One hundred percent.""Kenmaaa! You're supposed to back me up!""I'm playing a ranked match," Kenma replied flatly. "This is more important."Akira snorted. "Ouch."
The moment was peaceful—until they arrived.
It started as a single pigeon, waddling along the path in front of them. Then another. And another. Within thirty seconds, there was an entire squadron of pigeons marching toward the bench like they were reenacting some bird military parade.
Hinata stepped back cautiously. "Uh… why are they looking at us like that?"Akira opened one eye. "Probably because you're holding that bag of chips.""Oh no," Hinata whispered.
The lead pigeon lunged—actually lunged—for the crinkling bag."HEY!" Hinata yelped, spinning away. This, of course, turned into a chase: the pigeons gained speed, flapping short hops forward while Hinata zigzagged across the grass, clutching the chips like a running back protecting a football.Akira watched, unimpressed. "You're losing to birds.""HELP ME!" Hinata cried.Kenma didn't even glance up from his game. "Just give them the chips. They've already won."
But the pigeons weren't done. A bold one swooped low toward the bench—and Akira's lap.
That was the moment Akira finally sat up, casually catching the pigeon mid-lunge by gently pushing it away with two fingers. "Nope," he said simply, his voice calm like he was refusing a door-to-door salesman.The pigeon squawked indignantly. Akira just stared back until it decided maybe there were easier snacks elsewhere."Authority over birds," Kenma murmured. "Impressive."Hinata stopped running, panting hard. "You could've helped earlier!""You looked like you were having fun," Akira said, deadpan.
That was when the footrace challenge started.
"Okay, if you're gonna make fun of me," Hinata declared, "race me! Bet you can't beat me in a sprint."Akira stretched lazily, then stood. "Alright. Kenma, you're the judge."Kenma finally looked up, squinting. "Why am I the judge?""Because you're impartial," Akira said.Hinata leaned toward Kenma. "And because you'll totally root for me."Kenma blinked once. "False."
They lined up by the cracked path, pigeons forming what looked like an actual audience. Kenma raised one hand without enthusiasm. "Three… two… one—go."
Hinata took off like a rocket, wind whipping his hair. Akira… jogged. Just jogged. For the first five seconds, it looked like Hinata had the race in the bag—until Akira's expression changed. Still calm, still relaxed… but each stride got faster. He wasn't even pushing his arms much, just letting his long legs eat up the ground.By the time they neared the "finish" (a dented lamppost), Akira had closed the gap—and passed Hinata in the final two steps.
"What—HOW?!" Hinata gasped."Physics," Akira replied.Kenma deadpanned, "Akira wins. Obviously." Then he went back to his Switch.
They all flopped onto the bench afterward. Akira pulled out his phone, glancing at it. "You two ever play King's Quest Arena?"Kenma's eyes flicked up instantly. "I have a max-level mage."Hinata frowned. "What is that? Is it volleyball?""No," Akira said, smirking. "Better. Let's team up and kill something."
Within minutes, the three of them were hunched over Akira's phone and Kenma's Switch, passing devices back and forth, pointing, laughing, and shouting when virtual enemies nearly wiped them out. Somehow, between Kenma's precision, Akira's timing, and Hinata's chaotic button-mashing luck, they actually beat a tough raid boss.The victory screen flashed, and Hinata raised his fist. "YES! We're unstoppable!"Akira grinned, holding out his phone. "Contacts. Next time we'll beat the final dungeon."They exchanged numbers, a little trio of strangers who suddenly didn't feel like strangers at all.
The peace didn't last.
A sharp voice from across the park: "Well, well… look who's sitting around instead of practicing."
They turned to see Date Tech's guys approaching, still in warm-up jackets, grinning with the smugness of people who wanted to start trouble.