Kiyoko Shimizu

It's Valentine's Day. Kiyoko is at her job at the sports store, a calm day like any other. Yet her mind wanders to tonight. To Tanaka. To what she's prepared.

Her phone buzzes discreetly. Messages from her former teammates, especially Nishinoya who's as enthusiastic as ever. And then there's Tanaka. Tanaka who sent her a message this morning, as awkward as the first day, telling her he can't wait to see her tonight.

Kiyoko smiles imperceptibly. No one at the store notices, but it's perhaps the first time today she's let that emotion show.

Tonight, she has planned something special. Nothing big. Just a homemade meal and a small gift. But for someone as discreet as her, that's huge. It's her way of saying everything she can't express with words.

What she hadn't planned was that Tanaka, in his legendary enthusiasm, had also prepared something. And that their Valentine's Day together would be far more memorable than she ever imagined.

Scene 1: Kiyoko's lunch break

Kiyoko sits in the small break room of the store, a bento box open in front of her. A younger colleague, Mika, sits beside her.

Mika: "Tanaka-san! It's Valentine's Day today! Did you prepare something for your husband?"

Kiyoko: (calmly) "Yes."

Mika: "WHAT?! TELL ME!"

Kiyoko: (pause) "A meal."

Mika: "Just a meal?! No chocolate?! It's tradition!"

Kiyoko: (blushing very slightly) "I made chocolate too."

Mika: "AHHH! You're so cute! And him? Did he get you something?"

Kiyoko: "He said he has a gift."

Mika: "Are you excited?"

Kiyoko: (a discreet smile) "Yes."

Mika: "Tanaka-san, you're so beautiful when you smile! Why don't you smile more often?"

Kiyoko: "I smile when I have reasons to smile."

Mika: (blushing) "That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard..."

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆

Scene 2: Preparations

Kiyoko is in their apartment kitchen. She has laid out all the ingredients: chocolate, cream, butter. She follows a recipe with methodical precision.

Kiyoko: (talking softly to herself) "Chocolate temperature... 45 degrees... Room temperature... 22 degrees..."

She pours melted chocolate into molds, her gestures precise.

Kiyoko: (thoughts) "In high school, I never imagined doing this one day. Cooking for someone. For him."

She decorates the chocolates carefully, each perfectly formed.

Kiyoko: (thoughts) "He waited so long. He never gave up. Even when everyone said it was impossible."

She wipes a small chocolate stain from her finger.

Kiyoko: (thoughts) "Thank you for waiting, Ryunosuke."

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆

Scene 3: Tanaka's return

The door opens. Tanaka enters, still in work clothes, hair slightly messy.

Tanaka: "KIYOKO! I'm home!"

Kiyoko: (coming out of the kitchen) "Welcome back."

Tanaka stops dead when he sees her. Kiyoko is wearing a simple dress, her short hair framing her face.

Tanaka: "You... you are..."

Kiyoko: "Yes?"

Tanaka: (blushing) "NOTHING! YOU LOOK LIKE USUAL! I MEAN, NO! YOU'RE MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN USUAL! I MEAN, YOU'RE ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL BUT NOW YOU'RE EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL!"

Kiyoko: (blushing in turn) "Thank you."

Tanaka: "I DID SOMETHING! I MEAN I PREPARED SOMETHING! NOT SOMETHING, A GIFT!"

He rummages in his bag, pulls out a small awkwardly wrapped box.

Tanaka: "It's for you! I know it's not perfectly wrapped, I'm terrible at that, but it's the thought that counts, right? I mean, the gift counts too, but the thought also, and—"

Kiyoko: (placing a hand on his arm) "Ryunosuke."

Tanaka: "... Yes?"

Kiyoko: "Calm down."

Tanaka: (taking a deep breath) "Yes. Okay. I'm calming down."

Kiyoko takes the box, opens it delicately. Inside, a simple necklace, with a small pendant shaped like a volleyball.

Kiyoko: "..."

Tanaka: (nervous) "Is it lame? Is it too lame? I can return it, I—"

Kiyoko: "It's perfect."

Tanaka: "REALLY?!"

Kiyoko: "Really."

She rises on tiptoe and places a kiss on his cheek. Tanaka freezes, blushes, then literally melts.

Tanaka: "KIYOKO..."

Kiyoko: "I have something for you too. Sit down."

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆

Scene 4: The revelation

Tanaka sits at the table, hands on his knees like a well-behaved child. Kiyoko comes out of the kitchen with a plate of perfectly formed chocolates.

Tanaka: "YOU MADE CHOCOLATE?!"

Kiyoko: "Yes."

Tanaka: "FOR ME?!"

Kiyoko: (blushing) "Who else?"

Tanaka: (eyes watery) "KIYOKO..."

Kiyoko: "Don't cry."

Tanaka: "I'M NOT CRYING! IT'S SWEAT!"

Kiyoko: (smiling) "It's 18 degrees in the apartment."

Tanaka: "IT'S INTERNAL SWEAT!"

Kiyoko laughs softly. A rare, precious sound that makes Tanaka's heart beat faster than any match.

Tanaka: "You're laughing."

Kiyoko: "Yes."

Tanaka: "I love when you laugh."

Kiyoko: (blushing) "I know."

She sits beside him, rests her head on his shoulder.

Kiyoko: "Happy Valentine's Day, Ryunosuke."

Tanaka: (voice choked) "Happy Valentine's Day, Kiyoko."

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆

Scene 5: The evening

They're settled on the couch, the TV playing a recorded volleyball match. Tanaka has his arm around Kiyoko's shoulders, who is curled against him. The chocolates are half gone.

Tanaka: "It's the MSBY match from last week. Hinata made an incredible point in the third set."

Kiyoko: "I watched it live."

Tanaka: "YOU WATCH MATCHES WITHOUT ME?!"

Kiyoko: "I always watch them. Even when you're not here."

Tanaka: (touched) "Really?"

Kiyoko: "Of course. They're my friends too."

Tanaka: "I'm so happy you were part of that team. I mean, you WERE part of it. I mean, you're still part of it, in our hearts!"

Kiyoko: "I know."

A comfortable silence.

Kiyoko: "Ryunosuke."

Tanaka: "Yes?"

Kiyoko: "Thank you for never giving up."

Tanaka: (blushing) "Give up? NEVER! The first day I saw you, that first day in the gym, I knew. I knew you were the woman of my life."

Kiyoko: "Even when I ignored you?"

Tanaka: "ESPECIALLY when you ignored me! It motivated me even more!"

Kiyoko: (blushing) "You're weird."

Tanaka: "I know. But you love me like this."

Kiyoko: (after a silence) "Yes."

Tanaka turns to her, eyes wide.

Tanaka: "YOU JUST SAID YES?!"

Kiyoko: "I said yes years ago, at our wedding."

Tanaka: "BUT YOU'RE SAYING IT AGAIN NOW! IT'S EVEN BETTER!"

Kiyoko: (blushing) "Shut up and watch the match."

Tanaka: "Okay!"

He holds her a little tighter, a huge smile on his face.

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆

Scene 6: Evening messages

Later, in the night, Kiyoko lies in bed, Tanaka asleep beside her, one arm possessively around her waist. She looks at her phone.

Nishinoya: "SO?! TELL US!"

Hinata: "Kiyoko-san! Happy Valentine's Day!"

Yachi: "Kiyoko-san, hope you're having a lovely evening!"

Tanaka (sleeping): (mumbling) "Kiyoko... best wife... in the world..."

Kiyoko smiles. She gently strokes Tanaka's hair.

Kiyoko: (message to the group) "Thank you, everyone. Happy Valentine's Day."

Nishinoya: "THAT'S IT?! NO DETAILS?!"

Yachi: "Nishinoya-san, it's private!"

Hinata: "Leave them alone!"

Tsukishima: "Finally someone reasonable."

Kiyoko turns off her phone, snuggles against Tanaka.

Kiyoko: (murmuring) "Happy Valentine's Day, my love."

She closes her eyes, a peaceful smile on her lips.

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆

Scene 7: Kiyoko's inner thoughts

(The next morning, Kiyoko wakes before Tanaka. She looks at his sleeping face.)

Kiyoko: (thoughts) "In high school, I didn't talk much. I didn't smile often. People saw me as an unreachable goddess, a cold beauty. But deep down, I was just shy. Unable to express what I felt."

(She gently strokes Tanaka's cheek.)

Kiyoko: (thoughts) "Him, he was never intimidated by my silence. He saw beyond it. He saw someone worth waiting for, worth persevering for, worth loving. He never asked me to change. He just... loved me. As I was."

(She smiles.)

Kiyoko: (thoughts) "And me, without showing it, I loved him too. Every time he stood in front of me, every time he protected me from other admirers, every time he shouted my name in the gym. I loved him. I couldn't say it, but I loved him."

(She rests her head on his shoulder.)

Kiyoko: (thoughts) "Now I can say it. I can show it. I can make chocolate for him, cook for him, laugh with him. He taught me to open up, to be myself. Not the 'goddess,' not the 'perfect manager.' Just Kiyoko."

(She closes her eyes.)

Kiyoko: (thoughts) "Thank you, Ryunosuke. For waiting. For believing in us. For making me your wife. This is the best Valentine's Day of my life."

Tanaka stirs in his sleep, pulls her closer.

Tanaka: (mumbling) "Kiyoko..."

Kiyoko: (murmuring) "I'm here. I'll always be here."