I, the Supporting Character, Decided to Love the Main Character in Secret... Or So I Thought. - Lust Fallen into Shadow

Every breath made his chest ache. Joy and a loneliness so sharp it made him want to cry were tangled together in a messy knot. This smell. The wax on the gym floor. The rubber of the balls. The faintly salty sweat after moving around so much. All of it mixed together — that was Hinata's scent. Hayashi Kanata pressed his face into the dark blue jersey, huddled in the corner of the club room. His back was curled tight so no one would find him. The club building was empty after school. The late afternoon sun streaming through the window dyed the lockers orange. The air was so still, so silent, it almost hurt his ears. "...Shouyou." Saying his name out loud nearly brought tears. *I'm a shadow.* He'd gotten by telling himself that. Standing at the edge of the court, watching a light brighter than anyone else's — that was his role, and it had made him happy. But. Sometimes, he couldn't help it. He wanted to touch something that still held just a little of someone's warmth. The jersey Shouyou had worn. The crumpled one he'd forgotten to put away in his locker — Kanata lifted it like a treasure, and — *Creeeak.* A small sound of metal scraping. His spine froze. *So this is what a frog feels like when a snake locks eyes with it.* The blood drained from his fingertips. He was terrified to lift his head. But he had to look. Like a broken robot, Kanata turned his head in stiff, jerky motions. The club room entrance. Beyond the open door. The backlight turned the figure's face pitch-black. But he knew. Those long limbs. That slightly hunched but efficient build. And more than anything, the cold presence that made the air itself crackle. Volleyball club, first-year. Kageyama Tobio stood there. "...Ka-geyama." His voice came out hoarse. Kageyama took one step into the club room. He approached without a sound. The setting sun finally revealed his face. Black hair, and straight eyes tinged with blue. A clean, efficient face, like a skeleton model in the science lab. Not a trace of emotion to be found. Kanata clutched the jersey tight. He forgot all about wrinkling it. "Senpai." Kageyama's voice was flat. Devoid of warmth, as if simply stating a fact. " That's Hinata's... what are you doing with it?" Reality yanked him back in an instant. What had he been doing just now? Of all things — Shouyou's. Smelling it — His face erupted in flames. No, not even something that cute. *(It's over.)* Something snapped in his head. Everything was over. His high school life. This club. He'd be called a pervert, and that would be the end. "N-no, this is..." There was no excuse. None at all. But his mouth still struggled to say something. " Don't give me that." Kageyama's eyes narrowed. " I saw you." *I saw you.* Those words alone told him everything. His own shameful display just now. The sight of him, a hopeless upperclassman, burying his face in his junior's jersey in this dim club room. Kanata slowly let go of the jersey. His arms dropped limply. *To hell with it all.* "...Yeah." His voice trembled. " I'm in love with Hinata Shouyou." He'd said it. Out loud, for the first time. And in the worst possible way. Kageyama's expression didn't change. He just tilted his head, slightly. " ...Huh." That was his only reaction. None of the anger or contempt Kanata had expected. He was just observing, like he was gathering data. A long silence filled the club room. Outside the window, he could faintly hear voices — someone leaving through the school gate. The peaceful sounds of after school. Only this room felt like time had stopped. How long did they stay like that? " As long as you don't get in the way, I'll keep quiet." Kageyama let out a small breath and spoke. Kanata looked up. He didn't understand. "...What?" " Your... feelings. I don't care, as long as they don't hurt Hinata's volleyball." It was a cold way to put it. But that was exactly why Kanata knew he meant it. " But." Kageyama took one step closer to Kanata. The air tightened with tension. Kageyama's blue eyes pierced straight through him. " In exchange, you'll give me something." "...Give you what?" " An observation report on Hinata Shouyou." His mind went completely blank. "Every day, you'll record his actions and hand them over to me. His habits during practice. Signs that he's not feeling well. When he jumps the highest. What kind of toss he wants." For the first time, heat crept into Kageyama's voice. It seemed like passion for volleyball, but something felt different. " You're the manager. You can do it, right?" It was a threat. But at the same time — *(A way to watch Shouyou, legally.)* Humiliation burned deep in his core. But there was no way he could refuse. "...Fine." Kanata forced the words out. " ...I'll do it. I'll write the report." *I lost.* It felt like he'd sold his soul to the devil. But the devil, it turned out, seemed possessed by the same thing he was. Kageyama gave a single nod, then turned toward his own locker as if he'd already lost interest in Kanata. To his retreating back, Kanata quietly asked: "...Kageyama." " What." "You too... with Shouyou..." *Don't you look at him in a special way, too?* He couldn't finish the sentence. Kageyama didn't turn around. But for just a split second, his profile looked terribly childish, almost petulant. " ...He's my greatest weapon." It wasn't an answer to the question. But it said everything. The locker slammed shut with a bang. Kageyama left the club room without another word. The setting sun quietly illuminated Kanata, left behind. For several minutes, Kanata couldn't move. Today, right here, something had crumbled with a deafening sound. But beneath the rubble, he'd also found something. Kageyama Tobio — an accomplice who couldn't handle the same heat he carried. And a pretext, however twisted, to stay connected. Kanata stood up and gently folded Shouyou's crumpled jersey. As if putting away his own heart. Alone in the club room. The air was thick with the feeling of a quiet eve before battle.

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Episode 1

Name: I, the Supporting Character, Decided to Love the Main Character in Secret... Or So I Thought.
Author: Novelia

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