COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: I don't own either Love Live! School Idol Project or Haikyuu!. However, I do own the OCs in this story.
SUMMARY:
The training camp that Karasuno's volleyball club is invited to by Nekoma's volleyball club becomes more than anyone bargained for when not only does the Aoba Johsai team come along, but Lev also invites two of his part-Russian friends, who in turn bring a school idol group and most of their mothers. Additionally, the twin sister of Kageyama shows up along with one of Hinata's childhood friends, who attends Nekoma herself. {Starts during episode 4 of Season 2 of Haikyuu! and takes somewhat of a possibly major divergence but somehow still manages to keep the actual series of HQ! alive.}
Side Note: While writing this, I came to the realisation that I headcanon Iwaizumi being knowledgeable on the meanings behind flowers and the sentimental/spiritual values of them in regards to people, and that sometimes he even teaches Oikawa about flowers. I don't know what made me think this, but I'm glad I do. Tell me in your reviews if you think it's a good headcanon and why/why not.
Side Note #2: I'll be honest, I have no idea where this idea came from, but I've been thinking about an LL!/HQ! crossover for a while. Since there aren't many crossovers between both shows (or any crossovers of Love Live! and sports animes in general), I thought it'd be a good idea to make one. This is not only for me but also for other people who want to see a crossover between these two animes.
Side Note #3: Each character has a different perspective, and as such, it would be normal for other characters to be referred to by different names. For example, depending on the character's perspective, other will be referred to by their last names until the character starts using their first names or they receive a nickname. At which point, they will be referred to by either their first names or whichever name the nickname is based from. However, there will be exceptions to this.
Side Note #4: The names of the Love Live! mothers will literally be 'Mother {insert last name here}' because I have no idea what their actual names are. And yes, they will make lots of appearances in this crossover.
Side Note #5: In case you don't know, I am British, so therefore British spellings and terms will be applied throughout. If anyone has any questions regarding the British terms used, please ask (nicely).
Final Side Note: I also headcanon that Maki played sports or had to join sports clubs throughout middle school/junior high due to her family running a successful hospital and wanting Maki to be physically fit and healthy. In fact, I firmly believe that when Maki was proving to Honoka that she could do press-ups, Maki was going to tell Honoka that she used to play sports before Honoka interrupted her.
Now that that's out of the way, I hope you enjoy reading!
CHAPTER 1:
It's a Small World
* * * * * * *
Oikawa Tooru
The Aoba Johsai team, or at least Tooru, Makki, Mattsun and Iwaizumi, had nothing to do for once. Usually, they would be doing volleyball practice, but there was only so far that would go if they were just using it as a way to release their fury for having lost a recent match. After their all too recent loss against Shiratorizawa, Tooru hadn't been in such a good mood. In fact, he was quite bitter about the fact that he and his team hadn't been strong enough to stop Ushijima and his teammates. Iwaizumi, Mattsun, and Makki had taken him out into town to raise his spirits, if only for a day.
"I wonder if any daffodils would do? Or would sunflowers be better? No, those flowers would be more Shoyo's type. If I'm making a flower crown for Kageyama-kun, I wonder if I should get a type of flower that would mean something or have sentimental value?"
Tooru stopped in his tracks and turned to his right, where the voice had originated. The voice was soft and mellow, and had a sweet ring to it, but that wasn't what had stopped him.
The mention of Kageyama.
To his right, there was a girl crouched down and looking over several selections of flowers. Her hair was blonde and travelled down to a point between the nape of her neck and her shoulder blades. From what Tooru could see, she had fair, rosy pink pale skin. She was dressed in what appeared to be a school uniform he couldn't recognise: a white shirt with sleeves that ended almost mid-forearm; a black hip-length cardigan with the sleeves shoved just above the end of the sleeves of the white shirt; a black pleated skirt that looked like it would almost reach her knees, maybe at least her mid-thigh; a backpack that was black with blood red straps to accentuate; a pair of black tights; and a pair of white outdoor trainers. At least, that was as far as he could see.
Still, thinking he could give her a helping hand, Tooru leant over her. "How about the lotus flower?"
She didn't jump out of her skin like he thought she would, but rather she raised her head to look up at him, before she rose and stood up straight. It was only then did he realise that she was only... 4'5", at least. At best, she was probably somewhere around 4'7".
She's so small – and adorable!
When she turned to look at him, he found that she had beautiful blue-green – teal, maybe? – eyes that held a spark, and the shape of her eyes was quite similar to those of a girl with red hair that he'd seen in an idol store a while back. More of her blonde hair covered her forehead, split just above her eye on her left-hand side. This part of her hair was separated by a blood red ribbon tied into a small, thin bow on both sides. Both sides of her fringe reached her chin, partially covering her eye on her right-hand side and just grazing the upper corner of her left eye. Additionally, at the top of her collar was a tie that was the same colour as her ribbon, and her black cardigan was buttoned up, covering her abdomen and chest.
She smiled at him. A happy, grateful smile. "Thank you. If you don't mind me asking, do you who Kageyama-kun is personally? I saw the volleyball match and I couldn't help but feel you two had some sort of grudge to settle... or something along the lines." Her eyes were averted now, and she was pressing her index fingers together.
"Ah, Tobio-chan's just my dear kouhai from junior high." Tooru waved his hand in reassurance, to which she seemed surprised. "If you know him, you'd know that he's often referred to as a 'genius setter', and that he earned the nickname of 'King of the Court'. I just wanted to defeat him in an official game."
"Oh," her mouth transformed from a small 'o' shape into a small smile, "Shoyo told me about his nickname."
Tooru blinked. "Shoyo?"
"Hinata Shoyo? Karasuno's number 10?" She tilted her head.
Tooru smiled when it clicked in his head. "Oh, you mean Chibi-chan!"
"Don't let him hear you calling him that!"
"Shittykawa!" Iwaizumi suddenly smacked Tooru upside the head, causing him to hold his head as he doubled over in pain. Iwaizumi crossed his arms. "Don't just go off on your own without telling us!"
"Iwa-chan, that hurt!"
"It was supposed to hurt, Trashikawa! Now, who's the girl you're bothering?"
Tooru straightened up again, still rubbing the part of his head where Iwaizumi had struck him. He stared at the girl and cocked his head to the right. "That's right! I never asked for your name!" He wanted and tried to act like a gentleman. She gave him the impression of being attracted to the gentlemanly types of guys, and he was a charmer, so he wanted to have her fawn over him like his fangirls always did. He stuck his hand out and gave her his sweetest smile. "My name is Oikawa Tooru. I'm a third-year."
She shook his hand, her grip gentle. "I'm Tetsara Sakari, first-year. It's nice to meet you, Oikawa-senpai." After braving a smile in return, they let go of each other's hands and she turned to Iwaizumi, before she tilted her head slightly.
"Iwaizumi Hajime. Also a third-year." He held his hand out toward her before she even had the chance to ask his name.
She shook his hand as well. "Nice to meet you as well, Iwaizumi-senpai."
"Anyway, weren't you getting some flowers for Tobio-chan?" Tooru tilted his head as he stepped beside her, inspecting the variety of flowers they could choose from.
"Ah, yes, I was! Shoyo invited me to the summer training camp that the Nekoma volleyball team, my school's team, is hosting. Fukurodani is also one of the teams that are there, and then I think there are two more that I can't remember the names of." Tetsara tapped her chin, her eyes glancing over all of the options until she found the lotus flowers. She picked out a bunch of them, much to Oikawa's surprise. How many flowers did she think one person needed? "Karasuno was invited by Nekoma. Apparently Nekoma and Karasuno have been rivals for quite a few years. Only recently did they rekindle their rivalry though. Anyway, I was thinking that since Shoyo and Kageyama-kun are relatively friendly nowadays, I wanted to make Kageyama-kun a flower crown to give to him when I got there."
"In that case, then, I can see why you picked the lotus flower." Iwaizumi pitched in, his hand on his waist. "It's believed that the rise of the lotus flower from dirty and muddy waters is a symbol of achieving spiritual enlightenment and breaking free from one's basic and instinctive impulses. It's also considered as a symbol of reincarnation and rebirth."
Tetsara's face brightened and her eyes sparkled immensely. "Wow! You seem to know a lot about flowers, Iwaizumi-senpai!"
Iwaizumi's face went red, and he quickly glanced away with embarrassment. "It's nothing really."
Despite that, Tooru still had his finger and thumb cupping his chin, deep in thought. Maybe training camp would be good for him and the team. To learn how other teams play and expand on that had a good chance of getting them to Nationals, and perhaps even get them a step closer to beating Shiratorizawa.
"Say, Tetsa-chan, would you happen to know where the training camp is?" Tooru couldn't help but ask.
"Tetsa-chan?" she echoed, cocking her head in confusion.
"It's a nickname; like 'Iwa-chan'." Iwaizumi made quotation marks with his hands when he said 'Iwa-chan'.
"Oh," Tetsara nodded her head, her expression portraying her understanding.
"In any case, I was wondering if my team and I would be allowed to join the teams at the training camp." Tooru waved his hands in front of her to snap her attention back to him. Once she did, he held out his hand, his palm flat, and placed his other palm over his heart. "Don't you think it would be good for us to grow alongside some of the top teams in the prefecture?"
"I guess so," Tetsara nodded her head slowly, almost unsurely. Her uneasy expression faded and was replaced by a kind smile as she held up the bunch of lotus flowers. "How about I go pay for these and call Shoyo to see if they'd be willing to have you there?"
"That'd be amazing!" Tooru couldn't help but clap his hands together with glee. "Thank you!"
"There's no need to thank me. I'd feel guilty if Karasuno improved enough to easily defeat your team in the next tournament, and to be honest, I'd really like for you to defeat Shiratorizawa one day."
Tooru almost burst into tears of happiness. At least someone was rooting for him!
* * * * * * *
Tetsara Sakari
"Let's see here... Izumi... Kageyama-kun... Kenma... Koji-kun... Kuroo-senpai... ah, Shoyo!"
She smiled as soon as she found Shoyo's name in her contact list. After meeting so many of the people Shoyo had introduced her to, and even a few of the people she knew from her school's – Nekoma's – volleyball team, she sometimes ended up forgetting whose numbers she kept, and how many contacts she even had.
Sakari called Shoyo's number. He usually had his phone on him, and there was a good chance he hadn't left it at home. Of all the things, his own phone was something he didn't forget to bring with him wherever he went – she'd known him long enough to know that. Pressing the phone to her ear, all she heard was his phone ringing. After the third or fifth ring, she was sure it would go to voicemail. And it did.
She decided to just leave a message.
"Hiya, Shoyo! Sakari here. I met Oikawa-senpai and Iwaizumi-senpai from the Aoba Johsai team and they want to know if they can go to the training camp. I hope you get this and call me back soon."
She closed her phone and sighed – she'd have to find another way.
"How'd it go, Tetsa-chan?" Oikawa asked, planting his hands on her shoulders.
"It went straight to voicemail. Then again, he did have a supplementary English exam this morning." Sakari tapped her index finger on her chin as a new idea sprouted in her head. "Kenma would be there."
"Kenma? Who's that?" Iwaizumi asked with a tilt of his head.
"He's the setter of the Nekoma team." Sakari immediately answered. "He's not quite the social type, though. I think Kageyama-kun freaked him out by asking him so many questions last time Nekoma won against Karasuno. Speaking of Kenma, he's bound to have his phone on him." Sakari began to flip through the contacts on her phone until she got to Kenma's. She called him and placed the phone to her ear.
Kenma answered quickly, much to her surprise. "Sakari? I wasn't expecting a call from you..."
"Kenma, I was wondering if you'd take a message for me to deliver to Kuroo-senpai and Nekoma's coach."
"Of course. Is it about the training camp?"
"Yes. I met Oikawa-senpai and Iwaizumi-senpai of the Aoba Johsai team – they know Kageyama and their team beat Karasuno in an official match a while ago. They wanted to know if their team could go to the training camp."
"Wouldn't that sour the Karasuno team's mood though?"
"I don't know," Sakari tugged at her cardigan and bit her lip. "But I saw that they lost to Shiratorizawa quite recently. I'd feel guilty if they don't get to beat Shiratorizawa in the next tournament if the training camp is what would help them win."
"I see your point." There was a pause on the other end before Kenma spoke up again. "I'll talk to them and see if we can get Aoba Johsai's team in here. I don't think I can make any promises, though."
"That's alright! And thank you!"
* * * * * * *
Kozume Kenma
"Kenma, who were you talking to? Who's Sakari?" Taketora turned to him.
"She's one of Shoyo's childhood friends, and one of the first-years at our school." Kenma explained as he picked up another ball. "She was the one who Kuroo was asked to tutor so she could get better grades in her chemistry exams."
"Ah, I remember her now!"
Just as he tossed the ball into the air, the Karasuno volleyball team entered with Kuroo. However, Kenma couldn't see their new setter, Kageyama Tobio, among them. Even more surprising was the fact that he couldn't find Shoyo, either.
"Huh? Where's Shoyo?" Kenma couldn't help but ask, feeling concerned for Shoyo's whereabouts.
"Apparently, he had a supplementary exam."
"Oh..."
Thinking back on what Sakari had told him about Aoba Johsai, Kenma wandered over to Kuroo and the captain of Karasuno, Sawamura Daichi. He wanted to confirm if Aoba Johsai's presence there would be alright with the Karasuno team, just in case. As he approached the two captains, Kenma could hear what Kuroo was saying.
"Once we're done with our warm ups, we'll regroup and the teams will play each other in rotation."
"Right."
"The team who loses their set will do a penalty lap of diving drills around the court. Take a look at the match line-up over there. You should be up against Shinzen first."
"Got it."
"Kuroo." Kenma called out as he arrived beside the third-year. "Sakari just called me. She wants to know if it would be okay for Aoba Johsai's volleyball team to come here."
"Seijoh?" Sawamura was the first to respond. He seemed a bit daunted by the idea, Kenma could tell. "Did she say why?"
"Apparently Aoba Johsai recently lost to Shiratorizawa. In essence, she said she'd feel guilty if they lost against Shiratorizawa in the future because they didn't come here." Kenma explained as best he could. He could understand where Sakari was coming from, but he didn't know how to explain it without sounding like a parrot and mimicking Sakari.
"They may have defeated us, but I can get by them being here; especially if they're looking to beat Shiratorizawa." Sawamura planted his hands on his hips.
"Well, if you're alright with it, I'll ask the coach if we can invite them."
* * * * * * *
Hinata Shoyo
While Saeko, Tanaka's older sister, was driving them to the training camp, Kageyama had fallen asleep – sprawled across the backseats – and Shoyo had done nothing but stare intensely at the literal road ahead of them. The car was silent, and debatably awkward, save for the sound of Kageyama snoring.
"Hey, stop sulking." Saeko told him, pulling on his cheek. "I can understand that you're in a hurry, but there are some flowers you only see when you take detours."
Needless to say, Shoyo's mood brightened. "I don't really get it, but that's awesome!" he responded as soon as he turned to face her.
Saeko laughed. "It means you should be thankful for your failing grade, because now you get to ride with me." She had to put both hands on the wheel. "Whoops."
Kageyama hit his leg on the back of Shoyo's seat, still surprisingly not awake. Shoyo couldn't help but glance over his shoulder at Kageyama, wondering if he'd accidentally hurt himself.
"So you like volleyball so much that you're that concerned about it." Saeko remarked with a open grin.
"Yes!"
"Why did you start playing volleyball, Shoyo?"
"When I was in grade school, I saw the spring tournament on TV! It was right when Karasuno was playing, and... I saw the Little Giant!"
"You saw the Little Giant," Shoyo turned to Saeko when she said that at the same time as him, "or something?" She cheered to herself when she saw Shoyo's jaw dropped with the shock. "Ha, so I was right?"
"Saeko-nesan, you know the Little Giant?" Shoyo instinctively asked her. The Little Giant was still a mystery to him, after all. He remembered the times when Sakari would remark that even though the Little Giant is his idol, Shoyo still knows next to nothing about the Little Giant other than he was short, the ace of the Karasuno team despite his height, and the fact that he had black hair and a similar hairstyle to Shoyo's own.
"I think I actually went to school with him." Her smile grew big enough that she closed her eyes, before opening them again.
"What?" Shoyo moved back in his seat as he gasped, not knowing what to do with the new information.
"But I never spoke to him. I might have known him better if he was the mischievous type and stood out."
"Were you like the sort of person who's friends with all the bad guys, Ne-san?"
She laughed so loud at his question that Shoyo was left unsure of how Kageyama hadn't been woken up. "Pretty much, yeah. But..." However, Saeko soon stopped smiling, her eyes stuck to the road as if she was recalling a past memory. "I happened to catch one of their practice matches one time, than any of the scary-looking people I knew."
{Quick Author's Note: When watching Haikyuu Season 2, I realised that this last sentence didn't really make a lot of sense. But if anyone has the correct or a more accurate translation for what Saeko is supposed to say in the dialogue above, could you please tell me what she actually says so I can edit it in?}
"But more than scary, he was intense."
"You mean the way he'd spike the ball?" Shoyo leant forward in his seat.
"No..." her eyes glanced back to Shoyo for a second. "Maybe he wasn't feeling his best at the time, but he was being switched out." There was another pause. Shoyo didn't interrupt. "He's what you guys call an ace, right? The absolute pride and confidence of being the ace... you could see that rising up from his body. Actually, I almost fell for the guy." Saeko let out a sudden laugh, tilting her head back slightly. "So when the ace is in action, everyone around him acts like they aren't gonna let him do all the work."
"Ne-san, you know a lot about the Little Giant." Kageyama suddenly said behind them. Saeko jumped, and even Shoyo was briefly freaked out. Hadn't the setter been sleeping?
"Not really! I just happened to see some of his matches." Saeko immediately retorted, somewhat defensively at that. "You were awake, huh?"
"Well, I was hungry."
At this point, Shoyo had settled with staring out of the window, thinking.
"So you just follow your instincts."
"Yes."
Shoyo remembered what Ushijima Wakatoshi had told him and Kageyama a while ago, when both boys had gone out running and ended up running too far out.
"We won't get weaker just because you watched us."
The absolute pride and confidence of being the ace...
"Alright, it's just a little farther."
Without any given warning, Saeko bumped up the speed of the car and sped off down the road.
* * * * * * *
Tetsara Sakari
On the way to where one of her older sisters, Kuri, was going to pick her up in her car, Sakari walked with Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and their two other friends, Mattsun and Makki. Thankfully, when she'd left the house that day, she remembered to bring a backpack full of her things. By this point, Oikawa and Iwaizumi had given her their phone numbers, and she'd given hers to them in turn. She was hesitant at first, but Oikawa had told her that a friend of Kageyama's was a friend of his as well, and that she would probably have to call him when they made the decision to have them join the other teams at the training camp or not.
"Say, Tetsa-chan!" Oikawa jumped in front of her with a huge smile on his face. Being small, Sakari had to raise her head to see his face. "Since you go to Nekoma, what's the Captain of their volleyball team like?"
"You mean Kuroo-senpai?" Sakari tilted her head, and Oikawa nodded in response. Sakari looked up to the sky, pressing a finger to her chin. "Well, he's – dare I say – handsome. And I don't think he minds how he looks too much, since his natural hairstyle is his bedhead. Unless you mean what he's like as a Captain, in which case, I have no idea. I wasn't there for Nekoma's practice match against Karasuno, so I never saw what he was like on the court. I only got to really meet him when I had to be tutored by him in order to improve my chemistry grades."
"Wait, wait, wait! You said he was handsome?" Oikawa waved his hands around in front of her face, causing her to blink rapidly in confusion.
Sakari nodded. "Yes. Very. Sometimes I hear a few girls from all years talking about him."
"Would you happen to have a soft spot for this Kuroo person?" Oikawa pried, almost leaning over her with an excited grin on his face.
"Trashikawa—" Iwaizumi punched Oikawa in the back of the head. "—respect her personal space. Stop leaning over her. She already has to look up a ways to see your face, I don't want her head leaning back so far that it looks unnatural."
A bead of sweat dripped from the side of Sakari's temple, and she quickly raised her hands up in assurance. "I-It's okay, really—"
"Hey! Sakari, over here!"
Sakari's face brightened up considerably once she saw Kuri waving at her from a few feet away.
Kuri had a lengthy head of brown hair, split above her left eye, leaving room for the rest of her forehead to be covered by a layer of curls similar to Oikawa's. She was defined as a woman whose body proportion was 'just right'. Not too thick or skinny, and a chest that was big, but not in-your-face huge. Her eyes, like Sakari's, were also a teal colour, though maybe a bit greener. She was wearing a black vest with a white cardigan, and blue jeans coupled with a pair of knee-high flat brown boots.
"Ne-san!" Sakari waved back, all too thrilled at the prospect of getting away from Oikawa. It sounded unpleasant of her, but she just couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness ever since they'd met. She wasn't sure how, but he gave her an unpleasant vibe – and she couldn't put her finger on what about him it was, but it put her on edge too much. He creeped her out in some way, and she felt guilty for not knowing why. Still, she wanted to be nice to him and his friends, at least, so she turned to Oikawa and Iwaizumi and bowed in front of them. "It was lovely talking to you, but I have to get going. Ne-san's going to be taking me to the training camp."
"Sure." Iwaizumi nodded and briefly passed her a gentle smile, to which Sakari returned when she straightened back up again.
"Don't forget to call at least one of us," Oikawa reminded her as he softly patted her head.
She bowed her head at Oikawa. "Don't worry, I won't forget." Once passing him the same smile she gave to Iwaizumi, she spun on her heel and approached her sister.
"I see you've made new friends!" Kuri patted Sakari on the back, though from the unintended force behind it, it felt like a not-so-strong punch that was still enough to hurt. Sakari winced, though her sister was oblivious to the pain she'd caused – she always was. Kuri grinned and opened the car door. "Come on, you can tell me all about the guys you were talking to on the way to the training camp."
As soon as Sakari planted herself into the passenger seat, she found that Tabia, who was Kageyama's younger twin sister, was sitting in the backseat.
Tabia was a girl who also went to Karasuno, though as far as they'd known each other (often through their mutual friends), she didn't spend or see that much of her brother in school unless they were practicing volleyball in the gymnasium with Shoyo. Being a twin, Tabia also looked almost identical to Kageyama, so much so that she was just a centimetre shorter than Kageyama, who currently stood at 180 centimetres. The only difference between them other than the obvious was that Tabia was more emotionless than Kageyama and her hair was longer and stopped at a point mid-way down her back. Currently, Tabia wore the black Karasuno volleyball club jacket, the white shirt, and black pants.
"You didn't tell me you'd be going to the training camp as well, Kageyama-chan." Sakari turned to Tabia.
"I thought I told you to just call me Tabia because of Tobio's existence." Tabia responded, more tired than Sakari had ever seen her.
"You did, but I also told you that I would still call you Kageyama-chan and him Kageyama-kun."
"Enough with the talk about names. I hope you've buckled yourself in, Sakari."
Sakari quickly buckled herself in and nodded. "Yes!"
"Then let's go!"
Kuri parked the car, allowing the two other girls in the car with her to take a moment to fix their hair. Sakari's hair, save for her fringe, was stood on end with strands sticking out, and she tried her best to run her fingers through her hair and flatten it. Tabia's hair also had strands sticking out, but not as much as Sakari, and she only had to shift her fringe back into place.
"Alright ladies, we're at the training camp. And it looks like we're not the only ones."
Both girls lifted their heads as another car parked in front of them and three individuals stepped out of the car.
"Tobio." Tabia said aloud, stepping out of the car along with Sakari.
"Shoyo!" Sakari called out as she waved her hand in the air.
Shoyo and Kageyama turned around with surprised looks on their faces. Shoyo was the first to smile. Kageyama, on the other hand, was more confused than Sakari had ever seen him when Tabia approached him. However, Kageyama and Shoyo were both out of breath for some reason.
"I don't recall inviting you here." Kageyama tilted his head, panting slightly.
"Take it as a way to make sure a repeat of the incident during your first year at Kitagawa Daiichi doesn't happen again."
* * * * * * *
Kuroo Tetsurou
Ubugawa had beaten Karasuno, and for the umpteenth time that day, the Karasuno team had to do one lap of diving drills.
Tetsurou could see that two members of one of the other teams he couldn't remember the name of, along with a member from Fukurodani, were talking about the Karasuno team. He couldn't hear exactly what they were saying about the team, but from the reaction of the second manager of Karasuno, whom he'd heard was a first-year called Yachi Hitoka, he could tell it was probably not nice.
"Calm down, Hitoka-chan. There, there." The official manager of Karasuno, Kiyoko Shimizu, braved a smile as she attempted to calm the other girl down. "It's okay. If what Tanaka said was true, it shouldn't be much longer..."
Right on cue, the door to the place was pushed open and a woman with short blonde hair appeared with a smile on her face.
"Hey, they're still at it." said the blonde one, a little loud. She pushed the door in further, though not by much. "We totally made it. Not bad at all."
"Ne-san!" The eyes of Karasuno's libero, Nishinoya, sparkled.
"Wait, that's your sister?" Asahi asked, taking a moment from his stretches to turn to Nishinoya.
"No, she's Ryu's sister." Nishinoya turned back to Asahi.
"Now that you mention it, they do look alike."
"Glad they made it in one piece." Tanaka, although exhausted from the lap of diving drills they'd just done, smiled anyway.
"So the stars are showing up fashionably late?" Tetsurou couldn't help but lift his chin as he eyed the doorway with narrow eyes and brows furrowed. "How annoying."
The girl stepped out of the way, and Hinata and Kageyama pushed through the open doors, panting. Behind Kageyama stood a girl that looked almost exactly like him save for the hair that only stopped down the middle of her back. Standing behind Hinata was the all-too-familiar Tetsara Sakari, a first-year also from Nekoma, who also happened to be one of Hinata's childhood friends and also the cutest, most polite, and most adorable girl Tetsurou had ever seen and had the honour of tutoring in his life.
* * * * * * *
Kageyama Tabia
"Nice serve!"
"Nice receive!"
Tobio and Hinata didn't waste a moment in showing off their freak 'quick' attack.
"Alright!"
"Hey, what was that?" asked one of the Fukurodani players.
"So fast..."
"I've never seen a quick attack like that."
"We're stopping the next one!" The Captain of Shinzen bent his knees a bit more, preparing for Tobio's jump serve.
"Right!"
"Nice serve!"
Tabia watched as Tobio began the run-up as soon as he tossed the ball into the air, before he leapt from the floor and smacked the ball over the net. One of the Shinzen players barely managed to receive it.
"Sorry! Cover me! Eikichi, I'm counting on you!"
"Wow, nice serve! Not bad!" The Captain and ace of Fukurodani, whom she'd learnt was called Bokuto Koutarou, grinned at the view he was getting of the match. It was clear he was entertained.
One of the other Shinzen players attempted to spike the ball, but it was blocked by Hinata, who barely managed to jump high enough for it to hit his hand. The ball bounced off his hand nonetheless.
"Nice, Hinata!"
Once Hinata landed, he was quick to sprint over to the other end of Karasuno's side of the court. The face of the player that had just tried to spike the ball – presumably Eikichi – was priceless: he was so surprised by Hinata's reflexes that Tabia slightly found it funny. Not that she would show it, though.
"Eikichi! Stop their #10!"
Eikichi began running towards where Hinata planned to jump, but it was too obvious that he wasn't fast enough to catch Hinata. Once Hinata jumped and the ball landed on Tobio's palms, they had executed another one of their 'freak' quick attacks. The ball just barely grazed Eikichi's hand, but they managed to score their final point nonetheless.
Once the game was over, Eikichi looked down at his hand. "Damn it! I managed to tap it, but I couldn't control it."
"What the hell is up with their #9 and #10's quick attack?!" The Shinzen Captain lifted his head up.
Tobio and Hinata were panting, out of breath, and yet Tabia knew that they were trying to act cool and shrug off their exhaustion. Sometimes the twin telepathy she shared with Tobio was something of an advantage to her.
"Don't act all cool, you tardy test flunkers." Tanaka appeared behind them. Tobio and Hinata stiffened.
The Shinzen Captain stood up again. "One lap of diving drills!" he shouted without a semblance of motivation as he began his diving drills, with his teammates following behind him after shouting "Right!".
The Karasuno team walked off the court, with most, if not all of them, showing some visible signs of exhaustion from the match.
"So in our ninth set, we finally got a win." Sawamura remarked with a sigh. "We finally don't have to do the diving drills."
"I'm starving!" Nishinoya cried out.
"Say, Tetsara," Tabia turned toward the small blonde after handing a water bottle to Tobio and Hinata. "I never asked you if you've seen Hinata jump like that before. You don't seem too surprised by it."
"Izumi and I helped him practice his receives back in middle school, along with some of our other friends. We already got to see his jump before anyone else did." Tetsara handed a water bottle out to Nishinoya, before turning to him. "Didn't you say you were starving, Nishinoya-senpai?"
Nishinoya blushed when Tetsara called him 'senpai', but turned to her anyway with drool around his mouth, nodding frantically. Tanaka managed to overhear her question and planted his head on Nishinoya's shoulder, with stars in his eyes.
"After everyone's done with their matches, I'll be happy to make dinner for you and anyone else that's hungry." Tetsara smiled, her smile being a little too bright for Tabia's liking, though she couldn't complain. Out of the corner of her eye, Tabia could see the Captain of Nekoma, Kuroo Tetsurou, often glancing at Tetsara out of the corner of his eye.
"Why don't I help you with that? I'm sure it'd be a lot of work cooking, especially when so many of these guys are bound to be hungry anyway." Tabia suggested, her eyes flicking from Kuroo to Tetsara. Tetsara looked back up at Tabia, and Tabia in turn flicked her gaze toward Kuroo again, which led Tetsara to turn her head in Kuroo's direction. "And I'm sure Kuroo-senpai would like to help you as well, seeing as how he seems like he wants to talk to you."
"That's a good idea! I'll do that. And," Tetsara crouched down and opened up her backpack, digging through it and pulling out a flower crown made out of... lotus flowers? Tetsara closed her bag and stood back up, before smiling and saying, "you just reminded me of this."
Before Tabia could ask who the flower crown was for, Tetsara had rushed past her and toward Tobio, who was taking a drink from his water bottle.
"Kageyama-kun!" Tetsara called out to him as she approached him all too happily.
Tobio paused drinking and looked down at Tetsara, before blinking rapidly. "Tetsara?" He tilted his head.
"I wanted to give this to you." Tetsara held up the flower crown. "As a symbol of finally managing to get along with Shoyo, and becoming someone that I've learnt to consider as a very good friend."
Tabia smacked her face with her palm. Well, that was one way to describe Tobio's development.
With tears brimming in the corners of his eyes, Tobio got down on one knee and lowered his head, as if he was being crowned. Then again, Tetsara probably wouldn't be able to reach otherwise, and the blonde girl herself seemed to understand that. With a smile, she placed the lotus flower crown on the top of Tobio's head.
With a smile, Tobio straightened back up and pulled Tetsara into what Tabia would have classed as a potentially spine-crushing hug. Hinata saw what was going on, but didn't seem confused as to why Tobio had a flower crown on his head. Instead, he took a swig from his water bottle and cocked his head to the side, arching a brow.
"So she gave you one as well, huh?"
* * * * * * *
Ayase Eli
Four separate cars drove towards the place where the volleyball training camp was located. Since μ's was on a temporary break, and looking for some inspiration while they were at it, they had all decided to join Eli when she said she was going to visit her half-Russian friend, Lev, who was currently at a training camp for boys' volleyball teams. Apparently, he had invited Eli and Alisa but told Eli she could bring her friends along, though whether or not his volleyball team was aware that the school idol group and their mothers were visiting was another matter entirely.
The car at the front was the car that belonged to Nico's mother, Mother Yazawa. In her car were her, Nico, Nozomi, Alisa, and Eli herself. Mother Yazawa was driving, of course. Maki and Honoka's fathers were taking care of Nico's younger siblings and generally keeping an eye on them. Nico sat at the front of the car, beside her mother, whilst Nozomi and Eli sat in the back seats, with Alisa in-between them.
The car behind Mother Yazawa's car was the car that belonged to Honoka's mom, Mother Kousaka. She had left Yukiho in charge of the Kousaka's sweets shop for the day, while she drove Honoka, Umi, and Kotori to the same destination as the third years.
In the car behind the one that the second years were in was the car that the first years were in. It belonged to Maki's mother, Mother Nishikino, who was driving. In the front seat was Maki, next to her mother, whilst Hanayo and Rin sat at the back.
And, finally, the car at the very back belonged to Kotori's mother, Mother Minami, or Principal Minami, considering she was the chairwoman of Otonokizaka Private High School, an all-girl school. In her car were the mothers of Rin, Hanayo, and Umi – Mother Hoshizora, Mother Koizumi, and Mother Sonoda. Of course, like the caring and potentially over-protective mothers they were, they were going to look out for their daughters while they were at the boys' volleyball training camp. Mother Minami was driving, while Mother Sonoda sat in the front beside her. Mothers Hoshizora and Koizumi were sat in the back seats.
The plan for the mothers was this: there always had to be at least one mother present for each of the year groups. At least one mother for the first-years, one for the second-years, and it was the same for the third-years, as well as Alisa. And, everyone had to come prepared with practice clothes, and have their phones with them in case some new developments in the plan came along. Right now, every μ's girl was involved in a conference call between the other girls in the other cars.
"Looks like we're just about here." Mother Yazawa remarked as soon as the designated building showed up. It was almost evening, so the chances of the volleyball teams inside having paused practice to get dinner were looking good.
"I'm going to call Lev so he knows we're here," Eli informed everyone, receiving only a few noises of assurance in response.
Eli hung up on her end conference call and looked in her phone for Lev's number in her contacts list. After she found his number, she quickly called him and placed the phone to her ear. After only two beeps, he picked up.
"Ah, Elichika! It's nice to hear from you again."
"You too, Lev. Anyway, we've already arrived at the training camp. Please tell me your team knows that we're coming."
"Well, I was hoping for it to be a surprise for them, but I know that Coach Nekomata knows, and he's okay with it. But, if you want, I could wait for you to come in and introduce you to everyone."
"That would be wonderful. Thank you."
"No problem. I can't wait!"
And they both hung up at the same time.
"Lev will see us in," Eli informed Nozomi and Nico, who in turn reported it to the first and second years. "By the way, only his team's coach knows about us being here, but according to Lev, it's alright with him."
With a nod of understanding from Nozomi and Nico, Eli stepped out of the car a moment after Mother Yazawa parked, with the other mothers parking alongside them. Alisa followed on after her when the other girls were getting out of the other three cars. The four mothers in the last car got out too, accompanying the other three who drove the girls.
Eli cautiously opened the door of the building, only to be surprised by empty volleyball courts. So, the boys were in a different room. That was a start.
Just as Eli was about to step through the door and take a look around, Lev came out of another room and rushed over to the door, where he noticed Eli not-so-subtly peeking in.
"Elichika!" Lev called out as he threw his arms around her, enveloping the third-year in a bear hug that she had to take a second to recover from. Lev pulled away, though, just before the thought of even returning the hug crossed her mind. "And Alisa!"
"Hello, Lev!" Alisa was much more open to giving Lev a hug than Eli had been prepared for.
"Is this your school idol group?" Lev asked as he took in the appearances of the other eight girls after letting go of Alisa.
"Yes. The other ones by the cars are our mothers. They wanted to come along in order to look after us while we're staying here with you. I hope that doesn't bother you too much." Eli clarified with a smile.
"Not at all. It's understandable, considering there are a lot of boys here." Lev pointed out, waving his hand in assurance as he smiled back. "Well, at least you're not the only girls here. Some of the teams here have female managers, so I'm sure you'll be able to get along with them while you're here."
"I see. Thanks, Lev."
"You're welcome! Do you want me to take you to see the teams?"
"Sure." All ten girls nodded, though Maki, Umi, and Nico were not as excited as the others.
"Alright then! Follow me!" Lev happily spun on his heel and led Eli in the direction of one of the rooms. "This is the room that my team, Nekoma, will be staying in."
"Can you introduce us?" Umi inquired, albeit cautiously. She arched a brow and cocked her head slightly.
"Sure." Lev responded with a nod of his head. "I'm sure the coach should be able to help me explain why you're all here. I had to get his permission for it, anyway."
"He sounds like a nice man," Maki commented, holding her hands together in front of her thighs.
"He is." Lev agreed, before opening the door to the room. Inside the room were an old man, likely Coach Nekomata, and an entire group of boys clad in black shirts, red pants, and a few of them in red jackets.
"Finally you came back." commented the one that appeared to be the shortest one in the bunch. He glanced at the girls, sparing Alisa a second glance. "Who are you with?"
"These are my friends, Elichika and Alisa, and their friends," Lev informed him, holding his hand out in order to motion to Eli and Alisa.
"Hello!" Alisa braved a polite smile, though she seemed quite shy.
"Right. Lev asked me if he could invite them here with us. Eli's school idol group is on break, and they could use a bit of inspiration." said the man Eli assumed was Coach Nekomata. "Is that right?" He tilted his head.
"Pretty much." Eli and Umi said at the same time. They exchanged awkward glances, but turned back toward the Nekoma team and smiled.
"So, is anyone else here with you all?" Nekomata inquired further.
"Our mothers. They're waiting outside. They want to stay here with us since it's our first time around here." Maki explained, folding her arms underneath her chest. Eli could see Maki's hands gripping her arms so tightly that she was sure Maki's forearms would have red handprints on them from the pressure.
"Unfortunately, there aren't any more rooms available. But, you can stay in the rooms of some of the teams if you want." Nekomata stated with a sweet smile.
"If you don't mind, we're happy with that. Right, girls?" Nozomi turned to the group, giving off an intimidating aura. Eli could see Nozomi's hands twitch, a subtle threat that she was prepared to grab any of them should they not put up with having to stay in the rooms with a couple of boys.
"Y-Yeah, of course!" Nico was the first to comply with Nozomi's unspoken demands, smiling widely as she trembled in fear.
"It's fine with us!" Rin agreed as soon as she saw Nozomi's hands.
"I think it would be better if some of us split up, though. I mean, there's no way all of us can comfortably fit inside one room along with a full team." Maki pointed out, glancing around the room. It seemed she was oblivious to Nozomi's silent and subtle threat.
"Why don't we take you to see some of the other teams? Then you can choose which one you want to stay with." Lev suggested, holding his arms out.
"That sounds like a good idea." Eli nodded her head, braving a polite smile. Sometimes the length of Lev's arms freaked her out, especially compared to her own or anyone else's she knew.
As soon as they turned around to leave, though, they heard Lev's teammates mumbling to one another before one of them stood up. Eli pivoted halfway at the sound of another voice: "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
One of Lev's teammates had his hand on Maki's shoulder but moved it off when Maki turned to face him. Of course, given that he was quite a bit taller than Maki, she ended up facing his chest at first, before she raised her head to see his face. His hair was the same colour as his shirt: jet black. In terms of hairstyle, it looked as if he was sporting a bedhead, and only his fringe had been saved. He also wasn't as tall as Lev, but he seemed to be getting there.
He closed the door behind him, separating the girls from the rest of his and Lev's team – much to the audible despair of at least one of the boys still in the room. "Name's Kuroo Tetsurou," he leant forward, his eyes trained on Maki. "I'm the Captain of Nekoma. Third year. I believe I've seen you somewhere before, but I can't picture where. Still, would you mind telling me your name?"
"Nishikino Maki," Maki answered, her expression softening as she let her arms hang by her sides. "First year. You may have just seen me around town somewhere before. I'd assume Tokyo is home to an idol store with merchandise of us in them."
"Probably. In any case, it's nice to meet you." Kuroo stuck out his hand.
Maki shook it without question. "You too."
Meeting the other volleyball teams had gone relatively well, save for meeting the last two teams. The most notable teams, who seemed quite pleasant, were Karasuno, Nekoma, and Fukurodani. The girls and their mothers also had the chance to meet the managers of the teams, and two other girls, one of which was a first-year from Nekoma and another who was the twin sister of Karasuno's first-year setter. The managers had allowed the girls' mothers to stay in the same room as them, which turned out to not be as much of a hassle as they all predicted, as the adults were efficient with the space they were given.
The girls had also made their decisions on who to stay with. Eli, Alisa, Umi, and Rin would stay with the Nekoma team and the girl, Tetsara Sakari, that was staying with them too. Maki, Honoka, and Nico had decided to stay in the room of the Karasuno team, which the other girl, Kageyama Tabia, was staying in with her brother. And finally, Hanayo, Kotori, and Nozomi were setting up in the room Fukurodani was staying in.
Eli finished making her own makeshift bed and decided to help Alisa make hers, making the pillows comfortable enough for her little sister to lay her head on. After doing so, Eli passed a smile at Alisa and stood up, looking around for Rin and Umi.
Umi had already finished making her bed, and was cooped up in the corner of the room, scribbling something down in a notepad that was roughly the size of her head. Rin, on the other hand, was pestering someone on the Nekoma team about his video game and being a little too enthusiastic about the fact that he had eyes like a cat.
"Rin," Eli called out to the cat-like first-year herself, "why don't you help Umi to create a manageable fitness schedule for tomorrow? She looks like she could really use a helping hand, especially from someone who enjoys sports as much as you do."
Rin considered Eli's proposal for a second, pressing a hand on her chin in an attempt to look serious, before she agreed with a curt nod of her head and took off toward Umi.
"I wonder how the other girls are doing in the rooms they're staying in." Eli muttered aloud, tapping her cheek with her index finger whilst her other arm supported her chest.
* * * * * * *
Nishikino Maki
Maki fell backwards on her makeshift bed, landing on her back with her arms outstretched. She spent a moment to stare up at the ceiling, until her view of it was blocked by Honoka's head.
"Hey Maki, do you know how to play volleyball?"
Maki didn't expect to be asked that so soon, but she had no reason to lie. "Of course," she said with pride while pushing herself upright.
"What crazy idea are you thinking of now?" Nico interjected with her brows furrowed.
"How about we play a game of volleyball ourselves?" Honoka beamed with such glee that the brightness she emitted almost blinded both Maki and Nico.
Maki couldn't help feeing restless as soon as Honoka asked. She considered playing a game of volleyball, and eventually nodded her head. "Sure—" Maki pushed herself up from her bed. "—I'll play."
"Really?!" Honoka and Nico both stared at her; Honoka in amazement and wonder, and Nico as if she was insane.
"You're going to play volleyball yourselves?" Maki almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the voice beside her. A member of the Karasuno team, no doubt. Who else would it be?
Just as Maki turned towards him, Honoka nodded several times and grabbed his hands, clasping them tightly in her own. "Hinata, right?"
The boy, Hinata, nodded his head. A content smile crept onto his face. "Yes?"
"Would you like to play volleyball with us?" Honoka leaned forward, but Hinata barely moved. "Please?"
Then, Hinata's smile cracked into a wide grin, and he nodded his head again, only more eagerly this time. "Of course! Hey, Kageyama!"
"What do you want?" Both of the twins with straight black hair and navy blue eyes piped up from a few feet away.
Hinata and Honoka showed them their hands intertwined. "We're gonna play volleyball! You wanna join?" Hinata asked both Kageyamas with a smile so big he had to close his eyes.
Maki could've sworn the male Kageyama's eyes glistened, but she was too preoccupied with wondering why he was wearing a flower crown made out of lotus flowers. But the glistening in his eyes soon disappeared and was replaced with a glare, which he aimed at Hinata. "Of course I'd want to join!"
His twin sister, with an emotionless expression, cocked her head to the side. "I'll join too. I haven't played in a match for a while."
The match had ended quickly, with Maki teaching Honoka and a perturbed Nico how to play during the entirety of it. Hinata and the two Kageyamas, whom Maki had come to know as Tobio and Tabia, were all happy, but Hinata was the only one that showed it clearly.
"I'm sure your team only won so easily because the rest of my own team didn't know how to play." Maki told Hinata, who was skipping alongside her on the way to the bathroom. Both Kageyamas had gone back to Karasuno's room with Honoka and Nico in tow. "I'd have had more of a fighting chance if my teammates didn't have to be taught how to play an actual game of volleyball that isn't on the beach."
"Probably," Hinata shrugged his shoulders as he stopped skipping. They had ended up outside Nekoma's room, if Maki had memorised the layout of this camp correctly. Hinata noticed too, and he turned to Maki. "Hey, some of the Nekoma team should still be in the dining room eating. Still, I'm sure Kenma would be in here. You can meet him... unless you've met him already."
"I only met Kuroo and Lev." Maki told him, waving her hand in dismissal. "Let's go in."
"Your quick attack was as amazing as ever, Shoyo."
"But at this rate, nothing's going to change."
Maki was sat beside the one she'd come to know as Kozume Kenma. He was a second-year, but he didn't really care about being called 'senpai' and the need for formalities. He was also the setter for Nekoma. Inuoka was the other one sat with them and Hinata. Apparently he had gone toe-to-toe with Hinata in a match a while ago, barely managing to block some of his quick attacks until he got used to them.
While Kenma was playing a video game, Maki was also cooped up with her legs to her chest as she looked for the rating of μ's on the school idol website. They still hadn't moved in the rankings, it seemed. She shut her phone off and attempted to get to know at least one of the three she was in the room with.
Just when she decided that, Hinata jumped out of some sort of trance and leant forward slightly, towards Inuoka. "Hey! Who the heck is that middle blocker?"
Finally, Kenma piped up, though still kept his eyes glued to the screen of the console he held in his hands. "Oh... that's the first-year, Haiba Lev. He's half Russian and half Japanese."
"H-Half?! So cool!" Hinata's mouth stretched into a wide, open smile. "L-Le..."
"Lev." Kenma finally looked up from his game. "What does it mean in Russian again? Tiger?"
"It means lion! Yup, lion!" Inuoka raised a finger.
"Eh?" Maki blinked several times before arching a brow. "You know, I didn't think he was only a first-year. For someone who's so tall and addresses Eli so casually, he gave me the impression he was a third-year like she is."
"That's right, he knows your friend Eli-senpai, but I never got to ask how." Inuoka turned to Maki.
"From what I know, Eli and Alisa are also part Russian. In fact, I'm pretty sure they used to live in Russia for a period of their lives." Maki explained, using what she'd heard from Umi, Nozomi, and a bit from Eli herself. "I would assume they know Lev through the Russian side of their family."
"He wasn't there last time, right?" Hinata turned to Kenma.
"Yeah. Lev started volleyball in high school." Kenma glanced back at the game in his hands. "When we went to Karasuno around Golden Week, he still hadn't played very much, and only the regular members went."
Hinata leant forward again, toward Kenma this time. His eyes were wide. "He just started and he can play like that?!"
"Yeah. And when we were paired together, it was really difficult. No matter how hard I tried, our timing was off. I'm used to it now, though."
"Huh..."
"Kenma-san couldn't stop sighing." Inuoka added.
"I guess there are times when even you can't read people, Kenma." Hinata turned toward Kenma after previously looking at Inuoka.
"Lev is just too special." Kenma pouted, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Right now, he's mostly working with his innate physical abilities and instincts, and his height."
Hinata seemed to grow agitated when the height of Lev was brought up. "Yeah, his height totally isn't fair! I want some!"
"He's been blessed with too much!" Inuoka clenched his fists and shouted to the heavens. "But I'm not gonna lose!"
"The lengths of his limbs actually kind of freaks me out, actually. In fact, I could've sworn I saw Nico shivering when he was stood beside Eli, who's one of the tallest in our group. I wonder what his parents fed him to make him grow that tall." A shiver crawled up Maki's spine.
"Well, he's a powerful asset, honest, and not a bad guy." Kenma carried on, sparing a glance at Maki. When he glanced away, Maki saw from the corner of her eye that the door to the room had been opened, and a few of the Nekoma players from earlier were standing in the doorway. Kenma carried on unfazed, though, even as they entered the room. "Though he's too honest at times. Oh," Kenma looked up from his game and straight up at the ceiling, "but his passing basics are still completely bad. He's worse than you, Shoyo. His serves are worse than yours, too, Shoyo."
"Am I the guideline of what's bad or not, Kenma?" Hinata responded, sounding distraught.
"But you are bad."
One of the Nekoma players, who was apparently the libero of the team according to Kuroo, wiped a tear from his eye. "Kenma's actually talking without being shy."
"Yeah." Another one of them, the one leaning against the doorframe, nodded his head.
"That's right, you were struggling to get the ball over the net in the match we had earlier." Maki blinked and turned to Hinata, who turned to her. She looked down at the bed covers below her and cupped her chin between her finger and thumb. When an idea finally popped into her head, Maki looked back up at Hinata and pointed at him. "Starting tomorrow morning, I'll teach you how to perfectly execute a jump serve."
"Eh?!" Hinata, Inuoka, and Kenma all stared at her for a moment, before looking between each other.
Hinata's eyes sparkled and he blushed. "That's right! You actually know how to play volleyball!"
"Of course. When your parents own a hospital, it's sort of a requirement to join any club where fitness is involved. Volleyball just so happened to be one of those sports. The other one was basketball." Maki couldn't help but feel proud of her accomplishments. Though, she didn't want to give off an aura of arrogance, because she knew she wasn't as good as half of these boys. Especially when so many of them obviously had more experience than her, and had more talent in the area of volleyball than she knew she did. "Anyway, I'll make sure that we'll both wake up early tomorrow to get some practice in. And maybe I can teach the other girls to do the same as well. Especially Nico."
"Haiba... Haiba Lev, huh..." Hinata mumbled to himself, cupping his chin as one of his arms relaxed around his abdomen.
Being the kind person she was, Maki had decided to accompany Hinata on the way to and from the bathroom. After Tobio had made a slight comment about Hinata's bad luck with meeting certain opponents in the bathrooms, such as someone he called 'Oikawa' and even using their experience back in their third years at middle school as an example, Maki decided it'd probably be better for herself and Hinata just to see how far this bad luck truly went. Hopefully she wouldn't have to see Hinata come face-to-face with an opponent from one of the other teams that were staying in the same building.
"What are you talking about?" Maki arched a brow. She had changed earlier into the long-sleeved nightgown she'd brought with her, which was a lilac or lavender colour and had large white stars all over it.
Hinata, on the other hand, still wore the same clothes he wore earlier. "Western-style names are so cool, aren't they?" He turned to Maki, allowing his hands to fall by his sides as he aimed an open smile at her.
"I've never really thought about it, but sure, I guess." Maki shrugged, passing it off as Hinata being the type to get hyped about a lot of things, which, from what she'd seen, were usually the weird or simple things in life. Her attention switched from Hinata to the door of the boys' restroom, which they were just approaching. "Look, we're here. I'll wait outside." Maki pointed to the door, before she settled her back against the wall a few inches away from it.
"You're walking me back?" Hinata tilted his head in her direction.
"I came out all this way, didn't I?" Maki crossed her arms under her chest and planted the bare sole of one of her feet on the wall.
Hinata merely nodded his head and proceeded to open the door to the bathroom. It creaked as he opened it, but that wasn't one of the most pressing parts. Whoever was behind that door made Hinata's entire body shiver as he almost jumped out of his skin.
"So it is true?" Maki muttered to herself and peered around the doorframe, only to see Lev in the doorway, staring down at Hinata. He was as tall as the top of the doorframe itself! Maki pushed herself off of the wall and unfolded her arms, before planting her hands on Hinata's shoulders to calm him down.
"Karasuno's #10." Lev greeted rather calmly. Then again, from what Maki had seen earlier, she'd gathered the impression that Lev wasn't all that much of a scary person personality-wise. That is, unless he was the type that could only intend to be scary when he wanted to intimidate someone. "And... Nishikino Maki, was it?" He looked to her.
"Call me Maki, since it's simpler to say." Maki waved reassuringly in response, and Lev agreed with a nod.
"Japanese?!" Hinata blinked in surprise, his mouth hanging open.
"Oh, sorry. I can't speak Russian." Lev rubbed the back of his head, offering a slightly apologetic smile. "I was born and raised in Japan."
Hinata straightened his posture, and Maki removed her hands from his shoulders, stepping back slightly to give him some space. "I see! Hey, how tall are you?" Hinata asked, his face regaining a wide smile as he leant forward slightly. "I'm Hinata Shoyo, a first-year."
"It was 194 centimetres the last time I checked." Lev lowered his hand by his side. "I'm Haiba Lev, a first-year."
"194! So cool!"
What's wrong with him and thinking everything's cool? Maki couldn't help but fold her arms as she stared at the back of Hinata's head with a raised eyebrow.
"You're even smaller up close, Hinata." Lev commented, causing Hinata's body to stiffen up.
Hinata didn't waste a moment in bending his knees, flailing his arms and shaking his head. "What'd you say?! Huh?!" He jumped in the air.
Lev put his hands up in defence. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean anything bad by it."
Maki abruptly raised her arms and caught Hinata, holding him under his armpits. She held him up in the air for a moment. His mind appeared to go blank and he quickly shut up. Maki was surprised. "So he actually does have an off switch." she remarked with widened eyes, before eventually setting both of his feet down on the floor with his legs and posture straightened.
Once Hinata was back on the ground, he looked back up at Lev with a blank expression. Lev smiled and lifted his hand up to the height of the top of his head. "But you have no problem jumping this high, do you? I saw that earlier in the match. But I can jump even higher than that."
There was a few seconds of silence before Hinata sprung from the ground suddenly. Lev was rather surprised, as evidenced by his widened eyes and the small gasp that escaped his throat. Even Maki had to look up with the same expression. Yet, nothing had prepared any of them for seeing Hinata crash the crown of his head into the top of the doorframe. Maki was left with her jaw open when the boy landed on both feet, holding his head and crouching. Maki leant over him while Lev stepped forward.
"Ow..." Hinata held his head still, yet when he looked up at Lev with a grin, both Maki and Lev were caught off-guard; even more so by the words that left his mouth next: "Then I'll jump even higher! Past that, to the very top!"
Lev stood there for a moment, but eventually his mouth upturned into a grin. As Lev stepped out of the doorway of the bathroom, Maki and Hinata backed up.
"Your spikes were really cool, since you didn't seem to care if there were blockers there or not." Hinata complimented him as Lev stopped a few feet out of the door.
"Yeah, well..." Lev raised his hand and placed his fingertips on his chest. "I'm Nekoma's ace."
Both Maki and Hinata looked up at Lev and blinked.
"But if I actually said that, Taketora-san would get really mad at me." Lev continued.
"Taketora-san? Who's that?" Maki tilted her head, arching her brow for the umpteenth time that night. Her facial muscles had been getting quite the workout ever since she arrived here.
"He's the one with the blond mohawk." Lev pointed to his hair, as if trying to make a point. Maki's mouth made a small 'o' shape, making a mental note to remember his name whenever she had an encounter with the Nekoma player with the blond mohawk.
"But you're a middle blocker like me, right?" Hinata's hands released his head. "Centre, right? Aces are usually like the mohawk guy on your team, the wing spikers, right?"
"Do position names have anything to do with it?" Lev asked with a grin. Hinata's eyes widened. "The one who's able to score the most points is the ace, right? Simple as that." Lev passed by Hinata as the other boy himself was frozen to the spot, leaving Maki concerned. Once he was back-to-back with Maki and Hinata, he stopped. "Well, see you tomorrow. I'll be the first one to stop your quick tomorrow, Hinata."
As Lev wandered back to the Nekoma team's room, his words left Hinata open-mouthed and with widened eyes. Maki stepped around Hinata and scrutinised his expression from a side angle. He had recovered from his speechlessness a moment later, and was staring at his hand blankly.
"'The one who's able to score the most points is the ace'." Hinata repeated to himself. "With their own hands..."
Maybe Maki and Hinata shouldn't go to bathrooms at night anymore.