About fifteen minutes into practice, everyone is interrupted by Akiyama bursting into the gym doors, panting, then tripping over the entrance way and landing flat on her face, arms extended out in front of her. The team stops their practice to observe their guest, but Suga is the one to run over and help the girl up.
Akiyama hisses and rubs her forehead. "Ah that hurt… thank you senpai."
"Naru?!" Yamaguchi exclaims. "Why are you here? And why are you in your gym clothes?"
Akiyama releases her forehead and smiles broadly at her friend. "Nishinoya-senpai said I could come and watch. As for my clothes… the fountain broke while I was using it and my uniform got all wet."
Kageyama, frustrated with having practice interrupted, stalks over and glares at her. "You're interrupting our practice."
"I'm sorry Kageyama-san." She says genuinely.
Hinata, eager to get in on all the commotion, runs over to this new face and begins jumping. "UWAAA!" He cheers. "You're so tall! Hey, hey, how tall are you?"
Akiyama twiddles her thumbs shyly. "One-ninety-nine centimetres." (A/N: About 6'5'').
"WOW!" Hinata gushes. "So awesome! Do you play any sports?"
Kageyama whacks Hinata over the head. "Shut up idiot."
"Oi! I'm not an idiot… and that hurt! Stupid Kageyama, you're just jealous because she's taller than you." Hinata mutters.
Kageyama starts taunting Hinata, daring him to repeat himself, when suddenly Akiyama laughs. The boys crowded around her stop observing the duo's regular behavior to look at Akiyama, who's holding her gut in laughter.
Akiyama wipes the tears from her eyes. "I came to watch, but this is better than I expected. I'd even like to try playing with you all, it seems like fun." She smiles softly.
"Okay, but have you ever played volleyball before?" Daichi asks.
Akiyama nods earnestly. "I was on the team in middle school."
"Cool! Where did you go to school?" Hinata asks.
"I went to Chidoriyama." She says. "The girls' team didn't have enough members to play in official matches though, so I spent more time in the acrobatics club…"
"If you're gonna play, practice serving then." Kageyama tells her before stalking off, dragging Hinata behind him by the collar of his shirt.
"Ah, uh, I'll help you Naru." Yamaguchi offers, handing her a ball.
"Thanks, Tadashi." She smiles, ruffling his hair. "But I got this." She declares with determination. "Could you get in position to receive?" She asks.
"Yeah sure." Yamaguchi says, running off to the other side of the gym.
Just as Akiyama sets up to serve, Nishinoya and Tanaka enter the gym and take in the sight before them.
"Hey, is she really gonna serve?" Tanaka asks Daichi.
"It seems that way. Apparently she was on her middle school volleyball team." He says.
"Oh, Nishinoya, apparently she went to your middle school." Suga interjects.
Nishinoya looks at him with interest. "Really?" Suga nods.
Nishinoya stops looking at his teammates to observe Akiyama. He watches her throw up the ball for a jump serve, and when she makes contact with the ball, it shoots right to Yamaguchi, just like Oikawa's incredible serve from their practice match with Aobajousai. The ball hits Yamaguchi's upper arm and deflects to the side of the gym.
There's a moment of silence in the gym before a fiery yell rips across the room. "Tadashi!" Akiyama yells. "Did you see that?! It was just like old times, I guess you still can't beat me!" She declares wildly. "C'mon Tadashi, give me a serve, make it super far, I'll return it with everything I got."
Yamaguchi jumps back and chuckles nervously from her yelling before getting the ball. Yamaguchi serves the ball a few feet away from her and she dives for it. After she hits it she shifts her weight on her hands, doing a back handspring to stand up. When it pops up, it flies over by the net and she runs for it with full force for a spike. When she jumps, half her torso is over the top of the net. The ball hits her hand with a loud smack and then slams itself into the ground.
"C'mon Tadashi, bring it, bring it, bring it!" She shouts.
Meanwhile, Daichi, Suga, Tanaka, and Nishinoya all stand on the sidelines with shocked expressions on their faces.
"Ah you!" She yells, pointing to Hinata. "Do you spike? I know Kageyama-san is a setter, but do you spike?"
"Yes!" He cheers, raising his hand up. "I'm a spiker, I spike!"
"Goog, good." She says. "Tsukishima-san!" She calls. "Come block his spike with me!"
"No way, why do I have to do it?" He says, pushing up his glasses.
"Because you're the next tallest one here and I want Kageyama-san to set for him." She says wildly, pointing to Hinata.
"Lame." Tsukishima mutters.
Akiyama pulls a terrifying face, one scarier than that which Kageyama and Tanaka can make. "Kei." She says sweetly. "If you don't block with me, you aren't allowed to copy my homework anymore."
Tsukishima seems to get the message and follows her over the other side of the net lamely. The two set up to block while Kageyama and Hinata set up for their quick. When Hinata dodges the blockers, Akiyama tries to block his spike, but fails to get there in time. Hinata whoops, jumping up in victory.
"WOW! You can really jump, just as I thought!" She shouts, ducking under the net to meet with him.
Akiyama leans down and pulls Hinata into a bone crushing hug, lifting him off the ground before dropping him and running over to praise Kageyama.
"And your setting is awesome Kageyama! It was all like, woosh and FWOOM!" Akiyama cheers.
"Akiyama, stop acting so weird." Tsukishima tells her.
Akiyama's face falls suddenly as she fixes her hunched posture, twiddling her fingers once more and biting her lip. "Sorry, Tsukishima-san." She says quietly.
"OI! Tsukishima why'd you do that?!" Nishinoya yells.
"Yeah! You're not supposed to be mean to girls." Tanaka chimes in.
Tsukishima shrugs. "Whatever." He says before walking over to join Yamaguchi.
"Don't mind him, Naru-san. He's just a big jerk." Hinata tells her.
"Ah it's fine," She sighs. "I need to be gong— going any ways." She says with a sad smile. "Tadashi, bye bye!" She calls before jogging up to Nishinoya and Tanaka. "Nishita— Nishinoya-senpai, Tanaka-senpai, bye bye."
With those words, Akiyama leave the gym, running back home.