Disclaimer: All rights and credits of Haikyuu! belongs to Furudate Haruichi. The only thing I own is my OC (and future OCs).


Chapter 7

Resolution


Megumi's fingers danced across a blank sheet of paper, her pen flying over the page as ink blotted beneath her hand. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, forearms exposed to the cool chill of an early Summer night. Her hair had been pulled back into a bun, though her bangs were left alone to frame her face too short to be tied.

Japanese had always been Megumi's best subject. Somehow, learning new kanji had always come naturally to her despite the common knowledge that kanji was difficult, even for native speakers. Yet Megumi excelled in her Japanese class regardless. The same could also be said about English.

Her strengths in school seemed to have a common trend. Learning language was enjoyable an innate skill perhaps. Megumi didn't have confidence in many things, but language—language was where she thrived.

Her essay was due in three days, and the sensation of stress had simply vanished once she sat down and wrote. Her thoughts bled out onto the page as naturally as a waterfall down a cliff. Her pen never stopped its movement, and her mind ran faster than the speed of her pen. She was focused, her concentration directed only onto the page in front of her.

Bilingualism and multilingualism exist because people can learn more than one language. In the instance where humans are given frequent exposure to another language-speaking community (such as when staying in another country), humans are shown to adapt and adopt the language into their repertoire of languages.

Megumi paused, her pen lifting briefly off the page. Her fingers tingled with sensation, tiredness finally settling into her nerves with the break. Megumi blinked wearily as her eyelids began to droop. It was only then that she felt her callouses pulse, much like after the Datekougyou match earlier that day.

It was an impressive feat that Megumi had even managed to stay awake, much less write an essay. As much as she wanted to sleep off the day when she'd come home, Megumi had somehow mustered the energy to get up and begrudgingly pull out her Japanese assignment.

How did she want to word the next part? Reading over last part she had just written, Megumi leaned back into her chair and muttered the words under her breath. Her pen spun idly at the tip of her fingers, brow furrowed as she glared at her innocent white ceiling in concentration.

People learn language due to their environment…

No, she didn't know how to lead on after that.

People can learn more than one language because…

No, that sounded… too casual?

Human language is passed down and learned, hence humans are not restricted to speaking—

Megumi groaned as her phone rang out beneath the covers of her bed, her train of thought interrupted by the intense windup of her ringtone. Though she had forgotten by then, her previous line of thought had sounded somewhat acceptable and she was annoyed that she'd been disturbed.

Megumi sighed to herself as she pulled herself off her chair, reaching under her covers to accept the incoming video call from Yuuki. She was almost tempted to ignore him, and her finger hovered over the decline button for a brief moment. Surely it wasn't anything too important. Regardless, Megumi angled the phone carefully, checking the video feed to ensure the background behind her was an unassuming white wall.

"Yo, Megumi."

"Yuuki-san…" Megumi greeted, nodding to him as her video feed blurred into focus. He gave her a lazy wave, his usual unkempt bangs pinned out of his eyes with a hair clip. "Do you need something?"

"Not really," he answered flippantly, and Megumi raised a brow. "But I wouldn't call you out of the goodness of my heart either. Here."

Yuuki pulled a few sheets of paper out from the blind spot beneath the visible range of the camera and Megumi caught the large array of bright yellow highlights scattered across the page. Sticky notes and annotations decorated the margins of the page, and Megumi sucked in a breath when she realised just what exactly he held in his hands.

She would've been slightly peeved if Yuuki really had called her to sate his own boredom, but Yuuki was Yuuki—purposeful and meticulous in all things barring Suzuki Kaede. Megumi was taken aback, if not slightly impressed with his quick work.

"Already? But that's—"

"The two articles you wrote today, yeah." The amused expression he gave somehow looked both condescending and teasing at the same time. Yuuki looked as unfazed as ever, as if Megumi hadn't emailed him her articles a mere hour and a half ago. "I finished looking over them. You free right now?"

Megumi glanced back longingly over to her unfinished essay, left forgotten and abandoned at her desk. "I was writing my essay…"

"So you're free," he countered, looking indifferent to the incredulity that must have been plastered on her face. "That essay's due in three days. I haven't even begun to plan out mine."

Megumi settled herself comfortably at the foot of her bed, tucking her ankles beneath her knees. Yuuki had surprised her with his laidback, nonchalant attitude yet again. How could he dedicate so much to the club, and yet not even look twice at his school work? It baffled her beyond belief—she simply couldn't understand what went through his mind.

Megumi probably could've moved on, but instead she sighed deeply. "That probably isn't something you should be proud of…"

He shrugged.

"I already know exactly what I want." Yuuki said vaguely, and the conversation ended there.

"Anyway…" Yuuki's eyes flickered quickly from right to left. Subconsciously, her shoulders had tensed and her whole body suddenly grew stiff with anxiety. Yuuki spoke with neither hesitation nor so much as a glance at her reaction in the video feed. He was honest with his criticisms, constructive where need be.

She wasn't confident to begin with, and while his criticisms were necessary for her improvement—it didn't mean her ego didn't suffer a blow.

In the end, the Datekougyou article had turned out better than the Tokonami piece, according to Yuuki. As lacklustre as both articles were, he claimed the Datekougyou article had more 'focus'—detailed further paragraph-long annotations scribbled into the margins of the page. Yuuki's notes had always been clear, precise and straight to the point, yet his criticisms were long and detailed. Megumi was perplexed. She had been entirely factual throughout the article, but apparently the factual nature of her writing was a turn-off.

At the very least, Yuuki seemed to understand the fundamentals of writing an interesting article—something Megumi embarrassingly lacked.

"You have a bad habit of writing everything like a report," he commented, the papers falling back into the blind spot of the camera. "General overviews, things along those lines. But in the Dateko piece, it felt like I was reading about something you genuinely cared about. Sure—it's good to know the facts as the journalist, but facts aren't interesting to read. Readers don't care about pipes, A quicks or B quicks."

Yuuki looked up and addressed her with a steely gaze. Behind Yuuki, his curtains fluttered ever-so-slightly with a gentle breeze—juxtaposing the hard look in his eyes.

"Why do people play volleyball? Think why volleyball appeals to the players and capture that appeal in your writing. The Dateko piece was better than the other one, but it still needs more."

Megumi pursed her lips, her stare locked onto the wooden floor. Writing something a little more than lacklustre wasn't enough. It was improvement—sure, but Megumi still had yet to understand what Yuuki, Akimoto and the rest of the journalism club seemed to understand at its core.

Appeal. Heart. Passion.

Such concepts were still elusive to her.

It felt frustrating. She had finally captured the essence of those charms—albeit mere traces, but she still didn't understand anything.

She didn't say a word, and yet Yuuki somehow understood her frustration of herself. "It's personal," Yuuki said, scratching his head. "To some of the players on the team. Going through some of that history makes it more interesting to read."

Megumi's ears perked at that. "The history?"

"Yeah… Dateko isn't just another faceless, enemy team according to your article." Yuuki nodded, then continued with thoughtful look on his face. "There's something more human about this piece, especially when you seemed to shift the focus onto Yuu and Asahi towards the end."

"Nishinoya-kun and Azumane-san…" Megumi repeated out loud, partially to admonish Yuuki for his informal use of their first names. "They both almost left the club because of that game—I mean the one in March."

"Did they now?" Yuuki raised a brow, the tone of his voice slightly intonated in curiosity. His face was blank in contrast to the interest in his tone. "That's always something you could add."

Megumi was quick to shut down his suggestion. "I think I'd be overstepping my boundaries."

Yuuki closed his eyes and said nothing. A small part of Megumi grew anxious with his wordless response. Had she been too blunt? Thinking back to that match, she recalled the argument between Nishinoya and Azumane and how it had resulted in the former's suspension. Either way, Karasuno had won against Datekougyou the second time, and there really was no reason to dredge up old memories.

Still, perhaps she'd been too tactless.

As she opened her mouth to apologise for her impertinence, Yuuki shrugged impassively. "Your decision."

Yuuki said no more on the topic, and Megumi was left with an ineffable feeling of dissatisfaction lingering on the tip of her tongue. There were unsaid words of apology she wanted to say, but didn't. The conversation ended abruptly—too abruptly, as if she was hanging off the end of a rope only for it to be cut without warning.

"You…" Megumi started before shaking her head. She adjusted her position and let her foot slide out from beneath her thigh, dangling it idly over the edge of her bed. "I think… you would've been a better candidate as the sports journalist."

"What."

Megumi wrung her hands in her lap, wisps of hair swaying ever-so-slightly as she shook her head. "I—I mean—I'm better at writing reports, like you said. You seem to understand what goes into writing these kinds of pieces… so I wondered why you decided to give up the sports section to me."

Yuuki seemed to gauge her body language through the video feed, regarding Megumi through the screen with his silent gaze. His sharp stare was unnerving, it was almost as if he was piercing her through the glass of her phone screen. Although he had said nothing, she felt exposed, like he was gazing into the very depths of her mind.

She swallowed down her discomfort and stood her ground, staring back at him passively.

"Well…" He drawled slowly. "I've handled editorials and opinion pieces for the past year, and that's the only reason I'm in the club in the first place. I just did the sports section until someone else could."

Megumi nodded. "Akimoto-san said something like that."

"Sports don't interest me," Yuuki said, relaxing in his chair. His head leaned lazily against the backrest, and his arms came to rest limply at his sides. "Chihaya thought it'd be most convenient for me to handle it, since I knew Suzuki, and Touya happened to agree with that damn woman."

Yuuki's brow knitted at the mention of Suzuki's name, but the subtle twitch vanished as quickly as it appeared. Instead, he muttered various, colourful curses under his breath—something along the lines of, 'Chihaya really is a sadist, using her club president position like that'.

Although she'd probably misheard him.

"I'm curious though…" Megumi started and Yuuki turned his attention to her through the screen of her phone. She paused for a brief moment, worry flickering across her mind before she spoke. Would it be too presumptuous to ask…? "Um…"

"What is it?" He prodded, a slightly annoyed expression appearing on his visage. "Just say it."

"Suzuki-san…" She said cautiously, perusing his body language for any signs of exasperation. "How do you know each other? If I'm not being too intrusive, that is..."

Waiting for him to answer, Megumi lowered her phone until her wrists rested on her calves. He seemed to deliberate the question, partially registering her awaiting silence before he opened his mouth to speak.

"…Middle school," Yuuki answered after a moment. He appeared to sense her wariness in approaching the question, giving her sceptical look. "Any reason why you're asking?"

"No reason, really," Megumi said quickly—a little too for someone as perceptive as Yuuki to ignore. The face he made told her that he didn't believe her, not even for a second.

There was nothing to say. If he hadn't heard about Suzuki blowing up at her team, he surely would in a few days' time. While he wasn't close to Suzuki, nor was he the type to be inclined to trivial gossip, nothing ever went unheard about in such a frivolous setting like school. Even Megumi, who had been rather closed off prior to her second year, still knew the occasional rumour and latest drama.

Although she'd schooled her expression into one of indifference, Yuuki wasn't disposed to let it go so easily.

"Alright." he started casually, though the knowing glint in his eye was somewhat irritating to see. "Suzuki's a bit of spitfire. She's been that way for as long as I've known her."

"I see..." Megumi bit her lip in contemplation, tilting her head in thought. "…Have you two always—"

Megumi was interrupted by a loud thump coming from Yuuki's side of the call, jolting her out of her quiet musing. The video feed had briefly turned white and light poured into Yuuki's room from the open door behind him. The lens of the camera soon adjusted to the light and a young girl no older than seven years of age stood in the doorway, clutching a red backpack in her arms.

"Yuuki…?" The girl walked into the room, her facial features indistinct from the low resolution of the video feed. "I don't know how to do question twelve…"

Yuuki swivelled around on his chair. "Nao, I'm a little busy at the moment."

"P—Please… Sensei wants it tomorrow." Nao sounded as if she was on the brink of tears, as she'd come to Yuuki as a last resort.

With his face turned away from the camera, he leaned down to talk to Nao face-to-face and spoke to her in soft tone—one Megumi had never expected to hear from someone like him. "Why didn't you do it earlier? I'm in the middle of doing some club stuff, so I can't help you right now."

"I did everything else!" She protested. "I tried to do question twelve by myself, b—but I don't know how…"

Yuuki sighed. "I'm sorry Nao, but I—"

"It's fine." Megumi found herself saying, and Yuuki turned to glance at the camera from his peripheral view. "We got off topic anyway."

Despite Yuuki only showing a portion of his profile, Megumi saw his eyes flash in recognition, as if he only just realised that she was watching the entire exchange. He coughed, voice wavering slightly. "Megumi—"

"I have my essay to write! Bye!"

Megumi ended the call quickly, tossing her phone across her bed as Yuuki's voice was cut short. The phone landed with a quiet thump against her upright pillow, sliding down the incline until it stopped at her blankets. Mentally, Megumi groaned and threw herself backwards until her back hit her bed, the bouncing under her body weight.

Yuuki had a younger sister, huh?

Covering her face with her arms, Megumi felt her breath come in short bursts as her chest bubbled in quiet laughter. Her room felt quiet without Yuuki's droning monotone or his smug tone of voice, and Megumi's gentle laughing faded after a few moments.

She was alone in her room—alone in her house. Her father wouldn't be home until the early morning and the barren atmosphere of her own home finally settled in again. Megumi gave her desk a weary side glance, reluctantly standing up to make her way to her desk.

Tomorrow, she would return to the same gymnasium and watch Karasuno take flight once more. For now, she might as well get her essay done.

(x)…

Karasuno had lost.

It wasn't exactly a loss, at least Megumi didn't feel as though she could regard it as such. The match against Aoba Johsai had been gruelling one, a testament to Karasuno's determination to win and get through to the next round.

And yet they had lost, two to one—it wasn't a straight loss.

But a loss was a loss, wasn't it? No—somehow, it didn't feel as black-and-white as that. Megumi had been in the stands beside Shimada and Takinoue, and she had overheard them say, "Karasuno didn't lose. Seijoh won." Their words felt a little more accurate to what had happened, despite meaning the same thing.

The whole team had been in low-spirits for the remainder of the day. Megumi hadn't been able to muster a single word to anyone—not to Tanaka, not to Azumane, not even to Nishinoya. As the team had left the courts with a ball trolley in tow, Megumi opened her mouth to utter words of reassurance, but the sheer bleakness that emanated from their faces left her speechless. She hadn't known what to say, and they passed her without a single word of acknowledgement.

The bus trip back was quiet but unlike the day before, everyone was awake and yet no one spoke. The atmosphere was tense, almost palpable enough to be cut with a butter knife. That time, Nishinoya didn't sit beside her and Megumi sat alone with her head lowered, attention glued to the passing farmlands outside. In the window's reflection, Hinata and Kageyama sat in the opposite aisle a few seats behind her. They didn't look at each for the entire ride, much less banter as they usually did.

It made her heart thump with discomfort, and Megumi averted her eyes to look elsewhere.

After the boys' team had arrived back at school, there was a brief meeting before everyone was dismissed. As the players departed bearing a piece of the despair with them, Megumi's fingers caught Nishinoya's sleeve near elbow and he looked back at her.

He didn't smile. He didn't even acknowledge her presence like he always did. His face was just blank, unreadable—not like Nishinoya.

She dropped his sleeve quickly like the fabric had scalded her fingers, eyes flickering away from his face. The words were stuck in her throat, unwilling to leave her lips. "N—Nishinoya-kun… um—"

"Sorry, Miyamura," Nishinoya interrupted tiredly, a permanent frown on his visage. He pulled his elbow away, his eyes not meeting hers as he began to walk away without her. "I don't feel like talking."

It stung.

Nishinoya shrugged his bag firmly over his shoulder and didn't look back as his silhouette vanished with the distance. The darkness veiled his figure, leaving him to stow away in his own thoughts. She couldn't begin to imagine how he felt. Victory had just been in reach, only to be snatched away from their fingertips. Once they'd tasted the sweetness of winning, losing probably tasted all the more bitter.

Time heals all wounds…

It was just like what had happened back in March. She recalled Nishinoya's despair—the anguished tear tracks he hadn't bothered to keep hidden, drowning her memories in an almost tangible feeling of wistfulness. That day had been the first time she'd seen Nishinoya so distraught, and what she had hoped would be the last to no avail.

She wasn't wilfully ignorant. Nishinoya was human and he wasn't always happy and carefree. Megumi understood that, but she felt as though she was more at ease when he was his usual self. Seeing him smile, grinning carelessly with unbridled enthusiasm as he talked about volleyball—she wanted to see that more than anything.

The rain tickled her cheeks lightly, and Megumi turned to make her way back home.

A day passed.

The next morning, Megumi approached Nishinoya at his classroom before class began, warily eying the sign that read two-three above the doorway. Already, she was beginning to have second thoughts. She was semi-conscious of the whispers around her, the comments of 'Miyamura-san?' and 'what business does she have here?' circulating the proximity of the hallway.

The rumours about Nishinoya and herself had died down a few months ago but with this, Megumi had a feeling the gossip would spread around once more. People would misconstrue their interactions, weaving a narrative that she would have no control over.

Sighing, Megumi breathed in to compose herself, reaching for the edge of the sliding door handle.

"Megumi? You need something?"

Megumi jolted in surprise at the loud voice behind her left ear, swivelling around and looking up to meet the grey eyes of Amakawa Yuuki. His hands were sunken deep into his pockets, bag slung lazily over his shoulder. "…Yuuki-san?"

He raised a brow at her hand gripping the edge of the door. "You need to see someone?"

Damn it. She forgot he was in this class.

Megumi lowered her gaze, mumbling out a barely coherent, 'Nishinoya-kun…' under her breath. She looked at him again under her lashes, flushing slightly as the edges of his mouth inclined in a small grin.

"Oi, Yuu." Yuuki pushed the door open with his foot, and Megumi's eyes were drawn to the centre of the classroom, where Nishinoya's head laid immobile on desk. Nishinoya mumbled out something incoherent as Yuuki drawled out his name, turning his head slightly to reveal his unreadable expression. "Someone's here to see you."

He was still frowning, his eyes mostly blank with thought. "What—"

Nishinoya stopped when he saw Megumi standing beside Yuuki under the doorframe. She felt Yuuki slink away to his own desk, plugging his ears with his earphones and turning away from them. Yuuki was truly unconcerned with whatever exchange was happening between, something Megumi was both impressed with and grateful for.

She turned attention back to Nishinoya, whom had sat up out of reflex when her feet stopped in front of his desk. He didn't greet her with his usual brightness—not even with a tired variation. Instead, Nishinoya's face remained impassive. It was unnerving seeing such an expression on his face, and Megumi felt the words she had rehearsed in her mind melt away into nothing.

She still didn't know what to say.

"Miyamura," he said simply, not even bothering to attach a 'hey' to the blunt greeting. "Class is gonna start soon…"

Megumi frowned at that. When did Nishinoya start caring about school? With her fingers combing through her hair, she ran through the various scenarios in her head—the things she could say, and his possible responses.

Over half of them ended up in Nishinoya getting mad or simply having no reaction. Anything she said was possibly a loaded missile, ready to set off his anger at any given moment. This wasn't a situation she could diffuse rationally and deal with sensibly. Nishinoya was neither rational nor sensible, especially considering the topic at hand.

If she was in his situation—

No—she didn't know how he felt, trying to understand his plethora of emotions would be cheap and superficial.

"I… wanted to…" Megumi trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Nishinoya let out a languid sigh. "Sorry, Miyamura. I really don't wanna talk right now."

Those words again. Megumi pursed her lips as the familiar stinging feeling in her chest returned, aching painfully as Nishinoya looked away from her. His face was downcast, avoiding her gaze.

"I…I just wanted to give you this," she said suddenly, an idea occurring to her. Digging through her bag, Megumi pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to him. Her handwriting was nearly illegible, and Nishinoya glanced questionably at her.

"Please read it," she said quietly before turning away and swiftly leaving the classroom.

When the lunch break rolled around, Megumi sighed in relief and pressed her forehead against her desk. Her mind had been foggy with distraction for the past few hours, finding difficulty in concentrating on the work at hand. Luckily, none of her teachers had noticed anything amiss, not that Megumi was doing anything to stand out in the first place. She needed to breathe, to gather her thoughts and compose herself.

The girls that had gathered around the desk beside her gave Megumi a long, curious glance—something she spotted in her peripheral through a window of hair. It was obvious they were engaging in a trivial conversation, a guise to observe Megumi as she laid collapsed over her desk. She couldn't be bothered to present herself in a more dignified manner, her thoughts completely occupied by her concern for Nishinoya.

"Um yeah… so, that place we went to the other day. What was it… uh, called?"

"…I'm not sure."

"…Yeah."

Megumi resisted the urge to roll her eyes and continued to ignore the disorderly gaggle beside her. She would've continued mulling over her pointless thoughts for the rest of the lunch break, but she was hungry, if her growling stomach was any indication.

The girls flinched when Megumi sat up without warning, her hair messy and unkempt from resting her head against the desk. Eventually, Megumi found the energy to get up and rustle through her bag—grabbing some spare change from the bottom of her bag. She didn't give a second glace to the girls beside her, dragging herself to the canteen to get some lunch.

It was by chance that she happened to bump into Nishinoya on the way out.

"N—Nishinoya-kun…" Megumi greeted in surprise, his face appearing on the other sliding door. "Y—You're here."

He looked better. It wasn't as if he was back to his regular self, but he wasn't frowning anymore. Instead, he simply appeared thoughtful. His eyebrows were furrowed ever-so-slightly, subtle enough that he didn't seem upset—or at least not as upset as he looked in the morning.

Contemplating the reason for his presence, she slid the classroom door shut behind her with a gentle push and a quiet click of the door hitting the frame. Nishinoya stood in front of her with his gaze lowered to the ground, as if he didn't quite know what to say.

Neither did she, truth be told.

She asked him a blunt question. "Did you read it?"

"Yeah…" He said slowly. His inscrutable countenance unnerved her, and she felt the anxiety blossom tenfold worse than usual. His fist was clenched tightly around the sheet of paper she had given him, wrinkles forming under his grip. "This is the Dateko match. Why'd you give this to me?"

Spur of the moment, she supplied silently but instead answered, "because you won."

"We didn't."

"No, you won." Megumi repeated and Nishinoya only looked angry at her words.

"We lost." He forced out between his gritted teeth, and her article crumpled further in his hands. "We did our best and we lost."

"Yes… you lost." Megumi admitted and Nishinoya's eyes flashed at her words. However, she shook her head and reached for ruined sheet of paper—easing it out of his hands. She was a terrible comforting presence but regardless, she continued. "You lost against Datekougyou the first time around, but then you won against them the second time, didn't you?"

Megumi felt something change in his expression, a twitch in his brow followed by a sharp turn of his head. He still vehemently denied the implications of her words, but Megumi felt the tempo of her heartbeat increase. She was getting somewhere, all she needed to do was push him a little further.

She folded the article to fit into her pocket, averting her eyes from him all the while. "This isn't about Datekougyou, that wasn't my intention. But… you understand where I'm coming from, right?"

"Miyamura—we…" Nishinoya paused, exhaling a little in frustration. "We could've won. I was right there—the ball was… right there…"

"It wasn't your fault," Megumi told him, and he lowered his head further to hide his expression from view. She understood the frustration he must've felt. It was only natural, and Nishinoya was right. He had been right there, as he had phrased it, but so had Kageyama and Azumane. "You weren't the only that reached for that ball, Nishinoya-kun."

Nishinoya snapped his head up quickly, an almost furious expression on his face. "It wasn't their fault."

Megumi nodded. "It wasn't. So… why do you blame yourself?"

His shoulders tensed and his fists clenched tighter at his sides. Nishinoya didn't reply to her, or perhaps he simply didn't know what to say. Of course, he blamed himself and Megumi knew why. In his reflection, all he could think about was probably his own mistakes.

But everyone made mistakes, and he held himself accountable for his own.

"…The third years," Nishinoya said after a while, and Megumi instantly realised the source of his guilt. "This was their last chance…"

"I…" Megumi looked away. Surprisingly, the hallways were unexpectantly desolate of people. It was simply Nishinoya, herself, and the walls around them. "That's right… they probably have to study for their entrance exams, don't they?"

Nishinoya nodded, and Megumi bit her lip in contemplation.

"Even if we manage to beat Seijoh next time. It'll be without the third years." Nishinoya frowned, then made a sound of annoyance. "Gah! I wish they could just stay…"

If only it was that easy.

There just… wasn't any way around it. No matter how much volleyball meant to everyone in the club, in the end it was just a club. Nishinoya might've gotten mad at her if she said something like that out loud, however.

"I think… it's up to them," Megumi said after a moment's silence. Her words were the reality of the third years' predicament, but it didn't make it any easier to admit the truth of the situation. Lying to him, giving him false hope—prospects such as those were completely out of the question. It wasn't easy, but she convinced herself it was the right thing to say. "This is their future that they have to think about. Whether they decide to retire or continue, that's something they have to ascertain for themselves. No one can—no one should influence that decision."

Nishinoya sighed. "I know…"

At least he understood that much of it. Still, Megumi felt the urge to reach for his hand and squeeze it in reassurance, anything to help him cheer up. They were just friends however—good friends, but not familiar enough for such an intimate action to be comforting.

Instead Megumi smiled, her eyes softening as she brushed a stray hair behind her ear. "Things will work out, Nishinoya-kun. If this was truly the third years' last game, then it was an amazing game to retire after."

Nishinoya's eyes widened for a moment, staring at her with an ineffable emotion flashing across his face. His gaze lingered for much longer than usual, and it was then that a sudden feeling of self-consciousness washed over her. She stepped back from him with a wary expression on her profile, hugging her woollen sweater closer to her body.

"W—What is it?"

"I've never seen you smile like that before!" Nishinoya exclaimed, his eyes shining as he stepped a little closer to her. At his blunt comment, Megumi felt herself flush and ducked her head, letting her bangs fall over her eyes. She was at a loss for words—how could he say something like that and not be embarrassed?

"I—I smile sometimes!" Megumi protested and Nishinoya laughed loudly at her indignity.

"But not like that," he said, a look of fondness in his eyes. "You're always kinda shy! You should smile like that more often!"

With her mind running faster than her mouth, Megumi strung together a clumsy sentence that sounded suspiciously more like a gargling sound. What she said, or rather what she was trying to say, was lost on both Nishinoya and herself.

He gave her a confused look, and Megumi cleared her throat awkwardly.

She was glad though. His expression appeared much lighter, free from his earlier guilt and concerns. He was almost back to his usual energetic self. His grin wasn't as bright, a tad melancholic with his eyes half-lidded, but it was reminiscent of his normal vibrancy nonetheless. It was enough. She wouldn't demand any more of him. He would move on with time and eventually, he'd be completely fine.

"The canteen," Megumi said abruptly, resting her hand over her stomach as wave of hunger physically pulsed in her abdomen. Nishinoya glanced over to her and made an inquisitive face. "I was planning to go get some food."

"You haven't eaten yet? It's almost the end of the lunch break." Nishinoya pointed out, eyeing the silver coins that glimmered in her palm of her hand.

Megumi frowned and subconsciously combed her hair back. The two of them had begun walking towards canteen, taking a shortcut that led to a staircase to the first floor. "I was too busy thinking about you." She retorted.

Nishinoya stopped.

Glancing back at him questionably, Megumi paused. "Oh. That sounded kind of misleading, didn't it?"

Nishinoya gave her an incredulous look, as if to say, 'you think?'. In that moment, she was slightly grateful the hallway was practically deserted. Had anyone heard what she had just said, the rumours would've most certainly spread around once more.

Instead of her usual embarrassment, she simply stifled a laugh with her palm, walking ahead of Nishinoya as he jogged lightly to catch up with her. They conversed a bit, making some light small talk as they made their way towards the canteen. It was almost like nothing had happened. It was a kind of soothing feeling that filled her body with warmth, settling itself comfortably in her soul. It was nice.

(x)…

On the way back to class, Nishinoya started informing her about the spring tournament. Apparently, he'd been discussing it with the rest of the second years at the beginning of the lunch break. The first-round preliminaries were to be held about two months away, sometime in August.

Nishinoya appeared to be biting his tongue at some moments. It was obvious that his earlier concerns were still bothering him—he held himself back each time he mentioned the third years, quickly moving along to a different topic.

Although she had noticed, Megumi said nothing as she quietly sipped away at her mixed berry juice box. There was no benefit in pointing out his hesitance.

As they rounded the corner, Megumi collided into another person and stumbled backwards. She felt Nishinoya quickly grab her arm to stabilise her, his other hand on her shoulder. The hallway, while still completely deserted, suddenly felt more claustrophobic with the presence of another person. Nishinoya seemed to go quiet, looking away from the other person and barely speaking a word.

Megumi managed to regain her balance and looked up.

Suzuki Kaede opened her mouth to apologise, only to clamp it shut when she realised whom she had bumped into. Megumi blinked owlishly, glancing up at Suzuki as she peered at Megumi through her thick-rimmed glasses.

Suzuki started in recognition of Megumi and began to swiftly walk away.

Megumi managed to catch the fabric of Suzuki's sweater with her fingers. "W—Wait! Suzuki-san—"

"There is nothing to speak of!" Suzuki said fiercely, roughly pulling away from her grasp. The fabric ripped out her grasp so violently and quickly that Megumi hissed, pulling her hand back out of reflex. The friction burned the tips of her fingers and although the friction burn was relatively minor, Suzuki's eyes widened as Megumi instinctively inspected her fingers.

By then, Nishinoya snapped out of whatever daze he'd been in and glared at Suzuki. His voice was low, almost threatening as he stepped forward. "Hey—"

"Nishinoya-kun…" Megumi reached out and grabbed his wrist, wincing slightly as her sensitive fingertips brushed over his skin. She shook her head silently, giving him a hard stare until he finally relented and pulled his wrist away from her grip.

Suzuki glanced between the two but surprisingly made no move to leave again.

Megumi turned to Suzuki again, casting a small, unsure smile. "I… I just want to talk. I'm not…" She frowned, awkwardly trying to phrase her words correctly. "I'm not trying to reprimand you… or anything like that. I promise."

Suzuki paused and looked down at the ground, then back at Megumi. "…I suppose I could hear you out," she said quietly.

Megumi nodded, slightly relieved that Suzuki hadn't decided to lash out again. She felt nervous, her hands suddenly cold and clammy against her hem of her skirt. Where could she even begin? Her mind had been so preoccupied with everything else that she had neglected her own involvement with Suzuki's fight with her team. Once again, Megumi had only decided to reach out to Suzuki in the spur of the moment. Truthfully, even she didn't know what she wanted to tell Suzuki.

To apologise? To simply discuss what happened? All Megumi knew was that there was unresolved tension, something she couldn't ignore any longer.

"Miyamura." Nishinoya stopped her and took a cautionary glance towards Suzuki. "I'll come with you."

Suzuki shook her head. "That won't be necessary," she said with a clipped tone, though her stiff body language suggested her tone of voice was unintentional.

Nishinoya opened his mouth, almost as if to retort a demanding 'why' before Megumi turned to give him an awkward smile. She hadn't intended to involve him in her problems, but he'd ended up witnessing Suzuki's hostility to Megumi anyway. To Nishinoya, the scene probably appeared as if Suzuki had lashed out at Megumi for no reason at all.

But that was wrong. Suzuki had a legitimate reason to be angry, and it was all because of Megumi's meddlesome actions. He didn't understand anything that had occurred, only the surface level details of the whole situation.

'But that's because you didn't tell him anything', something whispered at the back of her mind, planting a seed of guilt in Megumi's heart.

"It's fine," she told him, frowning slightly as Nishinoya narrowed his eyes at her seemingly meek reply. "Suzuki-san and I should talk privately, though I appreciate your concern."

He cut in. "Miyamura! She's—"

"—not going to do anything." Megumi cut him off in return. She quickly took a deep breath, lowering her volume when she realised that she had raised her voice. "We'll just talk. You don't… You don't need to…"

She trailed off into her own thoughts. Although the unsaid words hadn't left the tip of her tongue, Nishinoya seemed to understand nonetheless. It was almost as if he was contemplating what to say, a thoughtful look on his face.

"…You sure?" He asked after a while, still sparing a wary look at Suzuki whom stood off silently to the side.

Megumi nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure."

"Alright then, Miyamura."

Nishinoya turned away, not without giving one final glance towards Suzuki and Megumi, before he swiftly turned the corner and disappeared from view. Normally, Nishinoya was impulsive, not thinking about the consequences of his actions until it was too late. He could've easily tried to intimidate Suzuki into apologising, much like Tanaka would—though Megumi wasn't sure if his self-proclaimed chivalry would've allowed him to.

The point was that he didn't, and that he had once again surprised Megumi with how considerate he was.

Suzuki looked curiously at Megumi, an unreadable look in her eyes hidden behind the lens of her glasses. She looked mildly intrigued, as if she had caught on to Nishinoya's silent gestures and Megumi's reluctance.

"I'm surprised…" Suzuki started, her voice calmer than it had been a few minutes ago. "I expected you to have divulged my brazen lack of respect for my team, especially to Nishinoya-san."

Especially to Nishinoya…? What was that supposed to mean?

Suzuki began a slow pace towards an even more secluded area, a place where they could truly talk without fear of eavesdroppers. Megumi walked silently beside her, only replying when they'd reached the end of the hallways and rounded down to the base of the stairs. Suzuki leaned against the railing, looking down at her feet as Megumi opened her mouth to speak.

"I… wouldn't do that," Megumi said hesitantly. "It was none of my business. I just happened to be there."

Suzuki frowned. "It's easy to be loose-lipped, if only to relish in the frivolity of gossip. I was certain that from your impressions of me, that… that you would naturally dislike me, and would like others to dislike me as well."

Her voice had taken on that clipped tone once again, her speech stiff and formal. It was even more formal than Suzuki's regular manner of speech, as if she was desperately attempting to maintain a professional, unemotional perspective on the matter. She had been emotional during that fight and Megumi had seen her true stance towards volleyball. It wasn't for merit, as Suzuki had initially claimed.

It was all just a façade, wasn't it?

"I don't hate you, Suzuki-san." Megumi combed her fingers through her curls, her eyes flickering to Suzuki's downcast ones. "I didn't think you would appreciate me telling other people what happened, so I didn't."

Suzuki didn't seem to believe her.

"I'm accustomed to being disliked," Suzuki stated, though her factual tone of voice carried a hint of veiled sadness.

Megumi didn't know what to say to that.

Suzuki continued with an inscrutable gaze fixed to her feet, and her words reminiscent of a time long passed for Megumi. "I am the class representative, and yet I lack the favour of my peers—similarly, my team. Being disliked (being alone) is normal and being liked (having friends) is not a necessity. I have made my peace with this (I'm fine by myself)."

But it would be nice… having friends…

"I apologise, did you say something?"

Megumi shook her head. "No. Nothing. I was just talking to myself."

It had always seemed as if Suzuki was some kind of untouchable honour student. Although Megumi had never been in Suzuki's class prior to her second year, the class-representative selection had been almost instant. Suzuki raised her hand and teachers automatically handed the coveted position to her. They hadn't been friends, perhaps acquaintances after the yakisoba pan incident but regardless, Megumi had never thought of anything beyond that.

But at the Interhigh, that's when Megumi began to have doubts.

"I understand how you feel," Megumi said slowly, her eyes closed and side-swept bangs falling over her face. "But I really don't hate you. I'm not just lying for the sake of saving face either."

Suzuki ducked her head sharply. "I was shamefully petulant. My short temper blinded me from the consequences of my anger." Her shoulders were shaking, face hidden beneath her bangs. "You only had good intentions, and yet I lashed out at you regardless… It's only fair that you would despise me."

"No, I—"

Suzuki looked up, and Megumi saw the bitter tears of self-reproach in her eyes for the first time. "I'm so sorry, Miyamura-san."

Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, Suzuki's glasses came off her face, no longer hiding her feelings behind a mask of glass lenses. Although she wasn't crying, her eyes were watering, and her voice wavered in such a way that it almost appeared as if she was. Megumi was speechless, not knowing what to say.

Megumi sucked in a sharp breath.

Suzuki hadn't held any kind of grudge against Megumi, that much was obvious. She had been remorseful and embarrassed, avoiding Megumi like the plague to avoid confronting the person that had seen it all. She had never avoided Megumi because she was angry.

It all made sense now.

"…I'm sorry too," Megumi said after a moment, hesitating as Suzuki's watery gaze raised to meet hers. "I intervened, even though it was none of my business."

Suzuki shook her head. "Your intentions weren't malicious. There's nothing for you to apologise for, Miyamura-san."

Megumi gave her a small smile, brushing bangs back behind her ear. "I know. I wanted to apologise anyway, and I forgive you, Suzuki-san."

There was nothing but a faint, 'thank you', carried through the quiet hallway with rich gratitude. Perhaps Megumi wasn't friends with Suzuki Kaede, but Megumi dared to believe that for the briefest moment—they had been. Sitting side-by-side in isolated staircase at the end of the hallway, Megumi thought that maybe—maybe Suzuki simply needed someone to reach out to her, just like Nishinoya had done for her.

And so, they talked until the lunch break lapsed through its final minutes. By the time the bell heeded them back to their classroom, there might've been something resembling a friendship between the two of them. Although Megumi may have been mistaken, she wanted to believe that she understood Suzuki a little more after they'd talked.

(x)…

Megumi only saw Nishinoya again much later that day after school. The early Summer skies were clear, a light drizzle soaking the earth beneath her. The shift from Spring to Summer wasn't yet obvious with the abundance of emerald green grass and colourful flora. The Summer heat was nothing more than soothing warmth against her skin, something Megumi was grateful for as she carried out her errands for the journalism club.

"Good work, Miyamura," Akimoto said with a small smile, waving her farewell as Megumi departed from the clubroom. He held the articles she just submitted in his other hand, eyes lowering to its contents as Megumi quietly slid the door shut behind her.

Her bag jostled against her shoulder as Megumi sighed, completely worn out from writing two articles in only two hours. Her head nearly slumped against the door and Megumi shook her head tiredly, mustering the energy to stay awake. She still had to walk home, at least partially until she reached the bus stop. At the very least, Megumi was relieved. Her articles were finally finished, and she could focus her full attention on writing her essay.

And after that, she could focus on studying for the upcoming exams.

Megumi stared at her phone, then out through the dirty windows. It was already five o'clock in the afternoon, and yet the sky was still tinted light blue. Summer was approaching after all, as much as she dreaded sultry, hot season. Some people liked Summer. Megumi, however, was not one of those people.

She passed by the gym in the courtyard between the gym and playing fields on her way to the school gates, dryly noting the lack of lighting inside. She figured that after the loss against Aoba Johsai, training wasn't an immediate priority. Most of the club members had looked low-spirited, at least the ones she had seen throughout the day. Even someone as cheerfully positive as Nishinoya had been bummed out, though his general mood seemed to improve by the end of the lunch break.

As intimidated as she was by Ukai, it appeared as if he'd given the boys a day off from practice—a day to rest, recuperate and recover.

Her line of thinking had been something similar to that. She hadn't noticed the movement in the clubhouse across from the gym, nor did she notice Kageyama and Hinata sulking in reluctance as Sugawara forced them out of the gym. Megumi had turned away before then, disappearing around the corner of a building as some of the players emerged from the clubroom, chattering loudly amongst themselves.

Coincidentally, Megumi blinked in surprise when Nishinoya and Tanaka's silhouettes materialised in front of her a few minutes later. They stood a distance away from Sakanoshita, discussing something incoherent to Megumi's ears. About volleyball, perhaps? They didn't talk long however, parting ways shortly before Nishinoya noticed her presence.

She was distanced a few metres away from where he and Tanaka had been talking a few seconds prior, and Nishinoya jogged a little to greet her, his shoes soaking in the puddle beneath his feet.

"Hey, Miyamura! You're still here!" He said, waving enthusiastically at her with a Gari-Gari kun popsicle in hand. Surveying his appearance, Nishinoya's forehead was glossy with dried sweat and he had changed out of his regular uniform into his club uniform, leading her to believe that he really had been training.

"Yeah, I had to run some errands for my club. I… I didn't think you had training," she said, not knowing how to elaborate without sounding like a creepy stalker. The end of her sentence intonated slightly, as if she hadn't finished talking. Nishinoya didn't seem to notice the awkward pause at the end, or perhaps he simply decided not to point it out.

"Yeah—well, Shouyo and Kageyama were yelling and stuff in the gym." Nishinoya rambled, his hand coming to rest at the back of his neck. The two of them began a slow pace up the steep incline of a hill, slowly making their way to the park. "The second-years ended up going to club cause' of that. We're the senpai, y'know! We had to make sure our kouhai didn't get in trouble!"

Nishinoya puffed up his chest proudly at the last few statements, never mind that he didn't actually explain anything. Either way, Megumi had apparently been wrong. The volleyball club did have club activities that day, and Megumi didn't know whether to admire their tenacity or shake her head at their simplicity.

They were idiots, but at least they bounced back quickly from their losses.

Nishinoya grinned, his eyes shining as he shouted excitedly. "The third years came back! They're going to the spring tournament with us! Oh—and we're going to Tokyo again for another practice against Nekoma, and also some other schools called the Fukurodani Academy Group! It's another 'Battle of the Trash Heap'!"

T—Tokyo? Fukurodani?

By then, Nishinoya spiralled into his rambling with such vigour that Megumi couldn't follow what he was saying anymore. Something about trash heaps? Regardless, she politely nodded along as Nishinoya threw his hands up in the air, gesturing at something vaguely with the wide motions of his flailing arms. His fervent passion was nearly incomprehensible, but somehow, she felt as if informing him of that would be akin to kicking a puppy. A wide-eyed, small, furry puppy no less.

At some point Nishinoya paused and the wild motions of his arms died down, as if he was awaiting a response. Megumi gave a nervous laugh, quickly thinking up a generic, non-specific reply. "…I—It seems like everything worked out then."

Nishinoya nodded, a bright grin still plastered on his face. "Yeah! Plus, we're going to Tokyo!"

Megumi felt as if a blunt 'what' would've been an indication that she hadn't listened to his nonsensical rambling, not that it was even possible to comprehend the topic jumps from the third years, to Tokyo, to trash heaps. Instead, she gave a simple nod and a sincere smile.

"Tokyo, huh?" Megumi curled her hair around her index finger, lost in thought. "That reminds me of another school."

"Nekoma?"

Megumi shook her head. "No, it was a high school my father wanted me to go to, since he works in Tokyo. I'm pretty sure you've heard of it."

"Yeah? Tell me." Nishinoya leaned in curiously, and Megumi hesitated. She had no doubt that the school would ring a bell in his mind, and largely anticipated an over-the-top reaction from him. The school had a strong volleyball team—a really strong volleyball team, and that was an understatement.

"…Itachiyama," Megumi said after a while, wincing as Nishinoya suddenly yelled in her ear.

"Itachiyama?! They've won the Nationals for ages! One of the top three aces and the best libero in the country go to that school!"

"Yeah… They're champions, and Itachiyama Academy isn't a bad school either." Megumi agreed, slight wistfulness in her voice. In the end, she'd chosen to go to Karasuno. It was closer to home, and it was where her mother had worked as a teacher before she was no longer—

Well, that wasn't important.

Megumi was halfway through high school, and she still didn't know if she regretted her decision or not.

"Why didn't you go to Itachiyama?" Nishinoya asked, his brow raising in curiosity.

Megumi looked away. Truth be told, she asked herself that question a lot during her first year. There was nothing truly noteworthy about Karasuno. It was located in a rural area, mostly barren of people and opportunities. It was the complete opposite to Tokyo. Looking back now, she wouldn't have met Nishinoya, the volleyball club, the journalism club, and anyone else had she gone to Itachiyama. Those regretful longings had faded away to a dull murmur at the back of her mind a few months into her second year, and Megumi found herself more neutral regarding Itachiyama than she had been a year prior.

Either way, it didn't matter. Megumi never ended up enrolling in Itachiyama. Thinking of 'what-ifs' and 'could have beens' was a waste of time, it never actually happened.

"I didn't know what I wanted…" Megumi said, reminiscing of a much more solitary time. "Karasuno was closer and… that was the deal breaker, I guess."

"Ah, I see." Nishinoya nodded, a strange sort of knowingness on his face. It seemed as if he noticed the awkward pause in her words. She had wanted to say more—but in the end, it dipped far too much into something she didn't really want to think about. "Still, I'm glad you came to Karasuno, Miyamura! I wouldn't have met you otherwise."

Megumi nodded in agreement. Noticing they'd gotten off slightly off topic, Megumi walked slightly ahead of him and turned her head back to look at him.

"Well anyway, I'm glad that you've cheered up, Nishinoya-kun," Megumi said, bringing her hand over her eyes to block out the harsh glare of the sunlight. "Everyone had a second chance at Nationals, don't they? It's great."

"Yeah…" Nishinoya laughed, and his loud, boisterous voice eventually died down to a soft chuckle. His eyes went half-lidded and a glazed expression appeared briefly on his face. He appeared to contemplate something for a moment, only the sounds of their shoes splashing against the wet concrete pavements and the drizzling rain between them.

Megumi tilted her head curiously at his unusual silence, peering at him under her lashes. Nishinoya didn't seem to be thinking about anything too serious, but the pensive look on his face was rare to see nonetheless. The blinding rays of the sun forced her to avert her eyes after a moment, the light glistening off the sweat of his brow. He was quiet, thinking to himself before he said something with unexpected hesitance.

"I… You…" Nishinoya muttered something indiscernible under his breath and Megumi blinked owlishly, unsure of what to say. Nishinoya was… nervous? He seemed unreasonable flustered, looking anywhere but her eyes as he shook his head—almost as if to calm himself—before he continued. "Miyamura… do you…?"

Nishinoya paused, and Megumi only felt her confusion bury deeper. Had she done something to unnerve him? Thinking back to the past few hours, there was nothing of significant value she could recall. Perplexed, Megumi could only furrow her brow as she contemplated the reason behind his sudden restlessness.

"…Yes?" Megumi cut into his short pause, modifying the pitch of her voice to sound as innocent as possible. Although she intended to calm his nerves, Nishinoya's shoulders seemed to stiffen—the opposite reaction to what she had hoped for.

The park began to peek over hill, the swings swaying gently in the slight breeze of the early Summer. They stopped as Nishinoya made his way to the wooden fence railing, overlooking a section of the town they lived in.

"I mean…" Nishinoya frowned, running his hand through his damp hair as he stared blankly at the ground. "I was pretty upset about the game yesterday, and I was acting pretty crappy towards you."

Megumi regarded him with a look of confusion. "Do you mean what you said when you were trying to avoid me?" Nishinoya's gaze shifted away to another object, leading her to believe that yes—she was correct. "I don't hold that against you, Nishinoya-kun. That loss was still fresh, I understood that."

Nishinoya chuckled, oddly praising as he said, "I know. You're always understand things better than anyone else."

Huh. Megumi didn't know what to say to that. "T—Thank you…?"

"It's not just that too," he said, strangely insisting as he lifted his gaze to meet hers. "There was that thing with Asahi-san, in the locker bay and at the Interhigh. You're always take things so seriously—which isn't a bad thing—since you try to understand everything from every side. You're seriously amazing, Miyamura!"

Nishinoya was starting to ramble again, something he noticed as he appeared to gather his thoughts. His words were bolder than usual, something that was even flustering him as he continued.

His face was turned away from her, hiding any kind of discernible expression on his face. The endless shower of compliments had caught Megumi off guard, but it didn't seem like Nishinoya had praised her simply to praise her. He was setting up for something, and it was undoubtedly the reason why he'd been so flustered.

"You never really seem to think that about yourself though, which kinda frustrates me…" Nishinoya frowned slightly, and Megumi took the opportunity to speak.

"It's nothing like that," she said, her cheeks still flushing from Nishinoya's barrage of compliments. "You're my friend, Nishinoya-kun. I care about you. When you're not acting like yourself, it worries me, and I obviously want to help you cheer up. All I can do is try to understand the situation thoroughly. It doesn't mean that I actually do though…"

Megumi bit her lip, looking away from him. With her stare focused to the ground, she couldn't quite see the look on his face as he laughed. It was a strained-sort of laughter that came from the throat, not sounding right when it filled the open air. She looked up as Nishinoya stepped away from the wooden fence railing, a forced grin on his face.

"R—Right… I'm your friend." Nishinoya closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling as his hands found their way to his pockets. "A—Anyway, I just wanted to say that I… thanks."

"For what?"

Nishinoya opened his eyes, a light expression on his face. "For listening to my problems, I guess. It makes me kinda feel bad though. I never listen to any of your problems."

He must've been referring to the fight with Suzuki. Megumi shook her head and her hair gently swayed with the breeze. She looked away into the view of the town beneath them, feeling strangely ethereal as each building was dotted with distance. The view from the park was truly stunning.

"It's more like I don't tell you anything…" Megumi trailed off. "I'm not used to relying on anyone. I guess it's a bad habit to keep things to myself… I'm sorry."

"No! Don't apologise!" Nishinoya interrupted loudly. He leaned in and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her tight squeeze of reassurance. His grip was almost too strong, and her shoulder ached slightly after he let go. "I'm just saying—I'm here for you, Miyamura! You don't have to keep anything to yourself, you're not alone! You don't have to tell me anything either, that's fine too!"

"It's… fine…?" Her voice came out as a breathy whisper, and Nishinoya nodded his head vigorously.

"Yeah… I got kinda annoyed that you weren't telling me anything, but that's your choice, isn't it? If you wanna tell me, then tell me! I'm always gonna listen to you!"

Megumi closed her eyes, a shaky sigh leaving her throat. Once again, she was reminded of Nishinoya's kindness. He truly was thoughtful, much more than Megumi was. It wasn't right, Megumi didn't deserve a friend like him. If anything, she was the one that felt inadequate. As much as she wanted to trust him enough to share her demons, she couldn't.

Her problems were never her problems.

She was just blessed with Nishinoya's friendship—with someone whom was willing to listen. Most people weren't so lucky.

"You're really the amazing one between us, Nishinoya-kun," Megumi said, a small smile on her face as Nishinoya sharply turned his head away, once again flustered.

"W—What? Come on, don't flatter me Miyamura!"

Megumi stifled a laugh. "Sorry, sorry. Still, I think you should give yourself some more credit too. You never really mince your words, which is kind of refreshing—I think."

Nishinoya didn't reply to that and he rested his elbows against wooden fence railing, glancing out into open view. At that moment, the sun peeked out behind a few clouds in the sky, ripping through the light drizzle of the rain to shine where they stood. It was almost like a direct reflection of how she felt, weightless and light—basking in the simple feeling of warmth.

Nishinoya's mirthful expression was highlighted in the soft glow of the sun's rays, and Megumi looked down to her feet.

Nishinoya was her friend—yes, but he was also more than that. She didn't like him romantically, but she didn't exactly like him just as a friend either. Either way, she was content with the soothing feeling inside her and found herself wishing it would continue to last.


A special thank you to SumCheeze, ksaevang, Tora3, The Grand Pallas, KiarikaK and sally-the-brave for reviewing!


A/N: Yes, Nishinoya 100% intended to confess and Megumi friend-zoned him without even realising it. It just makes those last few lines all the more ironic. Oh Megumi, you sweet, stupid child... Aside from that, this is probably my favourite chapter I've written to date, followed by chapter 4. I find that I write fluff a lot better than I write angst, so the past two chapters aren't really my favourites. We see a tonne of development for everyone, Suzuki, Amakawa and Megumi—and Nishinoya and Megumi's relationship also gets a little more development. At this point, I think it's safe to say that we're jumping into romance territory, though the platonic fluff won't be going away any time soon. Season 1 of Haikyuu is completely wrapped up with this chapter, and we're jumping straight into season 2! I'm planning a lot more original content down the line, seeing as most of the events I've planned for this story take place towards the end of the year in the story. This chapter is decently long? I hope you all enjoy this while I work on chapter 8.

Kanji is one of the three scripts used in Japanese written language, the others being hiragana and katakana. Kanji refers to the Chinese characters that are used in Japanese writing, and are often considered to be the hardest Japanese script to learn (not to mention there are multiple different readings of the same character, meaning that a kanji character can mean multiple different things depending on the context). Certain kanji can be a struggle to read, especially for some below average students like Kageyama, Hinata, Nishinoya and Tanaka.

The essay Megumi was writing in the beginning was actually my own English essay that I submitted at the beginning of the year. I scored decently well on it, so hopefully it gives off the impression of a good essay? I dunno.

— Gari-Gari kun (ガリガリ君) are a brand of famous Japanese popsicles. The brand name is play on the Japanese onomatopoeia for hard and crunchy ('Gari-Gari kun' literally translates to "Mr. Crunchy"). This is also Nishinoya's favourite food, especially the soda flavour Gari-Gari kun.

'Kouhai' (後輩) is the Japanese term for underclassmen. It's pretty much the opposite of 'senpai' except no one refers to their kouhai as (name)-kouhai since it's the senpai that deserves respect (in Japanese culture anyway) not the kouhai. This was (kind of) implied in the last chapter, but not explicitly stated aside from the author's notes.

— Itachiyama is the champion school that's dominated Nationals for a while (this detail is unfortunately vague, the manga hasn't mentioned a specific time range). I believe it's been mentioned in the anime, but Itachiyama is more relevant to the manga at the time of this chapter's release.

— Kudos to anyone that caught the meta name pun before reading this, but Megumi's name (恵) translates to 'blessing', 'grace', 'favour' or 'benefit'. She is quite literally 'blessed'.

Thank you to everyone who followed and favourited! I really appreciate it! Thank you to the seven reviews, fourteen favourites, twenty follows!

Date of Publish - (09.07.2019)