Gathered in front of the inn for the night expedition, most of the girls were excited. After giving few instructions, Hibari led the way why Hareki distributed around three flashlights. Ritsu was given one and she examinated it suspisciously, wondering why exactly they needed flashlights for a simple stroll. As she wondered, she got a bad feeling about this.
And her hunch was spot on. On the outskirts of the town, the group of girls stopped in front of a torii gate where stone stairs supposedly led to a shrine. Anxious, some of the girls, Ritsu included, craned their heads up to see how far those stairs were going up, but that remained a mystery. It was too dark out there, the path was enclosed by the forest and the town lights didn't reach this far. The only sign of civilisation around was the bus stop at the bottom of the hill they just climbed up before their track brought them in front of that shrine entrance.
"We're going up, girls!"
"A-Are you trying to kill us, Hibari-senpai?" Yagami raised the question, the least enthusiastic at the prospect of climbling a couple of stairs. Moreover, the hill seemed rather steep.
Ritsu stayed silent but the same question did cross her mind. Climbing up an endless and dark stairs in the middle of the night to get to some mysterious place was the least thing she wanted to do after a tough volleyball practice day.
"Come on, a little walk has never killed anyone." Hibari tempered while breathing the fresh air of the mountain.
"It's no longer walking here...we're currently hiking." Yagami grumbled, which caused a couple of laughs to be raised here and there. On the other hand, Hibari responded with a flick on her forehead.
"Man up, Yagami! The hardest a path is, the more rewarding it is at the end, that I can assure you. You won't regret coming tonight!"
Yagami gave in relunctanly, and along Yūzuki she fell into step behind Hibari and Hoshino. Five minutes later, they all reached the shrine.
Looking around the place, Ritsu couldn't help but ask herself agian for what purpose Hibari wanted to bring them here. It was a small shrine, quite old and well-maintained but nothing out of the ordinary in fact.
She sighed Hibari and Hoshino talking behind the shrine. Hibari was directing the lightbeam of her flashlight towards the forest, on a narrow path barely visible because of the vegetation, while Hoshino watched her doing in a pensive way.
Ending their conversation, both came back to the front. Hibari clapped her hands to call attention.
"Switch on the lights now! We have to cross the forest from here!"
A few sighs raised from the group, especially from the first-years who got no idea of where they were led to. Ritsu and Yagami exchanged a look while swallowing back any questions or remarks. At this point, they stopped wondering.
The group ventured in the dark forest. Barely seeing a thing ahead even with the flashlights, the girls stayed silent and kept their ears sharp to any strange sounds.
*Sbwaf*
"Oouch! Wakana, what the hell?" Hibari turned to the culprit while rubbing her left arm, just where Hoshino slapped her.
"Saved your ass from being bitten by a moquisto." Hoshino quirked an eyebrow at the ungrateful reaction and showed the palm of her hand as a proof. At the sight of the big yet squashed moquisto, Hibari squeaked in disgust. Hardly bothered by it, the giant girl examined her palm and squinted her eyes as she identified a small amount of a red liquid around the moquisto. "Argh...it already sucked blood from one of you, it had blood in him."
The detail grossed out the whole group, only Hareki came to give her her water bottle to wash her hands.
"Disgusting!" Hibari speeded up but Hoshino along Hareki sticked to her like a glue making fun of her hate for insects and bugs.
The three of them went ahead of the group yet the other girls didn't bother to catch them up. Hibari's flashlight glowed enough not to lose sight of them.
"Hey, don't you think it could make a good setting for a horror movie." noted Ugai with excitement, "Feels like a monster could leap on us at any moment or a ghost could appear before us or a dude with a chainsaw could come kill us all!"
"In my opinion, you watch too many movies, Ugai." Kazehaya retorted in a disinterested tone.
"Buuuut~ isn't it fun to imagine? Look we're a group of girls wandering alone in a forest in the middle of the night, doesn't something is bound to happen?" In her excitement, she stopped lighting the way and brought the flashlight under her chin to scare her teammates. "As we're venturing deeper in the forest, some of us are mysteriously disappearing along the way. One by one. Until only one is left...And the first of the group to likely disappear and be killed would be..." The beamlight of her flashlight shifted to Yūzuki who blinked cluelessly. "You! Yū-chan!"
"Eh, why me?" enquired the girl, not sure to like being designated as the very first victim in her fantasy.
"Because your voice is too soft." answered Ugai instantly. "When you're yelling, your voice isn't going very high, it's like you're speaking normally. So even if you were to call for help, we wouldn't hear you to save you, and couic, you're killed on the spot!"
"That's not true, I can yell." Taking on the challenge, Yūzuki took a deep breath and shouted, "I CAN'T BE THE FIRST VICTIM OF A HORROR MOVIE!"
"..."
The faint glow ahead of them got farer, not a single reaction from the trio of seniors.
"See, they didn't even stop to look back."
Yūzuki sulked, pursing her lips in disappointment.
"Don't worry you might be the first victim but Kazehaya-chan is second on the list!" The excited girl gave her a slap on the back to cheer her up. "In every movies, there always are those annoying characters that try to survive by any means and are hated because they get in the main character's way, even if in the end, they are one of the firsts to get killed."
"Oh, I see, and you're saying I'm in that category of characters..." noted Kazehaya with a hint of irritation in her tone.
"Well, see it like a good thing! If the main character wasn't stopped or hindered by those annoying characters, he wouldn't last long in the movie. They're making the wrong choices for the main character!"
"How is it a good thing? I'm not the one surviving."
The other girls laughed at their banter completely forgetting they were wandering in the middle of a forest at night. Ritsu checked on the trio's whereabouts but she saw no light ahead.
"Huh?" Ritsu squinted her eyes to make sure she wasn't imagining things thanks to Ugai's story, "Senpai, I don't see Hibari-senpai and the others anymore."
They all checked and observed the same thing. A chill ran down their spines. All gazes landed on Ugai as if her scenario came true.
"I didn't do anything!"
"Of course, you didn't." Kazehaya said back as she stated the obvious. "I saw their light tuned off when they certainly reached the border of the forest. Look over there," She motioned the girls to take a closer look of the horizon. Far ahead, the shapes of the trees appeared to be more definite and clearer to their eyes than what's around them, as if there was some dim light illuminating them. "It's the moonlight. Seems like we have reached the place."
"Ooh, what are we waiting for? Let's hurry! I really want to see it again!"
On Ugai's drive, all the girls scurried out of darkness and what bursted into their view filled their eyes with stars, litteraly. Above them was the night sky illuminated by millions of stars. Ritsu slowed down in her track as she contemplated the view. She has never seen such a beautiful night sky, she has never seen so many shining stars as if they're telling her that they exists. It was magical.
"You've taken your time! We thought you all got lost!" Hoshino yelled at them, hands on her waist.
"You're spoiling the view, I can't fully appreciate it when you're yelling at us. If you didn't want us to make you wait, you shouldn't have go on on yo—"
Hibari slapped the back of her head to shut her mouth. "Don't start!"
The tranquility of the night came back again, though a few happy laughters continued to echo in this glade full of grass. All enjoyed the view.
"So, still regretting to have tagged along, Yagami, Asaka?" Hibari came to ask them.
"It's breathtaking!" exclaimed Ritsu in awe.
"Yeah, it's like a dream. It's almost impossible to see so many stars in the city." topped Yagami, her eyes stuck on the night sky.
Their captain nodded proudly. "It makes you want to wish upon a star. If you have one, better do it now."
"Did you make one, Hibari-senpai?" Ritsu asked with curiosity.
"I did, but I guess I'll have to wait a little longer for it to come true." A soft smile brightened her expression.
"«Win the championship». I wished for that too last year." Hoshino's voice broke in. "Three years and three defeats, we should have signed for the basketball club." The giant girl told in a jest, not thinking a word she was saying. "Heard from Shūzō, they won the championship." .
Having said that, Hoshino fell quiet, she flopped down on the grass and contemplated the dark sky. Her gaze in the stars, she then said under her breath, "The strongest team of the year...That title, it'd have been really cool for our club to hold it as well."
The girls heard her yet let it go as a whisper of the wind, though they were sharing the same feeling. Hibari came to sit down on the grass, as well as the group.
"We're close to it, though. We participated twice at the Nationals and this year, we even reached the quarter-final. It's a great achievement for a club who could hardly compete on a national level those past years." Hibari slightly moved her head and exchanged a knowing look with Hoshino. "Remember our first year? We didn't even get past the preliminary round."
"Ah, yeah, we totally sucked back then. Soo amateurish! We were swept like dust. " Remembering, Hoshino laughed a bit. "At that time, the Nationals were more like a distant dream than an attainable goal."
While laughing too, Hibari jerked her head back and looked up. "As stupid as it sounds, it's the truth. And now, when I thought back of Yagami crying her eyes out on court as we lost at the quarter-final, I'm kind of envious..."
Yagami flushed in embarrassment, feeling a few gazes from her teammates on her. The reaction raised smiles among them. It's true, Yagami was one of the few to have let out her emotions, and that image of her was still clear in Ritsu's memory. It had felt so bitter.
"If during our first years, we could have cried so bitterly and so genuinely on court, it'd have meant we were close to attain our goal and certainly held the power to reach it."
A solemn silence followed after her words.
"Hmm," Hareki said pensively, which suddenly earned the girls' attention. "You two've never cried on court, even last year when it was your first participation at the Nationals. You said the only time there'll be tears on court would be when you win the Nationals." Hareki mentioned and continued with her usual chirpy tone.
"That doesn't mean they don't cry over it." Kazehaya affirmed.
"Is it about yourself, Kazehaya-chan?"
The said girl glared at Ugai who feigned ignorance.
"You know them well. After the Nationals, we went to the beach and they both bawled their eyes out before the sunset while hugging each other, when they realised it was their last year in middle school." Hareki let out a chuckle. "That moment was so full of emotions! Just like those drama about youth where all shouted out their dreams and aspirations at the sunset with tears in their eyes!"
"You sneaky girl! Stop running your mo—" Hibari sprang to hush her but Hareki rolled to the side and escaped her grip swiftly.
"«NEXT YEAR, WE'LL GET A BIG TROPHY FOR SURE! OR IF WE'RE DOOMED TO FAIL AGAIN IN HIGH SCHOOL, LET US FIND LOVE AT LEAST!»" The team manager shouted across the glade reenacting the whole scene for all the girls, much to Hibari's dismay.
"...What's with the last part?"
"What's wrong with wishing for romance too, you heartless jerk? Even I know we can't always be successful in life, but even if my luck is running out in sports, it might not in love! Though a little help from heaven is always welcome!"
"Un-un, that's the spirit, Hoshino-kun!" nodded Hareki in total agreement. "We all have luck in our life and most of the times that luck isn't enough to make every of our wishes come true but still enough to realise some of them that we barely could consider or never thought of!"
Kazehaya emitted a "tsk" without trying to approve or disapprove the logic. It was beyond her.
"Your logic is as twisted as ever, Kisa-san. But it's sort of romantic." Yūzuki noted lightly.
"Hehe, speaking of which, I think the closest to have love life this year is Asaka-kun. The day after our defeat at the Nationals, you went on a date with Akashi-kun, didn't you?"
Although Ritsu tried to avoid all the pairs of eyes on her, she was bound to give some explanation. And as this wasn't enough, Hareki laid it on thick :
"Natsue told me you two stopped at the coffee shop and even shared a cake together. It's spring time all over!"
Hoshino grabbed firmly her ankle after crawling to her. "Ritsu, you traitor! When we were all down because of the defeat, you went on a date with...with Akashi, that handsome midget! Have you no shame!"
"You say that but we did go to the beach with a precise goal. Who claimed that summer was an auspicious and the last period to found your soulmate?" revealed Hibari. Hit in the heart by her own ally, Hoshino released her ankle and sulked.
"Don't worry, Hoshino-san. Although they have a good chemistry, it can't work out well for both of them in a romantic way seeing as how things are between them, their auras shine too differently. Akashi-kun feels too strong compared to Asa-chan."
"Ha? Does that seriously play in a relationship?" Yagami raised the question, sceptical about the whole aura thing.
"Yep, Akashi-kun would eat Asa-chan whole if she's not ready to bridge the gap between them, and bam! Everything crumbles!" Ugai spluttered lame explosive sfx before laughing a bit, then she regained some composure and added, "But I must admit that Akashi-kun is really hard to grasp. I sometimes feel something rather deep and eerie coming from him, his aura sort of switches, I've never seen that kind of thing in my life."
"Are you playing the fortune teller? I don't get a thing you're saying, Ugai-senpai..."
"Me neither..." Ritsu concurred with her volleyball partner.
Though a part of her had heard her. She always felt some distance between them and believed that it was normal since they still had many things they didn't know about each other, like any other relationships. But to think it could come down to a more fundamental problem...was it really the case?
Ritsu shook off those strange toughts and brought the conversation back on the right track.
"Anyways, even if it looked like a date, I needed to talk it over with someone outside the club. And Akashi-kun was the first friend that came to my mind, so I called him. He has been of good advice to me so far and well..."
Ritsu hesitated to let the girls know what she had felt about this defeat. This bitterness and sadness, even though they were now distant memories, they still existed inside her.
"...I didn't want to tell you right after our defeat that I'd miss playing with this team. With Hibari-senpai, Hoshino-senpai, and all the third years. It felt like a bitter goodbye, while if the Nationals had ended with our victory, it'd have been the sweetest memory. I couldn't face you with those feelings of sore loser, trying to find a reason to a defeat instead of taking pride of what we've achieved there." Her heart was thumping hard as she sounded so sentimental all of a sudden, but she wanted at least to convey her feelings properly to those teammates she'd probably never meet again on the same side of a net. "A-All that to say, I've really had fun playing with this team!"
Her gaze circled around the group of girls, silent. Yet some soft smiles illuminated their expression and glints of hope twinkled in their eyes.
"Looks like you're ready to move forward, Asaka..."
Ritsu who was sat down near Hibari heard those whispered words.
"Listen up, everyone!" Hibari leaped on her feet and stood before the group, looking at each of the girls. "You all reach this far, you'd better not stop halfway! The Teikō volleyball club will live on and make a name for itself in the junior volleyball league! We're strong! Besides, even if we're no longer playing in the same team, we'll meet again in the same court : The Nationals! And I better see you all as my opponents when the times come and show me what a Teikō volleyball player is made of! Let's meet and all play there!"
She looked up at the starry sky, her words resonating in all hearts like a promise to meet again. That idea
Hibari gave a knowing look and grinned at Ritsu. "I had fun playing in the same team as you all too! As long as we share the same passion for volleyball, I'm sure we'll meet again!"
All girls promised through their laughs and chatters echoing under this sky full of stars.
Her eyes filled with millions of stars, Ritsu closed them and let herself make an innocent wish upon a star.
As long as they love and play volleyball, their path is bound to cross again.
How hopeful...
In the morning, Hoshino yawned loud while packing up the rest of her things, still sleepy after the long night. Fortunately for them, it seemed like their coach let them enjoy their last morning in the inn. She perked her head up at the clock, which indicated twenty-five past seven. Normally, they'd wake at six o'clock sharp for the morning jogging.
"Kisa, could you go check on the others and tell them to take breakfast?" Hibari requested as she put the volleyball club jacket on her. "I must go see the coach and the advisor."
She closed the door behind them.
"Then, off I go!" Hareki stoop up after finishing to comb her hair, then she turned to her, "Hoshino-kun, you're coming?"
"Ah, I'm coming. I've nothing to do before breakfast."
In front of the room, Hareki opened the door and stepped inside the room where silence reigned. Not a faint sound coming from the room, a smile crept onto the manager's face. She tiptoed to the bedroom and slid the paper door. Inside the room, two out of the four futons were empty.
"Aww, Yagami-kun and Asaka-kun are still sleeping." squealed Hareki in joy.
The two juniors were sleeping soundly, only the faint sound of their breathes filled the room.
"Tch...We're up since six because of Rin and those two are sleeping late without a care in the world. Where's the justice?" Hoshino grunted, irritated to see their sleeping faces.
"But look, aren't they cute? Asaka-kun is cuddling her pillow and Yagami is sleeping like a starfish...Haa, I have to take a ph—"
"Like I give a damn! Time to wake those sleepyheads up Hoshino style!"
Her mouth opened wide as she took a deep breath, ready to give the fright of their life. But before she could release all of her lungs, Hareki hushed her, putting her hand on her mouth.
"No-no, Hoshino-kun! Sshhhh! Hold on a sec!"
Hoshino yanked her arm after being interrupted and glared at Hareki.
"I've got an idea! You might like it!" She stood on her tiptoes to reach out her ear and whispered her idea. "...It's way better than waking them up now, right?"
After hearing it, Hoshino "Say, Kisa, you didn't..."
"Who knows~" She sing-sang.
Knowing what that answer meant, Hoshino just let it go.
Hareki and her crouched near the two juniors, still in deep sleep despite the noise they made. The small girl took out a camera from her sports jacket.
"You always have your camera with you?"
"Na, I had a feeling. Because of morning trainings, they were always up before I could sneak to take a photo." She said while changing a few settings of her camera.
Hareki began the photoshoot. While waiting, Hoshino sat down on the tatami and looked at the sleeping face of her junior. Ritsu giggled in her sleep and mumbled something about a cake. A cake...
Out of the blue, Hoshino got up and looked around the room under Hareki's puzzled look.
"What are you looking for?"
"Ah! Found it!"
Hoshino grabbed the small device near the ash-blondhead.
"Asaka-kun's cellphone? What about it?" Hareki blinked.
She grinned at her. "Spreading love."
"Oooh..." Hareki exclaimed, finally getting her intentions. "Hoshino-kun, you're the best!"
Setting the phone on the camera mode, Hoshino crawled near the girl. She then adjusted the zoom lens on Ritsu and took the perfect picture of the girl cuddling her pillow with a blissful face. The photo stocked in the phone memory and ready to be sent, Hoshino browsed her contact list.
"Eeh, she got the contact numbers of the four basketball freaks. Aomine...Even the giant guy, Murasakibara. Hm?"
"What?"
"Aside us, all her recent messages were sent to the basketball manager and the four-eyes. Her last message sent to Akashi goes back to the day after our defeat."
"Really, let me see." Her interest suddenly aroused, Hareki took a peek at the list. It was as Hoshino said. The name of Momoi and Midorima were the ones that came back the most. "So Akashi-kun's not her number one? How strange...I seldom see her talk with Midorima-kun but it might not be exluded...Yagami-kun said those two looks closer than they look."
"Getting secretive, piano girl?" Hoshino asked the sleeping girl beside her. "But I won't change my mind, Akashi it is!"
"Why not to both? That picture's pretty cute not to be shared to all." suggested the chirpy manager.
Without a second thought, Hoshino settled for that. She sent the photo along a short message.
"And...done!"
They high-fived but in their excitement, the two seniors forgot to mind the noise. Some rustles came from Ritsu.
"Hn...Hoshino-senpai...? Hareki-senpai?" Ritsu sat up on the futon then squinted her sleepy eyes when noticing her cellphone in Hoshino's hand. "What are you doing with my cellphone?"
"Check it out yourself. Your prince will be happy."
"Huh...?"
Ritsu caught the device thrown at her and read the message. Her eyes flew open and her face completely flushed, she stuttered few syllabes after seeing the photo and the message recipient : Akashi.
"AAAAH?!"
The shout awoke Yagami who got up mechanically. "W-What's happening...?"
"You didn't...! To A-Akashi-kun..."
"Don't forget to tell them to thank me for the great shot!" boasted Hoshino.
"Them...?" Ritsu noted that two messages were sent. She took a look at it. Y-You even sent one to-to Midorima-kun?!...Why him too?"
"A feeling?" Hoshino responded in a cute and clueless way.
"That's not an answer, Hoshino-senpai!" Ritsu shouted out in anger and then swung her head to the other culprit, "A-And you, Hareki-senpai, why didn't you try to—"
Before she could finish her sentence, a flash blinded her. Hareki just took a photo of her.
"Ah!"
"Sorry, Asaka-kun! It was too tempting!" giggled the manager.
Ritsu choked on her words and sighed "... What should I tell them now?"
"Tell them what? Your cuteness is overflowing in that picture, even Akashi-kun and Midorima-kun can understand that without telling them anything!"
"That's the problem here! They'll misunderstand if I don't explain!"
"Misunderstand what?" Hareki picked up on the word with a mischievous smile.
Ritsu resigned herself knowing well that she would only dig her own grave by reacting to each of their words. Losing all her energy, the girl stared at the screen when a short ringtone rang in the room.
"Oh, you got a reply, Ritsu. That was quick."
For a moment, she hesitated. Bracing herself, she read the content and froze on the spot. A blush brightly colored up her cheeks and no distinct words came from her mouth.
"What? What?" pressed Hoshino at her reaction, wanting to know who sent the message and what it was saying.
"Not telling you!" The ashblond-haired girl kept the cellphone away from the two seniors clutching it against her chest. "Just use your imagination like you always do!"
She slided open the door and hurried out of the room. However, Hoshino chased after her along Hareki whose curiosity knew no limits.
"Er, someone can explain?"
Left alone, Yagami tilted her head then she shrugged her shoulders.
In the silent bedroom, a ringtone broke the tranquility of morning. A faint moan raised among the sheets. Without opening his eyes, Akashi turned around and felt around the nightstand to find the device who pulled him from his sleep. As he grabbed his cellphone, he opened one eye just to check the message thinking it might be from a member of the basketball club. But what he saw on the screen awoke him completely.
The message was sent by Ritsu, or should he rather say "through her cellphone" to be more accurate. She couldn't have taken that photo alone and there was that funny message attached to it : "To my prince (heart). Asaka, the sleeping beauty.". Whoever send it to him meant it as a prank, and sadly to say for the girl, it did make him laugh.
He stared at the screen for a couple of seconds then typed a short reply that he sent instantly.
«Good morning.»
It'll be the only chapter centered around the volleyball club, there won't be another. Of course, Asaka's teammates will make few and short appearances here and there to drive the story forward but not more. For the following chapters, I'll focus on the GoM and their relationships with Asaka. And I'll begin with Kuroko's introduction. Finally.
Thank you for reading and see you later.