AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hello! This story might be familiar to some of you. I've uploaded this before but never got around my writer's block and lost my muse. But ever since quarantine happened, I've been editing the stories I have in my drafts, found this one and thought, "man, this had a lot of potential" so I'm giving it another shot! Also, Haikyuu season 4 was SO GOOD, out of all my drafts, I HAD to revive a Haikyuu fanfiction.
Without further ado, here's the prologue to University Kids! And please R&R if you enjoyed this chapter!
DISCLAIMER: Haruichi Furudate owns Haikyuu! I own everything else.
UNIVERSITY KIDS — A HAIKYUU! FANFICTION
"Study the past if you would define the future."
― Confucius
PROLOGUE
She was sitting on the high-rise chair in the kitchen, her hands fidgeting nervously on the counter top, when the call came through.
The loud ring of the telephone snapped her out of her stupor as it echoed throughout the eerie silent kitchen. It rang three times before stopping abruptly.
'It's happening,' she thought.
She straightened her posture, her hands stilling.
Nana didn't know if staying in the kitchen was the better idea.
She would have stayed in her bedroom and find comfort in its familiarity. But earlier in the day, when she woke up, the air felt stuffy. The familiarity made her dizzy, as odd as it sounded.
The kitchen felt foreign, but at least she had space to breathe. It helped little with calming her raging nerves, though.
Still, it was way better than the idea of staying in her mom's study as the call happened.
She also had half a mind to not eavesdrop by the door, though she'd be lying if she said it was easy to restrain herself. Then again, she'd rather hear the news straight from her mother's mouth in one quick blow. Going through the effort of piecing together bits of information from behind a closed door would only spike her anxiety further.
She sat in silence for so long that when her cellphone vibrated from her back pocket, she almost jumped out of her seat.
It was a text from her friend and roommate — or is it former roommate now?
(1) New Message
From: Kim Yoo Na
To: You
Before you say anything, Rua's making me do this. You should be lucky her phone broke. So, what's the verdict?
She shook her head in amusement. While she missed texting her other friend Rua—who accidentally dropped her phone in the toilet—Nana couldn't help but feel relieved. Rua had a tendency to make already stressful situations more stressful; a blow-things-out-of-proportion kind of person. Spamming text messages wouldn't be beyond her.
She typed in her response before putting her phone on silent mode.
Reply to: Kim Yoo Na
They're talking right now. Finger crossed. Talk to you later.
And tell Rua to calm down before she gets an aneurysm.
Nana had no idea how long until the call ends but she knew she had to calm down before it does. Her mother would be expecting an audience with her afterwards and while Nana likes her mother's directness, she can't say the same when she's at the receiving end.
She poured herself a glass of water and returned to her original position. Taking careful sips of her drink, she waits in silence for what's about to come.
It took a solid hour.
Nana didn't hear her mother end the call but she did hear the scraping of a chair's legs. She was already on her feet when she heard the study door swing open and already halfway out the kitchen when her mother called her name.
She rounded the corner, saw the office door ajar, and went in without hesitation, closing the door behind her.
The last time Nana stepped inside her mother's study, they, alongside her father, had a long talk about her future. It had been the day she received two letters of acceptance from two prestigious universities in Japan; one from Tokyo U, the other from Tokyo Institute of Sciences. While it had been her parents' best interest to pick Tokyo U, Nana wanted to go to Tokyo InSci.
And so, they made a compromise. Nana made her university debut at Tokyo InSci.
She hadn't expected be in a similar situation a year later. She always thought they'd talk about her future again before she graduates, not when she's entering her second year.
Despite her father's absence, Nana still felt intimidated.
Minatozaki Kyouka is a resilient woman with a strong set of principles. Armed with vast knowledge on multiple subjects, whether it be professional or mundane, and a high EQ which allows her to work as both an attorney and a law school professor, she is a force to be reckon with.
Alas, a person can never be good at everything. The great competence she has as a career woman is what she lacks as a mother of two.
Nana tried not to fidget underneath her mother's gaze. She looked around to calm herself.
She realized nothing changed since the last time she's been here.
The study was huge. Its floor is made out of mahogany and its walls are painted dark brown. On the wall opposite of the study's entrance, two giant bookshelves stood filled various volumes of leather-covered books. The titles of those books revolved around law and order.
Adjacent to those shelves is a giant golden globe which is placed on a brass carrier. Beside it are a couple of tropical plants flown from different countries around the world.
In the middle of the study stood a large oak table. In front of it laid two cushioned wooden chairs facing each other. On top of the table, there are stacks of paper and books laid out together with a feathered quill and ink bottle. On the far right wall of the table stood a velvet sofa and beside it, two glass shelves filled with various international antique vases and artifacts. Behind the table, giant bulletproof glass windows took up the entire wall.
"Nana," her mother spoke from behind the oak table. "Take a seat."
She didn't need to be told twice.
Once Nana was comfortably seated—or at least, as comfortable as she can—her mother immediately opened the discussion. "Your dean called. I'm sure you were aware."
Not trusting her voice, Nana merely nodded.
"She explained your. . . situation."
Her mother must've noticed her flinch since she clicked her tongue in displeasure.
"Your first semester went well, according to her records. You, yourself, told me things were going smoothly and I trusted your judgment. Your father and I trusted your judgment, that's why we didn't hound you about your progress. The results you gave were okay. Not great, nowhere near our standards, but at least it was slightly above average. Normally we wouldn't tolerate slightly but we understood it had to be because of the change in environment."
Nana felt herself shrink underneath her mother's gaze the more the latter went on. She knew what was about to come.
"Your second semester, however. . . " Kyouka stopped to sigh and rub her temples, "was nothing short of a complete mess."
Nana didn't say a single word. She watched as her mother busied herself with the papers on the table. The conversation was far from over though.
"You had three chances. Three. How you managed to blow them all in one semester is beyond me. Even your brother who is tens or hundreds more reckless than you couldn't possibly throw away those chances in one go." There was a crack in her mother's cool facade as she huffed in irritation.
"I—"
"Tell me, child. Is there something going on?"
"N—No."
Her mother wasn't convinced. "If you won't tell me what's wrong, I'll assume this is solely because of you."
'It kind of is. . .'
The lack of response prompted Kyouka to sigh. "Fine. Fine. Don't tell me then." Kyouka leaned back against the chair, clicking her tongue in irritation. "I didn't want to say this but I think it needs to be said. Nana, you disappointed me."
Though the young woman expected it, it didn't stop the squeezing feeling in her heart. Words like those really cut down your self-esteem. It didn't help that Nana's self-esteem was low to begin with.
"Does this mean I'm leaving Tokyo InSci?" she asked quietly.
Nana knew the answer. The dean wouldn't want to keep someone like her in the department. Letting people with her situation stay would only bring the mean value of her entire department down.
"No."
'Wait, what?'
"Pardon?" Nana had to do a double take.
"You're not leaving."
"I'm. . . not?"
Kyouka hummed without looking up from the papers on her desk. "The dean is willing to give you another chance — a fourth chance. Not by her own volition, mind you."
'What?' "I'm sorry, Mother. I don't think I understand."
"Your dean didn't bring this issue up with the school board since it's not an uncommon occurrence; however, one of the university's head sponsors heard of it and requested the dean to give you another chance. Not at all surprising since they are above the school board." Kyouka tore her attention from her work to raise an eyebrow in her daughter's direction. "I'm sure you know who."
'The university's head sponsor? Who would—?'
It clicked almost immediately.
Nana's eyes widened. "You don't mean—?"
"I have to commend you for that," her mother interrupted. "You picked the right connections."
Nana could hear the underlying message in her words: At least you did one thing right.
"Though it pains me to be indebted to someone, we have to make do with the opportunities we're presented with." Kyouka stared dead into her daughter's eyes. "Make sure your friend's actions won't end in vain. If you're not doing it for this family, at least do it for your friend, and for yourself."
"Y—Yes, Mother."
"Your dean is finalizing the details, though she assures me she'll have it ready before next year's enrollment. While waiting, make your time useful."
"Yes, Mother."
"You must not mess this up, Nana."
A new heavy feeling rests on her shoulders. "I understand. I won't."
"Good. You may go."
Nana retreated to her bedroom, feeling sluggishly after the confrontation. Exactly when she locked the door behind her, she slid down to the floor, her back still against the door, and cried.
A few moments later, she pulled out her phone and texted Yoo.
She had to tell them eventually. Might as well get it over now.
Compose a New Message
To: Kim Yoo Na
From: You
Are you with Rua?
The reply was instantaneous.
(1) New Message
From: Kim Yoo Na
To: You
Yes. Is it over?
She typed in a response with one hand while pulling her laptop from her study table.
Reply to: Kim Yoo Na
Yes. Skype in five minutes. Please.
Tears were still running down her face as she hastily wiped them away with her sleeve. She waited until the Skype loading screen appeared before checking her appearance in the vanity mirror. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were still red, and her bottom lip bled from her teeth digging into it earlier.
It hadn't been five minutes before a familiar ping echoed from her laptop's speakers.
'Oh, what the hell,' she thought as she accepted the call.
Her friends' faces popped on the screen. They didn't let her breathe as they started talking.
"How long were they talking? I swear it felt like a millennium. I think I caught your anxiety, Nacchan."
"Stop being dramatic. She did say one o'clock in the afternoon. It had only been — what, one, two hours?"
"I'm sorry for being concerned over my friend — oh my God, Nacchan, are you okay?"
"Nana, were you crying?"
"Wait, does that mean you're really leaving? I thought Mom handled it—"
"They gave me another chance," Nana finally interrupted, blowing her nose into a tissue she picked from her bag. Her heart still squeezed, her lungs felt like collapsing, her hands couldn't stop shaking, yet she felt light as the words left her lips.
Sure, she messed up big time. If word got out that the dean was giving her another chance, it would cause a massive stir not just in her department, but the rest of the university. She might get kicked out again for a completely different reason.
But her mom was right.
"We have to make do with the opportunities we're presented with."
If she played her cards right, she might just make it through four years of university without transferring. All she needs to do now is assess herself, sort out her priorities, and properly stick to a plan. Her anxiety and lack of self-esteem might not be fixed overnight but if she can pace herself, she might just get out of here alive.
"Don't worry, Rua, Yoo. . . " she trailed off, smiling. "I think I'm staying."