Mina had stayed faithful to her word, not a single practice was skipped to her father's dismay. Concerned that his daughter would be far too preoccupied to remember to eat, he began ordering food to the gym each evening for the entire team. The first years would actively wait for the delivery person each day, as they debated what delicious food would be selected today. Mina knew if she protested the deliveries, it would only upsurge his apprehension, and so she reluctantly accepted them. Unfortunately, since she allocated all her free time to the Karasuno Volleyball team, she was unable to see Oikawa. The couple had increased their photo messaging, but the absence of touch had put Mina into a slightly pouty mood.
It was the night before the nationals preliminary and the group was strategizing under Coach Ukai's instruction.
The diagrams on his clipboard had grasped about half of her attention, the more dominant thought in her mind was on how to greet her boyfriend the next day. She wasn't generally a clingy person, but there was something about the damn boy that drew her to him. She was compelled to love him, she did not have a say in falling in love. It just happened.
"Stop making that face." Tsukishima's low voice had sliced through her dreamy thoughts. Coach Ukai had dismissed the team seconds prior, a detail Mina had incidentally missed. It was pure bad luck that she happened to have blanked out in the middle blocker's direction.
"Don't worry I wasn't thinking about you!" Using her palms as support, she hoisted herself off the laminated flooring.
"I didn't think you were, weirdo." Adjusting his glasses, he crinkled his nose in a visible display of disgust. "You're like two years older than me. If you were thinking about me, I would have to alert the authorities."
A deafening squeal bounced off the walls of the gym. The visual that accompanied it was one that most of the players were forced to become accustomed to. The smaller brunette chasing the tall middle blocker with a volleyball held up menacingly.
"They're at it again, huh." The libero laughed freely to himself, appreciating the distraction from the serious game talk.
"Shouldn't we stop them?" The short middle blocker had cautiously shuffled closer towards Daichi who was engaged in a light conversation with Kiyoko. The captain was aware of what was transpiring, however, chose to ignore it for the sake of his limited sanity. A large breath of air was captured to fill the captain with the energy needed to address the two players.
"STOP FIGHTING YOU IDIOTS."
The noise within the area had instantly vanished, even those who were not being scolded were trembling in fright of their captain's wrath. Mina had halted mid-step, the volleyball held within her slender fingers was seconds from being thrown. Tsukishima was a few paces ahead of her, and since his glasses were smudged with fog, no one was able to see the hint of dread laced in his irises.
"Sorry?" The brunette batted her eyelashes innocently, slowly lowering the volleyball onto the floor.
"It was her fault." Tsukishima knew that due to the short distance between them, only she would hear his clear instigation.
"You punk!" Within seconds her foot had collided with his behind, sending him forward a few steps… and the chasing began once more.
"I'd like to retire." Daichi grunted, lowering his head in defeat.
It was only when they entered the arena did it register that Aobajohsai was exempt from the first preliminaries. Sugawara was the unlucky soul who had to burst her joy bubble after losing to the other third years at a coin toss. With her shoulders drooped and a prominent pout on her lips, she resembled a very devasted child.
"Mina-chan! Aren't you excited to watch us play? You didn't just come for Oikawa, right?"
It was nearly impossible to remain in low spirits around the libero. The smile on Nishinoya's mouth prompted her to clutch at her chest.
"So damn cute… cannot remain… upset." Reaching out she caught his face within her palms, squeezing his cheeks together as he continued to beam up at her. "You are right, I am here to cheer for my best friends."
"That's what I like to hear!" Soon Tanaka had swung an arm around her shoulder, with a large grin etched onto his visage. "Now let's go kick some ass!"
The first match was against Ohgiminami High, the team had some strange vibes emanating from their corner of the court. Yachi had involuntarily shivered after accidentally making eye contact with the captain.
"He looks so scary!" The young blonde had found security behind Mina, who was leaning against the railing.
"I think he looks like a sour old man. Don't worry, Hitoka! I could take him." The brunette had tossed the Ohgiminami captain a deadly glare, indicating for him to look somewhere else. He seemed to receive the message since he did not look in that direction for the remainder of the game.
The two sets were swiftly captured by Karasuno, and during the intermission, Mina and Yachi went to visit the team. Hinata and Kageyama were buzzing with the adrenaline of their first win as usual, but even the second years had a bounce in their heel.
"So you guys are facing that really tall kid next, right?" Mina recalled hearing something from Hinata about Kakugawa High's number 9.
"Yeah! He's 200 centimetres! I can't wait to try to block him!" The ginger had stars glistening in his eyes, a nauseating sight for the blonde middle blocker.
"You really think you could block him? That's comical. Be realistic."
"Chill, glasses. You don't know your limits until you try." Rolling her eyes, the brunette gently rested her head against the wall for support.
"I see now you even talk like him. How adorable." A sarcastic smirk twitched at the end of Tsukishima's lips.
"Well, he is a wise man, I thought I should pick up some things." This time she would not fall victim to her urges. Instead, she dipped an eyelid into a wink, prompting him to scowl in response.
"Do you really think I can do it, Saito-senpai?" Hinata blinked up at her, he was deep within thought as the two were bickering.
"Hell yes! I think you can do whatever you put your mind to. Some are born great, and some achieve greatness. You don't need to be tall to be good at volleyball. But you know that better than I do, right?" Threading her fingers through his fluffy tresses, a genuine smile was presented towards him. "Now go kick that number 9's ass!"
During the second set against Kakugawa High, Mina had received a message from an unknown number.
"Yachi, I'll be back in a few minutes." A reassuring pat was provided to the smaller girl's head before Mina exited the spectators' pit. The concessions were beginning to wrap up for the day, outside of the shuffling noises of the items being stored for security, it was mostly silent. Tapping against the message, her hazel irises scanned the screen.
'Hello Mina. I am Kirei Suzuki, a friend of your mother. I was wondering if we could meet sometime soon to discuss your future in volleyball.'
A dull strain had claimed her heart as her varying emotions combined into something much worse. Did she really want her mothers help? Could she really say no? She wanted to play volleyball professionally after high school, a goal that cannot be achieved without some assistance.
'Hi Mr. Suzuki. I would love to, thank you. Can we possibly meet next weekend, I would need to arrange for transportation to Tokyo.' After a healthy debate with herself, she pressed send.
Here goes nothing.
A/N: unrelated to the story, I have decided that the prettiest set ever goes to Oikawa when he set to Iwa in the nationals pre lim. a beautiful creature he is.