Once the brunette had returned to the spectators' pit, Karasuno had stolen a lead on the second set. Reclaiming the spot beside Yachi, Mina outlined her mouth with her hands and began cheering.
"LET'S GO KARASUNO! DON'T YOU MESS THIS UP NOW!" The second part was more of a scold, rather than a cheer, prompting the third years on the court to sigh in embarrassment. A few seconds later, the older gentleman behind her had coughed, clearing what she assumed was an imaginary blockage. A scarlet hue had surfaced her cheeks as the shorter blonde gently giggled beside her. At least she could put Yachi at ease with her usual goofiness.
Within five minutes the second set was drawn to a close. Mina could barely contain herself as it was announced that Karasuno would be advancing to the main preliminary.
"They did it!" Yachi blubbered, bringing her clenched fists to her eyes with a sniffle.
"It's only the beginning, my adorable friend. It's only the beginning."
"How did it go?" Mr. Saito had returned home early from his afternoon shift, and so when Mina arrived, she was greeted by the visual of her father in a fraying apron and spatula in hand.
"When did you become so… domestic?" Once she slipped out of her shoes, she squinted at her father suspiciously.
"You act like I never cook, Mina. If I never cooked, you would have starved by now." Shaking his head in dismissal of her inaccurate observation, he disappeared into the kitchen with a tisk rolling off his tongue.
"Touché, father…" Her lips were pursed into a pout of defeat, a detail that Mr. Saito could live without knowing. "Anywaay. To answer your question, they won! The main preliminary starts tomorrow!" Padding along the hallway, she peeked her head from behind the wall separating her from the kitchen.
"So, you will be missing more school." His concentration was split between the spice packet in his hand and the pot on the stove.
"Yep. And don't worry. I will have everything completed for class." Crinkling her nose, she attempted to determine what dish he was preparing based on the scent flooding the space.
"Stick your nose elsewhere, Mina. Dinner will be ready in an hour." Despite having his back turned towards her, he had acknowledged what she was doing –
"You grew eyes behind your head, didn't you?" The statement was introduced with a gasp, causing the older man to scoff.
"Mina. You are being awfully talkative. Is there something wrong?" Returning the ingredient he was surveying seconds prior to the cupboard, he relocated his gaze to his daughter who was now standing straight, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "Is it your mother again?"
"Kinda?" Fearful that her legs would cave in, she gently aligned her back with the wall for support. "A recruiter reached out today. He wants me in Tokyo this weekend. I had told him next weekend so that you could take the days off, but he offered to pay for my transportation. He's really persistent… Maybe they're all like that." Like her mother that is.
It was nearly impossible for the older male to mask his initial reaction to the news. He was sincerely troubled by this sudden progression. Ever since his ex-wife had visited, it seemed that she was the puppet master and they were the puppets, being manipulated by invisible strings.
"Where will you stay?" It was a valid question, and a safer response than the ones circulating in his head.
"A hotel. I have some friends nearby too. I'll only be alone to sleep, dad. It's only one night." Her response was about more than convincing him, she was striving to convince herself too.
"Is this what you want?" If she believed that her words would provide him solace, she was clearly mistaken.
"I can't say no to an opportunity like this." Inside of her heart, a war had been waged, accepting this would certainly come with some unknown terms and conditions.
"It's your future, I will not stand in your way."
There was something heartbreaking about hearing those words. Perhaps it was the fact they mutually knew that to accept this blessing, they would be accepting whatever doom that would follow it.
'I heard Karasuno won their first two games. You must be very happy, Miss Unofficial Groupie.' The message from Nekoma's captain had brought the girl to fall into a quiet laugh. The team was currently on their way to the arena for the main preliminary, and the second years were struggling to heal Hinata's current case of nausea.
'I am! We're going to win today too. We're doing the dumpster showdown! Mark my words.' A purple devil emoji was added for extra flair.
'I sure hope so. I expect to see you country bumpkins at Nationals.' While he amused himself by adding the bunny emoji, Mina rolled her eyes at the sight.
It took another ten minutes before they reached their destination, during that ten minutes Mina and Kuroo became engaged in a meme battle. The battle had continued until their equipment was unloaded. Sugawara had to pluck the phone out of her hands to gain her attention.
"Can you focus on walking please? I have a feeling I'll be the one who gets yelled at if you hurt yourself." Sugawara was beginning to sound more and more like her father.
After accepting that the battle would have to be paused, the brunette hooked an arm through his.
"If you stay beside me I won't." A mischievous smile had played at the ends of her lips as she raised her eyebrows suggestively. "You can't stay mad at me."
"That's one thing you're right about." With his freehand, he lightly tapped at the end of her nose. She was a handful, but he loved her nonetheless.
The number of schools gathered in one arena was noteworthy, it had prompted the brunette to squeal in glee. The sea of jersey's had morphed into a very peculiar rainbow, making it nearly impossible to pinpoint any particular team. If one of them had accidentally trailed off in the wrong direction, it would require a whole swat team to locate them. The idea of hooking herself against her best friend had proven to be an excellent choice after all.
"Oh no. Where's Hinata?" The second-year winged spiker was with the red-head just seconds prior.
"Don't tell me he went to the bathroom." The Karasuno captain had sounded extremely exhausted with the scene already. It had only been ten minutes. Ten minutes and they already lost Hinata.
"You guys go ahead. Kiyoko and I will look for him. And before you ask, I have selected Kiyoko because she is the most responsible out of us and second, I have selected myself because I truly can't do anything other than cheer."
"I can't argue with that," Coach Ukai had a small grin on his visage. "Text Daichi or Sugawara whenever you find him. He'll let you know where to go."
"Okay. Mina, text me if you find him first." The third-year manager had fetched her phone from her pocket, and waited for a confirmation before beginning her search.
Mina had completed a similar action, expect she screeched when she saw the messages that Kuroo had spammed her with. Now, her task was to locate the short ginger, one that required her full concentration. If she did not bump into a cluster of students observing some commotion, she would have most likely missed her target.
"Karasuno will be winning Nationals!"
Oh no. She knew that voice.
"Um, excuse me! Excuse me! That little shrimp is mine. Yes, thank you." Shoving past the assembly of spectators, she mentally swore she would flick the ginger once he was within her grasp.
"Come on, Iwa-chan, let's go." Another voice she had recognized, one that caused her heart to race.
The scene ahead of her resembled one of those chaotic renaissance paintings hung in international museums.
"Mina?" Whether Hinata was trembling because of her sudden appearance or what occurred prior was unclear.
"Hm? Who is this?" The second Ushijima's intense stare had locked onto Mina, she swore her heart stopped beating.
"I'm…" There was no way she would state her unofficial title, not to him! "your friendly neighbourhood volleyball player. Yep, that's it. Now come along, Hinata." Reaching out she grasped the younger boy's hand and began tugging him along with Hinata mumbling apologies under his breath. The quicker they left, the better.
The Shiratorizawa captain wore a puzzled expression, he was having some trouble processing her response. And unfortunately for Mina, this strange situation was not concluded just yet.
A/N: I mean tbh if Ushijima looked at me, I would too forget how to speak.