Thank you all so much for waiting!!!

I hope you're looking forward to Sundays again!

If you didn't already know, I posted updates of all of the previous chapters, and I would be really grateful if you read those!

Be sure to reread chapters 1.11 and 1.19 in particular; I added brand new scenes!!!

Thanks again for not forgetting about this book!

Now presenting... Season 2!!!

(Long chapter ahead!)

They divided the team in half to play red versus white.

Red Team: Sugawara, Asahi, Nishinoya, Ennoshita, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi.

White Team: Daichi, Tanaka, Kinoshita, Narita, Kageyama, and Hinata.

Coach Ukai stood at the net with a whistle. Ai took notes behind the white team, in position for any judgment calls, and Kiyoko was standing on the side.

Ai was delighted to see that they were already incorporating her advice into the practice matches. Narita and Kinoshita were very focused on receiving and connecting the ball that Asahi spiked past the first-year blocks. Tsukishima's feint was effective, Nishinoya was as fabulous as always, and Hinata was just about getting over his traumatic match point.

The white team won the fourth set, 23-25.

When Hinata and the others wanted to play more, Coach Ukai was about to give into them. However, Ai objected.

"No, you don't." She stepped up to them in her summer uniform. It consisted of an identical skirt, but made with lighter material, and a short-sleeved white button-up. She had taken off her ribbon and opened the front of her shirt to expose her collarbones. Ai confiscated the blue and yellow volleyball to pause the game.

"What? Why not, Ai-senpai?" Hinata whined.

"Yeah! My Rolling Thunder is ready to go!" Nishinoya posed and showed off his biceps.

"I meant, after a short break." She gave them a hopeless look. "I need to check that you're not overworking or tearing your muscles."

The two first and second-years pouted but agreed. Placing the ball on the floor for now, Ai ran around the court, massaging their arms and calves. "Let me know if anything hurts."

They all had sublime muscles, especially the third-years and people who she'd asked to start working out. Although heavy muscles were sometimes a burden for jumping high, there were adequate benefits to gaining more strength.

She poked and prodded at them until she was convinced they were fine. When it was Tsukishima's turn, Ai frowned at his thin arm and held his bicep. "Flex, Kei."

He did, and although it was better than before, she was still a little worried. "That's it. I'm bringing you smoothies and drinks so you can get more nutrients." She fixed his sleeve and kissed it quickly.

It left him with a red blush.

"Next, Tobio."

He was doing much better. He'd told her that he had dumbbells in his room and would use them every day.

"Good," she smiled. She rubbed Kageyama's back, between his shoulder blades.

She turned to the ball of endless energy next. "Shōyō, let me see your calves." She knelt down and massaged it thoroughly, but was careful to not be too hard. "Keep jumping so much, and you'll end up like Taiga," she teased.

"What happened to him?" Hinata innocently asked.

She looked him in the eyes. The move petrified most people, including him. "He reached his limit."

Hinata gulped.

While her volleyball team's greatest concern was the players' skills, the basketball prodigies had to worry about not breaking their bodies when they exerted their true strengths. Ai had gotten used to the notion of prioritizing the body's needs above all else.

She stood and went to Nishinoya. "Any new bruises, Yū?"

"Not since yesterday!" He stuck his thumb up and boasted.

She smiled. "Alright then." Ai nodded at the coach, who then blew the whistle. She picked up the discarded ball and bounced it to Yamaguchi.

"Nice serve, Tadashi," she encouraged.

After two more sets, they drank their water thirstily, but Hinata seemed unsatisfied still. She was about to join him and Kageyama in the overtime practice when Takeda-sensei stumbled in. She hurriedly gave the teacher a tissue for his nosebleed and became as excited as everyone else to go to Tokyo.

Nekoma High School was one of four other schools in the Fukurōdani Academy Group. Thanks to their teacher and their rekindled connection with Coach Nekomata, Karasuno High was invited to participate in their exclusive training camp. They were lucky; outside schools normally wouldn't be able to join such close ties between preexisting groups.

Kageyama was fired up to rival Kenma's skills as a setter, and Nishinoya also couldn't wait to face off with Yaku again. Tanaka declared to take down the "City Boys Alliance", and Ai remembered that he had become heartfelt friends with Taketora the last time they met. It'd only been a month since then, but she grinned and looked forward to seeing them again.

The Interhigh preliminaries in Tokyo were this weekend and hadn't ended yet, so it would be some time before they would actually go. They also still had to apply for approval from the school, gather permission slips from their parents, and organize any other paperwork; Takeda-sensei and Ai had those jobs cut out for them. Still, the promise of practice matches and overnight training camps were exciting events to work hard toward.

After confirming the team's wishes to accept the invitation, the teacher checked his watch and hurriedly left for a faculty meeting. He left Ukai in charge of the volleyball club and flailed when putting his shoes back on.

Sugawara chatted with Kiyoko about it being her first away-game, while Ai already started to make a list of things to do. In that sense, the younger manager had a bit more experience with what to expect, and she was glad to have her wisdom from Teikō.

They cleaned up as the orange sunset outside grew darker and talked excitedly.

———

The next day, Ai went around the first-year floor scouting for a new manager. Kiyoko would have to retire from the club sooner or later, and with Ai busy with numerous extracurricular activities, they needed to find another set of hands.

She went to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi's classroom first before she traveled down to Kageyama's.

"I'm sorry we couldn't help much, Ai-senpai." Yamaguchi hung his head and looked at their shoes. "Most people here like to focus on their academics."

"Of course, I understand completely. I'm in the college preparatory class as well. Thank you nonetheless, Tadashi, Kei." She held their hands and smiled up at them. "I'll see you both later."

Heads turned her way and stared. There were whispers she couldn't comprehend, but all gossip sounded the same. She took a deep breath to calm herself from the irritation before sliding the door open with more force than she'd intended. "Who's not in a club in this class?" A few of her underclassmen girls from sadō helped her navigate through the throng of lovestruck people.

She didn't make much progress, as most of them just wanted to talk to her, the beautiful stranger. She bid her girls goodbye, thanking them, and turned on her heels. She walked out of the 1-2 classroom, flipping her hair in annoyance.

"Tobio, do you know anyone who may be interested?"

He met her at the doorway of his class, 1-3. "Sorry, I don't really know anyone."

"I see." She glanced down disappointedly. "Tobio, you should try to socialize more in class. I'm sure it'll make you a better setter."

He perked up immediately. "Really? How?"

"Get to know more people. It's for your many benefits." She gave him a small pack of candies she'd originally stocked up on for Murasakibara. "Use these. See you later."

She left to her own classroom and hoped Kiyoko did better than she did.

.

That day, the team left the club room to do the Heartbreak Hill Challenge. So, after a few more calls for wanted managers, a meeting with Takeda-sensei about the upcoming trip, and tidying up their locker room, Ai decided to spend the rest of the day reconnoitering the powerhouse that had defeated Aoba Johsai yet again: Shiratorizawa Academy.

She wore her Teikō sports jacket over her clothes. It was a men's small, so it still fit her so long as she didn't zip up the chest area. (Clothes sizes are generally smaller in Japan than in the US.) She left her stuff in the gymnasium and rode her bicycle to the school.

The atmosphere of the huge campus was similar to Teikō's, and Ai felt right at home. She gazed at the horses of the equestrian club out for a ride, and she found her way to the boy's volleyball gymnasium with a little help from reddening male and female passerby's. Watching from outside the grand building, she saw that they seemed to be practicing with college students.

Around sunset, she saw Shiratorizawa's captain coming back from a run. He went to go change into his uniform from his tracksuit. Then, for some reason, two people she knew came closer from behind.

"Teikō? Why does that sound familiar?"

"Dumbass, that's Ai-senpai. Can't you tell?"

"S-shut up, Kageyama!"

She snapped her head around. "What are you two doing here?"

"We could ask you the same thing, senpai." Kageyama stood in front of her.

"Why the Teikō jersey?" Hinata asked.

She shrugged. "No particular reason. It's unnecessary to advertise Karasuno here." She motioned for them to come closer. "Now, would you care to enlighten me as to why you're both here?"

"Kageyama wanted to spy on them," Hinata tattled.

"Shut up!" he barked in return.

She sighed. "Well then, might as well observe together." The three of them crouched side by side and peeked inside the building.

"Took you long enough."

The two first-years stopped bickering and turned immediately. They saw Ushijima Wakatoshi, a player picked for the Youth World. He was among players around the country younger than nineteen to represent Japan.

He stopped in his tracks to regard her, surprised that a female was with the two boys he'd met earlier.

She stared right back.

"That jacket. Where are you from?" Ushijima asked in his deep voice.

Ai stood. "Teikō Junior High. I'm Akatsuki Ai, a second-year currently attending Karasuno High." She answered the question and performed a shallow curtsy without breaking their stare.

He narrowed his eyes. "Teikō?"

She grinned. "Yes, in Tokyo." She kept quiet while he conversed with her two crow chicks. They talked about Oikawa and barren soil, and Ushijima stated that other than the captain, Aoba Johsai was weak. Ai and Hinata thought back to their last match, remembering the libero in teal blue, Kindaichi's blocks, and the ace's powerful spikes.

Then, their proud middle blocker caught a ball that came flying outside and challenged him. "From the concrete, I'm Hinata Shōyō. I will crush you, and go to Nationals."

When they were scolded by a teacher walking by for trespassing, Hinata left.

"If Oikawa-san is the best setter in the prefecture, then I'm going to be even better than he is." Kageyama bowed and followed suit.

Ai also bowed to the third-year ace. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." She met his eyes with her fuchsia ones once more before following the guys.

A war between the white eagles and the raven crows.

But first, let's go to Tokyo.

Author's Note:

I don't want to pry, but where are you from? I know I make references using the American scale, but does it help? I live in the US, and sometimes in Japan, so those are my two cultures and what I'm familiar with.

I am always open to messages! Feel free to send me feedback, Q 's, or anything!

Comments, suggestions, and critiques are always welcome. (Especially for KnB because, although I have a few things planned, I'm running out of ideas, haha...)

I may make small changes or additions to previous chapters, but anything worth knowing about or re-reading will be announced at the beginning of chapters.

Thanks!!!

Total Word Count: 2082