Ai had heard that his Kerosuke, or Mr. Ribbit, had shattered from being hit by an out-of-bounds baseball. So, she thought she'd send him something as a replacement. Before they left Miyagi, Ai found a similar frog object of the highest quality she could find; according to Midorima, the value of the lucky item corresponded to the amount of luck it had.

———

After being invited to Nekoma's sleeping quarters at night, Ai left their classroom to make a quick call to a certain shooting guard to celebrate his birthday.

"Hello?"

"Shintarō-kun, happy birthday."

He grunted a response. "Thanks, Akatsuki."

"Have you gone home yet?" She leaned against the window of the dim hallway, a distance away from the brightly lit and chattering classrooms. The guys were getting ready to go to sleep, and some people from Shinzen and Ubugawa walked past her, on their way to the restroom to brush their teeth.

One especially tall guy that she could've mistaken for a second or third-year bowed slightly as he strode by with his friends. The polite boy had dark, curly hair that was cropped short.

Ai nodded back, guessing that he was a first-year.

"I'm walking home now. Why?"

"I was going to stop by your school, but it seems I've missed my chance," she said as she mindlessly watched the wing spiker's back from the growing distance.

Midorima paused. "You're in Tokyo?"

"Yes, at Nekoma High. Only for the weekend." She traced a hand along her long ponytail. The temperature was getting warmer than her comfort zone. "How was practice?"

"Fine."

"And, Kazunari-kun?"

"He's as usual."

It made her giggle. "You should give him more credit. You Generation of Miracles all have... unique personalities," she worded carefully, "and, I'm sure it's not easy for others to keep up with your ways."

He huffed. "As if you're not the same."

Ai smiled, wondering if Karasuno's team members secretly thought of her as a handful to deal with, too. "Perhaps. But, I think I can say with confidence that I'm not the only one who's troublesome in my club."

Speaking of, from the dark end of the hallway, Tanaka and Taketora came walking. They talked and each had a towel hanging from their necks; Ai guessed that they had just gotten their turn for the showers.

Taketora noticed her first, and he began to march rigidly next to his friend from Karasuno. Tanaka noticed the change in his friend's behavior, and he laughed at him.

"Hahaha! Tora, what are you doing, bro?"

The one with a blond mohawk only gulped and bowed in her direction, not breaking their gaze.

Tanaka caught on then, and he raised a hand as if he wanted to say something, but stopped once he realized that she was on the phone.

"I wanted to thank you again for the beautiful tea bowl, Shintarō-kun. I like it very much. It was thoughtful of you." She spoke as her eyes followed the cat and crow boys. Then, she covered the receiver part of her phone with a light hand and whispered to them. "I'll be there soon, Ryu. Good night, Taketora-kun."

Ai jokingly blew them a kiss, which made the latter even more flushed than he already was. If she teased him any further, the tiger looked as if he would become extinct.

Tanaka just gave her a thumbs up and laughed at his buddy's embarrassment.

"You're welcome. And, I guess I can thank you in advance for your birthday gift," the basketball prodigy's voice sounded in her ear.

"You're welcome," she echoed. "Nijimura-san's birthday is also soon, yes?"

"Apparently."

Ai didn't know much about Nijimura Shūzō, just that he was the captain of Teikō's basketball team before Akashi. She thought that he must have been very talented himself to have stood above the Generation of Miracles for a year. The previous leader was a great judge of character and quite strong in fistfights. According to the others, he had made Akashi the vice-captain early on in the year, and had often beat Haizaki up for not showing up to practice. Nijimura was also honorable enough to give his position as captain to her boyfriend, even when Akashi was still a first-year. She'd never met him, but Ai had the utmost respect for the man. "I suppose you wouldn't still be in contact with him..?"

"No, but I think Akashi or Momoi is."

"I see." Ai knew that Nijimura's father was unwell, but she wondered if she could meet him someday. "What wish did you write on your tanzaku this year?" she asked, changing the subject.

"To have good luck."

She laughed softly. "I hope you do, too."

"What was yours?"

"Besides to see Seijuro again, for everyone to come to Tokyo." She smiled. "And, it seems one of my wishes has come true."

Midorima huffed. It was so like her to use a wish for others. As selfless as always…, he thought. He was quiet for a while, and she heard his footsteps as he walked. "I'm almost home, so I'll hang up now."

"Give your younger sister my best. Good night, and happy birthday."

"Thanks. Bye, Akatsuki."

Beep.

Ai sighed contentedly and looked toward the classroom that Karasuno was borrowing. The lights were still on, but if she listened carefully, she could already hear Nishinoya's slight snoring, already sound asleep. He was always knocked out past a certain time, as if he had taken an anesthetic. It made her chuckle.

Then, she looked out the window at the sky. A few clouds scattered here and there, but there was still space between them to see the Milky Way. Ai gazed at the river of stars, knowing that her boyfriend was watching it too, and smiled.

Another birthday and holiday passed. Taking her time, she stepped away from the window to check in with her team of crows.

Reference:

Japanese postal services are good at delivering at specified times. Oftentimes, the recipient has to be present when they deliver packages, or they'll just take it back with them and you'll have to reschedule.

Total Word Count: 1053