Author's Note:
Thank you for waiting! I finished writing what I wanted to (I think…) and edited this chapter!
Ideally, I wanted to do this earlier since they're related to the birthdays that follow, but I didn't have time… T-T
Anyway, hope you enjoy it!
(Also, I would appreciate your opinions about this story at the end of the chapter!!)
(Warning: Some parts are left unchanged.)
(A bit of continuation from the previous episode…)
The bus arrived back on the Karasuno High School campus around 8:05 pm. It wasn't very late; there were times when club practice went on until around this time. Takeda-sensei made a short reminder that they wouldn't have practice the next day because of facility inspections in the gymnasium, and the guys migrated to the clubroom to drop off their volleyball shoes and stuff. Ai followed Daichi to go with them, while Kiyoko and Yachi headed to the girl's locker room.
"Let's make it quick and go home," the captain said as he unlocked the door on the second floor.
"Yeah," Sugawara replied.
Asahi yawned and blinked when Daichi turned the lights on.
"Where do you want the bags?" the setter asked, taking his shoes off and stepping onto the tatami mat.
"Anywhere's fine. I'll go through it tomorrow."
He and the ace, who carried the other bag of yellow jerseys and water bottles, dropped them in the corner of the room. "You should do it Tuesday, Ai. We don't have practice until then, and it can wait," Sugawara suggested. The vice-captain kept quiet about the dark bags under her eyes.
"Don't push yourself, Ai," the captain cautioned.
She twisted her lips. "Okay, senpai."
Daichi nodded and waved at her. "'Night. Good work this weekend."
Ai also said goodnight to the remaining guys, bowed to the upperclassmen, and left the clubroom with Narita and Kinoshita. The three of them walked home together as she asked the middle blocker what it was like to play with Fukurōdani that day.
———
The next day was a busy Monday with classes as usual. When the bell chimed at the end of the school day, Ennoshita stood from his desk and hooked his backpack strap over his shoulder. "Ready?" he asked with his soft smile.
Ai nodded and stood as well.
Then, someone came to the sliding door of their classroom and called to her. "Ai! Are you going home!?" Nishinoya yelled.
She met him at the doorway and answered him as they started walking down the hallway. "Yes. I don't have anything in particular planned today."
"Wanna come over to my house?" he asked excitedly, since he had nothing else to do.
"To study?"
"Er-," the libero croaked. "No…"
She giggled. "I'm kidding. I would love to." Peeking into Tanaka's classroom, she saw him sweeping the floor for cleanup duty. "Should we wait for you, Ryu?" she asked him.
Tanaka looked up and waved. "Hey! I'll be out in a sec."
She nodded and stood with Ennoshita and Nishinoya by the staircase. Narita and Kinoshita were busy that day and had left to go home.
Within minutes, the wing spiker came to join them. "Sorry for the wait. Let's go."
"Alright! My house, it is!" Nishinoya pumped up a fist.
"Oh yeah, did you hear what happened to Kageyama and Hinata yesterday?" Tanaka asked nonchalantly as they descended the steps.
"No, I didn't. Did something happen?" Ai responded from in front of him.
"They got into a heated fight. Yacchan came running for help, and I had to break them up."
She halted in her steps and snapped toward him, her hair flipping from the movement. "They did what?" she demanded, stressing each syllable.
Tanaka reeled his head back. "Y-yeah. I already told Daichi-san and the other third-years today at lunch."
She groaned and sighed. "I haven't seen either of them all day today. I have to go check in on them." She turned around and started walking back up the stairs, dodging the students who were coming from the opposite direction. "Yū, go on ahead? I won't be long."
"Gotcha!"
Ai climbed up to the first-year classrooms, but neither of them was there. They seemed to have left the school already. So, she went to meet the second-years back down at the shoe lockers.
"That was fast," Ennoshita commented when Ai met up with them again. "I thought you would take longer."
"They weren't in their classrooms." She traded her indoor shoes for black loafers. "Ryu, did either of them get hurt at all?"
"I don't think so. They were at each other's throats, but I was the one who threw the punch." The wing spiker laughed bitterly.
"Well… I'm glad you were there to stop them before it got out of hand."
They strolled outside and talked about stopping by Shimada Mart for snacks. Nishinoya seemed happy for a chance to spend a relaxing afternoon with her. The guys were usually too busy to interact with the managers during practice, and Ai had been with Nekoma's team for the past couple of days.
However, just as they left the school gates, Ai's phone began to ring.
What now? she thought sourly and glared as she looked at the screen. "It's Coach Ukai," she told them and answered it, putting the cellular device against her ear. "Hello?"
"Hey, can you cover for my shift right now?"
She pursed her lips and thought for a moment. "I just left school. I can be there in about ten minutes," Ai reluctantly offered.
"Great, thanks."
After politely waiting for him to hang up, she turned to Nishinoya with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Yū. Perhaps I could come over next time."
"Are you going to Sakanoshita?" Ennoshita asked.
"Yes."
"Aw, man!" Nishinoya pouted. "I wanted to ask you about the libero's tosses."
Her lips curved up in a grin. "Is that why you were inviting me to your house?"
"Yeah…" he sighed.
She hugged his side as they kept walking, feeling his slight superiority in height. "I'll research it for you tonight, and we'll talk more tomorrow. I promise."
He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her back. "It's a promise!"
They hooked their pinky fingers together, and Nishinoya returned to his usual smile. The three guys left her at the corner of the street and waved goodbye.
Walking the rest of the way to the store, Ai arrived and opened the sliding door.
Ukai looked up from checking the time on his phone. "Here she is."
"Good afternoon, Coach Ukai," Ai bowed. She wasn't very surprised to see one of the first-years there with him. Just who she was searching for. "Hello, Shōyō."
A shiver ran down Hinata's spine, and his mouth went dry. "H-hello, Ai-senpai."
She closed the distance between them, her eyes never leaving his face.
"Wha-...!?" The middle blocker tensed up when they were less than two feet apart.
Ai raised her hand and beckoned him to lean over. "Come closer. Let me see your face."
Hinata let her place a hand along his jaw and used all of his energy not to pull back from her fluttering touch. It was so light and a little tickling.
"I heard what happened from Ryu," she informed him as she inspected his cheek that had a bandaid. "How are you doing?"
A melancholy look crossed his face. "I'm… okay."
Ai bit her lip and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."
"Huh? Why are you sorry, senpai?" he wondered, surprised.
Because I can't always be there for you, because I'm not a player, she was about to say. "Never mind," she said instead. "I'm glad I can help you," she turned to Ukai, "which is why I'm accepting this very sudden request to take this shift."
"Sorry. My mom's coming to take over soon, so it won't be for long." The coach tossed her a spare store apron.
She caught it easily. "That's fine, but I'm only running the register. I have a few things I'd like to work on while I wait for customers. I'll do the inventory another time if you'd like."
"Yeah, perfect. I'll leave you to it, then." Ukai got his car keys and went for the door. "Come on, Hinata. Jump in the car."
"Y-yes, sir!" The boy turned back to her on his way out. "Bye, Ai-senpai!"
She saw him off with a soft smile. "Good luck, Shōyō."
.
Ai's mind wandered as she sat behind the counter.
Hinata and Kageyama's fast attack was unprecedented, and strengthening it even further was something that seemed fundamentally impossible. However, Hinata had claimed to be able to clearly see the view of the summit.
The time at the highest point of a jump was literally an instant. Even if players were able to see the block, it shouldn't be anything more than a blur. But, once in a blue moon, there was a spiker that could instantly see blockers clearly, down to their fingertips. Furthermore, they could even see the positions of the players behind them.
A fast attack dished out from a miraculous setup… If Hinata could dictate where it goes of his own will in midair… If he could actually do it, the combo would become the rulers of aerial combat, surpassing even the Tiny Giant.
But, for now, Hinata's teammates and his heart were saying the opposite things. No wonder he would go to the coach for instructions on how to practice. The first-year was a phenomenal asset for the team, but if his attacks didn't work, he could be switched out for Narita or someone else. As it were currently, the deviant quicks were the only outstanding quality he brought to the table. Considering his height and lack of basic skills, the others could be more favorable for the starting position on the team.
Ai spent the rest of the shift re-watching Shūtoku vs. Rakuzan's match from last winter. The high projectile shoot… Even if Tobio were to set like that, it would kill and nullify the use of Shōyō's speed, making his fast reactions meaningless. It was a complicated problem, and it wasn't the only thing that was on her mind. Ai hoped that the coach would find a suitable solution for the first-years and focused on Nishinoya's request for the time being.
———
When Yachi got home to her apartment where she lived with her mother, she took out a piece of paper from her backpack. It was the one that Ai had given her back when she had first tried out for the manager position.
She did say to rely on her…, the blonde thought as she fidgeted with her phone.
Hitoka: Ai-senpai, could I ask you something?
A few minutes passed before there was a reply.
Ai-senpai: Of course, anything.
Yachi sighed a small breath of relief when she saw the message, and she texted her back.
Hitoka: What could we do for Hinata and Kageyama-kun?
Ai-senpai: You're very considerate to think of them, Hitoka-chan. Just help them when you can. At the end of the day, they're the athletes who play on the court. We can support them as managers as best we can, okay?
Hitoka: Yes, I understand. Thank you, Ai-senpai!
Ai-senpai: It's no problem. How are you? I heard from Ryu that you were there when they fought last night.
Hitoka: I'm ok! It's just, Hinata seemed really lonely when he walked me to the bus stop…
Ai-senpai: They're still on the same volleyball team, and I highly doubt either of them will quit. As much as they are raucous together, those two need each other. I trust them. I'm sure they'll be fine.
Hitoka: I guess so.
Ai-senpai: Just show them you care. They may not see eye to eye now, but they're never alone. And, neither are you, Hitoka-chan.
Hitoka: Okay. Thank you!
Ai-senpai: Any time.
———
Soon after, Mrs. Ukai came back to the store. Becoming relieved from her job, Ai took a glance at the clock on the wall and stepped outside to make a call.
The line trilled for a few seconds, and there was a click.
"Ai."
"Seijuro, are you busy?"
"No. What's wrong?"
She heard shuffling through the phone and wondered if he was telling the truth. It wasn't that she doubted him, but she didn't want to bring up such a heavy topic when he had something else to do. "Should I call later?
"No. Mibuchi is taking over for me, and you're more important." The background noise got fainter until it stopped altogether. "What happened?"
She blew out a breath. "There's been some tension between the team recently…, mainly from two of the first-years." She paused, trying to collect her thoughts before she said anything else. "How did you know how to… make our team function in Teikō?"
"Hmm. I don't think I did much. Murasakibara and Midorima had their fair share of fights, like Aomine and Kise."
She agreed. An argument now and then wasn't bad. She also had no doubt that they would reconcile eventually. Rivalries within the team were fine, so long as it didn't affect their play. Hinata's incident with Asahi was an example of that. "What about," she thought for a second, "our playing style?"
He was quiet for a moment, and Ai wondered if he was deep in thought.
Then, he finally spoke. "I saw Kuroko practicing with Aomine in the fall before you came, and it caught my interest. Everyone had their unique abilities, and we put them toward our shared goal of winning. It was practically the only thing we had in common."
She stared at a random spot on the concrete road. Ai didn't want to revert to an apathetic team, even though she had participated in the rift between the Teikō club members two years ago. It had been hard for Momoi too when Ai had closed her heart, and the volleyball manager felt guilty for having caused her best friend pain and loneliness. Ai couldn't do that to the Karasuno team now, not when Sugawara, Nishinoya, and everyone else had all shown her insurmountable warmth and kindness. "Yes… I remember," she trailed off. "And, I heard from Satsuki that you were the one who encouraged her to take up researching."
"Yes, but all I did was give her a nudge in the direction."
"... Did you see something in me, too?"
He hummed in thought. "It's like finding a gemstone in a pile of rocks. The more you polish it, the more it shines and becomes valuable."
She thought about his metaphorical analogy.
"So, to answer your question, yes. I did see 'something' in you. Potential, skill, thoughtfulness, and much more."
She smiled reminiscently. "Just what the team needed back then."
"The team and I both." She heard him sigh. This topic was making them miss each other even more. It pained both of them to long for one another, yet being unable to hold each other close because of the distance.
He cleared his throat. "Anything else?"
"I think I'm okay. I have some things to ponder about."
"You don't have practice today, do you? You sound tired."
"I've been watching the basketball games from last year that Satsuki sent me."
"You've just come back from your trip. Get some rest. I'm sure you can't help the volleyball team if you're not well."
Ai pursed her lips as she remembered fainting at the Osuwari diner, but she hadn't told him about it. "I will. There are only a couple more weeks until summer. I know you'll be busy with Interhigh, too."
"We'll see. I'm not very worried about our matches."
She giggled. "I suppose so. And with that, I think I'll give Rakuzan their captain back, now."
He chuckled softly, glad to hear her happy again. "Call me again, Ai."
"Thank you, Seijuro. I will. And, send Nijimura-san happy birthday wishes on my behalf?"
"Sure. I'll email him later, since he's in the states."
"Oh," she voiced, thinking about the time difference. "Okay."
"Talk to you later, Ai."
———
In Kyoto
At Rakuzan High
Akashi cut the call and stayed in the quiet locker room alone for a minute. When the lingering thoughts in his mind had settled, he opened the door and went back out to where Mibuchi was finishing the daily club reports.
"Thanks, Mibuchi."
The vice-captain looked up from the desk. "Oh, Sei-chan! Are you done speaking to Ai-san?"
"Yes. How is the report going?"
"It's going well! Almost finished." He smiled kindly. "Did something happen with her? You seemed a bit panicky when she called."
"Was I?" He sat in an empty chair.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
Akashi sighed. "She asked me yesterday if 'not being strong enough was a bitter pill to swallow'." He clasped his hands together and leaned forward on his elbows. "The first time I had ever tasted defeat was at the finals of Winter Cup last year, against Seirin."
Mibuchi's gaze dropped as well, and his normally energetic voice turned sad. "Mhmm, I remember…"
The perceptive captain noticed the regret and guilt of the shooting guard. "But talking with her, " Akashi said, "it's made me realize that plenty of people experience loss and failures more than victories, unlike people like us."
Mibuchi chuckled a bit. "I suppose so."
Akashi sat back in the chair with a more relaxed and thoughtful posture. "I hear Shiratorizawa Academy is the best volleyball powerhouse school in Miyagi, similar to how Teikō is to basketball. Yet, she chose Karasuno and risked losing." He exhaled deeply and closed his eyes. "Winning may not be everything, but I would rather her be happy."
The Night Spirit smiled bittersweetly. "But, it's her decision."
Akashi nodded, agreeing. "Yes, it is."
Mibuchi faked a cough to clear the air. "Well, if it's any consolation, I think you're a very supportive boyfriend, Sei-chan."
The captain of Rakuzan chuckled. "I hope so. She deserves it and more."
———
Ai was researching the libero's tosses at the small square table in the Sakanoshita Shop, and Mrs. Ukai was doing the accounting when the coach came back from his drive somewhere with Hinata.
"Welcome back," the females greeted when Ukai slid open the door.
He flinched before walking in with the other half of the power duo. The middle blocker was nowhere to be seen. "Err… Hey, Ma."
"I thought it was your turn to watch the store, Keishin," the woman told her son.
"Yeah…"
Ai spoke up from her seat. "I volunteered to take over. He had somewhere to go with one of the volleyball boys."
"Hmm. You're such a sweetheart, Ai-chan. Thanks for helping out. Take a snack or something with you when you leave, okay?" The woman smiled.
"Thank you, ma'am."
Seeing the first-year setter with him, Ai patted the space on the white tablecloth, motioning for them to sit with her.
Ukai went to grab a small whiteboard and marker while Kageyama came over. He dropped his schoolbag on the floor with a thump and sat back in the chair beside her. He was still in his school uniform: a white short-sleeved button up and black slacks.
"Hey, Ai-senpai," he greeted.
"Hello, Tobio." She placed her pencil down and paused in her studying. Reaching over to her right, she gently touched the side of his face. "Stay still," she commanded in a soft whisper as she checked the light scratches on his handsome profile. "Where did you go after school today, Tobio?"
"I went to the Kiddie Volleyball Class at the public gymnasium," Kageyama stated while facing the far wall, as if being interrogated by the authorities.
She retracted her hand. "Did you find what you were looking for?" His gaze dropped, so she tried again, lightly touching his arm. "What happened?"
"I met Oikawa-san there," he divulged.
"Really," she said, intrigued. "And?"
Kageyama was quiet for a moment, and Ai wondered if it was something he'd rather not say.
"He said that I'm a coward, for thinking the current situation is as good as it can be and being defensive about it."
They were quiet for a moment.
"Hmm… He's half right," she agreed. If Kageyama continued to dictate how Hinata spiked, the so-called King of the Court was on the edge of regressing to playing the tyrant king. Both of their opinions mattered, as long as volleyball was a team sport. Hinata should have more leadership in their current attack. Furthermore, the one holding the initiative for attacks was not the setter; it was the spiker. The King of the Court had to use his skills for the spiker's benefit instead of solely based on what he thought was best.
But, to think the shallow playboy setter would give Kageyama advice, even if it was halfheartedly… He wasn't as bad as she'd thought.
Ai tapped his arm. "Thank you for telling me, Tobio. I believe I now have something to do on the 20th."
Kageyama looked confused, but Ukai had come back and sat across from him.
Ai tuned them out for a bit while the adult taught the young setter about the fundamental theory of tempos. In short, it was the timing in which a spiker starts his running approach in regard to the setter's toss.
"When you're tossing for your deviant fast attack," the coach was saying, "it's a toss that passes through the spiker's point of impact."
The first-year cocked his head to one side.
"Uhh…" Ukai thought as he tried to explain it better. "So basically, you make it so that the spiker's highest impact point equals the peak of the ball's trajectory. You're not going to use so much force that the ball passes through the spiker's point of impact. You'll use just enough force to get to the spiker's point of impact, and then…"
"… kill it," the setter finished, his eyes going chillingly serious.
Ukai nodded with a grin. "The difficulty in controlling your power and how much backspin you put on it isn't going to be like before. Not to mention Quick Set B, Quick Set D, and broad jumps… The farther out you get, the more difficult they'll become. What do you think? Can you do it?"
As the older Coach Ukai had said, there is no better toss than the one that is "easy for the spiker to hit".
Kageyama took his bag and stood. "I'll make it happen."
Ukai smirked.
If there was anyone who could do it, it was their genius first-year setter.
———
It was back to practice the next day. Ukai put Hinata on the B team when doing practice games, which meant that he would have Sugawara as his setter. It wasn't a bad decision, and Ai was all for it. He needed the ability to play sufficiently with setters other than Kageyama, as well as the practice for fundamental skills and experience of playing in general. In that way, Hinata wasn't very different from Nekoma's Lev, since they both had little history of proper training.
In the evening after practice, the guys dispersed to start their individual practice.
"Shōyō." Ai walked up to him when he was changing shoes to leave. "Did you find your answer?"
Hinata stood up from bending over, but he was shorter with her standing on the elevated steps. "My answer?"
She nodded. "To your question."
"Oh, umm…" He thought for a second. "Not yet, but I think I'm going to!" he said positively. "Do you know Coach Ukai? The senior?"
She smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. And, yes, I know him a bit."
"Tanaka-senpai told me he was the great commander that led the nameless Karasuno to Nationals, and the name 'Karasuno's Ukai' was super famous. People said he owned a fierce pack of crows," he ranted.
"Hm… well, he was strict, when he came back for a short while last summer, but I think Teikō did as much or even more." She chuckled. "I heard Kuroko-kun got sick from the extreme training menu."
"Oh," the first-year wondered. "I don't think practice is that hard for now, but he calls me 'Chibisuke' (Shrimp) for a nickname," he whined.
Ai giggled. "Your stamina is doing you well, then. I'm sure you'll have much to learn from him."
"We're just doing basic stuff for now."
She nodded. "It's never too early to start learning the foundations, especially since you hadn't had proper coaching in middle school. Even if they seem tangent now, they'll come to help you."
It was Hinata's turn to nod. "Right!"
Then, she motioned for him to step closer, and Ai put a hand on his shoulder when he was within reach. "Some people would give so much to train under him," she thought about Kageyama, who had chosen to come to Karasuno High School for that sole reason. "Treasure your time training with him."
The orange-headed boy grinned, and she knew that he would do his best without saying.
"Yes, ma'am!"
.
With that, Hinata left to go to Coach Ukai's house, where he trained how to spike in the first tempo with anyone. He needed to be able to hit the ball at any time, at will, regardless of who the setter was. He turned all of his attention to jumping at full strength and tried not to make an effort to match the ball, jumping at his own timing. He learned to fight with his own will, and not with anyone else's.
All the while, the middle blocker trusted Kageyama's prodigious abilities as a setter, and it was now his turn to learn how to fight at the summit, not just on the ground leading up to the jump.
Yamaguchi also went to Shimada Mart while the others stuck around at school for extra practice. They even had to borrow the First Gymnasium because of the lack of space. Once the girls finished their club activities, they let the boy's volleyball club borrow the court. Even if it was a short while before the teachers closed the gymnasium, it was very helpful, as many of the guys were doing their own practices and working to improve their own skills.
Ai usually avoided going to the First Gymnasium, mainly because Karasuno's boy's basketball team also practiced there. She didn't like how they tried to convince her to come back to her old sport, and neither did Daichi or Takeda-sensei. It got annoying pretty quickly, especially when there was nothing that could change her mind. She had chosen to switch to volleyball for a reason in the first place.
However, since both clubs that usually used the gymnasium were done by then, she went back and forth between the two.
Daichi, Sugawara, Tanaka, and Ennoshita watched a video of the Brazil national team's attack on Ukai's tablet and researched together. It was one where the players all started moving at once, like Shinzen's attack; a Synchronized Attack.
In the same large gymnasium, Yachi threw the volleyballs for Kageyama to practice the tosses that stopped with empty bottles.
After checking in with them, Ai walked back to the smaller Second Gymnasium to help Asahi and Nishinoya. She had a quick meeting with Nishinoya about the fruits of her research and threw the ball for him to toss to the ace; a libero's jumping toss from the back zone. Seijoh's libero was the same age as him and her, and Ai guessed that Nishinoya didn't want to be left behind when there were more skills he could learn and achieve. After all, he was their talented Guardian Deity.
When the third-year practiced his jump serves, Nishinoya practiced receiving them. Asahi seemed to have admired the serves of Ubugawa's captain, and it inspired him to take up the task. To the volleyball team from Kanagawa, as well as players like Seijoh's captain, serving was the ultimate attack. However, Kageyama was the only one whose jump serves were stable on the current Karasuno team. The ace's weren't as reliable, so he hesitated to use it when it counted.
The three of them practiced until Ai's timer went off, signaling to end the practice and go home for the night.
"Not everyone has physical abilities like you do, Yū. If you don't rest when you should, your muscles will be sore tomorrow, and it'll hinder your practice."
"I think you did good for your first time, Nishinoya," Asahi said as he and the libero took the net down.
"I didn't know that jump tosses were this hard until now," he admitted. "I'll ask Suga-san tomorrow to teach me!"
Ai smiled. "That's a brilliant idea. I'm sure he'll be happy to teach you."
———
As the guys continued their extra training, Ai felt the limits of her abilities. Although she had years of experience being a sports club manager, she had only started volleyball last year and wasn't very good at game strategies or analytical stuff like Momoi. The best she could do were the simple things, like taking videos of them practicing to review, lending an ear to hear their troubles, and collecting the scattered balls. However, those efforts didn't go unseen by the guys as they were grateful for any help from their hard-working, irreplaceable manager.
She picked up more shifts at Sakanoshita since Ukai was staying with the athletes overtime, and she studied various subjects into the night to keep up with her schoolwork. Narita supported her in class, letting her sleep during lunch and waking her up when the bell rang. He and Ennoshita warned her again about her possibility of fainting.
She wouldn't give up her sadō schedule either. Ai committed to her lessons every week and studied the art even more.
———
One night, she left to go home early and walked home with two of her first-years, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima. Her mother had asked Ai to help organize the craft shop, and she agreed, knowing that she hadn't had much time lately to assist her mother's store.
"Hey, Tsukki," Yamaguchi called to his friend. "Well, I gotta go this way. I'm gonna go practice my serving a bit with Shimada-san."
"Oh, sure." Tsukishima brushed him off, putting on his white headphones. "See you." He started walking again.
Ai reached up to pat the pinch server's chest and smiled. "Good luck. Don't stay up too late."
He smiled back hesitantly and nodded. "Thank you."
When Yamaguchi bowed and left, she hurried to catch up with her other chick. Ai threaded an arm around his like an attention-seeking girlfriend and carried on with her meddling. "Kei, how are you?"
"Normal," he responded, ignoring her.
"Are you upset that Tadashi went to practice more?"
No answer.
She sighed and stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "Tell me, please. What's on your mind?" Ai made him face her in the nocturne darkness lit by street lamps.
"Why do you care?" He looked perplexed under his glasses.
"Why shouldn't I?" she countered. "We're friends, aren't we?"
He huffed and shrugged. "If you say so, Ai-senpai."
He tried to go around her, but she didn't let him.
She hadn't practiced blocking drives with Aomine and Akashi for two years for nothing; Aomine would especially be on her toes about taking it seriously and that she was too slow.
Tsukishima was startled by her fast reflexes, and his eyes widened behind his black-rimmed glasses.
Ai pursed her lips. "What are you passionate about, Kei?" She pressed her palm to his heart until she felt it beat under his white school shirt. "Are you happy to play volleyball?" When he didn't answer right away, she added, "Hitoka-chan wasn't sure either."
He kept his silence.
"Do you still dislike people who are overzealous about volleyball? Are you angry with Tadashi because it seems like he's leaving you for Shōyō and Tobio? Don't you think he knows that you're hurting?"
That hit him double. His guard was down, so she took his hand and led him to a bench nearby to perch on. They sat side by side listening to the crickets.
"I don't want to push you to do things you don't want to," she finally said. "But, are you fine with that? Feeling something is better than feeling numb."
He huffed in annoyance. "I have to get home," he said and started to stand, but Ai pulled on his hand so that he sat back down. "Wha-... Ai-senpai! Just because you're older doesn't-"
She stood up and stepped in between his knees. She held his face in both of her hands. He turned beet red at their proximity in the dark, his eyes going wide and skin almost glowing with heat.
"Kei. Let your walls down. Let yourself feel," she begged. "A body without emotions is a corpse."
Her voice was fierce and full of compassion. "If you don't want to do volleyball, that's perfectly fine. You can do whatever you please. Jogging, spiking, serving,... Weight lifting will be beneficial outside of sports as well. I don't know what you plan or envision for yourself in the future, but building stamina won't go to waste." Her voice quieted. "Just feel something. Joy, happiness, sorrow, defeat…, anything."
She eased him forward into her arms and hugged him gently. "Kei, I care about you. Don't shut me out, please."
Tsukishima relented to her for a minute and placed his arms around her. She squeezed him tightly. Then, he let go and moved to stand. "Excuse me." He turned and walked home wordlessly.
Ai let him leave. She'd already done the most she could do to serve him, as a manager and as a friend.
.
Later that night, Ai called Momoi to tell her the exciting news. "Satsuki, I'm going to Saitama this summer for club." She bit her lip to try to contain her grin.
"Really?! That's so fun! We should all meet up again!"
"I'd love that. Thank you."
"I'll tell Dai-chan and Tetsu-kun! I'm sure he and Kagamin will come together. Ki-chan could probably come, too! Oh, and Midorin, of course!"
She laughed. "I can't wait."
"Should we invite Akashi-kun? What about Mukkun?"
"I'll call Seijuro, but I'm not sure about Atsu-kun. He's most likely busy with Tatsuya and his own team."
"Okay! Anyway, I'll talk to the people over here. See you soon!"
"Yes, see you." Ai cut the call, smiling.
After a second to breathe, she dialed another number, hoping he wasn't busy.
Click.
"Ai."
"Seijuro, I'm going to Saitama for my volleyball club." She could hardly control the eagerness in her voice.
"When?"
"During the summer, for a week of training camp." Takeda-sensei and Coach Nekomata had sorted out the details over the phone, and Ai was one of the first to hear about it. "What are the plans for Rakuzan?"
"We're still uncertain, but I'll tell you more later."
"I understand. I could go to Kyoto, if that's easier."
He seemed to think about it. "I'll get back to you on that."
"Okay. I hope to see you again soon." The pitch of her voice rose with optimism.
"Likewise. Mibuchi has been pleading to have an audience with you, too."
She let out a giggle. "It would be a blessing to finally meet your team."
"We'll see. Travel safe."
"Thank you. I wish you the best at Interhigh." The basketball tournaments were starting soon.
"To be honest, I wish you were here, with me," he added.
Ai sucked in a breath. "I do, too."
"Will you transfer to Rakuzan?"
She giggled again at his straightforwardness. "I can't, for so many reasons, starting with my promise with Satsuki," she said so he didn't get the wrong impression.
He hummed a chuckle. "We have a volleyball team here, and a sadō club if you'd prefer."
"I think I'll stick with being a crow for now." She smiled. "Take care, Seijuro." Her insides felt giddy as she cut the call. She hadn't felt this way in so long, and she hoped that she could see Akashi after six long months of being apart.
———
Coach Ukai also taught the rest of the team about tempos, and Yachi continued to work with Kageyama with his new tosses. Yamaguchi and Hinata also commuted to their respective mentors every night.
———
Finally, the students got their report cards and the trimester ended for summer break. The classrooms became empty, and the sky outside was cerulean blue with pure white clouds. The sound of cicadas also amplified the feeling of the hot season.
During after-school practice, the three managers made platters of many salted rice balls for a lunchtime snack. Takeda-sensei provided large bottles of cold tea as well. It was a greatly appreciated treat for the boys practicing long and hard through the humid weather.
"Thank you!!!" the guys shouted.
They sat around in an amoeba circle as they ate.
"These are so good!" Hinata said as he stuffed his face beside Yamaguchi.
"Of course they are! Kiyoko-san made them!" Tanaka grinned.
"And Ai!" Nishinoya enthusiastically added.
"And, Hitoka-chan." Ai smiled at her junior, who poured the tea into paper cups.
"I couldn't really get mine into a good triangle shape," Yachi admitted embarrassingly.
Ai looked at the plate of extra onigiris in her hands. "Not at all. Yours look perfect, and you're good at cooking in general. Besides, it's not the shape that matters. You can make spheres or cut them into stars instead of triangles if you wanted."
"That would be fun for next time," Kiyoko commented with a small smile.
The ace inspected the onigiri skeptically. "Is the seed still in the ume plum?" Asahi asked.
"No, we took them out." Ai smiled as she remembered a story. "Did you know, everyone in the world has a plum on their backs." She kneeled on the floor and sat on her heels behind Nishinoya.
"Huh?" Tanaka asked.
She poked the libero's back with her pointer finger and began to draw polygons as he continued eating.
"Hfm?" Nishinoya's voice was muffled with his mouth full.
"They come in different shapes, colors, and sizes. But, since people can't see their backs, they can't see the plums that they have. They think that they don't have anything and that they're just plain white rice. But, that's not true at all. They do have a plum there." She moved her palm to press it on Asahi's back. "You all do."
Ai removed her hand and stood. "Perhaps the reason why we get jealous of others is because other people's backs are easier to see." Still holding the plate in her left hand, she dropped her right one on top of Hinata, Kageyama, and Tsukishima's heads as she walked by. "Don't worry. I see all of your plums, unique and shining bright."
"Alright, let's get back to it!" the coach yelled when he finished talking with the teacher advisor.
"Yes, sir!" Daichi responded.
"Off you go." She smiled and placed a hand on each of their backs before the twelve of them went back onto the court.
———
Hinata started to always carry around a tri-colored volleyball, even to class. To get used to the ball, he needed to constantly be touching it. It didn't matter whether it was with his hand or foot. Volleyball was a sport where the players couldn't hold the ball. They were only allowed to touch the ball for a few seconds, and they needed to control that moment, as though the ball were a part of their body. Because Hinata's body was small compared to others, he needed to make up for it with everything else.
Additionally, the first-year was getting used to playing with different setters. Unlike before where he would fret when the timing was even a bit off, Hinata covered for mistakes and adapted to the toss.
Until now, thanks to an amazing setter, he had been making the shots without giving it much thought. Now, since everyone's techniques and quirks were different, he had to handle them all in mid-air. Though just a little bit, he could see the ball better than he did before; he was promoted to "Chibitarou" (Munchkin).
.
Meanwhile, in the First Gymnasium, Takeda-sensei helped the other half of the power duo. Kageyama tossed the ball to the empty plastic bottle, and he hit it for the first time. The volleyball clunked the bottle to the floor, and the setter celebrated his first success.
"All right!!! Next, please!"
"You got it!" the teacher laughed.
———
"Okay, now that it's summer vacation," Takeda-sensei announced in their Second Gymnasium after practice, "we can practice from morning to night. And starting tomorrow, we'll resume the Tokyo away games. This time, we'll be there for a solid week!"
Ai saw Yamaguchi's eyes flicker toward Tsukishima for a millisecond, but she kept quiet.
"This will be the first and last long-term training camp before the Spring Nationals preliminaries," the teacher continued. "With the Spring Nationals preliminaries in sight, to make sure we have no regrets, take this opportunity to devour everything!"
Hinata licked his lips in anticipation, and Ai was glad to see him so motivated once more.
.
When she got home, Ai packed her overnight belongings and collected the supplies for the club. They would be leaving tomorrow night, with a bit of morning practice before that.
As she sorted through her bookshelf of colorful notebooks and checked her list, she got a message from Kise relaying his enthusiasm. News traveled fast with Momoi.
"Saitama? I'll go! Where is it?"
"Shinzen High School, and there'll be one school from Kanagawa as well, if you've heard of Ubugawa?"
"Hmm… Can't say that I have."
"Well, I'll go to Tokyo if I can. I'd rather go back and meet everyone than have only a few people able to come." Saitama was next to Tokyo, but Kanagawa was farther south of the capital.
"I guess so, but I'll invite Kuroko-cchi and some of the others! Wow, this is so exciting!" he exclaimed.
"Hush, Ryota-kun. It's late, and I have an early morning tomorrow. I'll contact you later, okay?"
"Roger that! See you soon! Oh, and did you hear about the visiting team from America? They're playing against Team Strky, with Kasamatsu-san!"
She smiled. "Team Jabberwock, was it? My classmates from our basketball team told me about the street basketball tournament."
"Yeah! I'm so psyched to see them play!"
She chuckled at his childish enthusiasm. "I can empathize. I'll be sure to watch the television streaming."
"And, thanks for the earring! I got so many compliments at the studio when I went in yesterday. Even the director and stylists said it was really cool!"
"I'm glad you like it." She smiled. "See you soon. Good night."
They ended the call, and Ai got into her bed.
Unfortunately, she didn't sleep well. Her subconscious anxiety must have gotten the better of her, and she strained her face in a nightmare.
She sat up in her bed out of breath, but she was safe in her room, at home. Rubbing the dream out of her eyes, she checked her phone. One more hour until she had to get up. It was still dark outside, but she decided to stay up. Worst case, she'd sleep on the bus to Saitama.
Author's Note:
Are the chapters too long? My original thought was about 1000~2000 words. Maybe I should delete the character/volleyball-analysis parts or limit the episode recap sections if they're too boring…? I think I'll go back and separate the chapters that are too long into multiple parts, too.
Let me know what is your ideal chapter length/word count!
Next week, I have a short special for Nijimura's birthday and a chapter for Oikawa's birthday!
After that, it's back to Nekoma for episode 2.7 Moonrise!
Happy Golden Week!
Reference:
You all probably know this already, but just in case :)
1st Tempo - spiker starts running before the toss (the setter adjusts to the spiker)
2nd Tempo - spiker starts running at the same time as the toss (the spiker watches for the toss)
3rd Tempo - spiker starts running after the toss (the spiker watches for the toss)
(Minus Tempo - spiker is already in the air when the setter tosses)
Reference:
Okay, I didn't know about this either and I had to ask my mom about it, but there's a difference between coaches and kantoku's. You'll notice that in Season 3 (sorry if you haven't watched it yet), the moderator announces Takeda-sensei's name as the kantoku, just like Coach Washijō.
The older Coach Ukai is also always referred to as kantoku, as opposed to Hinata calling the younger, Ukai Keishin, "coach". (I think it's because he's not a school faculty member.) Sugawara, Tanaka, Kageyama, and the others just say "Ukai-san" for Keishin.
That's why the badges on their tracksuits for tournaments either have a C for coach, or 監 for kantoku 監督.
So, I may have to go back and edit the previous chapters now haha...
Reference:
More dates! O-O
(This is mostly so I can keep track of the timeline. Some of these are based on real dates. Others, I made up.)
Nekoma Weekend Training Camp: July 7-8
Gymnasium inspection, no practice: July 9
(Nijimura's Birthday: July 10)
(Oikawa's Birthday: July 20)
Summer Break Starts: July 21
Shinzen Summer Training Camp: July 22-28
(Hayama's Birthday: July 25)
Basketball Interhigh: July 29-August 4
(Kasamatsu's Birthday: July 29)
(Kagami's Birthday: August 2)
(Yaku's Birthday: August 8)
Spring High Nationals Qualifiers: August 11-12
(Aone's Birthday: August 13)
(Narita's Birthday: August 17)
Strky vs Jabberwock Street Basketball Game: August 21
Second Nekoma Training Camp: August 25-27
Vorpal Swords vs Jabberwock Last Game: August 28
Summer Break Ends: September 2
Total Word Count: 7722
(I should probably stop writing so much...)