Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Haikyu!

Thank you for everyone who has read this story! You're awesome!

The first time they saw Tsukishima's cousin had been a quick occurrence.

"Kei!"

The blond-haired guy wearing thick-rimmed glasses, easily seen as the tallest one within a bunch of guys wearing black jerseys, perked up and turned around when he heard the familiar voice. The rest of the boys, along with the coach, advisor and female manager, also turned to look, interest and curiosity plastered on their faces.

A gorgeous green-eyed, black-haired woman, wearing a blue sundress with simple sandals adorning her feet was making her way towards them.

Tsukishima looked at the group and said, "I'll follow you in a couple of minutes, Daichi-san," before bowing and breaking away from the group to meet the woman halfway.

Tall volleyball players certainly towered over her, considering that she also looked up at Tsukishima who had now stopped in front of her.

Yamaguchi's eyes widened in recognition, while the rest of the guys continued to nosily stare at the pair. The chaotic senpai, namely Nishinoya and Tanaka, were a sight and had immediately swooned. The intelligent set within the bunch though, had deduced that the woman was a foreigner, and judging from the familiar way she'd addressed their teammate, must either be a family member.

A lover, the simple-minded idiots of the Karasuno Boys' Volleyball Club thought in great astonishment.

It was Hinata of course, who spoke up first.

"I wonder who she is... Do you know her, Yamaguchi?" Hinata mumbled.

"Yeah, it's Olive-nee-san."

The boys didn't even try to stifle their gasps as they all turned to look at him.

"Nee-san?"

"Tsukki has a beautiful aneki?"

"How is the jerk blessed with an older sister?"

"Like a beautiful older sister?!"

"Well, not a literal sister but Tsukki and Nee-san are direct cousin's... from his mom's side. She's probably a year older than the third years... or two, I'm not so sure. I've only met her a few times when I stop by at Tsukki's house," Yamaguchi clarified, timidly fiddling with his jacket.

Sawamura―who's probably the most sensible among all of them―turned to look at his team, and urged, "Come on. Let's leave Tsukishima and his cousin alone. We have to catch Aoba Johsai's match and see who wins."

The last part certainly got the simpletons undivided attention.

"Let's go, Kageyama-kun! We have to see the Great King play in an official match!" Hinata hollered out as he sprinted his way to the other court where said team was currently playing.

"O-Oi, dumbass! That's cheating!" Kageyama furiously called out, as he ran after Hinata, not wanting to get left behind and lose.

The rest of the group naturally followed after them, the Captain and Vice-Captain dragging behind both Nishinoya and Tanaka who really tried to slither in closer to take a more proper look at the mysterious woman.

The woman was eventually forgotten of course, when they began to avidly observe Aoba Johsai's match with Oomisaki High, and didn't even notice that Tsukishima had stepped up beside Yamaguchi, who inquisitively glanced at him, to which the former ignored.

Tsukishima might have been observing the match, but all he could really think about was the strawberry shortcake waiting for him at home, made by cousin.

=o=

The team and Tsukishima's cousin were properly introduced the next day though.

They'd just stepped inside the gym, brimming with pumped-up energy and excitement for their upcoming match with Aoba Johsai, when they saw the familiar woman, who this time was wearing a rather loose red and gold sweater that contrasted her tight-fitting jeans. She was leaning against the wall, her fingers rapidly typing something on her phone, when she suddenly looked up, zeroing in her gleaming green orbs at them, a wide smile on her face that could rival Hinata's own sunny smile.

The woman straightened up and walked towards them, Sugawara and Sawamura holding back the chaotic Second Years who were the perfect picture of being besotted and were currently mumbling about a green-eyed goddess in super tight-fitting jeans gracing them with her lovely presence.

Tsukishima huffed and frowned sullenly.

He stepped forward when the woman finally stopped in front of them, letting out a simple, "Kei."

Tsukishima greeted back in a low and casual voice, "Nee-san, you should've just went straight to the stands and waited for the match to start. You didn't have to wait here."

The woman―clearly named Olive―chuckled at her cousin and amusedly answered, a persistent accent coating on her words that all of them could hear, "And miss meeting your friends? I thought not."

Tsukishima's frown deepened even more before giving out a resigned sigh. He gestured to his teammates behind him and swiftly began introducing them one by one. His teammates politely greeted his cousin in return, each sporting a degree of blush in their faces that Tsukishima can't help but smirk smugly.

Yamaguchi received a hug though, since he already knew Olive. Nishinoya and Tanaka, who got jealous of Yamaguchi, tried at least once to hug his cousin but praise be for Sugawara, who managed to reign them in. Hinata looked so mesmerized, speechless when Olive made to ask him whether or not his hair was naturally orange.

He introduced Shimizu and Takeda next, who bowed politely and then Ukai, who casually waved a hand in greeting.

"That's all so you should go on now," Tsukishima insisted, not wanting her to spend more time with his idiot teammates.

Olive let out a soft laugh, "Calm down, Kei. I'm not going to eat your teammates."

Tsukishima muttered under his breath, "They'll probably eat you instead."

Olive definitely heard his comment but chose not to say anything. Instead, she turned back to the guys and introduced herself, "I'm Potter Olive. I'm a cousin of Kei's from far England. Thank you for taking good care of my cousin. I know he's quite a handful."

Tsukishima's eyebrows twitched as Sugawara replied, a reassuring note on his voice, "It's no problem, Potter-san. We're really glad to have Tsukishima on the team."

Olive responded with a smile, "Just call me Olive or Ana, which is short for Anastasia, since it's also my second name."

Sugawara nodded, silently marveling at how different she and Tsukishima really were.

"H-How long have been in Japan, O-Olive-san? Your Japanese is really good! England speaks English, right?" Hinata asked, eyes wide in amazement.

Tsukishima couldn't resist baiting, "Are you thinking about getting Nee-san as your tutor for your flunking English grades?"

"I-I wasn't thinking about that, stupid!" Hinata cried out in outrage.

Tsukishima sneered down at Hinata.

Olive reached out a hand to pinch Tsukishima on the cheek, "Don't tease, Kei," then turned and answered Hinata, "Yeah, I mainly speak English but I needed to learn the language so I enrolled in a class. It's not much, as you can hear from my accent, but at least I can now get by on my everyday life without staring dumbly at some road sign."

Hinata's eyes were sparkling with awe, "Amazing!"

Olive laughed pleasantly, "It's not really, but thank you," then she looked at the team with an encouraging smile and cheered, "I won't delay you any further then. Good luck on your game today, everyone!"

"Y-Yes, we'll do our best!" the team chorused.

"See you all later!" she waved at them before giving Tsukishima an affectionate pat on the arm and running up the stairs for the stands.

Nishinoya dreamily spoke, "You have a very beautiful cousin, Tsukishima. You're clearly blessed by the gods."

Tanaka eagerly nodded in agreement and abruptly asked, "Is she single?"

Tsukishima glowered as he replied, "She's not available."

"She is, Tanaka-san," Yamaguchi helpfully informed instead.

Tsukishima turned and hotly glared at him and Yamaguchi let out a small sound before ducking behind Azumane, who let out an uneasy chuckle as he held both his hands up.

Tsukishima glared back at Tanaka, as if daring him again, and reiterated darkly, "Not available," then walked towards the court where they'll be playing without waiting for a reply.

The rest of the team were left dumbfounded.

"Who knew Tsukishima had it in him?" Hinata questioned in general.

Sawamura gave Noya a whack when he made a fuss before saying, "We didn't but who wouldn't when you have that kind of a woman as a cousin?"

Sugawara nodded and directed his reply to Tanaka, "I don't think you should mention his cousin and dating in the same sentence again too."

Tanaka pouted but nodded.

Sawamura looked at the time and spoke to his team, "Okay! We have a match to prepare to. Let's go!"

All of them yelled exuberantly, following Tsukishima with renewed purpose, intent on winning their game against Aoba Johsai.

=o=

They didn't win.

That one shot they had hoped will let them win was astoundingly blocked and returned, shocking them all in their places. The point that they needed was instead, awarded to the opposite team.

And Karasuno's Boys' Volleyball Team was left crushed and deeply heartbroken.

When everything was said and done, the team dejectedly toddled towards where their bus was parked, heads bowed down. They didn't notice a sad-looking Olive standing from a distance. Takeda, Ukai and Tsukishima had noticed however and with a 'come here' hand signal, Takeda ran towards the woman. After a brief and muted conversation, the both of them bowed and parted ways, Takeda returning to the bus while Olive towards a car parked not far away from them.

Tsukishima continued to stare discreetly as his cousin got in the driver's side, curious about what she and his advisor had talked about and reminded himself to ask her later when he arrived home.

Ukai, on the other hand, softly asked Takeda as the teacher drove them out from the gym and into the road going back to the school, "What did she want, Takeda-sensei?"

Takeda glanced at him using the front mirror of the bus before answering, his voice low, "She said she reserved that family restaurant that's a few blocks away from your store for us for the day. I tried not accepting it but she wouldn't really take no for an answer. Said she'd booked it the other day and everything's already paid for so no matter what the result of today's match was, we were all supposed to go there anyway."

Ukai let out a soft ohh before nodding.

Well, Ukai did have plan on taking the team out to eat but since Tsukishima's cousin had already made the arrangements, Ukai didn't have any qualms on holding back, especially when the kids needed the extra boost.

=o=

The ride on the way back was silent and when the students belatedly realized that they didn't take the turn that will take them towards their school, they all looked at their coach and teacher, forlorn and perplexed.

Both of the adults didn't say anything as they passed by Coach Ukai's convenience store and stopped in front of a small restaurant. Takeda parked the bus and turned the bus off, Coach Ukai instructing the students to get out.

The students were now really confused as to why they were standing in front of an obviously closed restaurant but before someone could have a moment to ask, Takeda slid open the door while calling out, "Please excuse us!"

An elderly woman greeted them with a smile, "Welcome!"

All of them bowed politely as Takeda smiled and said, "Potter Olive-san made a reservation for Karasuno's Volleyball Team, Obaa-san."

The students whipped their heads to stare at their teacher, eyes wide in surprise, as the elderly woman answered in recognition, "Ahh, yes! Potter-san called earlier to tell me you were coming, Sensei. Come in, come in! You can sit wherever you want while I tell the kitchen to start preparing your food."

The elderly woman went over the counter and into the adjacent door that they all assumed led to the kitchen.

Takeda looked at his students with a comforting smile, "Coach Ukai and I had planned on eating out somewhere anyway but Olive-san beat us to it and had told me earlier that she booked this place for us. Everything's been paid so you don't have to hesitate into eating all you want," he turned to Tsukishima and added, "Please relay our deepest gratitude to Olive-san once again, Tsukishima-kun."

Tsukishima simply nodded before fully going inside and taking a seat, Yamaguchi following right after him.

Hinata balled his fists and pointed out, devastation dripping out from his voice, "But we didn't win."

Ukai gave him a pat on the head as he walked inside and took a seat, leaving Takeda to reply, "Olive-san didn't really take no for an answer. And she said that win or lose, all of you deserve this after doing your best and to not lose hope and continue to improve for your next tournaments."

A teary-eyed Hinata sniffed audibly, "Olive-san's so cool," and he and Kageyama took a seat.

The rest of the team shuffled after them and also sat down.

Takeda took a seat beside Ukai and looked at his sniffling students, trying their best not to completely lose it and bawl out loud.

Takeda knew that today's loss would remain painfully fresh for a while and he hoped that the team won't let this one defeat discourage them. He met Ukai's knowing gaze and with both words of wisdom and comfort, he saw the fire begin to burn once again in their eyes.

He smiled, content and pleased. They'll be alright.

=o=

When Olive had learned that she had another relative―an alive and breathing aunt bless the gods―residing in an Asian country, specifically Japan, let it be said that Olive Anastasia Potter didn't lack for an appropriate response and had been immensely astonished. To an honestly great extent.

An aunt that was entirely Muggle like Aunt Petunia (but she knew how bloody twisted the family tree could get so she wasn't really believing that tiny bit) and now goes by the name Rose Tsukishima.

Or Tsukishima Rose.

Nevermind that...

And look, according to her great sources, she also has two other cousins other than Dudley.

She'd thought hard about it, wondering if she'd ever heard Aunt Petunia mention anything about her other sister before, but Olive couldn't really remember anything. She'd surmised that if her prim and proper aunt had had a fit for having a witch as a sister, she would certainly have had the same problem with a free-spirited sister who had found another life in another continent.

She'd thought about writing to Aunt Petunia and ask her about it―and why she never even bothered to tell her―but decided against it immediately after thinking about it. As much as she wanted to learn more about her new aunt, she didn't really want to delve in deeper with that bunch, especially with nasty Uncle Vernon still there.

Olive didn't want anything to do with nasty Uncle Vernon.

So, with that part of the road closed, she and Hermione had looked for any information regarding her aunt, had found it and had decided to write her a letter, praying to all the gods that this aunt was nothing like Aunt Petunia.

She had received her reply―a very long and enthusiastic letter―two weeks later and had thanked the gods above that she wasn't. The mood of the letter had been very welcoming and with an email address from her aunt, she and Hermione had set up an account on the Internet for her to easily stay in touch with her newfound Aunt Rose.

Of course that didn't work well at the Burrow when she'd stayed there for some time, or at Hogwarts, where she had studiously finished her education together with Hermione seeing as Ron had went straight to Auror training after Kingsley offered the job.

Aunt Rose had known about magic though, so Olive didn't have any problems telling her that she'll be sending more letters than emails until she found a more suitable… medium to send messages. She and Hermione were still trying to figure out how to carry mobile phones in their pockets without combusting them, the experiments they'd done weren't going well so far.

She and her aunt had corresponded about a lot of things so everything had been covered (and she was right, Aunt Petunia really did hold a grudge at her for not being a proper woman and settling down and had instead chose to gallivant outside of the country).

After Olive was done with Hogwarts and not knowing what to do after that―besides helping Andromeda take care of Teddy most of the time and declining everything coming from the Ministry―her aunt had made a suggestion about how she could stay with her and her family in Japan. She'd added that while she's there, she could take the time to think about what her passion was and maybe find something new too.

She'd been really hesitant at first, the main reason being Teddy. She loved him with all her heart and she didn't like the thought of Teddy looking for her, only to find out that she wasn't there with him. She didn't want Andromeda to think she was shirking her godmother responsibilities either. She couldn't leave Teddy. She couldn't do that to Remus and Tonks.

But it was Andromeda herself who had given her the push to go and that there was nothing wrong with spending time and knowing her recently discovered relatives. She'd mentioned to Andromeda about her doubts, and while she was grateful that Olive was worried about them, Andromeda had reassured her that they were going to be all right and immediate visits via Portkey could definitely fix the missing days.

Comforted and excited, she'd informed her aunt about her plans and asked what form of travel she would prefer. After telling her that any form of travel was okay―she had already told her husband about magic even before they got married, thinking that any children from her might also have it, and had then told something vague to her children years after, to which they smoothly took in stride―she'd packed for her trip, gotten herself a Portkey, said her tearful goodbyes, and had then been whisked away.

=o=

Olive had landed on a secluded area on her aunt's well-maintained and spacious backyard.

The moment she and her aunt had finally met was one fast but memorable event.

Aunt Rose was a cheerful woman, so unlike Aunt Petunia, and Olive loved it. After she'd been hugged and squished, Olive had been introduced to her uncle-in-law, Haruki Tsukishima, who was also a really nice man and her cousins, Akiteru, being the older and expressive brother and Kei, the taciturn younger brother.

It had been a really good thing that all of them understood and spoke English because Olive didn't really know any Japanese and that would have made communication much harder and a bit disastrous.

Seeing as she had Portkeyed on their backyard, Olive was prudent enough to explain magic in detail, which was okay because this was her aunt, her mother's sister, and her children probably have some little bit of magic in them too, they just didn't know it. Besides she'd thought some things through and got permission from Kingsley, who talked to someone from the Japanese Ministry of Magic, just so she wouldn't really be breaking the Statute of Secrecy.

She had retold her stories without the very gruesome parts and had answered their questions as best as she could. She retired that night thinking about how easygoing this part of the extended family was, because she did drop something quite unbelievable in one day and all they did was nod, made her do some little magic, and asked more questions until they were sufficiently satisfied.

Olive had done a lot of things after that. She'd studied Japanese, which had been very difficult at first but had eventually made Aunt Rose proud with her botched phrases and sentences, and had helped her aunt around the house while contemplating about what she's going to do in life.

She'd gotten to know more about her aunt's family too. Olive had talked about a lot of stuff with Aunt Rose and they certainly had moments where they'd cried over her mother (and her sister) who was lost to them. Uncle Haruki, on the other hand, was a very busy man, so she only sees him during the night and on the rare days he gets a day off. Akiteru, who took more like his mom and was more outgoing, was in university too so he's rarely seen at the house.

Her aunt may have also made a remark about how surprisingly curious Kei was about magic since, according to her, he was just so uninterested about anything, but Kei was really something else. He was so very blasé about everything and only has Yamaguchi Tadashi, a sweet black-haired boy with cute freckles, as a friend. She understood what made her aunt worry.

Olive had been working on with him though―by feeding him his favorite shortcakes―and she's had great results so far.

It seemed that her being there made a small positive impact on their life and Olive, being a sucker for compliments, was pleasantly happy she could at least bring that little change.

She'd made visits to the Wizarding Community of Japan too. She and her aunt had gone to the Japanese Ministry of Magic, and they had done something she didn't really understand but she could now use a phone and do her magic freely in her aunt's house. They had also gone to a Wizarding Bank to get some currencies changed because no matter how her aunt insists that it was fine, she will not be munching off of her without giving her aunt her share of the expenses; she already had two children going off to school, Olive didn't really want to become a burden.

All in all, everything was going well, and she was loving her stay in Japan that later on, after much deliberation, she'd decided to train as a Healer in one of the Magical hospitals in Tokyo. The training was arduous but Olive was prepared for it. She'd even suggested to her aunt about finding a place for herself but was immediately shot down.

Olive still missed the people back in England but knowing that she could easily get Portkeys, the number of times she visited England weren't lacking.

Everybody from England was fine, everything from her side was doing fine―even though Healer training made her so busy, it takes most of her bloody time―and for the first time ever, Olive felt she could finally live her life the way she wanted.

=o=

"I'm back."

Olive heard Kei's voice from the entryway to where she was currently splayed down carelessly on the couch in the living room.

She immediately sat upright, replying back, "Welcome back!"

Olive had her day off yesterday and today and after knowing about Kei being a volleyball player at a school named Karasuno High and hearing about some Interhigh competition, she'd made a decision to not miss watching their games.

Olive got along really well with Akiteru and her older cousin had mentioned something about how he and Kei didn't really have the same closeness as before. A certain trigger that had happened when Akiteru had been on the same school. Akiteru didn't elaborate any further but judging from the expression she'd noticed from him when Kei had made a passing remark about being a member of the Volleyball Club, she deduced it was certainly something related to the sport.

Akiteru at that time wasn't willing to share too much yet and Olive definitely understood, making it her personal goal to look out for Kei, and when Aunt Rose made a passing comment about their tournament, Olive decided she wanted to see Kei play the sport that got him interested enough to join the club.

Now, Olive knew that Kei was a clever young man, but she also knew that there was something holding him back. She didn't want to be pushy about it―because Olive believed that Kei needed to be the one to realize it for himself―but she could at least give him a little nudge and make him talk about it.

Sports. She could talk sports with her cousin, even if she didn't know much about said sports.

"Are you hungry? There's enough food left for you and Haruki-oji-san. Do you want me to reheat them up for you?"

Kei gave her an incredulous look before turning to the fridge, rummaging for something.

"The strawberry shortcake is behind the strawberry tarts. Oba-san moved it earlier after she finished cleaning the fridge," Olive helpfully supplied, knowing what he was looking for.

Kei got the shortcake out and with a spoon, sat down on the opposite side of the long couch she was currently occupying.

"You treated the whole team with an unlimited meal. You think I could get hungry any more than usual?" he asked, uncovering the plastic wrap and digging his spoon on the cake.

Olive disbelievingly stared at him, pointing at the cake, "You're holding a cake that's definitely bigger than a normal slice. You sure you're asking me the right question?"

Kei shrugged and continued to consume his cake, "Takeda-sensei told me to relay his gratefulness for treating the team today. I don't know what you're thinking, Nee-san, but you didn't have to do that."

Olive stood up and got Kei a glass of water from the kitchen before settling back down, "Don't worry about it. I wanted to do it for you and your teammates. You seem to have really nice teammates too. That orange-haired kid certainly looked interesting enough, really cute too."

Kei let out a grimace as he took another bite, "And loud too. They're all a rambunctious bunch. It's annoying."

Olive chuckled, "They looked fine to me when I met them. You're so particular in picking out your friends, Kei."

"You haven't spent a day with them so you can't say that," Kei scoffed.

Olive made a waving motion with her hand, as if the action answered everything. She leaned back against the couch and asked, "How are you feeling, by the way? I know losing a game isn't really easy to deal with, especially if you're so invested in winning. It must've hurt."

Kei stared at her, a pensive look on his face. Olive knew it was a touch-and-go if Kei didn't want to answer but at least she tried. There's no beating around the bush with this kid anyway; Kei was painfully candid and she knew he also preferred it if the people he was talking with were straightforward too.

Olive didn't let it show but she was pleased when he finally replied, "It was fine. A lot of them cried really hard because they were really expecting to win but I can't be bothered much. It's just a club for me anyway. It's not like I have definite plans to continue playing after highschool."

Olive let out a hum, contemplative as she kept staring at him, asking after a moment had passed, "Did I tell you that I played Quidditch before when I was at Hogwarts?"

Kei looked at her, the unfamiliar word grabbing his interest, "No. What's that?"

She fully turned at him, sitting cross-legged as she explained, "Basically, Quidditch is a flying game where you and your teammates ride a flying broomstick. There are three kinds of balls in the game: two are called Bludgers, which are enchanted to fly randomly and will definitely hit you hard if you don't watch out for it, the Quaffle, which you use for scoring and the Snitch, which is a small ball with wings that stops the game if you manage to catch it. Now, each team should have seven people in a game: three Chasers who scores by holding and passing the Quaffle and tossing it into the opponent's goal posts, two Beaters who hold a bat to…well, bat the flying Bludgers away from their teammates and hit their opponents instead, a Keeper who guards your team's goal posts so that the other team can't score and the Seeker who catches the Snitch. I played Seeker on my team so it's up to me or the opponent's Seeker to catch the Snitch so we could end the game."

Kei, who'd already finished his cake, attentively asked, "So if you don't catch it then the game won't end?"

Olive answered with a popping, "Yup!" before adding after remembering something, "That or if the Captains on both team could decide a mutual decision for the game. Nobody's willing to throw away the game of course, you'd be really dumb if you do that..."

Kei continued to only stare at her but didn't reply.

She continued, "Anyway, it's the reason why some games last for days. There will be time outs of course, but the game will continue until the Snitch is caught. My team was really, really competitive and my Captain before me was very obsessed with the game there was no other option except for winning and that you will die trying. Literally. The Chasers have to keep scoring so that when their Seeker catches the Snitch, their points will be way ahead from the other team, because there are cases wherein the Seeker might catch the Snitch but if the points combined are lower from what the other team has then the win will ultimately be given to that other team."

Olive straightened out her legs in front of her, wriggling her toes at her cousin who glanced at them and grimaced.

She pouted and continued, "Of course, it's a very dangerous game. You could fall off your broom from hundreds of feet above the air and then your bones will break into a thousand pieces, or you could crash into the stands and still have your bones broken into a thousand pieces, or you could just simply die. It was a very simple way to go. Bones could be mended with potions after all. You still with me, beloved cousin?"

Kei nodded, a scared but fascinated look plastered on his face.

Olive didn't think Kei could give out such a cute expressions but here he was, and she was victoriously ticking off a box in her head for a list of Kei's Capable Expressions.

"Well, I don't have any idea about people who'd died because of the game but that is always a possibility. There are spells that could slow you down if you fall from your broom but I certainly broke a few bones while playing the game," she sighed, her eyes glazed as she thought about how nice it was to play Quidditch again.

Olive was jolted out of her thoughts when Kei insistently poked her knees, an annoyed glare aimed at her. Olive couldn't help but let out a soft laugh as she leaned forward and ruffled his hair. Kei was like a sponge when it comes to things regarding magic; his facial expression might not reflect what he was currently feeling but his eyes would always say otherwise. The heat of his glare certainly intensified when he swiped her hand away from him.

She grinned at him before saying, "Okay, okay. So I used to play the game during my school year at Hogwarts, or even when it's just a friendly game at one of my friend's house. You know, that got me thinking, maybe I could get all of you to come with me when I go for an extended vacation to England. That way you could really see what I'm talking about instead of just envisioning it all in your head. But anyway, we were all avid fans of the sport so naturally our drive to win was very strong. Quidditch was really something else, Kei. The moment you fly your broom up the sky is an exhilarating moment you won't ever forget and the adrenaline you feel when you chase after the Snitch is very intense, but nothing really compares to actually feeling that small, golden ball in your hands," this she said with a grasping motion with her hand in front of her.

Kei continued to stare at her with wide eyes, enraptured.

Olive resumed her story with knitted eyebrows, "We won some games but we also lost some of them. It was absolutely disheartening when I couldn't catch the Snitch due to various reasons and circumstances, because believe me, a lot of things I couldn't control always happened to me before, and to ultimately know that we had lost after. The sting of the losses was always so painful, I can't deny that, especially when you're that close to winning. After a few days, you essentially move on but you won't ever forget that feeling that maybe you should've done better."

She gave him an earnest look before ruffling his hair and standing up, stretching her hands before looking back at her cousin with a gentle smile, "All I'm saying is that you loved volleyball enough to do it, it wouldn't hurt to try your best so you won't have any regrets," then poked his forehead before taking the plate and spoon from the table and washing it on the sink, "Well, who knows. You're young so you still have time to figure everything out."

With the dishes done and back to their proper places, Olive began walking out of the living room, giving her cousin a reassuring pat on his head before completely going out, "You'll figure it out. You're a clever kid. In the meantime, you should shower and get some sleep. You still have school."

Kei absentmindedly nodded and with a flick on his nose, she bid him goodnight and went up the stairs, only to see Aunt Rose standing on the very top step, clearly listening in on their conversation, judging from her sniffles and wet eyes.

"Oba-san!" Olive hissed.

Aunt Rose pinched her cheeks and fondly patted her head before going downstairs without saying a word.

Olive gave her departing back a confounded look before shrugging shrugging and going inside her room.

That actually went better than she'd expected. At least Kei didn't outright leave when she got talking. Her cousin clearly had better manners than her.

Olive tried, she thought as she prepared herself for bed, and it was Kei's turn to actually realize what he really wanted.

=o=

"Do you want anything in particular, Kei?"

"Not really."

"Then how about I make another shortcake? Your final exams are coming up, right? You might need the sugar to stay up late at night to study."

"Tea and coffee could give me the same benefits. It makes me think you're trying to fatten me up because you keep making desserts."

"I certainly am. You're balancing schoolwork with club activities and both will take a toll on your body if you don't eat a lot. Think about the energy you're always expending, Kei."

"You know it doesn't work like that. It's called a balanced meal, Nee-san. You're only thinking about desserts."

"So you're saying no to shortcake?"

"… Fine. Make it big?"

Olive patted him on the arm as she replied, "Of course, my beloved cousin. Let's get going so we can get out of this mess once and for all."

Kei glanced down at her, "Still don't like crowded places then?"

"Loathe them," she firmly replied as she gripped the bags she was holding on one hand more tightly. She left her wand arm free just in case. Olive might've been away from England for a year now but she wouldn't lose anything if she still had her guards up. Constant vigilance and all that rot.

Kei noticed her discomfort and frowned, "Why'd you even volunteered to go to the market in the first place?"

"Your mom's been working a lot of chores today. I decided to help her anyway."

"You're busy with your training and you barely even sleep. Even Mom knows that."

"I still want to help in any way I can. I can't just stay in bed all day, you know. Tempting but no can do."

"I can certainly do that," Kei grouched.

Olive yanked his arm sleeve as she directed them both to a fruit stall, "Well, we're not doing any of that today. Come on already so we can go home and I can bake your cake."

The market was busy as usual, the place full of people doing what they needed to do and Olive had decided to bring Kei along so that he could at least go somewhere that's out of his normal routine.

Kei was a withdrawn type of person and on his way to becoming a recluse―his dinosaur set his only companion―but she couldn't brag she was any different either. Her training demanded more of her time that she only goes home to sleep before going back out again. It wasn't something she could consider healthy but Olive guessed that this was what university life was all about.

The duo just finished procuring the necessary things they needed, the crowd slowly getting on her nerves, and was in the middle of choosing a pack of strawberries when a voice unfamiliar to her―but not to Kei―spoke beside them.

"Oh, if it isn't Four Eyes."

The cousins started, both in deep thought regarding which strawberries they should get, and simultaneously looked at the guy with brown eyes and brown hair that looked like it was being deliberately swept outwards. Beside him was a kid currently gorging down a bread of some kind.

Kei definitely knew the guy, she thought as she noticed him frown. He was somewhat familiar too but she just couldn't place the face somewhere. Olive was thinking really hard when she her attention focused back on the kid.

"Your kid's going to eat all the bread you have if you're not careful," she pointed out.

The man, who was arrogantly smirking at her cousin, looked down at the kid and gasped, "Takeru! Save some milk bread for when we arrive home! And why are you even eating them now?"

The kid—Takeru—looked at the man beside him and answered, a pout on his face, "I did ask you, but you didn't listen and you just kept on looking everywhere."

The man mirrored Takeru's pout and snatched the bag from the kid, who in return looked indignant. He turned to them again and as if he just saw her, he questioned, "Oh, two Four Eyes?"

Olive's eyebrow twitched, "Kei, please tell me who the guy is before I beat him into a pulp."

Kei replied, "You don't have to be so violent, Nee-san. You're setting a bad example to the kid too. You don't want to get your hands dirty anyway."

"I feel like getting my hands dirty today. Now, who's the guy?" she asked before letting out a hum, bemused, "I feel like I know you from somewhere."

"You didn't. You just felt like you saw him but you really didn't."

"Kei…"

Kei sighed out, exasperated, before giving the man a cool look and saying, "Oikawa Tooru. He's the Captain of Aoba Johsai. I don't know the kid though."

The kid curiously peered up at her and greeted, "I'm Takeru! I'm his nephew! You're the only person outside my family besides Iwa-san to want to punch Tooru, Nee-san. You're so cool."

"Takeru, don't say things like that!"

"Who's Iwa-san, Kei?"

"Don't know. I'm going to pay these already so we can go. We can't have you associating with guys everywhere."

Olive nodded and replied to the kid, "Hullo. Thanks for the compliment."

"You're welcome!"

Olive trained her eyes back to the tall man in front of her, staring for a while before she finally remembered him, "Ohhh, that guy…"

Oikawa scowled at her, "What does that even mean?"

She shrugged and replied, "Nothing. I'm Potter Olive. I watched your game against Karasuno High. You're quite talented, Oikawa-san, a fact you have definitely proven by beating Karasuno, but they're going to win next time. Also, there's something about you I don't particularly like."

Oikawa let out a loud gasp, exceptionally stunned at her candidness. Takeru looked at Olive in awe as if she just defeated a final boss in a video game.

"But still... Good play, Oikawa-san. I don't know a lot about volleyball and I've only ever seen a few games but I could definitely see you're really talented."

Oikawa didn't really know how it went from point A to point B, but Oikawa was a charmer through and through, and so, after pulling himself together, he plastered on a blinding wide smile and replied, "Thanks! I don't know Glasses very well either but he's really good too!"

She grimaced at the nickname and let out a snort, "Yes, he is but we'll see," she swept a thorough gaze on him and Oikawa, who was used to people―girls especially―ogling at him, just felt like there was something different with this particular look.

A moment of silence and Olive trained her eyes on his knees a little longer―to which he definitely noticed―before looking up and giving him a mysterious smile that unnerved Oikawa.

Oikawa planted one hand on his hips, the other one holding his nephew's shirt to avoid him from running off, and gave Olive a suggestive and haughty look, "Did I pass your inspection, Potter-san?"

Olive copied his stance as she daringly smirked back, "I absolutely like what I see, Oikawa-san."

She felt someone tug on her ponytail and Kei was suddenly beside her, "Please stop being so shameless."

She gave her cousin a sweet smile and lied, "I wasn't. Perfectly innocent."

Kei didn't believe her one bit and said, "You don't want to stay with him for too long anyway. You might catch something."

Oikawa irately huffed at his remark but was ignored.

Olive solemnly nodded before looking back to Oikawa, "Nice meeting you, Oikawa-san. We'll see you around," then glanced down at Takeru and added, "Careful there. The apples will topple over."

Oikawa heard Tsukishima drawl out an apathetic 'See you' before instantly looking down at his nephew who had decidedly reached out to an apple on one of the stalls, "Takeru, not that one!"

The cousins went on their way, the argument between uncle and nephew easily drowned out by the prevailing noise of the market.

They didn't see Oikawa glance at their departing backs, a glint of interest lingering on his sharp eyes as it zeroed in on the black-haired woman.