Sawamura's day off

by Bernaze123

Hinata Shoyo invited Sawamura Eijun to come and watch his team's game in Tokyo against the Schweiden Adlers. Eijun was looking forward to it and used his day off from practice to come and watch the game. Due to his overexcitement, he forgot to tell it to the rest of the team that he's going to be out of the school that day.

6. 3:00 pm

Chapter 6: 3:00 pm

Three years ago, 2nd-year middle school. Middle School National Tournament, August

"It's the Akagi's ace."

"I heard Shiratorizawa Academy and Itachiyama Institute scouted him despite being a junior."

"He has that confident presence even outside court, huh?"

"Is that the rumored Hyuuga? They say he's called the lighthouse of the court."

The crowd watched as the Akagi volleyball team made its way again to Nationals this year. Everyone was curious about the school that managed to defeat several strong teams in their respective region. Last year everyone doubted this team. They said it was just a fluke that they managed to go here, and the team will undoubtedly lose on its first match. In the end, they were stunned when the team became one of the top 4 teams in the middle school division. And it's all because of these two main power of the team: Sawamura Eijun and Hyuuga Haru. All eyes were mainly on the former.

An energetic individual roared a burst of harsh laughter, and it echoed everywhere when he and his team entered the wide court of the arena. There he was. Sawamura Eijun, 14 years old. He took a deep breath.

'Shoyo-san was right; It does smell like air salonpas no matter which court you are!' He stretched his mouth into a wide grin as he examined his surroundings.

His teammate, Hyuuga Haru, the team's setter, scolded him for his sudden and rowdy behavior. The team gave him a special elbow-kick combination as well before Eijun could manage to defend himself from his team's unexpected attack.

"I know we are not going to have a game today because we are seeded, but that doesn't mean you would go around causing a scene, Sawamura!" Ninsei, the team's vice-captain, grabbed him into a chokehold. Eijun struggled to escape from the grasp of the wild wing spiker.

"Ugh. I yield, boar-senpai!" Eijun said in a croaky voice as he tried tapping out on Ninsei.

"Right right. That's enough, Ninsei." Ichigo, the team captain as well one of their middle blockers, managed to separate the two. Eijun hid behind his tall captain from the wild boar senpai. The kohai pulled out his tongue mockingly, much of the annoyance of his senpai.

"Cheeky Lil twerp. You're lucky Ichi's on your side." Both glared at one another.

"You say that, Nin-nin but we all know that out of the three of us seniors, you're the most caring when it comes to Sawamura." Shiki, another 3rd-year middle blocker, teased.

"Tch. I don't know what the hell you're talking about." Ninsei ignored his friend and went near the court to watch a certain team playing.

Eijun managed to survive from his senpai's wrestling move and gets to live another day. He cannot imagine someone else doing this to him. It annoyed the hell out of Eijun but deep down, he respected his senpai. Quietly, he walked beside Ninsei, and they both silently watched the game. Whoever wins this match will be their opponent the next day, after all.

Eijun observed the players on the court. Everyone's legs look like they're about to give out soon, but not one player looked like he was about to give up. Eijun's heart raced. Was it because he's nervous? Excited? Both? Who knows. Apparent signs of exhaustion but everyone stood with their heads held high, switching up gears—the hunger of wanting to play more.

It gave Eijun goosebumps.

He closed his eyes and embraced the moment right there. It must have been tiring for them but Eijun knows that feeling very well. He could already imagine their game tomorrow: the sweat, the never-ending thrill on who gets the ball, the sound of the squeaky shoes, the spikes, and the digs. Everything will feel good.

And to think he's going to give this all up soon.

Present time. Locker Room.

2:15 pm

Hinata Shoyo arrived in the locker room with something in his hands. Eijun requested it, and Hinata absolutely couldn't say no.

"Here you go, Eijun." Hinata handed him the compression arm sleeves. It's to protect his arms from bruising too much when he plays volleyball. Eijun was relieved when the Black Jackals gave him a tracksuit earlier during their practice, though it gave him a bit of hard time to move around. Some minor bruises can be easily overlooked when he took the suit off, but it was more than enough to worry Eijun. He won't hear the end of Coach Kataoka and Miyuki Kazuya's nonstop lecture once they saw the bruises on their pitcher's arms, especially Miyuki Kazuya. Heck, Miyuki might not even allow him to pitch again at this rate. Eijun's already frustrated he couldn't pitch today, and he will be running amok in the dorms and the field if it got extended to another day.

Eijun carefully wore the thick sleeves and stretched it all over his arms. He tried positioning his arms together to test out the comfortability of the sleeves. It was a bit tight at first, but he managed to get used to it in no time. As an added precaution, Atsumu helped him taped his fingers.

Eijun is surprisingly aware of the risk and the possibility of injury if he plays volleyball later. Luckily, Hinata and Sakusa willingly helped him do numerous warmups and exercises to help his body condition later. They even gave him some pieces of advice.

Then, he heard a weird noise coming from none other than Bokuto Kotarou. In his hands were one of his extra pair of long knee pads. Bokuto's hair slumped down, his eyes were getting restless, and he kept fidgeting around Eijun. Eijun didn't say anything. He knows what Bokuto wants from him. He was like this since Eijun asked for the arm sleeves. But the continuous fidgeting and the never-ending whining coming from Bokuto left Eijun no choice. He faced the restless owl.

"Kotarou-san, it's okay. I don't dive a lot anyways. A pitcher needs to take care of his arms and fingers. I don't want to have a lot of bruises after the match, after all." Eijun showed his arms, but Bokuto is still not satisfied. Bokuto pouted and started flailing around the pads as if they were balloons. Sakusa Kiyoomi frowned, not happy with what Bokuto is doing.

"Put that thing back in your locker, Bokuto, or I fucking swear I won't let Miya set for you later." Sakusa's frown deepened into a scowl. A mischievous half-naked Atsumu went along with his boyfriend's 'threat' to Bokuto and gladly said he really wouldn't. It's incredible how Sakusa is uncomfortable with Bokuto's knee pads than a bare top Atsumu. Whether or not Atsumu was serious about not setting for Bokuto later, the couple earned a look from Meian Shuugo. Meian whispered something to Oliver Barnes.

Bokuto persists. "But Omi-omi! Junei and I could've been a match. We'd be unstoppable in the wings of the court and, at the same time, stylish. We could even start a trend. The world will go nuts once they see the both of us in these long pads." He started showing how elastic the pads were, but it made everyone groan in annoyance, except Hinata and Eijun, who seemed convinced by the possibility of a trend about long knee pads. Viva la Long Knee Pads!

"Just a minute there, Kotarou-san," Eijun put his hand on his chin, imagining Bokuto's dream of the long knee pads trend and might even consider wearing them to match with his beloved Bokuto. "I think you're on to something! Here, lemme-"

When Eijun was about to take the pads, Barnes took it off from Bokuto's hands- a silent order from their captain. While smiling, he looked at Bokuto.

"I think it's a wonderful idea to start a trend, Bokuto. But please don't drag Sawamura to your weird antics. He's a good kid." Bokuto flinched before Barnes. Even Bokuto is smart enough to know that underneath Barnes smile, something is menacing behind it. Bokuto nodded, but his hair was flopped down more than ever. Sakusa just sighed in relief while Atsumu pinched his boyfriend's cheeks, though Sakusa quickly swatted his hands away.

Eijun felt bad about Bokuto's one-sided rejection, but he knows what to do about it. It was what Akaashi Keiji taught him years ago. He went in the middle of the locker room and put one of his legs on top of the benches, showing off his knees.

"Geeez, I sure need some good normal-length knee pads. Even if I don't dive a lot later, I still need to protect my knees. I wonder where I could get one on such short notice? " He said in a robotic tone. Hinata and the others realized what's he doing and were amused by it. Bokuto's ears started to twitch. It's working.

Eijun continued, "Hey, Kotarou-san? Do you happen to know someone who has some stylish knee pads?"

Like a puppy excited to go out for a walk, Bokuto's eyes lit up. He went to his locker and started rummaging something inside. A few seconds later, he handed Eijun his pair of kneepads.

"Hey, hey, Junei, hey! I happen to know someone who has some stylish knee pads: Me!" He used his two thumbs to point himself. Everyone clapped as he put on his smug look. Eijun graciously thanked his beloved Bokuto for the stylish pads, and all is well for these grown men in the locker room.

Eijun quickly went to the mirror to check himself. He whistled at the sight of a different Sawamura Eijun right in front of him. His legs were finally exposed, and his dedication to lower body workouts has finally paid off, for he can't stop looking at his thighs. It was thick and firm, and he could see the taut muscles every time he tries to flex his legs.

If thighs could kill, Sawamura Eijun would be a wanted man.

Hinata went to check upon him. The young baseball player kept on looking at his jersey from the front and back.

'Like a dog chasing after its tail.' Hinata commented silently.

"Ya look good'n our jersey, Eijun-kun." Atsumu leaned over to one of the lockers. He is still not wearing his jersey for some reason.

"Thanks, Atsu-san. I always find the Black Jackals jersey pretty cool. Since it has my name and number, I assume I get to keep the uniform, including the Black Jackals shoes and also that tracksuit you guys gave me this morning?" He turned around to face the half-naked setter.

"Yep. All part of the package as the chosen player, ya see." Atsumu smiled. He's already imagining taking lots of pictures with Eijun later. He's going to make Osamu jealous for sure.

"Are you planning to play half-naked later, Miya?" Sakusa threw the setter's jersey right on his face. "Change to your jersey already." He grimaced.

"Atsumu," Atsumu said in a muffled voice as he took the jersey off from his face. He looked at Sakusa in a manner of subtle tease and aggressiveness. Only Sakusa knows the real meaning behind it. "How many times do I have to tell ya just to call me by my name, Omi-kun?"

If it weren't for Sakusa's mask covering most parts of his face, everyone could've seen his scorned face: lips pulled up in annoyance and the possible twitching of his mouth. Hinata knew right away what would happen, so he pulled Eijun away from the 'flirting' couple. Eijun was about to question what's happening. Still, Hinata managed to distract him by asking about his pitches which Eijun took the bait and gladly discussed it with Hinata, completely ignoring the couple. Bokuto joined with them and eagerly listened as well as he put his chin over Eijun's head.

'Really? He's doing this now of all places?'

Sakusa narrowed his eyes to the sly setter leaning over the locker, who placed the jersey over his shoulder with a wide grin on his face.

"I ain't gonna wear anythin' til ya call me Atsumu," he sounded like a child in his low and teaseful voice. "like last night."

Everyone groaned. Inunaki Shion buried himself in his towel from awkwardness, Meian contemplating whether or not he wants to beat them up while Adriah Thomas is holding him back, and Barnes is just smiling as he feels giddy just by looking at Atsumu and Sakusa for some reason. 'Ah, the youth.'

The rest of the team was looking at them, thoroughly annoyed. Luckily Hinata is doing a great job distracting Eijun. He's too innocent for this.

Sakusa gritted his teeth. His blush is starting to reach in his ears as he clenched his hands.

'This fucking fox is enjoying this.' Sakusa scowled at the setter while Atsumu was just waiting. He enjoyed doing this to Sakusa, especially in front of their team. More chances of having it his way.

Not accepting defeat, Sakusa sighed and walked towards Atsumu. He grabbed hold of both of Atsumu's hands, raised them, and pushed them on the wall, startling the setter. Atsumu struggled but the grip of his boyfriend's hands was strong (well, he's not hailed as the top ace back in the high school years for nothing). Sakusa stared at him closely, so close that Atsumu could feel the curls of Sakusa's hair tickling his face.

"Uhm, Omi-kun. Could ya release me?" He let out a nervous laugh.

Sakusa didn't say a word. He shook his head as he examined Atsumu's expression. From the rising panicky eyes down to his soft lips. Atsumu could hear him chuckle behind the mask. He then noticed Sakusa leaning in close. Atsumu gulped as his body heat began to rise when Sakusa got closer and closer to where his lips are.

This is better than what Atsumu originally planned.

He closed his eyes, puckered his lips, and waited.

And waited.

And waited for what seems like an eternity.

Then he felt a sort of fabric going in between his arms. He opened one of his eyes and realized what Sakusa was doing. With a swift move of his other hand, Sakusa quickly pulled down the jersey over Atsumu's arms and shoulders until they are now entirely on Atsumu's body. He then released his grip on Atsumu's hands and exhaled deeply. He wiped his forehead as if he did an intense workout.

"Well done." Sakusa praised himself and walked away. Atsumu, now wearing his jersey, fell to his knees as he buried himself on the floor, hiding his flustered and defeated face.

'This idiot couple.' Everyone glared except Eijun, who was showing grips to Hinata and Bokuto. Bokuto doesn't get it, but he enjoyed listening to Eijun while Hinata was fascinated by it.

'He got me. He fuckin' got me, and I took the bait!' Still on his knees, he watched his boyfriend's back. 'You win in this round, Omi-omi.'

"And that's how I grip the improved cutter! Eh? Atsu-san, are you okay?" Eijun noticed the defeated setter shaking on the floor.

"Ignore him, Sawamura," Sakusa passed by the confused pitcher. "Just ignore him."

A moment of silence to our fallen comrade.

2:20pm

Eijun went outside of the locker room to get something to drink in the vending machine not far from the locker room. He could hear his shoes squeaking across the hallway. He giggled as each step he takes; the squeakiness is getting louder and louder. Then out of nowhere, memories suddenly came to him like a wave.-

Three years ago, 2nd-year middle school. August

The team lost in the semi-finals, but everyone had fun. It was enough for the people to take more notice of Sawamura Eijun. More high school scouts were eyeing him.

The new Generation of Monsters.

That's what people keep on whispering. He may exceed more when he goes to high school, and they can't wait to see a new monster in the making.

The bus going back to Nagano was full of jokes and laughter, and Eijun was the loudest among them all. When they arrived in school, they had a quick meeting, and Haru became their next captain, and the vice-captain was Ishikawa Ayumu, a junior middle blocker. A few weeks later, Haru was chosen to participate in the inter-prefectural middle school tournament held in December. Everyone was shocked that Eijun wasn't selected to be with his setter pair. However, no one from the team knows that the coach and the club advisor declined the invitation of participation in the inter-prefectural tournament addressed to Eijun.

The coach, the club advisor, and Eijun had a private conversation in the advisor's office while the others were in the gym.

"Coach, are you sure about this? I could still do it, you know. It could be my last hurrah as a volleyball player and whatnot." Eijun said in a concerned and calm tone, a rare thing indeed. The coach and the advisor exchanged looks.

"I know you mean well, Sawamura, but we're worried that the more you are recognized in the volleyball world, the more unnecessary attention will hinder you once you leave the team, and I'm sure that's the least you wanted. I saw Wakana and the rest of your friends preparing the fields for you to join them soon. To make it easier for you, we could be the ones to tell everyone in the team that you're quitting so that you could prepare earlier for your new team. I'm sure they'll understand." His club advisor said.

Eijun shook his head. He knows that he has to be the one to tell it to them. It's only fair.

Eijun admits that they're a strong team even when he's not around anymore. He saw them playing when he wasn't joining with them last time, and when he saw his team play, it reminded him of the Karasuno team back then. With their intense passion for volleyball, surely they'd understand where Eijun is coming from when it comes to baseball.

There are 16 members in the team, including Eijun and his three senpais, who recently retired. They won't accept new members next year due to the circumstances of the school.

"I'll be the one to tell it to them, sensei. It's the least I could do. I could tell it to everyone after Haru goes back from the tournament. I want the team to focus on it first over anything else."

"You sure about that? The tournament is still a few months away."

"I'll tell it to them on February when it's off-season. It'll be easier."

"Are you sure, Sawamura? We could just tell them now-"

Eijun smiled. "Yes. I'm sure. More time for me to plan out a script on what to say to them after all. Nyahaha!"

Both of them reluctantly agree, but they had no choice. Eijun excused himself as he went out of the office. They stared at his back the moment he got out, and they both remembered the first time Eijun told them about his decision to leave the club. They were deeply upset about it. And Eijun just silently listened to everything they had to say. It was the usual, just like how Kageyama Tobio reacted when he first heard it as well. Once he waited for his coach and his club advisor to calm down, he bowed his head lower than usual and apologized numerous times. He explained further how he admits that he feels terrible about the sudden announcement. Still, he wants to be on a baseball team in his last year of middle school to make more fond memories here in Akagi Middle School before it gets demolished. The coach and the advisor realized how serious Eijun was and accepted it in the end.

Akagi Middle School didn't have a baseball team when Eijun entered his freshmen year due to a lack of funds and equipment. He joined the volleyball team instead. Even if he's passionate about playing baseball, he still has that particular love for volleyball. Perhaps guilt had something to do with him joining the club since, according to him, he was the disciple of numerous volleyball freaks when he was in Miyagi, and it might be a waste not to use the things he learned from them. And it doesn't hurt just to try it out. Every time volleyball practice was done, he would go and play baseball with the kids in his neighborhood right away. Everyone in his team knew about it, thinking it was just a break after an intense training session. All the running around the field might even increase Eijuns stamina when he's in the court.

He may not have realized this but he was a volleyball genius. He learned volleyball as if it was his second nature when he was ten years old. Even Kageyama Tobio and the famous Ukai Ikkei were fully aware of it. This is why out of the Karasuno team, Kageyama was the one who was most upset and frustrated over Eijun's decision. Eijun cried at that time, not knowing the reason for Kageyama's visible frustration, leaving Kageyama feeling guilty and earning numerous punches and punishments from his fellow teammates. Hinata kicked his ass the most, all while comforting Lil Eijun.

Eijun took a deep breath before entering the school gym. Once he was ready, he entered the gym. His teammates were doing serving drills when he entered, and they all stopped immediately to greet their beloved ace.

"Ei-chan!" A fellow wing spiker himself, Hitachin Ryota lunged forward towards Eijun. "What did the coach say about you not joining with Haru? Will you guys file a complaint or something?"

"Yota, stop that," Ryohei, another wing spiker, grabbed his older twin brother before he could tackle Eijun. "But yeah, Ei-kun, will you file a complaint? You not being chosen is ridiculous."

"You guys are over-dramatic," Eijun scratched his head. "And why would the coach have to anyways? Haru is our best player on the team. I'm more surprised the whole team wasn't chosen."

"You." Haru corrected him. Frustrated that his fellow ace wasn't chosen to join with him. "Don't forget that you are also one of the best players in the team, Eijun."

"I agree!" Murase Kaito, the cheerful libero, jumped over the wing spiker Usui Mamoru's shoulders as the latter was busy tightening his protective pads on his arms.

"Yeah yeah, whatever you guys say," Eijun let out crude laughter, which the team should be used to by now but still get annoyed by it from time to time. He then called out Ando Kazuki, who was busy practicing his blocks between the net. "Kazu-nyan! Could I borrow your manga again?"

Kazuki groaned but went to his bag to grab the manga and handed it to Eijun. "You've been reading way too much manga lately, Eijun. And it's about baseball again."

Eijun grinned as he received the manga from his teammate.

"I know, right? He even dragged Natsume and me to play that video game," Narumi Tamaki, another libero, yawned as he flopped his entire body onto the floor. "What is it called again? Jekyu?"

"Jikkyo Powerful Pro Yakyu series." Ito Natsume, another middle blocker, corrected him as he went closer to Eijun, who was already preoccupied with reading the manga.

Mamoru hopped beside Eijun as he eyed the ace suspiciously. "You know you're getting more interested in baseball lately, Ei. It seems like it's all about baseball to you at this point."

Eijun, startled, looked at Mamoru. It's evident that Mamoru was teasing him, but Eijun couldn't help but feel like there was a certain seriousness in that question of his.

'Not yet. It's still too early.' Eijun thought.

"So I'm not allowed to read and play video games that are sport-related?" Eijun joked. "C'mon Mamoru, just look at the art! This main character is amazing. Everyone all looked down on him, but that doesn't stop him from becoming an ace in his 2nd year." Eijun showed him the page that he's talking about.

"Huh. Not that you mentioned it does look pretty cool."

"I know. See this one part and -!"

Bam!

As if by instinct, Eijun caught the ball that headed right at him. It was strong and hard. He winced a bit on impact. He stared right between the net of the court to see his vice-captain smirking at him.

"God, Eijun. Baseball this, baseball that. We agreed that you wouldn't talk about baseball when we're on the court. Now get your sassy ass over here in the net and spike for me, will you? I want to practice my blockings." Grabbing another ball and spinning it around his finger, Ayumu crept a greedy smile. After Haru, Ayumu is a volleyball freak. Always hungry for more plays.

"That wasn't very nice, Ayu-chan. I could've hurt myself." Eijun's lips crept over half-smile. He put the manga down as he makes his way towards his vice-captain. He kept on bouncing the ball until he reached the middle of the court.

"I heard idiots don't get injured that much easily." Ayumu teased.

"Shut up you! You know what, if you can block my spikes 20 times, you owe me some meat buns." Eijun started his stretching as he grinned. Ayumu scoffed.

"Oh, you're on, Ace."

Their teammates watched them as Eijun effortlessly spiked his way between Ayumu's block, much to the latter's frustration.

Perhaps it was the way Eijun played volleyball or his presence within the court that it managed to affect everyone in the gym. What was supposed to be a blocking and spiking practice between Eijun and Ayumu became a full match among the team. Eijun laughed and enjoyed playing with his teammates as the day ends.

Everyone tried so hard to pull Haru away from practicing again since they're all about to leave. In the end, the match was tied, and everyone had a blast. Seeing everyone like this, Eijun let out a sad smile for some reason. He glanced over their team banner hanging over the top bleachers of the gym.

Many leaves, one tree.

'We're all individuals, but we're still connected.'

Present time

"Yo." A familiar voice stopped Eijun's tracks from his squeaky noise adventure and road to memory land. He was in the vending machine waiting for his drink to fall. Eijun stared at him and smiled. Like Eijun, he, too is wearing the jersey of his respective team.

"Want some too? It's on me." Haru asked even though he was already pressing some buttons on the vending machine before Eijun could answer. He could hear Eijun walking towards the benches right in front of him.

"And to think you almost wanted to beat me up so badly this morning," Eijun teased him as he sat down. "but thanks. The next one is on me."

Haru twitched at his comment but nodded as he handed Eijun his drink. He admits he was a dick earlier to Eijun. He then sat beside him. Eijun took a sip as he looked at the clock on the wall:

2:23 pm.

"Excited?" Haru asked as he started taking a sip from his drink.

Eijun shook his head.

"Honestly? I'm nervous. It's been a while since I played volleyball, and I don't want Shoyo-san and the others to expect so much from me. At least you have played volleyball since middle school, even till now. Me? My mind is full of baseball. Heck, I'm more nervous that I might not get to pitch a day or two again if I break a nail in later's match."

"Okay, first off, you don't have to beat yourself down that much. You're a better player than you think you are. I believe in you, so you should believe in yourself more. Second, I know we've talked about this earlier in the bus, but can you please stop thinking about baseball even when we're about to play later?"

Eijun's face was smiling, and Haru could see the wrinkles around his eyes that twinkled with a fiery passion.

"Me? Not thinking about baseball? Impossible. But I guess you're right." He shrugged lazily. "Otherwise, Atsu-san won't set for me if he noticed I'm not in the zone later. He can be annoying if that ever happens."

"Mhm."

It got quiet again. Haru took a sip once more from his drink.

"So, this team of yours. Care to share what they're like?"

"Eh? Why the sudden interest? And I thought you don't want me to talk about baseball?" Eijun tilted his head as he took a big gulp on his drink.

"This and that are different. Since you mentioned that you met someone that you wanted to throw your pitches with, I got curious. So this person must be a catcher, right? That person must be pretty special since he made you love baseball more."

Eijun spewed out his drink as his face got red. His lips crept into an upward cunning curve, and his eyes squinted slightly. Haru blinked as he came to realize something based on Eijun's reaction. Eijun's bad feeling senses are tingling.

"I-I just. No. It's not like that! I mean, it's about the sports seniority, so you can't help but respect the cap even though he could be an asshole sometimes-" Eijun's stuttering confirmed what Haru is thinking: Eijun has feelings for this catcher. And he can't wait to make fun of him about it. Eijun's too easy.

"Oh, so he's your senpai AND your captain. Interesting." Haru said in a long and humming way. Much to Eijun's embarrassment and annoyance.

"Screw you, Haru. It's not what you think at all!" Eijun wiped his mouth clean though a bit flustered. Haru could see his blush reaching on his ears.

"It's not?" He arched an eyebrow. He felt amused since this is the first time he has ever seen Eijun getting heavily embarrassed and a bit agitated. Eijun looked away for a second.

With a low voice and the apparent shame that comes along with it, he glanced at Haru.

"So what if I have feelings for the captain? Big deal. I'm going to kick you in the ass if you tell it anyone else."

"Oh, I didn't even ask about your feelings for him, yet here you are openly admitting it to me. You're straightforward as ever, Eijun." Haru held himself from laughing. He never expected Eijun just to come clean right away. He's too innocent for this world.

Eijun was speechless, and he feels like he wants to dig a hole and bury himself in it. He never even told his real feelings about Miyuki to Haruichi or Furuya or even to his roommates, but his former teammate whom he had bad blood with before found it out first.

Haru started bombarding questions to Eijun.

"So, what's his name? What's he like? How did you two meet? Does he know? Will you tell it to him?"

The poor pitcher seemed to have some steam around his head and was twitching all over. He didn't feel this way when he told it to Hinata. Perhaps it was more embarrassing if someone the same age as he knows about it. Or perhaps Hinata was easier to talk to. But this is too embarrassing for Eijun to bear.

"I feel like I want to run some laps with a tire right now." He sighed as he covered his face with his hands. Only his trusty ol' tire could save him from all this embarrassment.

"You do that, too?" Haru said with curious eyes. Eijun blinked between his fingers. He realizes that is the perfect time to distract Haru from putting him into the hot seat finally.

"Yeah! It became my habit when I was a freshman last year. I feel like something is missing after practice and all that." Eijun grinned and started to imagine his tire. He started missing Seidou more.

Haru's back strengthened as his face lit up. It surprised Eijun. Haru is now interested in the topic that he forgot his teasing to Eijun, which the latter planned initially.

"I get you! When I first got to Itachiyama, my team wasn't convinced I was that good of a setter, so I worked my ass off and did some personal training by running with a tire during my laps to prove them wrong. In my first Inter-high tournament, I was acknowledged, and the team and I finally get along. They even joined in my tire laps after training. They're a weird bunch, and they'd sometimes force me to do some stupid stunts with them. They are a handful of volleyball freaks, you know? Annoying, but still, they're good guys, especially the senpais."

Eijun observed Haru's expression. He was happy when he talked about his team. How they acknowledged him after seeing him work so hard. Eijun admits he's a bit jealous of Haru, being recognized and getting appreciated right off the bat. He was enjoying his new volleyball team. He looked like he was the same Haru that Eijun knew back in middle school. Eijun realized that Haru changed when he left his team back then, and he was probably the reason why the team fell apart. Then, Eijun felt something heavy on his chest. He started sweating. He clenched his jersey as he looked down.

Guilt.

Haru noticed Eijun's change of expression and got worried all of a sudden.

"I'm sorry," Eijun whispered, but Haru could hear it. "I'm sorry for what I did, Haru. God. I know this is all too sudden, but when I saw you happy talking about your team, it made me remember the times we did in middle school. This sucks. But I'm sorry."

Haru let out a deep sigh.

"Idiot. You say this now before we're about to have a match in a few minutes?" He looked at his former teammate. "How on earth will you focus now when you're like this?"

Eijun bit his lower lip. His visions are starting to blur as tears slowly getting in the way. He held his hands tightly in a fist. He never meant to cry, but the intense emotions got the better of him.

Perhaps he already felt guilty ever since he left the team.

After discovering what the team had done to him in middle school, he decided to forget about his negative feelings towards them and keep moving forward. He never expected to meet Haru, let alone play volleyball once again. Guilt disguised as a memory after seeing Haru. He was a selfish brat back then, huh?

'So much for getting over it, Eijun.' He scolded himself when he tried to hold his snot in. Small hiccups were heard from him, but Haru just looked the other way. He glanced at his former teammate while tapping his foot.

"Eijun, I am-"

"Eijun?" Someone suddenly appeared right in front of them.

Impossible. This hallway is exclusive for the players only.

The voice was deep but comforting.

The sound of family.

Eijun couldn't believe it. He looked at the person in front of him, and his eyes widened in surprise.

'No way.'

"Are you okay? Is something the matter?" The person crouched down and held his hands. It was rough and firm. Eijun remembered holding this hand when he was a kid.

With tears falling, Eijun blinked. His cousin Daichi gave him a reassuring smile as he wiped the tears from his little cousin's eyes.

"What are you doing here, Daichi-nii?"

Sawamura Daichi. Eijun's cousin and the one behind Eijun's fateful meeting with the rest of the Karasuno team. Eijun was an only child and practically saw Daichi as his beloved big brother, and Daichi loved Eijun as his little brother as well though he could be a handful from time to time. Eijun admired Daichi even when he was a child. When he heard Daichi and his team were finally going to Nationals, he bawled his eyes out and forced his parents to allow him to go and watch their game in Tokyo. He went with his grandfather in the end. Eijun knew Daichi would be busy in his police duties, so he'd seldomly call him as he grew up, but he still loves his cousin. And now here they are, meeting again unexpectedly. How? Miyagi and Tokyo are far from each other. Unless he was already here yesterday?

"What do you think? There's no way I'd miss my cousin's comeback in volleyball," Daichi let out a chuckle. "That and our agency has a small business trip here in Tokyo. It just so happens Hinata told us about you playing against Kageyama, and everyone went all the way here to watch. You wouldn't believe it when I tell you Ennoshita and Tsukishima sponsored the ticket expenses."

"I'd believe it if it was just Chikara-san alone, but Kei-san? Will it start raining chickens after this?" Eijun took a big sneeze from the handkerchief his cousin gave him. "And wait, did you just say everyone is here? Like here here? Even Yuu-san?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"Eh?"

From the corner of the hallway, he could hear fast footsteps coming in their way.

"EEIJUUUUUN!"

A voice that hasn't been heard in a very long time other than in a video call. Eijun stood right away and went to the middle of the hall as he watched the person running towards him with arms outstretched.

"Yuu-san!" He yelled. The energetic former libero took a big leap and tackled him, and they were all over the floor.

"You look amazing, Eijun. I can't believe you're going to play volleyball again!" Nishinoya Yuu, now a traveler, grinned widely on top of Eijun.

Eijun couldn't hide away his smile. Even his teeth are showing. His incredible brother figure, Nishinoya Yuu, came back to Japan. He closed his eyes and slapped himself numerous times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Once he opened his eyes again and saw Nishinoya's cat-like eyes staring right in front of him, he cried again.

"It really is you!"

"It is me! You've gotten so big. I see you've come so far. How's baseball lately? Have you met the others yet? Those arm sleeves of yours look pretty cool!"

"Yuu-san, I have so many things to tell you!" Eijun's snot was reaching all parts of his face.

"Nishinoya! How many times do I have to tell you not to scream in the hallways." Daichi pulled Nishinoya away from Eijun and helped his cousin up.

"Sorry. I was too excited to see Eijun. He looks great in his jersey, Daichi-san." Nishinoya nodded as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Daichi was wiping the tears out of Eijun again when Nishinoya finally noticed another person whom Eijun had forgotten the moment Daichi appeared. Haru felt out of place, but he didn't show it. He saw Nishinoya staring at him, and he bowed his head quickly.

He cleared his throat before standing up to introduce himself.

"Uh, hi. I'm Hyuuga Haru from Itachiyama Institute. Eijun and I used to be teammates in our junior high years."

Nishinoya beamed him a smile.

"Sorry! Nice to meet you. I'm Nishinoya Yuu and that right there taking care of Eijun is Sawamura Daichi, his cousin. Itachiyama's a pretty strong school. Good for you!"

Haru can already feel the positive aura emitting from this guy, and at the back of his mind, he thinks that this person is a high-leveled volleyball player. He has to be. Haru's instincts are never wrong, after all. He then glanced over to the Sawamuras. For some odd reason, Daichi is scolding Eijun as he cleans up the snot from his cousin's face. He stared at Eijun with deadpan eyes.

From the corner of his eyes, Eijun finally took notice of Haru. He pulled his cousin towards him.

"Daichi-nii! Yuu-san! May I introduce you to this fellow: Hyuuga Haru, the lighthouse of the court. Harumitsu! Legend says he could set the ball straight right in front of you, and he leads the flow of the game so well just like a lighthouse."

He swayed his head to Haru and back to where Daichi and Nishinoya are. The three of them just stared at the pitcher.

"Eh? No reaction? You guys okay?" Eijun suddenly panicked.

"Eijun," Daichi started to emit some dark energy behind him. Eijun flinched. "While you were busy with Nishinoya, Haru and I introduced ourselves. Haven't I told you always to mind your surroundings? It was rude to leave out Haru, you know."

"I didn't mean it, Daichi-nii! I was caught up in the moment, and I would never expect you guys to be here. It's too good to be true, after all. Ouch!"

Daichi hit his cousin in the head. "Even still, you idiot! I thought your baseball team taught you to be a well-disciplined individual and to mind your manners?"

"What are they, an ethic and value class? Don't bring up my team in this, idiot Daichi-nii. I still remembered it in the end. Let's all forgive and forget, okay?" Eijun covered his head. He forgot that Daichi is scary when he's like this.

"What did you say?" He glared at his little cousin. Eijun gasped.

"I mean, I apologized for my behavior, Daichi-nii-san," He softened his voice. Nishinoya was just giggling while Haru stared at the idiot. "It was rude of me to ignore a person while I was still bawling the hell out of my eyes and was distracted from meeting a person whom I haven't met for so long, and that-"

"That's enough," He stopped his cousin's rambling as he pulled the noisy one to him. "Now c'mere."

Without hesitation, Eijun hugged his cousin tightly.

"I miss you, Daichi-nii." Eijun nuzzled onto Daichi's chest. 'Ah. Big brother Daichi'

"I miss you too, you little idiot."

The scene touched Haru and Nishinoya. It was so touching that Nishinoya almost wants to take a picture in that beautiful moment right there and send it to the others. And he did. Haru saw a lot of Eijun's expressions today. From his agitated self to a clingy younger brother to his cousin. It's a good thing he stopped crying. Haru clenched his hands tightly as he remembered Eijun's apology to him.

Then, a tall figure came out of nowhere and wrapped himself around Daichi and Eijun, ruining a perfect moment. The latter struggled to move when he saw who the person was.

"Aww, a heartfelt reunion hug, and I wasn't invited?" With a cunning look along with his teaseful smile, Kuroo Tetsurou looked at Eijun. "Yo. It's been a while, Yakyu-shrimp."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Eijun pulled away from Daichi and Kuroo.

"Have you forgotten the fact that I worked for the Japan Volleyball Association? I'm part of this match's organizing team and the one who suggested for random special VIPs to play with the pros. It's part of my promotion to the sport among the youths, you see." He gave him a wink. Eijun narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"And not to mention I let these two in here even though this area should be for the players only. I could've let everyone in here, but two is the limit." He added. Eijun shot a look at Daichi, who nodded. Confirming what Kuroo had said is true. Everyone is here, but they're in the arena waiting for Daichi and Nishinoya to come back. They all had to play rock-paper-scissors on who gets to meet Eijun. Kuroo put his arms around Daichi as the two fist-bump one another.

"Thanks for the last-minute ticket reservations, by the way."

"Anything for you guys." Kuroo smiled. He took notice of a player who's starting to feel nervous around them.

'I've noticed Eijun knows a lot of big-shot guys. From the famous spiker turned to a successful businessman Miya-san to the suave Kuroo-san.' Haru thought.

"Ah, that reminds me. Nice to meet you Hyuuga Haru. I am Kuroo Tetsurou, a sports promoter from the Japan Volleyball Association. My source tells me your skill as a setter is high-praised even by Kageyama and Miya Atsumu themselves. You should be proud," Kuroo gave Haru his card. "This is perfect. See, I have an idea where you and the Yakyu-shrimp can be in a promotional video with Kodzuken and-"

"There it is!" Eijun pointed at Kuroo sharply. "The usual lines a scammer would usually say. Surely your father told you not to fall for a shady person's way of words, no matter how convincing they sound. Be careful, Haru."

Daichi glared at his cousin again. He showed him his fists, but Eijun didn't see it. Nishinoya was just enjoying the scene getting unfold. Haru, on the other hand, was too embarrassed while Kuroo looked confused.

"Eijun, can you just shut up for now," Haru said while he slowly took the card from Kuroo.

Eijun continued eyeing Kuroo suspiciously. The first time he met Kuroo was when he joined Hinata and Tsukishima in gym 3 in their summer training camp when they were still first year. According to Tsukishima, it was a special secret training for them, making Eijun more excited than usual. The gym 3 was where he fully interacted with Bokuto, Akaashi, and Haiba Lev. He quickly gets along with these three, and for some odd reason, he has this special attachment with Akaashi, and Akaashi feels the same way. Perhaps this is the reason why Bokuto feels a certain bond to Eijun even till now. When he first saw Kuroo, he thought he was a pretty cool guy with a unique hairstyle. He was even in awe of his blocking skills that he even asked Kuroo to teach him how to read blocks. Perhaps it was in Kuroo's nature and his master of provocation that he unconsciously said something to a 10-year-old kid that Eijun ended up having this weird gut feeling of Kuroo even till now.

"My, you're sure pretty chirpy for someone who hasn't played volleyball in a long time," Kuroo said in a wry smile. "It would be a shame if you're going to lose right away. Your precious Karasuno bunch and the former Karasuno duo are watching you. And don't forget our lovely time together in gym 3, Yakyu-shrimp."

Something popped inside of Eijun's head. Like a popped balloon or a sudden clap of lightning. Kuroo continued snickering while Daichi couldn't help but feel sorry for his cousin. Haru ignored him and went to talk to Nishinoya, who gladly interacted with him.

"Are you saying you're underestimating me, you black rooster?" Eijun clenched his fists and glared at the sly cat. Kuroo knows where to push this guy's button. There's something about Kuroo that just makes him so agitate easily.

"I will be if you're going to lose so easily," He winked and smiled, which earned him a weird look from Eijun."Former ace, the disciple of the Karasuno duo, and the forgotten genius volleyball player, Sawamura Eijun. This will be a treat not just for the ones playing with you but also for the audience. You better play with your best foot forward, Yakyu-shrimp."

In that devilish grin of his, Eijun finally saw it. That taunting, that sly remark, the confidence that he knows he'll get things in his manipulating ways, the cunningness behind that tone of Kuroo. It reminded him of Miyuki Kazuya. The thought of him seeing Miyuki's image behind Kuroo irritates him. Does he miss that Tanuki that much? And what's worse is that he doesn't want to admit defeat. Not to Miyuki and certainly not to Kuroo. He finally made up his mind and has eventually forgotten the nervousness he felt earlier.

"You bet your ass I will. I am going to prove you wrong, black rooster!" He stomped his feet as he makes his way back to his locker room. Without looking back at them, Eijun yelled. "I'm heading back first, Daichi-nii and Yuu-san. Haru! You better watch your back later because I won't back down. Prepare yourself for the awakening of the phoenix! Nyahahahaha!" He let out a burst of crude laughter until they saw him enter the locker room.

"Way to go, Eijun! I love that enthusiasm." Nishinoya praised him, even though Eijun couldn't hear him.

Daichi looked tired just by watching his cousin acting up like that.

"You know how to provoke my cousin, don't you, Kuroo?"

Kuroo shrugged as he let down his smile. "It's been three years since he last played volleyball, and at the last minute, he will play with those monsters in the court. Of course, he will get nervous for the upcoming match. I was trying to calm him down."

"That's what you called 'calm'?" Daichi raised an eyebrow.

Kuroo nodded right away. "Of course. I'm good at calming others."

There was a cricket sound between them. Daichi and Nishinoya gave him a judgmental look.

"You guys. You don't have to be so obvious." Kuroo said with a worried look. He then turned to Haru, who looked rather excited after that declaration from Eijun. Kuroo felt amused. Sports is amazing that he gets to see different people, and he couldn't wait to see them both play.

"And you too, Hyuuga. You better do your best later. You will be the one to set for those monsters after all." Kuroo said.

"Yes, I will do my best, Kuroo-san! If you excuse me, I must be on my way back back to the Schweiden Adlers. It's nice to meet the three of you. Sawamura-san, Nishinoya-san, thank you for going here to meet Eijun." Haru excused himself as he walked back to his respective locker room. Afterward, the three of them had a quick conversation before Daichi and Nishinoya went back to join with the others.

"By the way, did you mentioned anything to the Yakyu-shrimp that some of you went to his school before going here?" Kuroo asked as he escorted the two back.

Nishinoya and Daichi grinned. "Nah."

Kuroo planted a sinister smile.

"Heh. Thought so."

Haru couldn't wait to play with Eijun. After that declaration, a fire lit up within him. Something that he thought was already gone years ago. He was worried that Kuroo might break Eijun's confidence later since he said he was nervous, but it motivated him instead. Eijun is different. It was like he's always looking ahead, and losing is the last thing he could ever want.

Eijun seemed more relaxed than he was in middle school. The Eijun now is more confident, active, exciting, and free. Where is this all coming from? Was it from his baseball? His unrequited love to this captain of his? What's in baseball that changed Eijun so much? When he and Eijun played volleyball a while ago with the others, it felt like it was almost the same Eijun he knew in middle school, but his movements were different. Has the monster within Eijun disappeared, or perhaps it was never even there in the first place? Haru wants to find out, and he'll only know that if he gets to see it in the court later.

He met up with the Schweiden Adlers in the locker room. They were all waiting for him. His favorite setter, Kageyama Tobio, nodded at him when he entered.

"Ready?"

"I'm ready, Kageyama-san."

Haru couldn't believe he gets to play with them. The top tier team in the volleyball division 1. He'd lie to himself if he doesn't feel nervous, but Haru always likes a challenge. He grinned at them as they head their way to the arena.

2:31 pm

The Black Jackals were startled when Eijun looked like he wants to kill someone when he arrived in their locker room. Hinata went towards him right away. Eijun told them what happened in the hallway. Bokuto and Atsumu laughed.

"It's not a laughing matter, Kotarou-san, Atsu-san," Eijun hissed. "The fact that the black rooster is looking down on me infuriates me. We haven't met for a very long time, and when we finally did, he just runs around and tells me that I'm not good at volleyball. Me? Suck? Are you kidding me!"

"He didn't tell you that you suck, Eijun." Hinata tried to calm him down.

"Oh, he did. Just not too obvious. And he will keep on reminding it to you when you lose against the Adlers." Sakusa said in deadpan eyes as the others nodded.

"Wow, thanks for that encouragement Omi-san." Hinata rolled his eyes.

"My pleasure." Sakusa snickered. Hinata just ignored him and went to hold Eijun.

"So you finally met with Daichi-san and Noya-san? Noya-san went to visit his grandfather two days ago, and when I told everyone that you'd play with us, they all took a day off for you. It's a good thing Kuroo-san reserved them tickets in the last minute." Hinata tried to change the subject.

"Well, that's nice, and all but that black rooster still pisses me off. Telling me I'm not good at volleyball when he was one of the people who taught me all about it in the first place. That's practically saying he's not good at it too!" Eijun bit his fingernails in frustration.

"Like I said, he never said that you su-" Hinata widened his eyes from the words of what Eijun just said. He quickly glanced at the team, who nodded. They've already realized it since a while ago, and Hinata was the last one who realized it. He noticed Eijun looked more relaxed than when he was with them a while ago. Perhaps this game unconsciously made Eijun nervous. It's been a while since he played volleyball, and it's understandable to overthink. This was Kuroo's way of showing his support to Eijun, huh? He was called the master of provocation for nothing. Even if it means the latter will end up being hated.

Hinata stopped holding Eijun, and he stood straight up.

"You're right; He's one of the people who taught you volleyball, so if you suck, he also sucks."

Eijun nodded. "Exactly! As expected of Shoy-"

"But!" Hinata cut him off, which surprised him. "He wasn't the only one who taught you volleyball. If you're not good at volleyball, surely it means Bokuto-san and I aren't good in volleyball too, right? And the rest of the Karasuno team? Akaashi-san? or the guys from the training camp back then? Just you wait when Kageyama heard all about this."

Eijun gulped. Hinata is right; if he sucks, indeed everyone who taught him volleyball would probably suck as well. And that's the exact opposite about them, especially Hinata. He shook his head.

"No, I don't want that. You guys are awesome, especially you, Shoyo-san." He looked at them straightly. "I just don't want to disappoint any one of you here. What if I messed up? What if I will be the one to bring everyone down? What if I don't exceed anyone's expectations? So many what-ifs."

He heard Bokuto sighed.

"Junei, you're like Akaashi. Even the way you guys overthink are similar," Bokuto held Eijun's shoulder as he gave him a reassuring smile. "But unlike baseball, where you're the only one holding the ball the most, volleyball is different; it's okay if you're not the one in control. When you think you're bringing yourself down, we're here to hold you up. You're an amazing player no matter which sport you get to play. Volleyball? Baseball? Who cares! I may not have seen you play baseball or even understand how it plays, Junei, but I know that the 120% baseball version of you is the same in the 120% volleyball version. I've seen it, Hinata's seen it, Meian-san has seen it, everyone has seen it."

"Sports is free," Hinata said in a low voice. "Remember when I first told you that, Eijun?"

Eijun nodded. How could he ever forget that? It's what made him realized that it's okay to embrace baseball without regrets. He feels terrible leaving his former team, and he won't forget that, but he'd regret more if he didn't try baseball the first time.

He clenched his fists and intensely looked at everyone. Eijun made a realization.

"I won't play for you guys, not to Haru, nor my former teammates," His eyes changed. It looked focused and determined. It brings shivers down everyone's spine. "I will play for myself. Thank you, everyone, for believing in me."

Meian bent down towards Eijun and quickly hugged him, and then Adriah, in turn, patted the boy's head. Inunaki pinched his cheeks, and the others did the same. Then it was Hinata, Bokuto, Atsumu, and Sakusa's turn. Eijun tilted his head as he waited for Sakusa. The three waited for him as well.

"Omi-san."

"Omi-omi."

"Omi-kun."

"What?" Sakusa clicked his tongue.

Eijun didn't say anything. He only stretched his arms widely and waited for the curly-haired to approach him. Sakusa was still hesitant until Eijun gave him his deadly puppy-eyes. Oh no.

"Hand me my extra jersey after this, okay, Miya?" He sighed, defeated.

"I'm already one step ahead of you, babe." Atsumu already prepared the extra jersey and some spray for Sakusa on his locker, expecting something like this would happen.

Sakusa dragged his feet towards Eijun and gave him a big tight hug.

"You're not a burden to us, Sawamura. Just do you, and you'll be fine." Sakusa whispered to him, and Eijun couldn't help but giggle. This is probably the closest thing to affection that Sakusa's ever done to Eijun, and he's gladly okay with it. Sakusa is Sakusa afterall.

Eijun then locked his hands around Sakusa's thin waist, making sure Sakusa won't escape.

"Everyone, I got him! Now's our chance to group hug!" He yelled. He could hear Sakusa cursing nonstop underneath his mask as the 6'3 footer struggled from the pitcher's surprisingly strong grip.

Without any hesitation, Atsumu and Bokuto were the first ones to tackle them. And everyone followed suit. Hinata jumped so high that everyone fell on top of one another. They could hear Sakusa's disgusted groan as everyone was laughing.

'Attention: All teams, please proceed to the arena. Again, all teams, please proceed to the arena.

Everyone was startled, and they all stared at one another.

It's time.

Everyone helped each other up. Sakusa was grumbling as Atsumu helped him changed into a new jersey while spraying anti-bacteria all over his body.

"I won't ever hug anyone ever again." Sakusa sighed.

"Even me?" Atsumu hugged Sakusa from behind. He was rubbing his head onto Sakusa's back.

Sakusa doesn't want to handle this right now, especially when they are being called. He forced his body to move away from Atsumu.

"Get off. You're heavy."

"No," Atsumu said, nonchalant. Sakusa ending up dragging his boyfriend with him as everyone ignored the idiot couple's flirting.

Eijun pulled Bokuto's jersey and motioned his head towards the couple. It looked like Atsumu was having fun being dragged around by a troubled Sakusa.

"Hey, that looks fun!" Eijun's eyes twinkled. He and Bokuto went to Atsumu's back right away and held on to him as well.

"Ya two idiots wait. Don't!"

It was too late. Because of the added weight from the two idiots, Atsumu lost his balance and grabbed Sakusa's shorts and pulled it down as his body fell on the floor. Luckily Sakusa was wearing cyclings, but everyone could see his thicc butt from the tight cyclings.

Atsumu was kissing the floor. Eijun and Bokuto gasped at the sight of a perfectly round butt right in front of them. Everyone gasped at what happened, and Hinata doesn't know whether or not he should scold Eijun. Meian's head leaned over to a wall near him with a tight smile on his face as he asked himself what he did wrong in his past life that he ended up in a team full of immature brats.

"Miya. Sawamura. Bokuto." Sakusa didn't hide his threatening tone. The three of them kneeled right away.

"Omi-kun! I didn't do anythin'. It was those idiots' fault!" Atsumu defended himself as he pointed at the two.

"Don't blame everything on us, Atsu-san. You're the one who pulled his shorts down." Eijun growled as Bokuto agreed to him.

"Yeah, that's right. It's not our fault you lost your balance." Bokuto added.

"Even sharin' a single brain cell ya guys are." Atsumu snickered.

"Thank you very much." They both bowed down.

"That wasn't even a goddam compliment, ya dimwits." Atsumu just cannot with these two.

The team is holding themselves not to laugh at the scenario right now: Sakusa, wearing tight cyclings- exposing the plumpness of his thicc butt- is scolding the hell out of two grown adults and a volleyball genius teen. This is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime situation.

Hinata carefully crawled down towards Sakusa and quietly helped him put his shorts up. Perhaps Sakusa was too pissed even to mind Hinata that he sighed in relief. When he was about to go back with the others, he was suddenly grabbed by Sakusa to join the other three. He ended up kneeling in front of him.

"Why me, Omi-san?" Hinata's shaking from the intense glare that Sakusa is giving to them.

"Because Sawamura is under your care. Whatever he does, it's your responsibility." His eyes fumed in anger and annoyance. Hinata flinched.

"Omi-omi-san! Please don't drag Shoyo-san in this. He's just too ashamed to admit that it was Atsu-san's fault and Kotarou-san and I were just-!"

When Eijun looked at Hinata, his face turned pale.

"Sawamura Eijun," Hinata said under his breath as he faced Eijun and Bokuto. This is the first time he saw Hinata's face like that. It was too graphic to describe. He gulped and took a deep breath.

"Sakusa Kiyoomi!" He yelled out the top of his lungs. "I, Sawamura Eijun, apologized on behalf of the lesser twin Miya Atsumu for his rude behavior towards you. To prove how sorry I am, I shall sing you the song of my people!"

"How the hell it became my fault? And what do ya mean 'lesser twin'?!" Again, Atsumu just cannot.

"I don't want to hear the song of your people or whatever the hell you mean by that." Sakusa looked disgusted, and Atsumu was holding himself not to punch the hell out of Eijun while Bokuto was still shaken at the sight of Hinata's face. It was the first time he saw a real pissed-off Hinata, and he silently vowed not to piss him off should an opportunity rises.

"Nonsense. This song is a hit even to my team. It is an honor to sing it to none other than the great Sakusa Kiyoomi-sama."
"Are you this annoying even to your team?"
"I didn't know you could sing. Sing Junei! Sing the song of your people."
"Omi-kuuun. I'm sorry!"
"Omi-san I was just helping you putting your shorts up."

Attention: MSBY Black Jackals. Please proceed to the arena immediately. Again, MSBY Black Jackals, please proceed to the arena immediately. Thank you very much.

"Ah." Everyone gasped and realized they are late because of the five of them.

Meian had enough of them and hit them in the head (except Sakusa) so hard they all looked disoriented afterward.

"I swear you guys are giving me gray hairs every time you are all together!" Meian opened the locker room as he let out a frustrated sigh.

Each member of the team then proceeds to carry them off separately. Eijun was carried off by the tallest member of the team, Oliver Barnes.

"Could you please release me, Barnes-san?" He started to fidget around Oliver's arms.

Oliver shook his head while smiling.

Eijun can feel the menacing dark aura behind his smile right away.

'It's the quiet ones that are always dangerous.' He flinched. In the end, he let himself be carried off by the giant cannon until they all went to the arena.

2:39 pm

"What do you think happened in the Black Jackals locker room? It's rare for them to be this late." Hoshiumi Korai asked after the team just finished warming up. They are now waiting for the Black Jackals to arrive so that both teams will warm up in the net.

"Knowing Eijun is with Hinata and Bokuto-san, probably something stupid that Meian-san had a hard time keeping them in a leash." Kageyama blatantly answered right away. He was helping Haru warming up his legs. Even Haru silently agreed.

"Do you think we should go and check them?" Hirugami Fukuro kept on pacing back and forth around the court.

"Ignore them, Hirugami-san. I'm sure Meian-san and them can handle it. They're probably having a potty break before going here." Sokolov Tatsuto reassured their worried captain. Though, he's got a feeling that Hirugami is concerned about only one person in the Black Jackals team.

"I agree, Tatsuto-san," Ushijima Wakatoshi was bouncing a ball. "I'm sure Sawamura's the most excited one. He won't miss this even he had a potty break."

"Ah. I, too, forgot to go on a potty break. Excuse me, everyone. I just gotta take this one real quick." Romero Nicolas said in Portuguese as he hurried out of the arena. Everyone was surprised when he suddenly ran off like that.

"See? Even Romero got bored waiting for them." Heiwajima Toshiro held his stomach from laughing when he saw Romero ran so quickly.

The announcer finally called for the arrival of the MSBY Black Jackals as the camera focused on the organizers who opened the door for them.

'The team that we've all been waiting for! The MSBY Black Jackals! Everyone, please give a round of applause for them!'

The announcer called them one by one as they entered the court.

Everyone was wearing their jacket, and they made their presence known. The captain, Meian Shugo, confidently went in. His aura of confidence has always been highly praised by the young and old alike. Seeing Meian walking with a smug on his face, Hirugami scoffed. The skilled libero, Inunaki Shion, walked with such grace that everyone cheered when they saw him walking in the court. The adorable middle blocker, Adriah Thomas, quietly jogged and waved at everyone in the crowd as they all swooned at him.

And then there's the four of them: Hinata Shoyo, nicknamed Ninja Shoyo by many, quietly dragged his feet towards the court, looking tired for some reason. Kageyama suddenly got worried. Bokuto Kotarou, the most active player in the team, was somehow not active, seeing as his hair slumped down when he entered the court and each step he takes he tries to sneak a peek from behind to check up on Eijun but was stopped by Sakusa Kiyoomi, the nasty spinner. Miya Atsumi, the deadly tri-wielder, looked dejected for some reason and was praying under his breath. And the one who was the talk of social media ever since this morning: Sawamura Eijun. The young player walked with such confidence and a certain charm that everyone looked at him with such curiosity. Some people whispered, saying how the name sounded so familiar. His face looked stoic, and his back is straight up and looking all reliable: the way an ace should be. Or that is what Eijun and the team would like the audience to believe. However...

Oliver Barnes followed the young fellow.

"Yes, that's right, Sawamura. Remember to look straight ahead." Oliver said in a low, calm voice, but it was enough for the team to hear him. Bokuto felt sorry for Eijun and wanted to pull him away if Sakusa didn't give him silent glares.

Eijun flinched when he heard Oliver behind him. He quickly glanced at the giant.

"Huh, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with my face?" Oliver tilted his head as he looked at Eijun. Eijun felt like his soul was taken away by the devil by looking at Oliver as he shakes his head. Eijun walked faster. He has been holding his breath ever since they got out of the door.

Once they are on their side of the court, they quickly warmed up together. Eijun took off his jacket and relaxed a little.

"Alright. I don't want any dilly-dallying, okay?" Meian shot a look to Bokuto.

"Yes!" Everyone answered in sync.

Afterward, Sakusa started doing his usual warmups with his wrists as Bokuto and Hinata watched him.

"I could watch this all day." Bokuto's eyes widened in amazement no matter how many times he has seen it.

"Like an animal..." Hinata was carried away too.

"Stop staring already." Sakusa glared at them.

Eijun knew that Sakusa was flexible, but seeing his wrists being all twisted around his hands like that as if it was the natural thing ever was incredible.

"Omi-omi-san look what I could do," Eijun called out for Sakusa's attention, and when the curly-haired wing spiker and the two other spikers looked at him, he twisted his left elbow inside in a perfect 90-degree angle and went all the way to his backside. Hinata and Bokuto opened their mouths in awe, and Sakusa was impressed.

Unbeknownst to the young pitcher, there's a group of familiar fellows from the crowd trying to catch his attention. They were seated right in front of the court along with the special VIPs when they saw Eijun entering from the door a while ago, and they couldn't believe it. One of them tried to yell to catch Eijun's attention, but it was all in vain.

"Mei-san, stop that. You're embarrassing us!" Tadano Itsuki tried pulling Narumiya Mei down back to his seat.

"Don't tell me what to do, Itsuki," Mei grabbed Itsuki's cheeks with his hand. "Surely you guys were surprised as heck too."

"And I thought I misheard the announcer calling his name. So he's going to play with Hinata-san's team, huh?" Kamiya Carlos crossed his arms around his chest.

"Miyuki Kazuya's precious Lil pitcher playing volleyball? Now I've seen everything." Shirakawa Katsuyuki said in disbelief.

The four of them stare at the young pitcher who was just a few feet away from them. How Eijun never seems to have noticed them is a mystery. He's probably too excited to mind the others around him. They couldn't believe their eyes. One of the clumsiest baseball players in one of Tokyo's powerhouses is here in the arena with a group of tall and professional players, and he's going to play along with them. Hilarious. Mei seemed amused.

"I bet that he's gonna screw up in the game." Mei snickered.

"Mei-san, that's not nice. You shouldn't say it like that," Itsuki gave him a concerned look, but Mei shot him a glare.

Mei shook his head. "Silly Itsuki. Haven't you heard? They say the chosen players are picked randomly. They said that most of the special VIPs are already skilled in volleyball, so of course, they wanted to get chosen. I mean, just look at that other guy from the other team," He pointed towards where Haru is, who was busy interacting with the Adlers. "That guy is oozing with confidence. While Sawamura? I'm sorry, but it's safe to say he's out of that other guy's league."

"Still savage as ever, huh?" Carlos arched an eyebrow. "Well, I don't mind. It'll make the game even more interesting for us. Itsuki and I will bet that he's decent to a skilled player. The losers will be the followers of the winners for a week."

"Eh? Please don't drag me into this, senpai." Itsuki shook his head. He doesn't want to be in any part of the senpais' schemes again.

"Oh, come one now, Itsuki. Don't be such a killjoy. It's harmless. Mei and I will bet against him while you guys will defend him. That's all. Though the losers will be the winners' errand boys" Shirakawa suddenly crept up with a creepy smile.

"This is going to be interesting. Itsuki as my follower? He already is, though, but it's better to put a title." Mei put his hands on his waist and raised his chin a little, looking all smug. He already imagines what he wants to do with his little errand boy, Itsuki.

Even though Itsuki wants to say no, it looked like he has no choice but to go along with them after seeing Mei staring at him as if he's about to devour him. Although he feels terrible for betting Eijun like this, as long as it's harmless, it won't hurt anyone anyway.

Itsuki breaks out a sweat. Sometimes his senpais don't act like senpais. He then turned his attention to the Black Jackals, and it seems like he was looking for someone.

"Carlos-san, which of those players is Hinata-san? The one who gave you the VIP tickets?" Itsuki asked as he is still looking for the one called Hinata Shoyo. He noticed Eijun is interacting with the players as if he's part of the team already. Among those players, he saw a player who is much shorter than Eijun, and like Eijun, this one sticks out like a sore thumb among the giants with them.

"That guy. The one beside Sawamura." Carlos motioned his head towards the orange-haired sunshine boy.

"Eh? That shortie? He's probably shorter than me," Mei used his hands as binoculars, though it wouldn't make any much difference.

"You sure that's the one your father likes to watch when that guy was in Brazil?"

"The one and only," Carlos nodded.

"How did such a person happened to give you some VIP tickets randomly?" Shirakawa keeps on looking at Sawamura and then to Hinata and then again to Sawamura. There's something about them that Shirakawa can't help but wonder.

"Papai loves to watch beach volleyball, and he sort of became a fan of Hinata-san after watching him play the first time on live television. You wouldn't believe the look on my old man's face when he found out Hinata-san is a frequent customer to avó's reasturant in Rio and was even close with her. He called avó and avó passed the phone down to Hinata-san. It was my first time hearing papai squealing like some fangirl," Carlos laughed at his recollection. He then continued, "afterward, papai and Hinata-san became penpals for some reason, and they got close. When he returned to Japan, Hinata-san sent us some shirt souvenirs. You guys have probably seen me wearing it around the dorm from time to time. It's my favorite shirt to sleep on."

"That ugly shirt? That was from him?" Mei cringed when he remembered that shirt Carlos is wearing every time he's done taking a shower. It was in full shocking pink with sparkling lettering on it that says 'Rio de Janeiro .' It wasn't pretty to look at.

"You're just jealous," Carlos chuckled. "But anyway, whenever Hinata-san and his team make a quick detour here in Tokyo, he'd come to meet my papai and papai would get starstruck every single time but they both seemed to enjoy each other's company. 2 days ago, he gave us some tickets but papai was apparenly busy on the day Hinata-san gets to play-which is today. He was bummed about it but nothing he could do. So he gave the tickets to me instead, and here we are. It's a good thing coach Kunitomo allowed us to have a day off in practice today."

"You mean the coach let us go out because Mei-san lied to him that we're going to buy some supplies for the team, but here we are watching a sport that we have little knowledge about." Itsuki debunked that last statement of his senpai.

"Oh shush now, Itsuki, don't be such a killjoy." Shirakawa elbowed their catcher.

"What position is Hinata-san playing, Carlos? Is it the one that's usually for the short ones? What's it called again? Libero?" Mei asked without any meaning behind it. He was genuinely curious. He read an article from somewhere about the position libero, and he thought it was not that interesting of a position since all they could do is just save the ball and not be in the court most of the time. Volleyball is confusing in the eyes of Inashiro's ace.

Carlos shook his head. He smirked at the three of them. He remembered the first time he watched Hinata play beach volleyball on live television. Despite being short, Hinata always had such a significant presence, and the way he jumped looked like he was flying, and Carlos was completely enthralled by it. It almost made him want to play beach volleyball. Almost.

"Why don't you just watch the game to find out, Mei."

"Hmm, what about Sawamura then? Do you guys have any idea what position he gets to play? Ohhh, I better tell this to Kazuya. Better yet, I'm so going to take a photo and send it to them. I doubt that he even told them about this. Knowing Kazuya, he won't allow Sawamura even to hit the ball." Mei's face turned into something menacing as he grabbed his phone from his pocket and quickly took a photo of Eijun, who looked like he was concentrating on something while Bokuto and the others tried putting some objects on his head to try and break his concentration. It worked, and Eijun lost his balance and fell. Even their captain joined in the prank.

The four of them stared at him with deadpan eyes.

"I think they're just going to let him play as a libero so that he won't use his hands that much for hits..." Mei said.

"He's so casual to the pros that I'm the one feeling embarrassed for him." Shirakawa shook his head.

"But it seems like he's quiet when he's with them," Itsuki tried to observe Eijun. Itsuki would recognize Seidou's pitcher since he's the loudest guy in the team, and his voice can be heard from the dugout. But seeing this different side of Eijun, he can't help but feel like it's a bit too weird to be this quiet. Even for Itsuki.

"Ah. Found it," Carlos was on his phone. He searched some info about whether or not Eijun did play volleyball out of curiosity. He read it out loud for the other three to listen:

"The famous Sawamura Eijun known to be Akagi Middle School's ace has finally returned to Nationals in his 2nd year of middle school. Along with his partner, Hyuuga Haru, the pair are known to be the deadly setter-hitter in middle school. With Hyuuga's precise toss and Sawamura's nasty spin, they were feared by the many. Along with the Akagi team, they rise to be one of the three teams representing their prefecture in the middle school division national tournament."

They were all processing what they have just heard. Shirakawa then cleared his throat.

"That could be anyone named Sawamura Eijun."
"Exactly," Mei nodded right away.

They were then caught up in a surprise when Eijun yelled all of a sudden.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" He was so loud even the other side of the court probably heard him.

"Could you PLEASE shut your mouth," Sakusa rubbed his temples, "for a second. For just a damn second. Bokuto and Hinata are already loud enough."

"A setter. I'm going to be a setter?" Eijun gritted his teeth, ignoring Sakusa. "I could take any position but a setter."

"I must say Eijun-kun, ya really are a handful huh?" Atsumu shot him a glare. "There's nothin' wrong about yer position. It's the darnest and coolest position ever."

"But Atsu-san, I suck at setting the ball!" Eijun grabbed Atsumu in the collar and started rocking him back and forth.

"It's just for the 1st set, Eijun. No need to over-react," Hinata pat Eijun's back. "We get to try out different positions whenever the team is having a practice match anyways so we're used to this kind of thing by now. Right guys?"

The team nodded. It's just a friendly match anyway, and it's for the chosen players and the audience. However, they were surprised at first when it was announced on the big screen just now.

"A libero," Bokuto started shaking, and his hair is beginning to drop again, "I'm going to be a libero, and I won't get to play in the 2nd set..." Hinata and the team tried calming him down again.

"It's definitely that black rooster's idea." Eijun continues to hold Atsumu. For some reason, Atsumu didn't mind at all. And then what Kuroo had said to him earlier finally came together.

"This will be a treat not just for the ones playing with you but also for the audience. You better play with your best foot forward, Yakyu-shrimp."

Eijun just cannot fathom how sly Kuroo is. He's even worse than Miyuki right now. He let out a frustrated sound as he looked at the screen again. And to think they were about to start warming up in the net soon.

1st set 2nd set 3rd set

Meian Shugo- Outside Hitter Opposite Hitter Middle Blocker

Inunaki Shion- - Outside Hitter Libero

Tomas Adriah Outside Hitter Outside Hitter Middle Blocker

Bokuto Kotarou Libero - Outside Hitter

Miya Atsumu Middle Blocker Middle Blocker Setter

Sakusa Kiyomi Opposite Hitter Middle Blocker Outside Hitter

Hinata Shoyo Middle Blocker Setter -

Sawamura Eijun Setter Libero Opposite Hitter

Heiwajima Toshiro Outside Hitter - Libero

Hirugami Fukuro Opposite Hitter Outside Hitter Middle Blocker

Romero Niccolas Middle Blocker Setter Outside Hitter

Sokolove Tatsuto - Outside Hitter Middle Blocker

Ushijima Wakatoshi Setter Middle Blocker Opposite Hitter

Hoshiumi Korai Middle Blocker Opposite Hitter Outside Hitter

Kageyama Tobio Libero Middle Blocker -

Hyuuga Haru Outside Hitter Libero Setter

"I thought yer good in all areas of volleyball," Atsumu easily grabs hold of Eijun's hands with his one hand only, and the young teen released his grip right away. "So why are ya starting to chick'n out when ya gonna be a setter in the 1st set?"

"That's not it, Atsu-san," Eijun shook his head repeatedly. "I just happened to know what to do in the court, and whenever I see the ball heading my way, my initial thought is just to hit it right away. This is why being a libero in the 2nd set isn't good for me either, but it's worse than being a setter. I'm not good at tossing the ball with my fingers."

"Hmm, what do you usually think whenever you see that the ball is heading your way?" Atsumu asked. Hinata and the others joined them.

"What do I think? As I said, I just hit it right away" He shrugged.

"No, other than that."

Eijun thought of it for a second. He started to imagine a ball heading his way. His body is telling him to hit it with all his might. It's like he's not the one in control. It's like his body is telling him that he's a spiker and he should do what a spiker should do. Then, Eijun knew it right away.

"As a spiker, my role is to hit the ball. It's like my body and brain have a button for it." He said to Atsumu, and the latter had an idea about what to do about it. He grabbed a ball from the benches and set some distance between him and Eijun. The team watched what Atsumu and Eijun are about to do. Bokuto managed to calm down after seeing a familiar person amongst the crowd.

"I'm still not sure about my idea, but let's try it out before we warm up in the net." Atsumu tossed the ball towards Eijun. The moment Eijun saw the ball heading towards his way, his eyes started to dilate and he waited for it to come and hit it. He positioned himself already to prepare himself.

Hit it. Hit. You're a spiker, for crying out loud.

He started licking his lips.

"Eijun-kun, your role right now is a setter. Everyone is relying on you for your tosses!" Atsumu yelled.

When he heard it, Eijun repositioned himself quickly, and he tossed the ball up in the air in perfect timing. The team was impressed by that clean toss.

Atsumu nodded as if he's proud of himself. He got another ball to toss back to Eijun, and the youngster again managed to toss the ball back to Atsumu. They had a tossing practice for a few rounds.

"Alright. Your role next is the libero, the team's back defense. We're all counting on you." Atsumu said as he spiked the ball.

Eijun's body lounged forward to dig the ball up, and it did. Atsumu spiked the ball again, and Eijun effortlessly rescued the ball over and over again. They finally finished it up after a few rounds as well.

The team then applauded for the performance Eijun did. Eijun couldn't believe that he managed not to hit any single ball. What did Atsumu do just now

"Yer definitely a volleyball monster, Eijun-kun," Atsumu said as he patted Eijun's head, looking so proud for him. "Ya said ya never tossed but ya managed to do it so perfectly. Though not as good as me but it's still good."

"Woah, Tsum-tsum. You taught all that in such a short time?" Bokuto seemed amazed. He's surprised that Atsumu praised someone, and that's a rare thing.

"I just told Lil Eijun-kun what his position and the role of that position, tis' all. The rest was all on him. His instincts are tellin' him what to do, and he delivered it perfectly." Atsumu couldn't believe how much of a genius this guy is. Eijun is smiling, but he doesn't have any idea what Atsumu just said. Atsumu looked at the young pitcher and then remembered that this volleyball monster is now a baseball freak. He fell to his knees.

"Ugh, that damn potential all wasted because of that, that baseball of his!" He punched the floor.

"Nyahahaha! I don't get what just happened, but Atsu-san, don't mind!" He slapped Atsumu in the back.

"Yer killing me. Yer killing me!"

They were all lined up one by one getting ready to spike. As usual, when Hinata took flight, the arena was quiet. And when he made contact with the ball, it was so fast that the audience wasn't even sure if he even touched it.

Unbeknownst to Eijun, the Karasuno team is just on the other side of the court.

Thanks to Kuroo, they are in the VIP section. It was a bit expensive, but luckily, Tsukishima Kei and Ennoshita Chikara got them all covered.

"He's all grown up now!" Sugawara Koushi sniffled as he saw Eijun with Hinata talking in the net.

"Do you think he could see us from here?" Hitoka Yachi opened her arms to try and call out Eijun's attention. The latter didn't see it.

"It's no fair that Noya-san and Daichi-san were the first ones who get to meet him. I miss that cheeky brat!" Tanaka Ryousuke bit his handkerchief in frustration.

"It's not unfair; We did a rock-paper-scissors, Ryou." Tanaka Kiyoko smiled at her husband.

"Y-yes. You're right, Kiyoko-san! I was just a bit too emotional." Tanaka looked completely starstruck at his wife. Everyone is still baffled at how the heck did Tanaka managed to marry Kiyoko. World's greatest mystery indeed.

"Ei-kun! Hey Ei-kun!" Yamaguchi Tadashi cupped his hand over his mouth to amplify his voice, but the crowd's constant noise in grabbing the attention of the others players was all too powerful.

"You're wasting your breath, Yamaguchi. We could just wait for when they're going to switch sides later." Tsukishima said as he took a sip of his favorite drink: Kahlua with milk.

"I can't wait. I'm so hype for him to play. Hey, referee! Start the game already." Suga was about to go over the court to call out the referee when Daichi and Azumane Asahi stopped him.

"Suga! Stop that." As an apparel designer, Asahi winced as he pulled Suga's shirt to pull him away from barriers separating them and the court.

"You will have your moment with him once the game's over, damnit Suga." Daichi and Asahi managed to hold down Suga for now. Daichi gave him some onigiris from Miya Onigiri to calm him down.

"Oi, Chikara. Put down your phone already." Nishinoya elbowed his seatmate, who was busy looking at something on his phone.

"Sorry about that. It's just that Eijun looks SO adorable when you took that photo of him and Daichi-san," Ennoshita closed his phone after what it seems like he wiped a tear from his eye. Narita Kazuhito and Kinoshita Hisashi were all snickering beside them.

"You're going to send some photos to his team, right?" Narita asked Kinoshita after he noticed him texting someone.

"Yeah. I couldn't say no after his captain insists on it. Eijun's so well-loved by his teammates." Kinoshita took a photo of Eijun from afar. He was up next to spike.

"Ah. It's finally going to be his turn!" Hitoka slapped Tsukishima's shoulders in excitement.

Eijun looked at the other side of the net and saw Haru setting the toss perfectly to the players. It seemed so natural, as if he's done this a lot of times with them. Haru is an amazing setter, and Eijun's glad that what happened between him and the team did not affect him in his style of playing. It's Haru, after all. His teammates in Itachiyama helped him become a better setter.

He felt something brush against his back. It was Bokuto and Hinata giving him a pat on the back, looking all excited and supportive.

"It's your turn Junei. First impressions are always important. Give the crowd something to excite for!" Bokuto beamed him his broad smile.

"I'm sure many here are curious to see how you fare with playing with us. Just go for it, okay?" Hinata gave him a comforting smile.

Eijun nodded as he grinned. He's always grateful for how supportive these two are. Bokuto may be a loud and active individual, but he knows when to be quiet when the time calls for it. That time was when Eijun was in a low place last year, and Bokuto was the most attentive person to listen to Eijun's problems, and he always gives us thoughtful pieces of advice.

"You guys are right. I better give the crowd what they want, right?" He winked. Atsumu then called him. He gestured something to Atsumu, and the setter's eyes widened in excitement.

"Ah, it's Sawamura's turn to spike. I almost don't want him to fall," Mei's body shrank as if he's the one going for the net. He suddenly feels bad for Eijun in there with the pros.

The other three couldn't help but nod as well.

Then Eijun took a step and ran towards the court. He was so fast.

Atsumu already positioned himself near the net. The moment Eijun jumped, Atsumu tossed the ball, and Eijun spiked it in a blink of an eye. The impact was so hard it echoed around the court.

It was just like what Kageyama and Hinata did during their warmups against Shiratorizawa in their first year of high school.

Hinata and Bokuto fist-bumped. Sakusa and the team nodded.

The Schweiden Adlers were smirking. Kageyama looked proud. Haru looked excited.

The Karasuno team was cheering for him on the other side.

The Inashiro bunch gapes their mouths open. The Seidou team are watching live television right now and were so shocked they too opened their mouths.

"What the heck just happened?" Itsuki couldn't even see the ball in the air for a second. He was so surprised that it already reached the other side of the court.

Near the four of them, there are one or two reporters who were holding their microphones excitingly.

"You saw that folks live here in Tokyo Arena. It's the return of the one of the new Generation of Monsters, the forgotten ace, Acejun himself!"

Mei was stunned entirely by what the reporter just said.

Carlos laughed so hard he's in tears. Once he stopped laughing, he cheekily looked at Mei and Shirakawa.

"So, are you guys ready to be our errand boys for a week?"

3:00 pm.

Game Start