"Hey, Satori!"
Kitsuna flinched at hearing her last name. That, and she knew she had missed her chance to feign ignorance and leave. It had been a few weeks since her catastrophic high school debut, and the general reactions were mixed among her peers. A lot of sports clubs were scouting her for her height, but the most persistent was the volleyball club.
"Sorry, have stuff after school today," Kitsuna tried to fake a sad sort of smile but it fell flat. A tall, dark-haired girl stood at her desk. It was clear she wasn't buying the same excuse a third week in a row.
"You said that already! And then we saw you hanging around the park," another girl joined her. She had brown hair, held on one side by some cute hairclips. Kitsuna sighed, standing up from her seat and shoving her things in her bag.
"Fine, but I'm just checking it out. I really can't add more to my schedule right now," the girl reluctantly agreed to go today, and the other two could barely contain their excitement. They went into the hall, and a hulking figure darted around the corner. Kitsuna let out another sigh, and waved back at the guy who had been hanging around her classroom off and on.
"Hey, Daichi. What's up with you and her? You know her?," Sugawara teased the boy from behind, startling him.
"Shut up, it's time for practice," Daichi deflected again, making his friend pout in an exaggerated way. He glanced over his shoulder, expression betraying him.
Kitsuna found herself in a gym, the sound of shoes squeaking with warmups echoing loud. Her escorts disappeared so they could change, so Kitsuna plopped down against the wall. She would have, anyway, if not for the panicked shout that caught her attention. She looked up, and swiftly moved into a position that sent the speeding ball up and away from her. It fell to the floor, echoing louder now that the room had gone silent as everyone stared in disbelief at the girl.
"Wow! You've got good reflexes, and your form's not half bad!," one of the other girls let out a string of praise, making Kitsuna's face flush.
"You looking to join the club?," another girl reached out a hand to help Kitsuna stand all the way up. Golden eyes met dark gray ones, and both girls' eyes widened.
"Yui? You're still doin' volleyball?," Kitsuna asked, shocking the other girl for a second time.
"Eh? Kitsuna?!," Yui exclaimed after a pause. She would recognize those eyes anywhere, though the hair color didn't match with her memory. Freckles spread over the girl's nose, and a warm smile threw Yui off even more.
"Hm? Oh, I…dyed my hair," Kitsuna suddenly grew self-conscious and pulled at the ends of her bangs, which still hung over one eye.
"Oh! I didn't recognize you, but it looks good! Daichi said, but nevermind. Are you looking to join?," Yui asked her first question again, floundering for a minute with racing thoughts.
"Oh. Sorry, I can't be around consistently enough for a club," Kitsuna answered the same way she had before, but felt worse doing so directly to Yui.
"Right. Yeah. Shame though, you handled that really well. Have you been playing somewhere?," Yui waved at the other girls, who were starting to form a sort of circle around the pair.
"Hm? Ah, we can talk more about that later," Kitsuna glanced away. Yui took the hint, and dropped the subject for now. She made introductions, though most of the girls already knew Kitsuna's name.
"Satori! Oh my god, I'm so sorry!," one girls who went to change ran over, apologizing. She must have misread the atmosphere, but Kitsuna was glad for the distraction. Even if her face stiffened at hearing that name again.
"Oh, um. Sorry, we went to the same middle school," Yui explained to the curious onlookers. She also explained that Kistuna wasn't fond of her last name, without getting too specific. Kitsuna sighed, relieved for many reasons, but maybe too soon.
"I know you said you're not joining, but," Yui started, making that puppy dog face that had suckered Kitsuna so many times before. "Can you help with practice, just for today? We're short on people."
"Sure. Just for today, though," Kitsuna sighed, and Yui knew she'd won a pretty big battle today. She directed Kitsuna to the club room, where she changed into a loose pair of shorts and a t shirt she had worn under her uniform. She spent the rest of the afternoon practicing with the Karasuno girls' volleyball team, making waves with how fast she learned the basics and adjusted to the players present. They were mid-practice match when Takeda burst in, startling them all.
"Shit! Sorry, gotta go! I'll stop in for practice when I can. Just to help," Kitsuna scooped up her bag and ran to meet Takeda. She waved back at Yui, then disappeared.
"Right, we'll call it for tonight. Good work," Yui addressed her teammates. They got changed, and everyone shuffled out in different directions. Yui just finished locking up the gym, the street lights flickering on with a dull buzz.
"Yo," Daichi startled her, with his uncannily silent approach. She dropped the keys and yelped, and he apologized.
"It's fine. Done for the day?," Yui retrieved the keys and returned them to her bag. She pointed forward and they started their trek home. Daichi almost always joined her if it was after dark, and she was glad for the company.
"Yeah. We're kinda stuck right now," Daichi sighed. Yui was well aware of the reputation their school's volleyball team had. Flightless crows, they were called. A bit dramatic, but it fit the mood that hung over both teams.
"Oh! You missed it, but Kitsuna was here! She said she can't join the club, and had to leave with a teacher all of a sudden. But man, she was surprisingly good as a fill for practice. Did you know she dyed her hair?"
Yui let out a stream of words, and Daichi nodded along. He had his suspicions, after that first day back to school, in April. But Yui pretty much confirmed it with that description. Something stood out to him, though.
"Huh? She helped you practice?," Daichi glanced at Yui, who was beaming with excitement.
"Yeah! You should've seen it. She used to go to some of our matches, back in middle school. But I never knew she practiced herself. Where d'you think she does it? At home? Or a local club? Ah, sorry. I was glad to see her, and she looks like she's doing better. Those rumors are getting pretty crazy, though," Yui's tone dropped, and Daichi understood well enough what she meant. After the strange introduction, and several days of arriving soaked with rain, she had earned some sort of reputation. Yui ran around in front of him and stopped, grinning up at his face.
"There's one, though, that's pretty funny. They said a second-year's been lurking by her classroom at the end of the day or during lunch. Some big guy, with a scary look on his face. Some think he's got a crush on our little Kitsuna," Yui teased, though there was something else there too.
"Hah?! No way," Daichi yelled a little too loudly, and too quickly. Yui laughed at his flustered face, then apologized for the taunt.
