"We have a new student joining us today," the teacher announced, writing the name Saito Kaori on the board.

The raven-haired boy, Kageyama Tobio, silently let out a teary yawn as his interest fizzled away.

Before he could duck his head down to sleep, the door slid open, and the transfer student walked in. She was instantly a hit amongst the class with her soft voice that was still clear to the point where chills trickled down even Kageyama's spine.

Despite the way her smile swooned majority of the male population of Class 1-3, something about the transfer student seemed off, but he couldn't quite explain it.

It's none of my business anyways.

"Saito-san, why don't you sit next to Kageyama-san over there by the window."

At the mention of his name, his neck snapped to the teacher with shoulders tensed up. He turned to his left in disbelief to confirm if there really was no one sitting next to him. "Shit, it really is empty," he cursed under his breath as Kaori made her way over.

She held her hand out to him with a cheerful smile. "Nice to meet you, Kageyama-san. I'm in your care this year."

He didn't know any other way to react that wouldn't lead to his own embarrassment. "Hn." He turned away from her and left her hanging.

She laughed it off, seemingly unbothered, and settled down at her desk as Kageyama did his best to mentally fend off the various glares of his classmates.

His once quiet days of homeroom seemed like a pleasant dream compared to the rampant present where he would either be trampled over by swarms of students or be unable to knock out and rest from morning practice.

"Saito-chan, why do you wear stockings? Your legs look amazing."

Kaori was spending the lunch period with a few of their classmates in the back. "Is it really that strange? I guess you can say…I'm shy?"

"Wah, Kaori-chan is so pure!" a male classmate cried out.

"It's fine! Totally, just stick to whatever makes you comfortable. I was just wondering since you seemed pretty athletic."

Kageyama finished his milk and sprawled himself across his desk in another attempt to fall asleep so he wouldn't have to listen to the nonsense of their conversation.

"Hey…Saito-san, if Kageyama ever gives you a hard time, just let me know. I'm sure the teacher would let you change seats."

Kageyama opened his eyes, focusing his gaze on the window as he listened in silence.

"Why would he give me a hard time?" she asked.

"Well…."

"Don't you find him kind of hard to approach? He's always glaring or staring with some sort of malice."

"You think he's scary? I think he's pretty depressing to be around."

He couldn't help how he looked and how actions came across. He couldn't even remember when that dark persona of his manifested.

"He never talks to anyone or smiles. I get chills when I even make eye contact with him."

He never had a reason to talk to his classmates unless he was on cleaning duty for the day or the class rep asked for his homework. He wasn't one to have idle chatter with people to begin with. If the topic wasn't about volleyball, then he didn't care.

He was set apart and isolated from his class from the start. He hated it and yet found safety within those boundaries. He can't lose something he never had or be abandoned by people who weren't in his life in the first place. Though, the orange haired moron was probably the closest he had to a friend at the moment with their strange rival-ally relationship.

It was only a matter of seconds before the new girl would join the masses of shadows pointing and laughing at him in the darkness.

Just drown out the voices and go to sleep, he told himself, once again shutting his eyes.

"I see…so that's how it is…," Kaori replied.

"Mmhm! That's why you should-"

"Don't you think that's a little prejudice to say?" His eyes shot open and he turned around enough to look at the group from the corner of his eye. "It sounds like you're all just looking through a convenient lens to hide your own insecurities." Kaori's expression seemed detached, but her tone was flat and unimpressed.

The heavy atmosphere in the room quickly subsided as her face blew up in a hot puff of pink. She held her hands up sheepishly. "S-Sorry. That came out wrong…uh…. I…."

"W-We were just trying to help…since you're new."

"S…Sorry…. It just doesn't feel right…to assume such things…. Besides…." For a second, his dark blue eyes met her light brown ones before the latter turned away. "…he can hear us…."

The students around her turned and gasped as if they didn't realize he had been in the classroom the entire time.

He stood up, his chair scraping against the ground as the students in the room flinched. "What a pain," he mumbled to himself as he left the room with his hands deep in his pockets.

Kaori sat on the roof of her home in an oversized hoodie and pair of leggings with her knees pressed close to her chest. She reflected back on the day and groaned, throwing her head back as she sprawled her limbs across the cold tiles.

"Why did I have to go and say something like that?"

The look of shock and uneasiness on her classmates faces reminded her of the repercussions of going against the current. She wasn't surprised in the slightest at their behavior. After all, they were all just following the unspoken rule of the school hierarchy in the name of self-preservation.

Why did she defend him?

Why would she risk tarnishing the façade she worked so hard to keep up?

She knew the answer. She just didn't want to admit it.

He got on her nerves, and it wasn't because his off-putting first impression. He reminded her too much of who she used to be in some ways.

In middle school, she was always isolated from her classmates. She was always written off as an unapproachable bookworm or a bespectacled freak, and especially the quiet girl. She was a wallflower that blended into the background, barely worth remembering with no redeemable features.

But she was so much more than their opinions.

She became anxious as she entered middle school and overthought interactions to the point where she couldn't bring herself to make friends the first week. She read books to hide her frustration and keep herself preoccupied as everyone chatted amongst themselves. Eventually, she found a routine that helped her cope and feel secure at the cost of her ability to socialize with kids her own age.

But she hated being alone the most.

That was when he approached her.

It was strange that she used to crave friendship and now just the thought of it repulsed her. Even at school, she couldn't help but feel smothered and anxious whenever a group of students approached her. The people who smile to your face and tell you everything you want to hear are the ones who will drop you at the wave of a hand. How long would it be before her classmates turned their backs on her too?


"Um, S-Saito-san…," Kaori looked up to see one of her classmates, Suoh Momo, bashfully fiddling with her fingers and staggering her eye contact. "W-Would you like to have l-lunch together? You don't have to, of course! I'm sure you already have plans!"

Kaori couldn't remember most of her classmates' names, but she surprisingly remembered hers. Maybe it was because she reminded her of a small, trembling dog.

"I'd love to, Suoh-san. Did you have a place in mind?"

Suoh sighed in relief and ran a hand through her dark gray hair toward her ear. "We can eat at your desk!" Her lilac eyes widened in a panic as she flailed her hands around. "U-Unless you wanted to e-eat at my desk or go o-outside! I'm fine with those options too. Ah, I'm so stupid for assuming…."

Kaori stood up with a small laugh. "Here is fine, Suoh-san. I'm just going to stop by the vending machine."

"I'll come with you!" she volunteered with a determined gleam in her eyes. Kaori took a step back, surprised by the sudden enthusiasm, but laughed it off as the two made their way out. "What are you planning on getting? I-If you don't mind me asking, that is…."

"Hm…strawberry…," she thought aloud. "Definitely strawberry milk."

"I've never tried strawberry milk before."

"If you like milk with a little extra sweetness and the taste of strawberries, then give it a try. Not all brands are good though, but luckily the school stocks the best brand there is."

Suoh's mouth silently opened before she turned away, tucking her hair behind her ear once more with a small smile. "Saito-san really likes strawberry milk."

Kaori turned away to hide the small blush creeping up her cheeks. She relaxed as they neared the machine and pulled out her wallet. "What do- Hmpft…eh?"

As she turned the corner, she bumped into someone. Their drink slipped out and spilled partially onto her uniform before crashing on the ground. Her shoulders tensed and her temples were sweating buckets, feeling a murderous aura before her. From the corner of her eye, she could see Suoh had lost all color in her face.

Kaori gulped and tilted her head up to apologize. "S-So-" The words were lost on her tongue as she stared death in the eyes. She was flustered, but the feeling quickly washed away as the pair simultaneously recognized one another. Before either could coherently say anything meaningful, they hesitated. The lunch incident yesterday was still fresh and neither knew how to face the other. This was the first direct interaction they've had since she began to sit next to him.

"Tch." Kageyama clicked his tongue, returning back to his mildly sinister glare as he picked up the leaking milk box from the floor and left without a word.

Kaori reached out her hand slightly, about to call out to him, but the words were caught in her throat and she felt paralyzed. She bit her lip, the corners of her mouth bending downwards.

Why should she apologize? It was obvious neither of them were paying attention and the milk stain wasn't too bad on her uniform. Even if she didn't apologize, it was implied and neither made a big deal about the incident.

"Just forget it and move on," she whispered to herself.

"S-Saito-san!" Suoh cried, gripping onto Kaori's sleeve in tears. "I-I thought you were go…going to d-die!"

Kaori wearily put her hands on her shoulders, trying to soothe her. "I'm fine…. Calm down, Suoh-san." She didn't want to admit it, but in the moment, she really thought she was going to die over literal spilled milk.

Elsewhere in the school, the orange puff haired boy, Hinata, was joking around with his classmates during lunch when he noticed one of them dreamily leaning out of the hallway window.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, peaking out the adjacent window. Only a bunch of first years chatting around filled the hall.

"A goddess passed by, Shoyo!" his classmate shouted, steam coming out of his nostrils.

Hinata's face flushed, thinking about his upperclassman manager. "G-Goddess? S-Senpai?!"

He waved his hand in front of his face, saying how impossible it was to go after an upperclassman. "I'm talking about one of the three first-year beauties of Karasuno: Komatsu Ayaka of Class 1-2."

"Eh? Where?"

"She already passed, idiot."


She gripped the front of her track jacket, debating on either meeting up with her classmates or heading to the vending machine before gym. Since lunch, she couldn't shake the feeling of guilt clawing away at her insides. She regretted not blurting out an apology before Kageyama stormed off.

She envied oblivious, airheaded people as her feet brought her to the machine. They wouldn't overthink or worry over something that wasn't as blatantly clear as day. She sighed in defeat as she reached out to press on the milk box, but stopped as a voice sounded in the back of her head.

"It's a little…creepy, Riri-chan."

She gripped the sides of the machine, groaning as she lightly banged her head in frustration from the memory. A beep sounded, catching her attention as a drink plopped down.

"N-No way…. Please…at least be the right one," she prayed as she grabbed the drink.

It was chocolate milk.

"I didn't bring enough for two drinks…." She wondered if he would mind the minor difference, but who was she kidding. If someone gave her banana milk instead of strawberry, she wouldn't be entirely amused. Though, she would greatly appreciate the thought. He would understand she meant well, right?

She shuddered, remembering the look on his face when his milk fell.

He'll definitely mind!

She covered her mouth with her free hand as she made her way back to the classroom, reasoning with herself that she was just jumping to conclusions. She was assuming the worst because of what their classmates said about him, but anyone would be peeved if someone ruined something that was theirs.

Was plain milk even his favorite or was he just craving something different?

She did her best not to look in his direction during Japanese Literature, but it was hard considering he sat beside her and the angle from her seat to the board where the teacher was writing wasn't ideal. He didn't seem to notice the drink she slipped in his desk before class yet.

She was sweating on the inside and her heart was beating so fast to the point where she wondered if he could hear it. When was the last time she was ever this bothered?

Her shoulders tensed up as she felt a hard gaze stabbing at her from the side. She managed to turn and face the intimidating boy, flashing him a smile before turning back to her notes as if nothing happened.

Maybe I shouldn't have bothered….


"Nee-san, how was school to…day…," Naoko trailed off as he walked into Kaori's room to see her suffocating a scream into her pillow as she rolled around on her bed.

She eventually quieted down and uncovered her face with a blank expression. "It was fine." She had lost count of all the reasons she hated being back in school.

Naoko's face darkened as he tightened his grip on the doorknob. "Did something happen?"

"No…it's just…." She sat up and patted the end of her bed with her foot, signaling him to sit. "Everything is just bothersome…."

"I thought you were having fun and making friends."

Fun?

She cross her legs and rested her cheek against her fist in thought. "I guess you can call them friends…."

She had no interest in really making friends. She gave herself three rules to follow when she made the final call to go back to school: keep her thoughts to herself and smile, keep others at an arm's distance, and never get involved with volleyball.


Kageyama tried his best to concentrate on his assignment, but his thoughts always lingered back to the enigmatic brunette. Of all people he could have bumped into, why did it have to be her?

He couldn't help but be vexed as he recalled the chocolate milk box he found after the gym period. Was she really that stupid to not have remembered the drink she ruined? He considered the possibility of her mistakenly putting it in his desk, but she just smiled at him and focused on her notes.

She had to of given it to him on purpose.

Was she pissed off because his milk got on her uniform? It was her fault for not looking where she was going.

He felt like an idiot for feeling even a little happy when she defended him. She was obviously just trying to be painted as a nice girl while taunting him with one of the foulest tasting milks known to man. At the end of the day, she was just like everyone else, putting up an appearance to fit in.

A muffled scream pierced through his thoughts, causing him to frantically look around his room for the source. He pulled back his curtains and peaked out his window.

Nothing.

He shrugged it off, closing his window and drawing the blinds to return to his studies.

"Nine plus ten is nineteen…divide by the…what is this number….?" He quickly gave up on his assignment and laid back on his bed, practicing his tosses till he heard a scuffle out his window. He tried to brush it off as a bird, but birds didn't grunt and curse.

He tossed his ball to the side and opened his window for the second time that night. He didn't know what he was expecting to find, but he could say with the upmost certainty that the petty brunette that sat beside him in class wasn't at the top of his list.

Was he hallucinating?

Saito Kaori was sitting on the roof of the house next door in an oversized sweater and leggings with a twisted look on her face as if she had gotten caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be.

At the same time, the two pointed at one another and shouted, "What are you doing here?!"

"Here," he said, handing her a cup of tea before resigning himself to his desk while she sat on his bed. She thanked him politely as she blew over the top and took a sip.

A heavy, awkward silence filled the room as Kageyama tried to rack his brain around what possessed him to invite her in.

"Ah…." Kageyama turned to face Kaori as she made a sound. She flinched, giving him a weary smile as she tried to lighten up the mood. "What are the odds we're neighbors, Kageyama-san?"

He didn't even notice that the people who lived next door moved out and a new family moved in. "Why were you on the roof?"

"Oh…that?" She sipped her tea as if she was trying to maintain her composure. "I needed some fresh air."

The words echoed in his head, "I needed fresh air."

His eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "There are better ways to accomplishing that than climbing up to the roof."

She shuffled around uncomfortably, a smile still plastered on her face as her thumbs traced the cup in her hands. "The air is different up there?"

Was she asking him or telling him? He couldn't tell.


"Asa-chan!" The energetic third year, Machi Kayo, shouted as she ran down the hall and tackled her large target to the ground. "I have a favor to ask."

"Oi, K-Kayo, I told you to stop calling me that," the big boy, Azumane Asahi, cried, wincing at the pain in his backside.

She laughed, holding her hand out to help him up. "Can I borrow your textbook? My row is going to be called on to read today. Not like you use it much anyways, hehe."

He wanted to refuse her, but he couldn't. "Why did you have to knock me down? Itte, it hurts."

They walked together toward the school store to buy bread for lunch. "When I see someone so freakishly tall and wimpy, I have this sudden urge to attack."

He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he noticed Machi's attention elsewhere. He followed her gaze to a couple of first years chatting about clubs.

"Saito-san, you should pick a club soon or else the homeroom teacher is going to talk your ear off."

"You seem pretty athletic, why not join the softball club?"

"I'm not really the athletic type…."

"What do you mean?! Look at those muscles!"

"H-Hey! Where are you touching ME?!"

Machi nudged Asahi, her eyes practically shining as she pointed at the brunette being attacked by her friends. "Do you know her name?" When he shook his head, she puffed her cheeks, remarking how useless he could be at the most important of times. He wasn't following her, but still felt the hit of her blatant remarks.

She grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer to the bread displays so she could eavesdrop more clearly.

"Why not just do the same club you did at Hakuryo then?"

"Never. Ah! I-I mean…I should really try out something new. Maybe the cooking club or tea club?"

"What about volleyball?" Machi coughed in a deep voice, acting innocent when the girls suddenly turned in her direction. "Excuse me, how much is this yakisoba bun?"

"Speaking of volleyball, I heard that Suda Aoi in Class 1-5 is the only first year on the team."

"Eh? No way. I heard the girls' team has practice once every blue moon."

"K-Kayo," Asahi called out, holding the smaller girl back before she did something worthy of a suspension. She couldn't help but curse the girl for disrespecting her sacred club.

"They share the gym with the boys' basketball team, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad to join…."

"We might as well just be managers for the basketball team then. Why join a completely different club?"

"Saito-chan? Are you alright? You've been silent for awhile now."

Machi was about to give up on the potential new recruit until she got a proper look at her.

You….

Her eyes widened as she shoved Asahi toward the group. "Asa-chan, ask the pretty brunette over there for her name."

"W-Why me?"

"Because I'll pay for your lunch. Now go before they leave!"

"It will all work out," Machi told herself as Asahi approached the group and instilled fear in them.

"W-What is your name?" he shyly asked, but Machi knew those girls were picturing something much more intense when he spoke.

"Ah, Micchan!" Machi waved her friend over as Asahi continued to sulk beside her in a crouched position.

"Kayo!" Michimiya waved back before looking down at Asahi. "W-What's wrong with Azumane?"

"He's just upset that a bunch of first year girls ran crying that a delinquent was threatening to kill them," Machi explained as if it was a regular occurrence before telling Michimiya about the new potential recruit.

"HAKURYO?!"

"You've heard of it?"

"It's a top tier private school that makes it to Nationals every year! They're one of the top three powerhouse schools in Japan for both boys' and girls' volleyball. What did you say her name was again?"

"Saito Kaori."

The name sounded familiar, but Michimiya couldn't quite place where she knew it from. Without wasting a second, she dashed down the third year corridors with her one track mind when a hand latched onto her and pulled her back. "Whoa! Hold on there, Michimiya. Where are you running off to when the bell is about to ring?"

She cranked her head around with a pout, "Oh, it's just you, Sawamura."

"Who were you expecting?" he awkwardly asked, not expecting that kind of response from her.

"There's a new girl who transferred from Hakuryo Academy! Do you know what rank their girls' volleyball team is in all of Japan?! It's one of the top three!"

"That high? Were you heading over to recruit her?"

"Of course! She's a valuable asset for the girls' team!"

The bell rang and students filed back into their classrooms as Sawamura turned his volleyball counterpart around . "It will have to wait till later."

After school, Kaori tried out various clubs her classmates were a part of, but she couldn't quite see herself doing any of them. She would rather just head straight home after school and wait to meet her younger brother at the bus stop.

As she made her way through the halls, she couldn't help but think back to lunch when volleyball suddenly became a hot topic.

The grip on her bag tightened. "Never again," she muttered under her breath.

How long has it been since she last played?

Sometimes, when she closed her eyes, it was like she was still on the court. The crisp sounds of leather padding smashing against the ground or colliding with rough flesh. Even now she could still faintly feel the hard patches of skin on her hands from years of playing.

"Nice kill!"

Kaori opened her eyes, the familiar sounds of rubber shoes squeaking bringing her back to reality as she found herself in front of the Second Gymnasium where the boys' volleyball team were practicing.

She took a step forward, but just as easily stumbled back. "Stupid Kaori…. What are you doing?"

"Hello."

The hairs on the back of her neck raised as she slowly turned to see a beautiful bespectacled upperclassman. Kaori prayed she didn't hear her talking to herself. "H-Hello…um…."

"Shimizu Kiyoko," she replied, turning to the open gym door where the rowdy boys were with a slight smile.

Kaori felt a pang in her heart as she brought a hand up to clutch the front of her uniform. She felt like less of a woman next to Shimizu. How could someone so pretty have the time to talk to her?

"Are you interested in volleyball?"

"N-Not…particularly." She tried her best to maintain her smile as she spoke.

"You haven't joined a club yet?" she asked, looking over to the blank club form in her hand.

"I was trying out a bunch of different clubs."

"Why not try out the volleyball club?"

"I couldn't possibly. I can't exactly play as I am now."

"You don't have to play as a manager."

"Man…a…ger?" Kaori took a few moments to connect the dots laid out before her. "Shimizu-senpai…is the manager for the boys' team?"


"Yah-ho!" Michimiya opened the doors and greeted Class 1-3. "Is Saito Kaori-chan here?"

"Yes?" Michimiya turned back to the hall where a first year girl was trying to get into the classroom. She matched Machi's description: cute with brown hair and light brown eyes. Michimiya happily grasped the young girl's hands, pulsating tiny squeezes. "My name is Michimiya Yui, from Class 3-1."

"Nice to meet you, Michimiya-senpai," Kaori replied, smiling politely as Michimiya led her away from the entranceway.

She looked her over with an approving nod, having confirmed her hunch. "I heard you transferred from Hakuryo Academy in Osaka. Did you happen to join the volleyball club there?"

Kaori's face scrunched up slightly in unease and mild surprise. "Y…Yes, I used to play a bit."

"Please!" Michimiya shouted, angling her body down in a deep bow. "Join the girls' volleyball club! Together we can make it to Nationals!"

"I'm sorry…." She shifted her weight to one side as she crossed one arm over her chest to grasp her bicep. "I wish I could help but…I'm just not into playing anymore…." She bowed before taking off into her classroom with her head down low.

Michimiya wasn't planning on giving up without a fight. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called out to the first year, "I won't give up! I'll ask you every day if I have to, Kaori-chan!"

If she could, Kaori would rather dig a deep hole and fall into it than listen to her peers go on about Michimiya's proclamation that morning. She tried to avoid the subject, but someone would always joke about the incident or ask if she decided on joining yet.

She could barely find the space to breathe and focus on class. There was no way a third year student would waste all their time and energy hunting her down when they had college exams to study for.

She was wrong.

"Sorry, Michimiya-senpai," Kaori bowed before grabbing her drink from the vending machine. "I'm not looking into athletic clubs."

"If you don't want to play, you could always be our manager!"

"That's a little…." She couldn't find the words to refuse every advance the upperclassman made. "Sorry!" Kaori quickly turned on her heel and walked off as fast as she could before it turned into a full-on dash to lose the persistent girl.

Lunch was nearing its end and Hinata left the bathroom, feeling a sense of accomplishment as he made his way back to class. He wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings and inevitably bumped into someone.

"Ah, sorry!" he apologized, scratching the back of his head as the person he bumped into steadied their balance.

"It's my fault. I should have been more…careful…."

He looked up, wondering why her voice trailed off, but she was faced away from him with a hand on the side of her head as if trying to conceal more of herself with her brown locks.

Did she get hurt?

He reached out his hand, but she fled from his reach as the bell rang. He had the sudden urge to chase after her, but his classmate happened to pass by and drag him by his shoulders to class.

Kaori spent the rest of the day in the Nurse's Office, waiting for her mom to get off work and pick her up. She didn't have the energy to go on with her day as if nothing happened. Everything hurt and she couldn't do anything about it but puke.

The nurse handed her a hot cup of tea to ease her nausea, but she could barely lift herself up to drink it. Her social anxiety peaked to the point where oxygen wasn't flowing properly to her brain.

Her head was spinning, and her thoughts danced around to the point where she couldn't think straight.

Why was he here? Of all people, why was Hinata Shoyo at Karasuno? Was fate playing some sort of sick game with her?

No, it couldn't have been him. There was just no way he would commute all the way to Karasuno from Yukigaoka every day when there were plenty of high schools by his home.

And what was Michimiya's problem? Why couldn't she just accept her decision to not join the volleyball club? If she was interested, she would have already submitted her application.

Hinata. Volleyball. Hinata. Volleyball. Hinata….

What would Hinata say if he saw her now? How would he react if she revealed herself before him?

No, she can't.

Her pride didn't want him to see what was left of the hollowed shell she showed others.

Although she ran from him at lunch, a part of her couldn't help but feel disappointed he didn't chase after her like he used to. Then again, he didn't after she ended their relationship either.

Did she throw him away or did he already decide to abandon her?

"

Over three years ago, Kaori was a first year student with Hinata at Yukigaoka Middle.

She was reading a book on birds at her desk during the break while Hinata watched from the seat across from her.

"Kaori-chan, how can you stand reading all the time? Just one word in and I fall asleep," Hinata whined, pushing her book flat onto the table.

"It's interesting, Hinata-kun. You just dislike homework and studying," she replied in a soft, quiet voice before continuing where she left off.

Hinata pouted, sprawling his arms across her desk, and resting his cheek on his bicep while he looked up at her. She didn't know how long he had been like that until she noticed. She held the book higher in an attempt to hide the light flush of pink gracing her cheeks.

This was typically how their class breaks went. Hinata would socialize with their classmates, make light conversation with her, or watch her read.

"Kaori-chan, how come you don't talk to anyone else in class?"

Her shoulders tensed up as she looked down at Hinata. Her face was heating up as she grew more embarrassed from his question. She slouched forward a bit and cowered behind her book to hide her face and appear smaller. "W-Where is this coming from?"

"You're always reading or eating by yourself whenever I see you."

Her lips slid into a pout behind her book. "There's no problem with that…."

"Are you afraid of everyone?"

"Ugh!" He hit a nerve and he noticed. He sat up and took the book away. Before she could react to her book being taken, he took her hand and pulled her out of her seat. "H-Hinata-kun, w-what are you do-doing?!"

"Don't worry, I'll be right beside you. If you get nervous, just take my hand and look at me!"

"W-Why?"

"Because…you look like you want to be friends with everyone."

Words were just that. Words. They held no weight and yet had the power to move people.

Hinata's words weren't anything she hadn't heard or read about before in self-help books, but the way he touched her, spoke to her, and smiled at her gave her strength.

What kind of gaze did she have for him to realize her innermost desires?

"

During the course of their first year till she moved away a third of the way into their second year, Hinata helped her to face their classmates head-on and not be afraid to make a fool of herself when she fumbled over her words.

Whenever she would feel insecure, she just had to look at him and he would smile or take her hand and squeeze it tight. She didn't need much from him to get the courage she needed.

As she adjusted to her new surroundings in Osaka, she would always look back on those moments when life was simpler, and his smile felt ethereal.

However, as nearly two years passed, that same smile that lived on in her memories haunted her and brought her an even greater pain.

It wasn't any of Kageyama's business why Kaori left early from school and it certainly wasn't his problem that she didn't show up at the start of the next school week.

So why did she have to knock on his window out of the blue and ask him to let her copy down his notes? And why did he agree?

He could tell she was judging how incomplete his notes were, but she didn't voice her thoughts as she copied them down at his desk. He offered her tea before laying back on his bed to idly read a manga.

There was something different about her that night, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

"Thank you, Kageyama-san," she said, tossing her notes into her room before making her way out his window herself. "And…see you tomorrow."

His shoulders felt lighter as he turned to his desk to see a box of his favorite GunGun milk.


"You may ask as much as you like, Michimiya-senpai, but my answer will remain the same," Kaori replied, bowing to the upperclassman as her classmates waved her over to ask how she was doing.

They offered her their notes, but she declined, despite how many gaps Kageyama's had.

She took the weekend and first half of the school week to recuperate and prepare herself for the emotional battle ahead as more and more problems seemed to come up.

Everything's in the past now, she would remind herself as she rejected Michimiya day in and out and avoided potential interactions with Hinata on the rare occasions she spotted him in the hall. As long as she treated everything as a new experience and worked hard to forget the past, she could make it through the day. She could smile like nothing bothered her and bite back her tongue when asked for her opinion. She could be the doll that everyone wants until they get tired.


"Shoyo!" Hinata turned to see his classmate charge into the room during break. "I'll never wash my hands again! A goddess has blessed them with their majestic touch."

"Komatsu Ayaka?!" he shouted, matching his friend's energy.

He waved his hand in front of his face before slamming it on the table. "The beauty of Class 1-3! I was on my way back from the bathroom when I saw her passing by. I wanted her to notice me, but my mind was at a blank on what to say so I ended up tossing my phone at her feet."

Hinata nodded along as if his friend made the right call.

"I apologized and reached down to get it, but she had already bent down to pick it up for me when our hands briefly touched. I even got to touch her hand again when she handed my phone back."

"OSH!" Hinata shouted, patting his shoulders as if he was the master of flirting. "Then what?"

"She smiled at me and waved as she left for class."

"Is she really as pretty as you say?"

"Oh-hoho, you should see for yourself. C'mon, let's peep into her class before the bell rings."

"Eh? Right now?"

The two managed to draw a following from their class as they all made their way two classes over. They blocked both the front and back entranceways, looking around for the Beauty of Class 1-3. Class 1-3 seemed annoyed by their presence as someone pointed her out.

"That's her!"

Hinata's eyes scanned the room until they fell on a familiar-looking girl, but he couldn't place a name to her face. He tried to shake it off as his classmates were shooed back to their own room, but his heart felt heavy. Maybe he was just anxious about sitting through another couple hours of class before he could go to practice.

His friend elbowed him in the ribs. "Love at first sight, Shoyo?"

Hinata grunted in pain as he wrapped his arms around his mid-area, his face heating up at the sudden accusation. "L-L-Love?!"

His friend crossed his arms with a sly smirk on his face. "Get in line. I saw her before you."

"I-I'm no good at that kind of stuff," he replied sheepishly.

"Then I'll make you one of my groomsmen at our wedding," he joked, tossing his arm over the shorter boy's shoulders. "Fujimoto Kaori has a nice ring to it, right?"

Hinata's steps slowed as the name rung repeatedly through his ears until he came to a complete stop. "Kao…ri?"

"All this time and you still don't know her name? I swear, unless it's volleyball, you don't pay attention to anything. Listen here, the name of my future wife is Saito Kaori. Cute, right?"

Without missing a beat, the words slipped off his tongue as if he had been conditioned to say them all his life, "It's beautiful."

His friend was just as shocked as he was at his response. "Get your own first year beauty, Shoyo. Kaori-chan is the closest I've gotten to one."

"R-Right…."

His friend seemed concerned at the change from his usual upbeat and exaggerative personality, but didn't find the time to ask when the bell rang.

Hinata couldn't concentrate that period.

Saito Kaori.

That was a name he never thought he would live to hear again.

No, that wasn't right.

That was a name he had tried long and hard to forget. Forgetting was the only way he could continue to smile again.

What were the odds that after disappearing from his life for two years, the same Kaori had reappeared at Karasuno High? He clicked his tongue in disappointment, wishing he had gotten a better look at her before leaving.

"Fujimoto Kaori," he recalled his friend saying.

He couldn't help but think that was a shitty name.

Hinata had to go to the club room and change for practice, but he found himself lingering outside of Class 1-3. If he remembered right, Kageyama was also in that class so he had an excuse if anyone decided to interrogate him.

He perked up at the sounds of girlish laughter and leaned against the wall in a way that gave him a good view of the room through the front entranceway. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on her features: shoulder length brown hair and light brown eyes.

Though the pigments seemed about right, everything else didn't add up.

Despite how childish she looked with them, the Kaori he knew preferred her hair longer and braided in two pigtails. She had poor vision and wore her signature red glasses at all times. Her chest was flat and she wasn't that tall, though she always seemed to tower over him despite all the milk he drank. She was a timid girl who couldn't express herself properly in front of others, but when she was on a volleyball court, she would transform into an entirely different person. He spent much of his youthful Junior High years captivated by the brunette before that dreadful, hot summer afternoon.

Hinata shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his pants as he shook his head in disbelief.

Saito was a common surname and Kaori was a good name for a girl, so it would make sense for there to be more than one Saito Kaori in Japan.

The Kaori a mere few meters away from him was thinner, taller, bustier, and didn't seem to have any visual impairments. She seemed popular, openly smiled, and had no problem responding to her peers.

His Kaori could never do something like that so naturally when she always feared the worst.

His eyes widened and he slapped his cheeks to snap out of it.

There was no his. At least, not anymore.

"Oi, dumbass, we have practice," Kageyama snapped, clearly in a bad mood for whatever reason. Hinata nodded and followed after him just as Kaori stepped out of the room with her classmates. She didn't seem to notice him since Kageyama block her line of sight to him.

"You're leaving for your club now, Kageyama-san?" Kaori asked as he grunted with a slight nod in response. "I'm checking out the photography club today so maybe I'll follow you to yours eventually too." Her classmates tried to pull her away, saying they'll be late for club activities if they didn't leave now. "See you tomorrow then."

The girls walked past the two, only noticing Hinata after Kageyama was out of the way. Hinata watched as Kaori's brows rose slightly before her features softened up and she smiled at him with a slight nod as if to pass on her leaving remarks.

If this Kaori was so different, why couldn't he keep his eyes off of her?


After finishing his shower, Kageyama decided it was time to start his homework.

"Translate this sentence into English…."

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to focus, but nothing was making sense and the pitter pattering sounds outside his window weren't helping.

He tried to drown out the noise with the sounds of his lead scraping against paper, but to no avail.

His eyes wouldn't stop twitching as he scowled at the clothed window. "Is she trying to get herself killed for some damn roof air?" He stomped over and slammed his window open. "You!" He quieted down as his vision in the darkness settled on a crow flying off the Saito household's rooftop.

"…."

The window across from him opened, and soon enough, Kaori poked her head out from behind the curtains. She leaned her weight on the windowsill in a random sweater and leggings. Judging by how damp her hair was, she had just finished showering. "You do realize some people sleep at night…."

"…." He glared daggers at her, trying to hide his humiliation from mistaking a crow for the idiotic girl.

She flinched under his gaze, trying to sink past the sill, away from his sight. "W-What'd I do?"

He shut the window and went back to his studies. "Stupid woman," he muttered under his breath.

A few minutes into getting his groove back, a muffled voice asked, "Neh, Kageyama-san…can I come over?"

He couldn't understand her one bit. Why did she want to come over so much? What made her think he wanted her in his room? That girl was starting to become a pain in the-

"If not, I can always just settle for the roof." He could hear her climbing out of her window as she spoke. "Sorry for bothering you…."

What she did with her night was of no importance to him. He had bigger things to worry about like not failing English.

"AIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEECKKKK!"

He slammed his pencil down and opened his window to see that Kaori was dangling off the edge of her roof, trying to get her footing on her windowsill.

"I-It's there!"

He followed her gaze to see a raccoon lounging near her hand.

"Sorry…," Kaori apologized, accepting the tea he handed her.

He collapsed onto the floor beside his chair, tired from trying to help her down and fetching her courtesy tea.

"Why can't you just quietly stay in your room?" he huffed.

Kaori bit the inside of her cheek, avoiding eye contact. "No particular reason…."

He stretched his leg out to pull his volleyball over with his foot. Once he grasped the ball, he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"The club you go to after school…." Kageyama was confused at her sudden hesitation and uneasiness, but silently waited for her to finish her thought. "…don't tell me it's volleyball."

"It's volleyball," he responded before he threw the ball up into the air, tossing a bit to himself before cradling the ball in his lap.

"Of course you play volleyball," she grumbled with a smidge of bitterness. He narrowed his eyes and frowned, daring her to say something about the sport he loved. "T-There's nothing wrong with it!"

"Ah, weren't you thinking of applying for the girls' team?"

"No. Never. Not even considering it a little."

He shrugged, looking down at his ball. "Probably for the best. It's not an easy sport for just anyone to pick up. A newbie like you might as well quit before you even start."

"Huh?"

What was with her tone? She sounded mildly offended.

"Volleyball requires focus, strength, and brain. Someone like you wouldn't appreciate how calloused your hands get from playing. You would probably be the type to cry when you break a nail or skid your knee."

"So that's what you meant." She sighed in relief and gave him a thankful smile, as if egging him on to explain further. He went on to describe all the different positions and how the point system worked as she nodded along.

"I'm surprised," Kaori admitted, standing up to stretch as Kageyama nodded to himself, satisfied with his lecture. "The rules didn't change at all since I stopped playing a few months ago."

"Why would the rules change?"

"I thought you said volleyball required focus and brain."

"Yeah."

She stifled a laugh, sitting on his windowsill. "Guess hearing isn't important then."

Kageyama was annoyed. Was she not paying attention to his thorough explanation?

Before he could yell at her, she climbed back into her room. She turned back to him with a melancholic expression that left him speechless. "You're lucky…. I can't play volleyball."

The next day, as he made his way to class from morning practice, he realized Kaori understood how volleyball worked the entire time. He had a feeling she looked a little more annoyed than usual when he talked.

He felt like an idiot for embarrassing himself the whole time, yet also upset she didn't just come right out and say she was experienced. He preferred people to be straightforward rather than beat around the bush.

His anger toward the brunette quickly dissipated as he recalled her amused expression at the end of the night. Though she had playfully laughed at him, her tone was shaky and her words were distant.

"You're lucky…. I can't play volleyball."

Did she suck at volleyball to the point where she didn't want to bother playing anymore?

That had to be it. There was no logical or reasonable explanation otherwise.

Better she admitted it now than push through like a certain carrot head midget.

"You're lucky…. I can't play volleyball."

He couldn't get her expression out of his head.

He felt vexed seeing her with their classmates, giggling along with their meaningless chatter. The Kaori he saw at school was completely different from the one that lived a window away from him, yet neither felt entirely real.

"Morning, Kageyama-san!" Kaori greeted him with a bright smile as he slipped off his bag. An indescribable expression formed on his face and scared off their classmates. "Is there something on my face?" she awkwardly asked as he leaned closer to her.

Since the beginning, her smile had always bothered him and he was starting to understand why.

She wasn't smiling because she wanted to, but because she had to.

It was her way of drawing a line between herself and others.

She smiled as a protective mechanism while he had his sinister scowl. But how could a smile keep people away? He couldn't articulate.

"Saito-san, Michimiya-senpai is here again," their class representative called out from the doorway.

For now, this was all speculation on Kageyama's part.

Kaori stood and made her way out of the room, only this time Kageyama followed after her.

"Kaori-chan! If you accept my offer, I'll throw in this limited edition mascot keychain!" the girls' team captain shouted, holding out an ugly looking animal chain.

"Sorry, Michimiya-senpai, I-"

"Please! Just try it out for a day at least!" she cried, throwing her arms around Kaori. "You don't have to play or anything! You can just watch or don't watch and just read manga in the gym!"

"S-Senpai…l-let g-go…people are watching…."

"I won't let go till you say you'll come!"

"Why is it so important that she joins?" Kageyama asked, butting into the conversation. Kaori kept quiet, wondering the same.

Michimiya wiped her nose, her other arm still holding Kaori captive. "She's a high level player! Even if she doesn't play with us, just her advice would suffice."

"That's a high level player?" Kageyama asked, pointing a finger over at the brunette in disbelief.

"You're basing all of this off what school I transferred from," Kaori replied, ignoring Kageyama's insult.

"I just…want to do something in my last year…. I'm Captain and yet I'm not doing anything particularly meaningful for the team…. We may not be strong enough to make it to Nationals…but I want people to at least say that had fun…that they didn't waste their youth playing for nothing before I graduate. We don't have to win every match…just one is enough."

"…you might as well retire now before you waste anymore of your youth chasing a dead end passion." Kaori was cold as she slipped out of Michimiya's hold and stormed down the hall toward the bathroom.

Michimiya was baffled. "I don't get it…she says she doesn't want to join…but her eyes tell another story."

"Her eyes?"

Kageyama stalked after the brunette, dragging her outside before she could hide away in the bathroom.

"How long have you been playing volleyball?"

"Why are you bringing this up all of a su-"

"Who taught you how to play?"

"Is this about Mi-"

"What position did you play?" She stayed silent, her hard gaze fixated off to the side as Kageyama's grip on her wrist tightened. "Why are you so damn adamant about doing anything but volleyball?"

"I hate it." His eyes widened and his grip on her loosened as she turned to him in tears and gritted teeth. "I hate volleyball."

What was he supposed to do when a girl cried?

There was a certain pain and yet longing in her eyes as she swiped at her face with the sleeve of her free arm.

He released her, bringing his knuckle to his mouth as he averted his gaze. "Y-Your…face…is leaking." He began to panic as her tears continued to fall. "Oi, stop doing that."

"Why can't anyone understand…?"

He rubbed the back of his head, giving her space. "What's with a stupid question like that? No one will understand unless you say it clearly."

She bit her lip, trying to hold her tongue, but it was futile. "I am saying everything clearly! No matter how many times I refuse, no one is listening!"

"Then stop acting like you want to play!" Her silence hit like a hurricane as the bell rang and she became more docile. Her gravity pulled him in, urging him to continue on or lose the momentum forever. "Are you bipolar or something? Don't give me that kind of bullshit when you can't even stick to your words. Your actions aren't adding up to what you're saying, dumbass. How long have you been here and you still have yet to settle on a club? Stop acting like a damn child and fill out the forms." He continued to go off on her for a good twenty minutes before a staff member caught them for skipping out on class. Before they could be punished, Kaori passed out and Kageyama was sent back to class.

Once Kaori returned from the Nurse's Office, their homeroom teacher issued out their punishment for missing class. Kaori and him were sitting outside their classroom with their arms held up in the air during one of their afternoon classes.

The odd pair took their punishment in silence despite the occasional nosy student passing by on their way to the bathroom. Kaori's eyes were glued to the ground while Kageyama scared off any lingering students with his resting scowl.

He wasn't going to apologize.

"Tch."

He did nothing wrong to apologize for.

Her life wasn't any of his business and he had better things to worry about, but every time he looked at her, he felt frustrated. It was like she was holding herself back and going out of her way to ruin her own happiness.

He groaned, throwing his head back against the wall in an attempt to clear his head. He was losing too many brain cells over the troublesome girl beside him.

"My dad…." Her voice was so weak and quiet compared to her typical clear voice that he barely registered she was speaking. "H-He taught me how to play as soon as I could walk."

She spared a glance in his direction only to be caught off guard when his expression was uncaring. "Hah?"

Did he ask?

"I-I…u-uh…. W-What I mean to say is…." She was having trouble trying to find the right words as he yawned. "I am…used to be a wing spiker…. This past year…I played as a starting setter…but I also dabbled a bit as a defense specialist…."

It took a while, but he realized she was answering his questions from earlier.

"Then, are you planning on joining the girls' team?"

"How can you casually ask like that?" she asked with a sad smile before the corner of her lips dropped down into a frown. "I can't…."

"Can't or won't? Everything just sounds like an excuse to me. If you want to play, then play. If I cared so much what other people thought about me, I wouldn't be able to live."

"…then wouldn't it be easier to live if you just threw away everything?"

"Hm…but then I would be just as miserable dropping everything I also liked."

Like volleyball...milk...and yogurt.

Their teacher emerged from the room, snapping at them to take their punishment in silence.