The week came and went in a flash, with Keishin and Kitsuna alternating shifts at work in the mornings. Yui was up first for volleyball speeches at the pep rally. She was visibly nervous, but managed to get through it when Kitsuna gave her a flashy wave from the crowd that made her laugh. Next it was time for the boys' club, and they climbed onto the stage after being introduced.

"Hey, Yui," one of the girls got their captain's attention, pointing up to the stage with a shocked face. Yui turned her gaze upward, and there behind Daichi she spotted Kitsuna. She was in the lineup with the boys, wearing the same jacket as all of them. There were some whispers going around, and Yui frowned while keeping her thoughts on Daichi for now. School was dismissed after the pep rally, and Yui's head whirled as she walked home.

"Maybe she's a secondary manager? Whatever. It's not like she was obligated to join our club," Yui shook it off for now and set to packing for the tournament. She started to pack light, but remembered Daichi's encouragement and packed for the full duration. Just in case they won. It was better to go in thinking you would.

…

The next morning, Kitsuna loaded onto the bus and sat beside Asahi. She was so out of it, and fell asleep like Yamaguchi on the drive to Tokyo. She was guided off the bus with the others, and they all headed inside. A team in yellow was looking over the brackets, stopping a boy in blue with their conversation about Karasuno. Tanaka started to pick a fight, but Daichi dragged him inside. There were more murmurings from other schools as Karasuno went to get ready for the match and warmups.

"Hey, they've got a couple guys who were pretty well known in middle school," another team commented. A guy standing next to him looked over the group, pointing out Asahi and spouting off a ton of unsavory rumors. Hinata made an impression of his own, but no one really was sure what to think of him.

"Whoah, do they have a girl on their team? And a hot lady manager?," someone else joined in on the conversation, pointing at Kitsuna. She was starting to wake up, and pulled her headphones off her ears to let them rest on her shoulders. Her piercings were really noticeable with her hair tied back, and standing next to Asahi they made an interesting pair.

"Dude. Another delinquent?"

Kitsuna heard that, and shot a look at the others while Suga and Daichi teased Asahi. The boys flinched, and let their nerves take over. They wandered out of the entrance area, stealing glances back at the Karasuno group.

"What? I like to have a sort of wild appearance!," Asahi whined.

"Yeah, no one who's actually wild or dangerous would say that," Suga groaned. Noya piped up just then, handing Kitsuna a banana.

"See," Daichi and Suga pulled the pair over. "This is wild."

Asahi deflated at that, and they split off to get changed. Kitsuna pulled on her uniform, and tucked her earrings into her jacket sleeves' cuffs. She pulled that on, and joined the others. They warmed up, then took up their positions. Kitsuna yawned beside Suga and the other's in the square. They started off with a set to Tanaka, after which he and Noya started screaming loudly. Daichi snapped at them, and the ref blew the whistle on them. Kitsuna laughed at that, earning a double chop from Suga and Ennoshita. After that, she decided to focus on the match ahead of her.

"Hey, that guy's been staring at you pretty hard. You know him?," Noya pointed to a boy with lighter hair and freckles on the opposing team. Kitsuna squinted at him, and he looked away a little too fast.

"Hm. Didn't Daichi stop to talk to him earlier?," Yamaguchi joined in.

"Oh!," Kitsuna slammed her hand on her fist. Her eyes lit up, then darkened into a dead fish sort of stare. "Ikejiri. He went to middle school with me and Daichi."

Karasuno took the first set, and it was time to switch. Kitsuna was swapped with Tsukishima, to give him a break. He wasn't as boisterous as the others, and his energy petered out fast. She was up front, across the net from Ikejiri. He was sweating hard, and Kitsuna was sure it wasn't just from running around after the ball.

"Give us a good fight," Kitsuna said with a wink. The set started, and he was obviously lost in thought for the first couple of points. They made a full rotation, and finally Ikejiri made a wild dive for the ball. The rest of his team was taken aback, but rolled with it when he asked for a set. Kitsuna and Tanaka blocked it easily, and a timeout was called.

…

On the other side, the girls' team wasn't faring well in their first match. They lost both sets, pretty badly. The girls were devastated, but most of all Yui. She burst into tears well away from the others. In a different hallway, Ikejiri was doing the same. Several other teams were all suffering their losses, and the brackets were adjusted. Date Tech was Karasuno's next wall, but they had to clear out of the gym for another game. There was some time, so everyone made use of it to get some snacks and for bathroom breaks. Kitsuna spotted Yui in the hallway, but wasn't able to confront her then.

After a while, it was time for Karasuno and Date Tech. They lined up, and the girls' team headed out to the stands once they recovered. They were just in time to see a crazy play that the boys pulled off. Yui heard Suga call out from the side. She was surprised that he wasn't in the starting lineup, but more surprised that Kitsuna was standing there with a uniform on. Kitsuna felt eyes on her, and glanced up at Yui. She turned around before her friend could get a read on her expression