The rest of the week went much more smoothly, though the self practice time after each practice ran longer and longer. Tsukishima stayed over for the remaining week days, and into Saturday when the Shiratorizawa third years were set to join for a practice game. Kitsuna was relegated to the sidelines as the matches ran, joined off and on by the redhead from the opposing team at the scoreboard.

"So, he's here as ball boy for sneaking in. Why're you here?," the boy attempted to make conversation while leaning over the scoring board.

"I sorta helped cover for him when he snuck in, so I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on him," Kitsuna yawned as she spoke. The boy let out a quiet cackle at that but didn't press it further. He instead moved on to something else.

"Heard you've been practicing with the guys," he motioned toward the court with his chin. "Saw you play, but you must be pretty good to get the old coach's approval."

"Hm? Figured he was just usin' me to get at Hinata. Hasn't let him practice at all, but let me when I wasn't invited either," Kitsuna humored the boy's attempts at talking, though she really was hoping to catch a few moments of rest between sets.

"Satori! Mind the score!," Washijo called them both out for missing a point or two.

"Yes, sir!," they both yelled back, stopping the momentum short as all eyes went toward them.

"Right. You're both Satori," the old man finally grumbled and called the match back to a start.

"Huh? Oh yeah, guess that is your name too," Tendou acknowledged it with passing curiosity.

"Any relation?," Goshiki, the bowl-cut guy lined up for the ace position after Ushiwaka left joined their chatter on a quick break. The two Satoris in question eyed each other, squinting as they contemplated things.

"Unless you've got a distantly removed, alcoholic cousin or something I doubt it," Kitsuna finally answered herself. She wasn't one-hundred percent sure, since she didn't know her family outside of her mother or father. There was a slim chance, but she wasn't going to entertain that too long.

The camp wrapped up after that, with the Karasuno trio once again returning home late at night and each crashing at their respective homes. Kitsuna woke up the next day somewhat late, finding Suga at her door well before they needed to get to the school. He pulled her over to his house for a hearty brunch, probably a sort of apology for forgetting to pick her up the other night and the ensuing awkward scenario. Then it was time to head out, and they arrived with the other third years in time to get dressed and open up the gym.

The other first year returned for a practice match with Date Tech. The playing was sloppy, not lining up at all, and there were several fights breaking out. It ended with a win for Karasuno, though Kitsuna didn't play at all. She was quietly raging afterward, though that wasn't the only reason why. Suga ran over to ask her something, and she accidentally turned her anger on him for a moment, making him flinch.

"Sorry, I was pissed off. What's up?," she apologized like Kageyama would and dove right into her question. Suga recomposed himself before starting up, feeling somewhat uncomfortable asking now that his squeak had gotten a bunch of attention.

"Well, I was wondering. Or uh, Mom was wanting to-Shit. We've got winter break soon, so..uh...what I'm getting at," Suga was drowning just then. He did that from time to time, struggling to find words or get them out.

"You got this, dude," Noya encouraged him. It helped usually, but now it proved that there were eyes on them.

"Slow down, dude. I'm not mad at you," Kitsuna gave him a deadpan stare. She wasn't mad at him, that was good. But she was definitely getting annoyed at his fumbling.

"What're you doing during the break?," he finally got it out. A little more shrill than intended, despite there being no hidden motive or anything.

"Hm? Well, the heat's finally getting fixed. Why?," she narrowed her eyes, trying to guess where this was going. Or maybe she knew, and was deliberately forcing him to speak. She had a habit of doing that when she arrived at an uncomfortable or bothersome conclusion.

"Huh? So you found somewhere to go," Suga sounded almost relieved at that. Then there was a twinge of disappointment that neither seemed to pick up on or be aware of.

"Oh. Yeah," Kitsuna relaxed a little too. "For the holidays, usually go up to Keishin's grandpa's place. Family stuff and all that."

"Right. Okay then," Suga bailed at the last second. He headed out to cool down, leaving Kitsuna there to stare at his back with one brow cocked high. She was at least aware that something was off there at the end, even if she was still too dense to put it together. Some of the more emotionally attuned team members just looked on with absolute disappointment written all over their faces.

"Dude. You totally bailed," Ennoshita swatted Suga's shoulders and taunted him. Kitsuna squinted at the two of them, but shrugged it off and left to get changed first.

…

"Hey, girlie. When're you gonna quit draggin' your feet?"

"Huh?"

Kitsuna looked up from her dinner, staring at the old man at the end of the table. Together she, and all of the Ukais, were seated at the table on the floor. She had spaced out pretty hard since getting there, but that wasn't any reason for her to be called out all of a sudden. Keishin coughed, choking on a mouthful of rice.

"You've been up your ass the whole week. Starin' at your phone like you're waiting for a message from the dead," Ukai shared his observation plainly. Kitsuna glared back at him, but didn't snap.

"Dunno what you're on about," she finally shot back. Her phone buzzed just then, and she nearly dropped her bowl of rice. She picked it up and checked it immediately, knowing full well that was against the rules. She shot back a message and tucked her phone away, returning to her food.

"Uh huh. What's that about?," the old fart pressed his attack further. It was like a beast circling its prey, driving a deep fear in before pouncing.

"Nothing for you. Oh, Keishin though. Can you drive me down to town tomorrow?," Kitsuna turned her attention away. Not a diversion, but not a straight fight either.

"Huh? What for," Keishin asked, not following what she was laying down. She clearly grimaced at that, then glared at the clueless man. Old Ukai didn't miss that, or her reluctance to answer, and made his final strike.

"If you can't be clear, you can find your own way down. Keishin, you're not goin' anywhere tomorrow," he barked an order that finally got Kitsuna to face him.

"Hah?! Butt out, old fart!," she snapped at him. They bickered back and forth, getting nowhere. Keishin snapped at both of them, and Kitsuna finished her food in a rush and stormed out of the room. She returned well after dinner was done, to help clean up. Keishin's mom was in charge of washing dishes, but Kitsuna was diligent in bringing them in and then putting them away.

"Y'know, dear. He does have a point," she added her two cents, knowing that it was not wanted right now.

"Can y'all stop being vague and just spit it out," Kitsuna was softer with her attack this time but was still very clearly pissed off. The older woman laughed, making it worse.

"You can't drag your feet on matters of the heart. I'm sure you have your reasons, but it's really not like you to just back down from a fight now is it? Just give it your all, and worst case you get it over with sooner rather than later," the woman gave sound advice. It was really good, and skirted around Kitsuna's tangled and tense feelings with practiced skill.

"I'll deal with it when there's time. We're gearing up for some heavy hitters soon, so I don't wanna add any pressure to anyone else. Let 'em focus on what they've been working so hard for," Kitsuna said with steady calmness. It was pretty convincing, and honestly straightforward. She wasn't denying anything or admitting it, but wasn't admitting defeat either. It was pretty convincing, except for the way her eyelids drooped and the corners of her mouth flicked downward ever so slightly.

"Well, have fun tomorrow. I'll make sure to pack a nice breakfast for you, so get an early start. Oh, and I'll set out an extra scarf and set of gloves," Mrs. Ukai smiled to herself. The girl finished her work and headed to bed early.

As Kitsuna settled into a futon, she double checked on her phone her route and how long it would take by foot. With a groan, she set her alarms and did her best to fall asleep quickly. At least it was warm here, instead of her having to create a little pocket under her blankets.

"Asshole owes me a good lunch," she grumbled.