"Sorry again. And thanks," Keishin awkwardly addressed the teacher standing with him while he finished up another smoke.

"She said the same thing," Takeda beamed back at him, then his face fell into a more serious one as he leaned back against the bus and let out a sigh.

"Hm?"

"I don't mind it. Probably goes well beyond a teacher's duties though. I'm bound to get chewed out sooner or later if I keep putting myself out for the volleyball team," Takeda laughed, though there was a hint of something akin to dread there too.

"You really are puttin' in the work for them, yeah. I'm sure they all appreciate it, more than they'll let you know," Keishin offered some genuine reassurance as he stamped out his final cigarette.

"Hm? Maybe. But anyway. Are you fine with this? I mean, you took her in and all that so wouldn't it make sense for you to have gone with her?," Takeda got to the point now, stepping on a landmine.

"Well. I guess, but. I dunno, I'm really just standin' in so some things are a little less complicated. Legally and all that, y'know. I'm not actually related to her at all or anything," Keishin found himself being strangely open about his feelings on the matter and frowned at himself. Sure, he had spent a few years with the girl now and at the very least knew her habits and behaviors. Knew when something was bothering her, when her mood shifted even a little bit. Even felt proud and worried all at the same time when he overheard what was essentially a proposal thrown at her earlier that day. He liked the teacher well enough, having grown weirdly fond of his persistent attempts to bring him into coaching. The way he worked so hard for not just Kitsuna, but the whole team, was incredibly endearing and heartwarming from an outside perspective. Still, it was strange that he felt so comfortable sharing some of his deepest concerns like this with a man he had met only a year and a half ago.

"I think she appreciates you just as much as anyone else, and feels pretty close to you. I mean, she would never argue with me like she does with you. I'm sure she has a lot of respect for you as well," Takeda gave his honest review on the matter. One of his points seemed a little odd, but the meaning struck home regardless.

"Thanks," Keishin patted the man's shoulder and moved to get onto the bus and start the long drive home. Takeda muttered something under his breath, but wouldn't elaborate when asked. They were quietly bickering as they climbed the steps and looked around. Nearly everyone was out cold, and both men smiled warmly at the sight. Takeda moved to take his seat behind the driver, but found that spot occupied.

"Hm?," he blinked, unsure that he had seen correctly at first. By the window was Kitsuna, with headphones and leaning into someone else beside her. That someone was Sugawara, who held a finger to his lips and made an apologetic gesture with the other at the club's advisor. Takeda bowed and gave up his seat, sliding in beside the captain instead.

The drive was long, taking several more hours to reach Karasuno's sleepy outskirts. The bus rolled to a slow stop in front of the school gates just before dawn. Keishin stepped off with a yawn, leaving Takeda to rouse the sleeping students so they could unload and head home for the weekend. Kiyoko left first, with Yachi, while the others pulled their bags out and gathered up for a parting message from their coach.

"Right. No practice tomorrow, take some time to rest up and reflect. I mean really rest," he shot a look at Hinata specifically just then. The little redhead was doing much better than the day before, but Takeda was going to be driving him home anyway just to be safe. They were dismissed with that, some of them shuffling more slowly than the rest. Ennoshita tried to return the old notebook to Kitsuna, but she was back in her sleep dazed state so Suga took it off his hands instead. They left with Daichi and Asahi, down the familiar path homeward and down the hill.

"So, wait. You knew, Daichi?," Asahi had been left out of the loop a lot lately when the other two were up to something, and took this opportunity to try and clear some things up.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry," Daichi apologized for essentially shutting Asahi out the past few days, while Suga pretended to be too busy guiding Kitsuna to hear the conversation around him.

"Man. I thought you just wanted him to wait so she wouldn't throw a fit or something at us for the other stuff. Makes sense that you wanted him to hold off with that, though. It was a little intense," the long-haired boy felt almost embarrassed for the pair beside and in front of him. Daichi chuckled, feeling the same way. He smacked Sugawara's shoulder hard as they neared the spot where they split up, forcing him to join the discussion.

"I mean, I didn't think he'd full on propose to her in front of everyone like that. Pretty ballsy, for you even," Daichi teased his friend. Suga spun around and made a jab at the two of them, only successfully hitting Asahi as Daichi caught his fist in his own hand.

"Guess you take everything pretty seriously," Asahi poked at the shortest among them as well and got another swift jab to the ribs.

"Suga, 's cold," Kitsuna tugged at the boy's scarf and whined. She was too tired to even form all the words, though. The two instigators laughed at that, while Suga let out a sigh and his face twisted into a tired grin.

"She seems to be back to normal, at any rate," Daichi observed. The three parties split off then, with Kitsuna still holding Suga's sleeve as they traipsed down the sidewalk to her house. They turned onto the stone path and stopped at her doorstep, with her teetering side to side about to completely fall asleep on him. He checked her pockets for the key, retrieving it and unlocking the door for her to save some time there. He opened it up and gently tossed her bag inside, but hesitated on moving out of the doorway. He shuffled nervously on his feet and slid his finger around her pinkie finger, eyes fixed on a point well below her face. He was stalling, thinking something over in his head while she waited rather patiently to get out of the cold.

"Hey. Don't push it, if you're not ready for that stuff," Kitsuna's voice was gentle but he grimaced anyway. She chopped his head, without any intention of actually hurting him, and he finally looked up at her. She had been moments away from passing out just a minute ago, but looked completely lucid now as she smiled gently at him in the early morning light. His face flushed again, just a little bit, at her words and the things he had been mulling over to himself.

"It's also really damn cold," she complained. He started to panic at that, but went rigid when she pulled his hand up. The same one that loosely clung to hers while he slipped into overthinking mode. Slowly, gently, until she held it close to her face. She took the opportunity while he was looking away and kissed his fingertips. A little peck, and their hands fell down between them. He blinked up at her, lips curling with his crumpled up nerves.

"Now we're even," she grinned. His face went fully red then, and his eyes went wide in shock.

"Y-you! You knew?! I-um! I'm sorry," he tried to bow in his flustered state but his head nearly smashed into her chin. She burst out laughing, loudly enough to wake any particularly light sleeping neighbors. She let go of his hand and ruffled his hair, gently moving him aside so she could enter her home before all the heat was let out through the open door.

"Good ni-oh, I guess it's not really night anymore actually. Well, still. 'Night!," Kitsuna slipped by him and was about to close the door when his arm snaked in between the large plank and its frame.

"Hm?"

"Hm?!"

They both let out surprised grunts at that. Suga was even more shocked than Kitsuna, despite it being his own body now blocking her movement. Kitsuna peeked around the door at him, feeling a mix of shock and mild irritation. She was tired, in a lot of different ways, and wanted to get warmed up and comfortable in her bed. Something was clearly bothering Suga, though, and she didn't want to just shut him out completely.

"Sorry. Um," the boy backed off, and she let the door swing back open a little bit. She folded her arms over her chest and watched as he shifted around nervously again. He pulled something out of his bag and handed it over, the notebook. Kitsuna was confused for a second, then remembered leaving it with Ennoshita. She took it, taking an extra moment to really look at the cover. It was faded blue, with some of the outer layers of cardboard flaking off. The bindings were fraying somewhat, and the branding was nearly illegible. Her fingertips trailed over the cover, a melancholy look taking over her face. Suga was sure of it then, the reason for their long stop earlier and the reddened areas under her eyes. He stepped over the threshold of her door and pulled her into a tight embrace, something she hadn't quite expected at all.

"Okay. Sorry. 'Night," he let her go with a quick peck on the cheek and pulled the door closed himself as he left. Kitsuna's second wind dissipated as soon as the door closed, and she peeled off her outer layers. Tossing them aside randomly as she headed for her room, and her bed that she missed so much when they were on long trips. She flopped onto the thick mattress, pulling a blanket over herself and letting sleep take her for real.