Sato was meant to understand his teammates. He was meant to understand how they worked in every situation. He thought patiently working with Hinata and Kageyama would help them with their finals. Actually, he'd grown confident that they'd pass their finals with how much he and Yachi helped them. During tutoring, they understood the material. So why wouldn't he be confident?
He hurried down the stairs to the first-year floor. They handed out exam results today, which meant they could throw a little celebration for everyone passing after practice. Sato thought about it over the weekend. He'd take them out to eat, his treat, and maybe even fight for them to practice longer. The more he thought about it, the more excited he was.
Yachi, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi stood in the hallway, staring at the papers in Yachi's hands. Yachi had a mortified expression, but not one that could hint that they were her exams. If they were her exams and she made poor marks, she'd probably be dead on the floor right now. Maybe someone dropped theirs, and they were in shock someone could be so stupid. Sato's steps slowed as an uneasiness bubbled in his chest the longer they stared at whatever she was holding.
Yamaguchi saw him, even though Sato was a pretty decent distance away from them. "Sato-senpai!" he squeaked. Yachi immediately hid the papers behind her back. "What are you doing here?"
Sato stared at Yachi as she looked everywhere but him and hid the mystery papers behind her back. "I wanted to see how everyone did on their exams." Yachi flinched. "Yachi-san, is everything okay?"
She squeaked before attempting to cover it with a fake cough. "Ye—yeah! Everything's great! More than great, really! Never been better!"
"The idiots failed their exams," Tsukishima said. Yachi and Yamaguchi looked at him with wide eyes and agape mouths.
"Tsukki!" Yamaguchi gasped, betrayal in his voice.
Sato gritted his teeth as he let out a shaky breath. "Hinata-san and Kageyama-san failed their exams?" He looked at Yamaguchi, who stared at the floor. "And you weren't going to tell me?"
Yamaguchi looked up at him. Panic in his eyes. "We were!"
Yachi nodded. "Yeah! Just not right now!"
Sato slowly nodded before looking at Tsukishima. "And you didn't care when I found out?"
"Nope," Tsukishima said. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You'd find out eventually anyway, so what's the point of keeping it a secret?"
"Where are they now?" Sato asked, which made all of them look away from him. He expected Tsukishima to willingly give up this information, especially since it could lead to further embarrassing Hinata and Kageyama. Tsukishima remained quiet but looked embarrassed. "Do you not know?"
"Well," Yamaguchi said as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "They may have gone to find the vice-principal."
"They did what?" Sato snapped. The three in front of him flinched. "Why the fuck did they do that?"
Tsukishima looked away while Yachi and Yamaguchi looked at Tsukishima. There wasn't guilt in his features, but there was definitely discomfort. Sato looked at him and waited for him to speak, or for Yachi and Yamaguchi to.
"Why did they do that?" Sato repeated after several moments of silence.
"Tsukishima-san gave them the idea!" Yachi blurted. Tsukishima sharply looked at her.
"I did not!" he snapped. "They're morons who thought I was being serious!"
Sato took a deep breath in before slowly releasing it. "No, you're the moron for thinking they'd see it as a joke when the worst thing possible just happened to them."
Tsukishima had that look in his eye before he was going to snap—the look that came before he went for the jugular with insults. Sato wished Tsukishima would come up with some insult he thought would hurt Sato enough to be angry. The look faded back into the monotone brown Tsukishima's eyes normally were.
"I'm not responsible for what they do," Tsukishima stated. He was right. He wasn't responsible for Hinata and Kageyama's actions, but Sato wanted him to be. Sato wanted to pin this on someone who wasn't him.
Sato shook his head. "Whatever." He looked down at his shoes for a moment before looking at the three in front of him. "Let's just hope they don't fuck up too much." He sighed. "I'm going back to class. See you at practice."
He turned away before they could speak and ground his teeth together as he walked. He wasn't angry at them, and he needed to tell himself that. They did what they were supposed to and passed their exams. They weren't the ones causing problems. He felt like he was the one causing problems—like he had been the reason Hinata and Kageyama failed. What had he done wrong?
"It's whatever," he mumbled to himself as he hurried up the stairs. "Doesn't matter now."
Sato was copying the notes from the previous lesson out of Nayaka's notebook during break when Daichi came into his class. He looked rough, as if he had run up and down the hill near Karasuno several times without a water break. Sato was reluctant to stop taking notes, especially since Nayaka told him he annoyed her when she handed him her notebook. It had been fondly, though—the way you speak to a cat you didn't originally want but ended up keeping. (Or at least that's what he told himself.)
Sato closed his notebook as Daichi sat at the desk in front of him. "You look like shit."
"I feel like it," Daichi mumbled before clearing his throat. "Hinata-san and Kageyama-san failed their exams. I thought you should know."
"I already know," Sato said. He reached to open his notebook again. "Is that all?"
"Yes…" Daichi's voice trailed off slightly. Sato stared at him, waiting for him to get on with it. "No."
Sato raised an eyebrow. "What else is there?"
"Well, they might have spoken with the vice-principal."
Sato had really hoped they hadn't been able to find the vice-principal. "And how'd that go?"
Daichi's eyes filled with fear, as if he were remembering a traumatic event. He shook his head. "Terrible. It was a shit show, Sato-san."
Sato chuckled. "Oh, I can only imagine knowing the two of them."
"They did it again," Daichi said softly. It wasn't quite a whisper, but Sato would've missed it if he hadn't been listening. The words were rushed as well. He sounded like he didn't want Sato to know, or maybe Sato wasn't meant to know.
Sato squinted, confused. "Did what again?"
"What they did the first day," Daichi whispered. Sato leaned in to hear him better. "With the vice-principal."
"You do realize how dirty that sounds, right?" Sato asked. Daichi's nose scrunched in disgust at the thought Sato had put in his head. "Also, I'm surprised it took this long to happen again. I would've bet on it happening at least once a month."
Daichi's lips parted, and Sato could see the bottom of his top teeth. A little crooked, but in a cute way. All the girls in their year found Daichi charming in that sweet boy-next-door way. He once overheard the volleyball girls' team giggling about how Daichi could be a shoujo love interest. Sato could definitely see that.
"Do you know you can be a little insufferable?" Daichi asked, no shoujo love interest fondness found in his voice.
Sato rolled his eyes. "I've been told once or twice." He pulled his hands away from his notebook and put them in his lap. "That doesn't matter, though. What are you going to do about the idiots?"
Daichi sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not sure since they have to keep practicing, but then again, they're not going to go to the training camp, so we could have them sit out."
"Terrible idea," Sato said. "They're not going to retain anything with that built up energy from not being able to practice. Also, they'll just practice without us knowing."
He wanted to say, "Without you knowing," because Sato would know. Hinata and Kageyama were terrible at keeping secrets. They could keep them from Daichi because he didn't pay attention like Sato did. He didn't need to. Sato, however, needed to. It was who he was.
"You're right," Daichi said. He said it easily, without hesitation. It was something he did differently than Sugawara. Sugawara hesitated, only to make Sato hesitate as well, but Sato never did. "We'll just have to figure something out later."
Sato nodded and playfully smiled. "Yes, because I need to copy notes, and you're taking up all my time."
Daichi looked at the open notebook on Sato's desk. The handwriting was too polished to be Sato's. "I hadn't realized."
Sato waved him off. "Don't worry about it. I'll have Nakaya-san let me continue next break. If you see Koushi, tell him to leave me alone."
Daichi chuckled. "Alright, will do."
Once he left, Sato reached back at Nakaya, who was talking to Kaneko about something he didn't care to know. "Nakaya-san."
She looked at him, slightly annoyed. "How can I help you?"
"Daichi-san came in here, so can I borrow your notebook next break?" he asked, and he smiled at her, trying to make it as charming as he could. He knew it'd only annoy her more. "It would mean the world to me."
Nakaya rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever. As long as I can take it home with me. I have to do the homework too, you know."
Sato's smile grew, which made her narrow her eyes at him. "You're the best."
"Yeah, yeah. Leave me alone," Nakaya said as she took her notebook from him.
The bell rang, and their history teacher walked in. Sato quickly pulled his history notebook out of his bag. He doubted Nakaya would be caring enough to let him borrow two of her notebooks, which was fair. It'd be asking for a little much. But soon he stared out the window, thinking about Hinata and Kageyama. Had he not done enough to help them? Had he not known enough to help them?
Maybe he'd have to ask Nakaya for her history notes as well.
When Sato entered the clubroom after school, Hinata and Kageyama were on their knees in front of Daichi, whose arms were crossed. It was a familiar sight, but there was a vast difference between the first time and now. Sato wasn't waiting for Daichi to lecture anyone. He wasn't expecting anything bigger to happen. He didn't want to stay. He wanted to leave. It wouldn't be hard to convince himself and everyone else that they didn't need him at practice—Kiyoko and Yachi were better managers than he was. But then the anger he felt toward Hinata and Kageyama trumped his worry.
"Nothing happened today," Daichi stated, and Sato's brows furrowed slightly. "Nothing fell."
Hinata and Kageyama's voices were weak when they answered. "Right."
"This is all your fault because you kept saying 'wiggle room', dumbass," Kageyama said. They were talking about the incident with the vice-principal. He wished he'd seen it instead of having to let a reenactment play in his head during one of their breaks. He wanted to watch the wig land of Daichi yet again.
"And you kept repeating it, so now we have to get 90s!" Hinata shot back.
Sato stopped breathing as his eyes widened. They had to make 90s? The idiots had to make A's on their tests? Why did they have to cause so many problems?
"Hey, stop it, you two!" Sugawara scolded, and Sato looked at him. "If you don't stop, Daichi will—"
Sato looked at Daichi, whose expression was far more intense than Sato had expected. Daichi radiated anger, which wasn't a good look on him. Sato preferred the gentle yet firm side of Daichi, not the side that grabbed Hinata's and Kageyama's shoulder before demanding them to shut up and get out their answer sheets.
Hinata and Kageyama avoided Sato's gaze when they handed their tests to Daichi and Sugawara. He walked over to be in between Daichi and Sugawara. "Oh, can I see?" Sato asked.
"Please, no!" Hinata squeaked as he shook his head.
"I already know you failed, so there's no point in trying to hide it from me," Sato said as Sugawara handed him Hinata's English test. He'd gone to Yachi during the break after seeing Daichi, barely dodging Sugawara on the way, and apologized for snapping at her. "Yachi-san said you failed English, but I didn't want to believe her." His eyes went over the answer sheet. "Apparently, Hinata-san figured out right before time was up that he'd filled in all the answers off by one."
"Seriously?" Asahi asked, and Sato nodded. "Sadly, Ono-sensei won't let things like that slide."
Hinata tilted his head slightly as he looked at Sato. "Aren't you mad?"
Sato looked at him. "Oh, I'm furious, but what good will it do to yell at you? I'm honestly impressed you would've gotten a 100 if you hadn't fucked up."
"And Kageyama failed modern lit," Daichi said, which made Sato put his face in his hands. They had gone over that subject too when they had their study session. Yachi had even told him how she helped Kageyama out with it even more.
"Apparently, there were a lot of reading comprehension questions this time around," Ennoshita said, "but he concentrated on memorization when he studied."
"Wow, he got a perfect score on kanji," Asahi said. Sato took a couple of steps towards them. He actually hadn't looked at Kageyama's tests yet since Hinata's had devastated him so much.
"Let me see that," Sato said, and Daichi handed it over. His eyes widened as he looked over it. "Holy shit, I've never seen kanji like this. This is impressive."
"Well, don't get too discouraged," Sugawara said, and Sato looked at him. "This won't be the only time we have away games."
"What?" Sato snapped, and everyone looked at him while he narrowed his eyes at Sugawara. "They have to be there." He looked at Kageyama and Hinata. "Now, let's think. How are we getting you two to Tokyo?"
"We could run," Kageyama said.
Hinata shook his head. "Nah, we need bikes."
Sato shook his head. "It's too far for those things. You need a ride." Sato's fingers threaded through his hair, and he gripped at it slightly. "Who could give you a ride, though?"
"You have to be kidding me," Sugawara mumbled as he turned back to getting ready.
"Hey," Tanaka said. Sato, Hinata, and Kageyama looked at him. "If you've only failed one exam, then there's still hope."
"Really?" Hinata said, voice filled with hope.
"Listen up. Supplementary exams at our school mean retaking the exam you failed as many times as it takes to get a passing grade. But! If you can pass the exam the first time around, you'll be done in the morning! Which means… We'll be able to meet up Saturday night in Tokyo."
Sato's eyes widened and his fingers let go of his hair. "Supplementary exams! I should've thought of that!" He froze and brought a finger to his lips. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"Probably because you've never taken one," Sugawara said, and Sato rolled his eyes. "Hey, you're the one who asked."
"I wasn't asking for an answer, dumbass," Sato said before he looked at Tanaka. "Wait, but how would they get to Tokyo?"
"Yeah, we'll be using the bus, and it's not like they can afford to get there on their own," Sugawara said.
"Th—Th—That's right! How are we…" Hinata started.
Tanaka chuckled. "Fear not! If you're able to pass your test on the first try…" Tanaka smirked. "I'll call your savior."
"Is this a concrete plan?" Sato asked. Tanaka looked at him. "Is this guaranteed? It won't end up that this savior doesn't show up?"
Tanaka looked away from him. There was uneasiness in his movements, which Sato typically ignored because he knew he made people uneasy. This was different, though. Tanaka actively looked like he wanted to run away so Sato couldn't look at him.
"I'm working on it," Tanaka said slowly.
Sato nodded before pulling his shirt over his head. "Keep me updated."
Tanaka stared at him, eyes widening more than usual and lips parting slightly. Surprise. He was surprised. Sato wanted to laugh and say he was full of surprises. He wasn't freaking out on Hinata or Kageyama. He wasn't trying to control the entire situation. Maybe it was because he didn't have a fix for any of this. Hinata and Kageyama failed and had to do supplementary exams. That was how it was.
Of course, he could take control of finding them a way up there. There was always the option of buying them train tickets. He had the money, but he didn't want everyone to know he had the money. Something about people knowing, regardless of if it was just the team, made his stomach queasy.
"Alright, now that that's all settled," Daichi said, forcing Sato out of his thoughts. He no longer had that angry expression on his face, but just looked tired. "Can we start getting ready for practice?"
He looked at Sato, as if he was asking if Sato was okay. It was ridiculous to think Daichi was asking that, but it was even more ridiculous for Daichi to ask Sato that. Sato didn't need to be checked on. Sato pulled his shirt off as he rolled his eyes, and Daichi smiled, amused.
"Why are you looking at me?" Sato asked, and he pointed at Tanaka. "He's the one who doesn't have his clothes on yet!"
"Neither do you," Sugawara said. Sato pushed him slightly, which made Sugawara stumble a little.
"Neither do you," Sato mocked.
"Behave," Daichi said, but his voice lacked strictness. There was laughter in it. "Or else I'm going to lecture you."
"I'd like to see you try, Daichi-san," Sato said, and Daichi rolled his eyes.
Then Sugawara threw Sato's shirt, hitting Sato in the face. "Put it on! No one wants to see you shirtless!"
Everyone ended up at the Sakanoshita Shop after practice, sitting at the tables there. Sato had gotten some practice exams for the subjects they failed so everyone could see where they were now. Maybe it had been testing anxiety or the questions just weren't ones they prepared for. Whatever it was, everyone needed to see what they were up against before they started helping Hinata and Kageyama prepare for supplementary exams.
"Seriously…" Ennoshita started as he held Hinata's and Kageyama's practice exams. "How are you doing worse than on your original exams?"
Sato resisted looking at the practice exams. He had to promise to be on his best behavior just so he could come along. Daichi had been so reluctant for him to come. Sato understood it, he really did. He wasn't known for keeping his temper under control, and he was frustrated with Hinata and Kageyama. However, Sugawara forcing a pinkie promise in front of the entire team that he wouldn't hurt or teach them let him join everyone. (He nearly gave up on going with them to avoid it, but he would feel even more useless. So, instead he embarrassed himself and wanted to die a little since everyone watched it happen.)
"After the test…" Kageyama said as he and Hinata stared at the table. "All the stuff we memorized left our heads."
"We basically shoved all that information into our heads for the test," Hinata said, his voice solemn for once. "It all just kept falling out of our ears after."
Sato pinched the bridge of his nose. He wouldn't do anything—he promised he wouldn't—but he really wanted to shake some sense into them. If he could, he would have by now. (Although, he didn't think it'd do much good.)
"Okay!" Yachi said, making him look at her. "This must be why I took college prep courses! I'll train Hinata and Kageyama-kun so they can get 80s!"
"Yachi-san," Hinata said as he and Kageyama leaned forward.
"You sure? They're seriously idiots," Tsukishima said, which made Hinata and Kageyama glare at him. Sato wanted to tell them to knock it off and hit them upside their heads. They didn't have the right to be upset at Tsukishima when they'd proven they were idiots with their behavior.
"I—I also want Hinata and Kageyama-kun to go on the trip, so I'll do my best," Yachi said, and Sato felt like she was too sweet for her own good. It wouldn't surprise him if she ended up being the nicest person he ever met.
Hinata and Kageyama gasped as they thanked her. Yamaguchi spoke, "I'll do what I can to help, too."
Kageyama and Hinata turned their attention to him now. "Thank you, Yamaguchi!" Hinata said with stars in his eyes.
Nishinoya stepped forward. "Hey, now! We can't keep letting all the youngin's be cool!"
Sato leaned closer to Sugawara. "Did he seriously just say youngin's as if he isn't like a year older than them?" he whispered. Sugawara suppressed his laugh by coughing slightly.
"The third years have entrance exams to study for, so the rest of us will take care of these two," Ennoshita said.
Sato frowned. "I can help. I'm great at multitasking."
"You're applying to Keio University," Sugawara said slowly, as if he were talking to a child. "You know, the one with the crazy low acceptance rate."
Sato rolled his eyes. "I'm aware, and I just said that I'm great at multitasking," Sato said, and Sugawara opened his mouth to speak.
"Thanks," Daichi said, cutting Sugawara off. "We're counting on you."
"I didn't agree to that," Sato whined slightly. Sugawara bumped their shoulders together, but not hard. More to get Sato to shut up.
"Stop being such a pain," Sugawara said, no malice in his voice. Sato bumped their shoulders together, but he did it hard enough Sugawara stumbled slightly.
"I—I'm probably not going to take entrance exams," Asahi said nervously. "So, I probably won't be much help."
Tsukishima walked across the shop and opened the door. He turned to look at everyone. "Well, I'm going." Hinata and Kageyama glared at him, like children. "Don't glare at me. I only agreed to help until exam day. It's not my fault you need more help after that." He smirked a little. "Do your best, I guess. See ya."
Sato stared at the door after Tsukishima left. He didn't find Tsukishima necessarily hard to figure out, but Tsukishima was far more reserved than the rest of the team. It was purposeful, there was no way it wasn't, and part of Sato didn't want to look too far into it. Tsukishima cared far more about privacy than anyone else.
He left before anyone else did, sometimes even leaving Yamaguchi, his best friend as far as Sato could tell, behind. There had to be something they could do to make him not so closed off. There was always something to do in any circumstance.
"Wait, where's Tanaka?" Ennoshita asked, and Sato looked around for him.
"He said he had something to do and went home earlier," Nishinoya said. Sato thought about the promise Tanaka had made to Hinata and Kageyama about a ride to Tokyo. Could that be what he's doing?
"Well, we've got to go," Sugawara said. Sato looked at him. "Kai gets cranky when he doesn't eat dinner soon enough."
"Oh, fuck off," Sato said.
"Hey, let's be nice," Daichi said, and Sato looked at him. Although his voice was strict, he looked amused.
"I've never been nice a day in my life," Sato said, and Daichi rolled his eyes as Sugawara grabbed Sato's wrist. If it was anyone else, he'd knock them to the ground. He pulled away from him instead.
"Let's go," Sugawara whined, sounding and looking like a child. Daichi motioned them to leave while holding back his laughter. Sugawara always got this reaction from people. They laughed at his harmless jokes and teasing. Rarely did Sato get the same.
"You say I need to leave, yet you're the one who won't stop complaining," Sato said as he turned to him. "Let's go."
Sato discarded his shoes next to Sugawara's front door. The house was quiet outside the small thud of Sugawara dropping his bag next to their shoes. When they were younger, Sugawara would immediately fill the silence with talking. Now, he walked further into his house, his footsteps replacing his talking.
Sato looked around to see if they'd hung up any new photos, but they hadn't. They hadn't in years. But it had been a while since he had been there, and he was only there today because his mother had done three 12-hour shifts in a row. She needed sleep, and he didn't want to bother her.
"Where is everyone?" Sato asked, his bag still in his hands.
Sugawara looked over his shoulder at Sato, pretty hazel eyes focused solely on him. "Oh, mom and dad are at work, and Haruto's at a classmate's house. Dad's picking him up on his way home." He looked back at the empty house. "So, we've got the place to ourselves."
Sato nodded, and his grip on his bag strips tightened. He hated it when it was only them at Sugawara's house, because even though they were sometimes loud, they were never loud enough. Haruto running through the house and being chastised about it by Sugawara's mother made this place feel like home. Not deafening silence.
"Want to work on English?" Sato asked. Sugawara chuckled, not looking at Sato.
"Yeah, sure." He pointed toward the kitchen, still not looking at Sato. "I'm going to go get us something to eat. Want to study in my room?"
"Sure," Sato said, and it was still strange to agree to that after all these years. His father used to yell at him for taking food to his room. He always said food was meant for the dining room and kitchen only. "I'm going to grab your bag since you discarded it without a second thought."
Sugawara turned around with a slightly sour expression. "I didn't think you'd actually want to study!"
Sato's brows furrowed. "What did you think we'd do?"
"Watch anime!" Sugawara said as he threw his hands up slightly. "We started Another and then never finished it because it's so gory that Haruto can't watch, and he's always around." He motioned around. "He's not around right now!"
Sato tried to hold back his laughter. "How was I supposed to know that's what you want to do?"
"With your freaky powers."
Sato rolled his eyes as he grabbed Sugawara's bag. "Alright. How about we do some homework and then watch an episode or two? I'm pretty sure it finished in March."
"We could always just skip the homework." Sugawara's tone was casual, which was his way of trying to make it seem like it was Sato's idea. That kind of behavior worked with the team, especially Asahi, but never with Sato and Daichi.
"If I don't help you, then you're going to fail." Sato's grip on Sugawara's backpack strap tightened a little. "Do you want to fail?" Sugawara shook his head. "Then get us something to eat and meet me in your room."
Sugawara threw his head back with a small groan. "But studying in my room is the worst! You never let me have fun."
"Studying is fun."
"No, it's not!"
Sato laughed a little, which made Sugawara stare at him. It was uncomfortable whenever Sugawara put all of his attention on Sato, even after all these years. All it took was a laugh or a smile, and Sugawara stared at him as if he was reminded that Sato is human and who he once was instead of who Sato is now. Sato didn't think there was a big enough difference to care about that much.
"Go," Sato said as he shooed Sugawara. "Faster we eat and study, the faster we watch anime."
Sugawara's stare softened. "Have requests for snacks?" Sato shook his head. "Alright, then I'll just surprise you."
Sugawara hummed as he grabbed his salmon onigiri. He told Sato his mother made some last night for his and Haruto's lunches. There had been extra, enough for him and Sato to have a snack. Sato grabbed one. He held it delicately, trying to not mess it up before he could eat it.
"Do you really think Hinata and Kageyama are going to make it to the training camp?" Sugawara asked before he took a bite of his food. Sato looked at him. A piece of rice clung to the corner of Sugawara's mouth.
"Everyone's determined to make it possible, so yes," Sato said before looking away from him and biting into his food. Flavor exploded in his mouth. He spoke with his mouth full. "Also, Tanaka-san said he's working on getting them there if they pass. So, chances are high."
"Wow, it must be the end of the world if you're saying you believe in Tanaka," Sugawara said, and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
Sato narrowed his eyes when he looked at Sugawara, who wasn't fazed by it. "I'm aware everyone thinks I don't have faith in anyone, but that's just not true." He looked at the corkboard that hung over Sugawara's desk. Sugawara had covered it in university pamphlets, volleyball articles, and photos. "I have a certain level of belief in everyone, which includes Tanaka-san and Nishinoya-san." His eyes softened when he saw a photo of him and Sugawara in their junior high uniforms. "But you. You're still up for debate."
Sato could hear the soft smile in Sugawara's voice when he spoke. "Whatever."
It was quiet for a couple of minutes as they ate. Once Sato finished, he reached for his bag to pull out his English homework. He felt Sugawara's eyes follow his movements. The attention never lasted long, just until Sugawara spoke or looked away.
"Your belief in Kageyama and Hinata isn't as strong as it used to be, is it?" Sugawara asked, and Sato froze. He knew he hadn't been obvious because he had been careful not to be.
Sato willed his body to relax, and it reluctantly listened. He looked over at Sugawara, who was leaning back on his hands for support. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You can't play dumb with me." Sato's eyes went to Sugawara's fingers when they gently spread out to better support him as he leaned back onto them more. "I see how you hesitate before talking to them when it comes to notes."
Sato's eyes went from Sugawara's hands to Sugawara's face. His head was tilted like he was confused, but his eyes were filled with an all-knowing atmosphere. "Why does it matter how strong my belief is?" Sato asked. "Everyone else has enough belief for me to not believe in them at all."
"You're deflecting."
No, he wasn't. He was making a valid point. Sato's belief in Hinata's and Kageyama's quick attack was superficial if no one else noticed it. If anyone had noticed, then they had either decided to not say anything, ignored it, or they were Sugawara. Sato doubted there were many on the team that were the first two types, so he accepted that change wasn't happening now. It may not happen for a while.
Sato shrugged, looking away from Sugawara. "Think whatever you want." He opened his English notebook. "You ready to work on homework?"
Sugawara was quiet for a moment. Sato could feel his gaze burning on the side of his face. He was waiting for Sato to say something of more substance. Waiting for Sato to confess that he thought the quick attack was no longer the strength they all once believed it was. Confess things they both already knew. There wasn't going to be something more besides homework and maybe anime.
"Yeah," Sugawara mumbled. "Let me get mine out."
Sato waited for him, just like he always waited for those around him. The slow unzipping of Sugawara's bag. The digging through his bag to find his notebook. It told Sato that he didn't care and Sato had to wait. He always had to wait. It was the consistent and never-ending occurrence he always had to face.
Sato forgot his lunch today in the midst of trying to make breakfast for his mother when she got home, which was 30 minutes after he left. He hadn't seen much of her the last couple days, trying to let her catch up on sleep when she wasn't working and then seeing her briefly as she put dinner on the table and then said bye before heading to work. 12-hour shifts sucked, especially for nurses, but she was so stubborn about everything. He suggested she try to take more than two days off before doing four in a row. She told him she could do whatever she pleased. The conversation ended there.
He was walking down the stairs to the cafeteria to buy something (which he always hated doing because he swore their prices were unfair) when someone called out to him. "Sato-senpai!"
He stopped and looked over his shoulder to find Tanaka hurrying down the stairs after him. Tanaka had this weird, desperate expression on his face that made Sato want to look away because it was uncomfortable. Sato turned to him instead.
"Yes?" Sato said. Tanaka stood on the top step while Sato was in the middle of the stairs. He wondered if they'd end up being in someone's way. Tanaka took a deep breath, acting as if this was the most difficult thing ever. Acting as if they hadn't spoken before outside of practice, which they hadn't done many times, but still. Sato hadn't changed from the last time they saw each other or their previous one-on-one conversation. The uncomfortable silence lasted far too long. "Any day now, Tanaka-san."
Tanaka looked away from him. "I… I need help." Defeat sat in his voice. Sato didn't know why Tanaka was acting like this because it was kind of Sato's job as manager to help the team.
"Is it about that new quick you and Kageyama-san have been working on?" Sato asked. He went up the steps to stand next to him. "I did notice a small disconnect between you two with it, but I thought I'd wait a little longer before bringing it up. Sometimes it fixes itself on its own."
Tanaka stared at him with a look of disbelief, which was strange seeing that he came to Sato for help. Or had that not been what he was going to ask for help with? If not, then what use could Sato possibly have for him? All Sato did was study the team and volleyball and then report back with what he found.
"There's a disconnect?" Tanaka asked, well more on the verge of a squeak. Okay, definitely not help with the quick attack.
"No, ignore that," Sato said, and Tanaka went to open his mouth. "What do you need help with?"
Tanaka paused and the annoyance in his expression faded away to something ashamed. If Sato were to be honest, he had no idea what Tanaka could possibly be ashamed about at this moment. "The person I'm trying to get to drive Hinata and Kageyama to Tokyo is being… difficult," he said softly, which explained looking ashamed. He was blaming himself for not holding up on his promise.
Sato tilted his head to the side a little. "Define difficult," he said. "Difficult like they don't want to do it at all. Or difficult like they would do it if someone else had asked."
"Difficult not wanting to do it at all," Tanaka said, and he sighed. "I want to blame her and tell her she's not being fair, but I can't." He paused. "I just don't know what to do to get her to do it."
"Family member?" Sato asked, and Tanaka nodded.
"Older sister."
Sato grimaced, thinking about how hard it would've been to get Kairy to do this for him, no matter who asked her. "Have you thought about actually talking to her about it? Not just asking her to do it, but telling her why it's important to you." Sato paused before speaking softer. "I know this isn't entirely about being the 'coolest senpai,' but not everyone will know that, though. Try to explain to her that this is more than just being seen as a cool upperclassman, like we both know it is."
Tanaka nodded, quiet for a minute. Sato liked him like this, quiet and actually listening. Although he found him to be unbelievably annoying roughly 98 percent of the time, Sato could admit that Tanaka had his moments where Sato was content with talking to him instead of wanting to strangle him. However, he knew once this conversation ended, Tanaka would go back to being insufferable and Sato would want to strangle him again.
"Yeah," Tanaka finally said. "I… I just don't know how to do it—talk to her."
Sato nodded. "It's the same way with my sister. She's so much older than me, and sometimes, I feel like it's impossible to say anything. Just stating a conversation is really hard, but she's still my sister. I know I can tell her anything and she'll be there for me. It's hard, but you just have to do it or else it'll never happen."
"I didn't know you had a sister," Tanaka said, and Sato shrugged.
"You've never asked," Sato said, and he shoved his hands in his pockets, running his index finger along the pocket seams. "I'm going to go buy some lunch." He took a hand out of his pocket and ran it through his hair. "Tell me how it goes, even if it doesn't go well."
Tanaka slowly nodded. "Will do." He paused for a moment, and if Sato hadn't known him like he did, he would've walked away already. "Thank you, Sato-senpai."
Sato nodded, and part of him wanted to reach out and gently push Tanaka's shoulder in that weird friendly manner people do. Tanaka was such a physically affectionate person, and Sato knew it would let Tanaka know he was there for him.
"Of course, Tanaka-san. Now, I'm really going to buy food. See you at practice."
"Yeah, see you at practice."
Sato would never explicitly say it, but he liked being included. He didn't need to be included in everything all the time, but he wanted to be in the loop, especially came to the team. However, everyone made sure he wasn't in the loop with Kageyama's and Hinata's tutoring process. He knew it started with Daichi saying Sato couldn't interfere with them because of the idea Sato would ruin whatever progress was being made with his anger, which Sato highly doubted. They were giving him more power than he actually had.
Sato stopped near the stage, looking around and marking down who was here on his clipboard. Ukai and Takeda weren't there yet, and he figured it was easier to just tell them than half-way through practice they start asking questions. Daichi wasn't too far away from him, stretching.
"Hey," Daichi said, and Sato looked over at him. "Hinata and Kageyama are using the clubroom to study after practice."
"Is the shop not good enough for them?" Sato asked, and Daichi rolled his eyes but chuckled.
"It's going to be closed," Daichi said, and he reached down to touch his toes. "So, you can't be in the clubroom after practice."
Sato stared at him, watched how Daichi's hair moved with his movement of standing up straight again. Daichi looked at him with those big, dumb brown eyes that made him look innocent. "Let me get this straight," Sato started. "You want me to find somewhere else to change because they're going to be studying in the clubroom after practice?"
Daichi's brows scrunched a little. "No. I'm saying you can't stay in the clubroom after changing."
Sato brought his clipboard to his side as he let out an annoyed sigh and tilted his head at Daichi. "This is getting ridiculous," he said, and somehow, he wasn't yelling. "I can be around them when they study. I'm not going to lose my temper or anything. Believe it or not, I do have self-control."
Guilt flashed through Daichi's eyes, like it should in Sato's opinion. He'd been dealing with this for nearly a week now, and he was tired of it. Sure, not being able to buy meat buns is one thing he can sacrifice, but not being allowed to be in the clubroom longer than changing was something he refused to sacrifice.
"I know you do," Daichi said, far softer than Sato thought he would. "Honestly, I don't know much about their progress—Ennoshita's been quiet about it—but I just thought it'd be good if you didn't know everything for once."
Sato rolled his eyes. "Maybe don't think," he snapped, which Daichi barely flinched at. "Daichi-san, it's my job to help, even if I'm not tutoring them. I can't confidently say I tried if no one tells me what's going on."
Usually, Daichi would take a step away. He'd give Sato breathing room, thinking that's what Sato needed. This time, he nodded as his body relaxed. Not stepping away, but staying in his spot. Sato wasn't entirely sure what to do with this change.
"You're right," Daichi said, and Sato stared at him. Those words weren't foreign, but he didn't know what to do. He was used to Daichi's normal reactions. "You can just be… a lot, and I didn't want that to distract them." Sato nodded, and Daichi looked away from him. So now Sato stared at Daichi's side profile, which wasn't the worst thing to stare at. "You can be in the clubroom after practice, just please don't be harsh."
Sato raised a brow as he brought his clipboard back up to look at it. "Once again, I do have self-control."
Daichi looked at him again with a small smile. "I know. Now, help me stretch, since Suga is taking forever to get here."
Sato nodded as he motioned Daichi to sit on the floor before following his lead. "Wouldn't surprise me if he's staring in a mirror," Sato said as Daichi leaned forward, going to touch his toes, and laughed a little. "Or got lost. You never know with him."
Daichi reached further, so Sato started pressing down on his back. "He mentioned someone asked to meet him after school," Daichi said, a little strained from stretching. "A girl in your class."
Sato waited for Daichi to continue, but he didn't. "Like a confession?"
"That's what it seemed like," Daichi said as Sato stepped away from him, letting him come all the way back up. He looked over his shoulder at Sato, his head tilted, and his soft smile turned into a small frown. "Did he not tell you?"
"No," Sato said, and it tasted bitter in his mouth. He needed to wash out the taste. "He didn't."
In junior high, they made an agreement to always go to confessions with each other. Sato couldn't tell anyone why they made the agreement, probably something to do with him being an ass, but he always kept it. Although, how often he was confessed to had dropped significantly since junior high, he always told Sugawara when someone wanted to confess. They'd either end up going together or Sato just not going at all. Sugawara didn't get confessed to often, or that's what Sato had always assumed. Sugawara wasn't coming to him with confession letters and saying, "Should we go?" Now it made sense why.
Daichi's frown stayed, even though he clearly tried to make it a smile. He wore his heart so much on his sleeve, never been good at hiding what he feels. He always tried, though. "Maybe I'm wrong," Daichi said in a warm and reassuring voice.
Sato hoped he was. He hoped it was some weird misunderstanding because he didn't know what to do with this information if it wasn't. He didn't know what to do if Sugawara was keeping things from him, even if only confessions.
"Maybe," Sato said quietly, feeling stupid for letting this bother him. He felt even more stupid for letting it visibly bother him. Daichi didn't comment on it, though. He just had Sato continue helping him stretch before they started setting up for practice with everyone else.
Sugawara made his entrance toward the end of everyone setting up. A lot of things went through his mind—things he could do. Scream at Sugawara. Get onto him for being late. Let his anger take over. He didn't do any of those things. He took a deep breath in, releasing it slowly before talking to him when he got close enough. "There you are. We worried you got lost."
Sugawara rolled his eyes but smiled a little. "Just had to talk to a teacher," Sugawara said, and his nose scrunched a little. It was something most people didn't notice, because Sugawara used expressions more than he used words. However, it was the little tell that he was lying. A tell Sato never told anyone about, even after years of knowing him.
"Suga," Daichi said, appearing next to him. He looked between them, as if not sure what to do. For a second, he had that frown on his face yet again, but quickly smiled and laughed a little. "I hope you're good at stretching on your own."
Sugawara rolled his eyes but smiled as he did so. He enjoyed the lightheartedness of this conversation while Sato hated it. That familiar anger that always rested in the pit of Sato's stomach grew at it. This wasn't the first time Sugawara had lied to him—he knew Sugawara would always lie because that's what people did. Sato had lied before as well. That didn't mean it didn't hurt whenever it happened. Anger had always been the easiest emotion to feel when it came to being hurt—Sato understood it inside and out—but right now, sadness intertwined with that anger. He repressed both emotions, though. He shoved them to rest in the pit of his stomach, even though it made his stomach churn and nausea wash over him.
"Come on! Let's get going!" Ukai called out as he entered the gym. Sato had never been happier to hear Ukai's voice, because it was all he needed to look away from Sugawara. All he needed to pull himself out of that conversation. He looked over to see Yachi struggling with the water bottles near the gym doors.
He didn't say anything or even look at Sugawara and Daichi before walking over to Yachi. Sato could help her without getting upset. She was someone that made it easy to calm down, even with her frazzled behavior. He could control his emotions around her.
"Sato-senpai!" Yachi said with a bright smile when she saw him.
"Yachi-san, do you need any help?" he asked as he smiled slightly in return, hoping it didn't come off as a grimace. He figured it didn't when she didn't look scared, and her cheeks turned a faint pink as she nodded; embarrassed.
"These need to be refilled," she said. He immediately put his clipboard on a chair Kiyoko had put out. He grabbed the strap of the water bottles' container.
"Let's do this," he said in a far too serious voice, and she smiled at him before walking out of the gym with him following after her.
Tutoring started after everyone changed out of their practice clothes. Two chairs were being used as desks while Hinata and Kageyama sat on the floor. Nishinoya was the one helping them by keeping them on task. Having him doing so helped them, or that's what Sato figured with how intense Hinata and Kageyama were working. It was hard to look away because it was oddly impressive.
Sato stood in between Daichi and Asahi, distancing himself from Sugawara like he had been all practice. Maybe it was immature, but he couldn't find it in him to care. "This is insane," he whispered.
"That's an understatement," Daichi said. His eyes were wide at the sight and surprise in his voice.
"It certainly is a weird look on them," Sugawara said, and he was smiling. Sato wanted to punch him.
"They've done so well," Asahi said, his eyes tearing up.
"Are you really crying right now?" Sato asked, and Asahi quickly wiped his eyes. Sato looked him over judgmentally.
"They are only making progress now," Ennoshita said, and Sato wished he could tell him to let them have their victories. Being this determined and motivated over something not volleyball related (even though it kind of was) was something impressive for the two people who probably only thought in volleyball terms.
"Listen!" Nishinoya said, his voice raised, and Sato immediately looked at him. "We're departing tomorrow night and your exams are the day after. There are only about 30 hours left. Do your very best."
With the determination he was seeing currently, Sato wouldn't doubt they'd give their all, just like they did in volleyball games. "Yes!" Kageyama and Hinata said at the same time.
Sato looked at Daichi. "I think it's time for me to head home," he said, and Daichi looked at him.
"Alright, see you tomorrow," Daichi said before looking back at Kageyama and Hinata.
"Oh, let me grab my stuff, and I'll go with you," Sugawara said, and Sato shook his head.
"I'm meeting my mom for dinner," Sato said, a lie. It simply came out, and the only justification he had for it was that Sugawara lied. If he lied, then Sato got to as well.
Sugawara stopped hurrying to grab his bag and stared at Sato. It wasn't Sato's best lie (and he had a few of those) because he and his mother never went out to eat. His mother was always too tired from work while Sato always needed to do something. They bought takeout more than they cooked or actually left their house to eat. Sugawara knew that—told Sato how weird it was—so he stared at Sato as if he'd see between the cracks and learn it was a lie.
"Oh," Sugawara said, as if he didn't know what else to say—as if there was nothing else to say that wouldn't lead to arguing. "Okay. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah," Sato said with a nod and quickly grabbing his things. "See you tomorrow."
He hurried out of the clubroom, ignoring the chorus of goodbyes that escaped alongside him. Even though it was night, the summer heat made sweat trickle down his back and dampen his hair. As he walked, the only thing he heard were his footsteps and the occasional noise from children playing in their backyards. It was only when he was halfway to the train station that he realized he couldn't remember the last time he walked home alone. Sugawara had always been there to fill the silence between them with mindless gossip or strategies. Even though it was self-inflicted, this loneliness was worse than the summer heat as it drenched him in the anger and sadness he hadn't let himself feel earlier.
"Sato-senpai!" someone called out. Sato turned to see Tanaka shoving past people to get to him, which led to people glaring at him and Sato. Part of Sato wanted to act like he didn't know him because of the attention he was attracting. Instead, he stopped and moved over to be against the windows, out of the middle of the hallway. He wouldn't be going to the bathroom this break.
Tanaka breathed a little heavy from running, but that was the only thing saying he ran harder than he normally did. "Tanaka-san," Sato said when Tanaka made it to him. "How can I help you?"
"I did it," Tanaka said. Sato's brows scrunched together. "I got Hinata and Kageyama a ride to Tokyo."
Sato's eyes widened as he smiled. "That's amazing!" he said, his voice just a little louder than normal, but not enough to really draw attention to them. "How did you do it?"
Tanaka looked away from him, cheeks turning red from embarrassment. "It wasn't my best moment." He paused. "She made sure to tell me that."
Sato nodded, but didn't push it. There was no reason to pry when Tanaka obviously didn't want to talk about it. Really, it didn't matter how Tanaka got his sister to agree, it just mattered that he got her to agree. The weight that had been resting on Sato's shoulders since Hinata and Kageyama failed slowly lifted off his shoulders.
"Thank you, Tanaka-san." Sato truly meant it. Tanaka looked at him with wide eyes, surprised. "You're… you're a good upperclassman," Sato said, his words slow and awkward.
Tanaka completely froze, his eyes impossibly wide and his mouth opening slightly. For a moment, Sato felt like he had messed up. He shouldn't have said that, because it was strange coming from him. He'd given compliments before, but never compliments like this. His compliments were always about volleyball and improvement, not about someone's character. But sometimes, people need to hear those kinds of compliments. They need to hear that they're doing a good job overall. This seemed like the time to do that.
"Thank you, Sato-senpai," Tanaka said slowly and awkwardly, even though he had said it only a couple of days before. This was different, though. It was genuine—not that the last time wasn't genuine, but it was something polite you said when someone helped you. This time, Tanaka truly meant it. It was weird to truly thank Sato, and it was weird for Sato to be truly thanked. "I don't think I could've done it without your help. I think it's going to be easier to talk to her after this."
Sato nodded, his smile no longer wide like it had been. He straightened his posture a little, because although no one was staring at them, he felt too exposed for this conversation. He felt everyone's eyes on them, even if they weren't. Conversations like this—where you expose some element of yourself, even if small—weren't meant to be done in public. They were meant to be done behind closed doors where no one could see or hear you. Where your words could never be repeated by anyone who wasn't there. Tanaka didn't understand that—Sato knew Tanaka didn't understand, so he couldn't hold it against him.
"What are we talking about?" Sugawara asked, appearing at Sato's side like he seemed to whenever Sato needed saving. Sugawara stared at Sato when he asked, almost as if saying he didn't care what Tanaka had to say.
"Tanaka-san was telling me he got Hinata and Kageyama a ride to Tokyo," Sato said, and Sugawara looked over at Tanaka with sparkling eyes—amazement dancing in them. This look on Sugawara was one of Sato's favorites.
"Really?" Sugawara asked. Tanaka nodded, and Sugawara cut him off before he could speak. "That's amazing! Have you told Takeda-sensei yet?"
Tanaka shook his head. "No, not yet. I wanted to tell Sato-senpai first."
Sato looked out the window, away from Tanaka—away from this conversation. Several people were outside, running around, even though they only had so much time between classes. He couldn't imagine willingly being outside in this heat.
"You should probably go tell Takeda-sensei before the end of school," Sugawara said. "You know how he gets when he doesn't feel like he has enough time to prepare."
"You're right," Tanaka said, and Sato looked back at him. He didn't look bothered that Sato hadn't been looking at him. Sato figured it was because he knew Sato well enough to not get hurt about something as small as that. "I'm going to the teachers' lounge now! See you later!"
"See you later," Sato and Sugawara said, Sugawara's voice being far more cheerful than Sato's. Sugawara waved bye to Tanaka.
When Tanaka was far enough away, Sugawara looked at Sato. "What was that about?"
"He needed advice on how to get his sister to agree to taking Hinata and Kageyama to Tokyo," Sato said as he looked up at Sugawara. "Guess my advice worked so well he needed to tell me immediately."
"He has a sister?" Sugawara asked as he scrunched his brows together, and Sato shrugged.
"Apparently."
Sugawara slowly nodded before shaking his head a little. "Not important. Do you have a pencil I can borrow?"
"You need a pencil?" Sato asked slowly.
"Yeah, mine broke during English, and I went to your class, but you weren't there. Nakaya-san said you went to the bathroom," Sugawara said as he stretched his arms up a little, the bottom of his shirt lifting to show a sliver of skin.
Sato looked out the window again, glaring at the sky. "I was, but I got stopped." There was a donut shaped cloud in the sky. "You could've grabbed a pencil from my bag."
"Nakaya-san said the same thing, but I wanted to annoy you as well."
Sato looked at him, still glaring, and Sugawara had that dumb, charming smile on his face whenever he acted like this. His arms were now crossed across his chest. Sato wished he could hit him right now.
"Well, I'm trying to go to the bathroom. So go take a pencil out of my bag and go back to class," Sato said, and there was far more bite in his voice than he meant there to be. He blamed it on Sugawara being so annoying it was hard to deal with.
Sugawara uncrossed his arms, putting his hands up in defense. "Sorry, I didn't realize you were cranky today."
It would be so easy to open the window and push him out of it. The hallway was emptying as their break quickly came to an end, so there wouldn't be any witnesses. Although the urge was strong, Sato decided Sugawara wasn't worth it.
"I'm going to the bathroom," Sato said as he walked around Sugawara. "Go grab a pencil and please don't annoy Nakaya-san."
Sato didn't have to see him to know he was wearing a dumb smirk as he spoke. "I would never."
"Whatever," Sato said as he picked up his steps so he could actually use this break for what he originally wanted to.
Sato wished they did everything at night. It had been easy for him to get back to Karasuno at 3 A. M. after taking a three-hour nap, eating really quick, and grabbing his packed bag from home. Sugawara walked with him, but he didn't fill the silence between them with mindless chatter. Instead, he dragged his feet and kept yawning. Unlike the night before, when he'd walked home alone, the silence didn't bother Sato. Maybe it was just Sugawara's presence that was far more comforting than it probably should be.
"This is cruel," Sugawara whined.
"No, you just go to bed at 10 P. M.," Sato said as he stared up at the sky. It was easier to see the stars tonight. It was so beautiful. He doubted Sugawara would understand, especially with how tired and irritable he was.
"What are you wearing?" Sugawara asked, and Sato looked over at him. Sugawara had this incredulous expression on his face, and Sato truly didn't know why.
"Clothes?" Sato said as he tilted his head to the side slightly.
"Those aren't comfortable clothes to sleep in," Sugawara said, and Sato looked down at his outfit. A white T-shirt and black jeans.
"Well, I doubt I'm going to get much sleep on the bus," he said. "Since I get motion sick."
"We both know you don't get motion sick," Sugawara said, and Sato stared at him. He thought about stopping and seeing if Sugawara was being serious.
"I've always gotten motion sickness. I just usually take something for it, but it makes me fall asleep for longer than it takes to get to Tokyo, so I'm not taking anything."
"So you're planning to throw up on me?" Sugawara asked, and Sato couldn't tell if this conversation was serious anymore. Either Sugawara was losing his mind from being tired or he was an oblivious idiot.
Sato's lips parted slightly. "Of course I'm not planning to throw up on you!" he said, frustrated. "You can get motion sick without throwing up."
"Why should I believe you?" Sugawara asked, and there was this level of seriousness in his voice that Sato feared was real. He hoped it wasn't because he was about to lose his temper.
"Are you really being—"
"Suga! Sato-san!" someone called out, and they turned to see Daichi and Asahi hurrying after them. Sato and Sugawara stopped to wait for them. Daichi smiled at them. "It's good we got you now."
They heard them bickering. Everyone in the neighborhood probably heard them bickering. Part of Sato was embarrassed because he really hated bothering people in public.
"Are you guys excited?" Asahi asked. "We've never been to a training camp like this before."
Sato nodded. "Yeah, I think it'll be fun."
"I can't wait to show them what we've got," Daichi said as he grinned wide. Sato could tell him that what they've got was most certainly not enough to compare to what Tokyo had. Instead, he nodded as if he maybe agreed.
"I'm excited to sleep," Sugawara said with a slight huff.
"Sorry, he's been like this the entire way here," Sato said as he looked at Asahi and Daichi. "Without sleep, he's overly cranky."
"Am not," Sugawara snapped.
"You're literally proving what I just said with how you're acting."
"Well, good thing we've got about five hours to sleep on the bus," Daichi said. Sato hoped he'd get at least two hours of sleep, but he's gone to Tokyo before by car and not always is it the smoothest ride. "Did you guys get everything?"
"It's a little late now to ask us that," Sato said, and he could barely see a faint pink on Daichi's cheeks under the streetlights.
"Sorry, just a habit, I guess," he said.
Older sibling habits. Something Sato didn't have due to being the youngest. Sugawara kind of had it, but not like Daichi. Sato didn't know if Asahi had any siblings. If he did, then he was most definitely the youngest sibling.
Daichi talked about his siblings the rest of the way to Karasuno, with Sato asking follow-up questions. Hearing about children was better than hearing Sugawara's sleepy complaints, so he was going to keep the conversation going.
They weren't the first ones there, unsurprisingly. Hinata and Kageyama were there to see them off. Takeda yawned over by the bus while Ukai hit his own face a little to wake himself up. Kiyoko and Yachi stood next to each other, both looking far more awake than Sato thought they would. Not that he really thought about what anyone would be like at 3 A. M. Most of the team hadn't gotten there yet, but there were still 15 minutes until time to leave.
"Yeah, Yua loves tea parties," Sato said after Daichi told the story of how he got dragged into a tea party with his sisters earlier because he wouldn't be there for the next two days. "But she's really particular about everything. She has told me what clothes I'm allowed to wear. All of it is formal clothing."
"Yeah, Kaori and Yui would love the idea of dressing up and tea parties, but they've not come up with it yet," Daichi said, and he laughed a little. "I'm hoping they don't, because I can't dress up every other day."
It was about then that everyone showed up, and Ukai and Takeda had everyone line up. They talked a little about the bus ride before motioning to Hinata and Kageyama, who were standing in front of everyone with their heads down. Sato knew they had to come to see everyone off, but he felt a little bad for them. Imagine having to wake up and go somewhere super late only to say bye and head back home. Even worse, they wanted to go.
"Oi, oi, oi, don't be depressed," Tanaka said, pep in his voice that Sato did not know how it was there at 3 A. M.. Hinata and Kageyama didn't look up at him. "Pass it on the first try, and wait for the savior your senpai has prepared."
"You've worked hard, so it should be fine," Ennoshita said, which was the first time he said anything reassuring about them and this exam. It surprised Sato that Ennoshita knew how to say anything reassuring to Hinata and Kageyama.
"Go and defeat it, you guys!" Nishinoya said as he grinned. A good follow up after Ennoshita.
"D—do your best!" Yachi said as she clenched her hands into fists.
It was quiet for a moment—not even so—when Daichi let out a deep breath and smiled. "We'll be waiting in Tokyo," he said. Kageyama and Hinata still didn't look at any of them.
"Yes," they said, their voices sad.
"You're doing a terrible job of sending us off," Sato said, and Daichi sent him a look to stop. "We're having to encourage you guys. It's not very fair, is it?"
Hinata looked up at him while Kageyama continued to look at the ground. "Sorry, Sato-senpai," Hinata said softly.
"I know you're upset about this, which is fair, but have faith in yourselves," Sato said. Daichi's look softened at those words. "You've been working your asses off—sorry, Takeda-sensei. Act like it."
Hinata stood up a little straighter, but he wasn't really confident. Sato would honestly take what he could get. "Yeah," Hinata said, a little louder this time. "We'll be in Tokyo tomorrow. Work hard until we get there."
Sato nodded. "Kageyama-san?" Sato asked, and Kageyama looked up at him. He was far harder to get to cheer up like Hinata. Although, Sato doubted he really "cheered" Hinata up.
"We'll be there," Kageyama said, which was enough for Sato.
"And we'll be winning practice matches!" Nishinoya said, obviously liking this more than Hinata and Kageyama being depressed. "So hurry to win some with us!"
Hinata and Kageyama stood up straighter. "Right!" they said, finally acting more like themselves, even if not entirely.
They watched everyone get on the bus. Sato envied them in that regard, because they didn't have to ride the bus. Everyone found their seats. Sato and Sugawara sitting in the middle row with Sato next to the window to keep his motion sickness at bay. Although, after his conversation with Sugawara, he wanted to be sick on him as payback.
"Alright, everyone try to get some sleep!" Ukai called from the driver's seat. "You're going to need all the rest you can get!"
Although there was energy buzzing around the bus, about everyone fell asleep fairly quickly. Sato felt the familiar nausea he got from motion sickness, which didn't lessen as he looked out the window. Yeah, it was going to be a long five hours. Hopefully, he'd fall asleep and not suffer from this.