Chapter Text
[Name] walks around in the halls, not that many people in the halls since most of the students are in their classes. [Name] had actually needed to go to the bathroom, but now she has done her business and just strolling around in the halls. She doesn't have a place in mind to go and she just wanted a breather from her math class at the moment. She understands the material so she should be fine, but she just needed to really take a bathroom break and a breather.
"[Last Name]?"
[Name] turns around, her eyebrow raised at who called her name. She stops her in her tracks and turns around, seeing Sugawara standing in the hall. She smiles widely, bouncing towards the light grey haired male with happiness surrounding her and a friendly aura. She hasn't seen the male in a month due to her club suspension.
"Suga-san! It's been a while, huh?" [Name] questioned, peering up at the Sugawara. "How's the club holding up without their medic manager?"
Sugawara smiled, excited to see the girl. “It’s been a month since we last saw you! You and Nishinoya are coming back today right?”
[Name] nods her head, giving Sugawara a kind smile. “Of course! I can’t wait to see everyone and the new players too!” [Name] stands to the side, lifting her hand to say goodbye. “Well, I’ll see you at the club.”
“Why are you wandering in the halls?” Sugawara called out, the girl stops in her tracks. He gazed at the girl’s back, seeing her tense up and her shoulders tremble. “You only walk around the halls when something is troubling you.”
“I can’t keep doing this, [Name],” Ushijima stated.
[Name] hangs her head down, being in Ushijima's dorm bathroom and he towers over her. She didn't feel like going back home after what happened and she feels horrible for not telling the truth to Ushijima either. She intertwines her fingers in her lap, her eye throbbing and the cut on her lip stinging. She doesn't want to cause anymore trouble for him than she already has.
He lets out a sigh, crouching down. "[Name], I know you didn't trip down the stairs. Just tell me what actually happened."
"Waka...," [Name] mumbled, lowering her head more. "I already told you what happened. I wasn't paying attention and I tripped down the stairs. I was busy playing a cat game on my phone."
Ushijima lets out a sigh, standing up and [Name] sees that his figure disappears from her view. She looks up, seeing Ushijima grab his first-aid kit he had that [Name] had bought for him in case he gets injured during practice or doing normal things like cooking or if he scrapes something on his body. She was always kind to make sure the boy doesn't get hurt.
Ushijima grabs a cotton ball and puts a little disinfect on the little cloud ball. He stands in front of [Name] again, grabbing her chin and lifting her head gently as he taps the cotton ball on her lower lip. [Name] doesn't flinch, gazing at Ushijima's dark, olive eyes and she knows that he must be frustrated with her, but there's no way she'll tell him what's going on in her life. It's already troublesome for her.
"[Name], I think we should break up," Ushijima stated. [Name]'s eyes widen, her heart dropping to her gut at his blunt words and her eyes burn. She never thought of ever breaking up with him since they had started dating when she was in her final year of junior high and he entered high school. "It seems that you can't trust me and tell me what really happened to you." Ushijima grabs a band-aid, opening it and placing it on [Name]'s lip. "You can sleep here and I'll tell Tendo to sleep in Semi's dorm, but it's your decision."
She watched Ushijima walk out of the bathroom and he exits his dorm, closing the door behind him gently. [Name] looked down at her lip, her vision blurring and she hunches over, hugging herself. She cries softly, her eyes shut and her tears falling into her lap as she holds herself. She doesn't want to break up with Ushijima, but she also doesn't want to tell him the truth either. It'll just cause more trouble for him and for herself too.
"I just wanted to get some fresh air, Suga," [Name] answered, smiling over her shoulder.
She doesn't want to worry Sugawara about her relationship. He doesn't even know about her dating Ushijima as she kept it a secret from the volleyball team except for Nishinoya. He's been knowing since the two of them went to the same junior high school and [Name] trusts the boy not to say anything. He, unfortunately, also knows about her home situation too.
[Name] doesn’t want people knowing about her home situation because it’s messy and she’s afraid she’ll get into more trouble. It’s already bad enough that she has one parent left that doesn’t even act like a parent towards her either. Besides, her father is a lost cause and he’s been a lost cause since her mother has passed away. He turned towards abusing drugs and alcohol and would bring the wrong crowd into their house. Thus [Name] moves in with her grandmother although her grandmother is hardly home because of work.
Of course, she not going to mention her problems.
—-
“Nishi, what am I supposed to do?” [Name] mumbled, her eyes downcast as she walks with the boy. “I don’t want to break up with Wakatoshi, but if I don’t tell him the truth then we’re over.”
“Personally, I think you should tell him the truth,” Nishinoya started, the two of them are heading towards the gym. “Your father is an asshole, [Name]. It’s only going to get worse with his addiction. And the people he brings over? It’s something that you should tell Ushijima.”
[Name] stops walking, looking down as she clenched her skirt in her hands. “What if he doesn’t want to associate with me anymore? We have our relationship as a secret and to tell him that my dad’s a drug addict? What if that makes it worse?”
Nishinoya smiles widely, placing his hand on [Name]’s shoulder with reassurance. “The good thing is that you live with your grandma and only see your father on the weekends. Besides, he cares about you like the rest of us do! We don’t want to see you hurt either.”
[Name] smiles, nodding her head. “Right.” She embraces Nishinoya, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. “Thank you.”
Nishinoya rubs her back, a sad smile on his lips as he’s helped the girl that he likes with her relationship. He’s known her since middle school because they went to the same middle school while he was on the Boys’ Volleyball Team and [Name] on the Girls’ Volleyball Team. He was there when she met Ushijima and he was there to receive the news of the two of them dating. And he’s been there for her as she would go to him for advice.
[Name] smiles widely, pulling away from him as she’s in a much chipper mood. “Let’s hurry to the gym! I haven’t been in the gym in a while and I’m excited to see the newbies!”
---
[Name] stands outside the gym as Nishinoya rushes in and perfectly receives one of the spikes the black haired boy did. She smiled, knowing that the black haired boy was shocked just like the other kid in the gym who's short and has orange hair. The ball bounces away, Nishinoya standing up straight and he throws his jacket over his shoulder.
"He's shorter than me," the orange haired kid said.
[Name] laughed, covering her mouth as she rushes over to Nishinoya.
"Huh? Hey, what did you just say?" Nishinoya shouted.
"I-I'm sorry," the kid said, Nishinoya getting close to the kid. "Um... how tall are you?"
[Name] jumps on Nishinoya's back, smiling widely at the kid. "He's 159 centimeters!"
"How tall are you?" The boy questioned, pointing to [Name].
"Me? I'm 160 centimeters," [Name] answered, shrugging her shoulders. "I think. I haven't checked in a long time."
The boy lets out a noise, both [Name] and Nishinoya looking at each other as they're in question of the boy's antics. She shrugged her shoulders, holding her arms behind her back as the boy starts to rub his eyes.
"It's the first time I've looked down at someone since I started high school activities," the boy confessed, his tone filled of relief.
"Don't weep with joy about it!" Nishinoya barked. "You're not looking down that far!"
"Oi! [Name]-san, Noya-san."
[Name] looks over to the doors, seeing Tanaka, Daichi, and Sugawara walking through the doors. She smiled, she hasn't seen them in a while although she saw Sugawara today, but she figured it was sort of left off on awkward terms. She doesn't want anyone else to know about her home situation besides Nishinoya. She doesn't want it to be troublesome to them as she knows it's already troublesome to Nishinoya.
"Hey, Ryuu," [Name] and Nishinoya greeted.
"[Last Name], Nishinoya," Daichi and Sugawara greeted, walking towards them.
"Hey!"
"Let me introduce you," Daichi offered, looking to the two boys then to [Name]. "She is [Last Name], a second-year. She's the sports medic for the team."
"Nice to meet you guys," [Name] said, waving at the boys. "If you ever get injured, leave it to me!"
"This is Nishinoya, a second-year too," Daichi said.
"Hi."
"Hey! You guys are first-years, huh?" Nishinoya questioned, he points to the tall guy. "You, the guy that was serving! The tall guy with the nasty glare. What junior high are you from?"
"Kitagawa Daiichi," the tall one answered.
Nishinoya leans forward. "Seriously? That's a power school. No wonder you serve like that. We played against you guys and lost 2 to 1. Your serve was amazing then, too."
"Noisy as ever," Daichi and Sugawara mumbled.
[Name] shook her head, pondering why Nishinoya was so excited to state his team loss like that, but he's enthusiastic about Kitagawa Daiichi boy. She remembers watching the match although she doesn't remember the boy at all. It was a while ago and although Kitagawa Daiichi was impressive, she couldn't remember any faces.
"What junior high were you at, Nishinoya-san?" Kitagawa Daiichi boy questioned.
Nishinoya throws his fist up. "Chidoriyama."
"That's a power school. Why did you come to Karasuno? Because you heard coach Ukai was coming back?"
[Name] snorted, covering her mouth with her hand as she knows why Nishinoya came to Karasuno. His reasoning is stupid although understandable because the clothing of Karasuno is nice and the boys gets to wear black. [Name] likes the color choices of Karasuno and the style of clothing although the uniforms are almost the same. Also, her grandmother lives somewhat close to the high school too.
"No... I came to Karasuno because..." Nishinoya started, his tone serious and he looks up. "Because I like the girls' uniform." He clenches his fist. Nishinoya gestures to [Name], since she has the girls' uniform on obviously. "Intensely. And the girls have lived up to my expectations. And above all... because of the boy's uniform." Nishinoya puts on the jacket. "In black! I wore a blazer in junior high, so I admired this uniform. It's not brown or grey, but black!"
"I know what you mean," Tanaka agreed.
"Karasuno has black uniforms, and the girls' uniform is cute," Nishinoya stated proudly, his arms crossed. "The school's close to home. It was a no-brainer."
[Name] heard a noise of footsteps. She looks to the doors to see Kiyoko-san. "Oh, Kiyoko-san is here."
"Kiyoko-san! I've some to see you!" Nishinoya exclaimed.
Nishinoya leaves [Name]'s side quickly, the boy running towards Kiyoko and the girl flinches once her eyes land on him. [Name] laughed loudly, watching as Nishinoya pounces towards Kiyoko and she slaps him in the face. [Name] smiled warmly, missing those in the volleyball team greatly.
"He's like a hurricane, as usual," Sugawara commented.
"A guerrilla downpour." [Name] heard the orange hair boy mumble.
Daichi laughs. "Quite the noisemaker, isn't he? Yet when he plays, he's surprisingly..."
"Quiet," [Name] finished. She smiles widely, her gaze on Nishinoya and she noticed Daichi look at her. [Name] blushed, waving her hands around. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to finish your sentence!"
"It's all right, [Last Name]," Daichi assured.
"And? Where's Asashi-san? Did he come back?" Nishinoya asked, acting as if he just didn't get smacked in the face. He walks forward, stopping in his tracks and placing his hands on his hips.
[Name] looks at Daichi and Sugawara, seeing their surprised looks on their faces. She raised an eyebrow, surely Asahi is coming. He's the ace of the team. Plus, she hasn't seen him in a while either and she's excited to see him again. Her and Asahi are good friends since they're both shy and nice.
"No," Daichi said.
Daichi looks down while Sugawara looks away. [Name]'s eyes widen, pondering why Asahi wouldn't be coming back, but then she remembers the match against the Iron Wall. That was surely a tough match for the boys and probably a heavy toll on Asahi because he's the ace. [Name] lets out a sigh, her eyes going to Nishinoya because that boy admires Asahi so much.
"That wimp!" Nishinoya growled. His mood flipping quickly.
"Nishi! Don't talk about Asahi-san like that!" [Name] stated, lightly glaring at the boy.
Tanaka steps forward, angry at Nishinoya for calling Asahi a name. "Don't talk like that about your senpai!"
"Shut up!" Nishinoya yelled. "A wimp is a wimp. If Asahi-san's not coming back, neither am I."
"Hey, Noya!"
Nishinoya walks towards the door. [Name] lets out another sigh as Tanaka tries to go after Nishinoya, but [Name] stops Tanaka. Perhaps, [Name] can convince Asahi to come back and join the volleyball team. She knows there's been times where Asahi has enjoyed the practice and the matches, but the lost to the Iron Wall must have been tough and damaged his confidence. However, she has faith that they'll come back.
"Ryuu, leave him be about Asahi-san," [Name] suggested, her hand still on Tanaka's arm. "He'll turn around, but I'll try talking to Asahi-san about coming back." Tanaka simply nods his head, a light blush on his cheeks as his mind is focused on [Name]'s hand being on his arm. [Name] removes her hand from his arm and looks to Daichi and Sugawara. "I'll try convincing Asahi-san, but I might need help."
The orange haired kid goes after Nishinoya. [Name] glances at Tanaka, Daichi, and Sugawara, nodding her head and she follows after the orange haired 1st year with the boys following her. She ponders what the kid might say to Nishinoya, but it's better than Tanaka riling up Nishinoya.
[Name], Tanaka, Daichi, and Sugawara hide behind a wall, watching as Nishinoya approaches a bench that circles around a tree and the oranged haired kid, Hinata, follows after him. [Name] hopes that Hinata could do something that'll at least convince Nishinoya to come back.
"U-Um..." Hinata called out, Nishinoya stops walking. "Nishinoya-san, you're a libero, right? You're a defender."
"It's Nishinoya," Nishinoya stated, he sits down. "And what makes you think I'm a libero? Because I'm short?"
"Huh? No... Because you're a good receiver," Hinata said. Nishinoya looks up, letting out a hum of shock. "Libero is a position for good receivers, right? That's right, isn't it?"
Nishinoya smirks. "You know what you're talking about."
"Plus, the captain also called you the Guardian God," Hinata added.
[Name] glanced at Daichi in question and he shrugs his shoulders. [Name] giggles, shaking her head as that will definitely boost Nishinoya's ego. She looks back over to Nishinoya and Hinata, seeing Nishinoya tense up and there's a light blush on his cheeks as he looks at Hinata in surprise.
"Guardian? What the heck is that?" Nishinoya questioned, completely flustered. He puts a hand on the back of his head, looking away. "He's exaggerating. I'm not all that..." Nishinoya puts his hand out as he's now trying to shield himself and he looks away. He then looks at Hinata. "He really said that?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"But I don't care if he called me a cool name like that," Nishinoya said, puffing his cheeks as he spoke. "I won't bend so easily. Damn you, Daichi-san!"
"I'm still lousy at receiving, even though it's the most important thing in volleyball," Hinata said. Nishinoya looks at Hinata, dropping his arms and Hinata steps forward. "So please teach me how, Nishi... Nishinoya-senpai."
[Name] smiled widely, knowing that probably hit Nishinoya hard from his reaction. He hasn't been called senpai by any underclassmen from what [Name] has experienced and heard so far.
"You..." Nishinoya stands up, placing his hand on Hinata's shoulder. "I'll buy you ice cream after practice. Because I'm..." Nishinoya points at himself with his thumb. "...your senpai!"
"Does that mean..." Hinata trailed off, his hops high.
Nishinoya points at Hinata. "That doesn't mean I'm going back to that club. I'm going to teach you. That's all."
"Thanks."
[Name] and the boys let out a sigh of relief. She looks back over to Nishinoya and Hinata, smiling widely at the sight in front of her and she's glad that Nishinoya will come back even if it's to help Hinata receive some tosses.
---
[Name] sits on the stage, practicing with taping her fingers as Kinoshita and Ennoshita are sweeping the floors. [Name] could hear Nishinoya give some points about receiving, but she definitely knows that Nishinoya explained with actions of his arms and noise. It's funny that's how he understands things and for others, they don't get it.
"It's no good," [Name] stated, jumping off the stage and walking towards the boys.
She stands on the other side of Nishinoya. Hinata, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Kageyama, and Tanaka are on the other side of Nishinoya. Nishinoya is in his gym clothes and he already received the ball, his body low from the position of receiving the ball.
"Nishi can't explain it because he moves purely on instinct," [Name] elaborated, noticing the confused looks on Hinata's, Tsukishima's, and Yamaguchi's face. [Name] smiles at Tanaka as she walks over to him, holding her hands up higher. "Look at my taping skills Ryuu! They've improved."
"That's better than last years," Tanaka chuckled.
"Really? I sort of understood what he was saying," Kageyama stated.
Tanaka looks to Kageyama. "Because you belong to his species. When you explain something, all you say is 'pow' and 'whoa' and stuff. Nobody else understands you."
"Libero is a special position, isn't it?" Takeda questioned, a book in his hands.
"Yes. The libero specializes exclusively in defense," Daichi explained. "They're not allowed to make offensive plays, like serving or spiking. They switch places with the rearguards to solidify defense."
[Name] walks back over to the stage, lifting herself on it and going back to removing the tape from her fingers. She puts away her kit, deciding to watch the boys practice and she sees the 1st years lined up. Nishinoya stands in front of Tsukishima, the bonde towering over him and most certainly can tower over [Name].
"So that's the Guardian God of Karasuno," Takeda said, looking at Nishinoya. "How awesome."
"It would give us a real shot in the arm if he came back," Daichi informed, his gaze also on Nishinoya. "He has a very strong presence, notwithstanding his short stature."
"You, I've been noticing your height," Nishinoya said, pointing at Tsukishima. The volleyball rests on Nishinoya's hip. "How tall are you?"
"Tsukki is--"
"Shut up, Yamaguchi."
"Sorry, Tsuki."
"He inspires confidence," Daichi continues.
[Name] feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. She looks down at her lap, pulling out her phone and she sees a two messages from Ushiwaka. She raised an eyebrow, unlocking her phone and she opens up the messages.
Wakatoshi
Text me when you get home
Wakatoshi
Please
[Name]
Okay
[Name] lets out a sigh, putting her phone away. She always texts Ushijima when she gets home because when she's at the volleyball club, it's late at night however it's out of the norm for Ushijima to say please to [Name]. Although, it could be his way of showing that he cares about her more and that he wants to show that he can be concern for her.
"You were talking about 'Asahi-san'. Who's he?" Hinata questioned.
"Moron, don't say that name carelessly," Tanaka whispered.
Nishinoya paused, pursing his lips. "He's Karasuno's ace, for what it's worth."
"Ace?" Hinata asked, his eyes wide.
"What's with the empty-headed look?" Nishinoya remarked, his hands on his hips.
Hinata steps forward. "I... want to be the ace."
"Huh? With your height?" Nishinoya's question made Hinata's shoulders drop. But Nishinoya smacks his hand onto Hinata's shoulder. "I like you. Right? You want it because it's awesome, right? Good, good. Do it, do it. Become the ace. You'd be far more impressive than our current ace." Nishinoya laughs until he stands to the side with his arms crossed. "But then again, it's the ce that inspires you."
"Yes. Aces are awesome," Hinata said loudly.
"The word 'ace' has an awesome ring to it. 'Setter' and 'libero' sound boring. But... in a match, when the crowd is going crazy... even more than at an amazing spike, is when there's a super receive." Nishinoya looks down at his hand. "In the battle of height that is volleyball, libero is one of the few positions in which a short player can survive." He looks up, meeting Hinata's gaze. "But I'm not a libero because of my height. I'd be a libero even if I was two meters tall. Even if your side misses the spike, even if your side can't block... as long as the ball doesn't hit the court... in volleyball, that means you haven't lost. And the one best suited to do that..." Nishinoya points at himself. "... is the libero."
"A-Awesome."
"J-Jackass. Don't say it so sincerely! Damn it! I'll buy you two kinds of ice cream. Soda ice and pear flavor."
"Thanks!"
"So, ace-wannabe. What's your specialty?" Nishinoya asked.
"Huh?"
"You're a lousy receiver, but there must be something you're good at," Nishinoya said.
"Well, um.. Decoy..." Hinata mumbled, embarrassed.
"Huh? De-what?"
"Decoy."
"Why do you say it with such a lack of confidence?" Nishinoya questioned.
Hinata looks up. "Because it doesn't sound flashy like ace or Guardian God."
"Who cares how it sounds?" Nishinoya stated.
"But.."
"If a spiker is able to score it's because of you, the decoy," Nishinoya puts his fist in the middle of Hinata's chest, "then your position is just as important."
"Yes."
[Name] smiled, knowing that Nishinoya can always be there to have someone feel better. He's able to inspire those around him and he's done that to Hinata. She's glad to see Nishinoya be able to do that to others and also be cheerful himself. It's definitely a good quality of Nishinoya's. Although there are times or rather, a lot of times where Nishinoya is super blunt.
***
"Let's do this, Suga-san!" [Name] whispered, smiling widely at Sugawara.
[Name] and Sugawara stand outside Asahi's classroom. Sugawara and [Name] plan on convincing their ace to come back to the team so they could have him and Nishinoya too. Last night, [Name] messaged Ushijima that she was home and they talked a little bit on the phone too. She promised that she'd tell Ushijima what's been going on lately in a week and Sugawara had also messaged her last night to talk to Asahi the next morning.
[Name] and Sugawara enter Asahi's classroom, walking over to the boy's desk and standing in front of it. Asahi looks up, his gaze a little wide as he looks at [Name] and Sugawara. [Name] isn't holding a smile on her features as she looks at Asahi and Sugawara isn't being his overly friendly, but he's still polite.
"Hey, [Last Name], Suga. It's been a while," Asahi said, smiling at them.
"Please," Sugawara begged, going straight forward to it. "Come back to us, Asahi."
"Me and Nishi's no longer suspended," [Name] informed, pleading Asahi with her eyes. "He's coming back, too."
Asahi looks down, smiling wider. "I see. I'm glad. It's reassuring to have Nishinoya behind you."
"And you, too," Sugawara stated, stepping forward.
"Asahi-san, everyone feels better when you're there to decide the toss," [Name] stated, seeing the look on Asahi's face. She can't tell if it's out of pity or not. He definitely remembers the match against the Iron Wall.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I'd get in everyone's way again if I came back," Asahi said, putting his hand up as if to wave it off.
Sugawara places his hand on Asahi's desk. "Listen to me. I hate to admit it, but we have an amazing first-year setter now and a formidable decoy. You won't have to bear all the burden alone anymore. If you and Nishinoya come back, along with our new reinforcements, Karasuno will no longer be the fallen champs. Now that our team is on the verge of transformation, we need our pillar, the ace, more than ev-"
"Azumane." [Name] and the two boys look at the door, seeing a classmate standing at the door. "The guidance counselor's ready for you." The classmate then walks away.
"Sorry, [Last Name], Suga," Asahi said, standing up from his desk.
[Name] and Sugawara watch Asahi walk out the classroom. She glanced at Sugawara and she lets out a quiet sigh. The boy must be really traumatized after the match against Date Tech High. However, [Name] isn't going to take that type of answer from Asahi at all. She gives Sugawara a smile and runs out of the classroom.
"Wait, Asahi!" [Name] yelled.
"Asahi?"
[Name] noticed Hinata and Kageyama outside of the class and Sugawara is standing next to her. Hinata flinches at Asahi's height and most likely looks because Asahi looks intimidating because he doesn't look like a normal teenager. Although, she's curious why Hinata and Kageyama are standing outside the class.
"Huh? What are you guys doing here?" Sugawara questioned, seeing the 1st-year duo.
"Oh, um..."
[Name] and Sugawara step outside of the classroom, Hinata steps out from behind Kageyama. Asahi stands with a hand on his hip, looking at the two 1st years in front of him.
"Let me introduce our new members, Hinata and Kageyama," Sugawara informed, gesturing to the two.
"So you're the first-years," Asahi said.
"Hello!" Hinata and Kageyama bowed.
"Hey. How many, this year?" Asahi questioned, looking at [Name] and Sugawara.
[Name] tilted her head, remembering the new members. "Four. Hinata wants to be the ace of Karasuno."
"I see," Asahi said, smiling widely. Ashai placed his hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Do your best."
Hinata looks up at Asahi. "Aren't you going to play, too? I want to become the ace, so I want to watch an ace play in person."
"Azumane. Sensei's waiting," the classmate informed.
Asahi smiled, holding his hand up in departure. "Sorry, but I'm no ace."
[Name] looked at Asahi with sad eyes, wishing the boy would come back, but she also doesn't want to force Asahi into something he doesn't want to do. She understands that he doesn't want to face Date Tech High again and have another harsh defeat, but this year could be different because there's new members.
"Is he injured or something?" Kageyama asked.
"No, it's not like that..." Sugawara said, his eyes on Asahi's back as he walks away. "I think... I think the problem is that he doesn't like volleyball anymore."
"What? But he's so tall and he's an ace! Why?" Hinata questioned.
"Asahi was the tallest in Karasuno, and he had power," [Name] explained, her gaze on Asahi too. "He rescued the team when things got rough and managed difficult balls. That's why everyone acknowledge that he was the ace, and we trusted him."
"Was he defeated?" Kageyama asked.
[Name] shared at look with Sugawara before she looks down. The match against Date Tech High was a very harsh one on the team and it was also the last match of the previous year. [Name] will never forget Date Tech High and their Iron Wall either.
"There was a match in which all of his spikes got blocked," Sugawara elborated. He looks out the window, feeling the cool air on his face as he remembers the match too. "He's the type to shoulder all the blame."
---
"Rolling... thunder!" Nishinoya yelled.
[Name] looked up in time to see Nishinoya roll as he received a ball and the ball lands in the basket. She smiles, leaning against the wall as she has the first-aid kit in her hands. She feels relieved to see Nishinoya practicing with the team even though he's not officially back with the team
Tanaka laughs loudly as he points at Nishinoya.
"Nice receive," Sugawara said.
"That's just an ordinary rolling receive," Tanaka laughed.
"Why did he yell that out?" Kageyama asked.
"What was that?" Tsukishima laughed.
"Kageyama, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima! I'm going to lecture you all!" Nishinoya barked. "Crouch down! I mean, sit down! Get lower than my line of vision!"
"Teach me! Teach me the Rolling Thunder!" Hinata begged.
"I want you all to listen up," Takeda said, waving his arm around.
Everyone stops fooling around and they gather around Takeda. [Name] stands next to Daichi as everyone is standing in the courtlines. She ponders what Takeda has to tell them. It could be that he found a coach for the team although that's the only thing [Name] could really think of.
"We're doing it again this year, aren't we?" Takeda questioned, looking excited. "Golden Week training camp!"
"Yes. We still need a lot of practice," Daichi informed.
"One more thing. For the last day of Golden Week... I've arranged a practice match!" Takeda exclaimed, throwing his fist in the air.
Everyone lets out a surprised or shock noise, looking at Takeda with happiness and excitement as they're going to have a practice match. [Name] know the boys are going to be excited and she's also curious about who the boys will be going against for the practice match. However, she's surprised Takeda was able to schedule the team a practice match.
"Awesome! Very impressive, Take-chan," Tanaka praised.
"Who's our opponent?" Sugawara asked.
"A venerated school in Tokyo, Nekoma High School," Takeda explained, [Name]'s eyes widening a little. "They call themselves... Neko."
"Neko?" Hinata questioned.
"We've heard a lot about them," [Name] stated, Hinata looking at the girl for more information. "Our former coach and theirs were rivals. We played each other a lot."
"Whoa."
"That's right," Sugawara said. "The famous matches were called 'Cat vs. Crow: Battle at the Garbage Dump.'"
"You sure those matches were famous?" Tsukishima asked.
Daichi looks at Takeda. "They've refused us for a while. Why now?"
"Yeah, I'll tell you the details later," Takeda assured, a smile on his face. "But after I heard about that rival school, I had to arrange for a rematch of destiny. I think when he hears who our opponent is... He'll want to take action."
"All right. We have an important practice match coming up," Daichi yelled, facing his teammates. "Let's get fired up."
"Yes!"
"Tokyo, huh?" Tanaka questioned, a devilish look on his face. "I'll smash those city boys to smithereens."
Tsukishima laughed. "He said, 'shitty boys.'"
"Shut the hell up, Tsukishima!" Tanaka yelled.
[Name] smiled, placing a hand on Tanaka's shoulder. "Please never say shitty boys."
"Not you too, [Last Name]!"
[Name] walked over to where she left the first aid kit as the team talks to themselves. She'll practice more with taping her fingers, applying the wrappings for injuries, and seeing videos on YouTube about treating injuries that happen in sports. She's excited about going to Tokyo and she can just leave the permission slip on the table where her grandma will see it.
Her grandma comes home late at night and leaves early in the morning. Her grandma works for a wealthy family and she's the maid at the wealthy family's home although [Name] has never met the wealthy family and her grandma never talks about that family either. However, there are time when her grandma has either 2-3 days off of the week which is great and gives her grandma time to relax.
After practice, [Name] said her goodbyes to the team, waving goodbye to them. She checked her phone, seeing that she didn't get any text messages from Ushijima the whole day. He probably got busy with practice and once he got to his dorm, he fell asleep. Whatever happened, she'll make sure to text him goodnight and goodmorning once she wakes up.
[Name] puts her phone away, her gaze lowering as she ponders what to make for dinner. There's food at her grandma's home that she could make something simply and she'll make sure to make extra so there's leftovers for her grandma too. Although, [Name]'s thinking she should make her grandma's favorite dish to surprise her grandma.
"[Name]."
[Name] lets out a hum, looking up and towards the noise of who called her name. Her eyes widen, feeling her heart jump in her throat at the sight of Ushijima standing in front of the gates of Karasuno. She points at him, seeing that he's in casual clothes and also pondering why he's at her school too.
"Waka! What are you doing here!" [Name] exclaimed.
"I wanted to see you," Ushijima stated, walking towards her. "I'm going to walk you home."
"You are?" She questioned, tilting her head.
Ushijima hums, nodding his head. "Yes. There was no practice schedule today so I decided to come see you."
[Name] smiled widely, reaching for Ushijima's hand and taking it in hers. Since Ushijima a lot taller than her, his hands are larger and she always makes sure to intertwine their fingers too. She looks up at Ushijima with happiness and warmth in her eyes, the brightest smile on her lips as she's bubbling with excitement in her.
"Do you want to stay for dinner?" [Name] asked, the two of them starting their walk to her house.
"Yes, thank you."