Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Okay, guys, listen up!”

Daichi had his arms crossed, eyebrow twitching as he watched his rowdy teammates wreck havoc around the gym, chasing each other and performing volleyball stunts worthy of a frat house party. Hinata and Kageyama were arguing over something trivial, Tanaka and Noya were harassing Asahi for practice, the other second years were hard at work, and Yachi was helping Yamaguchi out of the volleyball cart in which he’d fallen. As for Tsukishima, he’d clearly heard Daichi but opted to ignore him by unconvincingly pretending to practice.

Suga was smirking next to Daichi, because oh, wasn’t this just the usual. The coach nodded at him, confirming the blessing he’d already given Daichi earlier. Takeda gave him a reassuring smile.

Clearing his throat, Daichi bellowed with practiced intensity, “LISTEN UP!”

They froze. In a few seconds, they were all sat around his feet. Practice was over for that Friday anyways, and they needed to wrap things up.

“Thank you,” he cleared took steady breath to regain his zen. “I’ve got some news. Don’t look so grim!” he quickly added, seeing several pairs of eyes widen. “It’s nothing like that, it’s just --”

“Practice match?!” Hinata piped excitedly.

“No,” said Daichi. “Don’t interrupt me. We’ll have practice this weekend as usual, but we’ll have a visitor.”

At that, he received a chorus of anxious Oooooh’s!

“Coach Ukai Sr.?!”

“Who else could it be?”

“The neighborhood team?!”

There were stars in Hinata’s eyes. “Am I finally gonna meet the Small Giant?!”

“Now, now!” said Coach Ukai, commanding their attention. “Stop jumping to conclusions and let your captain finish!”

“Y-yes!” They nodded.

“Thanks, Coach.” Daichi’s eyes narrowed at his fledglings. “Sorry to disappoint you all, but it’s really not that exciting. My cousin’s coming to spend the weekend with me, because it’s our grandfather and great aunt’s eightieth birthday -- yeah, they’re twins. Since there’s not much to do around here, I asked the coach if he could come watch our practices, and he agreed. So be on your best behavior, and don’t embarrass our school!”

“How would we embarrass ourselves?” asked Kageyama innocently, and Tsukishima snickered behind him.

Daichi opted not to answer that. “He’s an athlete himself, so I figured spending time in a gym would be more exciting than just spending it at my house all day.”

“An athlete?” Almost everyone’s ears perked up, particularly Noya’s. “Is he a volleyball player like you?”

“Nope,” said Daichi. “He’s a second year southpaw pitcher for Tokyo’s Seidou High.”

An eerie silence followed… one that Daichi didn’t really know what to do with. Then, he actually jumped at the boisterous, prolonged reaction.

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!”

“SEIDOU?! That’s a huge school!!”

“Didn’t they go to the spring Koshien this year?!”

“Haven’t I read about them in sports magazines?!”

“They’ve been on TV!”

“They have cheerleaders!!”

“Oh, so he’s a city boy,” Tanaka growled with animosity.

“No,” Daichi sighed. This was already exasperating. “He just goes to school in Tokyo.”

“That makes him a city boy!”

Everyone on the gym floor was suddenly a buzz of energy and anticipation. All of them chirped at each other about meeting someone from such a prestigious baseball school. All of them, that is, except for Tsukishima, who looked bored as Yamaguchi chattered at him.

Daichi feared they might act like this. After all, this was a team that considered a huge, exotic field trip into the unknown just to visit Nekoma. They couldn’t even recognize the Tokyo tower. Plus, while their own passions lay with volleyball, there was no denying that baseball facilities and competitions in Japan were on a whole other level. As Japan’s most popular sport, baseball was held in certain esteem, no matter which sport someone personally played. A big school in Tokyo like Seidou was bound to be entirely different Karasuno.

“Quiet…!” Coach Ukai held up a hand to signal for order. There were still excitable whispers as he began. “I’d also like to meet someone from a school like that. Seidou has quadruple as many players as our team, and its tough as nails just to get on first string. To make it your first year, and to be scouted in the first place…” the coach’s eyes wandered over Daichi’s, “is pretty impressive. We can probably learn a lot about work ethic Sawamura’s cousin!”

If he had meant to calm them down, Coach Ukai had only riled them up again. Kageyama’s atmosphere flared, and Hinata gazed up to the heavens with shimmering eyes. “Wow! Baseball! Pitcher!! He must be so cool!!!”

“My, my,” Suga grinned at Daichi. “They’re acting like we’re having a celebrity visit. Better not let him know. He’s the type who’ll revel in attention, isn’t he?”

Daichi nodded, faithful smile faltering.

Curious eyes blinked up at them. “You know him, Suga-san?!”

“We’ve met a few times…” Suga sighed affectionately. “He’s… spirited, that’s for sure. Kinda like Hinata.”

“So he’s an idiot.”

“Tsukishima!!”

“Okay, that’s enough!” commanded Daichi. If he didn’t get home soon, he’d miss the arrival of the subject of their conversation. And their bickering was becoming more irritating, as usual. “That’s it for today. We’re going to pick up the gym now, and tomorrow will be practice as usual. Don’t get too distracted. Remember! You’re representing Karasuno, so if you want to impress the city boy, you better give it all you got up!”

That effectively fired them up enough to clean up all their crap without too much complaint. They continued to wonder out loud about their expected visitor. Hinata and Noya acted the most intrigued. If Daichi was right, then Kageyama looked rather perturbed. Others just went about business as usual, while Tanaka looked like he’d be ready for a fight.

Which maybe should have concerned Daichi more than it did.

“Wait! Daichi-san!” Tanaka called out as they were all leaving the clubroom that day. “What’s his name?!”

Daichi couldn’t help but fondly smile as he imagined the features attached to the name: golden eyes and a wide smile. Judging by his team’s reaction, they’d certainly be surprised when they finally met the boy.

“His name is Sawamura Eijun.”

~~※~~

Eijun was Daichi’s cousin on their fathers’ side, and they both had the same grandfather, Sawamura Eitoku, who lived in Nagano. Their Great Aunt Hachiko was Eitoku’s twin sister, but she lived in the Miyagi prefecture with the other half of the family. Since both were such beloved family figures, and since eighty-years-old was such a milestone birthday, relatives from other regions were flocking to Hachiko’s home in Miyagi to celebrate. It was to be a massive Sawamura family affair.

Accommodations had to be made, of course. Not everyone wanted to stay in a hotel, or could even afford it. Since Daichi and Eijun were only one year apart and had always gotten along, Eijun would be staying with Daichi’s family while Eijun’s parents and Eitoku stayed at Hachiko’s bigger, grander house.

Truthfully, though, Daichi had not seen his cousin in some time. Not since the younger boy had transferred to Tokyo for high school. That prestigious school certainly kept Eijun busy and away from his home and family. Their families would mingle often in their younger years, but it would be interesting to see how things have changed. If things had changed. While everyone else on Karasuno’s team broke down in a tizzy over having an intruder, Daichi wondered what he could expect from his now professionally trained athlete of a cousin.

He was the kind of kid that had a strange and eclectic array of talents. When they were children, Eijun would always catch more bugs and fish than Daichi, and Daichi would always be the one to outrun Eijun and pummel him in play wrestling. Both had their respective sport: baseball and volleyball. Neither were geniuses in them, but developed into captains for their middle school teams. Their mothers had been pregnant together. Besides the four and half months that separated their births, the cousins had always been relatively on par with each other from the beginning.

Then there had been baseball. Daichi knew that baseball was to Eijun what volleyball was to himself. Possibly, it was more to him. They had played a few family games together, and Daichi had seen a few of Eijun’s games during visits in Nagano. Though, Daichi admitted he didn’t know enough about baseball to judge whether Eijun was a good pitcher or not.

Still, he had never expected the slew of e-mails and posts on Facebook from relatives about Eijun’s transition to Tokyo and Seidou. Articles about their wins, their losses, and the school itself.

It was absolutely wild, to think that the same kid that cried next to Daichi at the kid’s table during holidays had already pitched on a national platform… And Daichi hadn’t even seen that kind of stage, yet. Not that he didn’t plan to.

Before, Eijun had been his loudy, dorky cousin. Now, Daichi had to agree with the word Coach Ukai had used to describe the boy coming to visit: impressive. Eijun had never been impressive before. He had just been Eijun. Snot-nosed, wibbling Cousin Eijun. Would all that have disappeared from the boy?

“I’m sure he’s just the same,” said Suga assuringly.

Daichi smiled over his shoulder to where Suga sat on a stool at the counter. He hadn’t been thinking aloud, but Suga knew everything anyways. “You always have a positive outlook.”

They were alone in the kitchen. While Daichi’s parents had gone to pick up Eijun from the train station, Daichi was in charge of finishing the meal his mother had already began. Thankfully, there wasn’t much left to do, just stir this and that, add some spices here and there. Thrilled to have their cousin visiting again, she had prepared a meal she already knew Eijun enjoyed: curry.

Suga kept him company by not really helping at all, but much rather just appreciating the sight of Daichi in an apron. He really only served as a taste tester when Daichi needed him, and, of course, offering his reassurance where need be.

“I can see the tension in your shoulders,” explained Suga, and Daichi unwittingly stiffening at the stove. “Cooking curry shouldn’t be so stressful. This is your cousin, Daichi! Why stress?”

“It’s not stress,” admitted Daichi. “It’s just anxiousness. It’s been awhile. Coach was kinda right, wasn’t he?” When Suga cocked an eyebrow, Daichi continued while stirring the rice, “We’ll learn a lot from hearing about a school like Seidou. I wonder how Eijun and the team will get along, though…”

“If I recall…” Suga mused, finger to his lip, “Ei-chan never had much difficulty getting along with strangers. After all, he and I hit it off quickly when I played with both of you, didn’t we? I mean, sure, he can be kinda…” he chose the word carefully, “rambunctious, but…”

Daichi smirked over his shoulder. “He had a crush on you.”

Suga snorted disbelievingly, but when he saw Daichi’s unfaltering expression, he froze. “Wait, really?”

Laughing, Daichi turned around. “Yeah. You didn’t know? The first time he came over after he had met you, he picked flowers for you.” Off of Suga’s awkward chortle, Daichi guffawed at the memory, “Before I realized, I tried to take them, and he yelled at me ‘THOSE ARE FOR SUGA-SAN!!’”

“Shh…” Suga was blushing, apparently having been oblivious in his youth. “That was probably nothing. Even if he did, he’d definitely be over it!”

“Maybe…” Daichi leered teasingly at him, “or maybe he’s been pining for you this whole time.”

“St-stop that. Shut up and stir your curry.”

Humming in amusement, Daichi did just that. At least I won in that department, thought Daichi smugly as he nodded at the satisfying taste of the meal, if he did admit so himself. “Still…” he began, setting down the spoon. “I can’t help but wonder how and if he’s changed of the past year and a half. Tokyo’s a long way from home, and a lot different than his small town. What if he’s really a…” Daichi fixed Suga with a pointed, facetious glare and did his best Tanaka impression, “city boy.”

Cackling, Suga shook his head. “Then some of our teammates might try to fight him, but we’ve dealt with that before.”

“True.”

Daichi couldn’t help but smile, then. No matter what was bothering him, at any time, Suga always knew how to make him feel at ease. Whether it be nerves before a game, nerves after a game, or the impending arrival of his rambunctious cousin, Daichi knew he could turn to Suga.

At that moment, the front door opened.

A flurry of sounds came from down the hall, and both Daichi and Suga turned their attentions in that direction. Though nobody that had entered the house was visible quite yet, they could catch the end tails of an ongoing conversation between three people, and the scuff of three people removing shoes. Two of those voices belonging to Daichi’s parents, while the third was a younger, more rowdy voice.

“We’re back!” called Daichi’s father.

“Welcome back!” answered Daichi, deciding now was the time to remove his apron.

“You’ll never guess who we found stranded at the train station!” joked his mother, and the following laughter was from the subject of her joke himself.

Daichi shared a warm smile with Suga as they both braced themselves.

Thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump!! Footsteps abound.

“COUSIN!!”

Standing emphatically in the doorway from the hallway to the kitchen was Sawamura Eijun, Daichi’s long lost cousin and source of his anxiety. However, when Daichi saw the giant, unapologetic grin directed at him, the tanned skin tone that matched his own, and the golden eyes that radiated sunlight even in the darkness, Daichi released a pent up sigh of relief. His nerves healed even more when he noticed something shiny slide down Eijun’s cheek.

“Are you… crying…?”

“No!” Eijun lied, “there’s wind in my eye!”

Since Eijun was probably already aware of how little sense that made, Daichi grinned. Eijun had always cried to and from a relative’s home, or when someone came to and went from his own. He had always cried a lot, contrary to Daichi’s mature disposition. This was nothing out of the ordinary, and that relieved Daichi. Same old cousin, he realized.

What had he been so worried about?

No comforting or awkward embrace was required with them. Eijun entered the kitchen and made his way over to his cousin. They both knew what to do when they instinctively raised their fists to bump against each other.

“Wow…!” Daichi slapped a brotherly hand on Eijun’s shoulder, “You’ve really grown!”

They were easily the same height, and Eijun had definitely filled out in terms of mass since they’d last seen each other. Though, not as much nor as thick as Daichi, Eijun had still acquired a strong, pitcher’s build. His shoulders were much broader than those of the scrawny kid with whom Daichi used to play.

“Yup!” exclaimed Eijun, looking proud. “I’m about half an inch taller than last time! I won’t lose in height again!”

“I don’t know,” Daichi challenged, “I think I feel a growth spurt coming on!”

“They’re already competing,” quipped Daichi’s father as he strode by with a hefty backpack. “I’ll just put this in Daichi’s room, alright Ei-chan?”

“Thank you!” Eijun called after him, bowing. Then, he directed his bow towards Daichi. “Thank you for sharing your room, cousin!”

Daichi karate chopped his downcast head. “Like I’m not used to it!”

“At least you two have outgrown sharing the bed, though, right?” Daichi’s mother wandered over to the stove to inspect how Daichi had managed dinner. “Oh look, you didn’t actually burn the house down! Proud of you, son.” She patted his back affectionately.

“Thanks Mom.”

“Is it curry?!” Eijun’s nose was all of a sudden working overtime. “Smells like curry.”

She grinned at him. “It is indeed! See, I remembered what you liked! Plus, I like making curry. Well, I guess Daichi made most of this. Let’s see…” Bringing the spoon to her lips, she taste-tested it. “Hmm… not bad, not bad.”

However, Daichi watched her add a little bit of this spice and that. “Aw Ma…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! Did you have Koushi-kun test it?”

“He did,” said Suga, who had remained silent until then, and Daichi had a feeling he knew why, “and I agree with your decisions to add.”

“Suga!”

Eijun jumped. “S-Suga-san!!”

Apparently, Eijun had overlooked Suga’s presence during all his excitement. That, or he had finally come to terms with his presence. They both froze, and Daichi almost laughed at how frightened Suga looked, like he was alarmed at the prospects of what Eijun might do.

“H-hi!” he still said. “Nice to see you again, Ei-chan…!”

“Y-yeah!” Eijun grinned at him, and Suga looked incredibly relieved, probably that Eijun didn’t present him with a bouquet of roses. However, no one could deny the pink tinge than crept into Eijun’s face. At least it wasn’t flowers. “You two are as close as ever, looks like!”

“Well…”

“Closer, you could say.”

Everything always went over Eijun’s head, though, and Daichi almost snorted when Eijun derailed into a long-winded, sage-sounding praise to the bonds of friendship. Suga shared a sly smile with Daichi, but they didn’t interrupt or correct Eijun. Not just yet.

“Well, I should head out!” announced Suga, some small conversations and a few other exchanged words later.

“Not staying for dinner?” asked Daichi’s mom.

“Nah, I wouldn’t want to overcrowd. You already have a guest.”

“You’re not overcrowding!” she said, “there’s plenty!”

“Yeah, stay!!” insisted Eijun, now sitting upon a stool at the counter, drinking fresh-squeezed lemonade.

Daichi smirked, and Suga caught him.

“That’s okay, really!” said Suga sheepishly. “But I’m supposed to do the dishes tonight, so I might as well eat the food served on them. Unless it’s take out. I have no idea what we’re having, actually… Anyways, I’m sure I’ll be able to catch up with Ei-chan a ton tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow?” Eijun’s head tilted in confusion.

“Oh yeah,” Daichi started. “If you want, you can come hang out at our volleyball practice. Our coach said it’s okay. ‘S a small team, so…”

When Eijun’s eyes widened, Daichi believed for a moment that he might think that would be lame. But, Eijun’s face completely lit up, taking Daichi aback. “Really?! That sounds awesome!! I’ve never seen high school volleyball! Holy cow, that’s awesome! Thanks!”

Daichi rubbed the back of his neck, almost embarrassed by the enthusiastic response. “N-no problem…” He found Suga dimpled visage shining affectionately at him, to his surprise.

“I’ll get going, then,” Suga continued, more softly. “I’ll see you both tomorrow,” he said to Daichi and Eijun, and to Daichi’s parents he said, “Thank you for having me!”

Daichi’s parents bid Suga farewell rather unceremoniously, more than accustomed to Suga leaving and entering their home without much ado, like it was as natural as the wind blowing through the window. On the other hand, Eijun rose to a stand and bowed to almost a ninety degree angle, causing Suga to awkwardly stutter “Th… that’s r-really unnecessary…”

Like usual, Daichi walked Suga to the front door and waited for him to put on his shoes. Once Suga was set and ready, he pressed a chaste kiss to Daichi’s cheek.

“See you tomorrow!” and he was out the door.

Daichi didn’t even think twice about accepting the gesture, because that’s just about how they always parted. However, he was surprised to turn around and see Eijun standing on the opposite end of the hall, frozen with his mouth open. His face was a beet red, and Daichi assumed he must have seen.

“D…” Eijun’s jaw struggled, “...D-Dai-chan…!”

Welp, that’s that….

As confidently as he could appear, Daichi strode past his cousin with a clap on his back. “C’mon, cuz, it’s time for dinner!” But Eijun needed about two more minutes to recover, still the easily flustered child from Daichi’s past.

...Seriously, what had I been so worried about?

~~※~~

To Daichi’s delight, his cousin Eijun seemed just about the same dork he always was. The one that spoke too loudly, often too formerly, and whose optimism could only be matched by a certain ginger crow of whom Daichi knew. He could still shovel down curry without any problem, and even his appetite had grown. He was just about the same Ei-chan from before.

Just about, that is.

Of course, there was a certain maturity added to his temperament that Daichi could have expected from a year and a half at a school that borderlines bootcamp. The transformation was tucked neatly under the lower octave of his voice, and Daichi had almost missed it. Then, Daichi never knew Eijun to be so attentive of his cell phone.

The device buzzed repeatedly throughout the evening, and Eijun was quick to respond. Reading the texts, his reactions ranged from a pensive purse of the lips, to a warm smile that was almost secretive, to an outright cackle.

“Sorry!” he caught himself and apologized to Daichi and his parents at one point. “We have a big game this week, so I want to stay up to date…”

“Don’t apologize,” said Daichi’s father with a smile. “I’m sure you’re missing a lot of practice to come celebrate your great aunt’s birthday! Your games must be really important!”

Despite himself, Daichi felt a sting in his gut. He knew his father hadn’t meant anything by the comment, but Daichi couldn’t help but wonder about possible implications.

Most of dinner consisted of Daichi’s parents asking Eijun about his life in Tokyo, what his school was like, how his baseball was going. Though Daichi was also curious, he was content to let his parents lead the interrogation. All the questions were innocent and full of that polite, genuine curiosity that relatives invoked between one another. The kinds of questions that came up at every family get together.

When Eijun divulged how often he and his team practiced, Daichi almost choked on his food.

By the sounds of it, neither Eijun or the rest of Seidou’s first string ever rested. At all. Even to someone like Daichi, who vigilantly practiced volleyball on a regular basis just to achieve a shred of improvement, it sounded exhausting. But at the same time… exciting. Daichi wondered how much more he’d spend on a volleyball court if Karasuno had its own, exclusive volleyball facilities. How much would his team benefit?

Hinata and Kageyama would never sleep, he assumed. These were probably the kinds of details Coach Ukai wanted to fire up his players, and Daichi found himself smirking to Eijun’s words.

Overall, the evening was a pleasant one. Though Eijun’s parents would not be spending their weekend at the same house as him, they stopped by to see their son when they finally arrived in town. They had driven from Nagano, while Eijun had taken the train straight from Tokyo. Daichi certainly enjoyed seeing his aunt and uncle, who were just as curious to speak with him as his own parents were about talking to Eijun.

“Got a university in mind, yet?” his uncle asked.

“Uhh…”

“Don’t stress him out on a special weekend!” intervened his grandfather, Eitoku, for which Daichi was grateful. He was already thinking about enough. Eitoku was always a figure Daichi appreciated in his life, a hardass man with a lot to say. “So, you’re a captain now, huh? And you’re balancing volleyball and the university process?? Phew… Boy, you got balls.”

Across the room, Eijun glanced over at their conversation, something wistful in his eyes.

After a cup of tea, some cookies set out on the table, and plenty of catch-up conversation, Eijun’s parents left and returned to Hachiko’s house for the night. Tomorrow, that would be the place the whole family would reunite under one night, for a grand birthday party.

Not long after they left did Eijun crash. He watched a little bit of Friday night television with Daichi and Daichi’s parents before he yawned, thanked his relatives again for their hospitality, and retreated to Daichi’s room where a futon awaited him.

Daichi understood his tiredness. The time was indeed getting rather late, and Eijun had travelled that day. It wasn’t long before Daichi’s parents also called it a night, and Daichi followed suit. So they washed up and said goodnight. Creeping into his darkened room, Daichi tip-toed around his cousin’s sleeping form until he made it to his bed, slinking into the covers and finding an easy sleep.

Although… Daichi could have sworn he had woken up several times to a buzzbuzz and an illuminated screen on his floor.

~~※~~

“I still can’t believe you’re a captain now!”

Daichi and Eijun were currently on their way to Karasuno the next morning. The day was warm and balmy, typical of their summers. Eijun wore casual summer clothes while Daichi dressed for his practice.

“What do you mean ‘can’t believe?’” Daichi sneered.

Eijun huffed. “I mean, I can believe it, it’s just really really cool!”

“You think?” When Eijun nodded vigorously, Daichi chuckled. “Well, it’s a lot of hard work, too. Especially with my team…”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see… Anyways, I never expected I would still be a captain this long. Or at all, haha!”

At that, Eijun regarded him thoughtfully. “I’m not surprised at all you’re a captain. You were basically captain of the two of us when we were little, like… you never cried when I did, and tried to make it better.” Daichi couldn’t help his chuckle, but Eijun continued, his eyebrows furrowing. “But you’re still playing? Don’t third years usually… retire after the summer?”

He had said ‘usually’ like the word was a joke. Not ‘usually,’ thought Daichi, filling in Eijun’s meaning. They did. They just did. “Yeah, they usually do. But… Well, we just weren’t ready to give it up. Our team this year is really special, I truly believe that. There’s a chance… maybe more than a chance that we can make it to nationals with this team. The summer was just too soon. If there’s a chance, then there was no way I was going to sit it out.”

Eijun’s eyes were wide with wonder. “You’re really amazing, Dai-chan…” he said, unabashed, causing Daichi to turn red and splutter awkwardly with regrets. The lines around Eijun’s eyes then crumpled with a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry about your summer prelims. I really am. But I’m sure the fall will be different! It was for us, last year.”

“Haha, yeah…” Daichi rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re training hard with the time we have now. Baseball’s still having it’s summer preliminaries, aren’t they?”

“Mhmm.”

“So afterwards, there’s no chance your third years are going to stay, is there?”

A silence followed, one that made Daichi regret voicing his question. He couldn’t get a read on Eijun’s face, the boy’s eyes cast towards the ground and the fringe of his hair hanging over them. Daichi swallowed, about to change the subject, when Eijun snapped his chin up and met Daichi’s gaze with an intense grin full of sudden vigor, verging on manic.

“I’m not going to lose, though.”

Daichi’s breath hitched at the new confidence, but the words didn’t sound entirely right. Something about the word choice was… off. Luckily, Daichi didn’t have to confront them just yet, because before he had realized, they had reached Karasuno.

“So this is your school?” Eijun glanced around with curiosity. There were definite signs of life; plenty of clubs and teams met on Saturday’s to use the school’s facilities. Most of the team’s were on the fields, though.

“Yup, this is Karasuno,” said Daichi nonchalantly. “It’s kinda small, but it’s just a school.”

Eijun shook his head. “It’s nice!” he said genuinely. “Looks like the place I would have gone if I had stayed in Nagano, I think.”

“Really?” Daichi hummed, “Well I’d give you a tour, but, like, it’s just a high school.”

“I think I’m good,” Eijun laughed.

“I’ll just show you the important stuff: the gym.”

“Yeah!”

They headed straight to the gymnasium, and as they approached, Daichi began to hear commotion. Why wasn’t he surprised? He wasn’t in the least.

“I apologize in advance,” Daichi sighed.

Confused, Eijun blinked at him. “Why?”

From within the gymnasium, coming from the direction of the windows.

“Can you see him?”

“Yeah they just got here!! Hmm… they don’t look exactly alike.”

“They’re cousins, not twins!”

“He’s tall! What the heck! You don’t even need to be tall to play baseball! Why does everybody else get to be tall?!”

“It’s not that they’re tall, it’s just that you’re too short!”

“Offense! That’s rude!”

This is why, thought Daichi silently, and they reached the doors.

Before Daichi could open it for himself, thought, someone from the inside swung open the door with frightening and extreme ferocity. The suddenness caused Eijun to jump and Daichi to prepare for the inevitable.

In the threshold, standing as tall as he could with his arms crossed in a display meant to intimidate, was no other than Tanaka. Using the raised entrance to the gymnasium to his utmost advantage, Tanaka’s narrowed eyes glared menacingly down at Eijun. He radiated a hostile aura. Of course, Daichi knew better than to expect any violence to actually come from it. Tanaka just did this to assert himself as the alpha male or something equally inane.

Daichi glanced at his cousin, whose expression was trapped between alarmed and bewildered.

“So,” Tanaka began, “You’re the bigshot from Tokyo, huh?”

“Bigshot?” Eijun gaped.

“Ya think ya can show up and look down on us simple country teams, huh?” his eyes narrowed. “Huh?!”

“Uhh…” Eijun glanced at Daichi uncertainly, then back at Tanaka, “I’m from Nagano.”

A nerve in Tanaka’s face twitched, and just went it looked like he was going to relinquish his façade, something collided with his back at great speed. Tanaka tumbled forward, faceplanting on the ground, while the person that had caused him to fall -- Hinata -- maintained a momentum that somersaulted him over Tanaka’s body and back to his feet. Once he realized he had regained balance, Hinata catapulted in the direction of Eijun.

“My name is Hinata Shouyou! And I’m the strongest decoy!!” He crowed, “But! I’m going to be Karasuno’s ace!! Pleased to meet you!!!”

The boy’s face was red with enthusiasm, and his mop of ginger hair bounced as he spoke energetically. His eyes were vivid with that hungry determination that Daichi knew all too well. However, his vibrancy faltered when a volleyball collided with the side of his head.

“Oof!” The force knocked him to the ground.

Kageyama was now standing where Tanaka had just stood, scowling ferociously and having been the source of the thrown volleyball. “HINATA YOU DUMBASS!”

Then Noya was in the doorway, zipping past Kageyama to the side of Tanaka’s fallen form. “RYUU!! ARE YOU OKAY, RYUU?! TALK TO ME!!”

Tanaka rose from the ground and spat dirt from his mouth. “HINATA WHY DID YOU RUN INTO ME?!”

“S-SORRY TANAKA-SENPAI!”

“ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE US LOOK BAD, HINATA-DUMBASS?!”

“SH-SHUT UP KAGEYAMA!”

Meanwhile, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had appeared from within the gym to offer their fits of snickers and pointed jabs. Asahi was there, too, wringing his hands and sweating without a clue of how to handle this situation. The first and second year duos continued to shout at each other, feeding off each other’s stupidity.

Overall, it was an absolutely chaotic first impression.

The veins in Daichi’s temple throbbed to a rupturing point. “HEY!” he shouted, and everyone froze. “HAVE ALL OF YOU FORGOTTEN YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE PRACTICING?”

All became a shameful silence, and Suga popped his head around the doorframe, smiling bashfully. “Everyone got here early just to check him out, haha…”

Daichi cleared his throat and addressed his cousin apologetically. “Haha… Sorry about that!”

“Why would they be curious about me?” asked Eijun, turning pink and the corners of his mouth twitching.

Before Daichi could answer, Coach Ukai appeared and wrangled everyone back into the gym, looking more than disgruntled. He introduced himself to Eijun, excusing the team’s behavior and expressed his enthusiasm to have a guest at their practice. In return, Eijun promised he wouldn’t get in the way of their practice, thanked Ukai for allowing his visitation, and expressed his excitement to observe. Bowing, he shouted his gratitude, and everyone gathered in front of Ukai before the start of practice.

“Sawamura-kun!” When both Daichi and Eijun looked his way, Coach Ukai corrected himself. “I mean, the new one. Sawamura Jr.”

“Yes?” Eijun stood attentive.

“How would Seidou handle riff raff such as this?”

“Hmm…” With a hand on his chin, Eijun thought very seriously about this. He took a few moments to answer. “Well… When I’m too loud, my senpai usually beats me up. If it’s Boss, he denies us use of the equipment when we act out, and makes us run a bunch of laps for several practices.”

Hinata and Kageyama looked sick to their stomachs. “That’d be like… practicing without volleyballs…”

On the other hand, Coach Ukai emanated vindicated malevolence. His grin was wicked with impending malice. “Hear that?” His tongue sharpened. “So maybe that’s how I should run things here from now on, huh???”

The responding chorus was resounding. “We’ll be good!”

With almost everyone spooked from their wits, practice began underway as it usually did. The team warmed up and began practicing receives and serves while Eijun watched from the sidelines. He chatted with Ukai, Takeda, or the managers about topics of which Daichi could only pick up snippets.

“So, Sawamura Jr., what do you know about volleyball?”

“... Don’t drop the ball?”

It was hard to hear everything they were saying while Daichi was trying to run through the drills, but he could assume they were exchanging this and that about volleyball and baseball. In any case, Eijun seemed to be enjoying himself. He had that bright, sunny smile plastered on his face, and whenever Daichi spared him a glance, Eijun looked genuinely interested in whatever the others were saying.

Sometimes it was just Eijun watching, when the coaches or the managers were busy. He had the bright-eyed admiration he had had since they were little, and every now and then Daichi could hear an array of “Oooh!”s or “Wow!”s or a slight clapping together of his hands. Whenever Daichi noticed, the tips of his ears burned, and he tried to keep his focus on the court.

“So?” Suga hissed behind him when they were in line to practice their serves. “How’s it going?”

“Good!” Daichi shrugged. What else could he say? “You know… nothing monumental happening…” Suga didn’t look satisfied, though. “You were right, if that’s what you wanted to hear.”

“Whaaaat?” Suga grinned, “I didn’t say that at all.”

Daichi smirked. He stepped up to the line; it was his turn. Picking up the volleyball, Daichi tossed it into the air and whipped his opposite arm around until his palm connected with the rubber with a satisfying SMACK! The ball hurtled in a spin over the net and POW! into the gym floor.

“Woooow!” Daichi heard from the sidelines. “That was pretty cool, cousin Dai-chan!”

“Dai-chan?!” came several voices and snickers.

The tips of Daichi’s ears prickled again.

“Did he…” Suga whispered to him when reconnected on the other side of the court, this time receiving. “I mean, about what you told me last night… Is he…” Suga was as red as Daichi’s ears felt, “Is he… you know…” His eyes kept darting from Eijun to Daichi.

Chuckling, Daichi shook his head. Maybe he should have kept that little bit about Eijun’s old crush on Suga to himself, but it hardly mattered anymore. “Nah, I don’t think you have to worry about him bringing you any flowers.”

As Suga sighed in relief, Daichi glanced over at his cousin, who was currently staring at his phone screen. The boy’s thumb punched excitedly over the keys, and something was glistening anxiously in his eyes.

Nope, definitely not to Suga, thought Daichi in amusement. He idly wondered what kind of people were on the opposite end of that phone.

Still, Eijun’s innocent distraction didn’t seem to hinder Tanaka and Noya’s suspicion whenever he crossed paths with Kiyoko. Of course, Eijun was an amiable person and made conversation easy. Even, it seemed, with the reserved and modest Kiyoko Shimizu.

“Are you flirting with our manager?!” Tanaka growled at Eijun at one point, when the team was taking a quick break. Yachi and Kiyoko were handing them some refreshments, and Kiyoko was considerate enough to offer Eijun one as well. Such was the girl’s natural, kind-hearted nature.

Eijun blinked innocently. “Wh… Flirting?”

“Yeah!” Noya jumped in. “We saw you smiling at her!!”

Holding up the snack that Kiyoko had handed him, Eijun’s face scrunched in confusion. “But… she gave me a granola bar? Why wouldn’t I thank her?”

“Exactly!!” They both exclaimed. “Why wouldn’t you thank her?!”

Eijun turned bewilderedly to the granola bar, like he should feel guilty for holding it. “I don’t know what you want from me…”

Both Daichi and Suga couldn’t help but chuckle. Maybe Daichi should tell more about Eijun’s old crush on Suga after all, if it’d ward him from the wrath of the second year duo. “Don’t mind them,” Daichi said instead. “They just have some pathetic crush on her.”

This earned him a series of hisses, like he had just spoken taboo.

“Ooohh!” Eijun grinned. “Well, she is very beautiful!” He said it so easily that the words nearly offended the Kiyoko Shimizu fanclub.

“Not just beautiful!” Tanaka explained heatedly. “Divine!”

“Celestial!” provided Noya.

“Heavenly!” continued Tanaka.

“Ethereal!!” Hinata suddenly added.

“Nice one, Hinata!” agreed both Tanaka and Noya, while Kageyama sat beside Hinata, side-eyeing him and muttering “You knew what that word meant?” with a mouthful of granola.

The rest of the team was acting normal, Daichi observed thankfully. Stretching and rehydrating, consuming some energy. The coach was talking to Tsukishima and Asahi about something, and Takeda was helping Yachi. Kiyoko, wise as she was always, had at some point evaporated from the gymnasium.

Eijun found them amusing, though. “Oh, it’s kinda like my senpai, who has a crush on one of our managers. He’s always--”

“What do you mean 'one of' your managers,” Noya suddenly interjected. “One of how many??”

“O-oh,” Eijun blinked at the sudden tangent. “Well, we have five. Two third years, one that’s my classmate, and two brand new first y--what happened to them!?”

Tanaka and Noya had sprawled out on the floor. Daichi sighed, “They’re fine. Ignore them. Seriously.”

“Five managers, Ryuu…” Noya said, almost trance-like.

“Tokyo must be a paradise…” Tanaka nearly wept.

“BUT!” Noya leapt up with ecstatic energy, “Can five strangers really equate to the magnificence of Kiyoko-san?!”

Tanaka rose next, matching his partners energy. “No way! Kiyoko-san’s worth and beauty is incomparable!”

“Immeasurable!”

“And Yachi-san herself is the same!”

“...Eh?” From across the gym, Yachi startled and looked up at her name. Daichi waved at her to not pay attention. It was for her own good.

“Still…” Tanaka put a thoughtful jaw to his chin.

“Yeah…” Noya agreed, without either of them truly saying anything.

Both of their heads snapped towards Eijun, who gulped in anticipation, but before the boy could prepare himself, they mauled him. They aimed to seize his phone.

“Are they cute?”

“Show us pictures!”

“Why are you holding out on us, city boy?!”

“Dai-chan!” cried Eijun, flailing against their advancements. “H-help! Your teammates!!”

“Aren’t you going to save him?” asked Suga.

“Soon,” decided Daichi. Despite his struggles, Eijun didn’t seem all too bothered. In fact, he looked like he was used to it. Suga shared with him a sly smile, as if they both didn’t have their own morbid curiosity…

Naturally, through Tanaka’s aggression and Noya’s craft, they managed to pry Eijun’s phone from his white-knuckled fingers. Tanaka sat on Eijun while Noya pillaged the device.

“D-Dai-chan!!”

“You should have password protected it!” Daichi condemned him, and Eijun whines worsened.

“Where are the pictures of your managers?!”

“Wh--!! I don’t have any!”

“Lies! Unless there’s someone else… Is that who you’ve been texting this whole time? You got a girlfriend in Tokyo?”

“No way!!”

“Oh, he has a lot of unread messages…”

Tanaka held out his hand, and Noya dropped the phone into it. Eijun tried to snatch it, but the pair was too quick for him, and Tanaka too strong. After perusing the unread texts, Tanaka growled and twisted his grip on Eijun. “WHO’S WAKANA?!”

Eijun wailed. “Why does this always happen?!”

“Well?! Wait, there’s more.” Tanaka showed Noya, who was pulling down on Tanaka’s arm to snoop as well. “Holy shit, he knows a Miyuki. I love that name… She must be a babe, right?”

“Alright!” Eijun’s efforts increased, suddenly vehement. “Time to get my phone back!”

They ignored him.

“Who is Harucchi?! There are so many messages…” Noya’s eyes shone. “Is she cute?!”

“Of course she would be,” said Tanaka.

Glowering at them, Eijun ceased his struggle. “Well, she is a he…” but then he thought about the question, “but he’s still very cute, if you must know.”

“What?!” Tanaka and Noya jumped off of him. They exchanged unreadable glances, then back to Eijun, who regarded them genuinely. They nodded and handed Eijun’s own phone out to him.

Eijun happily showed them.

Daichi actually knew who Wakana was. They had met, a few times when he had visited Eijun. She was his close childhood friend. In the past, Daichi had believed Wakana was Eijun’s Suga. But now… Daichi didn’t think so. Although, Daichi also didn’t think that Eijun had a fraction of the love life that Tanaka and Noya were accusing him.

Curiosity got the better of him, and Daichi watched Eijun’s phone screen over the boy’s shoulder. Suga, too.

“That’s Harucchi,” Eijun narrated as he flipped through the small collection on his phone.

“Nice hair,” commented Noya.

“He’s our second basemen, and he’s super amazing at batting! So was his brother, who used to be on our team, but he graduated…”

“Whoa… Are those your uniforms?”

“Yup!”

“They look sharp…”

“Dark blue and gold, that’s nice…”

“Who’s the dude asleep in most of these?”

“Ah… That’s Furuya… he’s our ace pitcher.”

“A sleeping ace?!” Everyone sounded appalled.

“Alright!” Coach Ukai suddenly chimed. “Back to practice! We’ll do spikes and receives now!”

Quickly, the team began to bustle back into the swing of things. Up until the last minute of their break, though, Tanaka held on to Eijun’s phone and browsed his pictures. Unfortunately for him, there were not a lot of girls. Just baseball players and saved snapchats. Holding up the phone with a frown, Tanaka asked Eijun, “Whose are these shit-eating grins? They’re in here a lot.”

Both Daichi and Eijun looked at the picture to which Tanaka referred. It was a candid photo, seemingly during practice, judging by their uniforms and the fact that one boy carried a bat and the other was in catching gear. There was a motion blur as other players moved around the frame. However, the two boys in semi-decent focus appeared to be sneering at each other.

“Those are my senpai,” answered Eijun. “Captain and vice captain.” He pointed to the boy with the bat, “That’s one of my roommates.”

“Roommate…?” Tanaka peered at the picture, squinting at the boy holding the bat. The idea of having a roommate in high school was probably foreign to him.

Then, Eijun smiled at him. That bright, blinding smile that resonated in his golden eyes, honest and pure, that somehow cracked the shell and melted the heart of anyone that bore witness. Tanaka was no exception. “You two would probably get along,” he said, and then he laughed. “Or destroy each other!”

Tanaka could only splutter half-words as he shuffled away back to the court. It was similar to when Noya said anything cool, but Daichi found himself laughing. Tanaka probably didn’t even realize he had blushed. Daichi, however, was used to it. He turned to his cousin, who was humming innocently.

“Do you want to try?” asked Daichi, nodding at the court.

A moment of unclarity passed before Eijun’s eyes lit up. “V-volleyball?!”

“Yeah.” Looking across at Ukai, Daichi searched for permission.

“C...can I?!” Eijun’s fingers twitched as he surveyed the court. “That won’t get in the way?”

“It’s fine,” said Ukai. “Obviously volleyball isn’t your sport, but you’re probably getting bored just watching.”

“N-no not at all!” Eijun waved his hands in protest. He ran a hand through his hair. “I just wouldn’t want to get in the way…”

“Well, it’s not like you can really practice with us,” admitted Ukai, and Eijun shook his head modestly. “But if Sawamura-kun wants to practice his serves with you receiving a few, that should be fine.”

Daichi smiled confidently at Eijun. “You remember how to receive, right?”

Nodding, “I got this, I got this,” Eijun extended his arms and pressed them together, enclosing his fists as one. He looked at his cousin, expecting praise.

“...Right.” Daichi reached over and corrected Eijun’s arms into the proper receiving position. “You remember, though. Playing when we were kids. However…” Daichi levelled his gaze and lowered his voice. “My serve’s gotten stronger since then.”

“Relax, Dai-chan!” Eijun grinned. “Don’t go easy on me! I bet I can receive your best serve!! I’ve been training, too, and my arms are a lot stronger since then!”

They practically sneered at each other, challenging each other, ripe with benevolent cousin rivalry. Eijun had never been as crafty as Daichi, but he had the same determination. His eyes flashed with determination, and he stood on the opposite side of the net from Daichi, who had a ball ready to serve.

A few of the others had paused their own training to observe. Hinata was the most intrigued, while Tsukishima tittered in the distance. Whatever, Daichi was used to it, and Eijun was surprisingly capable of ignoring the attention.

Daichi was no Oikawa Tooru when it came to serving, or even held a candle to Kageyama. But he was working to change that, and he knew his cousin wouldn’t want him holding back. The way Eijun stood there almost looked pro, and his aura was a lot more intense than Daichi anticipated. Its effect made Daichi’s skin prickle, just a little bit.

“He looks like he’s done before!” commented Tanaka.

“I guess you can expect recruited athletes to be pretty adaptable…” replied Ennoshita.

True enough, Daichi thought, but… His eyes matched with Eijun’s, and they were both ready. Daichi especially. I want you to experience for yourself what I’ve been working for.

Tossing the ball into the air, Daichi congregated as much power and aim in his limbs as possible. The ball suspended in the air, and began to fall… With a resonating SMACK! Daichi’s palm met with the rubber, and the ball flew over the net to where Eijun stood ready.

Eijun positioned himself according, reading the ball’s trajectory with an ease most likely created when tracking pop-fly baseballs on a day to day basis. His forearms collided with the ball, and for a second it looked like a flawless receive.

But just for a second.

Because after that, the ball skid off Eijun’s arms and forcefully smacked straight into the boy’s face.

“ACK!”

Eijun toppled over, and the ball went bouncing around the corner.

Everyone in the gymnasium that had been watching fell silent, especially Daichi. Maybe I overdid it… just a little bit… Eijun was now sprawled dramatically out on his back on the gymnasium floor, like someone who’d just been gunned down. When groaned and propped himself up on his elbows, Eijun looked dazed. A hand came up to gently touch underneath his nose, where there was blood dripping out.

“Are you okay, Ei-chan?!” Daichi called out. Damn… Mom won’t be pleased about this!

As for the team, some of them gaped in concern, like Hinata and Yachi, while others like Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were in stitches from laughing, and the rest of them…

“Oh…” half of the team chorused mournfully. “He’s another Hinata…”

“Hey!”

~~※~~※~~

Volleyball is a lot harder than I remember…

Eijun had always enjoyed a friendly game of volleyball in gym class, or with the rest of his family, Daichi included. Although, ‘friendly’ was a relative term for those family gatherings, as his family could become incredibly competitive. In those games, Eijun and Daichi were usually a great partnership, or the trump cards for their respective teams if they were on separate sides.

Now, Daichi was definitely in a totally different league than him.

That was to be expected, Eijun supposed, since his cousin was currently the captain of a high school volleyball team while Eijun certainly was not. His skills lay in an entirely different area, and that area was definitely not receiving volleyballs.

As evident by the blood currently pouring out of his nose.

“Uh, h-here’s more to soak up the b-blood!”

Squinting at the small girl -- Yachi, apparently, was her name -- Eijun accepted a slightly dampened towel from her. “Thank you!” he rang graciously, and the girl flushed.

They were alone in the storage room, Eijun sitting on one of those uncomfortable metal fold out chairs, sitting back and his head tilted at almost ninety degree angle. He had held a clot of tissues against his nostril, and now he replaced them with Yachi’s towel. The tissues were all splotched red now, anyways. Yachi offered a small trash bin in which Eijun could toss them. She shivered at the brief glances of all that blood.

“Sowwee!” Eijun spoke, but with the cloth pinched around his nose, his words came out scurred. “‘Ou don’ ‘afta look a’all dis…”

Yachi waved a hand. “No no it’s fine! I’m used to Hinata getting nosebleeds and injuries. I can do first aid thingies. It’s just…” She set down the garbage pail in the corner, wrinkling her fingers, “...messy…”

Cousin Dai-chan certainly has a rowdy team, thought Eijun. He straightened his head, rubbing the cramp in his neck that the position was giving him. He pulled back the towel and examined the blood stain. There was much less left behind than before. “I think I’m fine!”

“Yeah?” Yachi looked at him. “Your head isn’t hurting or anything?” She gently knocked the side of her temple for show.

“Nope!” Eijun wiped the last of the blood from his face with the towel’s dampness. “But how embarrassing!! Couldn’t even receive one ball! I thought I remembered how Dai-chan served…”

Shaking her head, Yachi quivered. “No way! I could never receive anything like that!! I’d get worse than a nosebleed! I’d… I’d die!”

“You’re a first year?”

“Mhmm,” Yachi hummed. “I actually just started… I’m gonna take over for Kiyoko-san when she retires… or, I mean, graduates. I don’t think any of the third years are retiring any time soon.”

Eijun found himself frowning. So it was just how Daichi had said; the third years could choose to stay on the team. Was this typical of volleyball? The information sent Eijun’s brain reeling. For almost two years, he’d believed that third year athletes’ retirement from a team after the summer games was a part of life’s natural selection.

According to Daichi’s volleyball career, apparently not.

Was it obligatory for Seidou’s third years to depart after the summer tournament? Or, was it just an accepted and repeated cycle that nobody ever saw to challenge?

Seidou was still in their summer preliminaries, but Eijun still had the grim memories of how that had ended last year. It had been like shedding skin too early, scars left on the body. Not that Seidou wasn’t doing well this well; they were, and Eijun himself was nothing like himself from last summer. Every game was a battle and a explosion of joy for him.

Lately, however, Eijun had recognized a dreadful twanging in the pit of his stomach.

The feeling was a dormant one, one that Eijun could easily overpower, stomp on, and blissfully ignore thanks to all the excitement around him. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t there. This was more than a layer of skin he feared of losing. It was like a set of vital internal organs that might get ripped out of him after any game.

“Good thing, too,” Yachi was saying. “I’d be totally lost without Kiyoko-senpai still around!!”

“She’s the one that gave me a granola bar,” said Eijun conversationally.

“Yup! I haven’t known her for very long, and she’s pretty quiet, but she cares a lot about the team! All the senpai do!”

Eijun smiled. “I can tell!” His cousin always cared about everyone, albeit, rather roughly. They had always been similar in that aspect. Eijun’s volume resulted out of enthusiasm, where Daichi’s booming voice blossomed out of reprimand. Many times in the past, Eijun had been on the receiving end on that bellow.

Overall, Eijun had been impressed with what he’d seen from Daichi that day. He always would have made an excellent captain. Respected, Eijun could tell, and possibly feared. Daichi’s baritone of a voice had a commanding presence, and Eijun had heard him scold and rally his teammates during the practice. It was different than the baseball captains Eijun had experienced.

Yuki had had all of the rallying factors. The strong voice and presence that commanded a team with natural ease. His skills always spoke for themselves, and he never had to bully anyone. Isashiki did that for him. As a pair, they were very effective, and Eijun reminisced in a flood of memories of them. Daichi was like a combination of the two.

As for Seidou’s current captain, he had another form of finesse entirely.

“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head too hard?” Yachi asked. “You keep, well…” her cheeks reddened again. “...zoning out.”

“Huh?” Eijun started, then matching her complexion. “Oh! Yeah! Sorry!” Now he felt bed; the poor girl probably thought he was slow. He flashed her a reassuring grin, and for some reason, this seemed to overwhelm Yachi. Thinking from the top of his head, he quickly tried to say something more. “Uh! You make a really good manager so far!! Really! You fixed me right up! Keep up the good work!”

And… he might have accidentally killed her.

Her body started to sort of flail as she tried to say something coherent. “Th… thaaha thank you but no that’s…! Whhhhh!!”

Eijun was torn between concern and amusement. He didn’t know what he had said or done, but she was pretty funny, and possibly the most adorable person he’d met since Kominato Haruichi.

“Really!!” Eijun fueled her. “You saved me!!”

She froze. When she didn’t know what to say, Yachi opted to flee out of the room.

Eijun’s eyes widened at the sudden departure. Oops! I must have embarrassed her… He wiped the remaining stains from his nostrils.

Not much longer after Yachi had disappeared did two new heads pop into the room -- one topped with a ginger mop, and the other with a peculiar frown.

“You okay, Sawamura Jr.?” asked the ginger one. This was the kid that had very enthusiastically -- and chaotically -- introduced himself earlier. The one that had startled Eijun by announcing that he was going to be the ace, despite his extremely short stature of which Eijun had taken note. Eijun could remember Hinata as his surname.

Whoever he was, Eijun already had a fair impression of him. Of the other one, Eijun had no opinion thus far.

“Yeah, good as new!” Eijun beamed at them, standing, “and just Sawamura is fine.”

Hinata shook his head and pushed his way into the room, the taller, grouchy-looking boy on his heels. “We’re first years. You’d be our--”

“In that case!” Eijun put his hands on his hips and offered them his most winning smile, “you can call me Sawamura-senpai!!”

“But you just said that Sawamura is fine,” the tall boy said blankly at the same time that Hinata happily echoed him, “Sawamura-senpai!!”

Eijun half wilted. “I guess you already have a Sawamura-senpai, huh…”

“But he’s our captain,” said Hinata. “You’re just his cool cousin visiting from the city, right?”

Eijun blossomed again. “Cool cousin?” He liked the sound of that, though he wasn’t sure he qualified. “Hahaha! I guess I am pretty cool, even if you don’t know that half of it!”

“We know that you use your face to receive volleyballs,” said the tall one matter-of-factly. “So does he.” He pointed to Hinata, who violently bristled.

“Not anymore! Not that often! Only a couple of times!! Damn you!!!”

“Didn’t you say you were gonna be the ace?” Eijun asked.

“I am!!” Hinata insisted and zipped at him. “Right now, Asahi-san is the ace, and that’s fine, because he’s really good and powerful like POW! But it’s gonna be me!”

Unfortunately, Eijun couldn’t help but survey the boy’s size. “You spike?” he asked sceptically.

“I can jump!” Hinata yipped, and the tall boy immediately had a hand atop Hinata’s head to prevent him from demonstrating.

“He’s our decoy,” explained the tall one, and Eijun rose an eyebrow. Was that supposed to mean something to him? However, the tall boy did not pick up on his cue to expand on that piece of information. Instead, Eijun focused on Hinata’s now sullen expression.

“Yeah… that’s me… the decoy,” he sighed.

“Oi, don’t mope about it again!” the tall boy snapped, to no avail.

Decoy?

For some reason, Eijun could not look directly at the boy. Only at the blurry space over his head. Otherwise, he felt like he was standing in the mirror maze of a funhouse, and looking at his warped reflection made him queasy. His mouth was dry and that bomb in his chest suddenly felt like a ticking timer.

The way Hinata had said decoy, as if it was a curse, sounded the same to Eijun as the word relief often tasted like burnt ash on his tongue.

So he wasn’t going to ask.

“We’re about to toss and spike,” continued Hinata, “You can watch--!”

“I believe you,” said Eijun. The smile he offered Hinata was genuine, so hopeful, as wide and bright as always, but the strain on his lips hurt his face this time. “If you want to, and if you say you will, you’ll definitely become the ace! You have to!”

While the tall boy gaped at him, Hinata brightened to an ultraviolet degree. His face turned completely red, his eyes grew wide, but his face scrunched together around the gaping grin he developed. He was practically exploding.

“Kageyamaaaa!! Did you hear that!! Someone who’s been to Koshien said I could be the ace!! You hear that?? Did you hear that?! Kageya--!!” and the boy now known as Kageyama shoved Hinata’s face away.

“But y’know…” Chuckling, Eijun rubbed the back of his neck, which was still a little sore. “I don’t actually know what a volleyball ace does.”

“They go FWOOM!” Hinata offered with accompanying hand gestures, “and then WHAM! So the ball hits past the blockers, POW!, and the ball hits the court like FWAM! And everyone’s like GWAAH!! So cool!!” Hinata performed this all with impressive theatrical flare. “Like that.”

Kageyama sighed. “What he means is--”

“I understand,” said Eijun.

“How?!”

“That’s cool!” Eijun found himself biting his lip, and forced himself to stop. “Do you do all that now?”

“Yeeee..aaaa..ahh?? Maybe?” Hinata frowned suddenly, and he looked unsure of himself. “Not alone. I need this guy--” Hinata pointed directly at his tall companion, “--to toss to me.”

“Toss, right right right,” Eijun smirked and tapped his temple sagaciously. “I know this one. Suga-san would toss to me and Dai-chan when we were little. I spiked a little myself back then, y’know,” added Eijun proudly.

But Hinata almost looked jaded. “S… Suga-san tossed to you…?”

“Yeah sure!” In fact, Eijun grew flush at the memory. Nevermind the weenie crush he had on Suga, Eijun had long since moved on. “So he tosses the ball up in the air, and you swoop in and decimate all your enemies!”

“But it’s more than that!” Kageyama insisted, “the setters are the control towers on the court! They control where the ball goes and direct the plays!! Setters handle the most balls, and without them--”

Hinata smacked his hand over Kageyama’s face. “Don’t bore him.”

“I get it, I get it,” Eijun nodded thoughtfully. “I know what that’s like.”

“You do?”

“Of course! I may not have a setter,” grinned Eijun, “but I have a catcher.”

Kageyama scowled. “Don’t they just catch the pitches?”

“No…” Eijun’s eyebrows furrowed. “Not really, no, not at all.”

“Tsk tsk, Kageyama-kun…” Hinata snickered. “You’re so ignorant of everything that’s not volleyball!”

Kageyama responded by grabbing Hinata’s nogan and squeezing his hair.

Hinata wailed. “OWOWOW!!”

“Listen up!” said Eijun, in his best kind of senpai voice. “The catcher on a baseball field is almost as cool as the pitcher! Batteries the ultimate partnership! Pitchers and catchers are the totem poles of defense! Together, they scheme against and read the batters and control where the baseball is gonna go! So my catcher, he -- well, we argue a lot, since he’s kind of a bastard, but he knows what he’s doing. As long as I can aim my pitch to his mitt…” Eijun’s fist slapped into his palm, emanating the sounds of a leather hitting leather. “It’s like feeling invincible,” then he sighed, breathless and wistful. His fingers began to twitch. “Damn, I really wanna pitch now…”

Woops, he realized, got carried away. He hadn’t meant to ramble, and he felt like he hadn’t actually explained everything. How could he coherently explain the dynamic?

Both Hinata and Kageyama were looking at him in awe, thought Eijun wasn’t sure what kind. Their eyes had a certain shimmer to them, maybe light that was grounded in fond familiarity. Maybe something a little more craving.

“Oi, Hinata and Kageyama!!” came Daichi’s demanding voice from the court, “get back to practice!”

They both jumped, paranoid. “Yikes!” Hinata scrambled, “we better go! Come watch me spike, Sawamura-senpai!”

“I will!”

Kageyama pushed the smaller boy back into the gymnasium. Eijun followed a few paces behind them. He remained on the court’s sideline while the others congregated into a practice formation. Daichi caught sight of him and surveyed him.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

Eijun grinned, “Hah! You didn’t hit it that hard! Next time it won’t bounce into my face!!”

Daichi returned a sneer to him as he joined the rest of his team. Kageyama and Suga were on either side of the net, tossing to the others as they practiced spiking. A couple of the players were used as blockers, so it was more challenging for the spikers. The spikes were the most exciting to watch, Eijun thought, for sure, even if he understood Kageyama’s appeal to setting.

A buzzbuzz in his pocket alerted Eijun back to his phone. Flipping open his phone, his attention wavered from the volleyball practice as he read the new text message.

  >> Practice over… for now! Just hanging out for the moment.

Humming, Eijun typed a response.

  > any developments?

  >> Nope! Same gameplay from when you were last here.

  > bullpen news??

  >> Hmm… I will ask Furuya next time I see him. I think he’s napping, though.

Of course he is, mused Eijun as he sardonically replied the same thought to Haruichi.

“SAWAMURA-SENPAI! WATCH OUR SPIKE!!”

He looked up just in time.

Hinata crossed the court like lightning. He catapulted into the air -- diagonally?! And before Eijun could even fully register the boy’s movements, a volleyball collided with the boy’s palm with a loud and reverberating SMACK! The ball split the air like cannonfire, meeting the court’s floor without any interference from the blockers. Miraculous and absolute.

Returning to Earth, Hinata beamed at Eijun hopefully. Searching for approval, perhaps, but he needn’t ask for it. Kageyama was looking, too, but the light in his eyes was a lot more subtle.

“Wh...WHOA!!” Eijun gaped. “You weren’t kidding! You really can jump when you’re that small!!”

“YEAH! Wait. Small?!”

“Hinata, back in line!” commanded the coach, but he was smiling.

Their practice resumed without any more delay, and Eijun was left with his mouth feeling dry again. The display had set his veins ablaze with an unquenchable anxiousness. Clutching his phone tightly, he snuck out of the gymnasium and into the sunlight of the day.

The weather was nice, he thought. The air was pure and crisp despite the heat of the summer sun. His favorite kind of weather, the kind with a refreshing breeze to cool across the sweat on his brow and neck, the kind with a noisy hum of insects harmonizing with the rustle of leaves in the wind. He took a deep breath and let the air so far from Tokyo fill his lungs.

And the he exhaled.

Opening his phone, Eijun went into his contacts and whimsically dialed a number. He held it to his ear and waited.

Ring… Ring… Ring… After a minute, the phone went to voicemail. Not even a personalized voicemail, but the default that was automatically set up on every cellphone.

He really should have expected that.

Eijun didn’t give up, though, and dialed a different number based only upon his intuition. This was the number he should have tried first, anyways, if he really wanted to get anywhere.

Ring… Ring… Ring… Then the fateful boop! of the call being answered. Eijun heard the commotion in the background before the grumpy voice that answered him.

“Whatta ya want?”

Smiling, Eijun leaned against the wall of the gymnasium. “Kuramochi-senpai! Can you put his highness on?”

Kuramochi made an extremely offended noise on the other end of the line. “Wh…!! You rude brat, why are you calling my phone to talk to someone else?!”

“He didn’t pick up,” Eijun explained simply.

“And what am I?!” Kuramochi seethed, “His secretary?!”

Behind Kuramochi’s voice was a hooplah of many other familiar voices that Eijun recognized all too well. He couldn’t discern what the rest of the team was chatting about, but he had a good idea of where they were. Despite his suspicions, there was one voice lacking from the background. Hearing all the others, Eijun’s stomach became full with a bubbling, sickly warmth that was both pleasant and disgusting. Like bile filled with bliss.

“Well, you are vice captain,” offered Eijun.

Someone in the background asked, “Who’s that?” It sounded like Maezono.

Scoffing, Kuramochi ignored them and yelled into the phone. “So what!? It’s not like a vice president takes messages for a president! That’s not how it works!!”

“Kuramochi-senpai…”

“Besides! What makes you believe I’m even in the same vicinity as him? Hmmmm?! You sure got a lot of nerve….”

Eijun blinked. “Are you not all in his room like you usually are?”

Kuramochi did not respond right away. “...Maybe we are, maybe we are not! That’s none of your business! If you want to talk to someone else, call their phone!”

“C’mon, Kuramochi-senpai!” Eijun wailed, “I’m already on the line with you! I don’t want to call again, what a hassle!”

“Hyaha! Too bad!”

Biting his lip, Eijun tried to think quickly. How could he sway his grouchy, teasing upperclassman? Aha! Of course! “Kuramochi-senpai, my cousin’s team’s manager is really beautiful, and if you share the phone, I’ll ask her to take a picture with me.”

An extended, thoughtful pause followed. The only noise were those in the background, completely detached from the phonecall taking place. Until, finally, Eijun heard the airy movements of the phone moving around.

He heard Kuramochi from a distance. “...It’s for you.”

There was a rustle, and then a very confused voice. “...Hello?”

“Why are you the absolute worst at answering your phone?”

“...Sawamura?” Miyuki gave a startled laugh, “What are you calling for? And why did Kuramochi give his phone to me?”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Eijun huffed. “I called you first, but you didn’t answer! How typical!”

“What! You didn’t call me! I would have -- where’d I put my phone? Uh…” There was a series of muffled movements, and Eijun rolled his eyes impatiently. “Here it is!! See, you -- Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Pffft! Oh well.”

“Shouldn’t you pay more attention to your phone? You have it for a reason, after all, don’t you? What if it was an emergency! What if I was dead? Wouldn’t you feel bad? How would you live with yourself? Hmmmm???”

“Hahah, are you calling from the grave?”

“No I am not, but I could be!”

Miyuki was practically cackling. “Oh look, you sent me more text messages today--”

However, the noise in the room drowned out the rest of Miyuki’s voice. There was a sudden influx of background noise from Miyuki’s end of the conversation, the noise of rowdy boys. Eijun swore he heard a voice that sounded just like Kuramochi’s violently hollering ‘Give me back my stars you son of a bitch!! I’ll kill you! All of you!!’

“Miyuki?” Eijun strained to hear him.

“Ah! Hold on!” It sounded like he was moving, and the disruption of their teammates began to fade away.

At the same time, though, a new explosion of ruckus came from inside the gymnasium, so loud that it made Eijun jump. A barrage of volleyballs pounding the floor, squeaky sneakers, and many shouting voices. Someone wailed morosely as another voice shouted “HINATA YOU MORON WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!”

“Sawamura?” Miyuki’s voice returned, but Eijun could barely hear over Karasuno’s commotion.

“Wait a sec--” Eijun departed from beside the gymnasium and crossed the courtyard. He ended up standing on the opposite side of the school’s vending machines, further away from the gym, and the unwanted disturbance dissipated from his ears. “Miyuki?”

“Yeah?”

“Okay, I can hear you now.”

“Me too. I’m outside.”

“Good…” The word trailed off awkwardly. For a moment, all they could hear was each other’s breathing.

Miyuki cleared his throat. “Where the hell are you, anyways? It sounds noisy!”

“Oh,” Eijun started, “I’m at my cousin’s high school. He’s the captain of a volleyball team. He, unlike another captain that I know, is a kind soul and took pity on me and invited me to hang out and watch. His team’s kinda nuts, but nice enough. They even let me play a little.” Eijun chewed on his lip, and tried to introduce his topic delicately. “Actually, there’s something strange about them…”

“Volleyball?” Miyuki burst into a chuckle, “and they let you play?! How disastrous was that?”

Scowling, Eijun crossed his arms. “Naturally, I was exceptional! They were like, ‘Please Sawamura-sama! Transfer here and play for us!’ but I was like, “Nah, I can’t, I’m sorry! I’m married to the mound! I’m duty bound, my team is counting on me!’”

Miyuki was tittering on the other end. “Oh really?”

“Yes really. See how lucky you are to have me? I’m in high demand!”

“You probably got hit in the face with a ball! Hahaha!”

Note to self: Miyuki Kazuya -- possible psychic. “Anyways!!” Eijun derailed, “That’s not my point.”

“Oh, there’s a point to all this babbling?” Eijun could actually hear the smirk on Miyuki’s lips. “You mean you didn’t just call to annoy me?”

“Not quite,” said Eijun.

“Hmmm, then I suppose you just missed the sound of my voice!”

“Not even close!” but the corner of Eijun’s mouth twitched at the relaxed humor between them. He took a moment, reeling himself in before taking a dive. Leaning sideways against the vending machine, he began pushing buttons inattentively. The small action helped distract from his uncertainty, as much as it could.

He wished he had a baseball in his hand.

“...Sawamura?”

“What if the third years didn’t retire after the summer?”

Silence. “...Huh?”

“So like…” Eijun tried to actually gather his thought, “my cousin’s a third year. They lost their summer prelims in the semi-finals, but he didn’t quit the team. You know, how seniors usually have to focus all their time on college exam prep and all that? And no more sports for them? They didn’t. No one on their team did. They’re still playing into the fall and winter.”

Miyuki’s response came slowly and unsurely. “O..kay…? I guess that’s unusual?”

“Is that even allowed at Seidou?” asked Eijun.

“I don’t know,” admitted Miyuki, which surprised Eijun. “But that’s not the way it goes here.”

“Why not?” Eijun’s tone came out petulant. “If it’s not against the rules, the third years should stay on for the fall and afterwards!”

“And what? Fail all their college entrance exams?”

“My cousin’s doing it,” Eijun offered hopefully.

“Well…” Miyuki’s tone maintained optimistic rationality, “your cousin must be super smart!”

“Not really. He’s pretty average.”

“Hahaha… Isn’t that kind of rude to say about family?”

“He’s my cousin!” said Eijun. “He’s called me dumb plenty of times!”

Miyuki laughed outright. “He’s not wrong, hahaha! Maybe he’s smarter than you think!”

Eijun bristled. “But seriously, think about it! What if the third years had stayed around last year? What if the third years stayed around this year?”

“What am I, a fortune teller? Sawamura…” Miyuki struggled for a second, “You know I would have wanted to keep playing with Chris-senpai and the rest of last year’s first string, but they had their own futures to think about. Whether they could have stayed on or not, they didn’t. And…” A deep breath, “Our fall tournament was a success, wasn’t it?”

“You got hurt,” reminded Eijun.

“We won,” Miyuki said curtly. “And weren’t you a major part of it?”

“Me? I, well, hah…” Eijun flushed and spluttered.

“If Tanba-san had still been our ace, do you think you would have pitched so much?”

“No,” admitted Eijun, and received another sour reminder, even if that was meant to make him feel better. “But then Furuya’s ankle…”

“Okay, true enough,” said Miyuki. “But couldn’t you also say that if it hadn’t been you on the mound when you were, the games would have gone entirely different? Isn’t that like tampering with fate or something? There’s no way of knowing what could have been, so why dwell on all the ‘what if’s and torture yourself?”

I just wish I could have spent more time with that team, thought Eijun. They were the layer of skin he had shed too early, and their departure had left his flesh raw and vulnerable. Not to mention the disasters in his life that followed. Miyuki probably felt similarly, for what Eijun knew of him, but he also had a point. There was nothing they could do about it now.

“Fine,” Eijun conceded, “then what about this year? Are you saying that if you could stay on the team after the summer championship, you wouldn’t?”

“‘Championship,’ huh? Haha, sounding confident now, aren’t we? We’re still in the preliminaries with a long way to go!”

“Yeah, but…” Eijun pouted. “We’re gonna win.”

“Of course we’re gonna win! How can you talk about afterwards like it’s already over?”

“Because whether or not we win the entire thing or not -- which we will, obviously! -- the summer will end. And then comes the fall, and then the seniors leave forever.”

“Geesh, you make it sound like we’re gonna die…”

“But what if you didn’t have to, you know? Wouldn’t that be amazing? You could stay and play the fall again!” And then he amended himself, “You, Kuramochi-senpai, and Kawakami-senpai, and everyone else! We could keep going!”

“Seidou is a big team, you know that. If the same first string played on the team forever, other players would never get the chance to step up to the plate. Literally! The remaining players will step up to the challenge, just like we did.”

“Do you think we’re strong enough without you guys?”

“No,” Miyuki tried lightly, “naturally, I think you’re all helpless without me!”

Eijun scowled. “I’m not kidding!”

Miyuki sighed, but it wasn’t impatient, just a little helpless. “I know you’re not… but I really don’t think I can answer this. Not with what you want to hear.”

“If you could stay,” Eijun demanded again, “would you?”

“I…” Miyuki’s voice trailed off. His breathing was heavy. “Would it matter?”

“Yes,” said Eijun without hesitation.

The response was not so positive. “...Why?”

But Eijun couldn’t bring himself to say it right away. It was a bit like reaching down his esophagus and extracting his soul by the seams that stitched it to his body, and presenting it to someone who may or may not sew it back to him.

“What is it? What brought this on all of a sudden?”

“Have you ever had an out of body experience?” Eijun asked instead. “Like looking at yourself from a different perspective?”

“...Yeah, I guess.”

“Well,” he began without finish. Then he supposed his soul could survive outside its host for a moment. A smile crept to his lips, but it was a solemn one, an expression he didn’t wear too often. It didn’t suit him, and he was temporarily glad for the miles between them.

“I’m not the ace,” spoken like it physically pained him to say. And it did.

“I… see…” Miyuki said delicately.

“Nevermind,” Eijun said quickly. “That’s not your… Yeah, that wasn’t fair. Forget it.” He made a movement to hang up the phone, and he might have, had Miyuki’s voice not stopped him.

“Do you mean that ‘not yet’ you’re not?”

Eijun held the phone tightly to his ears, wide-eyed. “...What?”

“Uh!” Miyuki offered half an airy laugh, “I mean, since when are you so pessimistic? Aren’t you always reminding Furuya that you’re right behind him, ready to go?”

“I am ready to go!” Eijun insisted, “I wanna go FWOOM! and then WHAM! with a POW! and a FWAM!! Am I not GWAHH!! enough?”

“Wh…? Was that Japanese?”

“You know, like an ace is.”

“R-right… Anyways, it is true that you do not currently wear the number one jersey…” said Miyuki, and Eijun found his wording strange. “But you still have another year, right? What, are you giving up already?”

“Hell no I’m not!” Eijun heated up. “Sure, I still have another year, but you don’t.”

That must have staggered Miyuki, because he hesitated. “Ummm…? Yeah? So?”

“So! Don’t you want to see me become the ace?”

“I--?!” he sounded rather distressed. “Maybe I should go--”

“No wait!”

Luckily, Miyuki stayed, but he stayed in silence. Maybe Eijun should not have begun this conversation, but he had needed it. His core was already satiated in a way that it had not been before. He had just needed to scrape away some apprehension the revelation about Daichi’s team had caused him. Miyuki had. But he was also looking for a certain kind of confirmation from a person who was practically contracted not to give it to him.

“I won’t make you answer that. I just thought, since I originally went to Seidou to pitch to you, it wouldn’t feel fulfilling with anyone else. That number, I mean. Feels like a timebomb, and it’s killing me.”

He let Miyuki chew on that for several long moments. Moments that felt eternal.

The response he got, though, was unprecedented.

“If you feel that way…” Miyuki started slowly, “Just get back here and pitch your butt off.”

Eijun gaped into the phone. That had been unexpectedly… constructive. “Dare I say it, Miyuki Kazuya, you almost sound encouraging!”

“Haha, hardly! I’m just telling you not to disappear on important weekends and goof off with your cousin’s team. As your captain. You won’t become an ace on the mound by pitching volleyballs!”

Eijun guffawed. “Hahahaha! Maybe I will! I’ll ask them if they have any openings.”

“Psh! Fine, stay up there then.”

“Nah, you guys need me! You said so yourself!”

“I most certainly did not.”

“It’s just another night,” continued Eijun, skillfully moving on. “Tomorrow you can expect to be dragged into the bullpen.”

“You’re the one missing practice,” Miyuki whined, “Why am I also being punished?”

“Payback for ignoring your phone, obviously!”

“I’m not used to getting calls on my phone!” Miyuki defended himself coarsely.

Raising an eyebrow, Eijun waited. There was something more.

“Everyone that needs to talk to me is on campus,” continued Miyuki. “Usually, you’re just a few doors down,” and his words returned to quips with practiced discipline. “If you want my attention, you just yell at the top of your lungs. Who needs to use a phone when they’ve got a voice as loud and as obnoxious as yours?”

Eijun grinned despite himself. “In that case, when I hang up, I’ll shout your name all the way from Miyagi, and you can return the call if you hear my voice.”

His nonsense relaxed them both. “Alright, you nut,” said Miyuki warmly. “I’ll be listening!”

Eijun’s face hurt, he was grinning so wide, and he had taken to pacing at some point, too riled up to stand still. He really wished he had a baseball in his hand. Instead, he had a phone.

Which wasn’t a terrible substitute, in this instance.

“Wow,” breathed Miyuki suddenly, his tone changed but still playful. “Thanks for stressing me out today. Couldn’t you have called to talk about… I don’t know, literally anything else?”

“Hahaha, so sorry! I’ll call you about nothing next time. From across the bullpen.”

The laughter that followed was beyond rewarding.

“I honestly wouldn’t even put that past you.”

“Gotta put that phone to use, you know! How about wake up calls? What better way to wake up than me yelling through the phone: ‘Miyuki Kazuya! Wake up and catch my pitches!’”

“Excuse me, that’s still Miyuki-senpai to you!” the other boy snidely reminded.

“Alright, well you’ll get to hear plenty of me tomorrow, Miyuki-senpai.”

“Aw, do I have to?” Miyuki teased, “It’s actually been peacefully quiet around here!”

“Jerk.”

“Idiot.”

But neither of their voices contained any animosity.

~~※~~※~~

“Did you see where my cousin went?”

Practice was over, and Daichi had lost track of where Eijun had gone. He had been watching their practice, Daichi remembered. The last image of Eijun he could recall was of the boy spellbound by Kageyama and Hinata’s quick spike. Daichi couldn’t blame him; it still mesmerized even him sometimes.

Plus, he took a little pride in having members of his team, the underclassmen in whom he had put his faith, causing his cousin to make such an expression. One of wide eyes and hanging jaw, and what seemed like a little bit of fear. Daichi couldn’t place where the anxiety would have come from. Maybe Karasuno was just that formidable from an outsider.

Since then, though, Eijun missed the rest of the team’s practice. Daichi had been so caught up in the practice himself that he hadn’t even noticed when Eijun had slipped away.

Had he grown… bored?

“I think I saw him go outside,” answered Suga. “Maybe he wanted some fresh air after, you know, getting pummelled by his cousin with a volleyball.”

They were gathering equipment, ready to call it quits for the day, with the rest of the team.

Daichi smiled. “What? It was an accident.”

“Mmhmm…”

“What kind of cousin do you think I am?”

“One that loses his cousin, apparently,” smirked Suga. “Though, I’m more concerned about where Tanaka and Nishinoya went…”

As an answer to their nightmares, Tanaka burst into the gymnasium from the courtyard, dragging a wailing and woeful Eijun in a headlock. Behind them, Noya was chatting animatedly to someone on a cellphone. On Eijun’s cellphone.

“We caught him!” Tanaka announced triumphantly.

Daichi and Suga exchanged a look. “Um?”

“Dai-chan!” Eijun pleaded, “Free me! They snuck up on me and stole my phone!”

“What were you doing sneaking off to call your buddies during practice, anyways?!”

“Tanaka,” Suga chuckled, “this isn’t his practice. He can do whatever he wants.”

Everyone in the gym was now attentive to the scene unfolding by the doorway. Hinata curiously jittered forward, and much of their duties were delayed.

“So it doesn’t matter how many managers your big city baseball team has,” Noya was saying to whomever was on the phone, “because our managers are top tier! Unrivaled in both beauty and skill. And graceful, too!”

“Nishinoya,” Daichi started, already regretful, “who are you talking to?”

Noya shrugged and continued. “So like, say if you introduced us to yours, we’d obviously refuse, because we have the best team managers in the business! No one can hold a candle to Ki--” He paused, listening, then he held out the phone to Daichi, who rose his eyebrows. “He asked for Sawamura,” he explained.

“I think he means the other Sawamura,” Daichi sighed.

“So who’d ya sneak off to chitchat with, huh?” Tanaka tightened his grip. “How come ya couldn’t stick around to watch the rest of us be cool? Only interested in Hinata?! Well I’ll show you…!!”

Actual tears were streaming down Eijun’s face. “If they kill me, p-please don’t forget me, Miyuki-senpai…! Remember to compliment Harucchi for me! Tell Kuramochi-senpai I’m sorry I stained the carpet! D-don’t let Furuya fall asleep!”

Tsukishima stood a calculated safe distance away from everything. “Oh, he’s really crying… How pathetic….”

Holding the phone back to his ear, Noya casually relayed, “He said that when he’s dead he wants you to be nice to a Harucchi, and -- Oi!”

Daichi snatched the phone and was met with protests from Tanaka, Noya, and Eijun. One glare shushed them all up as Daichi brought the phone to his ear. “Whoever this is, I want to deeply apologize for my team’s behavior. Forget this conversation happened. I’m sorry, but my cousin cannot return to the phone. He is indisposed at the moment and for the rest of the night. We will be taking over his time from here on.”

“H-hold on--!” was all Daichi heard before he ended the call with a click! When he looked at his cousin, Eijun was wide-eyed with horror and despair.

“....AHHHHH!!!” Eijun howled, completely distraught, “That was my captain!! I’m dead!!”

“Oh,” Daichi looked at the CALL ENDED message on the phone and then tossed it back to Eijun. “Oops.”

Catching it easily, Eijun withered to the floor. He furiously began typing, probably damage control. “Dai-chan, how could you…”

“C’mon, Sawamura!” Tanaka pulled the boy to his feet. “You won’t mope when you see all the tricks we can show you!! You think you can just watch the first year’s spike, compliment him, and then miss our cool moves?!”

Suga sighed. “Practice is over, Tanaka…”

“Kageyama, toss me a ball!”

“Now?”

“Ei-chan, watch this! ROLLING THUNDER!!”

“Sawamura, are you watching?!”

“PRACTICE IS OVER!” Daichi shouted, and they scurried into submission, picking up the rest of the gym equipment as if they had never caused trouble in the first place. Sighing, Daichi turned to Eijun, who was staring regretfully at the heavens.

“I’ll never see the mound again…” he was muttering.

“Would playing some catch make you feel better?” asked Daichi.

At that, Eijun immediately perked up.

“No one’s using the baseball field today,” explained Daichi. “And we still got time before Auntie’s shindig. All we gotta do is lock up the equipment afterwards. It’s been awhile since we hit the ball around, and I wanna see what that school’s been teaching you.”

“Really?? Yeah let’s do it!!”

Chuckling, Daichi noticed that his cousins was about ten times more emphatic about playing baseball with an amateur than he was about watching volleyball. Which was fine, and to be expected. Besides, Daichi liked batting and playing catch. It wasn’t his sport, specifically, but he often enjoyed taking a break from the same old routine. As long as it kept him active.

“Okay, just let me finish up here,” he said. “Suga, wanna come?”

Suga looked at him and shrugged. “Sure why not.”

Eijun’s eyes glistened. “S… Suga-san.”

This would be nice, thought Daichi. Nostalgic, even, playing outside with these two as they often did as children. Even if it made him lame, Daichi enjoyed spending time with his family, and he hadn’t gotten much quality time with his cousin since he had arrived. He’d been obligated to his volleyball practice, and Eijun had been exhausted last night. Some one on one plus Suga time would be refreshing.

Except, nothing was ever that simple.

“WHAT ABOUT US?!”

“Are you guys gonna play baseball?!”

“Guwaaaaah!! I wanna see Sawamura-senpai play!”

“Asahi-san, how strong is your baseball swing!”

“Uh?!”

“Psh… forget that, I’m going home.”

Daichi sighed. Suga, however, was much more amused. “Well?” He grinned at Daichi, “It looks like everyone’s still energetic. If Ei-chan wants to pitch, he’d have batters to practice against. You wanna pitch, don’t you, Ei-chan?”

Eijun’s eyes were alight, and he was practically drooling.

Tanaka stepped between them, a smug expression on his face. “Y’know, I used to dominate the batting cages when my pops took me when I was younger. I could, y’know, provide some considerable offense…!”

To everyone’s surprise, Ukai guffawed. “What makes you think you can even hit a nationally ranked high school’s first string pitcher?”

Hinata rose his hand, “I will do it!”

Kageyama side-eyed him. “You still can’t even receive a volleyball.”

“Fff!! Fight you!”

In the end, the whole team stuck around. The coach made them, to Daichi’s surprise, and Daichi began to grow suspicious as Ukai dug out an umpire’s protection gear. They rummaged up some baseball, bats and helmets, from the gym’s storage room. Of course, none of them had cleats with them, so their volleyball sneakers would have to suffice.

Daichi nicked some catching armor and suited up once they were outside and on the baseball diamond. He caught Suga staring at him from off to the side.

“See something you like?” he smirked.

Turning strategically away, Suga hid a red face. “Nope. Don’t get hit in the face, is all.”

“You gonna bat?”

“Maybe…” Suga snickered, “I think I’d rather watch the underclassmen embarrass themselves first, though.” At that, Daichi’s smirk couldn’t help but grow. It might have been a couple years since Daichi had caught for his cousin, but did remember one thing: it was a peculiar pitch.

Meanwhile, the more boisterous underclassmen were raring to go. Tanaka was already in a helmet and practicing his swing. Noya was right behind him. Everyone was indeed very spirited, chirping about how they never got to play other sports anymore, that this was going to be a fun change of activity, and also their theories of what the coach had in store for them…

On the mound, Eijun stood while scratching the back of his neck. He looked uncharacteristically sheepish. “Uhh, Dai-chan? Are you sure about this?”

There was a basket of baseballs beside him for him to use. There wasn’t enough of them to man the field, so everyone remained in the dugout to watch and wait their turn to bat.

“Why not?” Daichi asked, “I managed when we were little.”

“Yeah, but…” Eijun swayed from foot to foot, grimacing, before smiling gratefully. “Welp! Alright! I appreciate the help!”

“You’re gonna help us, actually,” said Ukai as he stepped behind Daichi, who was ready at home plate. Daichi exchanged a skeptical look with Eijun, but they both shrugged and went along with whatever Ukai had planned. “You ready, Tanaka?”

“HELL YEAH!” Tanaka bound up to the batter’s box, sneering. “Let me show this city boy how Karasuno Volleyball Club faces new challenges!!”

Daichi squatted behind them. He lowered his mask and held up the mitt, ready for action.

“Umm…” Eijun wrinkled his nose, considering something. He seemed to be observing Tanaka’s stance. Then he took a deep breath, and -- “OKAY!!! I’M GOING TO THE UPPER INSIDE CORNER!!” bellowed that unstoppable voice of his.

The announcement caught everyone off guard, even Daichi. Oi, what’s the point if the batter knows exactly what’s coming?! Surely Eijun didn’t actually plan to do that, and was just trying to throw off their batter. Was this something he did in actual games?

Tanaka howled with extremely bitter laughter. “Are you kidding me?! Don’t look down on me, city boy!! You think I’ll fall for that?!” He swung the bat, splitting the air with the same intensity he spiked a volleyball. “BRING IT ON!!”

However, when Daichi looked back at Eijun on the mound, his cousin now in position to pitch the ball, his heart stopped for a split second. The type of atmosphere emanating from Eijun right now was unlike how he’d ever experienced from his cousin in the past. His confidence was unwavering, even in the face of Tanaka’s threatening disposition. There was even a curl in the corner of his lips.

For some reason, Daichi found himself placing his mitt exactly in that spot -- the corner that Eijun had proclaimed as his target.

Once the mitt was in position, Eijun’s leg began to rise. His left arm pulled back, his foot came down, and -- Crap! Daichi’s eyes widened, Where is his arm?!

In an alarming whipping motion, Eijun released the ball from his fingertips. Like Daichi remembered from their childhood, it moved, but this time, Daichi had half a mind to move his mitt, because it did not look like it was speeding in the right direction. It didn’t matter, though, because Tanaka distracted him from that thought by yelping and jumping away from the plate with a curse.

The ball slammed into Daichi’s glove in the same spot that Eijun had said it would.

Blinking, and a bit disillusioned, Daichi twisted his arm to look at the ball. His hand was stinging. Tanaka, however, erupted at the southpaw in a fury.

“Wh… you gotta be kidding me!!” He growled, “You tryna hit me with tha--”

“Strike!”

Everyone looked at Ukai. The team members in the dugout were looking lost.

Tanaka gaped. “SERIOUSLY, COACH?!”

“Seriously!” Ukai whistled and threw an impish grin in Eijun’s direction. “That’s one wild pitch! I don’t blame you for telling Sawamura where you were going to throw it. I don’t think he would have caught it, otherwise.”

Daichi bristled, but the coach was right. He wouldn’t have. This was a different pitching form than what Daichi was used to from his cousin. That being said, Eijun had picked up another ball from his basket by the mound, reeling for more. His eyes were on fire, and he was beaming unapologetically back at them from across the field.

“Don’t run away, Ryuu!” Noya yelled from the dugout.

“Why didn’t you swing, Tanaka-senpai?!” Hinata called.

“I’M GONNA SWING NEXT TIME!” Tanaka snapped. He stepped back up to play, and the coach chuckled at him.

“Give him the same pitch, Sawamura Jr.!” Ukai hollered.

“DON’T FOOL AROUND WITH ME!”

Eijun looked a bit surprised, but shrugged and nodded. Repeating the motions from before, Eijun pitched another chaotically moving ball right to the inside corner. This time, Tanaka did indeed swing at it, but his timing was totally off, and Daichi was left with the ball smoking in his glove again.

“Strike!”

“What the hell was that?!” Tanaka’s face turned red. Embarrassment? Frustration?

“Just like I thought...” Ukai murmured, and then he waved at Eijun again. “Sawamura Jr.! If you could pitch something different, and don’t tell us what’s coming!”

Looking at Daichi, who returned his gaze blankly -- I don’t know what he’s on about, either! -- Eijun nodded. “Uhh! Okay… Here I go, Dai-chan! Sorry if you miss it!”

Frowning, Daichi steadied himself determinedly. I’ll catch it, wherever it goes! But when Eijun repeated that bizarre, irregular snapping motion with his limbs, and the ball began to curve… Daichi completely lost track. At the last moment, he just barely touched it with his glove before the ball sped past him, by the lower outside corner. And at the same time, Tanaka swung aggressively at it, missing by a mile.

“Strike three!”

Tanaka hit the plate with the tip of the bat. “DAMMIT!”

“Nice try, Tanaka-senpai!”

“That was a solid swing, Ryuu!”

As Daichi got up to retrieve the ball, Ukai cackled malevolently with his hands on his hip.

“Don’t get bent out of shape, Tanaka!” he said, “There’s no way I would expect you to immediately bat effectively against a properly trained baseball player. No more than you could expect him to effectively receive one of our serves.” Before Daichi got back to his post, Ukai squatted behind the plate, his own catching glove raised. “Noya! You’re up, aren’t you?”

“Right!” Noya bounced up to the plat, equipped with a helmet and bat.

“Coach?” Daichi stood off to the side.

“Sorry, Sawamura,” said Ukai. “I’ll let you catch again in a second. For now, why don’t you stand behind me and get used to watching the ball.”

Unsure of why, Daichi did as he was instructed. Noya practiced a few swings over home plate, and even Daichi could recognize that his stance was better than Tanaka’s. His eyes were absolutely focused…

“Now,” Ukai started, positioning his glove. He nodded at Eijun, who nodded back in comply.

He pitched, and Daichi watched the ball move from his place behind Ukai, but unlike Daichi, Ukai had no problem catching it. Eijun hadn’t even announced his target. Were they signalling? As for Noya, the boy didn’t flinch away or even swing, for that matter. Noya had completely tracked the ball with his eyes until it met the glove.

For the next pitch, Noya did swing, and he missed. However, when he pulled his bat back into position, waiting for strike three, there was a playful light in his eyes that Daichi took note.

To everyone’s surprise, didn’t swing at all for the third pitch, and Daichi had seen why.

“Ball!” called out Ukai. He beamed up at the libero. “Nice eye, Noya!”

Looking between Eijun and Noya, Daichi noticed them grinning challengingly at each other. Eijun was actually pleased that Noya seemed to know what he was doing up at the plate, and Noya was never one to back down from a fight.

Daichi actually gasped when Noya’s bat collided with the baseball.

CLANG!

“Foul!”

“SHOW ‘EM HOW IT’S DONE, NOYA-SAN!!”

“NISHINOYA-SENPAI HIT IT! SO COOL!!”

“How come you couldn’t do that, Tanaka-senpai?”

“...Do you wanna die, Kageyama?”

Three more times, Noya fouled the ball to the right. “Damn…!” He grit his teeth together, obviously unsatisfied.

“Alright alright!” Ukai smirked. “You’re getting too used to it!” He nodded at Eijun, and Eijun pitched to Ukai’s mitt. This time, Noya got a much bigger piece of it. However, the ball only popped into the air to land neatly into Eijun’s glove.

“Nooooo!” Noya mourned, slumping his shoulders and whining.

Eijun, on the other hand, looked ecstatic and mildly impressed. “Wow! Your coach is a good catcher, Dai-chan!”

“WAHAHAHAHA!” boasted Ukai, “Of course I am! I may be a volleyball coach, but don’t think I haven’t played my fair share of baseball throughout my lifetime!”

“So that long, huh?” Tsukishima mumbled from the dugout.

“Shhh!!” Yamaguchi hissed.

“Sawamura,” Ukai glanced at Daichi, “I hope you don’t take offense, but I took the liberty of doing some research on your cousin. When I read about his pitching style, I thought we could use him to our advantage.”

“Um?” Am I supposed to take offense to that? Daichi wondered, But why?

“A baseball is a much smaller target than a volleyball, isn’t it?” Ukai explained, as if reading his mind. But Daichi still didn’t understand. Everyone from the dugout had crept out towards him in curiosity. Noya’s big, marvelous eyes were staring at him, and Eijun looked especially confused.

Eijun rounded on his cousin. “Was this all part of a trap?! What’s going on here?! Is he a spy?!”

“I have no idea!” snapped Daichi.

“Think of a pitch like a serve,” continued Ukai calmly, to all his crows that had gathered. Their attention had grown, obviously sensing what was going on. “Where’s it going to land? How do you receive it? Noya can get a piece of the baseball because he’s our best receiver, and he’s good at tracking movement. But let me tell you… if you get used to watching a pitch like this, the trajectory of a certain jump serve will become all the more clearer.”

“Ohhhh!!!” Most of the team rang in unison. Hinata still looked confused, but Suga sent Daichi a sly expression. Our coach is as sneaky as our captain, he was silently saying, and Daichi smirked in agreement.

Coach… Was this why you let me bring my cousin all along? Training exercises?

“And what’s more!” Ukai grinned, “is that this one’s a southpaw. Get used to lefty aces, because you’ll definitely have go against one down the road.”

Noya rose an eyebrow. “Like who?”

Behind him, Kageyama darkened. “Ushijima…” he muttered, just under his breath.

“So if you can stick around,” said Ukai, “I want to use this kid’s pitching to help you guys adjust your eyes to watching for certain things. I don’t expect you to be good at baseball at all. Actually, I expect him to school all of you. Hardcore. But if it’ll help, there’s no harm in it!”

“YEAH!” the team cheered.

Eijun had his arms crossed. “Well I don’t get it, but if I get to pitch, I’m down for whatever.”

Ukai cackled. “That’s the spirit! Sawamura -- I mean, our Sawamura. I want you to catch again. Even if you can’t catch them all at first. You’re the only one that stands a chance to, and I don’t have a doubt that you’ll get the hang of it. On the volleyball court, you’ll be the backbone.”

Something warm gurgled in Daichi’s tummy, and he nodded. “I can do it!”

“I know. Alright, who’s next?!” Ukai turned to the team. “Asahi, how ‘bout it?”

The gentle giant tip-toed back to the dugout, obviously still spooked at that inside pitch and its close proximity to Tanaka’s face. Daichi, Suga, and Ukai sighed.

“Asahi-san!” Noya shouted after him, “Step up and be a man!”

“I’ll do it!!” Hinata jumped into the air, “I wanna bat, I wanna bat!”

“Do you actually think you’ll hit anything?”

“I bet I can hit more than you, Kageyamaaa!”

“Nope.”

“Wanna bet?!”

In record speed, Hinata struck out by haphazardly swinging at the first three pitches. With his eyes closed. Absolutely no one was surprised.

By the time thirty minutes passed, everyone had gotten their chance at bat. Just as Ukai had expected, they were all terrible. Eijun barely broke a sweat, but whenever Daichi made eye contact with his cousin, he caught a glimpse of a grateful overjoy that he had not expected to see. Besides Noya, who had managed to hit more than a pop-fly his second time up to bat, the only others who managed to hit off Eijun had been, surprisingly, Ennoshita. Even Ennoshita himself was surprised when the ball flew between third and second base. Kageyama had managed to foul it a few times, but ultimately struck out. Asahi, naturally, had a strong swing that connected with the ball, but the coach and Eijun criticized him that his pop-fly would have easily been caught by a fielder.

“I got a hit!” Asahi marvelled at himself. His face bloomed in triumph.

“That’s an out,” said Ukai.

“Wh--!!”

“No way you’re getting on base, Giant-senpai!” said Eijun, waving a hand in front of his face. “Toujou woulda totally caught that, you totally fell into our trap!!”

Asahi sulked his way back to the dugout.

And the whole time, Daichi remained the catcher. He didn’t necessarily itch to get up to bat. Just as Ukai had said, Daichi became accustomed to tracking the bizarre pitches. His many years of receiving spikes and serves kicked into his reflexes. That wasn’t to say it was an easy task; it most certainly was not. Daichi began to realize the method to Ukai’s madness.

He felt his eyes opening, becoming faster, his muscles adjusting to unorthodox and surprising motions. A baseball was a small, quick target to observe. When it would be a volleyball he was looking at… Daichi could only imagine.

Ei-chan’s catcher must be pretty well trained, thought Daichi, catching one hectic pitch after another.

Ultimately, everyone got several chances to bat against the southpaw, but anyone could have seen that they were no match against an actual baseball player.

“Next time,” Hinata sprung at Eijun energetically, when they had wrapped up and gathered all the equipment. “I’m gonna get a hit every time!”

“Idiot,” Kageyama scorned. “We’re not training to hit baseballs. What matters is that you get used to watching a moving ball, and you barely watched at all!”

Eijun guffawed. “Hahaha! You can try, but I’m just gonna come back even stronger than I was this time! Think you can handle it?!”

“OSU!”

They returned all the baseball equipment to the gymnasium and packed up their things. Ukai shook Eijun’s hand, wished him luck at school, and thanked him for his participation in their practice. Eijun looked very pleased with himself, and Daichi couldn’t help but smirk as he watched him jitter around everyone.

“Thank you for taking care of me!” He bowed to Yachi and Kiyoko. To everyone else, he bowed even deeper. “Thank you all for letting me around today, and for letting me pitch this team,” Eijun straightened, and his face lit up into that impossibly blazing grin. His eyes illuminated gold, his beam radiated sunlight, heartfelt and genuine. “I really enjoyed playing with you guys!”

Daichi smiled fondly at his cousin, but a second later he heard Suga burst out into laughter beside him. Curious, Daichi turned to see what had caused the outburst, and just ended up snorting.

The majority of Karasuno -- particularly Hinata, Kageyama, Tanaka, Noya, and Asahi -- were blushing from ear to ear with the goofiest, most pathetically melting smiles Daichi had ever seen. Oh brother. He had forgotten how susceptible his teammates were to earnest sincerity.

“Alright alright,” Daichi pushed Eijun along in the direction of his house. “We can’t be late for Auntie’s. I’ve still gotta shower, and you probably should, too!”

“Hey, that’s rude! I’m fresh as a daisy!!”

In their wake, the rest of the team waved their farewell, scattering in their respective homebound paths. “COME BACK SOON!” They called, in one form or another, “SAWAMURA-SENPAI!” “EI-CHAN!” “I WON’T LOSE NEXT TIME!” “WE’LL COME SEE YOU OFF TOMORROW!” and Eijun waved his arms back at them spiritedly.

Soon, it was only Daichi, Eijun, and Suga, walking the path back to their neighborhood.

“Sorry about my coach commandeering you today,” said Daichi. “But I think it was actually kind of helpful for the team, somehow. And everyone seemed to have a good time.”

“But it was fun!” said Eijun.

“It was, wasn’t it?” mused Suga. “Still, I’m sure Ei-chan is used to a lot tougher competition than a few novices, huh?”

Eijun’s smile softened, rather wistfully. “Well… It is nice having people treat you like your skills are helpful. For a day, I got to feel like an ace.” He sighed, gazing off towards nowhere in particular. “Tomorrow, I’ll have to face reality again…”

Daichi swallowed. Here he had been, fearing Eijun would look down at him at his homely, amateur high school team. With no titles or top notch facilities. He never realized Eijun could be struggling with his own challenges while he was away at Tokyo. He should have. There was possibly even more pressure from a school that large, having to compete with your own teammates for one spot, for one chance…

His eyes wandered to Suga, who had also fallen into a silence while he stared off into some distance. All three of them become lost into a contemplative reticence, allowing only the faint murmur of summer life to penetrate the air. Like a natural and eternally ticking clock.

tick tock, tick tock…

Baseball was everything to Eijun, Daichi knew that. There was no other endgame for Eijun. His sights were entirely set on the mound. As for Daichi… he definitely wanted to keep playing volleyball. For as long as he could. But how much longer would that be? Where was his endgame, and was it on a volleyball court?

These questions were the same he had asked himself when he, Suga, and Asahi had originally decided to remain on the team. Every so often, since then, he still had his doubts. If they won, though, he knew it all would have been worth it. This could be his last chance…

Daichi looked at Suga again, who was now watching him attentively. Undoubtedly, Suga was reading all the subtle shifts in Daichi’s face as they walked along. Instead of saying anything out loud, Suga tilted his head into a reassuring smile and bumped his shoulder into Daichi’s.

“I bet Aoba Jousai doesn’t import baseball pitchers to practice with,” he said humorously.

“Probably not,” Daichi agreed, returning the jostle.

“You guys are gonna win,” said Eijun suddenly, confidently, and it startled both Daichi and Suga. Without pause for their reaction, he continued. “Your whole team is training so hard, even trying something as crazy as that… I’ll do the same, even if I do something crazy.”

“Maybe pitch a few volleyballs?” joked Daichi.

For some reason, Eijun stared shockingly at him for a moment. Then he burst out laughing. Solid, fervent laughter. He laughed so hard he held his sides. “Yeah,” he breathed, tears of mirth in his eyes. “Maybe I’ll pitch a few volleyballs after all.”

~~※~~※~~

“Happy birthday!!”

“LOOK AT HOW MUCH YOU’VE GROWN!!”

Auntie Hachiko had Eijun in a tight embrace as soon as he walked through the threshold. For an eighty-year-old woman, she was still pretty spry. Not to mention strong, and Eijun soon found himself running out of air as he suffocated against her bosom.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you since you moved to that fancy school of yours!!”

“Au-auntie!!” He stammered, trying to pry himself loose. “N..Need air!!”

She released him from her grip only to grab his face and pull him down, aggressively kissing his face. Eijun’s nose wrinkled. He’d have to wipe off all the lipstick, and he could smell her floral perfume. Meanwhile, behind him, Daichi was chuckling at Eijun’s expense.

“You’re next!” Eijun warned heatedly.

But Daichi smirked. “I see Auntie all the time, she doesn’t need to--GAH!!”

Caught in Auntie Hachiko’s grip, he received the same exact affectionate pummel as Eijun. It was Eijun’s turn to point and cackle at his cousin, as Daichi became devoured by the elderly woman’s doting advances. No one was safe. Fortunately, their grandfather came to their rescue.

“Sis!” growled Eitoku, “Leave the boys alone! They don’t want you all over them!”

“And who invited you, dumb twin brother!!”

“It’s as much my birthday party as it is yours!!”

“Well it’s my house!!”

They sneered at each other in friendly but hostile sibling rivalry. Eijun and Daichi crept away from them, intimidated. Following the pervasive aroma of sweet and delectable barbecue, the two boys meandered their way through the large, old-fashioned house, through the kitchen an into the backyard. Hachiko’s house was already overflowing with relatives. Little kids darted by, chased by slightly older children. Thankfully, there were second cousins of the junior high age to whom Daichi had long ago relinquished their chaperone duties.

That didn’t mean the tiny tots still didn’t jump to hang off them.

Daichi especially was susceptible to their affection.

“COUSIN DAI-CHAN!”

“Wah--!”

Three kids attached themselves to Daichi’s limbs.

“Give us a ride!”

Chortling, Daichi smiled that charming smile of his. “Okay, you asked for it…!” Eijun watched his cousin mimic a spaceship take-off, running around the yard with kids flailing off of him, giggling and screeching in delight.

“Good luck, cousin!” Eijun called encouragingly.

However, Eijun was far from off the hook. After another ten seconds, there was weeble of a girl clinging to his back -- his third cousin, Junko.

“Away!” she demanded in his ear, “Up up and away, Ei-chan!”

“Wahahaha! You got it! Better hold on tight!!”

“WEEEEEEEEE!! FASTER!!”

This is how most of the evening went. Unfortunately, Eijun and Daichi had actually physically exerted themselves that day. Only for so long could they entertain the children by pretending to be ships and tree houses, playing tag and hide-and-seek. Extracting themselves, they both made their way to their real destination:

The grill.

Hachiko’s son was flipping some delicious meat selections. Both Eijun and Daichi drooled next to him, and he started to get flustered with them.

“Just pick something!”

“That pork looks pretty good…”

“Back off, Dai-chan! I was gonna have the pork! And that beef right there, yup, and hmmm yup definitely this right here--”

“You can’t have everything on the grill!”

“Why not?! You tortured me today! I’m overworked and starved! I need nourishment, cousin!”

“I was the one practicing all day! You were on your phone most of the time!”

“Mental stress makes you hungry, too!!”

Their relative bristled, the one who held all the power, really, being in charge of the grill and all. A vein in the man’s temple throbbed. “Shut up, you two! Aren’t you supposed to be the older cousins now?! Geesh! You’ll have what I give you!”

Regardless, he stacked their plates generously.

As they went to one of the buffet tables, and piled on side salads and multiple forms of carbohydrates, Eijun smirked at his cousin. When Daichi rose an eyebrow, Eijun scoffed. “Psh! You’re all responsible and leader-like in front of your team, Dai-chan, but you’re the same as always!”

“Yeah?” Daichi smiled mischievously. “Well I could say the same about you!”

To further prove their immaturity, they stuck their tongues out at each other.

Eijun managed to find his parents, sitting at a table with his aunts, uncles, older cousins, and family friends. They had all cleared their plates, but the bones and remnants of the barbecue feast remained. Now, they picked at the bowls of chips and snacks in the middle of the table. With a plat of his own, Eijun sat down beside his parents, digging in. Daichi did the same on the other side of him. Junko wasted no time climbing into Eijun’s lap and helping herself to his steamed vegetables with her fingers.

Eijun’s dad greeted him with a ruffle of his unruly brown hair. “You and your cousin have fun today?”

“Yup!” Eijun piped. “Got hit in the face with a volleyball, and I pitched a lot!”

At that, Daichi’s parents shot their son a reproachful look. Daichi scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“Was that your doing?” asked his mother scornfully.

Daichi jumped to defend himself. “What? Look at him, he’s fine!”

“Better be,” said Eijun’s dad, lightly bumping his son’s cheek. “I know you, and if you’d drown the bullpen in tears if you had to sit out for a game.”

“Dad!” Eijun snapped, “I don’t cry that much!” He did, but this was point of pride.

Behind Eijun, Eitoku burst at the seams. “Like hell you don’t!” Eijun stiffened. “But you better keep fit! That team of yours is merciless. I know they can’t afford to have you on the bench in your next game.”

Eijun found himself flushing. “Nah… they’d probably be okay…”

Daichi caught his eye, and offered a sympathetic smile.

Meanwhile, their mothers mourned the mountains on their plates. “Ugh, boys. Are you guys really going to eat all that.”

“Yup.” They stuffed their faces. Junko squirmed in Eijun’s lap.

“They’re our athletes,” said Eitoku. “Their appetites are normal! See that, sis?” Eikoku challenged Hachiko. “My grandkids are gonna be in the Olympics one day!”

“No thanks to you!” spat Hachiko. “You couldn’t hit a baseball even if it was moving as slow as you walk!”

“Why you--!”

“Don’t you love this?” Daichi’s father winked at them. “Such a loving sibling relationship. Isn’t this what birthdays are about?” He sighed, “Thanks for not being a twin, Daichi.”

“No prob, Dad.”

“Excuse me, don’t I get a thanks too?” his mom intervened, and the family laughed.

“Dai-chan,” Hachiko waved for her great nephew’s attention. “Where’s that boyfriend of yours? Why didn’t you bring him?”

“You know, despite popular belief, Suga and I are, in fact, separate entities.”

“Balls to that. He’s charming and I wanted him to sing happy birthday to me!”

“Auntie! Language!”

“I’m eighty and it’s my birthday, I can say whatever I want.”

“Not in front of Junko! She’s four!”

Everything was making Eijun cackle. He had actually forgotten how crazy his family was. No matter where he went, Eijun was surrounded by hullabaloo. Through his laughter, Eijun opted to distract the girl in his lap from the more adult subjects by pulling out his phone.

“Look here,” he opened an application and held the device in front of them. “We’re gonna take a Snapchat.”

The girl peered at the phone curiously, fingers in her mouth and covered in barbecue sauce. “Whassa Snapchat?”

“It’s a magical message,” exaggerated Eijun. “We’re gonna send a picture to a princess in a far away land.”

Junko’s eyes widened comically up at him, shimmering. “You know a princess…?!”

“Haha, sure do!”

“How many?!”

“Just one. There’s also a prince, but he’s our enemy.”

“Why?”

“Because he is.”

“Why?”

“Shhh look at the camera.” Click! In the selfie, Eijun was grinning, and Junko was wide-eyed and still had her fingers in her mouth. The pair of them were adorable, if he did think so himself. “Nice one!” With a few taps of his finger, he added the snap to his story and sent it directly to one person in particular. He pocketed the phone, expecting a buzzbuzz if anyone replied.

Hours passed, though, and the phone remained in his pocket.

The evening was indeed a merry one. The Sawamura family was big and boisterous, some of them more or less than Eijun. There were lawn games outside, Wii games inside, lots of conversation, and even more food. It was probably a good thing that Hachiko didn’t have any neighbors close by, or else there would have certainly been a noise complaint.

A whole family of Sawamuras… Kuramochi-senpai would go insane.

It was nice, though, to be around so many familiar faces and activity. In a way, it felt like being back at Seidou. Except most people were older than him and about five times more judgmental.

“No girlfriend yet, Ei-chan?”

“All that city jock charm is going to go to waste if you don’t flaunt it!”

What exactly Eijun was supposed to flaunt, and whom he was supposed to attract, he was very unsure. The majority of his family had never lived in a city, he realized, but it felt ironic that they now treated him as if he did. Technically, he lived in a very non luxurious dorm room, with two roommates, one of which doubled as his warden.

He really wasn’t what they thought he was.

Not until after birthday cake had been cut and the song had been song, after the sky turned black and the mosquitos had come out, chasing everyone inside, did Eitoku find Eijun and poke the boy in his side.

“What’s up with you, kid?” He asked. The man had a bottle in his hand, and a glow across his cheeks. He found Eijun sitting aside from the rest of the family, dazing off into these negative thoughts. As perceptive as he always was, his grandfather sat beside him and started grilling. “Speak up! I’m a year older, and I’m feeling especially wise tonight…”

Eijun shook his head. “I’m just thinking about today.”

Eitoku hiccuped. “Didn’t Dai-chan entertain you today?”

“He did. It was wonderful. Really. I was reminded of what it was like to play on a small team, to be out here in the countryside…” For a moment Eijun paused. He expected his grandfather to say something, but the man sat there. Staring.

“But at the same time,” Eijun continued, “it was horrifying. Jarring? Out here, everyone treats me like I’ve been off in some far away kingdom. Slaying dragons that I haven’t been, not really. At school, I’m just one of something very large and very powerful.

“When I left home, I promised my friends -- actually, more like to myself -- that I’d set out to be something great. Greater than what I am right now. I’m…” Eijun was grinding his teeth together. “I’m nervous.”

To his surprise, Eitoku made a choked sound of amusement.

“Did you not make it to first string in your first year?” He grouched, “Did you not pitch entire games and win? What the hell are you on about? Who cares! You’re where you belong, and that’s what matters. I can tell just by looking at you play for that team, or when you visit home. Your first home.”

Eijun blinked at him. The man said it all so straightforwardly…

Taking a swig from his bottle, Eitoku continued without delay. “You were always a big fish in a small pond, so you were brave and swam upstream. For now, you may feel like just one of many small fish in a big pond, but the vast ocean will allow you to grow and flourish. Before you know it, you will become a mighty legend from the depths. Rise up, wreak havoc while you’re young and strong. Leave sunken ships in your wake, and take the sea by storm.”

When his grandfather finished, Eijun realized that tears had started to shed from his eyes at some point. “S...sorry!” He wiped them away, sniffing back a drop of snot. “But thank you, gramps, that was… nice to hear…”

“‘Course it was!” He boasted all of a sudden, “I’m ripe with wisdom right now!! The wisdom of…! Ah,” he peered at the bottle in his hand, “what is this I’m drinking again?”

Eijun snorted, bewildered. “Gramps, are you drunk?”

“Very much so,” said the old man. “But! That doesn’t make what I said any less true! Go become a goddamn kraken!”

The words fully soaked into Eijun’s body, and they sprang his nerves into action. Nodding, Eijun smiled appreciatively. “Thanks again, Gramps. Sorry, but I have to go do something now.”

“Do whatever you want, it’s a party! I’m gonna go school your Auntie in cards… steal all her money…”

“Go for it, Gramps.”

The man sauntered off without another word, but a malevolent chuckle.

With a deep breath, Eijun was next to rise. He navigated through the hoard of relatives, making his way towards the back door. Daichi, who had a pile of toddlers on top of him, caught sight of Eijun. Noticing Eijun’s wibbling expression, he rose a concerned eyebrow.

“Ei-chan?”

“It’s fine!” Eijun sniffled and his lips curled reassuringly. “I’ll be right back!”

Stepping outside through the back, Eijun broke out into a sprint.

Thanks to many childhood visits, Eijun was familiar with the fields around his Auntie’s house. They were vast and the grass was tall and thick. He’d probably find ticks himself later, he realized as he galloped into the thicket, but he didn’t really care at that moment. The farther he got away from the party, the better.

Music and jubilant laughter faded behind him. Soon Eijun more heard the chorus of cicadas, the whistling of the wind, the chirping of frogs, and the welcoming silence of the night.

Finally, Eijun stopped. He planted his feet firmly in the ground. A breeze whipped through his hair and stung his eyes, wiping away tears that had fallen just minutes ago. Numb-faced and fists clenched at his sides, Eijun took a deep breath, filling his lungs to their capacity, opened his mouth wide…

And screamed.

“MIYUKI KAZUYA!!! YOU SADISTIC BASTARD!! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, I WANT YOU TO KNOW…!”

Heaving, he refilled his lungs, “I’M COMING HOME TOMORROW, AND I’M GONNA BECOME THE ACE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, SO DON’T MOVE ON UNTIL THERE’S A NUMBER ONE ON MY BACK!”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth and into the air, Eijun collapsed to the ground.

He stared up at the stars. There were millions more than anyone could see in Tokyo, which was something he missed from living in Nagano. His breathing was ragged and his throat was raspy, but around him, the nightly sounds continued as if nothing had disrupted their flow.

In the distance, Eijun could still hear the noise from Hachiko’s house. He could hear his aunt’s braying laughter, kids screaming, and the baseline of the music they were playing.

So for a couple minutes, Eijun allowed himself to lay on the ground, catching his breath and enjoying the sensation of grass blades between his fingers, cool air on his face. He closed his eyes and listened to the whole world around him.

From his pocket, there came a buzzbuzz.

~~※~~

The next day, Eijun’s train back to Tokyo was scheduled for the early afternoon. He definitely didn’t want to return to school too late. What he didn’t expect, though, was the group that had volunteered to drop him off. After a Sunday brunch at Hachiko’s house, Eijun began walking with Daichi and Sugawara towards the train station.

To his surprise, a small murder of crows met them along the way.

“Sawamura-senpai!!”

“Ei-chan!!”

“Wh…” Eijun felt his face stretch into a grin. “What are you all doing?!”

Hinata, Kageyama, Tanaka, and Nishinoya fell into stride alongside Eijun, Daichi and Sugawara. They were out of their practice attire and dressed casually, shorts and t-shirts to match the warm summer weather.

“Seeing you off, of course!” said Nishinoya. “As thanks for helping us practice yesterday!”

“And to remind you that I’m gonna win next time!”

“Not now, Hinata.”

Eijun turned red, rubbed his neck and waved them off. “Nah, you didn’t need to do that…!”

Beside him, Daichi smirked. “I think you have a few new fanboys.”

“R-really? You think?!”

“Nope.”

“Dai-chan…”

“Don’t call me Dai-chan in front of my subordinates.”

“Why? You’re not my captain. You’re Dai-chan. Dai-chan Dai-chan Dai-chan!”

The younger Karasuno students gaped at him. Tanaka shuddered. “Is he asking for death?” he whispered in the ear of Nishinoya, who was the only one was smiling at Eijun’s audacity as something to be admired.

Even though Daichi continued to smile at Eijun, it was an extremely terrifying expression that broadcasted nothing but darkness and evil. Yikes! Eijun felt a chill shiver up his spine, and in one single movement he switched places with Sugawara, the older boy now between the cousins. Sugawara just hummed pleasantly as if nothing was awry.

“...Dai-chan,” he muttered one more time. For good measure.

“Shhhh!!!” the others pleaded him.

“Sawamura-senpai, Sawamura-senpai!” Hinata hopped around him. “You were scouted, right?”

“Yup!” Which still surprised him sometimes. What it would have been like, if Rei had never been at their last game that summer…

However, he startled when he found Hinata continuing to stare up at him with big, curious brown eyes. Didn’t I answer his question?!

“How?” Kageyama provided bluntly. He too, had an air of curiosity, but much more subtle.

“Guhh???” Eijun frowned and pinched his lip. “I dunno. The recruiter was just watching my team’s last game, and then she showed up at my house with an offering!”

“Just like that?”

“Well…” Not really. That was a long story in itself. Honestly, I’m still not really sure how it happened myself, but I’ve already decided: I’m going to make it count!

“So? Did you win, at least?” asked Tanaka, breaking through his thoughts.

“Win what?”

“That last game!”

“Nope! We totally lost!” They gaped at him, bewildered, and Eijun laughed. “My middle school team and I… we were kind of atrocious.”

“Kinda like your team,” Kageyama said to Hinata, making the other boy scowl. Though Kageyama looked like he was just being observational, not cruel.

“That’s not fair!” Hinata jostled him. “That wasn’t a real team!!”

Eijun rose an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Well!!” Hinata started loudly, but then his voice caught in his throat. His lower lip jutted out and his eyebrows pinched together. Several moments passed before he found the words with which to answer. “Like… My junior high didn’t have a boys volleyball team. But I really, really wanted to play, right? So I learned some things from the old ladies and the girls, but I still wasn’t playing. Not until my last year. Finally some friends agreed to play with me in a tournament. We only made it to the first round--” he shot Kageyama a spiteful glare, and the other boy looked at the ground, “--but I wasn’t really on a team before, I realized. It was nice, and I don’t regret any of those years… but it was more like just a group of friends playing together than it was a team, you know?”

Absorbing all that -- old ladies? -- Eijun nodded. “Yeah… I kinda know exactly what you mean, actually.”

Hinata beamed at him. “But! We’re totally on real teams now!”

“Yup!”

Again, Hinata’s eyebrows furrowed. “Do you think that it’s like squares and rectangles?”

Squares and…? “...Huh?”

“I mean!!” Hinata ran a hand through his moppish hair. “You can have friends on your team… but a team isn’t necessarily just your friends, is it?”

Everyone stared at the boy.

“The hell does that mean?” Tanaka grimaced.

Daichi and Sugawara just exchanged a puzzled look.

Kageyama pushed Hinata’s head, earning a whine. “That didn’t make any sense!”

“I get it,” said Nishinoya. The rest of them sighed. Of course he did. Eijun had only just met these boys, but somehow it didn’t surprise him that Nishinoya could understand any nonsense.

However, something about Hinata’s analogy had made sense to Eijun. Not in any clear or logical sense… just a feeling in his mind. Before he realized, Eijun was stuck frowning at the ground as they walked, analyzing his own thought process. Something surfaced in his mind, and it left him rather disturbed with himself.

“Ei-chan?” Daichi must have noticed.

“I just realized,” Eijun mumbled, mostly to himself. “I don’t know the names of half of the people on my team.”

At that specific moment, Eijun finally felt blessed for his position on Seidou High School’s baseball team. Half the team practiced on different field from him, and never stepped into an official game’s dugout. Eijun could have been one of the Nameless faces in his mind.

They reached the train station not much later, and they spent the time until the train’s arrival just chatting by the benches. The boys exchanged e-mails, and Eijun told them that the next time they were in Tokyo, that they should definitely visit Seidou.

On time and faithful, Eijun’s train eventually rolled into the station. The doors opened, and Eijun, his singular backpack slung over his shoulder, stepped through the train’s entrance. He stood between the doors so that they wouldn’t close.

“Until next time, Ei-chan!” said Suga. Everyone nodded around him.

“It was really amazing meeting you all!” Eijun said earnestly. His eyes focussed on Hinata, who stiffened. “Little hatchling!!” he shouted, and Hinata peeped nervously in response. “You’re only a first year!! You’ve still got a long ways to go!! I better see you jumping higher next time!!”

That was all he had to offer, which hadn’t come out as direct as he had wanted it, but Hinata’s face flared up with steam. The first year shuddered from head to toe, and Kageyama looked at his partner with concern.

“GUWAAAH SAWAMURA-SENPAI OKAY I WILL!” Hinata held his burning face.

“Good,” decided Eijun. If Hinata could do it, then so could he. Eijun was still hatching himself, after all, and he might have forgotten that along the way.

“What about us?!”

Tanaka and Nishinoya pointed at themselves expectantly.

“Hmmm!!!” Eijun appraised them accordingly. “Nope! I got nothing!!”

Their shoulders sunk and they began to gripe and whine.

“Whatta ya mean you got nothing?!”

“C’mon!! You can’t leave it like that!”

“What about Hinata?! He’s clearly your favorite!!”

“WAAHAHAHAH!” Eijun found himself cackling at their expense, but backing away for his own safety. He ended up bumping into Daichi, who was glaring at his underclassmen to behave themselves.

Finally, he looked at Eijun, but his expression was peculiar. It was a smile, technically, and one filled with familial love. There was something hidden behind it, though, and Eijun couldn’t say which emotion it could be. All he could do is tilt his head and offer his cousin a sorrowful smile of departure.

“Until next time?” said Eijun.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Eijun’s eyebrows lifted. “For what…?”

Deciding against himself, Daichi shook his head. “It’s nothing…” He held up a closed fist, waiting. “Just that I’m really proud of you, cousin.”

To that, Eijun could a oblige. “Same here, cousin.” Grinning, he connected his own knuckles with Daichi’s.

Without further ado, he stepped into the train and allowed the doors to slide together as they needed. In the final moments of no barrier between them, Eijun waved enthusiastically to their beaming faces, having grown surprisingly fond of these strange birds. They continued to bid nonsensical farewells, and Eijun revelled in it.

Until the last words caught him off guard.

At the last second, Hinata formed a megaphone with his hands around his mouth, and shouted:

“We wish we could have kept playing together, Sawamura-senpai!!”

With the ringing of the boy’s voice still resonating in Eijun’s ear, the doors closed decidedly between them.

Eijun stood frozen, his face slackened, while the members of Karasuno’s team waved in a manner that was both jubilant and regretful. They each had their defined method of waving, Eijun noticed, as the train began to pull away. Tanaka and Nishinoya waved as one entity, Nishinoya using the taller boy’s shoulder as a boost. Kageyama stood rigid and waved just his hand, ever so slightly, straight-faced but pink-cheeked. Hinata waved with his entire being, hurtling himself five feet into the air, waving all four of his limbs. Sugawara did so gracefully, smiling but also shouting something that Eijun couldn’t hear.

Daichi didn’t wave at all. Rather, he stood with his arms crossed, but everything he needed to convey was done with the hardened, determined simper that tracked Eijun’s form until their bodies were invisible to each other, blurred by distance.

None of them were crying, at least.

Except Eijun, perhaps.

With a huff, he found a seat by the window. There weren’t too many people on board, and he had his space. Even so, he confined to himself. He placed his backpack on his lap and buried his face into its folds, taking a long, deep breath.

Miraculously, the tears didn’t fall.

They didn’t even sting.

His phone vibrated, and Eijun lifted his head to answer the text message.

  >> did you remember to get on your train?

Eijun punched in a quick reply.

  > I WAS SUPPOSED TO GET ON A TRAIN!?

  >> sawamura i s2g…

Closing the phone, Eijun pocketed it and sinisterly decided not to answer right away. He’d let that stew for a while as he closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the window.

Even though he was leaving people behind again, his family and new friends… Despite the image of a train station in Nagano that was once burned into the back of his eyelids, Eijun could rest with an easy mind.

Because this time, he didn’t feel like he was leaving a place. Instead, he felt like he was returning to a place he considered to be his home, and to people that were both his team and his friends.

And possibly, they were his family, too.

~~※~~
~~※~~
~~※~~

Halfway to Tokyo, Eijun abruptly sprung out of his nap and off his seat, wide-eyed and stressfully gripping his hair. His outburst attracted the attention of his few fellow passengers.

“I TOTALLY FORGOT TO ASK KIYOKO-SAN FOR A PICTURE!! NOOOOO!!!”

He was on a one way trip to his execution.