Chapter Text
Good grief. A brand-new video game dropped today, and all I want to do is get home, avoid any annoying distractions, and play it in peace. But of course, Kaidou won’t leave me alone. Why can’t he just die of embarrassment like a normal person?
Saiki narrowed his eyes, slipping into a locker, hoping for just a single moment of peace. Of course, fate wasn’t on his side. The pounding of footsteps echoed in the hallway.
“SAIKKII! Where are you? There’s a super cool place I wanna take you!” Kaidou’s voice rang out, frantic and completely oblivious. “He was just here… I’ll start checking lockers!”
Great. Just what I need. He’s on a wild goose chase and I’m in his line of fire. Saiki sighed, preparing to teleport away, but just as he focused, something brushed against his arm.
It was a bug.
A cockroach.
In a hurry to get away from that nasty bug, Saiki felt the pull of his powers, and he suddenly found himself standing in the middle of an unfamiliar street. Not again . He mentally groaned. Great. Where am I now? I’m definitely not at school anymore, and I’m sure as hell not where I need to be. That damn bug.
He glanced at the street signs. Yukigaoka… 2012… Okay, I’m not that far off. It’s springtime, which means I have a solid few hours before I have to deal with whatever disaster this is. I’m gonna have to kill time and figure out how to get back.
Just then, the sharp ring of a bike bell broke through his thoughts, cutting through the otherwise peaceful day.
“I can’t wait to see Kageyama today! I’m gonna ask him to set for me so we can practice together! Who’s that standing in the middle of the street? Why isn’t he moving? Oh, crap, I’m gonna crash into him! HE’S STILL NOT MOVING! I’M GOING TO CRASH!!! ”
The frantic thoughts were followed by screeching tires.
I can’t believe this is my life. Saiki didn’t even flinch as a bike swerved right in front of him, narrowly missing him. The rider, a spiky-haired kid with boundless energy, stared at him with wide eyes.
“Hey, why didn’t you move? What school do you go to? What’s that uniform? What sports do you play? I play volleyball at Karasuno! I’m a middle blocker. I’m short, but I can jump really high! I’m gonna be the next Little Giant! Hi, I’m Hinata Shouyou! What’s your name?”
Saiki blinked, utterly unimpressed. Of course, I’m stuck with this. I can already tell, this kid's thoughts are louder than his voice. This is going to be a long day. He sighed internally, his eyes still half-lidded as he extended his hand for a quick shake.
Hinata beamed, completely oblivious to Saiki's lack of enthusiasm. “What school do you go to? I’ve never seen that uniform before!”
“I go to Karasuno,” Saiki muttered flatly, pulling his hand away after a moment. His expression remained as emotionless as ever.
“You sure about that? ‘Cause I swear you were wearing a teal uniform just now.”
“No. I go to Karasuno. I wear the black uniform,” Saiki answered dryly, already regretting having said anything.
“I’ve never seen you before…”
“I’m in my second year.”
“Are you sure you go to Karasuno?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Oh my god, just take the damn answer already. Saiki’s thoughts were deadpan. Why is this kid so stubborn?
Hinata’s internal thoughts bombarded him: “Wow, he’s just like Kageyama! Or Tsukishima! He’s all moody and frowny. I bet his smile is real weird. But Kageyama’s smile is creepy, too, and I like it. Maybe this guy will be my next best friend!”
Saiki could feel his eye twitch.
Hinata, still oblivious to the frustration oozing from Saiki, suddenly perked up. “Wanna walk to school with me?”
Saiki didn’t even need to think twice. Great. I’ll be stuck with him now. It’s either this or teleport out and risk another bug incident.
He nodded in resignation.
And so they started walking together. Well, Hinata was walking, and Saiki was mentally preparing himself for a long series of unnecessary conversations. As expected, Hinata’s mouth didn’t stop running.
“So, like, do you play volleyball? What’s your position? You look like a setter or maybe a libero, I don’t know, but you have that vibe, y’know?” Hinata rattled on, completely oblivious to how Saiki’s mind was crumbling under the barrage of thoughts.
“I don’t play sports,” Saiki replied bluntly.
“Are you in any clubs?” Hinata pressed.
Are you kidding me? Saiki thought. The last thing I need is another club. I already have Hairo's tennis club, Toritsuka's Occult Club, and all of the ridiculous things that come with it. I don’t need another group of idiots to babysit.
Saiki shook his head.
Hinata didn’t take the hint, of course. His thoughts were already spiraling. “I’m gonna make him the manager of our volleyball club! I can keep an eye on him, and maybe he can help us practice!”
Saiki’s heart sank. Of course. Of course, he’s already planning my future against my will.
“HEY! You should totally be our manager!” Hinata suddenly shouted.
Saiki winced at how loud the kid was. Good grief. Why is it that every loud, energetic person I meet immediately thinks I’m going to join their cause? Well this won’t be too bad. I have to be somewhere for a day anyway. Might be with the orange and figure out who this Kageyama is.
Saiki reluctantly nodded.
Hinata’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “YES! You’re gonna be awesome!”
They reached the gym, and as usual, the circus that was the Karasuno boys volleyball team was already in full swing.
“HEY, GUYS! I FOUND US A NEW MANAGER!” Hinata yelled, his voice carrying across the gymnasium.
Good grief. How do these people live like this? Saiki thought as the entire gym turned their attention to him, their thoughts flooding his mind.
Kageyama: Why does Hinata look so excited about this guy? Does he think he’s cool or something? Tch. He should be looking at me like that… not at some random pink-haired guy.
Tsukishima: Wow. That guy looks exactly like a pink Kageyama. Why is Yamaguchi already smiling at him like that? He always gets so friendly so fast. I don’t care. Except… if he likes this guy, maybe I should at least pretend to be interested. Just to stay close. Just in case he starts liking someone else more than—ugh. Whatever.
Daichi: Suga’s smiling again… God, he has the warmest smile. Focus, Daichi. Manager. Right. This is important. But also—his dimples. How is anyone supposed to focus?
Tanaka: Ennoshita’s hair looks extra soft today. I bet it smells nice too. Not that I’ve thought about it. I mean, I have. But not in a weird way. Just… normal admiration. Yeah.
Yachi: Poor boy, he doesn't know how crazy this team is. (Also, Shimizu-senpai looks so graceful just standing there. How does she do that?)
Asahi: Did Noya do something different with his hair? It’s spikier than usual. Cool. He’s so cool. I feel like a giant bear next to him. A clumsy, awkward bear in love.
Ennoshita: Tanaka is looking at Shimizu again. I wonder if he even likes me? …I shouldn't care. But I do. Ugh, I really do.
Nishinoya: Asahi-san's arms look stronger than usual today. Is that a new shirt? No, I would’ve noticed. I always notice. I can’t stop noticing…
Shimizu: Yachi is getting flustered again. She's so cute when she's trying to be brave. I hope she knows she doesn’t have to try so hard around me. I already like her.
Yamaguchi: Tsukki’s glasses just caught the light like some kind of cool anime protagonist. He looks so composed. Should I stand next to him? Would that be weird? I hope not. I want to.
Sugawara: Daichi’s trying to act calm again. His eyebrows do that little twitch when he’s trying not to panic. He’s so dependable. So strong. I wish I could just tell him how safe he makes me feel.
Good grief. This must be the gayest team ever. Everybody here is hopelessly in love. I guess playing as Cupid for this volleyball team will replace my video game. If these idiots can't confess on their own, I’ll just have to force some love stories into existence.