Chapter Text
who is mayu tendō ?
libero of the niiyama girl's volleyball team, known for both her quick thinking on the court and protecting the girls on her team no matter what. even in the middle of matches, which happens more times than she'd like to admit.
"I heard that Karasuno might be making a comeback at the inter-high preliminaries this year" Kanoka said as the three girls stood around the dented metal locker, crammed with overflowing copies and endless textbooks.
"Yeah, that freak first year duo are something with that quick of theirs, but of course they have a long way to go" Maiko continued, leaning against the significantly taller figure of Kanoka, all whilst Mayu desperately tried to fit her chemistry books into the seemingly shrinking locker, eventually shoving the books and folders messily inside using her elbows.
"Even so, for Karasuno to beat Shiratorizawa is a feat in of itself, Tori told me how much they've been training, what with their golden boy graduating this year" Mayu began, while hurriedly shutting her locker shut, ignoring the sound of her belongings collapsing inside her locker, before taking her water bottle from Kanoka, who was staring off into the distance dreamingly. "But, it would be refreshing to go to nationals without Shiritorizawa. Ah I can hear Tori complaining already" Mayu grinned before sharing a look with Maiko, then sliding up to the daydreaming ace.
"I'm sure Kanoka would love to meet up with a certain somebody from Karasuno"-
"Stop it Mayu! I just want to make our school proud at nationals, also it's Maiko's last year so we have to win" Kanoka retorted, earning herself laughs from both of her closest friends.
After their intense week of practice, the team were on a break to rest their bodies. That didn't mean the gym wasn't still busy with budding first and some second years looking to become the next captain or ace after the current third year students graduate.
"Stop talking about me like I'm going to die, I'm just graduating-" pelts of rain mixed with the familiar school bell indicated the gloomy end to the school day, students pushing past the girls to get home swiftly. "Ah, my bus better not be delayed" Maiko muttered as she hurriedly pulled out her broken red umbrella, uncaring how it barely covered her and her backpack.
"We're still hanging after practice tomorrow right? I promised I'd help my boss coach his volleyball team. He sounded very desperate on the call" Mayu hummed as she flipped up the hood of her rain jacket, taking out her phone and opening her maps app.
"He's the one that volunteered for Karasuno right? Have fun Yu!" Kanoka smiled as she and Maiko began speed-walking to the nearby bus stop, haphazardly trying to both seek cover under the wonky umbrella, the taller of the two eventually giving up and using her volleyball team jacket.
Mayu waved behind her as she began following the tracker on her phone, half-hiding her phone inside her jacket as the rain grew heavier. Graciously, the Karasuno High school was no more than a half an hour walk, twenty as Mayu began running in the latter half of her journey when the rain persisted. "I'm never doing anything nice for this bastard again unless I'm being paid" She groaned as she ran towards the school gyms, smiling when she reached cover from the rain and began looking inside the high rise windows until she saw somebody playing volleyball.
She must've wandered for only a few minutes until she heard the familiar sound of a volleyball hitting the smooth floor of a gym. Grinning, Mayu skipped two of the steps leading to the lit-up gym, unzipping her dripping raincoat as she walked inside and saw her boss— Keishin Ukai, although he didn't seem professional enough for the boss title in Mayu's head, but she wouldn't dare say it to his face lest she lose her handy part-time job at the laid back Sakonoshita Market.
"Ah Tendō you're here, great" Ukai began after waving at her as she dropped her sports bag and coat on the nearby bench, before sitting down beside a young girl with short blonde hair who was looking at her.
"Sorry, do you mind me sitting here? I just need to change my shoes" Mayu smiled as she fixed her ponytail, grimacing as she felt how knotted her cherry red hair became thanks to the rain that breached her flimsy hood.
"Ah! Yes sorry, no problem at all, sorry, I just- I've been researching volleyball the past few days and, are you Mayu Tendō?! The libero for the Niiyama girl's team? You're all seriously impressive!" The blonde cheered before stopping herself with a hand over her mouth, before her eyes dropped back to her sticker-covered pink notebook.
Mayu only laughed as she leaned down to secure her volleyball shoes before patting the younger girl's shoulder. "Yeah that's me, I forgot those guys came and interviewed the team, that was after Nationals last year I think! What's your name?"
"Y-Yachi! First year!" She yelped before an older girl with sleek black hair sat beside Yachi and giggled with her hand covering her mouth.
"Nice to meet you Tendō, I'm Kiyoko Shimizu, the manager" Kiyoko smiled as she shook Mayu's bandaged hands, before a volleyball whizzed through the air, and in a flash, Mayu hit it away just before it hit Yachi dead center on her terrified face.
"Nice to meet you two, glad it's not just guys here" She smiled, resuming their handshake before standing up and throwing the volleyball with full force back to the presumed libero who was stood there with a taller player with a buzz cut, their mouths gaping before helping into action and frantically catching Mayu's thrown ball. "Guess I won't get to stretch. Hey, add your numbers into my phone if you'd like, I need more girl friends" Mayu grinned leaving her unlocked phone on the bench before walking up to Ukai, her hand resting in front of her before lifting one to wave at the guys lined up.
"Nice to meet you all, my name is Mayu Tendō, the libero for Niiyama's girl team. I've been told some of you guys are terrible at receiving?" She hummed as her eyes flickered to a nervous looking first year with the most orange hair she has ever seen, frantically looking at anywhere but her.
"She has taken time out of her day to help you all, so don't get lazy now! Shrimp, I am talking to you!" Ukai shouted, and as if in sync, the short boy jumped out of his skin, his hand instinctively flying to his forehead as if standing to attention. Mayu couldn't help but laugh.
"Surely you can't be that bad, when is your guys next match?" Mayu asked Ukai as she turned behind her and picked up a volleyball and began bouncing it between her hands.
Ukai tugged his whistle from around his neck, twirling it once before answering. "We've got a practice match lined up with Nekoma. A week from now."
At the mention of the name, Mayu paused mid-bounce. "Nekoma...? The cats?" She grinned, amused. "That's a strong opponent to take on after just qualifying."
Hinata's head whipped up, his eyes shining with a mixture of nerves and excitement. "That's the match we have to win! Right, Kageyama?!"
Who Mayu could only guess was Kageyma, a tall moody teenager standing nearby, only grunted, focused on spinning a ball in his palm.
Mayu let out a low whistle, looking down so she was eye-level with Hinata, who immediately straightened his back as if bracing for a lecture. "And you're going into that match without being able to properly receive?"
Hinata's mouth opened, closed, then opened again. "I—I can! Kind of—"
The raised brow Mayu gave him was enough to make him deflate like a popped balloon. "Thought so," she teased, standing again and tucking the ball under her arm. "Alright then, shrimp, you're my project for the night."
Ukai crossed his arms. "If you've got the time, Tendō, they could use it. Their attack's flashy, but their defence..." He shook his head.
"Say no more." Mayu clapped her hands together and beckoned Hinata forward. "Come on. Arms out."
Hinata scrambled into position, slapping his forearms together stiffly, determination written all over his face.
"Relax your shoulders. Bend your knees. Pretend you're sitting on an invisible chair—no, not that low, you're not squatting for gold at the Olympics," Mayu corrected, nudging his stance with her foot until it looked passable. "Good. Now... stop glaring at me like you're about to duel."
"I'm not glaring!"
"You are. Not intimidating at all, but you are"
The team chuckled from the sidelines where some were practicing passes. Even Ukai cracked a small grin.
"Alright," Mayu tossed the ball up once, catching it with the ease of someone who'd done this a thousand times. "Rule one of receiving: the ball isn't your enemy. Don't attack it. Just guide it. Let it bounce off you clean."
Hinata gave a firm nod, eyes locked on her.
She stepped back, making sure they had some open space, wound her arm, and sent the ball skimming toward him—controlled but fast enough to test him. Hinata braced, flinched, and stuck his arms out too late. The ball ricocheted off his wrists and clattered away toward the far wall.
The gym went quiet for a beat.
"...I touched it!" Hinata blurted, a proud grin breaking across his face.
Mayu smirked, jogging over to retrieve the ball. "Yes, you did. Congratulations, you're ninety percent panic, ten percent noodle."
That earned a burst of laughter from the nearby teenagers. Hinata pouted but reset his stance anyway, muttering under his breath.
"Again!"
Mayu's grin widened as she spun the ball in her hand. "That's what I like to hear."
Ukai blew his whistle, signaling for the others to gather balls and rotate in. "Alright, everyone! Since we're all here, Tendō's gonna help run defensive drills. If you want to be ready for Nekoma, you'd better keep up!"
A spark of energy lit the gym. The Karasuno boys shuffled into place, Hinata bouncing impatiently on his toes while Mayu tossed the ball up, her cherry-red ponytail flicking behind her as she called out—
"Let's make some receivers out of you crows. Who's your libero?" Mayu called out, before stopping her stance short when the same guy from earlier jumped out from the team.
"Nishinoya Yuu ma'am! Libero at your service ma'am!" He shouted as she stood in front of her, dramatically bowing. "I've watched lots of your matches, please teach me your ways!"
"Ah, I was actually just going to ask you to help me with the defensive drills, but I guess I could reveal my secrets..." She trailed off as she began passing the balls to the players, watching as Nishinoya began doing the same, alas much more enthusiastically.
"What do I need to do?!"
"Make it to the finals for the Inter-Hugh Preliminaries, and humble Shiratorizawa. My cousin has been getting on my nerves" She uttered dramatically, feeding off the fellow second-year's chaotic energy, and she could only laugh when he nodded solemnly. "I'll only teach you then, my dear student"
"Understood Ma'am! I won't let you down, teacher!" He shouted before turning back to face who Mayu presumed was a third year with grey hair, who smiled softly before that same smile disappeared when Nishinoya threw the volleyball at full force.
"Ahh Yuu!- Not that hard!"
Mayu returned her attention to the rest of the team, counting in her head, before doubling back and after telling Hinata to practice receiving with the blonde first-year, walked up to where she assumed the captain was practicing.
“Sorry, are you the captain?” Mayu asked, stopping in front of a boy with dark brown hair, who was in the middle of spiking for the same buss-cut boy from earlier.
“Ah yeah! Nice to meet you, im Sawamura Daichi”-
“Nice to meet you too man, listen, who is your guy's ace?” Mayu continued as she turned around and scanned the busy gym, her hands resting on her hips as she looked at the remaining tall guys, who were pretty slim.
“Can’t be blondie, he’s a first year I presume. Guy with grey hair? Hm, no not the right vibes” Beginning to ramble as her gaze drifted back to Daichi, before shutting herself up when she noticed how awkward he looked, his hands now scratching his neck.
“Ah- well, it's a long story. Asahi Azumane, that's his name but, well we lost pretty bad against this one school last year, just all of his spikes got blocked” Daichi began as his face fell, whilst Mayu stood there, now the awkward one, her eyes returning to the groups practicing, pausing when she noticed Hinata chasing down the same blonde she told him to practice his receives with.
Choosing to ignore her protegee chasing down the poor first-year, she faced Daichi once more.
“And since we started back up, he just hasn't shown up. Me and Suga tried talking to him, but he's just too scared, what a wimp” While Mayu could tell he was close friend with this Asahi character, she couldn't help but feel a vitriol of fear shoot through her body, jumping back when she saw the furious expression on Daichi’s face.
“Well… I’m sure he’ll come around eventually man” Mayu hummed before slowly backing away until she got back to where Hinata was now lying on the floor, the first-year she didn't recognise along with a slightly shorter boy with freckles standing by him.
“Is this some new technique for practicing receives I don't know about?”
“Ah! Tendo, I was just”-
“Whining about practicing receives and trying to drag Yamaguchi and I into your mess?” The blond muttered as he folded his arms dramatically, Mayu looking down at Hinata after having picked up a nearby volleyball.
“What's your name blondie?”
“Tsukishima Kei. Don't call me blondie, hmph”
“And you must be Yamaguchi. It’s nicer to meet you” Mayu smiled as she waved at the other boy with dark green hair, presumably Yamaguchi, before looking back at the freakishly tall first-year she now knew was Tsukishima.
“Alright Tsukishima, since you seem to be talking so much about how terrible Hinata is at receiving, go and catch a few serves from Yamaguchi. We're not stopping until I approve of at least ten receives” Mayu ordered as she hastily pushed Tsukishima to the opposite side of the net, before taking Yamaguchi's hand and planting him on the opposite side.
“Oi, Hinata. Don't think this excludes you! I wasn't even gone a few minutes and you already stopped! Get back on the court!” Mayu barked, not even turning around to look at Hinata no longer starfished on the floor and was now inhumanly running to where Tsukishima was standing grumpily.
“Um, Miss Tendo, who do I aim for?” Yamaguchi whispered as he bounced the volleyball between his hands nervously.
“Eh?! Miss?! I’m only a second-year!” Mayu gasped as she held her hand on her heart, before taking a deep breath and patting Yamaguchi’s shoulder. “Aim to score, that’s all”
After leaving the first-years to their own devices, Mayu picked up another volleyball as she wandered to the opposite end of the gym.
“Sorry, do any of you mind serving me some passes? I wanted to get some practice in” Mayu asked as she curtly waved at the boys she hadn’t caught the names of yet.
“Ah sure! I’m Ennoshita Chikara” A boy with black hair and a soft smile responded, catching the volleyball Mayu casually threw at him, as she stood waiting for him to get some distance between them.
“Who are you guys by the way? I forgot to ask for all of your names when I got here” Mayu hummed as she tightened her ponytail, looking on at the group of boys who were previously crowding Nishinoya rolling around on the ground.
“I’m Hisashi Kinoshita, nice to meet you Tendo!” A boy with dirty blonde hair smiled whilst
“Yeah I’m Kazuhito Narita, we’ve caught some of your matches when they’re on tv, you and your team are next level!”
“MY NAMES TANAKA RYUNOSUKE!” The other buzzcut shouted just as Mayu got into position, and after she hit her ear lightly to get her hearing back, she laughed and easily received Ennoshita’s first serve.
“Come on, this is meant to be practice for you too, don't go easy on me” Mayu grinned as she bounced on her toes swiftly and readying herself once more.
Mayu collapsed onto her plush bed, the evening moonlight slipping through her curtains as she grabbed her Nintendo 3Ds from her bedside drawer, chewing on some apple gum. Waiting for it to turn on, she smiled when she saw a new message from Kiyoko, who was chatting to her about their upcoming practice matches, mentioning some school from Tokyo while Mayu spoke about how her coach was already mentally preparing them for Nationals.
When she cuddled up beside her big bear which was a gift from her parents for getting onto the regular line-up volleyball team in her first year, as she clicked onto her regular game of Mario Kart 7, opening a new lobby. Mayu leaned forward, eyes locked on the small glowing screen as her kart zipped ahead on the Rainbow Road track. She was in first, a comfortable distance from the pack, her fingers moving quickly on the controls. A grin tugged at her lips—she could already imagine sending Kiyoko a smug message later about her "undefeated streak."
Until out of nowhere, a red shell clipped her, and before she could recover, a player named applepi drifted smoothly past her, taking the lead. Mayu’s jaw dropped when the results screen appeared—second place, again. Her kart’s little spin felt more like a taunt than a victory. She puffed her cheeks, chewing her apple gum so hard it almost lost its sweetness.
“Unbelievable…” she muttered, already jabbing the stylus against the screen. “Ughhh! You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered. Without hesitation, she tapped out a message.
digachu: oi! applepi! cheap red shell… no honor in that win.
A few seconds later, the reply popped up.
applepi: lol. skill issue?
Mayu nearly threw her 3Ds into her pillow.
“No way this person’s serious,” she grumbled, thumbs flying across the buttons.
digachu: excuse me?! I was like 10 kart lengths ahead of you!
applepi: then maybe stay there next time
digachu: fine. rematch. right now. unless you’re scared.
applepi: scared? pls. I’ll lap you this time.
Mayu let out a frustrated laugh, the kind that came with clenched teeth but also a spark of thrill and possible sleep deprivation. Before long, the friend code notification appeared, and she accepted without hesitation. The name applepi settled into her friends list like a rival she didn’t ask for but apparently needed.
The next match started, tension already buzzing in Mayu’s chest. Their karts were neck-and-neck, tossing shells and bananas at each other like actual grudge weapons. She could practically feel applepi’s smugness radiating through the screen whenever they pulled ahead, and she whisper-shouted at her console more than once:
“No, no, no—you’re not passing me again!”
On the final lap, Mayu drifted perfectly into a boost panel, shooting ahead just as the finish line loomed. She crossed one second earlier, heart hammering, before slumping against her bear with a victorious laugh.
The messages came in immediately:
applepi: nooo how’d u do that
digachu: skill issue :P balance restored
applepi: nah luck. run it back tomorrow pikachu wannabe.
digachu: not sure if i wanna lose ten times again. We’ll see apple pie
She grinned, cheeks aching with a mix of pride and exhaustion. Her day had been packed—school, helping with Karasuno’s intense practice, then this ridiculous rivalry—but somehow, this silly game made it all feel lighter. She put her 3Ds down, finally letting her eyes close, drifting into sleep with a satisfied smile.