Another Manager (Akashi Seijuro x OC)

2.14 Growing Fast (part two)

She made a troubled smile at her phone, imagining him sulking and Momoi having to deal with the consequences.

Ai: I'll visit Tokyo so we can meet again sometime.

Daiki-kun: yeah come back soon

———

(August 31)

On her first day back for practice at Karasuno High School, Nishinoya greeted her with a huge hug. The action was short, but his big squeeze around her biceps conveyed his boundless excitement and energy of having her back.

He laughed and held her left shoulder. "Alright!!! Now, we're back in business!"

"I thought you weren't coming back," Tanaka teased.

"You must not know me well, Ryū," she said, matching his sarcasm.

Needless to say, everybody was happy to have the second-year manager with them again. Some gave her hugs upon her return to Karasuno, while others were a bit shy to initiate the contact.

"We watched your match, Ai-senpai!" Yachi beamed. "It was incredible!"

"Thank you, Hitoka-chan." She gave the blonde a side hug.

"Is the guy who broke his arm ok?" Narita asked.

"Ennoshita here was worried you were going to delay coming back so you could tend to his and that other guy's injuries." Kinoshita lightly punched the other backup wing spiker.

Ennoshita didn't miss a beat, donning a smirk. "Hey, I know you guys were thinking the same thing, too."

"Ryōta-kun wasn't injured, thankfully. He was simply burnt out. And they're both okay now. Atsu-kun's arm is on the mend." She gave them a smirk of her own, but her two classmates noticed that it didn't reach her eyes. "Besides, I think I have a certain team to help prepare for the Qualifiers coming up in less than two months. Don't I?"

The second-year guys smirked right back, sharing a moment of mutual understanding.

"Ai-senpai, did you go to the game with Kenma?" Hinata prodded with words.

"I did. His team, Keiji-kun, and Kōtarō-san watched it with me."

"Nekoma and Fukurōdani's setter..." Kageyama mumbled.

"So you weren't on the bench," Tsukishima confirmed.

"I had my reasons." She looked up to meet their tallest middle blocker in the eyes.
And just like that, not even the inciteful Tsukishima could question her any further.

"Ai-senpai! Please tell me what I can do to get better, too!" Kageyama shouted suddenly.

"Oh, me too," Sugawara slid in. "We're going to have a little competition of the setters," he bantered.

"All right, all right. It's good to have you back, Ai." Daichi presented two types of smiles: one to welcome her back and one to end the chaos.

"Congrats on the match, Ai. It was really amazing," Asahi said. He stood behind Daichi, blissfully out of sight from the captain's fearsome expression.

"Thank you, Asahi-san. It really was a great game." Again, her smile seemed somehow empty.

Kiyoko conversed with her, leading Ai away from the flock to start their managers' work. The three team supporters chatted with smiles between doing their jobs. Two more days until school started again. "How was the trip back? Was the train crowded?"

"Only a little. The two hours went by in a flash." Ai fell in line with the females easily, going back to routine. Her mind automatically switched to volleyball.