Crows of a Feather

3

The next morning, I'm startled awake by Keishin shouting from down the hall.

"Yo, kid! Get up or you'll be late!"

At his words, I groggily reach over for my phone and squint at the time.

"...late for what? School isn't for another hour."

"Sorry to break it to ya but you have morning practice." I can hear my cousin laugh at my tired groan and I drop my phone on the bed.

"Are you serious?" I shove myself off the bed, mumbling as I start to get ready. "What the fuck are these guys on? Practice at six am... no wonder they're so damn good."

"Oi! You better not be talkin' back! It's too early for English! Now hurry up! I'll drop you off but you better have your phone this time so you can walk home after school, got it?"

"Got it."

When I get to the gym, I start my stretches off on my own in a corner as I'm still not entirely sure how I fit into the group as a latecomer.

"G'morning, Katō!"

Looking up, I'm surprised to see Nishinoya joining me. He drops his things beside mine and moves to begin his own stretches.

"Good morning, Nishinoya-san."

"Bah! That's so formal! You can just call me Noya-san. Or senpai!"

"Uh, okay." I glance away, a little unsure about how I should be acting around him. I'm nervous to mess up due to a difference in cultural norms.

Noya lets out a lighthearted laugh and I relax slightly. "Geez, you're a little bit like Asahi, aren't you?"

After morning practice, I make my way to the front office for my schedule and meet with the vice principal to fill out paper work. He's very welcoming so I do my best not to stare at his obvious toupee.

Before long, I find myself standing outside my new classroom. I'm thankful to find that class hasn't started yet but the second I step into the room, everyone zeros in on me and my heart skips a beat.

Pushing away my nerves, I smile. "Uh... hi. My name is-"

"Katō!"

Hinata's excited voice cuts me off as he runs into the room next to me. "We're in the same class! So cool!"

I turn to the redhead with a relieved smile. "That's great. I was worried I'd be alone."

He leads me to an empty seat, chattering happily until the teacher arrives and I'm called to the front to introduce myself.

"My name is Katō Y/n. I just recently moved here from America. It's nice to meet everyone."

Immediately, hands shoot into the air. I spend the next few minutes answering questions to the best of my ability before I can finally take my seat and class starts.

I'm thankful to find that I understand most of the subjects. English is a breeze though I struggle a bit with Kanji. Math seems to be universal so I'm thankful for that. At lunch, Hinata leads me off to get Kageyama and we eat outside the gym.

"Katō, you played volleyball for your school in America, right?"

At my nod, Hinata smiles excitedly and puts down his bento box. "Was your team good?"

"Well, we were better than some schools but I don't think we could even be on the same playing field as you guys. Most of the team only joined for fun and never really put in the effort you guys do."

"Did you join for fun?"

"Not really. I mean, I definitely have fun but Keishin taught me how to play and encouraged me to join a team as soon as I was old enough. I joined the school team more out of it always being a part of my life than just to have fun. I can't see myself ever not playing to be honest."