Pterodactyl - Tsukishima Kei x OC

Chapter 62: Changes

Chapter 62:

3 years later

Kei was listening to music and studying in a café near his university when Yamaguchi and Yachi joined him. They were currently studying for their exams when his friend sighed tiredly.

"My brain hurts..." Yamaguchi complained, sipping his coffee.

"You've been studying a lot..." Yachi chimed in, "Maybe you should take a break."

"I wish... I have way too many assignments to finish." He frowned, turning on his laptop.

Kei stared at his ten-page essay, his mind drifting to the thought of the long-awaited match with Hinata and Kageyama. Hinata had returned from his training in Brazil and joined the MSBY Black Jackals team along with Bokuto, Sakusa, and Miya Atsumu. Meanwhile, Kageyama joined the Schweiden Adlers team with Ushijima and Hoshiumi. Although he would never say it out loud, he was excited to watch his old friends and rivals compete. There may be one more particular reason as to why he was looking forward to the match...

"Hi baby!" A familiar voice exclaimed cheerfully.

Kei spun around and greeted his girlfriend, "Hey..."

Hayashi Ayumi grinned and kissed him swiftly on the cheek. She plopped down on the seat beside him and offered Yamaguchi and Yachi a few chocolate chip cookies she had baked from home.

"You'll never believe what happened!" She sighed exasperatedly.

As Kei and his friends listened to her flashy story, he couldn't help but think about how much had changed since he graduated from high school. Shortly after Mizuki left for Brazil, he moved into an apartment with Yamaguchi near their university campus. He tried his best to focus on his schoolwork to distract him from his breakup. He even joined the Sendai Frogs volleyball team with Kogane and Kyotani to divert his attention from her and it worked, until it didn't.

Kei found himself thinking about Mizuki every night which only made him continually depressed and upset. He wanted to call her constantly but he knew that if he did, he would never be able to move on. She wouldn't be able to either.

Thus, the two years after their breakup were difficult, especially once he had learned about Mizuki's new boyfriend. So, when he turned 20 years old, he went out to clubs with the new friends he had made, drank alcohol, and "danced" the night away until he forgot about her. He went on dates and slept with a few girls, and for a while, it worked. Then, something unexpected happened.

One night, he ran into Hayashi Ayumi, who worked near his university as a baker in a cake shop. She had moved back to Miyagi after inheriting her grandparents' house. She claimed that she had matured from high school, and even apologized to him again for the trouble she caused when they were first-years. Kei, who was still grief-stricken by his breakup with Mizuki, invited her over to his apartment. Hayashi agreed and after a few emotional words were exchanged, Kei kissed her. They slept together that same night. They've been dating for about a year now.

"So, what do you think?" Hayashi interrupted his thoughts, "Are my cookies good?"

"Yeah..." He nodded, returning to his studies.

Kei wondered how Mizuki was, especially since they hardly kept in touch since their breakup.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, Mizuki and Mateo were at the airport checking in for their week-long trip in Japan. They were visiting to watch the match between the MSBY Black Jackals and Schweiden Adlers. Mizuki had promised Hinata that she would return to watch him defeat Kageyama once and for all, and she was thrilled. She got to witness first-hand how Hinata developed and enhanced his skills and techniques through beach volleyball. He even earned a prestigious nickname - Ninja Shoyo. He played and trained with Oikawa, who was training to be a part of the Argentenian national team.