Practice had been going on for nearly a month now. Natsu waiting at the gates of the school for Matsumomo. When she spotted her she yelled at her to hurry up. They were getting there around the same time as most people for the club. Changing into shorts and a tank top. Natsu was ready for morning practice. Brushing her hair up into a ponytail. One of their managers walked in carrying a box. It was Hayashi Tsuna. Opening the box, she called over the first years.
"These are Niiyama sweatshirts. You'll get your jackets later." She took out six of them, handing them to each of the first years. "If the sizes are wrong. Let me know, I'll get you a new one." Looking at the sweatshirt it was the same bright red as their jerseys. On the back was written Niiyama Joshi. Finishing admiring the jacket, Natsu slid it on. Looking at the fellow first years they all seemed to be doing the same thing.
The coaches walked in, the other manager was also carrying a box. "Girls sit down." The taller coach yelled while putting the box down. Natsu recognized her, that was the one who was watching their game. Coach Matsuo had dark eyes, long dark hair that covered her ears. The other coach opened the box. Natsu, Naito and Matsumomo didn't know much about her other than her appearance. Dirty blonde short hair, small ears that had a hole in them for her piercing.
"When coach Matsuo calls your name, you'll get your number too. These will be your numbers used for our practice match on Saturday."
"Yes Coach Kojimama." The upperclassman responded. A couple asking who the practice match was against.
"We'll tell you that Friday. We don't want you to start getting lazy with your opponent. Even though you never should because an opponent could change in an instance so always put your all in."
"Okay let's get going. Number one, Amanai Chiaki." Matsuo spoke with a loud voice to get their focus. Their captain stood up walking up to the coaches taking her uniform, before sitting back down.
"Number two, Ogawa Ibuki." Standing up her light brown hair swung back and forth in its ponytail.
"Thank you coach." Holding the uniform close to her, she sat down next to Amanai.
"Ono Maemo, number three." Following the steps of the two previous girls. Ono grabbed her uniform sitting next to the captain and vice-captain.
"Number four, Asano Mitsuki." This was one of the third years that Natsu hadn't met yet. She recognized her because she was playing with Oka yesterday during the three on threes. She had auburn hair, and felt more serious compared to the others she had met.
"Thank you." She said with a bow. Asano straightened out the creases on her uniform as she sat down.
"Number five, Hano Mina. Make sure you get the right color with her; she's a libero." Matsuo said to Kujimama.
"Thank you coaches." Mina said with a light bow. Unlike the four before her, the uniform in her hands was black with white on the side and white number 5 in the middle.
"Six, Kaya Rin." Natsu assumed she was a second year student, due to when they were getting snacks yesterday. She wasn't in the group of third years.
"Thank you captain." Kaya started a new line behind her captain. Swatting at Mina's hand when she went to steal her glasses. "Knock it off, you Elmo doll." The rest of the team stopped themselves from laughing. They didn't want to run laps halfway through this.
"Seven, Ida Haruka." She walked up. Slightly bowing.
"Thanks coach." She quickly hurried over and sat next to Kaya. They whispered at a low volume.
"Number eight, Kaya Emi." Natsu made sure to get a good look at her before looking over at her shoulder at number six. Rin who's hair was black while Emi's was an ash blonde. They didn't look all too similar but Natsu could see it.
"Number nine, Iwai Kaiya." The girl walked up to the coaches taking her uniform before going to the group sitting down. Natsu looked like there were two more second years left. Natsu crossed her fingers. Let there be some reason that Natsu could be number ten, not them. Leg Natsu get this chance please.
"Number ten, Hinata Natsu." Matsumomo elbowed Natsu. Taking a deep breath walking up to grab the uniform and holding it in her hands. She was Niiyama number 10. In her first year she was number 10 just like her brother. Splitting her ponytail in two she tightened it and reminded herself that this wasn't a dream.
"Number eleven, Matsumomo Sai." Matsumomo walked up taking her uniform and then bowing like everyone before her had done. She sat down next to Natsu whispering in her ear.
"You got the number you wanted. You're happy about that right?" Natsu nodded, tracing her fingers for the seventieth time over the numbers.
"Just like Shoyo."
"You should take a picture later and send it to him." They looked back at their teammates who were waiting to get their jerseys.
"Number twelve, Naito Youko." She quickly repeated the steps that happened since their captain and joined the other two first years.
"Me and the others were talking. Would you like to join us in the courtyard for lunch?" Naito asked. The tangerine and green eyed girl nodded.
"Number thirteen, Jo Himiko. Make sure she's getting the black uniform too." The girl had bobbed brown hair. Holding the uniform to her chest she bowed. It made a little more sense to Natsu why there were first years before seconds. Spots reserved for the liberos.
"Fourteen, Maizono Rika." The coaches whispered something to each other while copper brown braided hair was bent over with the uniform to her chest.
"Mori Fuyuko, you're fifteen." Natsu glanced at the clock, they had thirty minutes of morning practice left no wonder why the coach was reading off the remaining first years off so quickly. "Nii Sango, sixteen get your jersey once Mori's on the ground. Oka Tamiko seventeen, libero jersey. And lastly Ogasawara Umi. This is our team for the year." Now go put your jersey against the wall." Waiting for the girls to return, the coaches asked the managers to go fill the water bottles. "Libero's your with me. Everyone else's got a pepper, Kojimama will be coaching you there." The three liberos walked away with Coach Matsuo. There wasn't much to do other than passing, since getting their jersey took away what would've been stretching. The ball would go low when Nastu would have to dive, passing it to whoever was across from her. She loved to fly but Natsu loved its polar opposite diving for the ball. Behind her she could hear Coach Matsuo drilling the liberos by throwing a ball anywhere and having one of the three get it. Morning practice came to an end. Reapply deodorant Natsu went outside the club room waiting for Matsumomo.
"Dude, how does it feel you got number ten. Just like you wanted." Matsumomo said sing-songy as they walked to their classroom.
"I'm happy. My fingers still hurt from crossing them so hard." Matsumomo let out a small giggle. Classes were boring, but Natsu knew if she wanted volleyball she had to do classes. Lunch finally came, Natsu picked up her bag walking to the door. Matsumomo was a few steps behind her. "I wonder what our lineups are going to be."
"Coach will probably tell us today or Friday."
"That makes sense I guess." She drew another star on her hand. The other first years were sitting on a bench.
"Natsu! Matsumomo!" Sango yelled, waving her hands up in the air to let them know where the group was.
"Coming." Sitting down on the bench next to them Natsu started to unpack her lunch. Taking a bite out of her meal.
"I wonder if any of us will get to play as a starter." Mori quired. "Hopefully it's not all just second and third years."
"Most of us are probably getting subbed in." Oka sighed.
"I'm okay with that, I'm a good pinch server that's all I really have." Ogasawara jumped in. "That's all I pretty much did in my junior high years."
"Mori you have a chance of going in a lot. Since you're a defense specialist you'll probably be in when there's times the team needs more defense than just the libero."
"Hano's really good. I'd like to play by her side at least once before she graduates." Mori confessed.
"Being a middle blocker and a first year, my playing time is shortened. They'll probably play me when we have back to back games." Sango said, "Not that I'm complaining. We're at probably the best volleyball school we could go to. I'll get a lot of playing time in my next two years, and everytime I play this year I'll cherish it."
"I'm in the same boat. There's two setters who have experience on the team." Matsumomo said. "I'll be used a lot during practices though."
"Matsumomo, I'll tie your hair in a knot. Don't act like you're a bad setter. In junior high you were probably the best one on the team."
"Wasn't I the only one, until our third year?"
"What about you Natsu?" She poked her shoulder. Natsu looked up, swallowing a part of her bento.
"I'm not really sure how they're going to use me." Natsu said, scratching her head.
"I think tangerine's probably going to be put in a lot. She has very clean spikes." Natsu looked at Matsumomo who continued, "plus there's usually a first year amongst everyone else in the starters list."
"I'm not a tangerine."
Completely ignoring Natsu's last comment, "I think Natsu has a chance of being that first year, just due to her position." Leaning in to whisper to Natsu. "It's a nickname for you. I want to find out, and it works."
"You have to come up with your own! Not steal it from a third year." Natsu grimaced.
"I was thinking about it first. So it counts."
"Sure it does."
"Rules were never established, so I can follow it." Lunch went with the first years getting closer to each other. The rest of the classes weren't exciting but Natsu did her best to stay focused. Walking with Matsumomo to the club room to get changed, throwing on a red Niiyama shirt with black shorts.
"Momo, hurry up, I want to start playing volleyball."
"You got here before me, so you can wait. This is karama for making me race you again." Matsumomo barked back, putting her hair into a new set of pigtails.
Practice today consisted of serves, blocking and following through on the block. When they got a break Natsu thought the water bottle had gone empty because she was squeezing it too hard. This wasn't like junior high, she was at a power house school. She finished her sips and got back into practice. Ogawa was on their side. Setting the ball Natsu went to spike it, but was blocked. Right behind her was Jo Himiko getting the ball in the air. Natsu hit it over the blockers hand watching, Oka dig it up. It was her turn to block. Jumping up the ball hit her hand bouncing down on the ground. Practice followed this rotation.
"Girls just know, the next three days your ass isn't getting easy like this. We're going hard. Now listen up, I want to try a couple of formations before we go to the Interhigh prelims. For this first practice match, we'll have Ogawa starting in the front half, middle. To her right will be Amanai, to the left Ono. Behind Amanai will be Asano. For libero Hano. Lastly Hinata will be in the back left. For the first set. For the second you'll switch out with Rin." The girls nodded. Looking behind her, Matsumomo's face spoke the words I told you so.
On the walk to Natsu and Matsumomo walk to the bus stop.
"You're not entirely right. Monopoly, just so you know." Nastu looks down at the ground as she says that.
"You're still starting." Matsumomo commented.
"For a practice match to see how it plays out. That's not a guarantee."
"Act like it is. Then maybe it'll be, only looking down won't help."
"You'll be my setter for a game again I hope."
"Do you not like Ogawa?"
"Oh no not that. I just want to call you monopoly on the court."
"Do that and the only plays you're getting are receiving and blocking."
"Hey, that's bullying."
"And calling me monopoly isn't."
"Because it's not on the court!" They stopped bickering once on the bus and started to listen to music. When Natsu got home she hung up her jersey, before eating dinner with her mom.