NAO WAS CARRYING A STACK OF BLANKETS WHEN THEIR DOORBELL RANG. She still wondered why they needed this much. She and her brother had just finished cleaning three of the vacant rooms. Her grandma had not yet told her anything about who was coming to their place. There must be a lot of them basing from the pillows and sheets she had retrieved in their cabinet.
"Obaasan!" Nao called as she heard the continuous buzzing from the door. "There's someone outside."
"Can you please get it, dear?" The older woman told her from the other room. She was currently organizing the shelves with the help of Ren.
"Alright." Nao proceeded to put the blankets down and went to the direction of the door. She passed by a mirror and saw her slightly disheveled look. It was a good thing that she had found a ribbon on the way and proceeded to tie it around her hair as a headband. It kept her strands from sticking and covering her face.
The bell incessantly rang again which made her hurry. "Coming!" Nao said as she was near the door. She then slid the fusuma open. "What can we he—"
Nao stopped mid-sentence. She should have asked her brother to come here instead.
THE KARASUNO TEAM WAS ON THEIR FRONT YARD. NOT JUST TWO OR THREE OF THEM—BUT ALL OF THE FLOCK.
The person before them was familiar. Irrevocably so that Hinata could not help but recall those very features that dominated his thoughts for the last several days. In front of him was the girl he had been looking for all along.
"You..." The decoy was speechless.
Awestruck to be exact.
"It's you."
Tanaka looked at his kōhai questioningly. He had never seen him like this before. It was a little too out of his character.
The wing spiker then smiled, recognizing that twinkle in his underclassman's eyes. Peering behind his shoulder, he saw their manager, Kiyoko. That look was all too recognizable indeed. It was the look he had the first time he saw her.
He never imagined that he would see that in their decoy who only lived and breathed volleyball.
"Nao."
It was Sugawara who broke the silence that followed after by saying her name. The vice-captain smiled, never expecting to see her here out of all the places in Miyagi.
"It's nice to see you again." He continued. His words genuine and sincere. His teammates watched him curiously, wondering how they knew each other.
Nao then shook from her surprise, composing herself. "Suga. Ano—me too." She uttered.
She was about to say more when she heard footsteps behind her. "Nao-chan—who are—Ikkei!" It was her grandmother. "Oh is this the team? Come! Come inside, don't stay there!" She uttered nudging them all. "Nao, dear, can you get something to drink?" Her grandmother said, pointing to the kitchen.
"Y-yes, obaasan." Nao then swerved towards the place to make some tea.
"I thought that you'd be here much later, we just finished preparing your rooms."
All of them were seated beside the low table in the living room. "It's okay. They're here to drop their things, and then we would go out for our practice." Ikkei replied.
"Oh I see." The Fuji matriarch nodded in understanding. "Well is there anything else that we could do to help?"
Keishin then waved his hands in denial. "You've done more than enough to let us stay here." He stated. "We don't want to further impose."
The older Fuji then laughed in a lighthearted way. "Sheesh, there's no such thing! We would like to help the best that we can." She told them.
Keishin proceeded to scratch his cheek, a little embarrassed. The players then laughed with her.
Nao arrived with a tray between her hands. She was carrying a plate full of biscuits and tea. They then had their attention on her. The latter gave them a small smile, wanting to be polite.
"Nao, let me give you a hand." Sugawara offered to take the tray. He then got it and placed it on the table.
"Thank you, Suga." She gleamed. Nao sat beside her grandmother and began to pour in the tea to each cup.
She gave the first to her. The latter then thanked her granddaughter. Their guests picked the biscuits one by one, passing it to each person.
"Hinata, would you also like to have tea?"
Nao asked the Karasuno member across her. The middle blocker blushed as he saw her looking at him. "Ah—w-well—I'd like you."
All the players began to gag from the biscuits they were eating as well as Coach Ukai, they were vehemently coughing afterwards.
"Shōyō!" Nishinoya gazed at his kōhai, astonished.
"Hinata—you dobe!" Kageyama sputtered from the snack.
Tanaka was stifling a laugh. Astounded and impressed in his underclassman. Who knew he could be this courageous?
Nao then hurriedly distributed the tea cups for them to drink, her cheeks pink.
Hinata's eyes widened upon hearing what he had said. His face turned beet red. "No—no! I'm sorry—I meant 'I'd like too'!" Hinata corrected.
The two seniors laughed in amusement—the Fuji matron and Ikkei. Their laughters overcame the whole room.
"You've got some spine there, young man! My foolish grandson could learn a thing or two from you!" The retired coach was impressed. Ikkei then tapped him on the back.
Keishin scrunched his face at his grandfather's words.
"Hahaha—oh so you have your eyes set on my Nao-chan?" The elderly lady asked in a jest.
"Obaasan!" Nao blushed from what her grandmother was asking. "Hinata, you don't have to answer that."
"I—I—" Hinata stuttered, completely embarrassed.
She just ignored her and continued on looking at the orange-haired middle blocker. "Because, if you do—then you have a big competition ahead of you."
"Oba-san!" Nao was trying to stop her grandmother. "What are you talking about?"
"That's for you to find out, dear." The Fuji matron smiled. She then shifted her attention to the Karasuno coach. "Anyway, what are your plans for today?"
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