You were awoken by a knocking on the door. As you opened your eyes trying to get out of your drowsy state, Ine was suddenly in your room. Ine had walked into your room in the middle of nowhere and given you a little scare.
"Hey Y/N, since today is the start of the weekend, want to go to the shrine? We have our math exams this upcoming week."
You, still being tired, took a moment to process what she said. Wait, what is Ine doing here? "Ine? Um, sure? Just give me a couple of minutes to change and get ready."
"Okay! By the way Y/N, you don't have much of a choice in going or not. I already convinced your parents and they approved of us going out to have our wishes granted!" Ine teased as she left the room.
Of course she would somehow convince my parents I should go to the shrine at 9 in the morning. You thought as you were forced to get up.
You got ready and brought a cozy jacket with you. It had been getting colder recently, not to the point of bundling up, but to the point of being cold without one. You moved the curtains of your room's windows to see the Sun barely out. You wondered what godly hour Ine decided to wake you up at.
How does Ine get me out of the house this early. The Sun isn't even fully out yet for goodness sake. You somewhat reluctantly left your room to see what everyone else was up to. You still didn't know exactly what you were doing, as you were drowsy when she explained what was up.
You headed into the living area where Ine and your parents are. "You ready Y/N?" Ine asked. "Ready as I'll ever be at 9 in the morning." You said sarcastically. You typically sleep in on the weekends so the fact you are up is a lot right now. The weekends were the time in which you tried to fix your sleep schedule by sleeping more than maybe necessary.
"What exactly are we doing again? I was kind of, you know, asleep when you told me what we were doing today." You sassily remarked. Ine gave a little laugh and explained that you were going to go to the shrine. At least it's somewhere you have been before, whether it was when you were little with your parents, or with Ine, Minuke, or whoever else joined you.
"You got everything Y/N?" Your mother asked. You nodded your head and were about to ask Ine if you should head out when your father gave you some money. "Use this for the shrine and get some food while you're at it." He said with a fatherly smile. "Okay Dad, see you in a bit." You didn't want to just take the money, but if he was going to give you an option for free food, you might as well take it. You also know your dad is stubborn and that he would do anything to hand it to you as he wanted to provide for the family at every opportunity.
Getting up this early was tiring, so you brought some water with you to help you wake up and keep your voice going. "Do you know how to get to the shrine? We've never gone to the shrine from my house before. We usually go straight there after school." You said and took a sip of water.
"Yes, now relax! We've been there before. It'll be good to have some extra luck." Ine said in a relaxed manner. "We do have our math exams coming up soon." She was leading you down the sidewalk from your house, kicking a rock every once in a while.
"I probably need it, but isn't your best subject math? I still don't get how you understand everything, and don't say you don't. I've seen your tests!" You said in a teasing manner. Ine smiled a bit.
"Okay, but a little extra luck never hurts anyone, right? Besides, it's a good excuse to get you out of the house." Ine said in a tone knowing she won this round. And besides, school is a beast on it's own, it's good to have some form of luck.
The two of you arrived at the local train station after walking a while. You need to get on the train that goes to the other side of town. Even though the shrine was nearby, it was remarkably easier to go by train, especially with the chilly weather. The train system in Japan is pretty efficient, which is proven by the amount of people who use it everyday. It's a good way to get to work or wherever their destination may be.
You both took out your Rail Passes and were able to board the next train. The trip was pretty quick, seeing as the next stop was the stop you were going for. You were able to finish up your water bottle on the train while you made idle talk with Ine.
Soon enough the train stopped.
"We are now arriving at the Miyagi Centre Train Station." The intercom sounded. You and Ine both got up from your seats on the train. Since you had finished up your water, you threw it away on the way out of the station. The two of you were now walking outside of the station. You don't usually stop at this station, as you prefer smaller trains and buses with less people using them.
"Okay, so it looks like the shrine should be around this block. We don't have to walk very far. I'll lead the way!" Ine said with confidence. You didn't know where you were, so you just followed her lead. I swear, if this is how we die. But it's ok she has good instincts...You had some form of doubt, but it went away.
"If you don't necessarily need to wish for good grades, what are you wishing for?" You asked, still curious as to why she needed to take you to the shrine today. "You'll have to wait and see." Ine said with a sly grin.
Well that's awfully reassuring. You thought sarcastically. Is she plotting something?
Ine led you across the street. The shrine was partially in sight, yet still a ways away. "We haven't gone out together in forever, so I decided I would sneak you into it. And by that, I mean tell your parents about it and have them convince you. I wanted to take you to the shrine, not for the shrine itself, but to get you out of the house for once."
"I mean I'm not mad, I think I needed some fresh air anyways. We've been having a lot of tests recently, so I guess going to the shrine will clear my mind and make things at least a bit better, hopefully." The shrine was fully in view now. There were quite a few people already here. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their time.
"Wow you actually got us here. Who would've guessed." You laughed. "Wow, that kinda hurts." Ine said with a fake pout. The two of you were near the fountain that marked the center of the area where people make their wishes and send their blessings. You have been here a few times, yet the majority of the times were when you were younger.
You decided that a game plan was needed for the day, as you feel underprepared otherwise. You were getting a little hungry, so you decided eating out was definitely going to be part of the plan. As you were thinking of food, you heard a little stomach growl. You look at Ine and see her trying to play it off. So she's hungry too, food is definitely a priority here. You keep that in mind and come up with a plan.
"Let's just get our charms and stuff and then go out to eat. I can tell you're hungry too. Wait, did you not eat before going to my house?" You asked. Ine smiled a little guiltily. "You didn't! We'll visit the shrines quickly then. We can also get some snacks while we are here." You started heading up the stone steps to the area where they were selling charms.
"Let's look at the charms first, it shouldn't take too long." You were already climbing up a few steps. You knew other events at the shrine would take longer, so you might have to hurry this up a bit.
Ine quickly followed you, feeling better at the mentioning of snacks. You took note of a food stand near the fountain for later. You and Ine neared the top of the steps. Once you got to the top, you saw the stands where they sold charms.
Ine ran ahead of you towards the charms. She always had a knack for these kinds of things. She wears a charm that says 'Wisdom' on her backpack. She switches it out every couple of years. The last time she switched it was at the beginning of first year as she hoped high school would give her the Wisdom to succeed in life.
There was a stand with a bunch of interesting and cool looking charms. They came in all these different patterns and handiwork. Some of these charms had different flowers, like sakuras and alliums. You followed Ine, who walked along the stands as a veteran of the place. She seemed to know exactly where to look for specific messages.
"Y/N look! These ones say things like 'Good Luck!' and 'Finding Love' and ooh this one says 'Trust.'" Ine was getting all into this. In the blink of an eye you saw her at the register with a few charms. The cashier smiled at her excitement and rang them up. She walked towards you, holding the 'Trust' and 'Together' charms.
You stood there, bewildered. What just happened?
She brought the 'Trust' charm towards you and extended it towards you as a gift. You took it still in awe of the scene that just occurred. "Aw thanks. I mean, I trust you either way but the charm is cute! I appreciate it." You replied after realizing she was giving it to you. Ine gave you the charm as if that whole interaction was perfectly normal. You used this time not to be confused by what just happened, but more so focus on the charm.
The charm she gave you was a cool baby clue with little cross patterns along it in different shades of blue and some in white. It reminded you of some sort of ocean due to the placement of the patterns. You delicately put it around your little bag you brought for souvenirs, showing your gratitude for the gift. The string attached to it was a light yellow color.
"Yeah I got it for you because the colors go with almost everything." Ine said nonchalantly.
You thanked her again for the gift. You both started to head towards where the wishes and blessings are made at the shrine. This would involve going towards the actual temple. It was in the area on the opposite end of the water fountain.
You both went down the steps and got in line to make your wishes. This time, Ine was unable to run ahead of you, as there was a line.
As the two of you joined the end of the line, you talked about what you should eat.
"The places nearby that we can eat at are Noom's and Ayaka Grill. I don't really have a preference." You said, wanting to have an idea of where to eat after visiting the shrine. Ine did forget to eat breakfast after all.
"I mean the food is cheaper at Noom's, but I think we should eat at Ayaka Grill." Ine argued. "I guess you're right, I mean my dad did say to treat ourselves." There were a couple moments of silence before you heard your name being called.
—
Tanaka arrived at Nishinoya's residence at around 9:10 AM. Tanaka was supposed to meet up with him at 9, but he ran a little late as he made a wrong turn in getting to Nishinoya's place. They had planned to meet up at Nishinoya's house to then walk to the shrine as planned.
Tanaka knocked on the door and after a little wait, Noya's mother opened the door. Tanaka gave her a small bow and a greeting. Even though he has gone to the Nishinoya household before, he feels nervous every time he knocks on the door.
"Welcome Tanaka-kun, are you here for Yu?" Mrs.Nishinoya asked. "I'll go get him for you." She then walked back into her residence and yelled out "Yu! Your friend Tanaka is here! Don't want your guest waiting!"
Tanaka felt a little awkward and fiddled with his jacket. Within the next minute, Noya finally appeared within the frame of the door. He was currently putting his shoes on, but other than that, he looked completely ready, which was a relief. The other time they had planned something together that took place early in the morning, Noya was still asleep when he had gotten there.
"Ryuu! You're here! Let me just finish tying my shoes." He then proceeded to tie his shoe in the blink of an eye. "Okay! Let's start heading to the shrine. I brought some money so we can grab a snack as soon as we get there." Nishinoya said in a hurry.
"I also brought some money if we need it." Tanaka followed Noya to the shrine. Nishinoya lived close enough to the shrine that it was within walking distance. It was also a good replacement for Tanaka's early runs on the weekends.
Tanaka was excited to go to the shrine as going to the shrine was a rarity before Karasuno. His sister, Saeko, was never one to go to the shrine. She was always working to provide for the house and watch over him. Now that he is older, he understands why.
Going to the shrine helps fill Tanaka with determination for volleyball. The first time he remembers visiting the shrine was during last year, when the whole team went together. He hopes they can do it again this year!
And so they both walked to the shrine. It took a little longer than expected considering Nishinoya's shoelaces somehow untied and he tripped. The fact that Nishinoya tripped wasn't the reason they were delayed, it was the hyena laughter Tanaka gave in response to it. Noya was a little salty yet got over it and joined in the laughter.
It had taken them a solid five minutes for Nishinoya to get back up. Tanaka is not going to question how Noya is such a good libero. They probably doubled the time it should've taken them to get there because of all the jokes that came out of it.
"Ryuu! Look, we're here." Nishinoya entered the gate first with Tanaka not far behind. "So what to do first?"
"Let's see how long until you trip and fall again. Why don't we head to the shrine and get your fortune?" Tanaka then envisioned Nishinoya getting a bad luck Omikuji, or fortune, and then tripping all over the place. The image in his head alone got him laughing again. It was going to be a long weekend.
"What's so funnyyyy?" Nishinoya whined, confused as to why Tanaka was hunched over laughing. "Let me in on the jokeee."
"I just thought of you falling again. It's already this bad, I can only imagine if you get bad luck!"
Tanaka somehow managed to get those words across while laughing, making his voice high pitched. After saying his piece, he didn't bother quieting his laughter. It even turned into wheezing for a few moments.
"Ryuu! Stop laughing. I'll get the best fortune just you wait!" Nishinoya stormed off to the shrine area and got in line. Tanaka, meanwhile, is still laughing.
"Alright, we'll see about that." Tanaka said, finally able to control his laughter and join Noya in line.
After getting in line, Tanaka looked ahead in line to see how long the line was. As he was looking, he saw you a few spots ahead.
"Noya, do you see the person wearing that fuzzy jacket? I actually know them!" Tanaka then dragged Nishinoya with him and made his way to where you were standing in line with Ine.
Tanaka got within earshot and asked.
"L/N, is that you?"
—
A/N:
Thank you for all of the support, whether it be favoriting a chapter, commenting, adding this story to a reading list, or just reading it! I can't believe it has made it to over 370 reads! I even got my first comment!
I am also so sorry about the massive delay on this chapter! I experienced a bit of burn out but feel more apt to write now. Again, thanks for all of the positive support!
:))