"I'm home!" I announced walking through the door.
"This early?" Yuki asked.
"Yeah we were let out a bit early to get some rest so I just took my time coming home." I explained as I put my stuff down and flopped on the couch.
"Too bad, you just barely missed mom leaving." He shrugged, "which reminds me, you guys are probably going to be back in Tokyo so dad said he might stop by for a few games."
"Really?!" I lit up and sat straight up. "I mean we haven't gotten there yet but-"
"Yeah, he said he's been going all over Japan and one of his final stops is back in Tokyo. Since it lines up with when you'll be there he said he wanted...." Yuki suddenly stopped talking, clapping his hand over his mouth.
"He wanted to surprise me?" I asked. "And you just spoiled it?"
He just slowly nodded.
"It's fine, I'll just act like I'm surprised." I laughed.
"I...I'm not going to say anything else I know about this." He lifted his hands to his shoulders and walked away.
Jeez I haven't seen him in months. I think he left like right before school started, maybe about a week before? I knew he'd be coming back soon but if Tokyo is his final stop then does that mean he's coming back with us?
You know...I know he does this a lot and it's just a part of his profession but sometimes he's gone for so long I just feel like I don't even have a dad. But he loves traveling and we were all so excited for his promotion, just- on most of the weekdays it's just me and Yuki since I'm gone for the day. The other time it's just Yuki, mom and I. It's been weird obviously but it has been weird in general recently.
But I do feel like keeping myself busy has made it easier. A little harder for time management but easier than being stuck in the house.
—
"Uhhh Suzu?" Ena asked me at lunch, waving her hand in front of my face. "Are you doing alright?"
I didn't realize I had been staring into the distance looking at nothing. "Nope, yeah, I'm great! Peachy actually!" I nodded.
"You have been zoning out looking at your notes and computer for 5 minutes now just...not moving..." Kono questioned me.
"Uh- yeah haha that's. Yup!" I barely formed a full sentence.
"Suzuki." Ena said sternly as if she were my mother.
"I just have a lot on my plate, that's all." I waved them off.
"Oh...is it about..." Ena looked at Kono then looked back at me and made a face. I assumed she meant Kageyama.
"No no no! Not that." I shook my hands. "Although...oh I'll get to that later. No, I'm just trying to get all my notes together for pretty much every team we're about to go against and work on this essay at the same time so I have something to show at newspaper."
They both looked at me, then each other, then back at me. "Suzuki...what?" They both asked me.
"Usually my job is to find out information on the teams we're going up against and then making a general plan of action. With the qualifiers coming up, everybody is panicking...which is making me panic...which is making me overthink." I started staring again. "But then also because always relied on for writing things and it's kinda a my passion I feel like I can only focus on this right now."
"You're over preparing?" Kono asked.
"Yes?" I sighed, "I just need to get my mind off things. I need a distraction so please, how have you guys been?"
"Well since Suzu is panicking and overwhelmed- leading her to overworking, let's ask the overworking overprepared officiate how she is." Ko said sarcastically emphasizing the alliteration.
"I'm doing great actually, I know you have a lot of games coming up yourself but I'll still ask how the inane inelegant is?" Ena scoffed.
"I'm doing great and the team is better than ever but I am...none of those things!?" Ko exclaimed, visibly confused about the meaning of the two words.
"She called you a stupid clutz." I quickly explained.
"Oh...I am none of those things!" Kono exclaimed again with more confidence.
"You sure?" Ena laughed. "Well if you two must know I have been working on fundraisers." She clapped her hands excitingly.
"Again?" We asked. "I thought you already planned every one you were going to do this year?"
"I did, they are for next year." She hummed.
"Oh? Alright." I laughed.
—
"Hey Suzu, I had a question." Kageyama came up to me in the halls.
"Ah, I see we're sticking to the nickname?" I laughed.
"Yeah, I told you, I like it." He smiled.
"I'm glad." I chuckled again. "What was the question?"
"Oh yeah- uh-...I don't know how to word this exactly but-" he stumbled. "Are we like- together officially?" I made a face when I started thinking about it which made him a bit startled. "I don't mean that in a rude way, more of a clarification because I'm a little bit thrown off is all."
"No, I just- hadn't thought of that. That's a good question." I thought outloud. "I honestly didn't mean to be so forward the other day- I just- I think I wanted to do that for a while."
"I mean, I didn't mind, I just didn't know if that means we're together or not." He admitted.
"Well I like you, and you like me but I feel like we just jumped into this...Everyone already suspects we're together, even my own mother and she can't even remember your name." I explained.
"So what if we just, don't tell them." He shrugged.
"Don't tell them?" I asked.
"I mean like let's start dating but we don't announce anything. That way we can take our time exclusively and then make whatever announcement when we're comfortable." He explained.
"Yeah, yeah I'd like that. I feel like we're going to make people feel stupid." I laughed.
"Good. I mean obviously I want to make it official with you, that's why I asked. But this is an opportunity to make them all feel stupid, and I'm usually in that position...this is like revenge but in any scenario I still win because I'm with you." He started ranting.
I laughed a bit to myself after being caught off guard and a smile grew on my face. We walked through the halls till the bell rang. I talked to him before our second to last period and all through the rest of those two classes that smile stayed on my face.
—
Seijoh. If Nekoma is our rivals I'd argue Seijoh is our second. If we win all the games coming up then we face them.
The team's morale seemed both high and low. All the guys were confident in their skill and they knew they had it in them to beat this team. However at the same time they were all a nervous wreck. I was even feeling a bit queasy but that might've been because Hinata was having stomach issues again.
When we got there I was put on water duty since Yachi and Kiyoko had already grabbed the bags. In order to keep their nerves in check and their breakfast down they started drinking water before even getting to the arena. I knew a bathroom break was coming so I took my time trying to find the water fountain.
"Naka-san~" I heard my name sung.
"Tooru, lovely to run into you while I'm getting water...again." I smiled sarcastically, turning around. "Oh hey Iwa." I waved to his counterpart who was standing slightly behind him.
"Hello." he simply waved.
"It is always you getting the water, so I thought why not come and say hi, and wish you good luck." He nodded his head, proud that he was just being nice.
"Yeah well Yachi has to learn about Kiyoko's part of the job so I'm left with the mundane tasks." I joked. "Besides, I should be the one wishing you two good luck."
"I do hope for the best for the both of us." Iwa nodded. "I just hope you root for us for at least one game."
"Any game not against us, I'll be right behind you." I smiled.
"Well on behalf of your team, and considering you see me as a second big brother-"
"I never said all that."
"I wanted to give you my regards." He continued.
"Thank you Tooru. And good luck to your team too, you might need it." I mentioned as I got ready to walk away.
"Suzuki, as sarcastic as always. You're so mean." He gripped his heart dramatically.
"Nice talking to you, Tooru." I turned on my heels. "You too Iwa."
"Wonderful as always, and tell your boyfriend I said hi." Tooru laughed.
I whipped my head around.
There's no way.
"That's what my nephew calls him anyways." He finished his thought. I laughed it off and walked in the other direction back to the team.
I dropped off their bottles and handed Kiyoko my notebook because only one manager was allowed on the court, meaning Yachi and I had to watch in the stands. We were both a little disappointed but glad we weren't going to be by ourselves.
"Good luck you guys." I waved. I turned and looked at the raven haired setter and smiled, "good luck Tobio."
Yachi and I raced upstairs.
"You know part of me is glad I don't have to be surrounded by guys that tower over me, but I feel like I want to prove my spot down there." She said to me.
"That's the spirit." I shook her shoulders. "You don't have to prove yourself to be down there but I think that shows the passion you have for the games. You make a great manager."
She stood there for a second digesting what I said while I kept walking. I looked back and realized she was still there. "I'm going to beat you! If I do, you're on throw up clean up duty!" I saw her snap out of it and run up to me.
[A/N: writing games takes up a lot of chapters so I'm cutting this one short. spoiler alert?? Kurasuno won]
—
We started walking out with the team when I noticed it seemed a bit more quiet.
"Where the hell did Hinata go?" I asked Kageyama who was standing next to me.
"He said he forgot his lunchbox? I don't know anymore." He sighed.
I looked around to see if I could spot his hair sticking out from everyone around us when I noticed Kiyoko had disappeared too. "Did Kiyoko go with him?" I asked again.
"I would assume so." He shrugged.
We ended up having to stand outside waiting for them as people passed by us giving us questioning looks as there's just a whole team outside of the entrance doing nothing.
"These teams keep eyeing us as they walk out and I'm not a fan of it." Tanaka grumbled. "If you have something to say, say it."
"Some of them don't even look like players." Kageyama added.
"I'd say you're all impatient but I agree. These other teams are so obnoxiously obvious of what they're doing." Tsukishima complained.
"I brought up their absence inside, I feel like standing outside is making us stick out even more." I reminded them.
"Even inside they'd still murmur stuff within their little groups." Asahi closed his eyes and shook his head.
"But at least the other teams would help us like- blend in? Go at least a little more unnoticed." I shrugged.
As we were talking the two walked outside then spotted us waiting.
"Sorry about that guys!" Hinata exclaimed.
"Try and get your crap together dumbass!" Tanaka replied more assertively until he and Noya noticed Kiyoko and had a complete change of demeanor.
"Kiyoko we're so glad you're safe!" They both jumped up in front of her."
She just ignored them and walked away.
"Did you find everything you needed?" Daichi asked them.
"His lunch," Kiyoko said pointing to the lunchbox Hinata was safely holding in his hands. "Look how cute it is."
We all looked and saw the boy holding a space themed lunchbox I wouldn't have seen since I was 8.
"Awww! Kiyoko!" Hinata yelped in embarrassment.
Which there was nothing to be embarrassed about, although he was made fun of on the walk to the bus. And on the bus ride. And I might have joined in here or there.