Chapter 1:
Present day
Toma Mizuki never thought that she would ever be back in her hometown of Miyagi. Shortly after moving to Brazil, she found herself and her younger brother adapting to the environment and its unique culture well. Her mother, on the other hand, tried to be supportive and kept an open mind about their new life but her father knew something was wrong. It wasn't until now that Mizuki realized that her mother missed Japan, especially her family, friends, and the career that she had worked long and hard for. Mizuki's father loved her mother so much that only after a year of residing in Brazil, he wanted them to move back to Japan for the sake of her happiness. However, because her mother loved her father that much, she insisted that they remain in Brazil. Eventually, they reached a middle ground where their family would move back to Japan, but her father would stay in Brazil only during the volleyball season. He would return to Japan every chance that he got to spend time with them and they would visit him in Brazil to watch his games. Also, Mizuki's mother decided that it would be best for them to stay in Tokyo instead of Miyagi so that whenever her father came to Japan, he would not be troubled to have to travel five or more hours to get there.
Thus, Toma Mizuki spent her junior high years in one of the most prestigious volleyball schools in Tokyo. Due to her natural skills, well-developed instincts, and her family's support, she soon became part of the top 5 strongest junior high volleyball players in all of Japan. She was particularly known for her devastating left-handed spikes which left her enemies frustrated yet inspired whenever they played against her. Many high schools in Tokyo began scouting her in the hopes of getting her to join their highschool. This included power schools like Itachiyama Academy and Fukurodani Academy. However, like most things in life, things don't always go as planned. For Toma Mizuki, her father's death greatly impacted her and her family, as well as the volleyball industry nationwide. The overwhelming grief caused her to quit the volleyball team in her last year of junior high, and she spent most of her days studying and in seclusion. Thankfully, she had two best friends that were always there for her - Suzuki Mina, and Suzuki Rina.
Mina and Rina were identical twins that belonged in a wealthy family that sold expensive cars. Their mother died shortly after their birth and their father was a businessman who was often abroad attending meetings and selling cars. Their father loved them a lot, however, because of his business, he almost never sees them. Mizuki's family became their second family shortly after they had met in junior high. Mina is an observant and intelligent person who played the setter position in their junior high team whereas Rina is a wild and unpredictable being who played the libero position. They were complete and total opposites but they were true friends to Mizuki. In fact, they were a little too true because when Mizuki told them that her family was moving back to Miyagi, they decided to follow her there too. Their father approved as he had entrusted Mizuki's mother to care for them for him. He even offered her money for the trouble but Mizuki's mother declined politely. She claimed that she would not mind taking care of them, but after careful consideration and the circumstances of her husband's sudden death, the twins' father decided he would not cause trouble for Mizuki's family. Instead, he decided that he would bring over the butlers, guards, and maids from Tokyo in a new mansion that he had bought for his daughters in the Miyagi prefecture. The twins were ecstatic that they would spend their high school lives with their best friend, Mizuki. Mizuki was over the moon too!
~
"So, what club are we joining?" Rina exclaimed as she brushed her hair excessively. The three were currently getting ready for their first day of high school in Karasuno High.
"I don't know. Maybe... volleyball?" Mina blinked and gazed at Mizuki, who avoided eye contact with her.
"Sorry, but I'm not planning on playing volleyball," Mizuki sighed as she placed her T-Rex necklace around her neck, "I'm thinking of joining the history club... Or maybe even the paleontology club, if they still have it."
"History? Paleontology?" Rina scoffed while crossing her arms, "You're not an old man! Why would you join those clubs?"
Rina sauntered over to Mizuki and shook her repeatedly, "This is not the time for jokes, Mizuki!"
Mizuki slapped her hands away and laughed, "I'm not joking. My cousin last year told me that they have a paleontology club, so why not? I do need to join a club after all."
"Please join any other club," Rina whined, "Please."
Mina rolled her eyes and threw her backpack towards her twin, "Leave her alone. If Mizuki joins the paleontology club, I will too." She smiled softly, giving her a thumbs up.
Mizuki loved her best friends - she was extremely lucky to have them. Shortly after her father passed away, her classmates in junior high would not leave her alone. She would get pity looks from everyone which made her uncomfortable and even more upset. Rina would scare everyone and threatened to sue them if they didn't stop staring. Mina was more terrifying though - she was like a silent assassin who would stop anyone before they would even come close to Mizuki.
"We might finally get to meet your childhood boyfriend after all these years." Rina teased as she snickered.
Mina kicked her sister's back to get her to shut up.
"Ahh..." Mizuki smiled, looking away from her friends, "I haven't seen him in a long time."
Because Mizuki's family lived in Tokyo during her junior high years, she visited Miyagi only a couple of times within those three years. First, her mother had a demanding job as a head nurse in a Tokyo hospital which meant that they could only visit during the holidays or very special days. Second, Mizuki's grandparents (on both sides) lived in Miyagi but they would often travel to Tokyo to visit during the holidays because they did not want to trouble her father into driving to Miyagi when he should be relaxing and spending time with her family. Finally, when Mizuki and her family visit her hometown, Kei happened to be out of town visiting relatives. The stars don't seem to align when it comes to them reuniting. Maybe Kei had moved to a different part of Miyagi, or maybe he didn't want to see her. Or... maybe he doesn't even remember her.
"He's the one that gave you that necklace right?" Mina confirmed, "What was his name again? Takahashi...? Tanaka...?"
"Tsukishima..." Mizuki corrected her friend, "Tsukishima Kei."
"Eh? Like the moon?" Rina commented snarkily, "How cute. Doesn't your name mean moon too?" She sighed dreamily, "It's like the universe is trying to tell you both something."
"In your dreams." Mizuki rolled her eyes.
The three made their way downstairs of the twins' mansion and were greeted by Yoshiro-san, their main butler. They were going to get driven to Karasuno High by the twins' driver. The scenery in Miyagi remained unparalleled and thus, superior to Tokyo. Compared to Tokyo, Miyagi was surrounded by comfortable silence, lush trees and shimmering lakes whereas Tokyo was congested, noisy, and smelly, at times. She definitely preferred the countryside.
Twenty minutes passed and they finally arrived at Karasuno High. The tall, white building was surrounded by a large track field and various gyms. Cherry blossom petals bloomed at the front of the school, signaling the beginning of a new school year. Karasuno was once called a powerhouse school when it came to volleyball a couple of years ago. Mizuki didn't know what fully happened but now, they were called the "fallen champs" or the "clipped crows". It was a shame indeed.
"I still can't believe we chose Karasuno when Shiratorizawa was right there." Rina huffed, "Mizuki, you're lucky that we love you that much to follow you to Karasuno."
Mizuki laughed softly, thinking about her last-minute decision to not attend Shiratorizawa. She had various reasons as to why she changed her mind but it was mostly because she was afraid of being recognized there. Her father attended Shiratorizawa, meaning that some of the alumni may know her, and consequently, treat her differently. She didn't want to be pitied anymore - she wanted to lay low and finish high school successfully. Although, she didn't know what she was going to study at university. After all, her plan was to become a professional volleyball player and now that she doesn't play anymore, she felt conflicted.
"I mean, Shiratorizawa has multiple pools," Rina mentioned for the fifteenth time, "And cute guys. Ushijima Wakatoshi is there..." She let out a whiny, loud sigh which caused some heads to turn their way as they walked inside the school.
"I'll never forgive you for this." Rina shook her head dramatically and pointed at Mizuki. "Ever."
"Yeah, yeah," Mizuki patted her head, "I got it, your majesty."
"Do you think this is funny?" Rina's eyes lit up angrily as if she had seen someone steal her designer purse, "I don't think you understand the seriousness of this, Mizuki." She grabbed her shoulders and shook her furiously.
"Ushijima Wakatoshi." She repeated. "I can't believe you."
"Alright you two," Mina sighed as she separated the two of them, "That's enough. You guys sound really idiotic right now."
"She started it." The two of them muttered at the same time. Mizuki knew she was kidding but she also knew that Rina wanted to attend Shiratorizawa so that she can play volleyball in a school that's considered a powerhouse. Mizuki felt crummy for that but grateful that they decided to be with her at Karasuno anyway.
"It's unfortunate that we're not in the same class." Rina pouted, "I mean, why do you two get to be in the same class but not me?"
"We'll come to eat with you at lunch every day. Promise." Mizuki grinned widely.
"Or we could just ditch her, and make new friends." Mina chimed in, a small smirk forming from her face.
"Very funny. Hilarious. You should be a comedian." Rina grabbed her sister's arm and twisted it harshly.
"Ouch! Ouch!" Mina cried out, "Stop it, idiot!"
Mizuki attempted to break the two apart from fighting and just as she pulled away Rina's hand from Mina, she accidentally fell backwards and caused a chain of students to fall over. This was a disaster.
"Watch where you're going!" An irritated voice called out.
"Sorry, I was just-" As Mizuki stood up from the floor, she noticed a very familiar keychain that dangled from a student's bag. It looked a lot like the blue Pterodactyl keychain that she got for Kei before she left for Brazil.
Wait.
There's no way.
Mizuki slowly lifted her head to look up at the boy standing in front of her.
"Where did you get that?" A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. The boy pointed at the necklace she was wearing.
"Kei," Mizuki whispered, her gaze meeting his clear, amber eyes. His expressions changed from annoyance to shock as soon as he had realized who was standing right in front of him. Kei cleared his throat immediately and turned around to face away from her. Before he began walking away, she heard him say three unexpected words.
"Welcome back, stupid."