"We're in Tokyo!!" Nishinoya and Tanaka exclaimed as Haneul yawned, getting off the bus. "It doesn't look that different from back home in Miyagi," Asahi said, groggily looking around. "Where's Tsukishima?" Kiyoko asked Haneul, who looked inside the bus to see the blond still asleep in his seat, and Tadashi as well. "I'll go wake them up," she murmured, going back inside the bus. "Kei-kun, wake up," Haneul said, poking the blond's cheek.
"Hm? Where are my glasses?" The brunette chuckled and motioned to his head, where his glasses sat. She then walked to the back of the bus, where Tadashi was leaning aside a window. Haneul shook the boy by his shoulder, causing him to wake up slowly. "You're drooling, Tadashi-kun," she laughed, making the boy blush and wipe his drool with his sleeve.
Outside, Nishinoya pulled the salty first year duo towards the school while Haneul took her bag from the trunk, walking with Yachi and Kiyoko. "THERE'S THREE OF THEM?!" Haneul looked to find who she remembered as Yamamoto kneeling infront of them. "One's sexy, one is innocent, and the other is the cute kind?! What a blessing!" Kiyoko stood in front of Yachi and Haneul, protecting them.
"Take a good luck, tiger head. Behold the glory of going to Karasuno High," Tanaka said, laughing. "Stop it, Ryuu-senpai," Haneul said, causing the boy to nod and follow behind the manager trio. "You can head inside the gym when you're ready. Everyone's already here. Oh! Hey there, Ka-chan," Kuro proceeded to pet her head, causing Kei to look at him weirdly.
Since she had swapped phone numbers with the team when they last met, Haneul was constantly messaging them through a group chat, and had gotten pretty close with them. They mostly just sent memes, though. "Hi, Kuro-senpai," she smiled back, walking with the others to set their things.
Once changed into a white t-shirt and her black shorts, Haneul headed to the gym with the rest of the team. She saw Kenma on a court, so she waved at him. The boy waved back, along with Yaku. "Who's that? I don't think he was with Nekoma last time we played them," Sugawara said to Asahi and Haneul. "You mean the guy that's staring at us? Nope, never seen him," Asahi said, clearly uneasy. "Oh, that's Lev. He's pretty new to volleyball, so I've heard," Haneul said, smiling at the grey haired boy. He immediately got smacked by Yaku and told to him concentrate.
The strategy was, so Haneul could get more playing experience, she was going to play every second set. And so, they started to warm up. "Wow, Kazama-chan looks good in anything," Yachi said, causing her to blush and head to the court. The brunette tied her hair up in a ponytail before their game with Fukurodani started.
Once Hinata and Kageyama got there and were changed, Haneul stepped in the court to play against Shinzen. For some reason, playing with Hinata and Kageyama gave her a sense of ease, and her body seemed to be responding better now than earlier. When Tanaka went to spike but got blocked, Haneul managed to pick up the ball rapidly, sending it directly so Kageyama could set again.
Soon, they won the game, finally being able to dodge the flying laps. "Are you feeling okay?" Keishin asked Haneul, since it was the first match she had moved around so much, not to mention her recent hospitalization. "I'm fine, coach," she smiled, taking a water bottle from Yachi. "Haneul! You did great!" Nishinoya exclaimed with a smile, causing the brunette to smile. "Thank you, Yuu-senpai."
After the last game was over, Haneul headed to the showers with the other girls. "Woah, you have a bunch of scars, Kazama-san," Shirofuku, one of the Fukurodani managers, pointed out. They were all showering together, and Shirofuku had just pointed out the ones on her back. "O-oh, yeah, I h-have a lot... B-but they're disappearing..." Haneul blushed, going inside the shower.
"But why do you have so many?" Miyanoshita asked, who was the manager from Ubugawa. "Hey! It's bothering her, so stop asking!" Otaki said, being the manager of Shinzen. "Otaki is right," Suzumeda said, the other Fukurodani manager. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Kiyoko said from inside the shower. Yachi didn't say anything, but she wondered what the smaller girl had gone through.
"Let's, um... Let's just say someone hurt me... But I'm okay now!!" Haneul exclaimed. The girls then dropped the subject and started talking about their teams and funny things their team members do. After showering, Haneul went into the room she and the other managers would be staying at, and fell fast asleep.
"Everyone up! We have to help serve breakfast!" Exclaimed Otaki, opening the curtains on the windows. The rest of the girls groaned, but Haneul flinched when the light hit her face. "Wait, Otaki-San, can you close the curtain?" Kiyoko asked, standing up. The girl nodded, but was a little confused as she closed the curtain again. "Haneul, are you feeling okay?" Kiyoko asked while the brunette sat up. "It's just the PCS..." Haneul murmured, rubbing her eyes. "I'll be fine."
"What are you feeling?" asked Kiyoko, putting a hand on Haneul's forehead. "Just a headache, and I'm a bit dizzy but I'll be fine, senpai." "Yachi, please inform Takeda-sensei that Haneul is going through PCS. If possible, coach Ukai as well," Kiyoko instructed, gaining a "Yes ma'am!" From Yachi before leaving. "Senpai, I said I'll be fine," Haneul frowned, standing up.
"Listen, Haneul-chan," Kiyoko started, crossing her arms. "While you were still in the hospital, Takeda-sensei and the nurse instructed us on how to deal with PCS for moments like this. Tsukishima said you're pretty stubborn, which is why it's important for us to make sure Takeda or Ukai take a look at you before you play. Incase of any serious damage, understand?"
Haneul looked down in embarrassment, but nodded and sat back down. The other girls had already went off to change and make breakfast for the rest, so they were the only two in the room until Yachi ran in with both Takeda and Keishin. "Alright, Haneul-chan, you have a headache and dizziness, right?" Takeda asked, setting the first aid kit on the ground and sitting in front of her while she nodded.
"It's more of a migraine now..." After a few minutes, Haneul thanked the two grown ups and left to change, but Keishin advised her to sit out the morning practice just in case. With a sigh, Haneul walked in to help the other girls serve the last of the breakfast, and sat with Kei, Tadashi, Kenma, Nishinoya and Hinata to eat.
"Yuu-senpai, I'm sitting out today," Haneul said, grabbing a fork and eating her eggs. "What why?" Nishinoya asked through muffled cheeks. "PCS." "What's PCS?" Kenma asked, biting on a piece of bread. "It's post-concussion syndrome. Basically the side effects of a concussion," Tadashi explained. "Are you okay?" Kei asked, looking at the petite girl, who nodded. "Just a migraine, and a small dizzy spell. I'll be fine."
The whole day, Haneul spent it sitting aside Kiyoko and Yachi, explaining to the blonde girl the terms she didn't yet understand about volleyball. On a game with Nekoma, she grimaces when Asahi and Hinata collide. Yachi asks her why it was shocking that Hinata went after that ball, and Haneul explains that is was a ball meant for the Ace, and because of the accidental collision, the team is on edge. "Shoyo's desire to improve could be deadly."
"So it's safe to assume that you're the weakest team here, right?" Takeda asked on the briefing with a smile. This caused the members to get all glum, but nod nonetheless. Haneul laughed dryly from aside Tadashi and Sugawara, saying he's not wrong. "All these other clubs would be tough opponents if you fought them in official matches. Do you see them as enemies, or do you see them as fellow competitors from which you can absorb new techniques?"
"The fact that you are weak means that there is potential for growth, and nothing could be more fulfilling than that!" When Takeda finished, Daichi thanked him, but Haneul knew what was to come. Takeda had started fanning a dying fire, and now it was going to roar.
"I mean, the last time we played Nekoma we did the normal quick attack without really prepping for it." "But back then, we still had the possibility of doing the regular quick. I felt that was the only way to get through them." Haneul stumbled upon this conversation when she went to fill everyone's drinks. She stood at the door, but the trio didn't seem to see her. It seemed to her that Hinata was trying to get Sugawara on his side to try a new form of the quick attack, but it wasn't really working.
"During the Seijo match, I didn't realize it until it was too late. When air looked, the ball was already behind me. I was the one that lost, so I don't want you to apologize to me, Kegayama. To the last second, I'm going to fight for myself in the air." "I hear you, I do, but it's just not up to you." Haneul walked to them, attempting to scold Hinata. She blushed in nervousness, and said, "Hinata, you play in a team, you loose as a team. D-don't beat yourself up because of the S-Seijo game. But I have to side with you on this."
What she said caught both Kageyama and Sugawara off guard. "But not here, not today. It's too risky, and you need to figure out a foundation for it. Leave it for practice back at home." After a few seconds of silence and Haneul silently regretting what she said, Kageyama kept on walking inside. "I'm sorry, but after listening to Kageyama, I think he has the right idea. The quick attack is amazing enough already. Perfecting other attacks is more important right now," Sugawara said, scratching the back of his head.
Keishin then walked in, saying, "That move depends on a split second decision. Trying to pull something like that off in mid air in that instant? Just doesn't seem that feasible to me." "But when I'm doing well, everything goes in slow motion, just like Tanaka said." Haneul was intrigued with Hinata's remark, remembering something her Korean uncle had told her. She decided to leave them talking, and went to do her task.
When the matches were over, Haneul stood aside Takeda and Keishin, saying good bye to coach Nekomata. "I'll have you little youngins drinking with me the entire night for the entire week," the old coach said, referring to the summer training camp that was due in two weeks. "So that's what you were doing yesterday..." Haneul laughed, causing Keishin to freak a bit and mumble of how he didn't drink much and didn't have that kind of habit, causing Takeda to look at him weirdly. "I-it's fine! I don't want you changing anything, Keishin-san," Haneul said, causing Takeda to catch on quick.
"W-wait! You're taking Haneul in?!" Coach Nekomata turned around, telling Keishin, "Congratulations, then! It's not easy raising a kid, so watch yourself. Maybe you shouldn't come drinking with us all those nights..." Keishin silently thanked Haneul, and she smiled shyly at him while Takeda asked all sorts of questions.
Later at the bus, she's seated with Kei, and they both fall asleep on each other. When they get to the school, Kei tells her that he forgot something in his classroom, so she waits for him at the gym. Meanwhile, she sees Kageyama and Hinata setting up with Yachi, and she goes in with them. She takes the opportunity and shows Yachi how to throw the balls at Kageyama, witnessing how Hinata fails to touch each of them.
They start fighting, and Yachi says, "Let's take a breather and calm down, okay?" But then Kageyama decks Hinata down. "Hey, l-lets all get along, okay?" Haneul says, but then Hinata runs straight to Kageyama. "Yachi, go get Tanaka or Daichi or anyone!" Haneul exclaims, and the blonde girl runs out the door. Haneul walks towards them and tries to separate them, but they end up hitting her on the process, causing her to fall back.
Just then, Tanaka runs in, and Yachi and Kei follow up. Tanaka intervened in their fight, and Kei helped Haneul up. She got her knees bruised by falling, but that's about it. Even so, Kei was enraged, yelling, "You two can't even keep your bickering to yourselves! What were you thinking fighting in front of both of your managers?! And about what? A darn quick attack?! You both are pathetic!"
The blond boy held Haneul by her shoulder, leading her away from the gym. "Does it hurt?" He asked once he had calmed down. "It just stings, but I'll be fine. Thank you, Kei-kun," Haneul said, leaning onto him slightly. They walked home together in a comfortable silence, and once home, they fell asleep together.