Author's Note:
If there's anything you aren't sure of, please comment and ask!
You can also look at the end of the chapters, where I will most likely have Author's Notes or References that explain the confusing parts or Japanese culture.
And, please comment your favorite characters so I know who to write about!
(Both Haikyuu and KnB are fine)
***
May 2011
Daichi closed the metal doors of the school gymnasium and locked up for the day. They'd had a short morning practice before their plans to go scouting for potential rivals.
"You all go ahead. I'll catch up with you," he said, holding the keys.
"I'll take your bag, Sawamura-senpai." Ai offered a hand out to the second-year.
"Thanks, Ai." He handed her his duffel bag and jogged off.
"Okay, let's go." Sugawara smiled and led them to the front of the school. "You don't have to come with us, Ai. I'm sure you have better things to do on a Saturday."
"It's no problem at all. I'd be happy to go with you."
"That's right! We're going to show her off to everyone and make them all jealous that we have not one, but two female managers!" Tanaka bragged.
They laughed.
"Shimizu's not coming though," Sugawara reminded him.
Ai felt lucky to be a part of their team. Her first year at Karasuno had been incredible so far, and she was endlessly glad to have become a manager of another sports club.
Sugawara and Tanaka made small talk while waiting for Daichi to meet them at the front gates of Karasuno High School. It didn't take him very long to leave the keys in the staff room and get back.
Ai handed him his bag, and the four of them left for the Middle School Volleyball Tournament.
.
They made their way inside the public gymnasium and to the observation deck upstairs, each flaunting their black club jacket. Yukigaoka Middle was up against Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High, and they were losing miserably. The scoreboard enunciated the crude score of 5-25 for the first set. However, the morale of Yukigaoka's captain didn't diminish.
While the guys beside her made comments about the teams and its members, Ai just observed the match. She watched the orange-haired boy, who jumped remarkably high, and the opposing setter, who was clearly talented.
A tense atmosphere surrounded Kitagawa Daiichi's players on the court... caused by the No. 2 setter's actions and verbalizations, it seemed. The other players avoided him and whispered behind his back. Ai felt a murkiness of negative emotions starting to grow in her chest.
She slid her gaze over to the other side of the net.
In a particular play, Yukigaoka's No. 3 couldn't receive a serve properly, and it flew off toward the wall. She saw the orange-haired captain try to save the ball desperately. He tumbled and crashed into the wall, risking getting hurt.
Because the ball hadn't dropped yet.
Because the game wasn't over yet.
Ai also couldn't help but notice that two of the players wearing light green uniforms may be out of place; one used his feet a lot and the other reminded her of her time with the basketball team.
She giggled softly.
"What is it?" Sugawara asked.
"It's nothing." Ai looked away from the view downstairs. "Is this all we were looking for?"
"Yup. Do you wanna stay and watch some more?"
"No. Thank you."
"Seems like we're going to see some interesting people next year," the soon-to-be captain of the team said.
"The 'King of the Court'," Sugawara quoted.
"He'll be a tough opponent once he gets into high school," Daichi unknowingly assumed.
"The short kid's promising, too." Tanaka grinned.
They silently took their leave, but Ai took one last glance at the ending match before following the leader.
.
She went with Tanaka after they parted ways with their upperclassmen, and he kindly walked her home. The talkative wing spiker kept her company while Ai listened to his mostly one-sided conversation. She didn't mind staying quiet, and he was surprisingly very caring about her.
Tanaka saw her to her house safely and left with a promise that Ai would help him study next time.
.
Later that day, Ai decided to text someone she's known from middle school. Her messages were overly polite, even through text.
Ai: Seijuro, how are you?
Seijuro: I'm doing well. How are you, Ai?
Ai: I'm glad to hear that. I'm doing well, too. I hope you get many promising new members.
Seijuro: Thanks; I'm sure we will. The best to your two clubs.
Ai: I miss you.
Seijuro: I'll call you soon.
She sighed. The truth was, she missed him, as much as she missed all of them.
———
Spring Break
2012
Her first year at Karasuno was officially over.
The third-years graduated, and the rest of the students prepared for the incoming freshman after the short vacation. Daichi was crowned captain, and Sugawara was promoted to vice captain when the third-years retired from the club as well. They were also assigned a new supervisory teacher: Takeda Ittetsu-sensei.
There was some talk of practicing during the three-week break, but it was agreed that they needed time off from the underlying tension after the dispute. Hence, practice was deemed voluntary, although strongly recommended. They were already down two members as it were.
Ai helped at her mother's store selling crafts and managing the inventory. It was something she was good at and took her mind off of the little fallout. Their teammates were close, but that didn't prevent drama.
She called on the phone the libero who had been suspended from school and debated whether or not to reach out to the ace, too. She consulted her three sensible friends, but they assured her that it would be alright. She didn't want her actions to come across as disrespectful to her superior.
Ai also wished she could visit her friends from middle school, since most of them were separated by prefecture. She desperately wanted to see them again. She hadn't seen any of them since the certain birthday gathering, and she wondered how they were doing. She hadn't even visited Murasakibara in Akita.
The thought of losing the close connections she'd built over the couple of years to the mere transition to new schools made her desperately sad.
Ai pulled up the picture on her phone that was taken on the last day of January and gazed at the smiles and stares of her clubmates from Teikō.
They all looked different, and it pained her to realize that they were going to continue to change where she couldn't see.
.
Ai decided to go to a few of the optional volleyball practice days at school. She was also able to shoot some hoops by herself after the volleyball players were finished. It had been a while since she as much as touched a basketball. She got looks of surprise, but no reprimanding.
In between her two current clubs, her mother's shop, and school, she, unfortunately, didn't have the time to go traveling around and visiting her good friends. She knew it would upset more than one person and began to think of apologies.
———
April 2012
First Day of School
The cherry blossoms were blooming and signified that it was now April, which meant the start of a new school year.
Everyone was invited to the opening ceremony. It entailed all three grades, the teachers, and the parent visitors sitting through the vice principal's speech and other formalities. The applause as the freshman entered and left the gymnasium, set up as an auditorium, was never-ending and tiresome.
Relieved that it was now over, everyone started recruiting new members for their respective clubs.
Ai spent the first day of the new school year promoting the volleyball club and the sadō club. Kiyoko mostly managed the volleyball club and collected the few applications.
She was excited to see all of the new faces and potential.
Endings and beginnings.
***
Reference:
Sadō 茶道 is Japanese tea ceremony.
You have to pay attention to every little detail, from how you sit and stand, how you walk, and how you hold things 😵💫
Kind of like this...
(The anime is Skip Beat, but I took the pictures off of the internet.)
https://youtu.be/HEeAlmN9-BU
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Author's Note:
Please comment if any of this is awkward or cringy!
Also, I added Haikyuu/KnB conversation starters to every chapter! Comment what you think!
(There are no right or wrong answers.)
How/when did Hinata become friends with Izumi (basketball) and Kōji (soccer), his two friends from Yukigaoka Middle School?
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Total Word Count: 1449