"Again."
Reo stood at the edge of the mat, arms crossed and eyes stern. "Do it again." He barked.
Out of breath and shaky Machi re-set in the middle of the mats for her form. She didn't argue with him this time, even she knew that last segment had sucked and needed a do-over. Taking a deep breath to center herself again, Machi began her form once more, each strike and kick executed with a fierce precision as if she were fighting an invisible opponent. When she reached the segment that was giving her trouble she felt her muscles automatically tense and her jaw clench. Get your shit together Machi, you can do this. Three fast round kicks at alternating heights followed immediately by spin jump crescent that landed in a solid middle stance. Her kicks were strong this time around, but she felt her knees wobble a bit when she landed her jump. At least she didn't fall on her ass this time.
"Better. Your stance needs to be deeper and you can't flub the landing, but at least you're improving." That was about as close as Reo had ever come to complementing his daughter and she found it both unsettling and refreshing. It was better than his regular lecture at least.
This was the second week of starting early morning practice again, and Machi was both glad to see she was improving enough for his acknowledgement, but she also really missed that extra hour of sleep. Reo was one of those insanely early risers that she swore was a sign of sociopathy, which just meant she was the one who directly suffered. And so when 5:30 rolled around she was standing in their home studio, eyes still swollen with sleep, but ready to work. He drilled her on everything: multiple weapons, her black belt form, and most importantly: sparring. While she would be judged on all three at competitions, sparring was worth the most points and would often decide the champion. As a result that was what they worked on the most in the early dawn hours. On days like today Reo made sure they used every single minute of the hour to train both sparring and her form, and now that the time was up, Machi's legs felt ready to collapse.
"I'm judging a tournament this weekend so I won't be home when you get back from school." Reo grabbed the dry mop from the corner and began cleaning the mats, which Machi used as her opportunity to escape and get ready for school. She ran, or hobbled on her wobbly legs, off the mats as fast as she could and up to her room. It was already pushing 6:40, which barely gave her enough time to shower, dress and grab breakfast-to-go before meeting with Tadashi and Tsukki. Moving as fast as she could manage, Machi was only eight minutes late by the time she left the house. Her uniform wasn't tucked in and her still damp hair hung loosely around her shoulders, but she figured those were things she could fix as they walked.
"Someone forgot to finish pampering this morning, I see." Tsukki was a bit salty about having to wait longer than necessary (again) for Machi, and Tadashi had insisted (again) they couldn't leave without her.
Still cranky from her early morning and now sore muscles, Machi pushed him along the sidewalk with her foot as she hastily fixed her uniform. "Can it, dick-wad, I've been up since 5, and dad only just dismissed me 30 minutes ago." Tsukki scoffed but didn't retaliate and Machi moved on to digging through her school bag for a hair tie. When her hand only grasped at books and paper she swore under her breath, "Aw shit, now I have to wear it down all day, I blame you Tsukki. You rushed me."
"Why don't you—"
"Hey, um before I forget," Tadashi quickly interjected, before the two could start yet another argument, "Tsukki and I have to practice during lunch so we won't be able to eat with you, is that okay?" He fidgeted with a loose strand on his school bag, feeling a bit guilty about leaving her alone.
"Don't worry about it, I have a book with me I can catch up on. You two have a game coming up you want to prepare for?" She had watched their practice match against those new first years not too long ago. The loss must have struck a fire in his heart to be better. Aw, he's growing up so fast.
"Yeah! Takeda Sensei got us a practice match with Aoba Johsai, I want to make sure I'm ready, ya know?"
Machi slapped each of them on the back happily, though Tsukki swore it was just a thinly veiled attempt to hit him and get away with it. "Well then do your best! Volleyball is important too so feel free to ditch me today."
"You're the best Machi, I promise I'll make it up to you later." He gave her a quick grin before heading off to class, though not without Machi calling out after him sarcastically,
"I will take all forms of repayment in chocolate."
***
Without the two first years at lunch, Machi decided a change of scenery was needed and wandered off to sit under a shady tree to eat and read her book. In all honesty, it was a nice change of pace. Leaning comfortably against the tree, it didn't take long for her to finish her lunch and soon she was fully absorbed in her novel. "God, you stupid, idiot Mr. Darcy....why aren't you real?"
Not too far off on the school grounds three students sat together at one of the few outdoor tables. Asahi was picking at his food nervously, thinking about his friend's upcoming practice game and his own anxiety about staying away from the team, while Daichi lectured to him and Suga about the best starting lineup they should use. At first the gray-haired teen was listening intently to his best friend, but a flash of movement in the corner of his eye drew his attention away. Dark hair flowing behind her in a wavy curtain, Machi strode across the green lawn with a book in her hand. All alone and apparently not a care in the world.
"I'm thinking we place Tsukishima up by the net at first, use his height to our advantage..."
Suga hadn't talked to her since that evening outside of Sakanoshita Market, but that wasn't for lack of trying. He would greet her every day while she waited outside the gym for Tadashi, and even tried sparking a conversation when she came to watch the practice game between the first years, but every time she'd limit her responses to one or two words and then would quickly find an excuse to leave.
"What do you think Suga, Aoba Johsai is one of the top-ranked teams, maybe we should..."
Yet despite the cold shoulder, here the poor boy sat, nervously chewing on his thumbnail while trying to figure out what caused the sudden change in her demeanor and how he could fix it. He wanted to get to know the real Machi, the one who had smiled so genuinely while eating green tea mochi, not the one that everyone was afraid of.
"Are you listening Suga? Suga? Ground Control to Major Tom? Helloooo, Suga are you listening? Suga!"
Sugawara jumped at the sound of Daichi's voice suddenly in his ear, dropping the can of juice he didn't know he had been holding, "W-What?"
Following his friend's line of vision, Daichi sighed when he saw Harada sitting cross-legged under a tree, a book nestled in her lap. "Seriously? You're really hung up on her aren't you?"
Embarrassed at being caught staring, Suga ducked his head to hide the pink tint to his cheeks, "I don't know what your talking about."
"Oh come on, Romeo, it's pretty obvious you like her. Why don't you ask her out instead of just watching her like a creep."
"It's not like that Daichi, seriously." Suga mumbled, trying to convince himself just as much as his friend. "She doesn't seem to have a lot of friends, besides her cousin and Tsukishima, I just thought it might be nice to get to know her."
"Right....as a friend." Daichi smirked, raising an eyebrow at him in disbelief. Suga was his best friend, but the guy was an idiot when it came to his own feelings.
"Well, y-yeah!" Suga stammered, trying his best to stop his face from burning, "But she keeps pushing me away, and I don't know why."
"Didn't you hit her in the head with a volleyball?" Asahi asked innocently, "I wouldn't blame her for avoiding you after that."
"Yeah but I apologized for that!" Accidentally raising his voice enough that students at other tables looked their way. Sinking his head to rest on his hand he sighed, "I'm just not sure what to do."
Glancing over at Asahi, Daichi saw he had the same knowing glint in his eyes. Deciding to take pity on their hopeless friend, Daichi offered a bit of help. "Maybe she's just afraid. Show her you're serious, that you really want to be her friend. Why don't you go see if you can catch her during her club practice. Ask her to hang out or something. As friends. I can manage the team today."
Suga's eyes lit up at the idea, not picking up on Daichi's selective sarcasm. "Yeah, I think I will! You sure it's alright I miss practice today though, right before the game with Aoba Johsai?"
"Don't worry about that, the first years are the ones who need to practice more anyway." He smirked and gave Suga a shove, "Go get her, Romeo." The lunch bell suddenly rang and Suga was the first up from the table and heading back towards the main building with a new bounce in his step. Walking a few paces behind him, Asahi snuck a glance over at the girl they had just been discussing. Leaning over to Daichi he whispered, "She's cute, you think she'd be interested in him?"
Daichi laughed, hoping to one day see how Asahi would respond to one of Harada's signature death glares. "Who knows, but if they get married, he better thank me in his wedding speech."
***
"Sooo, you gonna ask her?" Kaido smirked, elbowing Nakagawa in the ribs. Their eyes both trailed over to Machi, who had borrowed a hair tie from a first year and was finishing braiding her hair before practice. Nakagawa shrugged, but Kaido wasn't letting up. "Today's a sparring day, so she'll be in a good mood." When the captain still didn't look convinced, Kaido elbowed him again, "Come on, man, stop being a wimp and ask her out!"
"It's not that easy!" He suddenly snapped. Kaido had been nagging him all week to finally work up the courage to ask Machi on a date. But every time he came close, something stopped him. Whether it was his own anxiety or Machi running off with some sort of excuse before he could mutter out his pre-planned dialogue, it was now the end of the week and he still hadn't said anything. "I don't want it to hurt our friendship. Plus, she's not exactly known to have the most sympathetic responses."
"True, that last guy who asked her out ended up transferring to another school after her rejection. Poor guy never stood a chance."
This probably wasn't the best way to boost his friend's confidence, and when he saw the incredulous expression on Nakagawa's face he tried a different approach. "But you've known each other for like, seven years right? I bet even if she did reject you it wouldn't be that bad."
"Thanks Kaido, I've never felt more reassured." Nakagawa glowered at his friend. This was exactly why he hadn't asked her yet; they'd been friends for so long, what if he asked and she said no and then their friendship fell apart too? Plus she was vice-captain of the club so it wasn't like he could avoid seeing her every day if things didn't work out.
"Alright, who's ready to get their ass kicked?" Machi had joined the two third years on the mats now that she finished tying back her hair, popping her knuckles confidently. She may have only been a second year, but everyone in club knew she was the best at sparring and wouldn't hold back during a match. Unlike the matches with her father, here they wore head gear and chest protectors, but even so she'd been known to hit hard enough to still leave bruises even with the extra gear.
Glad to have a distraction from Kaido's incessant nagging, Nakagawa quickly began dividing the club into two separate sparring rings. They'd have a few one-on-one rounds in each ring, the winners moving up to spar one another until one from each ring remained. Feeling a sudden wave of sympathy for the first years he grouped most of them together in one ring and placed Machi with the second and third years. They were used to her style of fighting, and it gave her more of a challenge, which he knew she'd want.
As Captain, Nakagawa mostly acted as referee for each match, making sure things didn't get out of hand. Machi of course won her first two matches easily, each time scoring the final points with a jump kick to the head. The first years, and Kaido, needed a bit more of his attention as they would often tried to sneak in illegal strikes without him noticing. He was in the middle of yelling at Kaido for yet another illegal kick to the back when Suga quietly snuck into the gym and stood by the door to watch. It didn't take long for him to spot Machi. Even with her sparring gear obstructing her face he could tell it was her; no one else had the same level of energy about them.
"Alright, final match! Machi vs. The Idiot Who Likes to Cheat." Nakagawa glared at his best friend, "I hope she beats you to a pulp, Kaido."
Grinning from ear to ear Kaido readjusted his head gear and faced Machi, who gave him such an intense stare his smile faltered a bit.
Inching a bit closer Suga watched the match in awe. Machi was a head shorter than her opponent and yet she radiated a confidence that Suga quickly found out wasn't just pretense. Within the first few moments Machi had thrown three consecutive kicks, the last landing square on his chest and sending him stumbling back.
Kaido huffed and retaliated with his own quick volley, but Machi was faster. Every one of Kaido's kicks was met with a block or counter and it was pissing him off. Watching carefully Suga couldn't help but be impressed. Tadashi had mentioned a few times that she was a great fighter, but this was way past his expectations. She seemed to always know what her opponent was going to do before they did and would move with such speed and grace she looked like a dancer. When she successfully blocked a tricky combination and countered with a strong left hook, Suga found himself silently cheering her on.
"That's match point! Machi is our undefeated champ." Nakagawa cheered along with the rest of the team watching. Brimming with pride Machi took off her head gear and offered Kaido a handshake. "Better luck next time Senpai, good match though."
"Yeah, good match Machi, thanks for not beating me to a pulp like the Captain wanted."
She gave him a final smile and walked off the mat to grab a towel and water bottle. Heart hammering Nakagawa followed behind her. This was it. He was gonna finally ask her out. Reaching out a hand for her shoulder he tried to clear his suddenly dry throat.
"H-hey Machi—"
"Sugawara-San?"
She had spotted him standing sheepishly by the door and he gave her a small wave. "Hey Harada-San. That was an amazing match, I've never seen anything like it."
"Thanks, but um, what are you doing here? Don't you have volleyball?"
Suga rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Yeah, technically, but I had a question for you and was hoping to catch you before you left." A bit surprised, Machi blinked slowly before responding, "Oh, ok. Um, give me twenty minutes to help clean up and change first."
She quickly wandered off to help some of the others clean the sparring gear, not noticing Nakagawa had slumped off to the side of the mat to cover his burning face with a towel. Kaido came up behind him and gave him an understanding pat on the back. "Next time man, you'll get your chance."
Twenty quick minutes later Machi was jogging over to Suga who still stood patiently waiting for her. "Sorry to keep you waiting, what's on your mind?"
Suddenly very nervous, Suga took a deep breath before continuing, "It's a bit embarrassing actually, but I hope I didn't offend you again the last time we really talked."
Machi stared at him in confusion so he quickly continued, "You've seemed a little distant lately so I hope I didn't do anything to make you want to avoid me."
Aw shit, was it that obvious? Instead of feigning ignorance she decided to address him straight on. "You didn't do anything wrong Sugawara-San—"
"Suga."
"W-What?"
"My friends call me Suga."
"But we're not friends, we barely know each other." He was right. She had been avoiding him. Not because he did anything wrong, but because she was afraid of how comfortable she felt around him. How easy she found it to talk to him, to let herself laugh and joke with him. It terrified her.
"Maybe not now, but I'd like to change that." Machi's eyes grew wide with shock, but he stared back, his gaze steady. "I don't know what scared you Harada-San, but you can trust me. I'm sure you don't give your friendship very easily, but let me prove to you I'm worthy."
They stood there in silence for what felt like hours. Suga felt a bead of sweat slowly drip down the side of his face as she stared at him, contemplating his words. Finally, she glanced away, wringing her hands nervously. She was still wary, but something about the determination in his voice made her want to give him a chance.
"Harada-San is so formal. My friends call me Machi."
Grinning like an idiot, Suga opened the gym door for them both, "I think volleyball ended a while ago, mind if I walk you home, Machi?"