I stood now in Gymnasium No. 3, in an aqua-colored shirt, with Aoba Johsai VBC written on the side of my chest. My hair was tied back, my notepad was in my hands with the general schedule for practices. I was, physically, prepared for practice.

Mentally, I thought I would fare just fine, but faced now with a team of strangers save for two, I nearly blanched.

Oh, good lord. These guys are tall.

The captain stood at my side, and he looked down at me worriedly when the silence stretched on a bit too long. But all it took was one encouraging nod from Hajime and a smile from Toru to knock some sense into me, and so I blinked and straightened up.

"As your captain said," I startled myself into speaking, "my name is Kageyama (Y/n), and I'll act as manager for the team. It's my understanding that it's been a long time since the boy's volleyball team has had one, but I'll do my best for you all."

I bowed, and for a moment or two, there was only silence to greet my words.

As soon as I lifted my head though, I realized I was the sudden focus of dozens of sets of eyes. Nearly everyone was smiling - save for Toru and Hajime, who looked confused at the sudden change - and a few of the guys shared glances before looking back down at me.

One boy standing right up front, a second year if I was right, grinned down at me. "Well, you're absolutely adorable."

"Nagisa, you can't say that," hissed one of his teammates, but the damage was already done. My cheeks were aflame, my entire body flooded with embarrassment.

"She is cute, though," another player said.

"There's no denying that, is there?"

"And she wants to manage us? How'd we get so lucky?"

"It isn't like he wants to manage you specifically, so get that look off your face."

"I'll take no nonsense when it comes to her," said the team captain. "I refuse to tolerate it. She's doing us a favor doing this, so show her the respect she deserves."

"All I did was call her cute, though!"

"Yeah!"

"Come on, tell me she isn't!"

"Laps, all three of you," the captain said, and begrudgingly, they all went.

"Personally," I said, and the captain looked down at me, "I'd have assigned diving drills."

The captain chuckled. "Yeah? I'll keep that in mind. Coach was right - you are tough." When he released the rest of the team to begin warming up together, we walked together. He introduced himself less formally than he had before, and began telling me the basics of how the practices were run.

"As one of the top teams in the prefecture," he told me, "we tend to be pretty serious around here."

"I've noticed," I said. "That much was obvious from the tryouts."

"Anyone can play volleyball here," he said. "They're in the next gym over, though. There is some good talent there, so a lot of those guys end up being pulled into our reserve team and eventually the main team, if they're lucky. There's not a lot of turnover here, though."

"No," I said, watching as the vice-captain (I'd been introduced to him, too) led the team through a few basic stretches. "I wouldn't think so. Everyone seems talented here."

"We're all hungry for the win," he said, looking at his team as well. "To be honest, it's strange for so many first years to have been admitted onto the team and not just sent to the recreational gym. Those four there, though... They're rare talents. Anyone can see that. I noticed you walked in with a couple of them, though. Getting friendly in your classes already?"

"No, actually," I answered honestly. "The two in the back there - Oikawa and Iwaizumi - I went to junior high with. We've been friends for a few years now."

"Coach said you were the manager back then, too," the captain prompted. "You must really like it."

"Truthfully," I said, "I love volleyball. I'm not great at it, though. Not like an actual player would be. But it's kinda in my blood to be around the sport."

"I guess so, Kageyama," he said, the use of my name intentional and I knew he was talking about my grandfather.

I smiled at the thought of his legacy having such an incredible scope and reach, but again, I couldn't help but feel like a fraud in my own family - to sit on the sidelines and manage instead of playing.

"Those two," the captain continued, gesturing towards my two in particular, "play setter and wing-spiker, right?"

"Mm-hm," I confirmed.

"Thought so," he said. "A few of us went to the junior high tournament to watch. Oikawa got the award for Best Setter, didn't he?"

"He did. It was his first time receiving anything like that."

"He must be good, then."

"Of course," I replied. "Even his previous coaches saw there wasn't a single other position for him to play. With how much he thinks, and is always thinking, the position where you make the most of your teammates and bring out their full potential is the best spot for him. Don't think he's not a great all-around player, though," I said, looking up at the captain seriously. "He's smart, and he plays smart. He's been working on jump serves and he's been known to spike when necessary."

"Good, then," the captain mused. "We'll make a star setter out of him, yet."

"I'm excited to see it," I said earnestly. "Now, about Iwaizumi..."

—

It started with the yearbook club.

Only a couple of weeks into the term, they came around to update the team rosters. As soon as the team received their uniforms and they were fitted properly, and I even received my own jacket (white in body, with teal sleeves and a bold "M" on the left side of the chest, noting that I was the manager), the club came around with their cameras and notebooks. They had gone to the coaches, who instead directed them towards me, as though I hadn't been busy trying to draft an email to a nearby school to plan a practice game.

Still, to me they came, and I answered all of their questions. I provided them with a list with the active roster and their positions, and we planned a date for them to come back in for an official photo. With all of that said and done, I thought the matter was over. They had been pushy and demanding, and downright distracting for all of the guys - but I had to play nice while they were here. I was the manager after all, and I was meant to deal with such things.

That didn't mean it wasn't a pain in the ass, though.

Regardless, I thought that my grief would end when they left the gym and for that evening anyway, I knew peace.

That all changed by morning, though.

Of course, I wasn't naïve. I wasn't stupid. I already knew that being the only female element among a bunch of boys was hard work. It was hard work because the work was hard work, but being the only girl only amplified it. Having to be that one girl among this particular group of boys was especially tough because they could be so incredibly immature at times.

But far more immature than the team was often the student body surrounding the team.

Aoba Johsai was a strong school.

Academically, it was rigorous, offering an amazing education to those willing to put in the work. Opportunities for internships and some of the best teachers around meant that we were achieving a high level of learning right from the start.

Athletically, it was much the same way. Brilliant use of property and funding had led to some excellent practice gyms and training grounds and some state-of-the-art equipment to boot. Not only that, but we had great connections to local college teams who would often come by for training and practice games, too - all of which provided great experience for all the boys on the team.

The students of Aoba Johsai were hardworking and dedicated, and we were all damn proud of our school. Seijoh wasn't an easy school to get into, with its emphasis on academic prowess in its entrance exams the rarity for which they handed out recommendations to incoming students.

However, teenagers were teenagers. The same petty issues that plagued other high schools also plagued ours, just far less frequently. Prestigious though it was compared to others in the prefecture, the kids still acted up.

And such was the case this morning. Unfortunately, the target of such behavior had been aimed at me.

I already knew of the problems that came with being a manager for a male team. But one of the problems of being the manager that I hadn't anticipated was the one I was facing right now: and it was that I was the subject of the newest rumor to spread around Seijoh like wildfire.

Somebody in the student body had claimed that I was nothing more than a slut, acting as the manager only to get with the boys.

Obviously, this was absolutely not true.

For one thing, I was a Kageyama. It was in my blood to like volleyball - though my grandfather would have preferred for me to have played it, myself. Like my grandfather, both my father and his brother had been incredible players in their youth. They were duo middle blockers, and were a damn menace to see on the other side of the net, so I heard.

The latest generation of Kageyama's - comprised of Miwa, Tobio, and myself - had not been expected to drop the ball. Miwa certainly hadn't, because she was a skilled player all the way until she quit; Tobio certainly wasn't, because he preferred playing over breathing, though both came to him equally as easily; but as for me, well, I wasn't on the roster as a player but I was the manager of one, and a damn good one at that.

Besides all of that, even if it wasn't in my blood, I damn near grew up alongside Hajime Iwaizumi and Toru Oikawa for god's sake, of course I was a fan of volleyball. I had to be, because they talked about it so much and so passionately. Their love for the sport was contagious, and at their pestering, I'd joined the team as manager in junior high.

Back then, it only meant acting as the assistant to the coaches, running errands, making posters, helping with drills, and preparing me for being a manager in high school if I so chose to continue along that route.

And because we all made it into the same school and my boys made it onto the team, it was only fitting that I applied to be their manager, especially because they didn't have one. With my previous experience, and because I was the only one who had applied, I got the role.

I just didn't expect that now, a few weeks into our first year here, that I'd be the target of such a disgusting rumor.

I didn't even really know how to respond to it. I had no way of knowing who'd started to spread it, not exactly, so how would I bring it up to faculty? I couldn't just out the entire yearbook club - that'd ruin my chances of ever getting featured in it, let alone have any good pictures of me in there at all. And wouldn't that just make it worse anyway? Whatever had already ruined my reputation as a result of the rumor, I didn't also want to be known as a crybaby first year that ran to the teachers as soon as something was said about her.

I wanted my years at Seijoh to be fun. This was not my definition of fun.

I'd first discovered the rumor this morning between classes. While I had gotten up to get some water, someone had placed a note onto my desk. Upon returning to my seat, I read it, and nearly cried right there. At the time, Hajime had been my seat neighbor, and had immediately noticed my change in mood.

"(Y/n)", he said, frowning when I didn't turn to look at him. "(Y/n)? What's wrong?"

Toru, sitting a few rows ahead, had heard this and now concerned, had turned his head to look back at us. I lifted the piece of paper up, handing it to Hajime wordlessly. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the way his eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open upon reading it. Toru stood, since it was still a few minutes before the next class started. He approached us, sitting atop Hajime's desk and accepting the paper when Hajime held it up for him.

"(Y/n)-chan," Toru said once he'd read it, "who left this here?"

I shrugged. "I don't know," I said. "I left the room, and it was here when I got back."

"Did you see anyone, Iwa?"

"No," he answered right away. "I was trying to catch up on the reading."

The two looked around the room, casting accusatory, dubious looks around. The teacher had stepped out but plenty of people were back in the classroom already, engaged in their own conversations. Without another word Hajime stood, marching his way to the nearest group and asking them about it. Toru stood from the desk, sending me a smile.

"Don't worry, (Y/n)-chan," he said warmly and confidently, "we'll find out who did this. Just leave it to us, ok?" He followed Hajime then, and they went from group to group interrogating them all in turn.

Honestly, I couldn't help but wish they hadn't. It was bad enough that people might believe the rumor that I'm just managing the team to sleep with all the players. It was probably worse that some of the young players I knew were going to defend me so vehemently.

No matter, though. It was all out of my hands, anyway. I was at a loss of what else to do, and besides all that... I couldn't help but admit it did feel good to have people willing to defend me, no matter what. Causing trouble probably wasn't good for their own social lives, but they were willing to risk it, for me.

And that had my eyes welling up again, but I wiped my tears away before any could fall. It was just in time too, because the teacher walked in just at that moment, calling our attention up to the front of the room.

By the time that class began, and they returned to their seats, they'd found nothing out, but promised to keep trying despite me telling them not to. Like always, between classes in the halls the boys walked with me, but while on some occasions I ended up on one end, this morning was different - so they now made sure to always flank either side of me and walk a little closer than normal.

And that evening at practice, it seemed the rumors reached the upperclassmen, too, because the captain called us all in during a water break to talk.

"I'm sure everyone's heard something circulating by now, the subject being our manager, Kageyama," he began. Quite a few of the players, if not all of them, perked up - meaning that they more than likely had heard it. I averted my eyes; I couldn't very well meet their inquiring gazes right now even if I wanted to.

"And I'm sure it's obvious that she is not here for any reason other than that she loves the sport, and loves the team."

"Of course it's obvious," said one of the second years. "She's already planned three practice games for us - one of which is this weekend."

"Even the coaches haven't done something like that, not this early in the season," another player agreed. Finally, I was able to catch gazes - if only because I had been surprised by all of this.

"She is a first year student who sacrificed making friends in her own class or finding something else she likes or might be good at to be here with you fools, because she loves the damn game so much," Irihata cut in, and I was surprised he didn't mention the slight aimed at him and Mizoguchi. "I said from the start that I wouldn't tolerate any disrespect aimed her way, so if you guys hear another word about this, I want you to say something. Got that?"

"Yes, sir," was the chorus of affirmatives from the team. And with the break over, they were released for spike drills and a few of the players lingered at my side for a moment longer.

"We'll make sure this doesn't happen again," a third year player told me.

"They're all just jealous we've got a manager that will take us to nationals and beyond," another said happily.

One of the first years, not in my class but someone I'd talked to in passing once I'd learned he was on the team, approached me next. He had dark hair, spiky - but not as spiky as Hajime's. He had sleepy eyes, though he was perfectly well and awake. He was pretty tall too, and was a middle blocker.

"Kageyama," Matsukawa said, tailed as always by the only other first year who had made the active roster - Hanamaki, with light brown (almost pink, really) hair. He was an outside hitter, and he and Matsukawa seemed to have hit it off right away and even in the halls the two were always together.

"Hi, Matsukawa," I said almost sheepishly. Honestly, how else would I be expected to react? The captain of the team I managed just had to make an announcement about a rumor involving me, and though I had heard it said that any press is good press, this kind of attention would probably be detrimental to the team.

"I think I might know who started the rumor," he told me, and that, my eyes widened.

"Really?"

"A couple of the girls in my class are in the yearbook club," he said. "They were talking a lot about you this morning."

"I see," I said quietly.

"I'm not going to say exactly who," he said, somewhat mischievously now. "I don't know for sure, anyway. But if I say any name, your two bodyguards might do something to get them kicked out of the school, honestly."

True enough, to their credit, Hajime and Toru were nearby - waiting to talk with me, no doubt. But now they butted in. "I don't care who did it," Hajime said. "I just hope they learn to keep their mouth shut."

"Petty threats like that are unbecoming," Toru said in a near-teasing manner. "But here, I agree!"

"As I said, I don't know for sure," Matsukawa said. "But I'll keep an ear out. I didn't have a manager back in junior high. I think it'd be nice to get doted on by a cute girl."

"Oh, well-I," I stammered out, trying to say anything coherent, anything at all. The boy chuckled, as did Hanamaki and Iwaizumi, upon my failed words and the way my cheeks burned bright.

"No more teasing," Toru advised. Then, to me: "You've been through enough today, haven't you, (Y/n)-chan?"

"Yes, I think so," I said, getting myself together enough to answer. I caught the captain's gaze from across the gym, and smiled rather playfully. "But I think you four ought to get to work, or the captain might kick all of us out."

—

Gradually, all traces of the rumor faded away. It stopped being spread, at least for the time being.

Finally, I was out of the forefront of everyone's focus, and I could go back to just going to school and managing the team.

Thank goodness.

I got right back to work and doubled down, doing all I could for the team. It was clear I had their support, and it felt good knowing that I had a group of tall, athletic, muscular guys to have my back. Oh, and Hajime and Toru who by themselves were like a battalion of support and defense.

Things were back to being good - and just in time too, because in just two days, we were scheduled to have our very first practice game of the season.