(F/n) = First name

(S/n) = Surname

(e/c) = eye colour

(h/c) = hair colour

(m/n) = mothers name

This chapter is in third P.O.V, but the rest is in first person. Thank you for reading my fanfiction, and I hope you enjoy my story.
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The lunch rush settles down, the afternoon heat ushering away the shoppers as the shops restock, refolding shirts and refilling shelves. A gentle natter of passing customers disturbs the playlist on the store speakers. (F/n) stands before the automatic doors of the shop, her hair in a high ponytail and a white bandana pushing back stray hairs that refused to stay against her flushed head. She arranged the footballs in the ball cage, as a cool breeze coming through the door, cooling down her flushed skin. She bends down to renew the stock into the cage.

"Sat!" She raises her voice, looking over her shoulder at the back of the shop. "Get yo' ass down here!"

"No shouting when you're working, (F/n)!" Togami scolds. He pops his head around the trainer rack, his brown hair slicked back over his head, showing off the grey hairs that peek through his roots. He wore the store uniform, a pale blue polo-shirt; three white circles on the left breast showing the shops logo, the letters Z.B.S in the middle of each ring.

"Sorry, Togami." (F/n) mutters, pulling at the hem of her own worktop. She matches hers with a pair of white jeans, which she consider completely impractical otherwise, along with some Nike Airs. She gives them a quick look, noticing the dirt on the bottom. She gives a sigh, wondering when she last cleaned them. Seeming she got them on offer, she should at least treat them better. It's not often her mother buys branded products.

"I'm on break, (F/n)." Her brother springs out from the back behind the counter, the door swinging closed as he brushes his fringe back, only for it to flop back down again.

"Your break was 48 minutes ago," she smacks her lips together. Satoru gives a nervous chuckle, a What-Can-You-Do shrug, before disappearing again. (F/n) opens her mouth, a crease forming between her brow, but stops herself.

The sound of the automatic door going grabs her attention, spinning on her heel as she welcomes the potential customer with a smile. The person is a woman, short in stature, for what seems to be in her early 30's, with doe brown eyes looking around the shop. A little girl hides at her side, tiny fingers clutching around her mother's hand. She resembles her mother immensely, all but the colour of her hair. Two tiny pigtails, thick green hair bands holding the ginger frizzy mess in place. The woman begins to wander around, speaking with her daughter as they stare at all the items on display, going to the right side of the shop to look at protective gear. (F/n) makes a move, inhaling deeply to pump herself up.

"Welcome to Z.B.Sports. Do you need any help?" (F/n) asks, lacing her hand together before her.

"Oh, yes." The woman smiles politely, her eyes crinkling. "I'm looking for knee pads, for my son." The young girl shuffles behind her mother, her big brown eyes staring up at (F/n) in curiosity. She smiles down to her, and the little girl grins in return. (F/n) nods in understanding to the mother before turning to face the items on display, a real smile on her face this time. Making kids smile always makes her happy.

"Which sport might he be using them for?" (F/n) questions, leading the way towards the kneepads.

"He plays Volleyball." She answers. (F/n) hums in response, eyes staring intently at the products, eyes trailing across the shelves. She shuffles towards the products in the corner. "These are the products we have at the moment for boys." She points towards all the paddings. Knee pads, elbow pads, hand pads and supporting equipment. The lady looks at them in confusion.

"I'm sorry to be a bother, but I don't know anything about sports." She gives a laugh, her eyes darting away in embarrassment. "Could you tell me with which ones you think are best?" She asks as the small girl steps forwards and looks at them in curiosity, idly grabbing random things.

"We've got black knee pads that are top brands now, so that's sure to boost any boy's popularity." (F/n) smiles slightly at her second-hand experience of this. "Depending on his size or medical record, you have three options." (F/n) explains as she picks up the three separate brands of knee pads. One had a small red logo on the edge of the rigid plastic, the others are orange and green. "Red, orange and green. We only have red and orange in the smaller sizes."

"Sho-nii is really small, but he's in Karasuno high." The young girl pipes up, looking at the three different knee pads.

"How tall is he?" (F/n) asks, smiling down at the cute girl. The young'un scrunches up her face in thought, hands clenching.

"He's... Short." She thinks, staring up at (F/n).

"Shouyo is around 160 centre meters." The mother answers. "How does his medical record affect his gear?"

"If your son is common to spraining or injuries in the position that he plays, he is better off with a supporter pad. It is common for volleyball players to use them, but many don't."

"He's never injured himself before." The woman speaks in a worried tone, a line forming on her brow. (F/n) gives an airy laugh.

"And that's fine. Out from the several volleyball teams we give supplies too, only one player has ever needed this product." (F/n) removes two different knee pads from the rack. "That narrows it down to the black with the orange logo or black and red logo. Pick which you would like, but I would recommend orange, as that is Karasuno's colours." (F/n) says as she holds the two out. The little girl looks down at them. "Nothing's better than showing school spirit."

"We'll have orange then." The mother smiles, patting her daughters head softly.

"Yeah! Yeah!" The girl lights up, her hands reaching to grab the orange pad. "Karasuno is orange! Sho-nii needs orange." She jumps up and down, her small bunches swishing about. The mother gingerly plucks the black knee pads from her daughter's nimble fingers, looking them over.

"We also have matching elbow pads to go with these too." (F/n) reaches out and takes the elbow pads from the rack next to the knee pads.

"Oh, that's fine. I only have enough money for the knee pads." The lady fishes through her bag. (F/n) beams a smile, catching the woman off guard.

"Since today is the day before school starts, we have a sale for those parents who do last minute shopping. The knee pads and elbow pads are in a combo sale. The elbow pads come free." (F/n) holds the elbow pads towards the lady and smiles. She gingerly takes the elbow pads too.

"I could never push away a sale." (F/n) leads the way to the back of the store and dashes behind the counter, seeing Togami is busy elsewhere. Hopefully dragging Satoru downstairs.

"Mummy! Mummy! I wanna pay her!" The small girl jumps behind the counter, her head barely reaching it.

"Here, Natsu." The mother sighs but smiles nonetheless, handing over the money to Natsu who grins in return. She stretches up tall, stands up on her tiptoes, and waves the notes around.

"Would you like to become a member?" (F/n) asks, pointing towards the plastic cards on the counter. "You get a 15% discount on supplies whenever you make a buy here or online."

"No, thank you." The mother quickly replies. The (e/c) eyed girl quickly puts the pads and receipt in the bag and hands it over with a smile.

"Thank you for shopping with us." (F/n) waves as they both turn to leave. Natsu returns the favour, waving back happily as her mother leads them out of the store.

"I might as well give you Satoru's pay." Togami sighs, appearing with a bag of new footballs.

"You should." (F/n) leans on the desk and places her hand on her cheek. "And I've already restocked the footballs." She points over to the ball cage. "It's the water bottles that need to be done."

"Thanks." Togami says dryly, giving a deep sigh. He heft's the bag over his shoulder before disappearing out the back, shouting. "Satoru! Get your butt down here!"

"I'm playing with Mimiki!" Satoru shouts back, his voice echoing.

"Mimiki, my ass." (F/n) grumbles, rolling her eyes.

"(F/n)!" Togami scolds.

"Yes?" (F/n) questions, raising a brow. Togami shakes his head, mumbling under his breath as she chuckles, a mischievous smirk on her face. (F/n) stands at the cash register, staring out the automatic doors, before remembering she left the bag at the entrance. She quick rushes over to grab it and brings it back to the stock room. She ponders, looking over the shop.

The first day of school is tomorrow. 1st Year life: whoop, whoop!

She returns to the register, kicking her foot against the floor. Her bag is packed, hanging from her closet with a new set of stationary stuffed in her pencil case. Then she thinks to what she's seen Satoru pack. Nothing to her knowledge. He was hanging with a bunch of his friends until recently. He had a jam-packed summer holiday whereas she opted to stay at home.

Satoru will be the protagonist of even my story.

She muses, her lip curling up. Once she gets the drift of school, everything will be fine. Everyone else is as nervous as her, there's no need to wind herself up about it. Right? Right. Yeah, she's fine. Everything's good. No need to worry. Hahaha... That is her problem. She overthinks every possible circumstance. The centre of attention gives her the jitters, but the thought of others being as conscious as her of their every move slightly soothed her worries. If only her brother were in her class, then she could have a shadow to hide in.

In the shop, she has a complete domain, no extraneous variables. Even Togami had commented on her behaviour when dealing with others had improved, yet she didn't feel it. The day continues with customers coming in, knowing what they want and leaving soon after. Some were regulars, others first-timers, in and out in no time. It wasn't til an hour to closing that a familiar face enters, one which peaks (F/n)'s interest.

He used to attend the same school as her friend, but once he left for high school, she didn't see him - no reason to see him. The King, a prodigy on the court. She eyes him, watching as he stalks the aisle. His face still looks young, a stern expression on his face with an air of animosity around him. Even though he is Japanese, he has sharp blue eyes, his face quite thin compared to others in his year. He visits ever so often, his equipment wearing down fast from his constant use of it. It was good to know that he practised even during the summer holiday. Usually, Satoru would greet him. The two are passed as acquaintances, Satoru basically adopting the introvert as his friend when you'd visit their gym back when you were a 1st Year in Junior High. His hair has grown out since then, and you prefer this cut. The other was too pristine, almost copying an army cut. The raven-haired boy draws his brow together in thought, but his expression angry, seemingly agitated with anything his eyes lay on.

(F/n) tightens her ponytail, centring it, and walks up to him, standing tall with her head up confidently. If she can speak to complete strangers, she can speak to Kageyama. The moment she stands in his view, his scowl instantly coils her stomach. Her eyes widen, unsure, before giving a small smile. No, she could speak to strangers. She'd never see them again, but Kageyama - she would always see him, never able to escape.

"Welcome to Z.B.S, how can I help you?" (F/n) smiles. He stiffens, standing straighter, making his height show. (F/n) feels shorter when she sees this and her plastered on smile falls, her confident cascade cracking.

"I need new volleyball pads." He states, barely meeting her eyes. (F/n) nods and signals for him to follow her. Volleyball pads, and twice in one day. Perhaps she could get rid of all those contemporary brands the shop is getting recently. If she sells out the last of the stock, Togami will give her something in return. She smiles at the thought and stops in front of the sports protection rack.

"We have various protection products, and we also have a sale on today. Elbow pads come free with a set of knee pads." She tells him, growing nervous under his intense gaze. He instantly picks up the medium sized knee pads with the orange label, then picks up the matching elbow pads too.

People always love a sale.

"Do you need anything else?" (F/n) asks, tilting her head.

"No." Kageyama is blunt, turning towards the counter. (F/n) sighs in relief when she spots Togami there, the stress rolling off her shoulders.

"Kageyama-san, do you have your membership card?" Togami asks. Kageyama nods, handing it over, pushing it onto the desk. Not only did he get one item free, but he also got fifteen per cent off. Z.B.S was the best sports shop for miles. (F/n) beams happily to herself. If they get any more money, they could extend into next door, and (F/n) could have her own room and no longer share with Satoru. She sighs in bliss at the thought. It's not that she doesn't love her brother, but she has always wanted her own room. They both did. Nothing more awkward when you finally hit puberty and your parents have to explain why you can't have a bath together. Let's just say Satoru wasn't happy when he couldn't have a tub with his favourite playtime mermaid.

(F/n) left her daydream just in time to see Kageyama send a glance, a plastic bag in hand, before sprinting out of the shop. Time flies by, customers pass, and the end of her shift is neigh. The (h/c) haired girl walks towards the back of the shop, up the metal spiral staircase, and takes off her shoes, placing them on the shoe rack before entering the front door.

"(F/n)!" Grubby hands reach up, a small brown-haired girl whipping around as a single braid swat at anyone standing nearby. "Sat won't let me watch my program." Mimiki whines, her brown eyes peering up at (F/n) as her cheeks flush, still panting from the current sugar high.

"What do you wanna watch, Mumen?" (F/n) asks, picking up the girl. (F/n) leans back, avoiding the sugar-coated hands as they clasp for something to hold onto.

"I wanna watch Voltron!" She throws her hands up in the air.

"Sat, let Mimiki watch her programs." (F/n) huffs, placing the young girl down on the couch next to Satoru, who is sat on the sofa with the remote control in his hand.

"But I don't want to watch that." Satoru whines in reply.

"I care because?" (F/n) raises a brow, snatching the remote off him and typing in the number for the children's channel. Satoru groans as he leans his head back on the sofa, throwing his hands up in the air, scowling at the ceiling. "You've got your shift to do. Kageyama-san was here a second ago, and he always seems so uncomfortable around me, we could lose a valuable customer because of this." (F/n) argues as she points to the door. Satoru purses his lips and stomps towards the door, pulling on his trainers.

Good dog.

She follows him downstairs, knowing that Mimiki will be fine on her own, and if she needs anything, she would come downstairs to the store and ask. Unprofessional, but (M/n) was off doing a course for work. The twins walk into the shop and past the cash register where Togami stands.

"You two ready for school?" He asks, a big grin on his face.

"Yeah." The twins chorus.

"What clubs are you going to join?" 

"Volleyball." Satoru leans against the desk, looking over the shop. Togami looks over to (F/n), getting a shy smile in reply.

"The Charity Committee looks good. Maybe apply for Class Rep or something like that. Maybe." She idly sorts out the display for water bottles. Togami had just restocked it, but the logos weren't all lined up. "Don't really care, other than that."

"Join the volleyball team, Shimizu-Senpai needs someone to take over after she's gone."

"And I just said I don't care." She retorts, rolling her eyes.

"I know!" Satoru pouts, lifting their hands into the air. "But you're an average girl! Daichi-kun has to let you on the team!" Satoru now swings his arms back and forth. (F/n) squints at his reasoning.

"Daichi-san has no reason to let me join."

"Daichi-kun would let you join if you asked."

"But here's the thing, Sat." You puff, turning away from him. "I've got no interest in joining the Volleyball team."