"Say, Noya-san? What kind of special training did you do during your time off?" asked Tanaka as he took a swig of water from his bottle. Aoi's attention averted to the two second years, as she anticipated Nishinoya's response.

"Hmm.. I mainly did block follow ups training. I'm not quite there yet but if I master it soon, then you guys will be able to spike freely!" He grinned as Aoi swooned.

Once again she was captivated by the beautiful human being she had come to admire.

"Nishinoya-senpai.." she began with glossy eyes, "You're such a cool guy, you're the absolute coolest! I'm so glad I got to meet you."

At this point she was full on bawling crocodile tears, whilst a flustered Nishinoya attempted to console her. Tanaka observed both the liberos and laughed heartily, wrapping an arm around the two until Daichi beckoned for the team to gather together.

"Everyone, meet Ukai-kun who will be coaching you from today onwards." Takeda-sensei declared as the team erupted into surprised chatter, having already encountered the man before at the Sakanoshita store. "He is an alumnus of Karasuno's volleyball team and the grandson of the esteemed coach Ukai."

"Alright hurry it up kids we've got no time to lose. I want to assess you all so I've already called in some opponents for you to play against." he announced, not giving anyone time to process the recent happenings.

At 6:30pm that day, the neighbourhood association team filed in, apologising since a few of their members were unable to make it on such short notice.

"Waaah they're all a lot younger than I thought they'd be since the coach referred to them as a Neighbourhood association." Aoi whispered to Nishinoya, only to see him uncomfortably staring at the ground.

'Ah. He must still be reluctant to play without Asahi-san.'

Daichi also took note of Nishinoya's condition and called Aoi over to be Karasuno's libero for the match. She walked over to the rest of her teammates, invisible puppy ears drooping, until Hinata's shrill voice took over the room.

"IT'S ASAHI-SAN!" he cried out, dangling from the bars on the window.

It was soon decided that a hesitant Asahi, Nishinoya and Sugawara would be filling in for the absent members of the neighbourhood association team, whilst Karasuno would play with the lineup they used against Aoba Johsai.

The match commenced with Sugawara and Nishinoya getting into a groove on the opposition. Aoi was frustrated after narrowly missing one of the spikes set up by Sugawara, only to realise Daichi was praising Suga despite the fact he was currently on the other team.

Aoi grumbled complaints about her captain's actions to herself and flinched as a terrifying glare was sent her way by the man himself.

'Shit, was I really that loud?' She internally facepalmed. Aoi averted her eyes and pouted slightly to herself, amusing the captain who temporarily shrugged off the disrespect.

'I'll deal with him later.' Daichi plotted, as Aoi happened to feel goosebumps erupt on her arms and legs at that exact moment.

The match progressed with no further change in momentum until the ball was tossed to Asahi for the first time that evening. Asahi spiked with incredible force but was intercepted by a three-person block.

Aoi winced at the brute strength he'd mustered, despite the fact he'd taken a month off. She grew excited at the thought of receiving such heavy spikes that are completely foreign to what she'd experienced in middle school.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Aoi was engulfed by a surge of emotion, watching Nishinoya dive to follow up on the blocked ball.

He screamed at the ace to 'call out for another toss' with heart wrenching intensity.

The ball went back to Sugawara as though time had slowed. Aoi felt something stir within her at that moment.

"MOU IPPON!" she screeched with her entire chest, alongside a tearful Tanaka and Kageyama.

Sugawara fleetingly looked their way before tossing the ball to Asahi who plowed through the three person block with tremendous power that reverberated throughout the entire gym.

Aoi admired the trust and chemistry that had been built between the three on the opposing team, whilst Daichi fondly stared at them from the other side. She engraved the sight into the back of her skull.

However her appreciation was cut short, as Hinata and Kageyama declared they'd change up the match.

Well, they certainly weren't lying.

Kageyamas outrageous tosses and Hinata's animalistic agility had gotten quite a rise out of everyone, especially the new coach. Needless to say, he had been wooed by the current Karasuno.

The use of the freakish fast attack had racked up quite a few points for Karasuno, although the veterans of the neighbourhood association still had the upper hand.

Aoi's engine was warmed up and she immersed herself into the game, until she was forcefully snapped out from her state of concentration as Hinata was dealt a heavy spike to the head from Asahi (who wanted to cry from the guilt.)

Aoi rushed over to the collapsed boy, inspecting him for any injuries as the rest of the team shortly followed.

"Oi... why are you spacing out during a match? Let me guess, 'being a decoy is so lame, I wish I could have the height and power to be an ace,' right?" Kageyama relentlessly questioned.

Hinata sheepishly looked down at the ground as the tension in the room skyrocketed. "The hell are you doing being jealous in the middle of a match?" he snarled.

"Whats so wrong about being jealous? You've always been tall, Someone like you would never understand!" Hinata retorted raising his voice as Kageyama glared him down.

Aoi frowned slightly, wanting to interrupt the two as Kageyama ruthlessly told Hinata he was clumsy would not be able to become the team's ace.

"HOWEVER, AS LONG AS I'M HERE YOU'RE THE STRONGEST! SO DODGE, THAT'S THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO, BOKE!" he declared. Aoi chuckled to herself, wondering why she was so worried in the first place.

After successfully landing a quick attack, Kageyama and Tanaka boosted Hinata's morale and pride in his role of being the greatest decoy. Aoi joined in, complementing his athleticism and expressing her envy of him as Hinata's mood steadily improved.

After an intense but enjoyable struggle, the neighbourhood association team ended up claiming both sets. They bid farewell to their opponents and listened to coach Ukai's thoughts on their performance, before heading home for the day after their signature group huddle and chant.

Aoi headed home, walking side by side with Kageyama. The two conversed naturally, making small talk, unaware of the fact they were both walking the exact same route home. The two eventually decided to part ways, until they both faltered.

"Oi Hibarida, did you follow me all the way home?"

"That's what I should be asking you, my apartment is right down the road. Where's your house Kageyama."

"Eh... we're standing right in front of it." He slowly replied, as realisation finally struck the two.

Hello readers!

I hope you stick around, I promise the heat will gradually build up!

-Katsukinoya