Day 5

Present Emiko now had to deal with past Emiko's decision to ruin future Emiko's life.

That night she locked herself in the bedroom she was staying in. She buried herself under the covers, snuggling Inu and exchanging memes with Kyotani Kentaro.

An hour later, when he left her on read, she made the decision to send her first ever message to Koganegawa who was a student at Date Tech.

Emiko had attended the same middle school as him for a year. He was an innocent and good kid, the only person to laugh at her jokes then. Sure, she had left, and they did not talk much until recently when they reconnected at the city finals, but they frequently commented on each other's Instagram pictures.

She spent the next hour catching up with him. Unlike Kyotani, Kogane was a spam texter. She would be in the middle of responding when he would ask another ten questions and expect detailed responses to each one. The conversation was refreshing.

When she heard the door open downstairs, she let Inu out and taped a Do not disturb I am sick sign on the door. Then, she retreated under the covers.

Suna locked the door behind him. He heard the soft sound of feet pattering down the steps and stopped to greet his dog. He looked around the living room and kitchen before making his way up the stairs. The note was taped on the door. He took a picture and sent it to Inarizaki's group chat, captioning She's sick of your guys' BS.

He texted her that dinner was ready, but she never came down.

The next day was a Saturday and the Coaches had arranged for a practice game against another high school in the area. Emiko woke up two hours earlier than she normally did. Shoving her headphones over her ears and grabbing two Monster Bulldozer 3000s in each hand, she stomped all the way to school.

Coaches Oomi and Kurosu greeted her with curious expressions. She must have looked like a rabid squirrel and Emiko realized too late that she had not brushed her hair.

She pulled her hair into a tight ponytail and got to work setting up the nets, checking the air pressure in the volleyballs, piling the jerseys, and placing chairs. She had finished just as both teams entered. Emiko dodged everyone by hiding behind the podium near the speakers.

Coach Kurosu sat beside her. Today he was feeling especially talkative.

"It's good to wake up early," he said, "my dog wakes early every morning. Fetches me the newspaper."

"Wow," Emiko drawled, slipping her headphones on, "must be an excellent dog."

"He's the best."

"I bet."

The opposing team came from Koyote High and they were Inarizaki's sworn enemy, as Yukio wrote to her through text. Coyotes versus Foxes.

Just like their mascot, the boys from Koyote were clever and larger in build.

Just like their mascot, Inarizaki was devious and sly.

"Oi, Sunarin," Atsumu called as he walked onto the court with his brother, "where's Suzuki?"

"You didn't get the message in the group chat?" he asked, refusing to look up from where he was sprawled on the ground. "She's sick."

"She ain't sick. She's lyin'."

"She's sick of your BS."

"Yers too," Osamu retorted. "Ya were in on it too, Rin. Don't play the victim game."

"Yeah no. I'm not. The difference is I fed her dumplings and spring rolls, so she likes me."

"Does not," Atsumu growled back.

Osamu placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and nodded. "S'fine. We'll feed her onigiri and ramen. I'll even make her a fish stew."

Suna blinked and stood up. "Yes," he encouraged, "she loves eating fish. It's her favourite food."

"She's lookin' fer a bribe then?"

"A darn useless manager if ya ask me."

"No one asked you though."

"It's her chance to show off to the Coyotes as our manager, but she's throwin' a fit? Don't know about the rest of ya, but this is certainly goin' on the assessments."

"What happens if we fail her?" Osamu asked.

"Let's find out."

Coach Oomi blew the whistle and called the teams to take their places on the court. Atsumu stalked up to Koyote's team captain, an angry-looking kid with a buzz cut, and chose to stick his tongue out in greeting.

"One of these days," Koyote's Captain warned, "I'm gonna bite yer tongue off."

Atsumu smirked. "I don't swing that way, but I appreciate the compliment."

"You brat!"

"Nah, yer just sayin' that 'cause yer scared."

"There's nothin' to be scared of when the average height of yer entire team is shorter than ours."

"Which would be great if you knew the basics of blockin'."

"We've improved since last time."

"I'd hope so. Playin' against scrubs is such a waste of time and energy."

"I'm gonna make ya eat yer words."

Atsumu cocked his head to the side. Koyote captain glanced over to where Inarizaki's vice-captain was standing with arms crossed over his chest. The look in his eyes was cold.

"Funny enough, 'Samu just mentioned he was starvin'." 

Serves that whipped the air and blew her bangs into her face.

Spikes so sharp and loud that they seemed to be projectile missiles bombarding the ground before anyone could move out the way.

Their arms reached over the net and blocked in a way that mocked.

By the end of the hour, Inarizaki had won three of the five sets.

It was a rough game and as much as she tried to distract herself with her phone and music, Emiko kept glancing at the court. Inarizaki's playing style was similar to Karasuno's and the first time she saw the Miyas execute a quick attack that was almost a carbon copy of Hinata and Kageyama's, she nearly lost her mind.

Though the twins only used it once, she knew it was a perfected technique. And she also knew that they showed it to her on purpose in the fifth set.

Koyote's playing style was more reserved but they had heavy hitters. She expected nothing less from boys who looked like they ate rocks for breakfast and bench-pressed baby elephants.

"Oh, woe to me," Emiko whispered as she stood up. She was not heartless, she had to be the bigger person, and these boys needed their water bottles (or, as Mirae said, they would shrivel up and die).

She avoided eye contact as she made her way across the gym. Wordlessly, she gave them out. As she neared the twins, she held her breath and placed the water bottles down. Her attempt at speed-walking away was in vain when Atsumu gripped her ankle and motioned for her to lean down.

"What?"

"We played good, right?"

"I've seen worse. So yeah, you played good."

His jaw dropped.

Osamu fell to his back and clung to her other ankle. "Yer talkin' 'bout Karasuno, huh? Do they always disappoint ya?"

"For your information," she snapped, trying to free herself from the twins' grip without falling to her face. "Karasuno plays amazing! We have got these first years who scare the hell out of everyone they face. Not to mention the rest of our players."

"How's Tobio-kun?"

"Tobio is at the All Japan Youth Training Camp in Tokyo. He's doing amazing."

"That's the one ya didn't get invited to this year, 'Tsumu."

"Says the one who wasn't invited at all," he snapped back. He let go of her and grabbed his water bottle. "How's Shoyou-kun?"

"Hinata is thriving."

Osamu snatched the bottle of water from his brother and held it over his own mouth as he drank.

"Ew," Suna drawled as he shifted away. "The twins are exchanging saliva."

"We shared a womb, Rin, this is normal."

"So the deviant duo," Atsumu was fidgeting, "they practicin' hard?"

"What type of question is that? Of course, they're practicing hard. Wanna know why? Both are training with Mirae Ando. Especially Tobio. Do you three know who Mirae Ando is? Huh? Oh, wait, silly me, of course, you know her."

She turned back to stalk to the safety of her podium and adult supervision. Someone scrambled after her, and she prayed it was not a Miya twin.

Again, her ancestors disappointed because Atsumu stopped in front of her. "Yer serious?" he demanded.

"Serious about what?"

"About Tobio-kun practicin' with Ando?"

Emiko felt a smirk tug at her lips. Being able to make her retort was a liberating feeling. She did not want to stop. She wanted to take some form of revenge, anything to put herself on the scoreboard. If Inarizaki was winning the mini battles every day up until now, Emiko had to plan for psychological warfare. She had to launch an attack that would let her have the last laugh.

"You guys might be preparing to eat Karasuno alive at nationals and based on how your team plays I'd say you'll probably end up winning. Probably. Still, our team is not going down without a fight. At the very least, we'll send you off with enough wounds to make your next match a slaughter."

She watched the colour drain from his face before skipping away.

Yukio stood by the bench and faced her with a smile. He extended his arms and held out an Inarizaki jacket. "Look Emiko-chan! I am no longer useless. I finally got the team jacket and both of our coaches welcomed me as manager."

"I'm sorry, you just got your jacket? Are you telling me, that I got one before you? Me, a visitor, got an Inarizaki jacket before an actual Inarizaki student?"

"Yeah, I'm just really glad to be helpin' the team fer real, ya know?" Yukio scratched the back of his head, a slight blush coloured his cheeks. "My Captain said I was wastin' my time since I didn't know anythin'."

A look of horror crossed Emiko's face. She gripped his shoulders. "Yukio take that back! You know things, you are not wasting your time, and you are not useless."

"Emiko-chan, ya don't hafta lie." He glanced down at her innocently. "I really was useless. Heck, I didn't even know how to calculate ma restin' heart rate. Somethin' as simple as that, and I didn't even know it. The Captain and vice-Captain weren't lyin', but I'm glad I learned from ya."

She blinked. "I'll be right back. You wear that jacket proud Yukio."

She stomped over and pulled on the back of the twins' shirts, instantly regretting it as she felt the sweat from the material.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?"

"What're ya talkin' about?"

"Don't play dumb," she scowled, "why are you telling Yukio he's useless?"

The twins shared a look.

"He is," Osamu deadpanned.

"No, he isn't. He's learning."

"Nah we did it so he could become self-aware."

"Oh really? Well, you're both idiots. How about that?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you self-aware now?"

"Would'ya look at that 'Samu, the twerp's got an opinion."

"Twerps aren't allowed to haf opinions."

"I am not a twerp."

"Sure, Suzuki. And we're not twins."

Emiko buried her head in her hands, muffling a yell of frustration. The twins ignored her and turned their attention to the other end of the gym.

"Hey, Samu?"

"Yeah, Tsumu?"

They faced the multi-coloured banner that supported Koyote High.

"Together," Atsumu read in a sing-song voice, "we can do it."

Osamu snickered. "If we try."

Their teammates did not bother stifling their laughs. The banner was a cringey mess and no person would match it to the current team that was Koyote High.

"Stop that," Emiko snapped. She did not want to be interrogated as a witness for the murder that was about to go down. She turned to the other team's Captain and bowed, "I am so sorry."

"S'fine," the boy paused, "never seen ya before."

"Oh, I'm Emiko Ukai."

He flashed her a grin and reached out. "Kane Ono."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm actually a student from Karasuno High in Miyagi."

"Really?" His eyes widened. He called a few of his teammates over and introduced them as well. Soon enough, she was crowded by boys a full foot taller than she was who were invested in the nonsense she was spouting.

"I always add chocolate chips at the last minute. That way, they melt over the cake without overcooking."

"That's an interesting technique."

"I'll have to try it myself."

"What about in pancakes?"

"I add the batter to the pan, wait a few seconds, add the chocolate chips and add another layer of batter."

"Doesn't the pancake become too thick?"

Emiko pursed her lips as she walked to keep up with them. "I guess so, but I have this wooden ladle that I use for crepes to thin it out in the pan. Also, you have to make the batter a bit more liquidy than usual."

"Ooh, that's smart."

She grinned proudly. Having been deprived of appreciation like this nearly made her give up on all of humanity. But all was not lost. Even in a place like Hyogo, there was hope.

"Guys!" a voice yelled from somewhere in the gym.

Kane nudged her. "Buttercream or frosting?"

"Guys quick!"

"Yeah, I can never tell the difference." The boy on her right side peered down. "What's the difference?"

"Guys she ain't here!"

"I still think Waffles are superior."

"Guys they took Suzuki!"

"That's my name," she frowned. Emiko looked up and realized that she was now outside. The group of boys huddling around her had blocked out the sun and their body warmth warmed her from the cold air but as she looked down and saw the snow-covered pavement, she realized the truth.

The Koyote boys were slowly but surely guiding her outside towards their own bus.

A body pushed itself through the group and latched onto her arm. She tried to break free but recognized the slanted green eyes.

"Rintaro?"

"My ma will kill me if you end up kidnapped."

"Oi, Suna!" A Miya twin called, "Didja get her? Didja? Samu's comin' with the fire 'stinguisher, hold on tight!"

A fight broke out. Inarizaki was pulling Koyote away to get to the center where the rescue mission was afoot, but the bigger-built boys were like bears.

"Oh hell no," Emiko huffed. She yanked Suna down so they were crouched on the ground. "We're getting out of here. Follow me."

They crawled between their legs and it took a while, but they managed to free themselves. Emiko scampered back into the gymnasium; Suna hot on her heels.

"I got the 'stinguisher," Osamu proclaimed as he greeted them at the gym doors.

Emiko fought him for it. "And what the hell do you plan on doing with this?"

"Make 'em back off? At the very least tamper with their vision."

"This has mono ammonium phosphate and sodium bicarbonate."

Suna's eyes widened. "It's a bomb?" He stepped back, pulling Osamu with him. "Why the hell does our school have a bomb?"

"No, you idiots! But if any of those boys out there have asthma or lung problems, and they breathe it in, they'll get dizzy and pass out."

"Oh, then it's fine," Osamu reached out.

Emiko shrieked and struggled to run away with the fire extinguisher.  

There had not been another incident of the stalker since Mirae Ando set foot onto the campus. Whispers and gossip of a new incident almost daily had minimized to that one incident involving the school's guest.

Komori decided that he needed to put an end to this reign of fear. If his assumptions were true, the stalker would attack Mirae again. He was back in his dorm after camping in the tunnels for hours, when he heard a deep voice yell and cuss "No!" At the exact same second, a higher-pitched shriek exclaimed "Yes!"

He faltered but ultimately chose to run down the right hallway towards the girls' dorms. The scream came from Mirae and Himari's room. He knocked urgently.

"Come in."

She was clutching a stuffed owl to her chest. It was nearly half her size. Dried tears stained her cheeks and a large blanket covered her head. Soft music played from her laptop.

"It happened," she hiccupped, biting her lip and grinning from ear to ear. "It finally happened."

He glanced around her room. "What exactly happened?"

"He found her. He found Yua!"

Komori tilted his head, wondering who this "he" was and his connection to "Yua". The names sounded oddly familiar.

"Komori this is terrible," Sakusa grumbled from behind him. He was pushed to the side as his cousin entered the room.

"What's terrible?"

"He found her. He found Yua."

Komori looked from Mirae to Sakusa and realization dawned on him. "This is about that terrible T. V. drama, isn't it?"

"It's not terrible!" they snapped. Then, they looked at each other.

Sakusa narrowed his eyes. "You watch Yua loves Eichii?"

"I do." Mirae paused. "Do you?"

"I do. Did you see the latest episode?"

"Yeah, I just watched it. Did you?"

"Yeah. I hated it."

"Why?" she pulled the blanket off and stood up. Holding the stuffed owl against her hip as though it was a child, she began to scold the two of them. "Yua loved Eichii from the moment she met him. She deserves him!"

"She was an idiot," Sakusa retorted. "She lied to him the entire time. Eichii should have confessed to Sara."

"Sara cheated on every boyfriend she ever had."

"But she never lied to Eichii. Besides, side characters are always better than main characters."

Mirae scoffed. "So what? Are you saying you'd rather be cheated on than lied to? How does that make sense? The very fact that she cheated is a lie."

"You're making assumptions. There was no proof that she would cheat on Eichii if they got together. When she was talking to Eichii, she never slept with anyone else."

"People don't change overnight, Sakusa."

"Oh, so you're one of those people."

"Those people?"

"Those people- the types who believe one action defines a person's entire existence. The next thing you'll say is that you don't believe in rehabilitation or giving guilty people a second chance."

"That's an entirely different conversation and you know it." She stood on her tiptoes and glared. "Don't you dare compare Yua to a hardened criminal."

"Speaking of criminals, didn't she steal bread from that bakery in episode nine?"

"It was to survive! Not everyone is as fortunate as we are to have plenty of food and shelter!"

"She had other options."

"Like what? Begging on the streets?"

"She grew up as a beggar."

"Don't look down on Yua. She did her best. When she found out that Eichii was interested in her, she stopped begging. She lied to protect his reputation. She came from a poor family."

"Eichii wouldn't have cared about that."

Komori sat on the bed. He reached over and grabbed the bucket of popcorn. Watching Sakusa and Mirae point fingers and yell at each other was entertaining. "Please, continue," he commented when they had gone silent, glaring at each other. "This is way more interesting than any show." 

Whatever spell they were under lifted.

Sakusa turned interest to his cousin. He ripped the bowl of popcorn from his hands.

"Hey," Komori pouted, "I was eating that."

"And why the hell are you here?"

He made grabby hands but Sakusa lifted the bowl over his head.

"I heard a scream."

"You heard a scream?" he deadpanned. "A likely story for a stalker."

"For the last time, I'm not the stalker!"

"I yelled too. How come you didn't come to check on me?"

"That's because you're a six-foot man who plays competitive volleyball and can defend themselves." Mirae jumped and yanked the bowl from him. "Be nice to Komori."

"I don't owe him any favours."

"It's called being civil."

"My manners are perfectly fine. I can't say the same for yours."

She froze. Heat crept up her neck.

"What?"

"Judge me for my traits when you are flawless. Motoya is my cousin and friend and if he has a problem with how I talk to him, he is mature enough to discuss it with me. You need to stop being so naïve."

Her words got lodged in her throat. She blinked once, twice, and wrung her hands to remind herself of where she was. Not in her head. Not pinned down. Not in suffocating in silence. 

As the flashbacks came and clouded her thoughts, she forced herself to breathe.

Sakusa was not that manipulative boy who used to whisper in her ear.

Sakusa was looking out for her, unlike that abusive boy who was forcing her to rely on him and see everyone else as an enemy.

Sakusa's eyes though were lifeless and cold, Just like his.

Why did he berate her? Why did he look down on her? It wasn't the first time. Why did he try to shut her up with a glare and cold reasoning? Why wasn't he listening to her when she said it was not Komori? Why was he making her seem weak?

Why wasn't he listening to her?

"I want you to leave my room."

Both boys glanced at her and frowned. Komori was the first to react.

"What's wrong?"

"Leave," she repeated, "both of you. Right now, or I'll scream."

She had never seen someone run so fast in her life.

Maybe she was naïve but she refused to believe that she was weak. She had a voice, so people needed to listen to her.

Mirae only realized the warning signs of an abusive person when the damage was done.

Keeping track of where you are and who you are with. Discouraging you from making friends. Blaming you for their anger. Humiliation.

She identified none of these with Komori so the baseless accusations made her angry. This was not a game. This was real life and she had already met a monster.

|Note|

Here is a warning to all: If you mess with a first-year you get Emiko Ukai.

So obviously Emiko has mentioned time and time again that she is smart. She is in class 1 by choice, after all. And the fact that she knows the chemicals in a fire extinguisher really helps her case. Just wait until Kuroo finds out she is a science nerd too. Who just casually knows this fact?

As you can probably tell, Mirae is going through some things. She is in no way a perfect person. Her support system is distant and because she wants to be professional, she is struggling to keep her personal life and feelings separate from the convention. For this reason, you may start seeing a more aggressive side to her. She is called the Runaway for a reason.

To make it clear, we are in no way comparing Sakusa to an abusive person. He is joking (in his own unique type of humour). The reason why Mirae got angry with him is because he was repeatedly saying that Komori is the stalker.

Mirae has experienced manipulation first-hand. She trusts Komori enough to know he would never hurt her like that.

Also, LU+TV hit 1K reads! Thank you all so much for the support you have given us and for the love you give to our OC's!

Next week we're bringing back the "Anti-Tobio Kageyama Campaign + Mirae". Just a bit of humour after these past few chapters :P

Please don't forget to vote!

|End Note|