Day 6

The cold air nipped at the exposed skin on her face; the tip of her nose and cheekbones were numb and coloured rose. It was Saturday afternoon and while most of the students at Itachiyama stayed in the safety of their dorm rooms, Mirae decided to venture to the downtown shopping district.

Coach Iwasaki gave her a list of first aid supplies she could get for the team and the errand aside, she wanted to buy a few gifts for her friends.

Komori and Ishida caught her just as she was locking her door. When they saw that she was dressed up for a day out, they ran and got their own coats, boots, and scarves. The three of them fell into step as they walked out the school campus.

"It's not every day we get to go exploring," Ishida expressed, "this'll be fun!"

"What time will we be back by?" Komori asked as his fingers moved across his phone screen.

"Two or three hours."

"I've got to let the team know that practice is cancelled today, courtesy of our beloved and temporary manager," he grinned slyly.

Mirae gasped and stopped mid-step. Ishida snickered as he tugged on her arm and dragged her along.

"It's fine. Besides, it's not like they'll show up anyway."

"I cannot even begin to understand how your team is strong if no one shows up for practice."

"It's not our fault," Ishida shrugged. "It's the benchwarmers who are slacking. Our coach scouted them from middle school because they're talented players. They act all privileged because they were chosen to join our team. Plus, they know they won't be playing in their first year, so they don't care."

"Reminds me of one of my friends," Mirae murmured. They waited in line to purchase their train tickets. "He's the captain at Fukurodani and back at the training camp we were at, he couldn't get some of his first years to join in on group practice. Instead they wanted to practice flashy moves and complicated sets alone. It makes me think that there has to be a way to motivate your first years."

Komori grabbed the three tickets from the stand and led the way to the train platform. As they waited for the doors to open, he turned to Mirae. "That's only thirty-percent of the problem. The rest is our grouchy team captain Kiyoomi Sakusa."

"I have no idea what possessed Coach to make him captain. Mirae, you haven't seen half of the type of person he is."

"Exactly! At every second of the day he's angry, he's grumbling, he's glaring at everything within arm's distance, he's constantly threatening people for standing too close to him on the court, and he can't communicate for the life of him!" Komori listed as he counted on his fingers, not knowing that the target of their conversation was standing directly behind them.

"Uh-huh," Sakusa drawled, sharpening his glare onto his cousin. "Go on, tell me, what other attributes do I possess that has you concerned?"

Komori's throat ran dry. Ishida grabbed Mirae and pushed her in front of them.

"Hello," she squeaked, "fancy seeing you here."

Begrudgingly, he tore his eyes away from the two sweating. His eyes landed on Mirae who was hiding in her scarf, hands shoved in tiny purple mittens that fiddled in front of her.

"What are you doing out?"

"Shopping."

"Exploring."

"Nothing."

The train doors groaned as they opened. Komori yanked Mirae and Ishida inside, nearly tripping on his own feet.

"Bye Kiyoomi! Have a great day doing your laundry or whatever it is you do on Saturday afternoons."

"This is my train too."

He shoved himself into the seat beside Ishida's that was facing Mirae and Komori. There was barely two feet of space between them.

"Where are you going?" Ishida asked. He pressed his body to the window, careful to avoid brushing shoulders with the man that kicked him so hard in the stomach last time, he puked for three days.

Sakusa shook the snow off his boots and answered, "Cough drops."

"You could've texted me to get you them," Mirae said, "I did tell you I was stepping out for the day."

"There are stalkers outside." He narrowed his eyes at his cousin.

Komori gasped. "For the last time I am not the stalker!"

"Maybe Sakusa is the stalker," Ishida offered. Then, his eyes grew wide as he threw himself between Komori and Mirae, "I'm sorry please hide me!"

In the middle of pushing and shoving between the three, a hard kick landed against Mirae's knee and she yelped.

At the sound, everyone froze. Then, Komori leaned over, eyes widening when he saw the snowy boot print on her jeans.

"Kiyoomi why did you kick her?"

"I didn't mean to," he snapped, "Ishida should've held still."

"Oh, so this is my fault?"

"Of course it is."

"I want to go home," Mirae whispered to herself. She offered her seat to Ishida and carefully sat down beside Sakusa.

"You're not even going to apologize?" Komori glared. "That is mean, Kiyoomi. Do you want me to tell your mom? Huh? Is this the type of son she raised?"

"Shut-up or I'll tell everyone you're the stalker."

"You're so adamant that it's me, and it makes me wonder if the stalker is actually you."

"Do you even hear yourself?"

"We took the Sociopath test in class last month and you scored the closest to a mentally unstable person."

"That test is subjective."

"You give off murderous vibes dude, it's all I'm saying."

Ishida leaned over and whispered Mirae's name. "We could ditch them if you want?"

"We could," she agreed, "But I'd feel bad for Komori."

"Yeah. He's too young to die."

"Hey!" Komori's head snapped towards them, "What are you two talking about? Stop trying to kill me off!"

"You're not that easy to kill off. You're like a roach, even if we cut your head off, you'll live."

His jaw dropped. Ishida snickered.

"Oh look, this is our stop." Mirae jumped and began limping off the train. The three boys watched her; Komori and Ishida frowned at Sakusa before following.

Ishida was the first to catch up and he offered his arm to her as support. She gave him a grateful smile for the help.

"How hard did you kick her?"

"Shut-up," Sakusa growled, "it wasn't on purpose. She was in my way."

"Dude, she's limping."

"It wasn't on purpose."

"You should at least apologize."

Whether he was working on an apology or not, no one knew. The four of them walked into the pharmacy first where Mirae sent them down different isles to pick up certain things. She herself went to the counter to ask for numbing cream.

With four people to run the errands, they were done in twenty minutes. Next, she led them across the street to the Tokyo Metropolitan Mall.

"I need food," Komori said as he rubbed his hands together. "Are we feeling fresh onigiri? Steamed meat buns? Soba Noodles?"

"Meat buns for the win."

"I'm not talking to you."

Ishida narrowed his eyes. "Did you just refer to yourself as multiple people?"

"He's mentally unstable." Sakusa glared at an elderly woman who walked too close past him. "When are we leaving?"

"You got your cough drops, you can go," Mirae shrugged. She pulled her scarf down and pulled her face mask up. "See you tomorrow at practice."

Komori and Ishida burst out in laughter. They howled, leaning onto each other for support and Mirae had to apologize on their behalf to a mother and her child who flinched.

"I'll decide when I want to go," Sakusa narrowed his eyes.

"I don't need an escort. Besides, Ishida and Komori are here."

"Komori is the stalker."

"I am not!"

To prove her point, she grabbed Komori's arm and walked away. She called over her shoulder for Ishida to follow.

"Damn, she hates you."

"She does not."

"She does, she's just too nice to say it to your face." Ishida shrugged and left.

He had heard people talk about the walk of shame, but this was the first time he understood what the feeling was. It was like there were rocks in his shoes and yet he was compelled forward.

They had stopped in front of an athletic wear store and Mirae disappeared between the racks.

"Why'd you guys even come out today?" Sakusa asked.

"We're keeping her company."

"She wanted us to come. The real question is, why are you here?"

"Cough drops."

"You got your cough drops," Komori stressed, "and you hate unnecessary browsing in stores. Hell, you do all your shopping online anyway."

"No I don't."

"Oh forgive me, you're mother does your shopping for you."

"Dude," Ishida elbowed him, "Do you want to die?"

"You really should apologize for kicking her. She's still limping."

"I didn't kick her that hard."

"She's limping," Komori emphasized, "or is this about Rina Ando?"

"What does she have to do with this?"

"You're prejudiced against Mirae because of her sister. Is this your way of getting revenge?"

"I'm not petty like you."

"Guys, chill, people are starting to stare."

Mirae shuffled towards the exit, gripping the plastic bag tighter and when she was certain the three boys were too invested with their own drama to notice her, she limped away. The ace spiker had kicked her in her bad knee, the one that was sprained so badly it tore muscle just over a year ago.

As she hopped around another corner, Komori's voice called out to her. She huffed and went into the first store on her right. As she was crouching between the aisles in the bookstore, she saw a familiar face.

She tapped his leg.

Akaashi's indigo coloured eyes flickered with recognition. Her steel coloured eyes were a dead giveaway.

"Mirae," he greeted, "why are you crouching like that?"

"I'm hiding."

"Oh," he glanced around them. Then, he moved in position to block the view from the entrance. "Better?"

"Thanks," she grinned as she straightened her posture. "I was supposed to come shopping alone but some of the boys from the team tagged along."

"I can only imagine how that's going," he paused, "would you like me to come with you as you finish your shopping?"

"That's very kind, but I'm done now. I just needed to get away from them for a bit. Say, what are you doing in the bookstore?"

His fingers brushed along the spine of the heavy book he was holding. "Bokuto-san needed a textbook for one of his classes, but the university store has run out of copies. I found this one here so I'm sending it to him in the mail."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

"Yeah. Do you enjoy reading?"

"I don't really have time," she admitted, feeling herself blush.

"Well if you ever need something to read, let me know. I can recommend you a variety of novels."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you. Have you talked to Bokuto-san recently?"

"Earlier this week. He passed an exam and was very excited. Have you spoke to him?"

"I talked to him last night actually. He has another exam today. I really hope he did well."

"Why don't we send him a picture?" Akaashi asked. He flipped out his phone and held it in front of them as they posed. "I think Bokuto-san will be happy to know that we ran into each other, and that you're doing well."

"Bokuto-san is a miracle among regular men," she blushed, "when did I get so poetic?"

"A miracle among men," he started at her thoughtfully and smiled, "I like it."

Before she could respond, Akaashi's phone rang with an incoming facetime call. He fumbled and pressed the accept button. Bokuto's glowing gold eyes appeared on screen.

"Akaashi where is An-chan?" he demanded.

"Uh, right here Bokuto-san."

He turned the camera so that Mirae was in view. If possible, Bokuto's eyes widened more.

"An-chan! Wow, An-chan you look so adorable but why are you wearing a mask? Are you sick? Oh, you must be sick. Did you take some medicine?"

"I'm fine, Bokuto-san," she dragged the mask under her chin, "see? It's just a precaution against germs."

"Your nose is red!" he yelped, "Quick, Akaashi, check her temperature. She must be running a fever!"

Akaashi slapped his hand across Mirae's forehead. His fingers were cold against her skin.

"She is fine, Bokuto-san."

"Phew," he exclaimed and finally moved back so his face could be properly seen on the screen. "Wait, why are you two hanging out?"

"I ran into Akaashi at the mall."

"Talk about a coincidence!"

"No, we're both in Tokyo." Akaashi shook his head. "Our schools are twenty minutes away from this mall. It's not really a coincidence."

"I used the word coincidence correctly though, right?"

Akaashi paused. "Yes, you did."

"Awesome!" Bokuto beamed. When he came back in view, he peered closer and gasped. "Whoa! Is that Sakusa? And Komori? And Ishy-Ishida?

Akaashi looked over their shoulders and confirmed.

"Oh, let me say hi!"

He held the phone out and the three from Itachiyama greeted him. Sakusa glared, so Komori made sure to be extra cheerful.

"You guys better be taking care of An-Chan! She is an angel. You're so lucky to have her at your school. We saw each other for a day during our training camp a few months ago and the things I learned from her were crazy. Sakusa! You should eat prunes for your bones man! They could make your wrists super strong so think of the nasty spins and power you could put on your spikes!"

"..."

"Uh, thanks for the advice Bokuto," Komori cut in with a blinding smiling, "Don't mind Kiyoomi, he's lost his voice."

"Yeah, the weather is getting colder- Wait, what?" Bokuto leaned back in his chair and listened to whoever was talking to him in the room. A second later, he shoved his face into the camera and beamed with the news. "An-chan! Let's go clubbing!"

Akaashi choked on his breath. Mirae's eyes widened but she quickly turned to rub his back.

"I'm sorry, Bokuto-san, but did you say clubbing?"

"Heck yeah!" he punched the air. "Me, you, Kuroo, Kuroo's awesome roommate, and Akaashi! We'll have so much fun!"

"I'm sorry Bokuto-san I cannot go clubbing."

"Well why not?" he asked, tilting his head innocently.

"You are an athlete, you should not be drinking."

"Forget being an athlete," Akaashi narrowed his eyes as he held the phone close, "Bokuto-san you are still underage. It is illegal for you to consume alcohol."

"Don't worry Akaash," he grinned playfully, "we've got that covered. Kuroo's awesome roommate is making us all fake ID's. Oh I hope you don't mind, but I gave him a picture of you to use for it. Oh! Oh! Sakusa, Komori, Ishida, send me pictures of you guys! You can come too!"

"Absolutely not," Mirae snapped, glaring at the three boys who were stunned in silence. "If even a single drop of alcohol enters your bodies I will force you into the freezing waters of the river. You are athletes, you need to take care of your bodies."

"But An-chan," Bokuto whined, "Alcohol is healthy if you drink it in increments. Trust me, I can send you an article all about the health benefits of drinking in small increments."

"We are not having this conversation and you better not be going clubbing." Akaashi shook his head. He looked up at the ceiling and addressed some invisible entity. "Why did Kuroo-san have to go to the same university as Bokuto-san? Just why?"

"Bokuto-san," Mirae called, "please don't go clubbing and please don't drink alcohol. We have to go now, but I'll talk to you later. Trust me, every article I have read says that alcohol is bad for your health."

"Not in increments!"

"Goodbye Bokuto-san."

"Wait!" he screamed. "Sakusa, Komori, Ishida, please take care of An-chan while she's in Tokyo. Okay, that's all I have to say. Goodbye!"

His face disappeared and Mirae and Akaashi let out a breath they did not know they were holding.

"Well, I should go and pay for this. The sooner I send it to Bokuto-san, the better. If he has to do his homework, he won't have time to think about clubbing."

"Good idea," Mirae nodded. "It was nice talking to you Akaashi. I'll see you around."

"Bye."

"So you met Akaashi and Bokuto at a training camp?" Komori asked as they fell into step on the snow covered streets.

"Yeah."

"Bokuto seems to really like you."

"I like him too."

"Like," Ishida paused, "like like?"

Her brows furrowed and she tilted her head. "I like him the same amount I like my other friends."

"Oh," Komori paused, "then do you like, like like Akaashi?"

"Huh?"

Sakusa grabbed the bags from her hands. "Ignore them," he said in a gruff voice. "They're being idiots."

Komori and Ishida walked on either side of her and began interrogating her on the relationship she had with Fukurodani's past and present team captains. It did not help that her answers were questions. The entire train ride back to campus, Sakusa wished he bought tape because what started as an interrogation led to teasing and there was something about a blushing Ando that did not sit right with him.

|Note|

What if we sent Mirae back in crutches? Just how will the Protect the Managers Squad react to having their Devoted Goddess crippled?

And Bokuto🥺 He really is the sweetest. Is anyone up for some underage drinking and clubbing? Haha Mirae really is loving a Y/N fanfiction.

Do you guys think the Protect the Managers Squad will take Bokuto in? His resume happens to be very exceptional.

How would you feel about SakusaxRina? At this point we don't know if he's playing hard to get or if he actually has a crush on her😂

Next week, we're bringing back Instagram posts for Mirae and Emiko. Prepare yourselves for some crazy times.

That's all for this chapter, please don't forget to vote!

|End Note|