Mirae yanked Emiko away from the vending machines. She ignored her protests and demands to see a manager.

"The game's started. We have to find seats."

"It ate my money!" she tried to dig her feet into the ground but Mirae possessed superhuman strength and effortlessly dragged her by the arm.

"Will you stop it. You never finish those snacks anyway."

"It still ate my money."

They moved in between rows and found a pair of seats by the front. They sat down. Before Emiko had a chance to say or do anything else to embarrass herself further, Mirae dug into her bag and dropped a pack of cheese crackers in her lap.

Emiko ripped the packet open and shoved a handful in her mouth. The referee blew the whistle for the first set and Karasuno stood in formation to receive.

Hinata dug up the serve. Kageyama received it from the left side of the court and set to Tanaka. The girls cheered when he slammed a straight spike that barely grazed the white line.

"Go Tanaka, go!" Emiko cackled. "He's unstoppable, our Ace!"

Mirae couldn't stop herself from snorting. "They're really going to do it."

"Do what?"

Someone dropped in the seat on Emiko's left and chose to answer instead. "They're going to tighten their blocks against his line shots but that's going to open up the opportunities for a cross court."

At that second, Kageyama set the ball to Tanaka again. True to the stranger's predictions, the blockers tightened the line shot allowing for a cross-court spike to whip through.

"They're so predictable," Mirae threw her head back and laughed.

"Oh," Emiko's eyes widened, "hey, it's you. 'Sup my dude?"

"Hi."

"Mirae, this is Yudai Ren the third year setter from Kitagawa First. Yudai this is Mirae Ando volleyball manager and ex-star setter."

"I'm sorry for this walking and talking embarrassment. Unfortunately, I ran out of duck tape so we're stuck with her as she is."

"Rude," Emiko scoffed.

"Yes, you are," she retorted. Mirae leaned over and noticed the four point gap- five-point gap lead that Karasuno had pulled. She then turned to Yudai. "Decided on a school yet?"

"No," he answered the exact moment Emiko sang "Karasuno."

"No," he repeated, shooting her a glare. "I just came to watch today."

"That's good," Mirae smiled at him. "At the end of the day, it's your choice. It'll be your team for the next three years. Take it from me and don't choose until you know for certain."

"Bruh," Emiko rolled her eyes, "he most definitely will come to Karasuno, because if he doesn't, then I will force him to. One way or another you're ours."

A look of fear crossed the boy's face. Mirae smacked Emiko.

"As much as we would love to have you at Karasuno, no one is going to force you to do anything. Especially not an eccentric shorty who has dried crackers stuck to the side of her mouth."

Emiko blew a raspberry and wiped her lips with her sleeve. "Yeah and us managers aren't that bad either. Sure, maybe this one here is a little psychotic with her nutritional logs," she dodged Mirae's hands this time, "but Yachi and I are pretty chill."

Yudai leaned over to get a better look at the court. "Is that Yachi?"

"Yeah. We take turns on the court, although Emiko has been skipping the bench quite a lot."

"How am I supposed to be the cheer squad if I'm on the bench?" she huffed. "Plus, I need to do something epic for my first debut on the bench. I haven't come up with the epic thing yet so I can't go on."

"Your Uncle will kill you."

Emiko shrugged. "So, future Karasuno student, do you have any questions about the team?"

He directed his questions mostly to Mirae, both leaning over Emiko to talk to each other. It was frustrating for Emiko to see two people get along so well when, without her, they wouldn't even know each other.

Yudai turned his attention back to the game just in time to see Kageyama do a setter dump. His eyes widened and he leaned forward. "He just- Wow! That was perfect. The other side couldn't have anticipated it at all."

Mirae agreed. "Kageyama's a super offensive setter."

"His technique is amazing. I've been trying to become more of an offensive player myself."

"It's good to play hard-ball and Kageyama knows exactly where to hit so the other team becomes wary of us."

"Before you know it, the other team is second guessing all the plays."

"And Karasuno has the upper hand," Mirae finished.

Emiko scrunched up her nose as she eyed them. "You both need to stop making that face. It looks like you're in love with him."

"I need to ask him about that setter dump." Yudai rested his chin on his hands.

"I'm sure he'd be more than willing to answer any of your questions after the game. I can introduce you if you'd like."

Yudai's eyes widened. "You would?"

"Of course," Mirae smiled. "Plus, you might not have heard but Kageyama was a candidate for the Japan Youth Camp last year. So you already know the advice he gives will be accurate."

"Hello, this is why you should come to Karasuno!" Emiko leaned forward admiring a save from Nishinoya. "That's the libero I told you about before. He's a third year so he'll be gone when you come in but he's currently training number 10. And let me tell you, 'Tome is one hell of a libero right now. You'll like him, he was a setter before switching positions."

"Why is he a libero?"

"He said something about getting bored with only setting."

Mirae and Yudai frowned.

"Oh, get over it. All you setters are the same."

"Competitive?" Yudai tilted his head.

Mirae shrugged. "We're strategic leaders."

"Prideful," Emiko grumbled, "so prideful that it could be the premise of a horror movie."

"Don't use big words Emiko you'll hurt yourself."

Yudai stifled a laugh. "Wow," his eyes shined as he watched Hinata execute a quick attack. "Number seven is amazing. I'd love to toss to him."

"Hinata's got that effect on everyone."

The corners of his lips lifted. "Karasuno doesn't sound so bad now."

Emiko pulled out her phone and ordered the other two to smile for a picture. "I'm sending this to Kindaichi and Kunimi. Lol we just stole their setter."

Mirae frowned, "Did you just lol out loud."

Yudai asked more questions and Mirae tried her best to answer them without Emiko scaring him off. The first set ended in favour of Karasuno and Yudai decided to watch the Seijoh game over on court D. He exchanged phone numbers with Mirae and promised to reach out in case he had any other questions.

When Mirae turned back to sit down, she noticed Emiko was trying to hide in her seat.

"It's here."

"Are you seeing things? Are you hallucinating? Should we take you to a mental asylum?"

Emiko pulled her down. "Akira is here again."

"I thought we sorted out that little problem."

"We did but now every time I see her I want to rip her face off and honestly that type of violence doesn't suit me. Uncle Keishin, sure, but me?" she blew a raspberry. "I've heard that cafeteria food in prisons are terrible, I'd never survive."

"You're thinking about the wrong consequences," Mirae rolled her eyes. "What happened?"

"Kageyama and Akira have been texting."

"And you care?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I freaking care! According to Ms. Strawberry blonde, I'm the one to thank for setting them up and offering him advice on how to talk to her. Mirae, I must be losing my mind because I would never do that."

"Well, why wouldn't you?"

"Because," she huffed.

"Because..?"

"Okay I don't have an answer but do I need one? Akira is terrible."

Mirae narrowed her eyes. "You need to have an answer."

"No."

"Akira is annoying. She doesn't take a hint and her bubbly attitude can get suffocating to those around her. But she isn't bad, she doesn't want to hurt anyone. If she's shooting her shot with Kageyama, and he's responding to her, why are you getting so upset?"

"Because!"

"Because..?" her eyes widened. "Oh God. You're jealous."

"I am not. Tobio is a weird person I would never be jealous."

"So why are you getting defensive over someone weird? If you weren't jealous, the idea of him and Akira wouldn't make you react like this. Let me ask you a question. What would you do if he kissed Akira after this game."

"I'd shank her," Emiko blurted, venom dripping from her voice. Her eyes widened as she slapped her hands over her mouth.

"You have a crush on Kageyama."

"Oh my God," she shuddered, "I have a crush on Tobio."

Mirae's face paled. She dropped her head between her knees. "Yua and Eichii's love triangle arch doesn't start until next season and that season doesn't start until next month. I don't know what to do."

"Mirae," Emiko shook her violently, "what do I do? Oh God what do I do?"

"You can't be in a love triangle! Yua Loves Eichii hasn't prepared me for this."

Emiko grabbed her face and pulled her away. "What love triangle? What are you talking about?"

"You also like Kunimi."

"What?" Emiko screamed. "What does Kunimi have to do with this?"

"If Kuroo-"

"What does that idiot have to do with anything?"

"It's a hypothetical, if, I'm trying to help you," she smacked her. "If Kuroo kissed your cheek out of the blue, what would you do?"

A dark presence overcame Emiko. Her eyes burned red. "I would chase him to the ends of the earth and sacrifice him to the volcano Gods. I'd chop him up into little pieces and feed him to piranhas. Then, I'd chop my own cheek off. No amount of face wash or sanitizer could clean me."

Mirae shifted away. "Okay, so why didn't you do that when Kunimi kissed you at the Seijoh dance?"

"Because..!"

"Because..?"

"I don't know, just because!"

"You blushed like a school girl and ran away. You wouldn't look him in the eyes, heck, you couldn't give him a sarcastic reply let alone talk to him without stuttering."

Emiko felt as though someone had stabbed her from behind. "I'm going to be sick," she coughed. "Quick, do you have rat poison in your bag? Or sesame seeds, I'm deathly allergic so just two can finish me off quick."

Mirae dropped her head and murmured, "Yua Loves Eichii hasn't prepared me for this."

"What do I do?"

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She needed to clear her head, she had to help her friend.

She turned to face Emiko, ignoring the referee's whistle announcing the start of the second set.

"You can't like Kageyama."

"What?"

"You're his manager," she explained in a whisper, "it would be inappropriate."

"But Tadashi and Yachi-"

"Are not together. They are close friends but they are not together."

Emiko nodded in understanding. She clenched her hand into a fist and beat her chest. "Damn useless feelings."

"Stop that."

"We need to get rid of this jealousy I feel. I won't be able to hold myself back the next time Akira mentions him."

"Emiko," Mirae warned.

"I can't help it, okay? I've already started a collection of the best sticks to use as a shank. Hinata has been helping me find them on our walks to school. He's an accomplice to this, Mirae. If I go down for murder, so will Hinata- Oh God, what did I drag him into?"

"I'll talk to Kageyama," Mirae assured her. "If he likes Akira, then you need to back off."

"She should back off."

"You should back off," Mirae smacked her before she had a chance to stand up and scream. "If they like each other, you need to back off. Focus your emotions on Kunimi instead. There's no other girl involved with him so there isn't a love triangle we have to worry about."

"Fine," Emiko huffed. "What if he doesn't like her though?"

"If he doesn't, I'll eliminate Akira. No more love triangle equals no more jealousy."

"And I won't have the urge to shank her," Emiko's eyes lit up. "You're a genius, Mirae, I could kiss you."

"I do not want your saliva anywhere near me," she cringed and moved a seat away. "Also, I'm pretty sure you'll want to shank Akira no matter what."

Emiko tilted her head. Then, she nodded.

|Note|

Now coming to a theater near you... WHO KILLED AKIRA IRO?

Just kidding^ this isn't a mystery/murder fanfic.

So, Emiko and Mirae share a braincell. Don't be fooled, they are both idiots. I mean, who goes around declaring their intention to 'eliminate' people?

You'll get your answers to Kageyama and Akira soon enough. After all, Mirae has decided that love triangles cannot exists since her T.V drama hasn't prepared her for it yet. Gosh, couldn't Emiko have waited until the next season came out??

Expect an appearance from a certain pretty setter in the next chapter ;)

Don't forget to vote!

|End Note|