chapter eleven: BARBECUED SHRIMP

The smell of a charcoal grill from outside and old school textbooks engulfed the room of the third year student, who circled around the nervous volleyball players like a hawk to its prey.

"Since all of you have volleyball practically circulating in your blood," Natarii snarled, slamming an extremely huge book down to the table and a frightening aura around her. "And didn't even bother to study for your damned exams, you are all being tutored by Chikara, Suga and I - plus Yacchan's notes - since you all can't behave when we're not around.

"This will not be no ordinary tutoring session; I will be making sure that you pass your exams with flying colours, even if I have to squash every volleyball I see."

Everybody, including the third years, gulped at her terrifying speech, thinking if she would actually resort to such horrible measures.

"Okaa-san - " Hinata began, shutting his mouth when he realised what he called the girl.

R.I.P Hinata . . . Sugawara thought, pitying him immediately.

Kageyama snickered to himself, the short middle blocker going in a fighting stance. "Oi, you wanna fight?"

SLAM!

The book that had come down forcefully, shook the table and the water in the glasses around them.

"Tobio, Shoyou . . . " she muttered lowly, looking down at him. "I suggest you say no more or else your name will be engraved on a gravestone and not a volleyball trophy!" The boys fell backwards, the thought scaring them completely.

The second years Nishinoya and Tanaka fearing what she would say to them next. Quietly, they drew random things on their notebooks, avoiding her attention.

To fear her was correct.

"As for you, Nishinoya, Tanaka," she hissed, brown eyes stabbing deep into their souls. They jolted upwards like soldiers. "Mathematics apparently is something that you fail constantly. Sleeping in class and doodling in your shockingly empty notebooks since first year. . . "

Tension danced in the room almost breathtakingly, the mood almost at its critical point.

"I wonder how you even made it to middle school?"

That was the finishing blow for everybody, Sugawara almost fainting and the Ennoshita losing the colour in his face rapidly. Tanaka and Nishinoya clutched their t-shirts, trying not to cry. "That was - that was so harsh," the setter blubbered, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Ease it when you give a lecture, Natarii."

Her demeanour changed instantly, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. "Gomen, Suga," she laughed, her temporary students falling at the personality switch. "I'm done anyways, but if you don't participate, a living hell awaits you . . ."

"They're not gonna last, are they?" Ennoshita whispered as the lesson began.

The silver-haired boy shook his head.

"Nope!"

• • •

"FRIED ~ SHRIMP ~ !" a voice called out, the scent of food attracting the dynamic duos after the demonic study session. "POWER FOOD FOR ALL!"

"Ah, arigato, Chiharu-san," thanked Ennoshita, as she pretty much shoved the books away with her free hand and set the huge shrimp dish down as well as some plates and chopsticks. "It looks really good. You saved us from the true oni over there."

Drool fell from the second and first years mouths, not bothering to clean it up.

Natarii rolled up her sleeves and growled. "What did you say?!"

"Itadakimasu ~ " everyone drawled out, breaking their chopsticks and digging in happily. Their eyes sparkled at the taste, the libero and wing spiker fake crying.

A bubble of laughter flowed from Chiharu's throat, the eyes of a libero falling on to the adorable sight. "Well it's true! And my best friend can be such a pain sometimes ~ !"

"I guess you could call me your Guardian Angel!"

A boy with a streak of blond in his hair flushed red and spit out his shrimp at he title she had given herself from its similarity to the one his overexcited kouhai had told him he had. The third years nodded to each other and a secret high five took place behind their backs.

"Nishinoya-senpai, th - the shrimp . . . " Hinata stuttered, pointing at the chunks of pink splattered across his plate. All eyes focused on the ramen expert, an eye twitching furiously. Nishinoya sweat dropped at the plate and his previous kouhai.

I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead I'm -

"Damn, what a waste," Chiharu mumbled, crossing her arms. "But whatever, just continue eating. No need to get embarrassed, senpai!" Relief washed over everyone's features, especially Natarii's, knowing her friend's religious attitude to food.

"By the way, why did you want to go to Tokyo?" the 'ball of sunshine', a nickname Natarii thought up of during the tutoring. "I - I mean, I'm not saying I don't want you to come to the training camp or anything!"

The girls in the room stopped moving, glancing at each other.

"It wasn't just the two of us," Natarii began to explain. "There was another girl part of our tag-team who goes to Nekoma now." Chiharu laughed to herself, remembering a figure who always held manga in her hands and wore nerdy t-shirts.

"Her name was Asano Miruka," the brown haired second year said, pride glowing on her face. "And she was the cutest thing behind those huge glasses of hers. We all knew each other from the shopping district, her family owning the old animal shelter."

Natarii nodded in agreement. "During middle school, they moved to the big city. Her mom and dad study abroad so she lives with her brother and his girlfriend."

"We're desperate to see her again!" Chiharu gushed, dreaming of their reunion. "And hopefully she's not a pretentious potato who doesn't associate with us 'country folk'."

Pretentious potato . . . Everybody thought, sweatdropping at the somewhat insulting name.

"Hey, Chiharu, that's like the opposite of Mirukachii," Natarii deadpanned, face-palming herself. "But enough of her. Back to studying, people!" She clapped her hands, and the session resumed with a number of groans and nervous giggling.

Chiharu held a hand to her mouth and snorted.

"Gambatte ne ~ !"

• • •

What seemed like steam came out of the volleyball players' heads, totally wrecked from the 'devil's study session' as Chiharu called it.

She waved her hand at their faces, all unresponsive. The girl grumbled to herself, cleaning up the plates while they lied there in a daze, the third years off to get some drinks at Sakanoshita.

"Mattaku ~ " she sighed, shrugging her shoulders. Her eyebrow shot up at the movement - finally - from the short second year. "Oh, afternoon, Nishinoya-senpai."

His glanced at her sleepily, yawning, unaware of his messy appearance. The boy's partly dyed hair had no more gel in it, after all the times he ran his hand through it from confusion, and was now flat.

"Pfft, y - your hair," Chiharu stuttered, trying her best to keep her rambunctious laughter in. "It's - aha - so weird looking!"

Nishinoya blushed and pouted with frustration. "Sh - Shut up!"

Of all people, she had to be the one to witness his embarassing moment.

"I don't like it when my hair's down 'cause I look even shorter," he grumbled, glaring at the floor. "I'm 159 centimetres, a second year, and I haven't grown at all . . . "

"Jeez, what's up with that sad attitude?"

His brown eyes fell on hers, eyebrows furrowing at her indifferent response.

"So what if your short? That doesn't mean you can't do stuff if you're vertically challenged," explained Chiharu, picking up some chopsticks and making him laugh at 'vertically challenged'. She smiled. "Besides, you've got a long way to go!"

He thought for a second and the corners of his lips turning upwards calmly. "Arigato, Chiharu! You - You really are like Guardian Angel!"

His peaceful face made her cheeks redden in return. "It - It's nothing, Nishinoya-senpai! I'm sure you'd do the same!"

"Yup!" he agreed, catching her out for some reason. "I can be your Guardian Deity too - "

"E - Eh!"

"After all, I am your senpai!"

The one time he says something romantic . . .

Chiharu let out a breathy laugh and made her way to the kitchen with him by her side.

It's definitely going to be a rollercoaster this year . . .

• • •

. . . boom.

okay. i am going to keep calm. very calm. so, so calm. completely -

CATS AND CROWS, WE'VE MADE IT TO 1K! (lol that's a first year class at my school)

1.15K TO BE EXACT PEOPLE. 1.15K READS AND 120 VOTES. I ACTUALLY SCREAMED ON THE BUS WHEN I SAW THIS. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING AND YOU ALL HAVE NO IDEA HOW AMAZED I AM WITH YOU ALL!

ILYSM PEOPLE <<33 MY APPRECIATION FOR YOU ALL IS UNREAL

also i've been really stressed SO I THINK ABOUT ALL OF YOU AND I FEEL A LOT BETTER

YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL HOW DO YOU DO IT?

MAKE SURE TO VOTE AND GIVE ME FEEDBACK - IMPROVEMENT IS KEY!

ILYILY ILY ALL

- michaela