It was officially the semester's concert season. Mitsumi was all over the music department and campus performing and trying to get ready for her own end-of-semester recital. All of her spare time had been consumed by dress rehearsals and concerts. Kuroo had been draining her emotional energy as he was trying to get back on his feet and she was trying to get used to being back on the court full time again.

"It's lunchtime!" Suga walked into Mitsumi's office to see that she wasn't at her desk. The music office was incredibly lively. The sounds of a jazz trumpet, opera singing, a piano, and a flute were clearly clashing with each other. So this is what she means by experimental music. He thought to himself.

Mitsumi ran back into her office and zoomed behind her desk. Her hair was flying all over the place and she seemed to be out of breath. "I'm so sorry, Koushi. I had to go fill in for an accompanist and we ran over."

This was the first time they had seen each other all week. Suga simply watched her clock out and toss all of her books into her canvas bag. "You really have been busy."

"Concert season. What can I say?" Mitsumi stood up and threw her bag on her shoulder. "Where to?" She followed him out the door. The sudden blast of cool autumn air made her take a step back.

"How much time do you have?" For as much as he wanted her to take a break, he didn't want to take too much of her time. Suga knew how much pressure she was under to perform well. Even at volleyball practice, the coaches were calling her out more.

"I have about an hour before I have to be at Piano Masterclass." She joined him at a table inside the student union. It was far warmer there than it was outside. "What are you doing tonight?"

The silver haired setter pulled out two bentos and a thermos. "Well, the qualifiers start tomorrow. So we have the night off. How about you?"

"I have a gig after practice." Mitsumi was practically inhaling the food in front of her. She hadn't eaten anything but a protein bar and an energy jelly pouch all day. She had forgotten that the qualifiers were that weekend with how hectic things had been. But she didn't want to say anything about it. "When is your first game tomorrow?"

"10 am. We are the first to play. When is your exhibition match?" Mitsumi knew that was this weekend for her as well.

"Sunday night in the Stadium here. I'm open on Saturday, so if you guys make it I'll come watch you guys." Mitsumi was relieved that she could at least make it to the second day of their games. Maybe it would give her the break she needed before the big game on Sunday. Tokyo University was kicking off the National Exhibition matches, so she needed to be ready to be on the big screen.

Suga's face sank a little bit. "Well, I'm sure we will make it." He could tell that she forgot. But who was he to blame? Right? "Am I still good to stay at your place tonight?"

"Of course! I feel bad for being so busy." Mitsumi smiled apologetically. "Plus you won't have to walk all the way from your place early in the morning. I'll even make Mapo Tofu for dinner tonight." She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. Was she completely wiped out for the day, yes. But, she needed to do something for her boyfriend. Her stress was his stress, and his stress was hers. Things would eventually even out. She just needed to make it through the rest of the week.

...

"Heck yeah! Nice kill!" Mitsumi was running on her fifth cup of Dr. Pepper by the time practice rolled around. They were playing a scrimmage against their teammates. Matsuki had barely missed Takahashi's spike. Her and Yuki flashed a big thumbs up. They had perfected the fake set that would hopefully take the world by storm.

The referee blew his whistle, signalling the end of the game and the end of practice. Everyone was fired up from the match. Coach dismissed everyone, but several people stayed back for some personal practice. Shimura walked over to Mitsumi and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked to the locker rooms. "You look utterly exhausted and still manage to pull those moves off. You are nuts, Mitsumi! What are you up to tonight?"

"Koushi is staying over so he doesn't have to travel so far in the morning. And I have to get the boy's breakfast bentos together." Mitsumi had grown used to her teammates suddenly tossing their tall bodies at her. It would be weird if one of them didn't.

Shimura wiggled her eyebrows. "No funny business! You're too young for that kind of stuff."

Mitsumi's face exploded into a shade of red that had never been seen before. "SHIMURA! It's not like that! Besides, it's not like you are that much older than me!" Her voice echoed through the empty locker room. "I feel bad because I've had so much on my schedule. I literally saw him for the first time all week today for lunch. And that was for not even an hour!" She let out a frustrated groan and pulled on a fresh set of clothes.

"Ouch, that's actually depressing." The captain understood the feeling though. "I get it though. My ex and I were like that for a while before we broke up. Didn't you have a concert before this?" She pulled on her sweatshirt and put her track jacket over it. The lack of a response confirmed her suspicions. "You need to make more time for people you know."

"Shimura, I've had so much going on recently and I've had to deal with a depressed best friend, his unusually stressed out roommate, and the lack of seeing my own boyfriend. On top of two very demanding lives. So, I am trying my hardest to keep my life together before I lose something." The libero suddenly went off on a rant. It wasn't in her nature to do that, but she was under too much pressure at the moment. She grabbed her things and shut her locker with a loud slam. Mitsumi hurried out of the gym realizing what she had said. Her heart was racing. But at the same time, it felt good to just drop all of that baggage.

Oh my gosh, I just went off on Shimura. I'm so dead. She hates me. She's going to kick me off the team. WHY?! A million thoughts zoomed through her brain as she texted Suga that she was on her way to the music building. She needed to drop a few things off at her locker there.

Suga had beaten her there since he was hanging out in the Student Union with some of his friends. "So, how was practice?" He linked his arm to her's as they walked towards her apartment. He had brought his backpack full of things he would need for the night.

"It was actually really good! Yuki and I finally have the fake set figured out. But, I kind of went off on Shimura in the locker rooms before leaving." Mitsumi let out a sigh. She still couldn't believe that. "It's nothing major though. Mapo Tofu for dinner, right?" She decided to shift the conversation away from what had just happened not too long ago.

Suga was a bit surprised at what she had said. It must have taken a lot for her to actually go off on anyone. He pulled her closer to him and took a deep breath. "Yes, Mapo Tofu." He smiled even though he knew she was totally evading the question.

Mitsumi got to cooking as soon as she got home. She had already set up a futon she was borrowing from her neighbors in her room. He was busy settling in as she was preparing their late-night dinner and was wrapping up a few assignments on the couch as the television played the latest symphonies Mitsumi was studying in her class. To him, it was just background music. Except for this one really obscure one that sounded more like chaotic noises. In a way, he was jealous that she had a place to herself. He loved staying with his aunt, but Kaori had her friends over often. And they were a noisy bunch.

"Dinner's ready!" Mitsumi finished the meal and set the table for the two of them. She sat with him with a tired smile. "How is your homework?" She paused the music that had been playing in the background.

He kissed her cheek as they sat down. "It's going. I just finished an assignment on children's psychological development. It's really interesting." Suga looked at the plate of his favorite food. The presentation wasn't the greatest, but he knew the effort was put into making it taste good. "Thanks for the food!" He relaxed as he savored a bite of the spicy dish. The heat warmed him up from the chilly night.

The girl listened to him go on and on about what he was learning in his classes. A lot of it was things she couldn't understand at all. But, she still found it interesting. "I don't know how you remember all those big terms." She sweated a little bit, "I'm pretty useless outside the music department when it comes to academics."

"I really doubt that. Weren't you the top of your class in high school?" He chuckled to himself as she stuck her tongue out at him. "Outside of practices, how have your studies been?" Suga helped himself to another steaming bowl of food.

"Eh..." Mitsumi didn't know how to answer his question. "Difficult, I guess. We've been analyzing late romantic era and early 20th century symphonic works. They are really pretty to listen to, but analyzing them is too difficult." She had never been asked by anyone outside of her classmates about her classes before. Suga had helped her study many times, but this was different. She was trying to explain complex musical ideas to someone who had no music background at all.

Suga in turn listened to her even though he had no idea what she was talking about. He helped her clean the kitchen up. "I'll be honest. I have no idea what you are talking about. But, the fact you can say all of that about a bunch of organized sounds is really impressive."

"Thanks?" The girl cocked her head to the side a little bit. "Um, you can use the shower first if you want." She decided that she could wait a little bit.

"You just got back from the gym. You go first. I have an assignment to turn in before I can call it a night." Suga followed her into her tidy room. He plugged his laptop in and sat on the futon she had laid out for him. Mitsumi nodded and got her pajamas before going off to the shower and left him to his homework.

He looked around her simply decorated room as he waited for his computer to boot up again. It looked like she had put up some pictures since the last time he had last been in her room. Although several of the empty clothespins on the twine indicated that her project wasn't quite done. There were a few photos of her high school team, one of the both of them before going to their first college practice matches, and some of her and her family. Suga turned towards her bed. The weighted blanket he had given her was draped on top of the mattress. The sight brought a smile to his face.

Mitsumi returned wearing a long sleeved oversized shirt and flannel penguin pajama pants. A thick spa headband held her bangs away from her face as she rubbed something onto her facial skin. "The shower is all yours." She caught him chuckling and glared a little bit. "What are you laughing at?"

"Mm, nothing." Suga grabbed his things and walked over to her. "I hope you left me some hot water." He chuckled again, hearing her huff.

"Are you saying I'm indecent?" She puffed her cheeks and glared at him again.

"Not at all!" He shouted from down the hallway.

...

Mitsumi woke up in the middle of the night due to her own restless thoughts. She looked at her alarm clock on her dresser. The bright red numbers blared that it was only 12:30 am. She hadn't been asleep for two hours yet. She climbed out of bed and tiptoed around her boyfriend's sleeping figure. He was bundled underneath a pile of thick comforters, snoring away on the futon she had borrowed from Riza. She never had guests, so she never had the need to buy one.

The sight made her smile as she went to the kitchen for a glass of warm water. Normally, she would settle for a cup of steaming lavender tea, but she hadn't been to the store to replenish her stock yet. The warm liquid helped her to relax her body and mind. Once she was satisfied, she tiptoed back into her room. The door was shut as quietly as possible and Mitsumi went to climb back into bed. But the sound of the toilet flushing in the background caught her off guard.

Suga had drunk a little too much liquids before going to bed. His body had given him a bit of a cruel awakening. His sleepy self yawned as he returned to his cozy spot underneath his covers. "Chie? Have you fallen asleep yet?"

"I just woke up." Mitsumi sighed and crawled back under her blankets. "My brain didn't exactly shut down all the way."

"You sound like you need some cuddles." He sat up and held his arms out. His words were slightly slurred together indicating that he wasn't exactly all the way conscious. Bokuto called it "sleep drunkness". But now the girl knew why.

There was no getting out of this. The sight was too cute. Mitsumi grabbed her weighted blanket and brought it onto the futon. "You have a tournament soon. Get some sleep." She scolded the setter and found herself wrapped the blanket around her. This tired version of Suga seemed childish despite being very mature for his age. It was a side to him that she never thought he had.

Suga wrapped the blankets snuggly around them. His broad arms snaked around Mitsumi's tiny waist and held her against his chest. As soon as his head hit his pillow again, he was out cold. Mitsumi felt her face heat up. What just happened?! She exclaimed in her thoughts. They had cuddled many times before, but she usually was the first to fall asleep. He would always just tuck her into her blankets and leave, but she was stuck in his comforting embrace. And he was sleeping.

Her small fingers brushed some of his hair out of his face. "I love you, Koushi. Sleep tight." She whispered to herself and planted a soft kiss on his forehead.

...

The second day of the tournament had arrived. The women's team had travelled back out to Sumida City not only for their awards ceremony, but also for the final round the men were playing in. The ceremony would be held right after their match.

It was the final set against Nihon University. The score was 12-10 with Tokyo in the lead. "GIVE US A GOOD SERVE SUGA!" The women's team shouted in unison at the silver haired setter. Chie typically wasn't one to cheer, but she decided to join in just this once.

"Eh? Mitsumi cheering?" Shimura leaned on the shorter girl's shoulder. "Our little freshie is growing up!"

"She just has a boyfriend~" Nomiya poked Mitsumi's cheek playfully.

Mitsumi growled at her seniors. "Stop touching me!" She said, trying to swat them away. "I cheer when I want too, okay?" She sunk back down into her seat and hid her blushing face behind the zipped up collar of her team jacket. She pulled out her phone to see if anyone had texted her the results of the high school qualifiers. And sure enough, Kenma and Yui had texted that they were both going to Nationals again. She was honestly jealous that Kuroo had managed to find the time to see them.

Her attention snapped back to the game just in time to watch Kuroo nail another block. A small smirk tugged at her lips. Seems that talk worked. The referee blew the whistle signalling the point. Tokyo University was all going to Nationals together.

...

The crowd went wild during the awards ceremony. It was another year of Tokyo University sweeping the floor. Mitsumi and Suga glanced at each other down the line with grins. Bokuto and Kuroo caught them looking at each other and mentally gagged. Although their eye contact teasing ended when they caught a view of two familiar groups in the competitors' viewing area.

"Akaashi! Konoha! Check it!" Bokuto shouted up to his two former teammates as he walked off the court. He held up his gold medal for him to see. It had been too long since he had the satisfaction of winning a whole tournament.

"Bokuto! This is seven years straight!" Konoha held up his silver medal with the rest of their team. "Stop flaunting your upgrade!"

"Oi! Kenma! Don't run off yet!" Kuroo caught the pudding head before he could run off.

Mitsumi heard Kuroo shout and turned around. "Kenma!!! Come meet us downstairs!" She waved to all of the Nekoma students as she exited.

Reporters were all over the lobby of the stadium. All of the seniors were getting the bulk of the attention. Which they deserved since it was all their last season. Mitsumi stood against a wall and waited for the coaches to round everyone up.

"I'm grateful to not be with them." Her grumblings caught the attention of Kuroo, who was standing next to her. Bokuto and Suga were somehow dragged into an interview by Matsuda. Although, the Owl boy seemed to be enjoying all the attention.

Kuroo nodded in agreement. "Reporters are a pain." He stood up straight and noticed a large group of people in all red walking over. He smirked a bit, "Well looky here!"

"That block was insanely satisfying at the end, Kuroo!" Inuoka was jumping up and down in place. "Congratulations you guys!"

"Yeah, well it was luck." The former captain admitted.

Yui lifted Mitsumi off her feet in a hug and squeezed her tightly. "First place! Not fair! We got the sponsor slot this year." She swung the short girl around.

Mitsumi felt her legs fly behind her. "Yui! Set me down! My legs are gonna break off!" She grimaced and fixed her brace as the high schooler set her down. "I'm glad to hear you guys got the sponsor spot this year! That's better than nothing!"

A group of reporters spotted the interactions between the two groups. One lady came over with her camera. "Can I get a photo of all of Nekoma with their two recent alumni?" She said, approaching Kuroo.

Mitsumi was trying to escape, but he grabbed her by the collar of her jacket. "Sure! Why not?" Kuroo plopped the girl at his side.

The reporter got everyone together for a quick photo. Another reporter looked at Mitsumi with his notepad ready. "How is your knee doing after the incident at the Preliminaries? Word spread that you were down for a couple weeks."

"It's all good now! I am back on the court full time again!" Mitsumi gave a fake smile with her response. She had no interest in the press and had no energy to deal with them.

Coach Yamata and Ueno were glad to see that their players were stealing all the attention this year. They were all getting their time to shine. The press hour hadn't quite finished yet.

Suga finally found Mitsumi in the crowd and pulled her to a quiet place outside by the buses. He hugged her tightly and buried his face in the crook of her neck. His actions caught her off guard.

"Congratulations, Koushi." Mitsumi wrapped her arms around him. "You worked hard today!"

He squeezed her gently. They could feel each other's heartbeats as they held each other. Suga was relieved. "You too, Chie. You handled the press better than I did." He pulled away from her but kept his hands on her waist.

"I don't know about that." She laughed it off.

A loud voice called out from a distance. "Hey lovebirds! We are loading the bus!" Bokuto was waving and making kissy faces at the couple with Makoto.  

"Coming!" The couple chimed before running towards their bus.