Mitsumi slept through her alarm the next day. Thankfully, she didn't have much going on until the evening. She was finally feeling rested enough to tackle the day without the aid of caffeine. She had her phone plugged into her charger and propped against her wall as she got ready for the day.
"Hey, Saki! How's it going in Miyagi?" Mitsumi answered the video chat. Both girls were doing their hair on camera.
Saki smirked a bit. "We are going to Nationals!" She said as she uncurled her hair from the iron. "I heard you are too! Oh, and how is Suga?"
"Heck yeah, we are!" Mitsumi smirked at her best friend. "And Koushi has been good. He and the boys are headed to Nationals too. They swiped silver." She curled the hair that framed her face with her finger. She let out a dreamy sigh she didn't know she was holding. "Koushi is such a hopeless romantic."
Saki laughed a bit, "And you aren't?" She started applying makeup to her face. "As long as he is treating you right and Kuroo isn't getting in the way."
"It's been busy lately. I have a game tonight and it's concert season. So, I've been all over the place." The brunette smiled at how her hair looked. She decided to wear it down for a change. "As for Kuroo, we had a chat after Gramps passed. Otherwise, he's actually super supportive of our relationship. According to Kenma, he's actually started to branch out more."
"Dang girl. With how clingy he has been in the past, I'm surprised." Saki looked at her phone screen and whistled seeing her best friend's look. "Suga is going to have to take a crowd out for you today! And you said all the time in high school that soulmates weren't a thing. Now, look at you two being all couple and whatnot. What are you up to?"
Mitsumi paused for a second and started to think. "It's game day, so no practice. But, Koushi said he wanted to go out today to celebrate our tournament wins." It was unusual for her to dress up. She was in black tights, a calf-length brown skirt, a cream top, and an oversized tan sweater. She would wear her maroon scarf and brown boots with it later. "Rate this outfit."
"It's a perfect 10!" The two girls giggled a little bit. Saki smiled brightly. A loud crash came from her end which made her jump. "Hey, my roommate just did something stupid. I'll call after your game tonight. You got this Guard Dog." She hung up the call.
Mitsumi unplugged her phone and stuffed it in her skirt pocket. I never wear skirts. What the heck? She wrapped her scarf around her neck as she stepped into her boots. She opened the door when Suga arrived and found herself grinning like an idiot. They both were.
"You look as beautiful as always." Suga extended his hand to her. He had never seen her in a skirt before. "I like the new look." His face flushed as she took his hand. The cold wind pushed through the wind tunnel of the apartment complex.
"T-thanks." Chie shyly took his hand. "To the shrine right?" She walked down the stairs with him slowly.
A familiar whistle echoed down the hall. "Don't have too much fun~" It was Shimura. It looked like she and Riza had just returned from grocery shopping. There was really no escaping those two. Mitsumi considered it to be rather insufferable to have them around.
"Save it for after the game, you two." Riza stuck her tongue out playfully.
The couple blushed at the downstairs neighbors. They really had no comments for those two. It was quite pathetic how Riza and Shimura could fluster the two of them so easily. Suga chuckled it off and took a sharp breath in as he raked his fingers through his hair. Mitsumi took a moment to appreciate the sight of him all was bundled up in his coat and bright blue scarf. At least she knew he was warm.
"There's this dumpling place Kaori told me about. Do you want to go there after the shrine?"
They had decided it would be best to pray for a continuing successful season. Mitsumi had suggested the idea while being sarcastic about how bad her luck was. "Sure!" She licked her lips at the thought. Dumplings on a cold day sounded perfect.
Their hands interlocked perfectly as they walked through the streets. Her fingers were already cold from the autumn chill. Mitsumi found it embarrassing that she had to wear gloves so early in the year because her hands got cold so easily. So, she ditched them at home. Suga was warm enough, thank goodness, and his large hands kept her tiny one warm. The small detail made a fuzzy feeling spread through his body.
They parted for a few moments as they prayed at the shrine and quickly joined together again. There weren't too many people. It was mostly foreign tourists. But, they weren't that much of a bother.
"I have a weird question." Suga smiled from across the dining table.
"I have a weird answer." The sarcastic response was coupled with a shrug.
"Why did you accept your scholarship with your conditions?" He fidgeted with his fingers underneath the table. The setter had caught himself doing that more often. And he couldn't figure out where he had picked up the mannerism from.
Mitsumi leaned back in her chair. "Well... I have someone to show up." She mumbled. Her eyes locked on the table in front of her. "A lot of people to show up."
High school wasn't the easiest for her. She was in the accelerated classes, super involved in piano performances, and maintained a spot on the volleyball team. This juggle wasn't a new thing to her at all. The high pressure from her teachers and coaches to do well in all aspects of her life was normal to her. She didn't know a life without it.
"What do you mean?" Suga tilted his head to the side.
"Well, you see, I was told that I couldn't succeed at a piano career and I was told that I would never succeed in sports." She paused for a second to gather her thoughts. "I wanted to prove to my parents and all of the naysayers that I can do both." Mitsumi watched as their food arrived. Her mouth watered at the sight of all the dumplings. "Kuroo and my team were my rock through it all. I may not be the best or a prodigy, but I can at least do what I love the best I can. Right?"
He had no idea. But then again, he had seen that same motivation in a certain rival before. It was that drive to constantly improve that was terrifying. He had seen those types of people in the recent past. They acted like they were starving all of the time. And then the second they got a small taste of what they wanted, they would rather die than stop.
Suga picked up his chopsticks and reached for his first pick. "You're a tough cookie." He set the dumpling on his plate as he processed all of the information. "Eat as much as you like. It's all on me today." He caught her disapproving looks and flicked her forehead. "Consider it a pregame treat."
...
Sora University, the number one team in the Akita prefecture. According to Monthly Volleyball, they were known for their back row attacks and offensive setters. The school was a favorite in national tournaments. Their captain, Omari Sato, was known for playing as a setter. She had won the overall Best Setter Award while playing for Setsuna Highschool during her third year.
From what Riza and Wantanabe could deduce, they were one heck of a team. Even Coach Yamata and Coach Ueno weren't sure how the game was going to end. Of course, none of them showed their nerves to the team. Although, everyone was really feeling it. It wasn't like it was an official match anyways. It was just an exhibition. There was no real prize if anyone won.
Mitsumi was worried that her knee would cause her too many issues again. Her hard work in physical therapy was paying off. Dr. Watari had even mentioned that they could start meeting only once a week instead of twice. She had learned how to maneuver with the new brace, but she was worried her new skills wouldn't hold up in a full-on game.
"Hey, Mitsumi, you got this." Uehara put a hand on the libero's back. "The first game after an injury is scary, but you've been working hard." She always seemed to know what to say to her teammates.
"Thanks, Uehara. But, I was just thinking about how the piano majors are coming." It was a partial lie. Mitsumi was a bit worried to know that her crew would be... Rowdy. Hironori and his wife to be exact. She tied her shoes and sighed a bit.
Everyone had changed and was waiting for Shimura to get off the phone with Coach. The captain walked back into the main changing area. "Riza and Coach just finished the pre-game interviews. So, we are going to line up on the East end in number order for the walk-in."
Unlike other televised tournaments, with the exception of the final round of a tournament, every player on both teams was being introduced as they walked onto the court to begin the official warm-ups. It was the easiest part of the entire night. Unless you had that horrible habit of melting under the spotlight. Exhibition matches had no power over the National rankings. They were like practice matches on steroids.
The team met outside the double doors of the east entrance. They shuffled around as they got into their number order. Riza and Coach Yamata were already on the sidelines. "Introducing the Tokyo University Women's Volleyball Team! Number 1, Shimura Akihara, Captain and Wing Spiker." The announcers began reading down the roster.
Everyone had giddy and excited expressions as they watched their teammates jog out. The crowds were going wild. There were more people in attendance than expected. "Next is Number 4, Mitsumi Chie! Libero!"
Mitsumi jogged out onto the court. She broke her focused game face and waved toward the cameras and crowd. She high-fived her manager and Coach before lining up with the others on the line. The other team had already been introduced. Her eyes scanned them as they clapped along with the crowd. They are wicked tall... Even their liberos are freaking trees. Wait, does that make Sora a forest? Gak! She thought to herself. You're a fluke to the system, Chie. They are the average ones around here. Gosh...
Hironori, his wife, Mei, and the rest of the piano majors were in the stands. Suga had decided to sit with them with Kuroo and Bokuto just a few seats down. It looked like Oyami was about to explode with them next to him. It was the group managed to adopt an outsider for the first time ever. They were cheering as loud as they could as each of the team members was introduced.
"She's TINY out there!" Oyami was shocked by Mitsumi's height in comparison to everyone else on the court. "She'll be stomped on!"
Two loud belly laughs came from down the row. "Mitsumi? Getting stomped on?!" They were laughing so hard that they were holding their sides and crying.
Suga shook his head. "Kuroo, Bokuto, stop it." He let out a sigh, "Excuse my two obnoxious friends. They are the loud ones around here." His two friends were currently cursing him out for putting them in pain.
The piano majors just blinked in confusion before giving them a concerned look. Well, at least Hironori did. Mei was used to their antics and shrugged them off. She was about to say something snarky, but she didn't need Oyami saying something stupid too.
The official warm-up had just started. Everyone studied what was going on as Mei and the other players explained to the starry-eyed music majors what was going on. Everything was so foreign to them.
The first set was off with a bang. Mitsumi watched the first serve fly over the net. Her body naturally jerked to the left. Her arms were ready for the first hit. She managed to get the ball up just barely. "Chance ball!!!" Her speed was so quick that everyone was surprised.
"I got it!" Yuki ran to where the ball was going to land. She got her hands ready to set. Makoto, Uehara, and Shimura were running forward. Nomiya was in the front at the net. She jumped in the air as if she were about to spike the ball that was headed her way. Uehara jumped right up behind her before Shimura spiked the ball to the other side.
To their dismay, Sora's libero managed to save the rebound. This was going to be a headache of a game for everyone. Hironori was watching the score. Sora University was far ahead in the lead 7-4. "Goodness gracious!!!! Are they already struggling??"
"I think they finally are playing someone at their level." Mei watched the away team score another point. She could see the frustration in the team's eyes. "How many sets is this game tonight"
Suga glanced over at Kuroo and Bokuto. "Three." They all said in unison.
"Five set matches are saved for tournaments." Kuroo munched on a snack he had brought along. "For their sake, I'm glad it's not a tournament." His golden eyes scanned the court.
Bokuto put a hand on Hironori's shoulder. His face was twisted into a pained expression. "I feel you, man. Their struggle is real tonight." The two men seemed to be instant friends. They joined in on all of the cheers and chants.
The current score was 18-15 with Sora in the lead. In the last rally, the visiting team had made two service aces and broke Tokyo's defense. Coach Yamata jumped to his feet and threw his hands up into a T. The referee blew his whistle and signaled for a time-out. The girls walked off the sidelines. Riza frantically passed out some towels and water bottles.
"You need to snap out of it! Their back attacks are killing us because you are letting them get in your head with those insanely accurate sets." Coach Yamata had an irritated tone in his voice. He turned his small whiteboard around. "Here's the new plan. Mitsumi is going to serve Nomiya next. Uehara, we need to rely on your guess blocking skills for the next two rotations. We need to force these next few points to catch up."
Everyone nodded. This was the worst pressure they had felt in a while. Usually, they were in the lead at this point. Shimura's fists were clenched at her side. Her head tilted back as she let out a cackle. "It's only the first set. And it's not like we are that far behind. Don't get upset that we had to use a time out so early in the game."
The temperature in the stadium seemed to plummet. The ladies felt a grim aura settle around them. Their captain rarely entered her current state. They were trying to figure out what the heck was going through her mind. But, the whistle blew and called everyone back to the court.
Mitsumi looked at the current rotation. Nomiya was next to serve. So, she got ready to get back onto the court. Sora's captain was up to serve again. That setter of theirs was a real pain in the butt. In a way, she reminded her of Karasuno's resident genius. The way she was able to attack from the back row was especially nerve-wracking.
This rally was taking a while. Every rally had been unusually long. Tokyo lost another point. Nomiya sighed and took her water from Riza as she stepped off the court. "I swear, you are the calmest one out of all of us, all the time."
"I bite too, ya know." Mitsumi retorted and brushed her bangs out of her face. She went back to the serving line. Her pale lips tugged upwards into a smirk. She was finally getting a chance to have some fun. She measured three steps back and went in for her signature hybrid serve.
She launched off the ground and into the air. Her hand slammed against the ball. Mitsumi held her breath as she watched the ball float over the net and then start spinning. With pinpoint accuracy, it slammed against the back of the court. The opposing Libero thought it would be an out. But, the ball had slammed right before it went over the back white line.
"SERVICE ACE, MITSUMI! NICE SERVE, MITSUMI! ONE MORE POINT!" The crowd erupted into cheers.
"HOLY FLYING MOTHERFREAKING AH!" Hironori leapt to his feet. "What was that?!"
Sakamoto attempted to yank his classmate back down into his seat. But, everyone was on their feet. Koushi, Kuroo, and Bokuto had terrifying smirks on their faces, which made Sakamoto shrink.
"One of her special moves." Suga crossed his arms.
"Coach is pulling the big guns really early today." Kuroo whistled in surprise.
Bokuto was jumping up and down. "Mitsumi!!! Give us another one!" He was convinced that they could take the set back.
Mitsumi spun the ball in her hands and bounced it a couple of times. Her hand still stung from her last serve. She missed that feeling. Every serve was special to her because it wasn't often she was given a chance to shine. The sound of the crowd cheering her name relit the flame inside of her that she didn't realize was dying.
Three service aces later, and the team was fired up again. The rest of the set went into a deuce that soared into the thirties. Tokyo managed to steal it back just barely. The dogs celebrated the overdue victory.
The final set was feeling like it was going to be like the first one. Sora had taken the dogs down in the second set by surprise. Sora was wearing down Tokyo as much as possible. If they could push the set into a deuce again, they had a chance at winning.
Mitsumi managed to avoid diving too much. Her knee was usually starting to give out by this point in the game. But, she was keeping up. The new techniques that she had been working hard on had been paying off. The whole team was enjoying this whole "minimal movement" plan. The previous deuce had no effect on anyone.
"One touch!" Takahashi gritted her teeth as the ball broke through her block.
Yuki immediately dove for the ball and managed to keep it up. She cursed as her eyes tracked the ball. "Cover!" It had flown off on an unstable path. And because she touched the ball, she could no longer set. "Sorry guys!"
Mitsumi watched the ball fly to the right. Her feet hit the floor as she sprinted to the other end of the court. She was nothing but a baby blue and brown blur as she got underneath the ball. "I got it!" Makoto, Takahashi, and Uehara were in the front. She needed this emergency set to work. The blockers were already starting to tag Makoto and the other two had never hit one of Mitsumi's sets before. At this point, Sora was at set point and they were close behind. Uehara took the chance and spiked the ball over the net. But the whistle blew. It was a shutdown.
...
The game ended in Tokyo's first public loss of the season. All of the players shook hands after the game and bowed to their audience. Mei, Suga, Hironori, and Bokuto were hanging over the rail as they watched their team bow. "Great game!"
Mitsumi heard their voices and looked up with a smile and waved at her friends. She didn't want them to see her disappointment. But, for her to make it this far without a single loss was impressive. She followed her teammates back to the locker rooms. Everyone was still in their usual chipper moods and were still clearly riled up from the match. How are they still so happy? She thought to herself.
"Dang guys! We finally have a team we can call our rivals!" Nomiya wiped her face off with a towel.
"It's been a while since we've played a solid game!" Uehara was practically glowing with happiness. Everyone was satisfied with the game they had just played. "Hey, freshie! You had a hecka fire cheer squad today!" She slapped Mitsumi's back and snapped her out of her internal dialogue.
Mitsumi choked on the water she was drinking and started coughing. "The piano majors came. It was a pleasant surprise." She tossed her now empty water bottle in her gym bag.
Everyone grabbed their belongings and headed back out towards the lobby. The nice part of having practice the next day was that they didn't have to hold a team meeting right after the game. Nobody was ever really a fan of having to listen to everything that went wrong during a match. Especially when you lose. The ladies were laughing and cracking jokes with each other as they took their classic after-game selfies and team photos.
"Hey hey hey! Mitsumi! Great game tonight!" Bokuto threw his arm around the libero's shoulder. He ruffled her hair with his other hand. "Your friends are outside with Suga looking for you." He was suddenly met with a roundhouse kick to his gut. "OW!"
"Thanks, Bo. Let them know I'll be out in a second. We are trying to figure out if we are going out to eat or if we are crashing Shimura's place and ordering delivery." Mitsumi fixed her messy hair and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. She acted as if she didn't kick the frosted tipped spiker at all.
Bokuto recovered from the hit. "Okay! I didn't think you were the type to party!"
"Bokuto! I didn't know you came!" Makoto caught sight of the wing spiker. She jogged over with a smile. "Oh, Mitsumi, it sounds like we are headed to Cap's place. Apparently she and Riza already ordered the food."
Mitsumi nodded, "Yeah, tell them I'll be behind them. I have to go say hi to some people." She patted Bokuto's shoulder with a teasing wink before walking off. Oyami and Mei caught a glimpse of their classmate and waved frantically. She jogged over and gave a small wave to everyone.
"You guys were INSANE!" Hironori put his hands up into the air and made a weird circular motion. "Everything was happening so fast, like POW!" He kept making bizarre hand motions. Everyone let out a sigh. It was hard to believe the man was married and had a kid.
"First game back after being off for a while. How did it feel?" Kuroo took a step to the side to let Koushi squeeze in between him and Chie.
Mitsumi allowed Koushi to take her bag. "Not as bad as I thought it would go. But, we were super close to getting them towards the end." She twirled a piece of her hair out of habit. She linked her arm to Koushi's and moved closer to him. "I hope you guys all had fun! There were definitely some interesting moments tonight."
Reiko nodded enthusiastically, "I know I did. Those dives look like they seriously hurt! And you dove for the ball quite often!"
"Not as often as usual, Reiko." Mitsumi sweatdropped, "And you get used to it."
Mei nodded in agreement. She had seen how her classmate normally plays. "Those overhand tosses and side passes were really handy though!"
"We had no idea you were THAT talented!" Oyami finally connected all the dots together. "Your team is lucky to have you. And we are too!"
Suga smiled seeing Mitsumi interact with her friends. "You can still have a great game and lose it. And what everyone has said tonight proves that." He could see the disappointment still swirl in her eyes.
He always knew what to say to her. Mitsumi's lips curled up into a smile and she tightened her grip on his arm. "You're totally right."
"Well! Looks like our little MVP finally made it outside." Dr. Tanaguchi walked over to the students. She had recognized everyone's voices and went searching for them. She had Kimi at her side like she always did at games.
"Dr. Tanaguchi! Kimi!" All of the pianists exclaimed. They didn't notice that the professor had come to the game.
Bokuto grinned, "Kimi came too! We didn't see you guys up there!"
Kimi stuck her tongue out. "It's because you're blind. We were a few rows behind you, Bokuto." She had developed a habit of teasing the owl boy. "Anyways, it's good to see you all tonight! I didn't know you guys knew these three." She pointed to the freshman.
Oyami sweatdropped and ran his fingers through his hair, "Well, we kind of just met. Suga came to the potluck we had a while back though." He explained.
Dr. Tanaguchi adjusted her black gloves. "Well, I'm glad you all had fun tonight. I'm surprised all of you aren't in the practice rooms to be honest." She mumbled a little bit. This was the first time she had seen the piano majors together outside of anything music related. "It was a fun game to watch, Mitsumi! When's the Nationals again?"
"One month from tomorrow. There is an exhibition game every week until then." Mitsumi put her cold left hand in her pocket.
She had one month to up her game more. One month until she could step out onto that amazing orange court again. It wasn't a lot of time, but she knew some big things were going to come out of it. Mitsumi and Suga parted with everyone. The chilly weather was starting to get to her bones. A comfortable silence surrounded them as they walked towards her apartment. The only sound in the area was the trees rustling and their footsteps on the pavement.
"Don't beat yourself over this." Suga kissed her forehead as he dropped her off at her doorstep. "Are you still going to Shimura's?"
"Just for a little bit. We have training tomorrow, so I don't want to be up too late." Mitsumi felt her cold cheeks turn pink and heat up. She took her bag from him with a small smile.
"That will be fun." He fixed the collar of her jacket. "I think the guys are wanting to go out to lunch tomorrow. Are you coming?" Suga ran his fingers down the length of her long brown ponytail.
She nodded simply and met his warm brown gaze. "Yeah. Tomorrow is a quieter day anyways." Mitsumi reached for her keys. "I'll see you at the gym!" She stood on her tippy toes and pressed her cold lips against his warm cheek. "Give Kaori and Ryu hugs for me."
The kiss was quick, but he could feel the smile on her lips. It was the first time she had initiated one. Even if it was a quick one. Suga nodded with a smile. His cheeks were tinted pink. "Of course I will!"
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