"Chance ball!"

"Got it!"

"3 blockers!"

"One touch!"

"Its long, Hinata, get the last!"

"UUUUWAAAAAH!"

With Hinata's powerful spike, the ball bounces on Nekoma's court, setting the points for both teams at 23.

"We're taking this set! Stay focused!" Daichi encourages the team.

"YEAH!"

You had been watching Nekoma for the second set, curious to know what made their defence so strong. On Karasuno's side, Kageyama used Hinata as a decoy more often, allowing Asahi and Tanaka to get spikes in easily and break through the weakened blocks. The match was neck-and-neck.

Nekoma is known for their excellent defence. Their captain, Kuroo Testuro is incredibily skilled at read blocking. Morisuke Yaku is an amazing libero, he stays calm and follows the ball constantly. The ace, Taketora Yamamoto's spikes are intense too. Kozume Kenma, their second year setter, may look shy and quiet, but he is the brain of the team. The strategies and plays come from him, he is not one to be messed with. He makes use of opponents' weaknesses and manipulates them to get ahead in the game. Scary, but that's what makes Nekoma so strong.

You remember Ukai's introduction of Nekoma and the good players he mentioned in the bus. Keeping your eyes focused on the 4 men on the court, you watched with full focus at how they played.

Kuroo was aware of everything around him. His opponents, their eyes, and his teammates. Where will the ball go to? Where will the spike land? Feint? Dump? Quick? Kuroo, though not all the time, was mostly accurate with his blocking.

Yaku played by following the ball. His eyes would not leave the ball for a second, unless he had to make sure Lev didn't fail his blocks. At other times, Yaku's main focus was getting the ball in the air. That is, after all, part of a libero's duty.

The thing that intrigued you about Kenma was his eyes. When the ball was at Karasuno's side, you could see Kenma's eyes darting around but not following the ball. His eyes were on the opponents. He was analyzing what they were thinking, their emotional state and the highest possibility for their next attack. He would silently give instructions to the rest of the team, who trust Kenma wholeheartedly.

You didn't miss out Lev, who whips his long arms forth and spikes the ball with force. His height makes up for his lacking defence. As for Inuoka, he's a big and tall guy, but he was fast and executed plays and instructions well.

Overall, Nekoma played very calmly. They take information from the court and use it to their advantage. They never stop thinking of new plays and executing them. Every play is connected to one another, and it applies to anyone who plays volleyball. For Nekoma, they only have one goal: connect.

"Out!"

You snap out of your thoughts and see a ball bouncing on the floor near you. You bent down to pick the ball up, only then realising Asahi's spike had just barely passed the out line. The points now at 25-23, Nekoma had won the set, and the match was over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Shimizu-san, was this time's match similar to the previous? With the plays mainly..." You walked up to the third year manager who was preparing towels for the boys.

"No, this time was a little more different." she said, putting the stack of clean towels on the bench. Yachi approached the bench and joined the conversation.

"The last time, Hinata and Kageyama's quick was stopped for the first time. The quick evolved before you came, and Lev wasn't in the previous match. However, as compared to about 3 months ago, Nekoma has started hesitating more and are second-guessing their blocks." She continued, smirking at the thought of their huge improvement.

"Woahhh! Is that true, Yachi-san? If they can improve that much over a short period of time, they'll have no problem going to Nationals!" you turn to Yachi and engulf her in a big hug. Shimizu laughs as Yachi awkwardly hugs you back.

As you and the 2 girls handed out water bottles and towels to the sweating players, you saw Hinata and Inuoka at the end of the court complimenting each other. They were using little sound effects to describe each other's cool plays, and encouraging each other. It was such a cute interaction and you giggled at the sight.

Yamamoto was talking to Tanaka near the gym doors when he heard your giggling. He saw you smiling and his heart melted instantly.

"Damn, she's so pretty... Why is Karasuno so lucky?" he sighs, giving Tanaka a light punch in the side.

"Oi!" Tanaka shrieks, but then the look on his face softens. "I know, our new manager is gorgeous! But, Shimizu is still my personal favourite!" he laughs and looks at Shimizu's pretty smile as she joined you and Yachi's hug, his heart beating loudly in his chest.

In a distance, you saw Kenma engrossed in his mobile game and decided to talk to him (more like disturb him HAH). You walked up and lightly tapped his shoulder. Kenma nods, his eyes not leaving his phone for a second.

"Ne, Kenma-kun, you're incredibly good at strategics, but how are you so aware of every single thing on the court? Its really amazing to see you giving out instructions and plays, and they work so well!" you sat beside Kenma and asked. You examined his features as he remained silently focused on the game. Kenma had blond hair that was pretty long for a boy, and black roots on the top of his head, hence your nickname, pudding-head. He had cat-like eyes, sharp and observant.

"Are you done staring, Misaki-san?" Kenma suddenly said, scaring you a little.

"G-Gomen!"you quickly apologised, knowing how rude it was to stare at someone for so long, especially since Kenma was a second-year.

"Daijoubu. You should know I'm a quiet person, I don't socialise or have a lot of friends, I prefer playing games on my own. Its because of my personality that people judge me, and it has been happening for a long time. I became very sensitive to what others thought about me, so I would observe the way they behaved and acted around other people. Its easy, honestly." Kenma finished by beating the boss of the game on his phone. He was now looking you directly in the eye. There was no sign of boredom like he normally had when he conversed with people other than Hinata, it looked like he was trying to read you instead...

Your heart sank hearing the way Kenma was treated, but also even more intrigued on how to read other people.

"You probably asked me to know how to strategize for games right? Always be careful of your opponents' emotions, sounds like a dick move but use them to your advantage to take momentum of the game. At other times, find patterns, weaknesses and holes in their defence and attacks, then use them to strengthen your own. Keep applying pressure on the weak-willed and bring the mentally strong down by blocking them consistently. Make sure you keep an open mind though, anything can happen." Kenma told you. You were blown away by his advice. Blunt and honest and straightforward, no underlying motives or other meanings. You nod, maintaining eye contact with him.

"I got it, Kenma-kun, thank you so much! I'll be sure to get the team to use this against you in an actual match heheh. Also, just call me Haru! Only if you're comfortable, of course..." you said as you stood up from the bench and made your way to Karasuno, waving goodbye to the cat-eyed boy.

"Okay, everyone's here, lets' go!" Daichi commanded and the rest of the team followed him out of the gym. As the 12 of you walk out into the golden-sunlight, you notice Kageyama frowning more than usual. You could sense that it was probably because of the game and that he was putting all the blame on himself again, so you strode your way up to him and gave him a hard smack on the back.

"What the hell, Haru-chan!" he coughed, holding his back like an old man. You burst out laughing at the genius setter bending over in pain. You stifled your laughs and crossed your arms in front of your chest.

"Hey, if you keep frowning, not only will you end up like Tsukki with wrinkles, I'll get mad! The loss isn't solely your fault, so stop putting all the blame on your tosses!" you huffed.

"Oi, what did you say, Haru-chan?" Tsukki overheard your conversation and glared at you. You laughed and stuck your tongue out as Yamaguchi pushed Tsukki into the bus. Kageyama relaxes and giggles along, you looked back at him and realised he really was handsome when he smiled genuinely.

"There are 6 of you on the court for a reason, and Tobio-kun?"

Kageyama stood up a bit straighter now and saw your big brown eyes staring into his deep blues. His pupils dilated. The sound of his first name on your lips, was pretty nice.

"Your tosses were perfect."

Maybe it was the way the golden light illuminated your face, or maybe it was just the words you used, but Kageyama could never look at you the same way. He smirked confidently and turned away to board the bus.

You grabbed the last of your belongings from the ground and stepped into the bus. One last look behind you, you waved goodbye to the Nekoma team who were standing outside the gym, sending Karasuno off. A particular person with messy black bed-head hair caught your eye with an attractive wink. With that, you shut the door of the bus and flopped down onto the seat beside Ukai, exhausted from the long day.

.

.

"Kuroo-san, what was that cringe-ass wink for?" Yaku poked Kuroo in the side.

"Oi! Didn't I look cool?" Kuroo teased, Yaku simply rolled his eyes and walked away, wondering how Kenma could stand the guy.

"That was for Haru-chan, wasn't it. Yaku-san isn't wrong though, you looked hella stupid." Kenma giggled slightly.

"KENMA, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE." Kuroo exasperated, but his disappointed face turned into a satisfied grin.

"This is gonna be interesting."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've never been someone important. Just that girl who's pretty average at everything she does, she doesn't stand out in anything, she blends in with the crowds. Not gonna lie, it gets pretty comfortable, being behind people's shadows. Let the girls who have the looks, the brains, the talents and everything else shine. I'll just have to succeed from behind.

That's what I thought before I became Karasuno's manager, and before I met Hinata. He made me feel needed, important. The way he encouraged me to become the manager made me feel like I was the only one that could take on this job. For the first time, I felt proud, I felt important, I felt like I stood out from the rest. It was all good until she came in.

Ever since the first day, she got along well with everyone so easily. She can play volleyball and bonded with the rest of the team like it was nothing! Even members from other teams and schools want to know her. Especially Hinata. Once he saw her in play, I noticed a twinkle in his eyes that I never saw before. It was like admiration, but more than that, and it pissed me off for some reason. I never got those looks. What's so special about her? What does she have that I don't?

Maybe this was just my jealousy speaking. I don't want to be jealous, she hasn't done anything wrong to me, this is unreasonable. But, I can't help this feeling of anger boiling inside of me whenever I see her interact with people so well. This anger only increases when she speaks to Hinata. I can't take it.

Childish? Yeah, I guess I am.

Why am I childish? I like him. And it sucks.

"Shimizu-san, what do you think of Haru-chan?"

Yachi asks me randomly while looking outside at Haru and Kageyama having a small conversation.

"Haru-chan? She's very easy to get along with! Her volleyball skills are exceptional and its surprising how she can cope with helping the boys with their skills and still carry out her manager duties. Today was her first practice match as a manager, I happened to take a peak at her notes and they were extremely detailed." I replied, feeling relieved.

As a third-year manager, it was pretty stressful for me since I was the first ever manager of the volleyball team. I joined on a whim, but the members gradually became my family. I love them to bits and so I had to make sure I got a good replacement. With a rowdy and clumsy team like theirs, they would need a responsible and capable manager to take care of their well-being.

Yachi was, of course, the first replacement I got. She was amazing at her job although she may have been overly-nervous at first. She quickly adapted to the boys and now, they get along fine. Haru, however, has many other qualities that help her bond with the team more. Her passion for volleyball is no less than the boys, and her skills are of National level. As a manager, she'll cope well.

It hurt to accept this at first. Yachi and Haru were in a way, replacing me. I had to hand over my family to someone else and they bonded so easily. It's sad for me, but relieving to see that the rest of the team are in favour of the 2 managers. Although, I can tell that Yachi dislikes Haru, and I'm pretty sure I know why.

"I-I see... Don't you think she's a little too friendly though? Like too flirty and talking to everyone and all that... Ah, you were also upset when she talked to Tanaka senpai!" Yachi prompted.

"A-Ah, you noticed huh... I'm sure you know what it means then. I don't have anything against Haru-chan talking to Tanaka, or anyone in the team for that matter. Although its annoying to see how well she interacts with Tanaka, I'm happy she's so approachable! I'd prefer if she stayed away from Tanaka, but they're just friends so what can I do?" I relaxed my tense shoulders. Talking about someone, talking about Tanaka makes my heart race. He likes me, which is VERY obvious, but I have a reputation to uphold in the school. Hopefully, he'll wait long enough for me...

Yachi gets even more annoyed after her conversation with Shimizu, and the bus takes off.

You prop your head up with your fist, elbow resting on the ledge of the window. You looked out and admired the scenery that was coated in gold, everything seemed so much prettier. The trees and grass were a little bit greener, the sky was a gradient of soft yellows to dark orange, and the bus was surprisingly peaceful. You turned back and saw everyone fast asleep, except for one. You and him held eye contact for a good 20 seconds before chuckling silently to yourselves. Both of you scurried to the back of the bus and sat together.

"Aren't you tired?" you hugged Noya's arm, massaging it gently.

"I could ask you the same question. You were so focused on the game and taking notes for us, so thank you." he smiled, shifting closer to you. Noya's smile fades a little as he continues talking.

"We lost again today, we couldn't even win one set. Its like the last match we had, this is so frustrating." his arm tensed up and he looked down on his laps, hands gripping onto his shorts. You sighed, the team members were always hard on themselves. Kageyama, Hinata, and now Noya, they put the blame for the loss on themselves even though they know volleyball is a sport where 6 players are on the court. Not letting go of Noya's arm, you wrapped your arms around his waist.

"It's okay to lose now, Noya. You'll just have to make up for these losses in Nationals! You're gonna win it, all of you." you tightened your hold on him and rested your head on his shoulder, eyes drifting off into a deep slumber. Noya takes one last glance at your beautiful face before he falls asleep with his head on yours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Haru-chan, Noya senpai, wake up! We're back!" Hinata shakes the sleeping pair awake and proceeds to leave the bus. You and Noya sit up right and notice the way you slept. Blushing furiously, the 2 of you quickly grabbed your belongings and alighted the bus. The team made their way to the gym to have a final meeting before going home.

"Today's game was excellent. You managed to get Nekoma more flustered this time, and both your attacks and defences have improved significantly. We'll continue practice tomorrow. Rest well!" Ukai compliments and dismisses the team.

"Haru-chan! I'll be walking home with the second years today, see you tomorrow morning okay? We'll walk together, of course." Noya informs you as he picked up his bag. He gave you one last wave goodbye before running after Tanaka and the rest of the second years. Everyone else had also left the gym, leaving the 3 managers as well as Hinata and Kageyama. You were also about to leave when the power duo approached you.

"Haru-chan, Hinata wants to ask if you aren't in a rush, could you help us with spiking practice?" Kageyama requested, holding out a ball to you shyly.

"Oi Kageyama! You wanted her to help us too!" Hinata adds in.

You took the ball from the blue-eyed setter with both hands and gladly accepted. Meanwhile, Yachi was packing up and heard Hinata's conversation with you. She clicked her tongue and glared in your direction, offended that he would ask you instead of her.

Shimizu knew exactly what was going on, so she tried to help the situation.

"Yachi-san, I'll walk with you okay? Haru-chan! Me and Yachi are going home together, do you wanna come with us?" she asked Yachi and then turned to you, hoping you would agree. You, being oblivious to the tension that was one-sided, kindly rejected the offer, saying that you would stay longer to help the pair.

"We'll lock the gym after we're done. Thanks, Shimizu!" you bowed. The manager tossed the keys to you and the 2 girls left the gym. "Don't let them practice too much, Haru-chan!" Shimizu reminds you before closing the doors.

The net was quickly set up and the basket of balls were standing beside you. One by one, you threw the balls above Kageyama's head and watched as he tossed perfectly to Hinata. The little crow would fly as high as he could, slamming the ball down into the opposite court. Yes, you've seen the same spike multiple times, but that amazing spike never lost its incredibility. It would always leave you in awe at how well the 2 boys who were so different could match each other so well. They were like soulmates.

Time past quickly. The duo had probably done more spikes than you could count in the 30 minutes that you let them practice. It was no surprise when they begged for more time after the 30 minutes were over.

"Rest is also a form of training, you guys... Let's go before it gets too late!" you hurriedly untied the net and pushed back the basket of balls into the storeroom while the other 2 mopped the floor of their sweat. It was funny to see how those 2 could turn anything into a competition, Hinata was running at full speed, dragging the mop along with him. Kageyama caught up with him, the mop looked like it was on the verge of breaking.

You laughed at the sight. You heard about Hinata and Kageyama's story, about how they met in a junior high volleyball competition. They were once rivals separated by a net but now, they were each other's strongest allies, one could not be his best without the other.