Morning jogs were a good pass time. It was one of her hobbies whenever she needed to think or clear her mind. Mizuki definitely needed this as she jogged down an unfamiliar street, wearing a tank-top with sports shorts and her volleyball sneakers. It was week after her practice match with Aoba Johsai, and she was feeling determined today. She couldn't stop playing the scene from last night's event.

Flashback

"You want me to do what?" Her eyes widened. Sitting in front of her were coach Shotarou and Ukai, along with Takeda as well. She and her mother were in Ukai's shop, around 7 at night.

"He was very convincing when he asked me," Shotarou implied.

"H-hold on...so, what I'm hearing is...that you want me," she pointed at herself, "to help Keishin coach the boys? As in...become the assistant coach?"

"I know this is a lot to take in," Ukai implied, "but hear me out. I know you're an excellent player...and I know that you're stubborn and the most determined person I ever met. You have experience, not to mention you played two different roles, one that involves power, and the other relying on receives. You know what its like to be pushed to your limits...that's what I respect the most about you." He then turned to Mizuki's mom.

"I believe that with her help, she can help make this team strong. They need someone their age who knows the same problems and rigorous training they go through everyday. All I want is your permission. Mrs. Hinata...please let your daughter become our assistant coach." Ukai bowed his head.

"Please..." Takeda bowed with him. Mizuki was stunned. She had her mouth slightly opened as she stared at the men.

"If it will help the volleyball team," the woman's voice rang, "I don't see any harm in my daughter becoming your second coach." Both Ukai and Takeda looked up at her as Mrs. Hinata smiled.

"Mom..."

"Sweetie..." she turned to see Mizuki, "I want you to do this. I know you just came back, but I believe they're right. You're very good at volleyball. They need all the help they can get. I'm sure your brother needs your help too."

"...." For a moment, she just stood still. Mizuki stood up and walked towards Ukai and Takeda.

"You're right," she said, "I was gone for a long time, so I don't know much about Shoyo's experience...and he's still learning himself. So if you tell me what I have to do, then I'll do it. I'll do my best for you and help everyone as much as I can. I promise. I'm looking forward to working with you." She bowed to them, which they smiled at her. Shotarou and Mrs. Hinata exchanged looks of relief.

"Good," Ukai grinned, "we'll let you rest tomorrow, then come to the gym the next day. I won't say anything to the boys just yet, but just be ready when I do. Got it?"

"Hai!"

End of Flashback

'I was shocked at first...but now that I think about it, I'm getting all excited...' She started to smile.

"I have to work hard too. I still have a long way to go, so I have to step up my game. Alright!" Mizuki picked her pace up. As she did, she turned towards a curve. Suddenly, she saw something on the ground. It was a hand towel, with a foot symbol on it. She picked it up and looked around. She then saw a man nearby.

"Excuse me," she walked towards him, "is this yours?"

"Hmm...? Oh no, its not mine. Though it could be that boy's I just met a few minutes ago."

"Really? Where did he go?"

"Oh, its that way," he pointed down the street, "you should be able to catch him."

"Okay. Thank you, sir." Mizuki started running. It was a long run, but she didn't mind. As she kept running down the walkway, she saw a figure. It was a tall boy, with olive hair and wearing a sports uniform for workout. He was pretty far from her, but Mizuki ran as fast as she could.

"Hey~! Wait up!" She called out to him. The boy turned to see her running towards him, causing him to slow down. Mizuki caught up with him, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry...if I interrupted...your run," she tried to catch her breath, "but...is this yours?" She showed him the hand towel.

"...Ah, yes. It is," he grabbed it, "I didn't know I lost it." Mizuki stared at him for a while. Looking up close, he had a stoic expression with dark olive eyes that matched his hair. She was amazed by how tall he was compared to her height. He was practically towering over her. She then noticed the colors on his sports wear.

"I've seen that somewhere before," she said, "sorry to ask, but what school are you from?"

"... Shiratorizawa Academy," he responded.

"No way," she smiled, "I knew I saw that from somewhere. I kind of know the volleyball's coach... I wonder if he's still there?" The boy slightly tilted his head in curiosity, but still keeping his stoic look. Mizuki looked at him and smiled.

"What's your name?" she asked out of the blue.

"Ushijima Wakatoshi."

"Nice to meet you. I'm sorry to ask, but...are you on your way to Shiratorizawa right now?"

"Yes."

"Do you mind if I come with you, Ushijima-san? If that's no trouble. I'd like to visit their boy's volleyball coach. Is that all right?"

"...If that's what you're doing, then go ahead." Mizuki bowed to him.

"You might get lost," he implied.

"I know the way, so you don't have to worry," she then ran down the street. She was right next to Ushijima, keeping up with his pace which surprised Ushijima. They had a good jog all the way until the boy led her to the school's gym. Mizuki looked at him curiously, and thought of something.

"Ushijima," she called him, "are you by any chance one of the volleyball players?" He looked down at her.

"Hai," he gave her a direct answer. She couldn't read much emotion on him, but she respected his honesty.

As she entered the gym, she saw some members warming up. She looked around, seeing how big it was compared to Karasuno's. Just then, someone shouted from a distance.

"If it isn't the Paul's star player," a man's voice shouted happily. Mizuki turned to see an old man with thick eyebrows and thick hair that's styled back.

"Tanji-sensei! Is that you?" She smiled as she jogged towards him.

"Its me alright," he and Mizuki shook hands. She then hugged him.

"Its so good to see you," she said, "I wasn't sure if you would still be coaching."

"I still got some step in my system," he grinned.

"I can see that. You're still healthy as ever."

"So what brings you here?" Washijo asked

"I thought I would visit you. I bumped into one of your players during my morning run," she looked at Ushijima, who was walking towards his teammates.

"Oh...he's the captain of the volleyball team," the man nodded.

"Heh~?"

"Its good to see you. How's Paul? I heard he and you came back about a week ago."

"He's doing fine. He's probably with Karasuno's volleyball team right now." Unaware to them, Ushijima was watching them from a distance. One of his teammates came up.

"Hey, Ushijima," he had red spiky hair, "what are you looking at?" He turned his head, only to gap at the orange hair girl who was talking to their coach.

"Woah~ she's cute," he beamed. At the same time, a few other members looked at Mizuki.

"Who's that?" a boy with copper hair spoke. Next to him was a boy with a black bowl-cut and brown eyes.

"Is she from our school?" Another with large lips and a buzz-cut on the bottom of his thick hair.

"I don't think so," a boy with spiky brown hair implied, "but she seems to know our coach."

"Continue with practice," Ushijima ordered as he walked back to the court. The others followed.

"Ukai's grandson is the new coach," Mizuki responded.

"Karasuno, huh? Uh...?" Tanji noticed Mizuki's expression, almost spacing out.

"What's wrong? You seem distracted."

"Eh? Ah, no...I was just thinking. Well...maybe...can we talk?"

>>>>>>>>>>Fast Forward>>>>>>>>>

"Hmm...I see what you mean," he crossed his arms while they sat on the bench.

"I know I'm a volleyball player," she replied, "but becoming the assistant coach is a whole new challenge. Way more than just giving advise...I'd have to know the strengths and weaknesses of every player and try to find ways to improve on their skills. I never had to deal with so much except for when I was a captain."

"Well, nothing you can do now," he added, "I think this is a great opportunity. So just do what you do best and keep on fighting."

"You say that so casually," she sweat dropped at him.

"Anyway...since you're here, why don't you practice for a while. I can set you up with one of my juniors and let you help him out. It'll do you some good since you're a coach now."

"...I guess..."

"Goshiki!" Tanji called the boy over. The bowl-cut boy walked towards them. Mizuki stood up.

"I want you to meet Hinata Mizuki," he gestured his hand towards her, "she's a volleyball player and the assistant coach to Karasuno. She will be helping you with receives, so listen to what she has to say. Understand?"

"Hai!"

"Good. I'll leave you to it then." Mizuki walked next to Goshiki, who led her to the court. He glanced down at her.

"Um..."

"Yes?" She looked up at him.

"He said you were a coach...you look kind of young to be one."

"That's because I am. I'm 17 years old."

"Eeh!? You're 17!?"

"Hehehe...hai."

"S-so that means you're my senpai! I-I-I'm sorry about my rudeness!" He bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle.

"Its okay," she waved her hand out, "you said your name was Goshiki?"

"Hai! I'm Goshiki Tsutomu, first-year student! I'm the wing spiker of the volleyball team!"

"Really....so you must be pretty good."

"Yup! I'm going to be the next ace!" He said with pride in his voice. Mizuki chuckled at his confidence.

"Well, let's see if that's true. Go on the other side while I spike."

"Hai!" He went to the other side of the court. The other members watched them as Mizuki picked up a ball, and then took a stance.

"Ready?"

"Hai!"

"Here it comes!" She did the same routine. She threw the ball up, and did her high jump. She shocked them for a brief moment, as she spiked the ball towards Goshiki. He was too late as the ball skimmed on his left arm, and then hitting the wall. He looked at the ball, then stared at Mizuki as she walked under the net to see him.

"Your reflexes are good," she stated, "but you need expect the unexpected. That's what keeps you on your toes. So let's keep going until you can hit 7 consecutive serves. Got it?"

"Ah, hai senpai!" He stood like a soldier.

"You can call me Mizuki," she smiled.

"H-hai! Mizuki-senpai!" He beamed as Mizuki laughed.

"U-um...did you by any chance...play as an ace?"

"Uh, yes. I was a libero, but then changed roles to become an ace."

"A-amazing!" His smile widened.

"Alright. Let's get back to work. I still need to see some improvement."

"Hai, senpai!"

As she continued to practice with the second year, everyone was still staring at the girl.

"What was that," the copper hair boy was shocked, "she hit that with so much force."

"Heh~ that was interesting," the red head thought. Ushijima kept his eyes on Mizuki, as she served to Goshiki. When the boy successfully received all seven, Mizuki put her hands on her hips.

"Nice receive! Now let's work on your game sense," Mizuki looked around and then saw the other members. She jogged towards them and stood in front.

"Hey there~. Which one of you is the setter?" Right after she asked, the boy with the copper hair stepped up.

"I'm one of the setter's," he said.

"What's your name?"

"Shirabu Kenjiro, second-year student. I'm the official setter."

"I'm Hinata Mizuki, 17 years old. I'm the assistant coach of Karasuno."

"Eh!?"

"For real?" The red head spoke from behind. Ushijima was surprised too, but only his eyes widened for a moment.

"By the way...what are your names?" She referred to the others. The red head was the first to speak.

"I'm Tendo Satori," he grinned, "I'm a third-year student and the middle blocker."

"I'm Semi Eita, third-year and a setter."

"Ohira Reon. I'm a third-year and a wing spiker."

"Kawanishi Taichi, second-year. I'm also a middle blocker."

"Yamagata Hayato, third-year libero."

"Nice to meet you," she bowed to them, "say Shirabu..."

"Ah, yes?"

"Would you mind tossing the ball for me? I'm helping one of your members practice right now."

"Uh...s-sure."

"Great! Let's go..." He followed her to the court.

"Eh? Shirabu...?" Goshiki eyed him. After a while, they practiced for half an hour. Mizuki used all kinds of techniques; a feint, quick attack, a cross and others. Although she had trouble trying to separate the boys from bickering so much. Who knew they insulted each other every few seconds.

Mizuki had the ball in her hands.

"Just set it like usual," she told Shirabu. He nodded.

"Remember, Goshiki... you're only receiving it."

"Hai!"

"Here we go!" She threw the ball up for him as she started to run towards the net. That's when she jumped high, and Shirabu set the ball right where she was. She spiked the ball, and Goshiki received it. Mizuki fixed her clothes.

"Nice receive," she told Goshiki, "let's keep it up. You're doing good."

"Thank you, Mizuki-senpai!"

"Really now," Shirabu sighed, "I'm surprised you got that after failing the last five."

"Ngh! What did you say!?" Goshiki glared at him as Shirabu smirked.

"Hey! I told you to stop arguing! How many times am I gonna have to say it!?" Mizuki scolded them. Shirabu and Goshiki glared daggers.

"You can't deny the results. Try not to slack off~"

"Why you--!!"

"Enough," Ushijima was right next to Mizuki, "you're being disrespectful towards Hinata-san." The two boys flinched as they sweat dropped.

"H-hai..."

"Oh...thank you, Ushijima." He nodded before heading back to the others.

"That was nice of you. I didn't know you had a soft side," Tendo teased his captain, but Ushijima just gave him a stern look. On the bench, Tanji smirked as he watched. Just then, he heard footsteps approaching.

"Washijo. How's it going old timer?"

"Hmm...?" He looked to see Shotarou standing next to him.

"Oh~ Paul! Long time no see."

"I got your call," Shotarou looked at the courts, "so this is where she was."

"Yeah. You came to pick her up?"

"Yeah. Coach Ukai wants to discuss about the schedule for his team."

"Good work everyone," Mizuki wiped her forehead, "I think we should stop."

"Yay~!" Goshiki laid his back on the floor.

"Hey hey, you can't be worn out already," Shirabu smirked.

"Mizuki!" She heard Shotarou calling her. She turned to see him waving at her.

"I guess I have to go," she thought. She then bowed to Shirabu and Goshiki.

"It was nice playing with you two. Keep up the good work."

"A-ah...nice to meet you too, senpai!"

"Goshiki, that doesn't make any sense."

"Ngh! Sorry!"

Mizuki went towards Ushijima. He blinked when she approached him.

"Thank you for letting me come to your school. I hope I see you at the Inter-High."

"...But you will," he said nonchalantly, "all the Miyagi Prefecture schools will be there. Why would you ask an obvious question?" His teammates sweat dropped at him.

"Ahaha...I don't know if I should be insulted or not," she laughed.

"...I apologize," he bowed slightly, "I must have said something to upset you."

"No, no...you didn't mean it. I can tell you're very blunt, but also honest. Anyway, I'll let you continue practice. Maybe next time we meet, we could hang out or play some volleyball."

"Mizuki~! Time to go~!"

"Okay~!" Mizuki went towards Shotarou. After a quick conversation, Mizuki and her coach waved to Tanji as they left.

"Mizuki-senpai is amazing," Goshiki thought as he smiled, "I'm going to be just as good as she is. With her advice, I'll be the next ace for sure!"

"You keep thinking that," Shirabu shrugged, not noticing the annoyed expression his junior was sending at him.

>>>>>>>>Fast Forward>>>>>>>

"You're not going to tell everyone, are you?" Mizuki looked at her coach. He was driving down the neighborhood that was near the school.

"Don't worry. If Keishin knew about this, he'd have my head." Mizuki sighed in relief.

Soon they arrived in the afternoon. As they got out of the car, Mizuki looked up at the sky. The clouds were gray as it blocked the blue sky.

'Looks like the weather report was right...' she thought.

They walked into the gym as everyone was doing some stretches. Mizuki said hello to Kiyoko and Takeda. Just then, she heard some boys laughing and turned to see Sawamura and Sugawara smiling at Asahi. It was more of a tease, as Asahi gave that same worried and shy expression. Curious, she went to investigate.

"Hey guys," she waved to them. Asahi was a bit startled as he looked down at you.

"Hi Mizuki," Sugawara grinned.

"Why are you guys smiling so much? You look like you're scheming something..."

"Don't worry," Sawamura swatted his hand, "oh, by the way...are you headed home after practice?"

"Uhh...yes," she tilted her head.

"Eh~? But won't you get wet on the way there," Sugawara asked, "its going to rain. You don't have an umbrella?"

"Oh...I guess I forgot..."

"Wish we could help," the captain smiled, "but the two of us have to stay behind for some club business with the others."

"But you know, Asahi can lend you his umbrella," Sugawara said, "you two can walk home together, since he's leaving early."

"Eh? Really...?" She looked up at the tall boy.

"... I don't mind," he sheepishly smiled, "its far off, but its still no trouble. I don't want you to...catch a cold or anything, so..." He trailed off as he glanced the other way. She blinked a few times. Mizuki giggled and politely smiled.

"I would like that," she said, "I like talking with you, so I don't mind if we go together." Asahi made a small smile. Sawamura then slapped his back, almost knocking the guy down.

"Yosh! Then its settled."

"I guess we don't have to worry about it after all. Make sure you get her home safely Asahi."

"Good luck~" the two chanted as they left Mizuki and Asahi alone. They awkwardly sweat dropped at them before turning to see each other.

"W-well...I'll see you after practice."