RUSTLE...RUSTLE...

Clack-Clack...Clack-Clack

"Hm?...Ah~ good morning, Hinata."

"Good morning, Yasugawa-san. You know, they have a janitor, right?"

I wave to the head security guard who's holding a broom.

"Hey, it's just extra labor work. Ain't gonna kill me."

"A true model citizen," I chuckle.

"Say...I thought you'd be coming with Karasuno. The gym doesn't open until 12."

"I was gonna, but..."

I sheepishly smile while fixing my hoodie.

"Since this will be the last time you'll see me around here...I just wanted to savor the moment."

"I see. In that case, why don't you head inside."

"Eh...really?"

"You're a good kid, so I trust you."

Yasugawa takes out a set of keys.

"After all, we've known each other for years. So, I can understand how you feel right now."

Clink-Clink...Creak

He opens the doors with a smile.

"Go on. And take your time."

"...Thank you, sir."

C-Clack-Clack...Clack-Clack

"......Hehe..."

[Everything is untouched before those familiar sounds of sneakers and volleyballs tap furiously on the smooth, waxed floors. The roaring crowd of cheers echoing why their team is the best. Every team attending here to prove they have what it takes to go to the Nationals.]

Slide~

[For now, it's just like any other gym.]

Squeak-Squeak

"...Hah...so different than what I'm used to."

[A place where anyone can come.]

"......Ready and~..."

FWOOM!/GO~!

I sprint off as fast as I can.

"WAAAAHHH~!!"

Not caring how loud I shout as my lungs get a taste of the air I breathe in with each stride and power jump. Cause in this moment, this place is my domain. A chance to feel my heart race with excitement. A time to burst out all the emotions until it can be heard through the walls.

SQUEAK!

FWOOM!

"Whoo~hoo~!!"

SQUEAK/THUMP!

"W-Woah! Hahahaha!"

After one giant leap, I come down only to roll across a court. But I'm laughing, even as I come to a stop.

"Ahaha...haha......hah~......"

Limbs spread out, I stare at the ceiling as the lights engulf me with its warm welcome.

"...I'm going to miss this place."

"Well~ this is some sight."

"?!"

Sitting up, I shift my weight towards the door and immediately smile.

"I come to relax," I smirk, "and who do I see...?"

"A bunch of troublemakers, that's what."

"And proud of it."

I get up and rush into the arms of the brunette.

"Hey, Takuma!"

"Haha...hey, girl. How's it going?"

This is Izuku Takuma. My old classmate from junior-high and former setter to the boys' team.

"I missed you guys."

"We missed you too, Mizuki."

The darker-skinned guy is Kawashima Enki, former junior-high captain and ace.

"But you know," I huff, "I'm still mad that you guys called at the last second during summer vacation. It wasn't easy getting Keishin's friends to sub in for you for the local games. They have jobs, too, you know."

"We're sorry, Mizuki, but we'll make it up to you for the next competition."

"No worries, Natsuko."

This cool-headed girl is Jun Natsuko, my former junior-high captain. And beside her is my former kouhai, manager, and younger sister to Enki, Kawashima Yukio.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well, Hinata-san."

"The same to you, Yukio-chan. Although, I didn't expect to see you here."

"We heard from your brother."

"Of course..."

"And I had a hunch you'd be here as well," Takuma smiles, "you always did like lounging around an empty gym."

"So sue me for being nostalgic," I shrug.

"Anyway, we've got a surprise for you."

"Eh?"

"Let's take this in the lobby."

I follow them to the area. To my surprise, I see a box with pretty wrappings and a white bow.

"Is that for me?"

"Yup!"

"Go ahead. Open it."

I unravel the ribbon and was about to open it when...

Clatter!

"Uh?"

It starts moving. Carefully, I lift the lid.

Mew~

"...Oh~!"

I use both hands as I carry the small orange kitten out of the box.

"He's so cute!"

"The adoption center said he's a Maine Coon breed."

"But how?"

"We all pitched in."

"Your mom even gave us the thumbs up."

"Do you like him?"

"I love him, he's adorable. Thank you, everyone."

"Since he's a kitten, make sure your dog doesn't get out of hand."

"Oh, Taichi never does. He's great with other animals, even cats."

I wriggle my finger as the feline paws at it.

"What's his name?"

"He's yours now, so you name him."

"I think it should be Ginger, cause of his fur color."

"Ginger's more of a girl's name. It should be Oliver."

I lift the kitten in front of me and get a good look.

'Well, he's got orange fur, so maybe an autumn name. Something that matches his small, round body but easy to pronounce....'

"...Pumpkin."

"Huh?"

Mew!

"Aha...he responded. Pumpkin~."

Meow~!

"The kitten has spoken," I laugh, "from now on, you are Pumpkin."

"Talk about obvious," Enki chuckles.

"But it's still cute," Yukio-chan giggles.

"Nice to meet you, Pumpkin."

Mew~ Mew!

We laugh as he makes happy sounds.

>>>>>>>TIMESKIP>>>>>>>

"I'll drop Pumpkin off at your mom's place."

"Thanks, Jun-san."

"We'll be watching you and Karasuno, okay?"

"Do your best!"

"Yeah!"

I wave as they leave through one of the side exists. I then go into the restroom to freshen up.

Splash-Splash...Splash!

"Phew...that's cold."

I reach into my bag and take out my towel to dry.

"Oh."

That's when I see it. The volleyball Shoyo first gave me as a gift before studying abroad. I run my hand over the written words.

'It's worn out a little.'

*Murmuring*

I hear commotion outside the door and smile.

"Alright..."

Creak~

Once I come out, I see teams already settling in down the hallways. They're all here. Right here and now.

"It's starting."

Since there's still time, I decide to walk around to see who's here. However...

"Ah...look."

"It's Hinata Mizuki."

"No way."

My presence seems all too familiar and yet bewildering to others, once again.

"The Illusive Deity is here."

"I heard she moved up the ranks in the women's top-three high school players in America."

"That's insane."

"I saw her in Tokyo playing in some local volleyball game and won."

"Did you know she could do a lefty serve, too?"

"And what about that music competition..."

"Right?"

"She totally rocked it on stage."

"Hinata is so talented."

'No, no, no...I just like doing hobbies. Ugh, why am I prone to attract so much attention? Sometimes I think I'm cursed.'

I come across a corner and turn there.

"H-Hinata-san!"

What I don't account on is seeing the people behind me walking in the same direction.

"Well, if it isn't Shiratorizawa's third-years'. Long time no see."

"Hey, Mizuki~," Tendou sings, "looking cute as ever."

I giggle, seeing Semi roll his eyes at him.

"Good morning, Hinata."

"Good morning, Ushijima."

"Is Karasuno here?"

"Almost. I came around five, so..."

"Eh...you mean at 5 am?"

We start walking together.

"How come you arrived so early?"

"To kill time, just like I'm doing right now."

"At least you're honest about that."

"Ahaha..."

"Ah/Oh."

"Eh/Huh?"

We stop down another hallway when seeing my other friends from Aoba Johsai.

"Oikawa and Iwaizumi."

"What's with this timing?"

"Hell if I know."

"So this will be your last tournament in high school," says Ushijima, "I wish you well."

"You really piss me off," Oikawa hisses.

"We're going to nationals," Hajime retorts, "so it's not going to be our last."

"...Only one from the qualifiers can go to nationals."

'Wuahh...the fact that he's not saying it to be mean is making them even more infuriated.'

I clear my throat, getting their attention.

"Ah...Mizuki."

"Hey, Hajime. How's it go—"

"MIZUKI!!"

"Dah!"

I yelp at Oikawa's sudden outburst.

"You have some explaining to do, young lady!"

"H-Huh...what are you talking about?"

"This!"

FWIP!

He shoves a magazine at my face, which I reluctantly take.

"Okay, so...what about it?"

"Go to Page #."

Though he was uneasy, too, I do what Hajime says and flip to the middle section of the book.

"......U-Uh......(stutters)..."

I can feel my eyes widen, gasping as my hands shake frantically in utter shock.

I'm stunned to find five pages with Alisa and my face all over them. The very same I took during that photoshoot!

"Hm?...what's the matter—Oh. My. God! Is that you?!"

Tendou snatches the magazine from me as I start to stumble.

"You're on the Autumn Collection?"

"And with that popular model, too."

"That's so cool!"

"Woah~ you look super cute and sexy, Mizuki!"

"Shut up, just...shut up."

"There, there."

My brother-figure pats my back as I hide my blushing face into his arm.

"No fair," Oikawa whines, "you've been training with all of us and you haven't said a word about this!"

"Of course I wouldn't," I angrily shout, "I knew it would come out eventually, but why~...why now?! This is such bad timing!"

"D-Don't feel bad, Hinata," Semi awkwardly chuckles, "you look really nice in those photos."

"Mizuki~ you should've dressed in one of these gorgeous outfits today!"

"She ain't some fashion display, you pervert!"

KICK/OW~!

"Thanks, Hajime."

"I couldn't let you do it. Waste of energy."

"That's just mean~!"

Oikawa quickly recovers and glares at Hajime.

"Did you keep any of those outfits as souvenirs?"

"T-Tendou!"

I facepalm as Tendou makes Yamagata and Semi fluster. I take a couple steps back to breathe.

"I'm so glad no one else is around to bear witness th—"

"My honey~!"

"(Exasperated)Oh no..."

GLOMP!

I deadpan as I find myself trapped in Terushima's arms.

"Good morning my sweet, beautiful sunshine!"

"Oi, you little brat!"

"Get your filthy mitts off Mizuki!"

'Where did my peaceful solitude go?'

FWIP!

"Eh...?"

Suddenly, I get pulled back by the shoulders. I look up and see the light-haired teen.

"Oh, it's you, Aone-kun."

I stand up straight as he bows to me.

"Nice to see you, too. Thank you for the save."

I pet the second-year's head, making him glance away.

"Hehehe...shy as always, I see."

"Mi-zu-ki-san~! Why are you being nice to that no-eyebrows guy more than me?"

"Don't be weird."

"So cruel~."

Squeak-Squeak

I hear the sound of sneakers and notice Ushijima turning his heel.

"Concerning the qualifying rounds, it doesn't matter who it is. We'll gladly accept your challenge."

He bows his head to me and I nod, watching him and his colleagues walk off.

"I should head off to join my team."

"Us too."

"Wait, Iwa-chan, I want Mizu-chan to autograph the magazine."

"Let's go, Crappy-kawa."

"H-Hey, don't pull my jacket!"

"See ya on the court, Mizuki."

"Bye Hajime."

I wave as he drags Oikawa with him.

"Um..."

"Oh, right. You should head back, as well. It was nice catching up, Aone-kun. Say hi to your team for me."

"Mm."

He bows and walks the other way.

"As for you..."

TUG!

"Ah, hey! Mizuki-san?!"

"Our teams are in the first round today, so let's hurry up."

"Alright, alright, stop pulling my shirt!"

He makes that pouty-face as we walk together.

"You know, I feel sorry for your manager and coach that has to put up with you guys."

"You make it sound like a bad thing," he chuckles, "but we're pretty good at just going with the flow."

"Not that I don't think your team is capable of adapting...but there is a reason why my team will move on, and why you need to move on as well."

"What do you m...uh?"

I'm not sure what sort of face I'm making right now, but upon his silence, he knows that I'm dead serious.

"Look...I probably shouldn't say this since we're technically rivals....but maybe you'll actually listen for a change."

"Huh...?"

>>>>>>>NO ONE'S POV>>>>>>>

Now in the gymnasium, the spectators watch as teams begin to occupy the courts.

"First match has Seijoh on the B-Court, and Shiratorizawa on the A-Court."

FWEET~!

"We're up next! Let's go~!"

"(All)YEAH~!"

"We're gonna play more than anyone else here!"

"(All)YAHOO~!"

Their outburst startles Karasuno.

"They're they are."

"The party team."

Some spectators chuckle at their antics.

On Karasuno's side, Sawamura converses with his superiors.

"The other team chose to receive the ball first. We'll serve first."

"Alright."

The captain jogs away to join his team.

"It's finally the qualifiers," Takeda says, "everyone looks more nervous than usual...especially the third-years."

"Those look so awesome," Shoyo beams, "your new glasses are so cool, Tsukishima!"

He awes at the blonde's new sports spectacles.

"You've been saying that nearly every day, Hinata," Yamaguchi states.

"Having you say they're cool," Tsukishima retorts, "shakes my self-confidence, so I wish you'd stop."

"What'd you say?!"

Just as Tsukishima is turning his heel, Mizuki comes by.

"Ah, Kei...are those new glasses?"

"Eh...um, yeah."

"I bet Akiteru-san bought those for you," she smiles, "your brother knows where to get really good sports glasses. They look so cool on you."

"...Thank you."

"Hey! I said the same thing to you but you didn't get mad!"

"That's because Tsukki actually respects your sister."

"Shut up, Yamaguchi!"

"(Chuckles)Sorry, Tsukki."

The third-years watch in amusement.

"What's up with the first-years putting on braver faces than us," Sawamura jokes.

Soon enough, both teams line up on their sides, facing each other.

FWEET!

"(All)Let's play~!!"

After greetings are established, Karasuno groups together with their coaches.

"Our first opponent was a semifinalist at the Inter-High prelims," Ukai implies, "we've got our work cut out for us. You better go all out on that first one, Azumane!"

"Karasuno~! Fight!"

"(All)YEAH~!"

As Asahi sets up for the first serve, Takeda turns to Mizuki to speak.

"You said you went to the same junior high as Johzenji's captain, Hinata-san," he questions, "so I'm assuming he played volleyball back then?"

"That's right."

"What can you tell us about him?"

"Uh, well..."

"Nice serve~!"

TOSS!

WHAM!

BUNT!

"Woah, that was intense!"

"Got it!"

"Ah!"

STEP-STEP-STEP-STEP

FWOOM!

WHACK!

BAM!

In a flash, the whistle blows for Johzenji's first point. Karasuno, except Mizuki, were stunned.

"Yahoo!"

"A hit like that from the end line," Tanaka gasps, "not to mention, while he was turning around?"

"That would usually be returned with an underhand hit," Tsukishima states.

Fweet!

BUNT!

"Got it!"

Kageyama readies himself to set.

TOSS!

WHAM!

Tanaka spikes as their opponent receives.

FWAP!

The ball hits the net as it starts to fall.

FWIP/BUNT!

"Uh!"

But Johzenji's #3 uses his foot to bounce it back up.

WHAM/BAM!

The ball passes Tsukishima and Asahi.

Fweet!

At the box, the other Karasuno players were shocked to say the least.

"Somehow," Sugawara believes, "it's like we're playing against some super-talented baseball team in gym class."

"Yeah," Ennoshita agrees, "their plays aren't cookie-cutter, so we can't seem to read what they're gonna do."

On the bench, Mizuki gives her explanation.

"Sometimes, it's hard to tell whether they're doing it on purpose or not. Johzenji's weapon is unpredictability."

BUNT

FWAP/B-BOUNCE

"Come on, now!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

The trio sweat-drop as the team hassles with one of their members.

"Although, their attempts can fail at times...even for Terushima."

"Pick up the ball and hit it back!"

Johzenji's manager scolds them.

"Geez...they get out of hand so quickly."

"You're the only third-year left," her coach implies, "those guys must be a handful."

For the past few minutes, Johzenji wins three points and about to serve once more.

BUNT!

FWAP!

The ball hits the top of the net and starts to drop.

"Oh, lucky," Terushima grins, "it went over."

"Got it!"

Tanaka dives to receive. The ball bounces high and towards the back.

"Nice reaction!"

"But I don't know if they'll be able to connect."

SQUEAK

FWOOM/BUNT!

"Nice, Hinata!"

Shoyo jumps to receive, but heads for the wall.

"L-Look out!"

BAM!

The crowd awes as Shoyo recovers by putting his foot on the wall to rebound himself.

"H-He's Spider-Man!"

FWOOM!

URK/BUNT!

Nishinoya hits it over the net and it bounces to the back.

Fweet!

"He managed to return it!"

"But you know," Mizuki chuckles, "we have some guys on our team who are skilled and unpredictable."

"That's true," Ukai agrees.

"One more!"

BAM!

BUNT!

"Nice receive, Daichi-san!"

DASH!

"Uh?!"

SHOOM!

Terushima sees Shoyo as he leaps to the right where Kageyama sets a fast one.

FWIP/POW!

WHAM!

Such force passes Terushima and hits the floor as the crowd cheers.

"There it is!"

"#10's super-quick!"

"Hey, Kageyama! We can't just sit here losing."

"So that was the quick I heard about," Terushima smiles, "so cool~!"