"Shimizu-san!" the violet eyed girl called the manager. She turned around to face her and the first year gave her the posters "Here, the posters are all done"

Shimizu looked at it and smiled at her work. She sketched a player doing a spike with a post saying "Karasuno High School Boys' Volleyball Club Members and Managers: " on the side. She was satisfied and faced the girl.

"Thank you, Ayame-chan. These posters will be a great help in attracting new members" she said, ruffling the first year's hair "I'll treat you a chocolate cake later as my thanks"

She grinned after hearing the word chocolate "Thanks, Shimizu-san! I'll see you later!" she waved a hand to their manager and walked back to her room.

***

"Mom, welcome back" Ayame greeted her mother upon arriving home. She kissed her cheek and the woman ruffled her hair.

"Sorry, Aya-chan. I was busy at work and had to chat with Nekomata-sensei on the phone" her mother apologized, placing her bag on the sofa.

"No, it's fine. Ah, that's right. Why didn't you tell me that you suggested that our team should participate in the Tokyo away games?" Ayame crossed her arms "I was really surprised when sensei told us"

"I'm sorry, dear" her mother grinned "I want to surprise you and your team. After all, considering the results of the Inter High Preliminaries, you guys are in for the Spring Tournament, right? I'm confident that you guys deserve that invitation and it will be a good experience for you and Daichi's team"

"Right" she smiled "Thanks, mom. Everyone sent their thanks as well"

~Ding dong~

"Oh?" her mom said "Aya-chan, can you check who is calling? I'm going to change"

"Yes, mom" Ayame went outside and opened their gate. She was surprised to find the four first year players standing outside, carrying a bag each.

"Hi, Ayame!" Hinata cheerfully greeted her.

"Hey" Kageyama nodded his head.

"Hello" Tsukishima said in a monotonous tone.

"Good evening, Ayame" Yamaguchi smiled warmly.

"H-Hi" she stuttered "Um...why are you guys here?"

Hinata tilted his head in surprise "Eh? You told us that we're having a sleepover and group study at your place. Did you forgot, Ayame?"

"Eh?" she blinked, processing the information the shorter teen gave her "I said that?"

"Yep, you said it" Tsukishima told her "You forgot it, didn't you?"

(flashback)

"Ano...Shoyo-kun, Kageyama-kun, Tadashi-kun, Tsukishima-kun" Ayame said "Come to my place after school, okay? We're going to have a group study and sleepover since tomorrow is Saturday so we can continue"

"Eh? Sleepover?!" Yamaguchi asked.

"Cool!" Hinata's jumping from excitement "I'll start packing right away after I go home! See you!!" and the shorter teen dashed off with his bike.

"Won't your mother get mad about it?" Tsukishima asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's okay. I'll tell her once she's home. I'm sure she won't mind" she answered.

(end)

"Oh..." Ayame slowly nodded "Yeah, I almost forgot. Please get inside"

"Oh dear...I forgot to tell mom..." she mentally slapped herself for her forgetfulness.

The first years entered her house and removed their shoes and sat on the couch. Kageyama and Yamaguchi have to pull back Hinata from exploring the whole house in excitement because it seemed rude to their hostess.

"Aya-chan, who-" she stopped when she saw four boys standing in the living room. The atmosphere around them dropped to zero as she stared at them coldly. They gulped and bowed their heads.

"H-hello..." they squeaked.

"Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me" Hinata thought, trying to avoid the woman's calculating stare.

"She looks familiar..." Kageyama thought, studying her features.

"She kinda reminds of Ayame when she's pissed..." Tsukishima thought, recalling the violet eyed girl's pissed moments.

"Why does it feel like she's a different woman than before..." Yamaguchi gulped.

Kazumi's intelligent brown eyes observed each of the first year players. Her stares were slightly cold and intimidating until she saw the freckled teen. She switched to her happy version and she smiled and patted the boy's arm.

"Tadashi! It's nice to see you here!" she said, patting the boy's arm gently. The other three stared at him and gave him a curious and confused look.

"Y-yeah...K-Kazumi-san. Please pardon our intrusion" he said, bowing his head.

"No, not at all" she smiled.

The other three breathed a sigh of relief when she's no longer glaring at them.

"Ano...mom, I'm sorry this is sudden but we're doing a group study...and a sleepover" Ayame told her mother.

"Oh, sure, make sure you kids study and-" the woman stopped and looked at her daughter in bewilderment "Sleepover?!"

"Uh...yes"

"Aya-chan! Can't you see that they are boys?! I understand a group study, but a sleepover?!"

Ayame grabbed her mother's hands "Mom, they are my friends and I trust them. And besides, you let me stay with them during our training camp. It's no big deal"

Kazumi looked at the boys one by one. They all seemed respectable and well-mannered enough, from what she sees anyway "Where are they sleeping?"

"Um...I've decided that they can stay in my room since it would probably be troublesome if they slept on the couch" she replied "My room's spacious enough for the five of us"

Kazumi thought hard. Ayame squeezed her mother's hand "Please? For me?" she pleaded, giving her mother pleading eyes.

"Kazumi-san, we promise that we won't disturb you, right? Guys?" Yamaguchi said, turning his attention to the three, who nodded in response.

She sighed "Fine...but please tell me your names. I already know Tadashi, so the rest of you should introduce yourselves, including your jersey number and positions please"

The first years looked at each other in confusion until the orange haired teen stepped forward.

"I'm Hinata Shoyo" Hinata pointed his self "I'm no. 10 and a middle blocker"

The woman slowly nodded until the orange haired teen asked her "Ano...don't you think my position is weird? I mean, it's a position for tall guys"

"What's weird about that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow "Okay, it's a probably a little weird but it doesn't matter to me. If you have the skill suited for that position, then it's no problem. The Little Giant, for example, is a short player yet he's a wingspiker and the team's ace. Height is not usually a problem"

Hinata teared up a bit and quickly wiped it with his arm "Thank you, ma'am!"

"Kageyama Tobio" Kageyama bowed slightly "Karasuno's setter. My jersey number is 9"

"Hmm~" the woman hummed "Setter, eh? A first year, too. Great upper body strength and outstanding height for a setter. Tobio, give me your hand" Kageyama obliged and shook hands with her "Hmm, I say you've been practicing as a setter for a long time and you seemed pretty good at receiving, spiking and blocking. Jump serves are powerful but still lacks in control, I guess"

"O-Osus!" he bowed, slightly surprised by her observation and compliments "She's like Ayame with her observations. Amazing! She's probably even better than Oikawa-san!"

"Tsukishima Kei. Number 11 and middle blocker" Tsukishima bowed stiffly. The woman crossed her arms and looked at him head to toe.

"How tall are you?"

"...188 cm, ma'am"

The woman sighed longingly and raised her hands in defeat "I'm only 175 cm...Damn first years..." she muttered "Ah, Tadashi, what's your jersey number and position?"

"No. 12" he replied "I'm a middle blocker...and pinch server"

"That's really nice to hear" she smiled "Well, I guess I could trust you boys. I'll be in my room doing some paperwork. Study hard, okay?"

"Yes! Thank you for having us!"

"Oh, and boys" Ayame went ahead and the four of them looked at the woman "Please try not to cross the line with my daughter, okay?"

She smiled at them sweetly, though she's emitting a very dark aura.

"W-We understand!!"

The first years went up to Ayame's room. As they passed the hallway, Kageyama saw a picture of a young woman that looked like Ayame smiling at the camera while holding a certificate and medal.

"Oi, King, quit stalling" Tsukishima said.

A vein popped in the setter's head and he glared at the megane "I'm not! Shut up!"

"This way" Ayame waved her hand to catch their attention.

They entered her room and were impressed by the neatness and orderliness. She wasn't kidding about the size of her room. The five of them can fit in with extra spaces left.

"Whoa~! It's so big~!" Hinata exclaimed with sparkly backgrounds "It's twice as big as my room!! Amazing!! Ah! Ayame's bed is so huge!!"

"Hey, dumbass, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Kageyama grabbed the shorter boy's collar to stop him from exploring the whole room "Quit acting like a kid"

"Who are you calling a kid?!"

"Are you sure it's okay we stay here in your room, Ayame?" Yamaguchi asked her one more time.

"Yes, I'm thinking we all can sleep on my bed. I'm sure we can fit"

"N-No!! W-We shouldn't!!" He blushingly told her.

"Why?"

"Because we're guys!! And also you're the only girl here!!" he reasons out "And plus, your mother might kill us!!"

"So what's wrong with that?"

"Her innocence is unbelievable..." Tsukishima and Yamaguchi deadpanned.

"Ayame, it's okay. We all brought our sleeping bags with us. There's no need for you to share your bed with us" the freckled teen said.

"Yeah, we'll be fine" Tsukishima told her.

"Yep" Kageyama nodded repeatedly.

"Totally" Hinata agreed.

"What's wrong with them?" she thought.

"All right, if that's what you guys want" she shrugged and started spreading her notebooks and books on the table "Let's start studying now, shall we?"

*After thirty minutes*

"Why is English so hard~?" Hinata whined, banging his head on the table. Ayame moved closer to him and checked his paper.

"You weren't kidding about being horrible in English..." she sighed at his low scores "Especially when it comes to spelling...even the word "receive" is misspelled..."

"No wonder his receives are shit" Kageyama noted while reading the book in Modern Literature.

"Shut up! They're not!" Hinata glared at him but he ignored him.

Ayame helped Hinata while Yamaguchi and Tsukishima helped Kageyama, though it was mostly the freckled teen doing all the teaching since the megane would usually piss the setter off.

"Ano...Ayame?" Kageyama said "Is your mother...by chance, a volleyball player?"

Tsukishima and Hinata stared at him in surprise. Ayame blinked and she smiled "Yeah, a former volleyball player and also..."

"Miyagi's best serving specialist" Yamaguchi added. Kageyama slammed his hands on the table.

"I knew it! She's Haruka Kazumi, an international volleyball player!" he grinned "I heard that she used to play as the setter in her team and she's the strongest and trickiest server!"

"Eh?! Your mom?!" the orange haired teen's jaw dropped "So cool!!"

"Ah, I remember now" Tsukishima pushed his glasses ""The Demon Vixen". That's how people used to call her. If I remember correctly, she can use about five serves alternately in a match"

"Wait here, I'll go get her pictures" she said, leaving the room. After a few minutes, she arrived with an armful of albums and certificates "Here it is! Mom's pictures!"

"Cool!! Look at that! She almost resembled Ayame!!" Hinata said, pointing at the young Kazumi.

"These awards she received are so awesome!" Yamaguchi said in awe, looking at her "Best Server" and "MVP of the Year" awards.

"When did she retire playing sports?" Tsukishima asked.

"Um...when I was seven, I think. I would always watch in her matches when I was a kid so seeing her live is much more awesome than looking at these pictures" Ayame grinned "Her nickname as "The Demon Vixen" is no joke. She has a different air around her when she's the one serving, like a demon's. Also, she was called as "vixen" because she's tricky when pulling off a serve but she's trickier when using the jump float serve. She's unpredictable"

"She even received the "Best Setter" award..." Kageyama muttered in awe.

"I thought your mother is an Opposite Hitter" Yamaguchi said "Did she play as the setter before?"

"Actually, mom's position varies depending on their match so, they can't predict if the "Demon Vixen" is the setter or spiker" she replied.

"Your mother's a talented player, Ayame" Tsukishima said "I guess those sharp observation skill and strategic mind in volleyball came from your mother"

"I know, right?" she grinned with sparkly eyes "But you know, when it comes to strategy making, my dad was the best" she said, pride and sadness laced her voice.

"Was? What happened-" Hinata was about to ask but Kageyama elbowed him roughly and Tsukishima slapped his head and both teens glared at him.

"Hinata, you dumbass!" Kageyama hissed.

"You slow minded idiot!" Tsukishima harshly whispered to the shorter boy.

"It's okay...Dad, well, he died years ago..." she replied "An... accident happened..."

"It's okay...I'm not going to have another breakdown...just take a deep breath...remember, if anyone asked about dad, just say an accident happened...simple...I'll be okay..." she thought, repeating the words like a mantra in her head.

"Oh...sorry, Ayame..." Hinata lowered his head guiltily.

"Again...why does it feel like she's hiding something again?" Yamaguchi thought.

"So" she clapped her hands "Shall we continue studying?"

"Why are you trying to hide it?"

They continued their routine when her door was opened and it was Daichi.

"Oh? A group study? That's nice" he said. They first years nodded and greeted him.

"Nii-chan, what are you doing here?" Ayame asked him.

"I came to visit you and your mom. Aunt Kazumi said that you guys are having a group study and sleepover. That's good" he nodded "I heard that the second years crashed over to Tanaka's place to help those two"

"Is that so? Are you here to help us study?"

"Sure, if you guys don't mind"

"Daichi-san's not warning us!! Thank goodness!!" the four boys thought in unison.

"Thank you, captain!" the first years bowed.

"Aya-chan, do you think that the boys will like some mapo tofu and curry? I'll be cooking dinner" her mom said from downstairs. The violet eyed girl and the captain paled and shuddered as they imagined the result of their dinner.

"Mom, stay put! I'm cooking dinner!! Don't go in the kitchen!!" Ayame stood and ran downstairs in a flash, leaving the four first years in a confused state.

"Uh...What was that?" Hinata asked.

"Her mom has zero experience in cooking so...she's pretty hopeless and terrible in the kitchen" he whispered.

"DAICHI!! I HEARD THAT!! GET DOWN HERE, YOU DAMN BRAT!!"

***

They finished dinner and, thankfully, the woman didn't kill Daichi for talking behind her back. The captain stayed for a few hours to talk with Ayame's mother, alone. The first years continued studying upstairs until Hinata fell asleep on his notebook. Tsukishima made a "tsk" and Ayame draped a blanket on the shorter teen's back.

"I guess this means that we need to sleep" Ayame told them "But I'll be sleeping later, though. I need to finish summarizing"

"Finally..." Kageyama sighed and stretched his arms.

"Ano...I'd like to stay awake for a little longer" Yamaguchi raised his hand "What about you, Tsukki?"

"I'll be sleeping first" he said, preparing his futon. Kageyama prepared his futon as well and went to sleep as soon his head hit the pillow.

"Seriously, he's a fast sleeper..." Tsukishima scratched his head "Well, good night. Don't stay up late. You guys don't have to push yourselves"

"Hai, hai, Tsukishima-kun" she sighed "Seriously, you sound like Daichi-nii"

"I'll take that as a compliment" he made a small smile and laid down on his futon. Moments later, the two heard his breathing slow down and he's snoring softly.

"Oh, they're asleep now" Yamaguchi said softly.

"It can't be helped. All those studying exhaust them mentally" she said "Tadashi-kun, you're not sleeping yet?"

"Later. I have to finish reading this"

"I see"

They studied in silence. Yamaguchi's reading his book about English and Ayame's summarizing her notes in Mathematics. Not a sound was heard except for the soft chirpings outside and the snores of the sleeping first years. The violet eyed girl slightly looked up and glanced at the freckled teen. His head is drooping slightly as he focused on the book, his dark green hair slightly covering his freckled cheeks.

"He looked...so focused...and at the same time...he looked...handsome? Is that the right word?" she clutched her chest as she sensed her heart started to beat faster "I want...to touch his hair..."