"Ah~!! It's so hot!!" Nishinoya fanned his self using his t-shirt as beads of sweat rolled down his neck.

"Of course it's hot today. Summer is right around the corner" Sugawara said, wiping his forehead.

The players were resting inside the gymnasium after a series of practice. However, because of the summer heat, their practices became shorter and their breaks become much longer.

"How many more days do we have to endure this heat?" Asahi sighed.

The others groaned in agreement.

"Everyone!" Mr. Takeda entered the gymnasium with the female members "Thanks for the effort you did today! As a reward, the girls made you some rice ball and iced tea to energize you!"

"Ooooh!!"

Hinata, Nishinoya, and Tanaka were begging like dogs in front of them.

"Hey, cut that out, you three" Sugawara scolded them.

"Thanks a lot, Shimizu. You guys don't have to do this, you know" Daichi said, though he's feeling grateful.

She shook her head "We want to help you guys in any way we can. Don't feel so obligated. It's our choice"

"Uwooo!! Thank you very much!!" Hinata bowed and accepted a rice ball. As soon as he took a bite, his eyes sparkled like a child's "This is so good!!"

Everyone started eating the rice balls given to them as the managers and Ayame handed out iced tea for them. Seeing them happy and enjoying their food made the girls smile and satisfied.

"Ah, it's all gone? Damn, I didn't make it in time" Coach Ukai sighed as he entered the gym "And I was looking forward for some rice ball and some refreshing drink after the delivery I did"

"Don't worry, Ukai-san. I left some for you" Ayame said, lifting a tray of rice ball and a cup of iced tea.

"Thanks, Ayame. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot" he lifted a basket for them to see "I was thinking of sharing this to you guys. These are cherries from my family's farm"

He removed the lid and placed the basket on the table. The cherries were already washed and were perfectly ripe. It looked so appetizing that everyone ate it one at a time until the libero said.

"Hey, guys" he grinned as he held a cherry in front of him "Do you know how to tie a cherry stem without using your hands?"

"Eh? Is that possible? How could you possibly do that?" the violet eyes girl curiously asked.

"You never heard of this, Ayame-chan?" Tanaka asked her. She shook her head and the third years sighed.

"Of course she has no idea. She grew up under an overprotective mother and a prestigious all-girls school. Not to mention, she's dense as hell"

"You do it like this..." Nishinoya placed the cherry inside his mouth and was silent for a few seconds until he poked out his tongue, the cherry stem now tied "Ta-da!!"

"Oh!! Amazing!!" Ayame exclaimed, though the cherry stem went loose after a few seconds and the libero caught it.

"I know, right? I was practicing this since junior high and I finally mastered it!!" he proudly said.

"The cherry stem didn't hold out long enough, Nishinoya. You didn't master it at all" Sugawara said.

"Seriously?! But I managed to tie it! It doesn't matter!!"

"Noya-san, you're so awesome!!" Tanaka high-fived the libero, "All right, let's see who else can do this challenge!"

Feeling interested, Ayame took a cherry stem and placed it in her mouth and tried to copy what Nishinoya did but it didn't work. She tried it again but to no avail "This is too hard. I don't think I can do it"

"Even geniuses have their own limits, huh?" Daichi wondered out loud.

"I'm new at this. Of course I can't do it" she sulked and ate the cherry.

"Ah! Yamaguchi did it!" Hinata said, pointing at the freckled teen. The others looked at him and saw the cherry stem neatly tied on his mouth.

"Oh, look at that. He tied it better than Nishinoya" Sugawara whistled.

"It didn't come off, unlike Nishinoya's. That's kinda amazing" Ennoshita nodded.

"That was amazing, Tadashi-kun!! How did you do it?" Ayame asked him.

"I-I don't know...I was always told that I'm good at tying cherry stems in my mouth when I was just a kid. I just...know how to do it, that's all..." Yamaguchi slightly looked away sheepishly.

"Teach us your trick, Yamaguchi!!" the second year duo pleaded.

"Eh? But...I don't have any trick, senpai. I-I just...know it. Sorry" he replied.

"No! There must be a trick!!" Nishinoya insisted "If I can improve my skills, I could become a better kisser!!"

"Hai?" Yamaguchi asked in confusion "N-Nishinoya-san...y-you mean, you're practicing tying cherry stems because..."

"Yeah, that's it!! So if I had a girlfriend, I won't disappoint her because I'm a good kisser!! That's the whole point why I'm practicing this for a long time!"

The second years and third years stared at him "Unbelievable..."

"Noya-san, that's very manly of you!!" Tanaka exclaimed.

"If you have a girlfriend, that is" Sugawara said.

"Suga-san...you don't have to shatter my dreams like that..." the libero sobbed.

"Ano...what does the cherry stem and kissing have to do with each other?" Ayame innocently asked.

"Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me" Hinata nodded and Kageyama agreed.

"You guys..." Sugawara sighed "Even our two geniuses are clueless about this..."

"Yamaguchi, you tell them" the third year nudged the freckled teen. He only looked at him confusingly.

"Ano...I don't know it as well..."

The third year deadpanned.

"Sigh...Our first years are so innocent..."

"Seriously?! You don't know about that, Yamaguchi?! Even though you're good at this?!" Nishinoya's jaw dropped.

"Noya-san, it can't be helped" Tanaka said "Our juniors are still young to understand the world of adolescence"

"You're the one to talk" Ennoshita said.

"Didn't you know? They say that if you can tie a cherry stem in your mouth, it means you're a good kisser" the libero explained.

Ayame, Hinata and Kageyama nodded slowly in understanding.

"Ohhh...."

"I really don't understand the connection, though..." the three of them thought at the same time.

Yamaguchi's face burned crimson red and he nearly choked on his third cherry. He never realized it at all. He admit that he's good at tying cherry stems in his mouth since he was a kid but it didn't even occur to him for a second it meant that he's a good kisser.

"Eh~?" Tsukishima smirked, and glanced at the embarrassed-looking boy. The freckled teen felt the hairs on his back stand in fear as he knew that he'll be teased again by the megane.

"So we have a good kisser in our team, huh?" Sugawara grinned "Have you ever tried kissing a girl before, Yamaguchi?"

His face burned even more and he shook his head vigorously "O-O-Of course not!! That didn't even cross my mind for a second!!"

"Um...I'm just wondering but how can you guys prove that it's true?" Ennoshita asked the two second years "Have you ever been kissed?"

Nishinoya rubbed his head and smiled in an embarrassing way "W-Well, y-yeah...though not much..."

"A-As for me, well...hahaha...it's embarrassing..." Tanaka sheepishly laughed.

Ennoshita thumped both of their heads "Liars"

"No way in hell Nishinoya could get a girl to kiss him. He's dead shy in front of cute girls he just met" Kinnoshita snickered.

"No girl would bother kissing Tanaka because he looked scary in front of girls. It's so obvious these guys are lying" Narita nodded in agreement.

"Oh come on! Can't a guy dream for something?!" Nishinoya whined.

"But, Kiyoko-san would do it, right?!" Tanaka looked at the third year manager for inquiry.

"No" she rejected him flatly, though that rejection only turned him on.

"In short, it's not even proven that it's true, huh?" Ayame said.

"Well, there are some cases in the dramas on TV that they're good kissers if they can tie a cherry stem" Daichi answered.

"But, they're all just work of fiction, right?" Tsukishima said.

"Well, I guess you're right"

Ayame noticed how silent the freckled teen is and faced him "Ne, Tadashi-kun, you're so quiet. Is there something wrong?"

"Ah, no, nothing's wrong. I was...surprised by Nishinoya-san's explanation about the cherry stem thing" he answered.

"Yeah, me too. I'm really wondering about the connection, though...It makes no sense..."

He nodded "You're right. It's weird"

"I think...you can't just say that someone's a good kisser by the cherry stem trick. It's in the person itself, right?" she said.

"You've got a point there" he said, slightly looking away "Maybe I'm not a good kisser after all"

"That's not true" she said. Yamaguchi looked at her in surprise and she suddenly blushed and tried to rephrase her words "I-I-It's not like I-I have kissed you before, b-but you can't just say you're not a good kisser if you have never kissed someone before, Tadashi-kun!"

The freckled teen blushed the same shade as hers and nodded awkwardly "R-Right..."

"Uwaaa...what the heck am I saying? I sounded so weird!!" Ayame thought, twirling a strand of her hair nervously.

"That's a first...but, for some reason, that sounded reassuring and embarrassing at the same time..." he thought, scratching his cheek.

"Hey, you guys!! I just brought some cherries and now you're talking about kissing?! Get back on the court!! Continue practicing!!" Coach Ukai yelled.

"OSU!!"

"He must be pissed about our talk earlier" Nishinoya whispered.

"Probably because he has no girlfriend, considering his age" Tanaka nodded.

The man's ear widened as he heard it and was offended "Hey!! I can hear that, you know!! I'm not that old!!"