"Now this makes it the 29th loss of Karasuno" she declared as she placed an X in her clipboard "The point gap is a bit huge. Can't be helped, I guess. It's still the second day..."

"You're right about that" their coach agreed "Well, we adults will be leaving then. I'll leave it to you kids about cleaning the gym and stuff"

"Where are you going, Ukai-san?"

He sighed exasperatingly "Nekomata-sensei invited us for a drink and no, you're definitely not coming again"

"I'm not planning to" she shuddered as she recalled the night she went drinking with them "I don't want to know what happened to me back then"

"Good job for today" the man ruffled her hair and she smiled happily. He faced the rest of the players "You guys! That was a good job for today! You can do your extra practices as long as you're not overexerting yourselves, got that?"

"OSU!!"

The man left the gym first while the rest of the team dispersed to their extra practices. She sat on the bench as she did another sketch that shows the team running uphill (the penalty) on her sketchpad.

"Hey, megane-kun" Bokuto approached the tall blonde "Would you help us out with spiking practice again?"

Her head instantly lifted up from her sketchpad to the direction where the two are talking. At the same time, Hinata heard the conversation and stopped on his tracks to listen.

"Again?! Does that mean...Tsukishima-kun was practicing with Bokuto-san before?! Without even telling me or the team?!" her eyes sparkled in excitement "Uwaaaaa!!! Amazing!! How envious!!"

"Hey" a player from Shinzen patted his teammates back before pointing at the violet eyed girl "Do you think that girl is all right? She...uh...she's being...sparkly..."

"Eh? Ah, her. Karasuno's cute coach. Well, I guess she's all right" he shrugged "She's pretty cute when she's like that, you know?"

"Yeah, you said it" the two snickered until they felt a tremendous aura, not far from them, that sent shivers down their spines "O-Oi, let's get going...I have a bad feeling that we should stop staring at her..."

They glanced at the source and instantly looked away after seeing the death glares of Nishinoya and Tanaka.

"Oi, get back to work" Ennoshita karate chopped both of their heads.

Moving along...

"I'm sorry. I'll pass" Tsukishima replied before walking past him.

Ayame was taken aback by his reply and she nearly snapped her pencil in half from shock "Did he just refuse?!?! Did he just freaking refuse a practice offer from Bokuto-san?! Tsukishima-kun!!!"

She quickly stood from her seat and dashed towards the megane at lightning speed, much to his surprise. Hinata also joined her as well.

"Hey, Tsukishima-kun!" she pointed an accusing finger to him "Why did you decline Bokuto-san's offer?! That was a chance to train from a Top Five!! How could you?!"

"Why?! You know the ace of Fukurodani?!" Hinata asked him.

"No" he replied as he kept walking away, slightly annoyed by the two short teens.

"Why did you refuse? That's such a waste!!" The two teens said in unison.

"Shut up. Unlike you, I don't have endless stamina"

"Really...I just really want to punch your face, you damn megane...!" she resisted the urge to knock some sense to the blonde.

"What the heck?!"

"Tsukishima-kun" she said with a bit force on her words "It's not about having endless stamina that you have to refuse Bokuto-san's practice offer. That was seriously a waste of opportunity. And besides, he said "again", it means you-"

"I was forced, that's all" he cut her off "This is just a club. There's no need to put so much into it"

Because she loved volleyball with passion, what the megane said struck a nerve on her.

"Why you...!" a vein was about to pop on her forehead when she heard the bitterness in his voice. She composed herself and softly added "It's not "just" a club, Tsukishima-kun..."

"I'm not like you" he made a tsk sound before leaving.

"Lately...he's been more standoffish than usual... I wonder did something happen?"

"Geez, what's Tsukishima's problem?!" Hinata said in a frustrated tone "The ace from Fukurodani invited him to practice and he declined? That's unbelievable!!"

"Totally" she nodded in agreement.

"You know, Hinata..."

Ayame suddenly jumped back upon hearing the freckled teen's voice, her heart pounding loudly in her chest.

"Wha-?! What was that reaction of mine?!"

"S-S-Sorry!! I-I'll be g-going outside for a fresh air, please excuse me!!" she left a trail of dust as she left, leaving the two confused from why the heck she's acting like that...well, maybe except for the freckled teen since he has an idea why she's acting strange.

***

Ayame bent down to catch her breath as the running took its toll on her. She didn't know what came over her to run away from them or technically, from him. It's like her mind screamed for her to run and her body reacted to it. Was it from because of embarrassment? Or ?

Still, she felt bad about it.

"Ah...I'm such an idiot..." she sighed loudly while walking under the canopy. She kept walking until she saw the Karasuno managers.

"Oh, Ayame-chan" Shimizu called her "What brings you here? I thought you're with Sawamura and the others in the first gymnasium"

"A-Ah...well, I...went outside for a little breather..." she rubbed her head awkwardly.

"Little breather?" Yachi tilted her head in confusion and looked behind the girl "Um...isn't the gym where they are practicing...over there?"

The distance where the girls are standing from the said gym is approximately 70 meters. To sum it up, Ayame dashed 70 meters from the gym to where she's currently standing for a "little breather".

"That's...pretty far..." Shimizu noted.

"Hehehehe...I-I have no idea..." she slightly looked away in embarrassment "Did I just seriously run that far? So much for a "little" breather..."

"T-That's right! Where are you guys going to?" the violet eyed girl changed the subject.

"Oh, we're going to the kitchen to prepare dinner" the third year explained "You're free to come with us, Ayame-chan"

"Sure!"

The three ladies of Karasuno walked a steady pace, talking and laughing about today's events. The violet eyed girl noted that Yachi seemed to be fitting in with the team much better when she first interacted with them and that made her happy and relieved.

"Oh...right...should I ask about their opinions? Nii-chan said that a girl's opinion is different than a boy's..." she thought.

"A-Ano...S-Shimizu-san? Y-Yachi-san? C-Can I...Can I ask you two something?"

"Yes? What is it?"

She gulped "Uwaaa...how should I even begin asking them? Ah...what the...I suddenly feel awkward telling them..."

"Say, I-I'm a little curious about "l-likings" and stuff. I-I want to ask you two more about it..."

The managers stopped and looked at her in surprise.

"A-Ah, well, you see..." she was sweating slightly as she tries to speak out her thoughts "I want to ask what someone should do when...they learned their feelings for that person..."

Shimizu was slightly taken back "It's pretty rare for you to ask something like this, Ayame-chan. Did something happen?"

"Nothing!" she quickly replied "I'm just...curious. I-I heard plenty of people talk about it and...in some books and a few mangas that I read..."

It was a lie. Partly.

She wanted to ask them about her feelings but was somehow embarrassed to ask so she made an excuse.

However, the part when she said she read it in some books and mangas was not a lie.

She's not fond of reading shojo mangas but she actually read a few (and she secretly admits that it's quite interesting). It always made her wonder how the female lead falls in love with the male character. The letter incident with Katasuke was not a problem, since the boy only needed her help in writing a love letter because she's good at expressing her words to paper (and because she's used to the love letters that the boys have given her and she has a slight idea about the content). The problem is that she has trouble understanding the feeling itself.

The third year sighed "I guess it's actually normal for you to ask since you're always the curious type"

"Y-Yeah..." she twirled a strand of her hair around her finger.

"Uwaa...Ayame-chan's almost like the female lead from a shojo manga..." Yachi thought.

"Well...let's see...how should we start?" Shimizu wondered "I have no experience but...they say when a person likes someone, their heart tends to beat faster around that person. That's a pretty common symptom, I think..."

Ayame recalled the days that happened. It kinda made sense, now that she thought about it. That usually happens whenever she's around the freckled teen.

"Y-Yes, that's true!" the blonde nodded readily "B-But that's not the only thing"

"You know this, Hitoka-chan?" the genius first year looked at her in surprise "How do you know so much? Do you...d-do you have a b-boyfriend?"

Her face quickly exploded in a bright red color before vigorously shaking her head in denial "N-No! I-I don't!! T-T-That's pretty a-advanced for me!!"

The third year chuckled in amusement before placing a hand on the violet eyed girl's shoulder "Ayame-chan, it doesn't mean that Hitoka-chan has a boyfriend just because she knows a lot of things when it comes to that. Right, Hitoka-chan?"

"H-Hai!" she nodded "I read plenty of shojo manga in my spare time s-so I knew..."

"That aside, there's more than one symptom when you like a person. But, as long as that feeling exist on that person only and it's a feeling that you don't hate at all and it's secretly making you happy...then, you like him..."

She looked down and remembered the butterfly sensations that Sugawara told her. Yes, she's not mistaken. That also happens every time the teen made her happy. Their awkward yet comfortable silence they usually have when they are alone is another thing.

"When you like him, it means you put your trust in him and you don't have to hide anything when you're with him, especially when you know him as a kind and understanding person" she added.

"Can I really tell him...?" Ayame bit her lower lip before facing the third year "Oh... i-if...they realize their feelings for someone...even if they're not even sure...what do you think is the best thing to do?"

"There's actually no best thing" she smiled, making the first year slightly surprised "What do you think, Hitoka-chan?"

"Eh?! Ah...W-Well, S-Shimizu-senpai's right... but I think it's best to voice out your feelings rather than suppressing them in. It might make you feel a lot better and the person you like will have an idea about your feelings, right?"

"I guess... but... what if...the person is afraid of...telling that person about their feelings? W-What if...something is holding them back like...I don't know...an incident or something?" she whispered.

"Fear is pretty normal to feel before confessing to someone. Anyone can be nervous and feel afraid before they tell them their feelings. It might be the fear of rejection or the person is nervous to tell the person they like" Shimizu replied "Then again, there are plenty of reasons why you're afraid of confessing. If something is holding you back...then, it's up to you to tell him everything. If you really like him, then, it takes courage to voice out your feelings so they can reach him"

"I...I...really...I really like him, after all..." she thought "I see... that's why I'm nervous earlier...I was afraid that if I tell him my feelings and he'll gradually learn about the truth that day seven years ago... his feelings will change. Courage...if only... I have that..."

She stopped on her tracks, making the two stop and look at her.

"Tadashi-kun...he's done so much for me... and... he told me that he...he likes me... and... it made me happy... I've never repaid him... the least that I can do...is return back his feelings with mine..." she clutched her chest and forced herself not to cry "But...the fear of him knowing my past... I'm scared what he will say to me... I'm scared that...he's feelings will change... maybe...if I just hide it from him...nothing could go wrong, right?"

"Ayame-chan, what's wrong?" the managers asked in concern.

"But... it's pointless... I know that he can see through to me...but... he doesn't pry.... He is waiting for me to talk if I want to, I could feel it. His eyes have that soft curiosity that seemed to see through my very soul... I don't understand any of this... yet..."

I like you...

"I..."

"I'm sorry!!" Ayame suddenly bowed a perfect 90 degree angle "I can't go with you guys right now!! I remembered that I'm supposed to do something!! Thank you for the help!! See you!!"

She quickly dashed back to where she came from, leaving the two managers confused from her behavior.

"What...just happened?" Yachi blinked.

"Hmm...I have a guess but..." Shimizu smiled mysteriously "Who knows?"

"Eh?"

***

"Great...I'm nearly out of breath and..." a gloomy aura hung above the violet eyed girl as she walked around outside the gymnasiums "I don't know which way I am supposed to go!!"

One of Mizuki Ayame's weaknesses: No sense of direction in new places.

However, give her a month and she'll recognize every inch of the area.

Moving along, she wandered around the hallway when she heard somebody scream followed by running footsteps.

"TSUKIIIIIII!!!"

She instinctively jumped on a bush when she recognized the owner of the voice. Her head started to spin and her heart is beating faster and faster from nervousness after knowing that the voice was none other than Yamaguchi.

"Uwaaaa... I'm still nervous... my heart feels like it's about to burst!" she was about to stand up when she saw him slow down and bent over to catch his breath as the blonde megane turned around to face him.

"What?"

He was practically panting as he managed to speak "Tsukki...you were always able to do anything while being cool and smart... so...I've always been jealous..."

"I didn't know that he's feeling like that towards Tsukishima-kun..." she thought.

"So?"

Yamaguchi stood straight and looked at him straight in the eyes "But you're being lame lately, Tsukki!!"

Tsukishima's eyes widened and his spine stiffened from his words.

Ayame was surprised that the freckled teen talked back to his best friend like that for the first time. She stayed silent and listened carefully yet feeling guilty at the same time because she's eavesdropping in their conversation.

He continued "Hinata might become the Little Giant someday. That just means you have to beat him, Tsukki! You just need to become an even better player than Hinata and prove them your skills!! You have the height, brains, and instinct, so why did you decide that getting any better is impossible?!"

Tsukishima was silent while the violet eyed girl anticipated his answer.

"If... for example, if I work really hard and became the best player on Karasuno's team, what would happen after that? Even if there is a tiny chance we might make it to nationals, what happens after that? No matter how high you climb, there's always someone better. Even if you are able to show some results somewhere, you'll never actually be number one! You're gonna lose somewhere! Despite knowing that, just what sort of motivation is driving you all to keep at it?!"

Her face darkened as she recalled her frustrations when she panicked in their last game in Seijoh. She tightened her fists and she opened her mouth to speak out loud.

"That-"

"Motivation?!" Yamaguchi raised his voice before she could have the chance to speak and grabbed the megane's collar "What else do you need besides pride?!"

She looked at the freckled teen in shock and Tsukishima went silent as the teen was breathing deeply after venting out his thoughts. The area was quiet until the moon softly shone on them.

"I want to know more about Tsukishima-kun's actions... But..." she watched silently as he removed his hold on the taller teen, feeling a bit surprised by his own actions.

"To think that this day would come..." the blonde said and she saw him smirk slightly "When did you become so cool?"

"Eh?"

"You're actually cool" he said again.

"T-Tsukki? What's wrong?" the poor boy still can't believe what he's hearing.

She giggled softly at his reaction "I guess Tadashi-kun is not used to be complimented by others much...how cute"

"But I can't accept that"

"Eh?"

"I'm gonna go ask something" he turned around to leave.

"Tsukki?"

"Oh, yeah" he stopped and faced him again "You can explain to Ayame why I'm being like this. I know she noticed it and knowing her, she's probably damn curious about it"

She secretly flinched, silently thinking that he's right.

"Eh?! A-Are you sure?"

"I don't mind it anymore. You can tell if you see her later in the gym" he waved back his hand before leaving completely. Yamaguchi sighed and clutched his chest.

"Uwaaa... that's the first time I talked back to Tsukki... that was seriously nerve-wracking..."

RUSTLE.

"U-Um!" Ayame stood up from her hiding place and suddenly crouched down in front of him, her forehead touching the ground "I-I'm sorry for eavesdropping!!"

"EEEEEH?! A-Ayame?!" he jumped back in surprise, sweat rapidly pouring in down his face in nervousness "H-How long were you there?!"

"E-E-Ever since you were screaming "Tsukki!!". I'm really sorry!! It's very wrong of me to listen!! I'm sorry!! I'm sorry!!"

"Y-You don't have to apologize!! It's o-okay!! I-I'm not mad or anything! P-Please stop that and stand up"

After a few minutes of maintaining their composures, she kept her head down as she stood up.

"Um... you heard about it...right?" he asked and she nodded "Then...I guess I should explain it..."

She waited patiently for his continuation.

"You know...Tsukki doesn't particularly hate volleyball..."

"Yes, I know. It's more like something is holding him back to play in his fullest..." she said "Uwaaa...it's a miracle I can talk to him normally now... Earlier, I couldn't even look, approach or talk to him because my heart won't stop beating like crazy...how....weird..."