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The door to the neighboring room slammed shut while Hiroko sat at her desk doing homework. She frowned, taking out her earbuds and getting up to scold the person in the room next to hers. This wasn't the first time this had happened, but he still hadn't learned apparently.

She skipped knocking altogether, briskly twisting the knob and flinging the door open with a scowl on her face.

Hiroko was going for intimidating, or at least as intimidating as a small thirteen-year-old could look with a scrunched up baby face she had yet to grow out of.

"Asu! Stop slamming the door!"

Her little brother was lying on his bed, limbs sprawled at his sides, face planted into his pillows. The girl only heard a muffled groan in reply, and she huffed in frustration, tucking loose strands of straight black hair behind her ear after they escaped from the confines of her braid. She wandered her big brown eyes over the place, noticing then that his favorite basketball had been tossed carelessly to one corner of the room. That was worrying, she'd decided. He usually took care of that thing and put it away like it was some sort of treasure ever since he badgered their parents to get him one.

Hiroko's little brows scrunched even tighter, but her voice was level now, showing a growing maturity rarely found in boys her age. She was going to be in middle school this spring, she had to grow up. "What's wrong with you, Asu? Why'd you throw your ball like this?"

The boy grunted, irritated, before using his still-short arms to lift himself from his mattress and sit up to glare at his nagging sister with his eyes that were a similar shade of dark brown. "I don't like basketball anymore," he said, frowning as he ran his hand through short spiky black hair.

Hiroko raised an eyebrow at that, her small body leaning against the doorframe. "Why?"

The younger boy crossed his arms and looked away, pouting. "...They're making fun of me for being short."

"That's it?"

"What do you mean 'that's it?', baka-nee?!" The little boy exclaimed indignantly. "It's no fun playing when everyone's teasing!"

"Do you wanna play something else then?"

"That's—it's—well..." He stuttered, unsure what to say. He hadn't sorted out his own thoughts yet.

Hiroko sighed as their mom called out from the kitchen saying dinner was ready.

They'll have to talk some other time.

Asuka was lazily kicking his old soccer ball in their small yard, his basketball having been abandoned in the corner of his room for a week. Hiroko watched from the window of her room, thinking back to when her brother gave up soccer just the year before. He'd slammed the door then too, grumbling about some mean kids in the team. What was the problem with her brother and hanging with other sports kids?!

Asu, as she called him, wasn't bad at sports. She thought he was pretty decent at most of them. He learned things quickly. He wasn't bad at making friends either. Hiroko knew he got along well with most of his classmates. It only seemed to be in sports teams that he couldn't fit in for some weird reason.

He was short though. It sort of ran in their family, so unless he got lucky and hits a growth spurt later, it didn't seem like he would be reaching those heights that most sports called for.

Still, it would be a waste for him to not play anything.

But soccer didn't work out. Basketball turned out to be a bust. And he thought running was lame. (She had to apologize to the track team when he'd blurted that out in front of them last year.)

Whatever kami was out there listening, she needed help or else he'd coop up in his room all day playing on his phone! Dad barely even got him to go out onto the yard today after a week of being excessively hyperactive inside the house. Asu had too much energy to spend to be lounging around like that.

But how to help?

Hiroko spent about an hour looking up other sports she could possibly suggest to her brother. What kind did he like? Soccer... Basketball... There was that one month he looked into Sepak Takraw... So ball games? But she still had to show him something to make him think it's cool... And make him think it was something he could play despite his height.

It wasn't long before the girl found herself watching volleyball games uploaded online since that was the one of the more obvious sports Asu hadn't gotten into yet.

Watching the few snippets of professional matches she could find was fun and all, but most of the players were just... so tall. There were so many of them that were six feet tall, it wasn't fair! Even Hiroko felt the skew towards taller players here! She was feeling like a dwarf! There was even a guy that was two whole meters tall! Wasn't there anyone else she could look into?!

This one pro called Hoshiumi looked promising, but she wasn't sure if he had quite the amount of oof and surprises that Asu was into. From what she'd seen in her maybe-fifteen-minutes of research on him (thank the gods for those dedicated volleyball article writers), this Hoshiumi-san was a steady player that applied his solid skills into every game, quietly helping his team rack up points.

He did have an impressive jump though, so she'll file him away as a last resort if she couldn't find anyone else.

Not that she was enthusiastic about her chances.

The girl didn't think it likely that her brother would take to liberos? She thinks that was what they were called. One of his best friends, Sasaki Masaru, was already a big volleyball fan and was drawn to liberos, but her brother didn't seem to share the sentiment. In fact, it was already disheartening that despite one of his friends already being into the sport, Asu didn't seem to have any interest.

Should she just give up? Maybe try looking for a different game? But if she looked into more uncommon games then it might be difficult for him to play them since it would also be difficult to find a team.

Hiroko was frustrated. She threw her phone onto her mattress and dragged her desk chair to the center of the room. She plopped down onto it and began spinning herself fast enough to get her a little dizzy.

Don't ask. Doing that helped her, okay?

Her room blurred around her as she spun, drawing all of whatever conscious focus she could muster into thinking.

And it was then, she remembered.

Wait.

Didn't her 6th Grade teacher say he used to play volleyball?

It would be embarrassing and weird to ask a question as specific as 'do you know any short volleyball players that aren't liberos?' but at least he wasn't someone she saw all the time anymore. She was in middle school now after all. He was a pretty nice teacher too as long as you didn't make him mad...

Hiroko gathered up her courage. Sensei did say they were welcome to talk anytime, didn't he? Being his first class ever gave them a special place in his heart.

The almost-middle-schooler picked up her phone, scrolling through her contacts till she found it.

Sugawara-sensei.

Igarashi-chan sending him a message was a pleasant surprise to Koshi.

The little girl had always been one of the more reserved ones of his first homeroom class, only talking when it was needed or when she had something important to say or ask. It was because of that that he hadn't been able to connect with her even till the class had graduated.

So forgive him for being surprised when that same Igarashi Hiroko-chan shoots him a message one day asking if they could talk.

That afternoon, Koshi sat in the faculty room after finishing up his work and dialed his student's number. When it was picked up, the hesitant voice of a little girl filtered through his phone's speaker.

"...Hello?"

"Hello, Igarashi-san!" Koshi replied cheerfully. "It's rare for you to talk to me like this, what can I do for you?"

"Um..." The voice of the young girl on the other end seemed to waver. "I wanted to ask you... a question."

"What is it?"

"Well... um... It's a weirdly specific one but... didn't you say you played volleyball before, sensei?"

Koshi was not expecting that to be brought up. Especially at this timing.

"Yeah, I did. Why do you ask?"

There was no response from the other side for what was almost a minute, and the teacher wondered if the line was still connected. Until he heard a quiet sigh of resignation.

"Do you know any short volleyball players that aren't liberos?"

Sugawara Koshi blinked. Seriously, what was with this impeccable timing?

"... Can I ask why, Igarashi-chan? I didn't think you were into volleyball."

"I'm not," was the blunt reply. "I'm doing... research."

The teacher wondered what kind of research would require his former student to look for short non-libero volleyball athletes but thought it was probably better not to ask since the girl seemed embarrassed about this entire thing already.

"Oh, I already looked into Hoshiumi Korai, but I was wondering if there was anyone else..."

Well, there goes Koshi's surefire answer then. There was one other person he could think of, but he hadn't even debuted in a pro game yet. He doubted anyone on the V.League that didn't play with them in high school would know him. But it wouldn't hurt to mention right? He was going to appear in his first game sometime soon, and who knows? Back in high school, they were pretty big names. Maybe Igarashi-san would be able to look into videos of their high school matches lurking on the net? Possibly even find some beach volleyball footage from Brazil?

Koshi hummed. His tone turned very bright, as if he'd thought of something amusing.

"Have you ever heard of Hinata Shoyo?"

Silence.

"Who?"

The teacher laughed. "Like I thought, he didn't come up in your research huh?"

"..."

"Don't worry about it, he isn't really known on the professional scene right now, so that's only normal."

"... How do you know him then, sensei?"

Koshi smiled and leaned back at his seat. The question made him remember old memories from his Karasuno days.

"He's an old kouhai of mine," he replied, his tone light and amused. "We played on the same team in high school."

"Hm."

Koshi laughed again at the skepticism in his former student's voice.

"Just because it's high school doesn't mean it's lame, okay?" The teacher said, playfully.

"No—I'm sorry—I didn't mean—" The girl on the other end of the call began to panic.

"Breathe, Igarashi-chan," Koshi said with a chuckle. "Don't mind. Don't mind. I get why you might think that. But he's a really... interesting player, y'see? You'll probably understand better if you actually see him play though. Maybe you could find some of his high school matches."

"Was your high school team that big of a deal, sensei?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you?"

Koshi paused for a moment, reveling in the moment. His next words were filled with pride and nostalgia.

"I went to Karasuno."

"..."

Koshi threw his head back on the backrest of his office chair, looking up at the ceiling.

"I played with some pretty big monsters then, and Hinata Shoyo is definitely one of those monsters."

He pushed his torso off the back of his chair, rolling his seat back to his desk he'd strayed from.

"You'll see when he comes back." His tone was playful, but it carried a certain weight to it. Certainty, confidence... Pride, once again. Similar to the kind of pride a parent would have for their grown-up child.

"I don't really get it," the girl said, slowly. "But I'll take your word for it, sensei."

Koshi hummed his approval. "Feel free to talk to me again anytime, Igarashi-san."

"Thank you, sensei."

She hung up, leaving Koshi in the silence of the mostly-empty faculty room. He couldn't have thought of any situation with any better timing than this, it was very amusing. The teacher pulled up his phone calendar, smiling at the reminder set for an event in two weeks.

Adlers VS. Jackals.

Kageyama against a returning Hinata.

There would probably be some sort of reunion among the Karasuno alumni too because of that.

Koshi couldn't wait.

At dinner, Hiroko made sure to find an opening where she could bring up volleyball to Asuka. She wasn't going to mention any of the players she'd looked up yet since she still needed more information, but she thought it best to start nudging him.

It wasn't hard. Her mother was usually quiet at the dinner table, and their dad had overtime today. So that left mostly Asuka and Hiroko chatting back and forth over their rice with the occasional input from whoever else was with them at the table.

"So Asu-kun," Hiroko said after swallowing a mouthful of rice, having found a lull in the conversation. "Why don't you wanna try playing volleyball?"

Her brother paused at that, staring at her with a piece of meat halfway to his mouth.

He decided to eat the meat first.

After thoroughly chewing, swallowing, and drinking some water, he finally blinked at his sister.

"Isn't that for girls though?"

Hiroko pouted at that. "No it's not. Suga-sensei played volleyball, you know?"

"Suga-sensei... Your old homeroom teacher?"

"Yeah."

Honestly, even Hiroko found it a bit off from his image. Suga-sensei didn't seem like the type to be into sports, let alone volleyball in a powerhouse school like Karasuno. Their boys' volleyball team had a reputation these past few years, and it was one of Miyagi prefecture's prided schools. The girl definitely remembered overhearing people talking about them.

"But why do I have to do volleyball?"

"I'm just telling you to try it..."

Asuka frowned, tossing another piece of meat into his mouth and chewing it quickly.

"You just hit a ball over a net, don't you?" He said before quietly continuing, "Don't you have to be tall for that too?"

"Mmh," Hiroko hummed, "Sensei said he had a kouhai that was a lot like you."

Asuka shrugged. "I don't really care about some random player in a game I don't even play."

The older sister could only sigh. What was it going to take for her brother to finally settle down on one thing?

She hoped she would find enough interesting things about that Hinata Shoyo...

Hiroko would continue her "research" during what little free time she had after doing her school work and newspaper club responsibilities. Unfortunately for her, she took too long and all her effort was for nothing.

Asuka beat her to it.

Asuka had continued to go back and forth for the next two weeks, playing all sorts of team sports when his friends invited him, playing whatever thing happened to pique his interest. Volleyball was on that list sometimes because Sasaki Masaru had told them long before that he wanted to be an awesome libero someday. Whatever that was. Asuka still didn't understand the positions since they'd only played it a few times. It was boring! Two of them were tossing Masaru's volleyball around while Masa tried to 'dig' them, throwing himself onto the dirt. Asuka would much rather do tricks with his basketball. It's not like three absolute-beginner 5th graders playing casually was going to be cool in any way.

It was on one of these random days that fate decided to play with him.

Asuka was riding his bike home one afternoon after Masa inevitably scratched himself trying to dive after a ball. Jun had gone on one of his lectures, and it took up the rest of their time outside. That sucked. Masa was telling them about spikers before that, and it had sounded a bit interesting. Asuka busied himself with juggling his old soccer ball while Junichi listed all the times Masa had gotten himself injured.

On the way home, there was this electronics store with a large flat screen TV displayed in the window. Asuka had passed it hundreds of times by now, sometimes pausing to watch whatever random channel it was showing. Today though, there was a small crowd of people around the glass, cheering as the little boy got closer.

That prickled his curiosity. What were they watching?

Asuka halted his bicycle just close enough for him to see what was going on, the soccer ball bouncing in his front basket. To his surprise, it was a volleyball match. A big one. Probably in the pro leagues if it was the one Masa said he wanted to watch. Was the owner of Takinoue Electronics a big volleyball fan or something?

On the screen were some smaller players on each side of the net wearing slightly different uniforms than the rest of their team, but Asuka's eyes were drawn to a head of bright orange hair among the black jerseys.

He was a bit tan... and short. Shorter than most of the other players on the court, probably one of the shortest.

The man was sprinting towards the net fast.

And he jumped.

It was so so high, almost clearing the net. He seemed like he was flying, form gliding still in the air.

Suddenly the ball hit the man's hand, rocketing through the tall blockers!

The little boy barely registered the spike being caught by a player that looked like the Kageyama from that awkward curry commercial. The black team got the point anyway, but the commentary was totally tuned out from his ears.

Asuka gripped the handles of his bike tightly, heart pounding in his chest, eyes wide open as he stared at the screen. What was this feeling? He couldn't take his eyes off the TV, off the match, off that player.

Who was he? Asuka needed to know. Who was this person, standing among the giants, but shining brighter than any of them in Asuka's eyes at that moment? Even the people watching in person were in an uproar, like they didn't know to expect that from the athlete.

The match continued with the boy planted on the sidewalk, unable to pedal away from the screen. There was no way he was missing anything.

The redhead with the number 21 was definitely his favorite, but all of these pro athletes were nothing to sneeze at. They traded powerful hit after powerful hit, the game intensifying with every rally. Some players hit the ball so strong, Asuka winced whenever it hit anyone's arms. There was a small spiker that jumped high on the other team too! Not to mention, players from other parts of the world!

Number 21—Hinata Shoyo, the commentary said—did a jump serve, but it went out of the court. Asuka thought it was too bad, but the blunder didn't make his newfound admiration for the athlete waver.

"Man, to think this is that same kid who served and received like a sloppy beginner in high school..." Said one of the older men with graying hairs among those huddled together near the screen.

"He's really grown up, hasn't he? That little Karasuno crow."

Wasn't Karasuno that school here in Miyagi? It was pretty close, a couple neighborhoods away! Hinata-san had gone there?!

Asuka was snapped out of his thoughts by an impressive attack from Kageyama and the Number 5, Romero emblazoned on the back of his jersey. The game went on, the little boy hyper focused on where the ball went. Spike, receive, set, spike, receive, set. The rhythm was erratic, the cheers loud, and passion seeped into every move.

Because he was so fixated on following the ball, he was caught off guard when Hinata Shoyo appeared right in the ball's path, catching it like it was nothing. It happened more than once—a lot of times, in fact. Hinata-san always seemed to be there when everyone thought the point was sealed for the other team.

It was a puzzle, but Asuka may as well have been wearing sunny-colored glasses because all he could think was awesome! It didn't seem like such a big deal, at least when compared to the attention-grabbing jumps earlier on, but something about how fast the man reacted sparked an interest in the little boy. Masa would understand more about it, his friend was into liberos after all. Didn't they do a lot of great receives?

Hinata-san probably would've been an awesome libero too, but he wasn't. He could fly.

And he ran fast too.

Hinata Shoyo was running across the court again, going from one end of the court to another like they were playing a game of soccer. Asuka doubted that was normal. Hinata-san was really fast. He made you watch him even when he doesn't end up attacking. He was like a sun high up in the sky, and if you look at him while playing against him, you'll regret it.

Then he set the ball.

Almost everyone watching was in awe. He could do that too?! What could he not do?!

The man promptly made Asuka hold his breath again when he spiked into a the blockers' hands, making it bounce out of the court and scoring another point for the team that the little boy now knew as the Black Jackals. The match went back and forth again, nasty serves, risky looking receives, setter dumps, could-snap-your-arms-off spikes. It was all so interesting, so hyped—it looked so fun.

Hinata-san flew in mid-air again, ready to spike—until he tossed it to an equally-energetic player on his team, Bokuto Kotaro wearing number 12.

More amazing rallies. There were so many amazing plays happening, Asuka wasn't sure where to look. Kageyama, Ushijima, Hoshiumi, Romero, Sakusa, Bokuto, Miya... Each player pulling out surprises one after the other... Everyone was overwhelmingly awesome..!

And in the middle of an intense rally...

Hinata Shoyo spiked the ball into the other court with his left hand as he hung in the air.

Asuka bit his lower lip, jolting in surprise.

The game wasn't over yet. There was no end to the surprises.

Ushijima's spikes were dangerous, seemingly impossible to catch.

Until Hinata Shoyo did.

The game just kept getting crazier and crazier..! Crazy hits rocketing everywhere..!

A ball saved with a foot! A zip from one end of the court to the other!

Bokuto's spike ended the game.

3-1, in the Jackals' favor.

Asuka let go of a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The tension was gone now, he could feel the cold seeping into his skin. How long had he been sitting out here on his bike? The crowd around the TV, which had gotten a little bigger in the middle of the game, was thinning out. The sky was mostly dark.

But the boy found that he didn't mind. He'd get a scolding later for sure, but even that wasn't enough to make him regret watching that match. It was one heck of a match. He didn't know volleyball could be so...exhilarating.

The boy pedaled home with newfound vigor, hoping to find out more about all those pro athletes. Like Hinata Shoyo.

Especially Hinata Shoyo.

Hiroko was in the living room when Asuka burst through the front door in a rush, yelling a hurried "I'm home!".

He got home really late! What time was it?!

Her little brother raced through the hallway, nearly slipping as he made his way to the stairs, feet thudding hard on their wooden floors. What's got him so jumpy?

The middle schooler followed the boy upstairs after a few minutes of inner debate, her curiosity having got the better of her. Asuka's door had been left open in his rush, and Hiroko found him once again on his bed. Only this time, he wasn't sprawled on it like the last time she'd seen. He was lying on his stomach, elbows supporting his upper body while he scrolled on his phone. His feet were kicking behind him, and there was a giddy smile on his face.

Hiroko rarely ever saw him this excited.

Before she could open her mouth to ask what was up, Asu had glanced at her, a bright twinkle in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. Her little brother hurriedly sat up cross-legged on his bed, nearly vibrating. "Nee-chan, I saw this awesome player on TV! He was so cool! And fast! And he's a lot smaller than everyone else too—!"

Asuka launched into a full-blown gushing session that made him seem more child-like. Hiroko was surprised, but soon enough a small smile had crept onto her face. Her brother's excitement was infectious. She wasn't sure if this player was that good—he was talking about sets and spikes... that was in volleyball, right?—or if her brother was exaggerating a lot of things, but she was glad he'd found something to be hyped about.

It took another two minutes of rapid-fire chattering about the mystery player and a few other athletes (that were familiar because of her research) before Asu paused and looked up at his sister again. He crawled on the bed to get closer to her before asking her a question that Hiroko swore she'd been asked before.

"Have you heard of Hinata Shoyo?!"

Huh.

Sugawara Koshi was on his day-off. Well, it was also a weekend.

It was the day after the most-awaited rematch between his two kouhai. Kageyama and Hinata both had grown so much over the past five years. Hinata, in particular, throwing everyone for a loop at every turn after having been all the way on the other side of the world for the last two years. Those who didn't know them in high school definitely would've been shocked, not knowing what they were getting into.

Heck, even the people who'd watched them in high school were shocked!

Koshi couldn't help the tears that gathered at the corner of his eyes. He just felt so proud.

Their old teammates had met up for that game. Though Nishinoya was off somewhere doing whatever he wanted, Tanaka and Kiyoko were there. Really, no one expected them to turn out the way they did. Old rivals could be seen left and right, many anticipating the rematch between their dubbed Freak Duo. They spotted their other kouhais too, though they ended up sitting elsewhere because it was so crowded.

Hinata had fully embraced being a decoy and had even gone above and beyond what anyone expected—!

Ah, his eyes were tearing up again.

The Black Jackals won against the Adlers, getting their revenge after their last face-off, but all everyone could think about was how it would forever be a match to remember. It was Hinata Shoyo's debut and homecoming match. The Japanese volleyball scene was going to be swept up in the storm that was their little sunshine crow.

The nostalgia of everything—being inside the Sendai gymnasium, the smell and colors of a volleyball court, all the friends and teammates they had—how it had all changed—filled Koshi with a warm tingly feeling in his chest. He could cry at anytime just remembering these things.

So again, forgive him for being startled when he receives a message from Igarashi-chan in the middle of all of that. He hadn't heard from her after that phone call, so what could've happened?

Igarashi Hiroko: Suga-sensei, are you free?

You: Igarashi-chan? Right now? Yeah, why?

Igarashi Hiroko: Um, i wanted to ask a question.

You: What is it?

Igarashi Hiroko: You mentioned a Hinata Shoyo before right?

Koshi did mention him... Did she watch the match? Did she complete her 'research'?

You: Yes, I did. Why do you ask?

Igarashi Hiroko: My brother saw Hinata-san on tv last night and now he's all he's been talking about. He even looked up old videos of his high school matches like i was doing.

Definitely the MSBY Black Jackals VS Schweiden Adlers match!

Me: He watched the Jackals-Adlers match?

Igarashi Hiroko: Ah, i saw a high school Suga-sensei.

Igarashi Hiroko: Asu's watching a match from when Hinata-san was in his first year, you're in it too.

Well. What was Koshi supposed to say now?

Me: That brother of yours has dug very far now, hasn't he?

Igarashi Hiroko: Yes and i don't know what to do with him anymore!

Igarashi Hiroko: It's all he's been talking about since last night.

Igarashi Hiroko: He's trying to spike using his basketball now!

Koshi couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of his mouth.

... It was astonishing to think that that same shaky, inexperienced Hinata they'd helped to train in high school was now a pro volleyball player in the highest division in Japan and now had a fan of his own.

You: Igarashi-chan, I think I wanna meet this brother of yours.

Hiroko had been roped into tossing a ball for her brother to spike. Asu was currently using his previously discarded basketball as a substitute, attempting things the older sister wasn't sure she understood. He was zipping all over their yard, trying to dig? the ball that she threw, trying to toss? the ball after, and the next moment, he'd be hitting the ball with his palm, trying to make it hit their wall.

Her brother was hooked, and she didn't know how to deal with it.

Why was she trying to get him to try volleyball again?

Oh right, because he had too much energy and potential.

She had to figure out how to help him channel it. Or else she'll continue to suffer like this, throwing him a ball meant for the wrong sport while he ran up and down their tiny yard. Hiroko just wanted to go back to her photo studies please.

Suga-sensei, she remembered, used to play volleyball with the same guy that her little brother now seemed to idolize. It was a big coincidence if she ever saw one. Hiroko had already decided she's ask sensei for volleyball help after that. She'll ask their parents later, maybe. Anything to get Asu off her hands for a while, she really wasn't much of a sports person.

Wait a minute.

"Hey, Asu," Hiroko said as she threw the poor basketball at her brother for the Nth time. "Do you wanna play actual volleyball now?"

Asuka caught the ball and stopped in his tracks, eyes still wide with that sparkle even after he'd slept last night. "Yeah!"

"I thought you said it was for girls?"

"I take it back! No one told me it could be cool!"

"You changed your mind that easily?!"

Her little brother pouted at her, holding the basketball under his arm, resting it against his hip. "You didn't see him jump, nee-san! It was so high!"

"Oh please," Asuka retorted. "I've seen enough of his high school videos. He did jump high. I was surprised. But is it really that big of a deal?"

"But that's not all though!" Asu said, a hint of frustration in his voice. "He's super good now! He caught even the those strong spikes! He runs really fast! He just appears all of a sudden like a ninja! They called him Ninja Shoyo in Brazil y'know!"

Okay, when did her brother become an expert at this Hinata Shoyo? Did he sleep last night? Or was he searching up more stuff about this volleyball player under his covers? Didn't he say that last night's match was the man's debut match? How'd he know about something like Hinata Shoyo playing in Brazil?

Hiroko was confused.

But oh well, whatever kept his gears turning.

Now how does she get herself free? As much as she loved her brother and occasionally spending time with him, this was already a little too much for her now.

"Why don't you try playing with Masaru today?" The older sister asked, remembering that one of her brother's friends was already into volleyball.

Asuka's eyes lit up again at that. As if he just suddenly recalled the existence of his friends after having his entire world revolve around a player he saw for the first time a little over twelve hours ago.

"Oh yeah! Masa probably watched the match too!" Asu exclaimed, rushing into their house, kicking off his outdoor shoes and racing into his room to change.

"Nee-san, could you tell mom I'm heading to Jun's place?" Hiroko heard him shout from upstairs. Their mother was out buying groceries this morning, so it had only been the two of them this entire time. Asuka was down the stairs minutes later, backpack mounted, shirt changed.

The older sister sighed, but answered in affirmative anyway. "Fine, but you better be back before dark this time!"

Asuka only gave her a bright smile. Hiroko was trying to decide if that was a yes smile or a mischievous I won't make any promises smile. "Asu!" She yelled, throwing a pillow from the sofa at him as he hurried to their front door. "You better be back!"

The kid had the audacity to laugh at her as he changed his footwear and bolted out the door. "I'm heading out!"

At the very least, Hiroko got her peace and quiet for a few hours. The middle schooler walked back to the living room, plopping down beside the small coffee table and opening their family laptop to browse through photographs.

Maybe she could arrange for Asu to meet Suga-sensei sometime soon.

Takahashi Junichi had been friends with Masaru and Asuka for a long time. It was years ago that they began regularly meeting at his house because they had the biggest yard. Masaru lived just across the street, so he was at Junichi's house almost every single day. Asuka lived a bit farther and had to ride his bike to hang out with them, but that didn't stop him from appearing at the Takahashi doorstep every weekend when they were free from the claws of school.

Just like he was here again today.

"As'ka?" Junichi said, a little confused. They didn't say anything about hanging out again today though?

Also, As'ka was unusually bouncy. Like a ball of energy that couldn't be contained. His friend had always been really energetic all the time, but for some reason he looked especially excited today, bouncing on his heels and all.

"Is Masa here?" The other boy asked very quickly.

"Yeah..." Junichi stared at his friend who had a huge smile on his face.

"Can I come in?" As'ka was practically shaking with excitement.

Junichi stepped to the side to let his friend into the house, confused at how he seemed to be in such a hurry to meet the remaining member of their trio. He didn't know what As'ka wanted from Masa right now.

As'ka immediately found Masaru in the Takahashis' living room and ran straight at the other boy. Jun winced when As'ka crashed into the sofa after failing to skid to a stop in front of his other friend. Masaru had frozen in shock after nearly being tackled by the boy who was only about an inch taller than him. "Asu-chan? When'd you get here?"

Their hyperactive friend sprang up from the sofa, sitting in a seiza beside the shorter boy. "You said you were going to record a volleyball match last night, right?" His words tumbled out of his mouth in a flurry as he leaned forward towards Masaru.

"I..." Masa leaned back from the other boy's very high energy, "...Yeah?"

"Was it the Adlers versus Jackals match?"

Wait, huh? Since when had As'ka been interested in the volleyball leagues? Just yesterday he was grumbling about how boring it was...

He successfully got Masa started though. Junichi recognized the twinkle in his neighbor's eyes, and now realized... it was the same twinkle in As'ka's eyes when he appeared at their front door.

"Yeah! It was so awesome!" Masaru said, excited now too. " There was this new guy, and I thought he'd be a libero too 'cuz he was so short, but he was actually a wing spiker!"

"His receives were awesome though!" Asuka shot back. The pair's enthusiasm bounced off each other and made them both more and more giddy. "There was this dude who spiked the ball really hard, and he didn't get it at first, but Hinata Shoyo handled it real quickly!"

"That was Ushiwaka! The canon!" Masa said, pausing before something clicked in his head and he screeched, "You know Hinata Shoyo?!"

As'ka eagerly nodded his head. "I saw him on TV last night on the way home. He's was so AWESOME! He was fast, and he was so good at everything!"

"I know!" Masaru nodded in agreement, crossing his arms. "He was apparently part of the monster generation when they were in high school, but for some reason he only appeared with the pros now! Even though he's so good!"

"Monster generation? There's a thing like that?"

"Yeah! You didn't know? A lot of amazing players came from that same batch of high schoolers. There's Ushiwaka, Kageyama Tobio, Miya Atsumu, Sakusa, Hoshiumi..."

"Kageyama and Hinata both went to Karasuno in high school, didn't they?"

"Oh yeah, they said that in the commentary..."

As'ka pulled out his phone to show Masa something. "I started looking him up, see..."

Jun was okay. He was only blending in with the wall, that's all. It's not like he felt left out or anything.

"Oi!" Scratch that, he'd had enough. "I'm still here, you know!"

The two of them smiled at him sheepishly, mumbling apologies as their conversation was suddenly cut short.

"When did you even become a volleyball fan, As'ka?" Junichi asked, exasperated.

As'ka smiled apologetically, scratching the back of his head. "Last night?"

Masaru piped up after that. "See! I told you, Jun! The match was awesome! Even Asu-chan got into it!"

Junichi sighed, a little annoyed. Masa had been bugging him all morning to watch the recording with him.

"Alright, fine," Junichi relented, "We'll watch it."

Masaru stood up, pumping his fists in victory while As'ka looked back and forth between his two friends, that big smile somehow getting even bigger at the thought of re-watching the game.

Just what was Junichi getting himself into?

They ended up in the yard later.

Junichi was thoroughly impressed by the match they watched, though not as much as his other two friends. Masa had rushed home to grab his volleyball and As'ka's eyes had done nothing but sparkle since.

So here Junichi was, standing in their yard, tossing a ball for As'ka to try spiking that Masa would then try to receive. They failed so many times. But it was fun. At least, Jun thought watching his friends run around and miss a ball over and over again was funny.

Now, the two of them were panting on the ground after spending hours running after a ball nonstop. Junichi didn't want to get his shirt dirty today, thank you very much. He didn't run as much as the other two, so he was left to give them water from the kitchen. Because he's such a good friend, and he wasn't as tired as them.

"Oh, I have to go," As'ka said a little absentmindedly. "Nee-chan told me to be back on time today."

"Hiro-nee did?"

"Yeah, 'cuz I was out late yesterday. I got a little too caught up watching the volleyball match at the electronics shop."

Junichi and Masaru laughed.

"Well, tell Hiro-nee we said hi!" Masa said as As'ka picked up his bag inside the living room.

As'ka only stuck out his tongue before waving goodbye at the front door. Jun knew he would never admit it, but As'ka did care about what his sister had to say.

"I'll see you guys at school."

"Bye, Asu-chan!"

"Bye, As'ka."

Weeks after Asu watched that volleyball match, he was in the yard again, trying to spike his basketball into the wall. He wasn't as bubbly about the whole thing now. His excitement had been replaced by a persistent determination to at least be able to spike properly.

This volleyball fever that infected Hiroko's brother hadn't died down at all even after a month. He was more quiet about it now, except when he was watching V-League matches where he'd jump and exclaim from his seat. Asuka seemed to be determined to watch as many matches of the season as possible. He was determined to know all that he possibly could too.

Sometimes Hiroko couldn't understand what he was talking about with his friends during the rare times when they would come over to their house instead of Jun's. They threw out volleyball terminology, and phrases that she could barely keep up with while they watched recorded matches on their TV. There was no way they'd learned everything already right? They were still only elementary school kids! There were things they wouldn't be able to get yet!

Hiroko thought then, all they were missing was actual volleyball experience.

They could play together all they wanted, but without being in an actual team, they wouldn't know what an actual match felt like. And she was pretty sure their elementary school didn't have any volleyball teams.

Then there was her brother's fixation on Hinata Shoyo.

It was far from over.

Even their parents knew about the athlete because of how much her little brother talked about him. He went on and on about how good this man was at this game, about how he was one of the best even though he was short, about how he always seemed to be smiling in every match. There were some other players mentioned too, like one Kageyama Tobio that the middle schooler thinks she saw in commercials, and a few others of the so-called "monster generation".

Hiroko had never seen him like this before. When it came to other sports, he got hooked on them for about a week before his excitement faded, and he just played as they went. Even if his sports teams didn't make him quit sooner, Hiroko believed he would have quit them later anyway. If how Asu was acting with volleyball right now was how his passion looked like, then those sports he played before wasn't for him.

But what was different this time? What made him stick to volleyball so firmly?

Deny it as she will, it was probably Hinata Shoyo.

Asu had always needed a role model when it came to things like this. Their family had never been much of a sports-oriented one, so her little brother didn't really have anything fueling him to go for sports... except maybe the momentary fun he got when he tried getting into something new.

"Hiroko-san," their mother called from downstairs.

The girl tore her eyes away from her determined brother and went to find her mom. "Yes, mom?"

Both of her parents were in the living room, stacks of paper laid out on the coffee table. They were budgeting or something, this was a scene she was used to seeing and sometimes helping with.

The mother of the Igarashi household smiled pleasantly at her daughter and waved her over. She had always been a gentle and calm woman, though she did have a playful side to her as well. "Come sit with us."

Hiroko did. She sat on the longer couch next to her father who was also watching her now. What was this about?

"Asuka-chan has been busy lately hasn't he?" her mother said.

Oh. Okay, Hiroko had an idea now.

She nodded. "Yes, he's been really focused on volleyball lately. It's all he ever talks about."

Hiroko tilted her head to the side, thinking a little. "His schoolwork is still fine. It helps that he can't play until he finished his homework and everything."

Mother hummed.

Hiroko said more quietly, "Maybe he won't drop volleyball this time."

"Oh?" Father exclaimed. "He's still just a kid you know? He may not be bored of it now, but it's happened many times before."

He put a hand to his chin, looking at the ceiling as he thought. "Basketball lasted about four months?"

Hiroko could only grimace. "I've never seen him like this though."

Mother laughed then. "It's alright Hiroko-san, we get it."

The girl stared at their mother as the woman dug through her purse. She produced a few bills from it and handed it to her eldest.

"Your father and I both have work tomorrow so we can't go with you, but go with your brother and get a proper volleyball. I don't think a basketball is going to do what he wants it to."

Hiroko sat on her bed that evening, wondering where to go with her brother tomorrow. There would probably be obvious places to look, but she hadn't bought anything for sports before. What did she know about ball brands and things like that?

The girl got up and grabbed her phone off her nightstand, sending a message to the person she'd been asking about this stuff lately. She hoped he could help again this time.

Igarashi Hiroko: Suga-sensei, where's a good place to get volleyballs? We're getting Asu one tomorrow.

Koshi had an idea, forgive him for wanting to have fun.

Hiroko stared at the message she just received. She had to blink once or twice at the unexpected answer.

Sugawara-sensei: One of my friends works at a sports store, I could take you if you'd like?

Asuka stared at the person standing in front of them. He swore that pale hair looked familiar from somewhere, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"You've probably seen him around school before, " Nee-san told him. "This is Sugawara-sensei."

Sugawara-sensei looked at him and smiled kindly. "You must be Asuka-kun, your sister has told me a lot about you."

Asuka eyed his sister suspiciously and whispered, "What have you been telling him?"

"Nothing," she replied, daring him to think otherwise, holding eye contact until he looked away first.

"I'm Igarashi Asuka, nice to meet you Sugawara-sensei," the little boy bowed.

"Just Suga-sensei is fine," the man said, that nice smile still on his face. Asuka wasn't sure if he wanted to trust it yet.

"So where are we going, sensei?" Hiro-nee asked.

Suga-sensei turned to Asuka's sister then, and they began walking towards their destination, Asuka trailing behind as he stared at the man. He definitely saw him somewhere before, and it definitely wasn't just in school. He was broken out of his musings when the man began talking to him.

"So, you're a fan of Hinata Shoyo?" The sensei asked, an amused tone in his voice.

Asuka bit the bait.

"Yeah! He's really awesome!"

"He's said that so many times already, sensei," Hiro-nee said. She turned to him and asked, "Don't you have any other way of describing him other than awesome?"

The smile on Suga-sensei's face seemed to be getting bigger, or was that Asuka's imagination?

"But he is awesome!" The little boy pouted. "He was a lot clumsier in high school, but he still helped his team win!"

Suga-sensei finally laughed. "That's true!"

Asuka stared at him. Suga-sensei grinned.

"I was watching the Jackals-Adlers match in person, y'know?"

"You were?!" Asuka looked at him like he painted the sky and made the sun rise. The boy's eyes were shining and everything.

"I sure was! There was no way I was going to miss it!"

They arrived in front of a small sports store after only fifteen minutes of walking. It was a place the little boy had passed before, though it wasn't on the route that he usually took around here. Well, now that he knows, he could come by here on a detour with Masa and Jun.

"Good morning, Kiyoko!" Suga-sensei greeted the woman with glasses behind the counter. She was pretty. Really pretty. The Igarashi siblings couldn't help but blink and stare at her from the entrance.

"Suga," the woman nodded at the teacher. She turned towards the kids at the entrance and tilted her head. Even that small action looked graceful for some reason. Was there something sparkling around her? Their eyes must be playing tricks on them.

"Let me introduce you," Suga-sensei gestured for them to come closer. "This is Tanaka Kiyoko-san, an old friend of mine from high school."

"H-hello!" Hiro-nee stuttered. "My name's Igarashi Hiroko, and this is my brother Asuka. We're looking for a volleyball?"

"Oh," Tanaka-san blinked before grinning wide, pearly teeth showing. "Come over here then."

She stepped away from the counter, leading them to a rack filled with rows of volleyballs sitting next to the wall. "The ones we sell here are all standard balls you'd find in a professional game, so it might be a bit pricey. What's your budget?" Her voice was pretty and calm too, it reminded Asuka of their mother a bit.

The boy reached into his bag for the money he saved over the past month. When he asked, it apparently wasn't enough.

"Aw," he said, deflating a little. "I guess I can come back..."

His older sister snatched the money from his hands, took some more out from her own wallet, and paid appropriately at the counter. Asuka watched with his mouth agape. Wait, what?

Hiroko handed him the newly-purchased ball, "Mom and dad gave me some money in case you didn't have enough."

The little boy accepted the ball, bouncing on his heels like a month ago when he first got into volleyball. His smile was very bright.

"Thanks nee-san!" He turned towards the two adults. "Um, thanks for bringing us here too Suga-sensei!"

Once again, the teacher laughed in a friendly manner. "It's no problem—"

"Osu!" said the rough voice of a man that entered the store. He was tall, hair cropped close to his head (pretty much semi-bald), and had a scary-looking expression on his face.

"Oh, welcome Ryu," Tanaka-san said cheerfully from behind the counter.

The man met eyes with Suga-sensei, pausing for a second before rushing over to where the teacher was standing. He bowed towards the sensei.

"Suga-san! I didn't know you were coming by!"

"It was a spurn of the moment thing, Tanaka."

He sort of moved like a delinquent, but for some reason, Asuka felt like he was familiar too...

Then it clicked.

And Asuka yelled.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!"

The adults were all startled and turned to look at the boy. His older sister had been shocked too and slapped her hand over his mouth in panic. "What's wrong with you, Asu?!"

The boy yanked the hand off his mouth, vibrating with excitement as he stared at the adults. "That's why you all looked familiar! You were all in Hinata Shoyo's high school team, right?! You were all in Karasuno, right?!"

"OHHH! Are you the Hinata fan that Suga-san's been talking about?! Heck yeah I was in Karasuno!" said the delinquent-ish man—Tanaka Ryunosuke, if Asuka remembered correctly. The two of them began talking about their high school matches in rapid fire while Suga raised an eyebrow at the older sister that was once his student.

Hiroko rubbed her arm guiltily, turning to her brother.

"Sorry," she said, "I forgot to tell you that Suga-sensei was the same Sugawara-san you saw in those Karasuno matches."

"You knew?!" Asuka exclaimed, looking at her like she'd betrayed him.

"Yes, she did," Suga-sensei laughed.

He knew this was going to be fun.

After what seemed like days of the boys talking back and forth about volleyball and Hinata Shoyo, Hiroko was understandably tired. And out of place.

The four of them had been given chairs to sit on since no one was coming into the shop that morning. And while Asuka was making a connection, Hiroko was dazedly waiting for the conversation to end. Behind her, Kiyoko-san—she asked them to call her that—seemed to be thinking as she watched the boys with a fond smile. She was probably used to things like this if she had been Karasuno's manager like she said.

Kiyoko-san looked at the clock on the wall then, glancing back at the current occupants of the shop. She also saw Hiroko fidgeting in her seat, unsure what to do with the situation. The woman got up from behind the counter, circling around to tap Hiroko's shoulder and smile at her before she called the boys to attention.

"You guys," three pairs of eyes snapped in her direction. "I think the kids have to go home soon."

Suga-sensei glanced at the clock then, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck as he apologized to Hiroko. "Sorry, we lost track of time huh..."

Tanaka-san was apologetic too, but Asuka was pouting a little. He seemed to have enjoyed the volleyball stories a little too much. "Aw, okay..."

The boy stood up and made sure to pick up his shiny new volleyball before looking at the two men and blurting out, "Can we talk about volleyball and Hinata-san again sometime?"

Tanaka roared with laughter. "Of course! I'm all for talking about those good old high school days!"

Suga-sensei was trying not to laugh beside him. "Tanaka you sound like an old man."

The trio left the shop a few minutes later, Asuka happily marching along with his new ball and two new contacts in his phone. Hiroko was glad to be out of there, and she really wanted to sleep now.

Suga-sensei continued chatting with her little brother while they walked.

"Are you gonna join a team, Asuka-chan?"

"I would, but the school doesn't have one right?"

Suga-sensei smiled sadly. "Yeah, that's too bad..."

Asuka furrowed his brows, jokingly saying, "Is the world is stopping me from playing or what?"

Sensei reached out and gave Hiroko's brother a few pats on the head. "If you really wanna do it, you'll play anyway. Hinata didn't have an actual team 'till Karasuno y'know?"

Sparkly eyes assaulted Sugawara-sensei once again. "Really? What did Hinata-san do then?"

"I think he joined in on the girls' team practices," the teacher touched his chin, thinking. "Oh! Maybe you could try looking for a community team?"

"Ah," Hiroko cut in. "I was researching about local teams before, and there were a lot that popped up here since the Karasuno revival. It seems the 'Fallen Champions' had a pretty big following, and the comeback revived the volleyball scene too."

"Nee-san, how do you even know that?"

"What? Am I not allowed to look into the game my brother's been talking my ear off about?" She replied, a little irritated.

Ah, Koshi thought, she was probably "researching" for her brother or something.

The teacher smiled to himself while the siblings bickered beside him. Asuka was very lucky his sister was this supportive.

Within that same month, Hiroko found herself standing in a small court tucked away somewhere in their town. It was surrounded by trees, and people of different ages were chatting in groups, all wearing some sort of sports attire. Beside her, Asu was standing in his old green tracksuit, eyes staring eagerly at the high net. His sleeves and pants were a couple of inches shorter than they should be and his small duffle bag looked pretty empty, but he fit right in with the crowd.

It was his older sister that felt out of place here, only wearing a loose shirt tucked into a pair of faded jeans. She had at least tied her hair back into a ponytail, but that didn't help how foreign she felt here.

A kind looking middle-aged lady with gray-streaked hair spotted them and approached with a smile, a whistle bouncing on her chest and a clipboard in hand.

"You must be the Igarashis," she said, "I'm Coach Hisa, you can just call me that."

The siblings bowed as they returned the greetings, and they were given a quick run down of the place's rules. Hiroko listened attentively, but Asu was getting excited to start playing if his restlessness was any sign.

Coach Hisa thankfully noticed and only gave them a smile that made her eyes look squinted. "You seem very enthusiastic about this, Asuka-kun."

Asuka returned a thousand-watt smile, hands gripping the strap of his bag tighter. "I really wanna play! There's this awesome volleyball player I really like, but I don't have a team to practice with at school."

"Well now," Coach Hisa said, "You might get along with one of our other new kids here. I think you're about the same age too."

"I signed up here with two of my friends!"

"Oh?" the older lady said, eyes widening a tad. "Is it the other two we're waiting for? Takahashi and Sasaki, was it?"

"Yup, that's them!"

Coach Hisa's smile got even wider and her eyes squinted even further, making her eyes look shut. "It's good you already know them then, there are only four of you in elementary school here... five, if you count Keiko-chan maybe."

"Eh?" Asuka deflated a little. You couldn't make a whole team with only four kids. "Four isn't enough, is it?"

"Don't worry kid," Coach Hisa tucked her clipboard under her arm at her side. "This is a casual mixed team. You'll be playing with the middle schoolers and high schoolers too so you can get used to playing with anyone."

That seemed to cheer up Hiroko's brother, but it was quickly overwritten by excessive excitement when Masaru and Junichi appeared in sight. Asuka had quickly bounded over to them, chattering away while he led his friends to where he was standing with the coach before.

"—was so cool!"

"Right?! Everyone's watching out for him now—"

Masaru was only feeding the fire that was Asuka's already ridiculous amount of enthusiasm. Junichi beside them looked like he was so done with the two gremlins he called his friends.

Hiroko felt that. Very much.

And so commenced more introductions, a re-do of the rules, and more chatter that the middle school girl couldn't understand. Hiroko couldn't wait to go back home and continue that book she'd been caught up reading till two in the morning. The only reason she tagged along was because her parents needed to know things but couldn't spare the time this morning.

That was a recurring thing too. Not that she was complaining, but it was taxing to have to act in their place so often.

"Nee-san! It's been a while!"

"G'mornin' Hiro-nee."

Asuka's friends were polite as always. Why did her own brother rarely show her that kind of respect?

She smiled and greeted them back, asking them the usual questions about how they'd been, but she knew she was only delaying the inevitable. Asuka will eventually be set loose on this court.

Later, the other kids were introduced too, but Hiroko was sending her soul home the moment the two other grade school kids arrived and seemingly started a rivalry with her brother.

Junichi was politely returning the greetings from the other members of the small youth community team when the sparks started flying. He hadn't been listening at first, staying only vaguely aware that the other boy who looked about their age was talking to As'ka. But then Masa was nudging him with his elbow and Jun looked up at the chaos that was brewing a couple of feet away.

Standing face-to-face with As'ka was a kid with wild sandy hair and freckles scattered on his tanned face, holding a worn-looking ball under one arm and wearing an already-dirty black tracksuit. He was only an inch or so taller than Jun's friend, and there was something about the boy's expression that ticked him off. His voice was loud, and Jun cringed when the sound reached his ears. The only thing that was worse was the conversation.

"You, what position do you wanna play? You know about those, right?"

As'ka straightened himself and replied as if he were answering a challenge, "Wing spiker."

"Even though you're tiny?" Sandy-boy asked, frowning as he leaned more on one foot.

Oh, here we go again.

Jun's friend stepped closer with a frown of his own and crossed his arms as he looked the other boy in the eye with his most determined face, fire dancing in his normally childish eyes.

"If Hinata Shoyo can do it, then I can too!"

The smaller boy lifted his chin up, trying to look intimidating even though it wasn't much help. Like sister, like brother.

"What position are you gonna play?" As'ka asked.

Masa watched the stand-off worriedly, As'ka had gotten into too many scuffles with other kids in sports teams in the past after all. They weren't sure how Sandy-boy was going to react, and if things escalated now, it wouldn't be good for them since they hadn't even started playing!

It was when Sandy-boy replied that the balloon of tension was seemingly set free to fly all over the place until it was deflated.

"I'm playin decoy!"

Junichi nearly choked on his own spit. Decoy? That wasn't a position???

As'ka glanced at the still-choking Jun and then proceeded to have eye-to-eye communication with Masa in a span of two seconds. The two boys (who were not choking on laughter) looked back at Sandy who looked a little too proud at himself, and just as they were about to spill all their suspicions—

"I've told you a million times, Decoy isn't a position, idiot!"

A girl teleported to Sandy-boy's side, both hands on her hips, foot tapping in irritation. A baseball cap shadowed over her sharp slanted eyes and hid most of her chin-length chestnut-colored hair. She wore a pink varsity jacket that was too big on her, a white shirt with a tiara printed on it, and pink varsity shorts that matched the shade of the jacket. She was taller than both As'ka and Sandy-boy.

Jun was sure he wanted to stay away from this one.

"Like. I. Said," Sandy-boy drawled, pouting at the girl and curling into himself. "Hinata-senshu's a decoy isn't he?"

Sandy-boy looked towards As'ka for help, eyes pleading like some poor puppy. "He is, right?! You know him too, dontcha?"

"Uhhhhh," As'ka smartly replied, gaze wandering around for help too. "He is a decoy... but that's not a volleyball position?"

"Hah?" Sandy-boy whined, "What is he then?!"

Masa jumped in then, unable to leave the poor idiots alone anymore.

"He's a wing spiker now! Decoy is like his title or something, y'know, like how some spikers are called an Ace!"

Great, there were three idiots in it now.

As'ka kept the metaphorical ball rolling. "He was a middle blocker in high school, but he was a decoy then too!"

"So decoy is just what people call him? I've been believing a lie this whole time?!"

"Yeah—wait—it's not exactly a lie—"

Somehow, it had turned into a console-Sandy-boy-while-explaining-what-things-are-actually-called session, and Jun made sure not to poke at it even with a ten-foot pole. Hiroko-neesan was sitting on a nearby bench with her face in her hands.

A couple of chaotic minutes passed where the rest of the people on the court were watching the idiots with amused smiles on their faces before the mess was finally put to an end.

Because Pinky Princess girl groaned in resignation and told them to please stop, my brain's melting.

"I have to thank you guys though," Pinky said, her tone softer now. "I couldn't get through this guy's thick skull at all."

"No no, don't worry about it," Masa said, smiling a little as he scratched his head. "We got a little too much into it, we're just big fans of Hinata Shoyo."

Pinky sighed at that. "I could see that. I don't know much about this Hinata-san, so I guess I couldn't fully understand what Itsuki-kun was talking about. Thanks for clearing that up," she glared at Sandy, "He doesn't listen to me."

At least the boy—Itsuki, she said?—had the decency to look embarrassed. The blush on his face made his freckles more obvious on his skin. "Sorry, Ko-chan."

Pinky fixed herself up for a second before straightening up to her full height. "Right, we haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we?" A genuine smile pulled at her lips, puffing her cheeks upward. She almost looked cute, a clear contrast to earlier.

"My name's Ueno Keiko, I'm in fifth grade," she said. Then she tilted her head in Sandy's direction, "This guy's Sanada Itsuki, same grade. We go to the same school."

Sandy raised a hand in greeting, speaking in a more relaxed manner. "Yo! Call me Itsuki!"

Jun finally approached to stand beside his friends while As'ka replied with his blinding smile, "Nice to meet you, Ueno-san and Itsuki! I'm Igarashi Asuka!"

"It's fine if you call me Keiko, it'll be weird to be the only one called by my last name here. I'll call you Asuka-kun too!"

"Okay!"

As'ka also did the honors of officially introducing Jun and Masa. Then they were able to finally start practicing things. Itsuki and Keiko-san hung around the newbies while Coach actually taught them how to do things, but they should've known the peace was too good to be true.

"So... Hinata-senshu."

As'ka glanced at Itsuki. "What about him?"

The sandy-haired boy had looked like an air-headed and easy-going person for most of their conversation that it was easy to forget how he seemed to be sizing up the newcomers at first. Now, that firm demeanor he had when he was first facing off the shorter boy was back. And it was more intensely directed at As'ka.

This couldn't be good.

Itsuki was staring unblinkingly at Jun's friend, his voice was a little quieter than it was before but more confident. "I'm going to be a great decoy like him, the absolute best."

The shorter boy stared back like before, agitated but determined. "I won't lose! I'll be as good a wing spiker as him, no matter how long it takes!"

"Then I'll count on that!" Itsuki said, holding a hand out, "Get good and catch up, rival!"

As'ka's face lit up at that though his expression stayed serious. He shook Itsuki's hand. "I'll be better than you before you know it, rival!"

Where was Hiro-nee's bench again? Jun wanted go join her and sulk the loss of braincells. Masa was too busy chasing after runaway volleyballs to notice what just happened, Keiko-san and Coach Hisa were looking amused off to one side, and the other members of the small neighborhood club were doing their thing, so it was only Junichi who was internally cringing.

Asuka fell into a routine that centered around volleyball.

His meals gradually increased and changed, and he got up early every single day to get some exercise in before school. On the way home, he'd pass by the sports store Kiyoko-san worked at and he'd chat with Ryuu-san if he happened to be there. The boy would hurry through his homework, do some simple drills in their yard that he asked Coach Hisa for, and when it got too dark to continue, he would go back inside the house and start watching videos of the Monster Generation's games.

Hinata Shoyo was awesome in every match somehow, still shaking up the Vleague with his plays.

He went over to Jun's house much less now, but that was because all three of them were always playing with the neighborhood club during the weekends. Hiro-nee was there for the first three practices but after that she only came by every now and then to see the boys' progress.

The trio had found out the hard way that Itsuki and Keiko-san were good. Masa couldn't catch a single one of the girl's serves, and Itsuki was good at blocking even though he wasn't that much taller than Asuka. But they were slowly catching up! At least, they hoped they were. Jun frequently practiced serving with Keiko-san, and Masa practiced his receiving with some older members of the club.

"Hey, Itsuki." Asuka said one day, months after joining the small team. He was sweating all over after a lesson about timing.

Itsuki, who was drinking water beside him, lazily quirked an eyebrow up.

"I don't know how this hasn't been brought up before," Asuka said. "Does your school have a team?"

Itsuki scratched his head. "Oh..." The sandy-haired boy thought for a moment. "It does... but I'm not in it."

"Eh? Why not?"

Itsuki shrugged. "They didn't look serious about it."

"Oh."

"Oh, yeah."

"Then, we'd better get as good as we can for middle school then."

"Definitely. We have to face off in an actual game sometime, rival!"

"You don't need to tell me, rival!"

Junichi's groan could be heard somewhere near the bench.

Suga-sensei became Asuka's actual sensei in sixth grade.

"Igarashi-kun!" The enthusiastic teacher said after their first day of classes. "How was your summer? I heard you joined a mixed neighborhood club."

Asuka cheerfully regaled the pale-haired man with tales of their many failures and the challenges he would have with his rival.

"You sound like you're having fun," Suga-sensei said with a big smile.

"We are!"

It became a routine for Asuka to stay after school once a week to chat with Sugawara about their latest practices and whatever Hinata Shoyo was up to at the time. Sensei had only been on the same team with the pro for one year, but he had many stories on the ridiculous shenanigans his kouhai got caught up in.

The little fanboy was especially pumped when the end of the league season approached. The Black Jackals had a solid match record, and everyone was looking forward to the last rematch between the Jackals and the Adlers for that season.

Of course, the match eventually came, and the Igarashis' parents sat in the living room with their kids to watch it on TV. They wanted to have some idea about what their son was getting into after all, and Hiroko hadn't been able to evade her younger brother when he coaxed her to watch with him since his friends couldn't sleep over.

Asuka sat on one side of the couch with his legs crisscrossed, wearing a newly-bought Jackals hoodie that he had spent a few months' savings on. Their parents sat together on the other side of the couch, frequently glancing from the screen towards their youngest who kept jumping and cheering beside them. Meanwhile, Hiroko monopolized the single-seat couch all night, reluctantly focused at first until she eventually started flinching and silently cheering for the bright-haired man zooming all over the court. She had definitely watched some of his videos before, but it was only now that she finally understood the pull that Hinata-san had on her brother.

The Igarashi family became casual fans after that, if only to support Asuka and the person who livened up the boy's life.

Another year passed.

Asuka entered a middle school with a decent volleyball team, excited that he finally had a team to call his own. Jun and Masa went to a different school, but they weren't sad about it. They still met up every week with the community team, and they could always go over each other's houses to hang out. Besides, being on different teams meant they could play against each other for real.

Surprisingly, Keiko-san was in the next class over and Asuka met her on the way to the school gym for tryouts. Itsuki made it into the powerhouse school Kitagawa Daichi, but he still showed up at Coach Hisa's every week saying he needed more practice if we wanted to get a leg up on the upperclassmen.

The boys eventually had their first official tournament in their first year of middle school. Unfortunately, none of them made it to the starting lineup, showing them how much they had to work on still.

They instead watched their upperclassmen from the bleachers, observing the strong people they'd eventually have to face in the future. "Strong people get stronger by pitting themselves against other strong people," Itsuki had said once, eyes burning with anticipation.

One other school managed to stick to Asuka's brain in that tournament but not because they were particularly strong.

"Yukigaoka has a lot of first years in the startup..."

A second year in Asuka's team had been drinking near him after that one match (that they won), and that senpai smiled wryly when he heard his kouhai's remark. "Jealous? You should get better first, your receives need a lot of work."

Asuka pouted a little at that, leaning on a railing in front of him as he muttered. "I'm not that bad am I..?"

Senpai only laughed before locking his gaze on one kid in the said team. "Well, those first years could become a force to be reckoned with in the future if they keep training properly."

"Is Yukigaoka strong?"

"No, not at all."

Asuka hummed, looking back at the green jerseys slumped together in one section of the gym.

"But they might become strong."

The spiky-haired boy glanced back at his senpai, head tilted in confusion.

"Yukigaoka's pretty new. Unlike most of the other schools here, their volleyball team started only around seven years ago? They're still building themselves up, but one or two strong players will show up eventually."

"Do you think those first years would become strong?"

Senpai shrugged. "If they're as determined in practice as they were in the match, then they'd get better."

Asuka being Asuka bumped into one of Yukigaoka's green-clad first years on the bleachers somehow, and two bright smiles collided that day, bringing chaos to those around them from that point forward.

"From Yukigaoka, right? You must be really good since you're already a starter."

The other boy had messy blonde hair, narrow gray eyes, and was half a head taller than Asuka. He glared at the comment, lips drawn into a tight frown. The shorter boy's words probably sounded like a taunt since Yukigaoka had just lost against them.

"Are you messin' with me?"

"Huh?" Asuka was bewildered. "No? I think you're lucky. You got to stand on the court! I'm not good enough to be put in instead of my senpais yet."

The blonde boy's glare softened at that. "I'm not that good. You just saw us lose, didn't you? And that was only our second match..." His voice shrunk, but he quickly slapped himself and looked back at Asuka. "But we'll get our revenge next time!"

"Yeah!" Asuka replied with equal cheer. "Maybe we'll face each other next time!"

"What's your name?"

"Igarashi Asuka, you?"

"Ahane Youta. Nice to meet you, Igarashi."

They shook hands, wide grins on both their faces.

The two watched the next few matches together. Jun and Masa also joined them later.

Junichi was leaning forward in his seat while Masaru was rigid beside him, both glaring at the match in front of them. Kitagawa Daichi was a long-time powerhouse, and it showed. Itsuki wasn't playing, but he was on the sidelines which meant that he could actually get subbed in.

"I won't lose to you next time Itsuki..!" Asuka fumed.

Ahane Youta, who was sitting beside Asuka, looked toward the reserve players. "You know someone there?"

Asuka grunted. "A rival from elementary school."

Junichi snorted.

"A rival huh..." Youta leaned back and sunk into his seat, hugging his duffle bag to his chest. "That sounds fun..."

"Aren't you our rival now too, Ahane?"

Youta stared at Asuka. "I am?"

Junichi leaned back on his chair, putting his hands in his varsity jacket's pockets. "We'll meet each other in tournaments all through middle school, so technically we're all rivals as long as we play volleyball."

Asuka smiled and sparkled. "See?"

"I'm not sure I want to be rivals with an idiot..."

"OI!"

By their second year, Asuka, Junichi, and Masaru were all on their starting lineups for the tournament. They could get pitted against each other in official matches at last. They weren't the only ones who had improved either.

"Congrats on getting Vice Captain, Ahane," Junichi flatly said when they met up before the opening ceremony. Masaru frowned and jabbed Jun in the ribs with his elbow.

Youta raised an eyebrow and replied dryly, "That doesn't sound like much of a congratulations Takahashi."

"Sorry, he woke up wrong today," Masaru apologized with a wry smile.

Itsuki laughed. "So we finally meet, other rival!"

The sandy-haired boy leisurely took out one of his hands from his pocket and extended it as he introduced himself. "Itsuki's the name."

"So you're the Itsuki I've heard a lot about," Youta shook the proffered hand with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'm Ahane Youta. You're one of Kitagawa Daichi's starters, eh?"

"Yeah," Itsuki easily replied.

"We won't lose to you," Youta declared. "Not to you, not to Chidoriyama, or Shiratorizawa Junior High."

Itsuki whistled and leaned over to Asuka who was pouting beside him. "Ahane over here's stealing your thunder, rival. You okay with that?"

"Shut up! I know already!"

The gaggle of adolescent boys started giggling before breaking out into uncontrollable laughter. They were in high spirits; a swirling mess of nerves and excitement characteristic of growing youths. Normally, the yearly Interhigh was already enough as a source of adrenaline and emotion, but there was an added excitement for this particular group this year.

Hinata Shoyo was in the Tokyo Olympics.

Unfortunately, these boys were young and didn't have much luck when it came to scraping together enough money or catching tickets before they were sold out. Fortunately, the matches in the Ariake Arena were broadcasted on television for all to see, and you'd bet they were shouting in their living rooms every time. The owner of Takinoue Electronics had to be a big volleyball fan because the Olympics was always playing on that large screen in the window.

Their greatest decoy was on the national team for the first time, and everyone was looking forward to how he'd fare in the upcoming match against Argentina's CA San Juan. Some were on the lookout for a certain Oikawa Toru who was setting for that team, and some were just pumped to see the really strong lineup Japan had put together.

It was a feast of monsters. Seeing all of them on one side of the net gave people chills.

Asuka was ready to watch the game recording dozens of times in the very near future and for a rare instance, his friends were ready for it too.

"Asu, hurry up! We won't make it!"

"I know! I know!"

The now high-school student Hiroko urged her brother from where she stood at the doorway, watching him plop down and change into outdoor shoes. They had to rush, and she meant rush, to catch the bus or else they'd miss the exhibition match at Sendai Gym.

"Come on, let's go!" Asuka shot out the door, Hiroko following behind with a hasty, "We're heading out!"

"Have a nice trip!" Their mother called from the living room.

The Igarashi siblings barely made it on time for the bus, managing to catch Junichi and Masaru boarding it. On the vehicle, they spotted Sugawara-sensei with a reliable-looking man that Asuka recognized as Hinata's old Karasuno captain, and spent the entire ride planning out their places.

"He debuted in Sendai gym, and he's saying goodbye at Sendai gym, huh?" The former captain said when they got off at the bus stop.

Asuka was startled and nearly stopped walking. "What do you mean Sawamura-san?"

Suga-sensei answered before Sawamura-san could. "He's probably talking about Hinata."

"Eh?" Masaru jogged to keep pace with the adults. "What do you mean he's saying goodbye? Is Hinata-san planning to stop playing or something?"

Asuka didn't take that well. "There's no way—!"

"No, sorry, I probably shouldn't have worded it that way." Sawamura-san laughed guiltily and tried to placate the middle schoolers. "Uh, what I meant is that Hinata's leaving Japan again. It should be announced later with Kageyama."

Junichi joined in. "Kageyama... So where's the freak duo going?"

Sawamura-san grimaced. "They're not going to the same place as far as we know. You'll probably hear it later."

Hiroko kept an ear open for the boys' conversation, but kept checking her phone for a message while they walked. Sure enough, the name Keiko-chan flashed on her screen, and she hurriedly unlocked it. "Keiko-chan and Itsuki-kun are inside already... we probably won't have time to try finding them. The inside's almost full."

Asuka frowned, a little disappointed. "That's too bad."

"We should hurry before we run out of seats completely," Suga-sensei said with a grin.

And hurry they did.

The group found seats just in time for the team introductions. The national team had been split into two, and the members were going to be facing one another in a standard 5-set match. To everyone's excitement, the Freak Duo were on the same side of the net once again. It was different seeing them in person after all.

Asuka was vibrating in his seat, and Hiroko was shaking her head on his left though a slight quirk of her lips was ever present. Junichi and Masaru were seated together two rows back because the only places still available were scattered.

Naturally, Asuka was part of the crowd that cheered when Hinata Shoyo's name was called. The athlete always seemed to be smiling like a mini sun that made you look at him. It felt a little surreal to finally see him in real life. Hiroko wasn't expecting the other boy sitting next to her to cheer as loudly though. He spoke with a bit of an accent, and he didn't look Japanese. From what the high school girl could guess, this boy was around the same age or a little younger than her own brother.

"Ninja Shoyo!!" he had yelled. The poor boy looked really shy afterwards, shrinking in on himself and glancing at the people around him.

He made eye contact with Asuka.

Oh boy.

Asuka turned to the boy grinning. "Isn't that Hinata-san's beach volleyball name? How do you know it?!"

"Ah-um..." The boy looked away, embarrassed. "I watched him when he was still playing beach in Brazil..."

Hiroko's brother nearly jumped out of his seat, surging over Hiroko and leaning towards the other boy so they could hear each other better. "You did?! That's cool! This is the first time I'm seeing him in person, you're really lucky..!"

Asuka's friendliness seemed to weather the boy's apprehension, and he started talking back quietly.

"I watched his beach videos, but the first time I saw him in person was his debut match... Oh, dad helped me get his autograph!"

"That's so cool! I wonder if I can get an autograph after this..."

"They usually sign things after the match..."

It was great that they were having fun, but it wasn't much fun for onee-san who was still sitting between them y'know?

"I know you're having a nice chat, but the game's going to start soon..." Hiroko said weakly.

Asuka surged back to sit in his chair properly as he muttered, "Right, sorry Hiro-nee..."

He turned his gaze back to the other boy, "Maybe we can chat later during the breaks... uh, can I ask your name?"

"I'm Rubens Romero... just call me Rubens." The boy answered shyly.

"Romero... Is your dad a volleyball player?"

"Yeah! He's really awesome!"

There was only one Romero that Asuka knew, and if they were talking about the same one...

"You might know him, his name's Nicolas!" Rubens smiled widely. "He was in Ninja Shoyo's debut match too!"

"No way, is he here too?!"

And so Hiroko's attempt at cutting their conversation short failed. The girl stood up and swapped places with her brother immediately so she wouldn't have to suffer between the two enthusiasts any longer.

They quieted the moment the starting whistle was blown, and for a moment, Hiroko wondered if maybe fans shared an unspoken agreement that the game would always come first before anything. Their focus was impressive.

The match ended with an uproar, and Hiroko was glad that she decided to swap places in the end because the gushing between the two volleyball fans beside her was endless. They just didn't run out of things to talk about—a receive that no one expected to be caught, a sharp cross shot, a scary serve or something—it just went on and on.

Then the announcement came on.

Hinata Shoyo was leaving for Brazil in a few months, and Kageyama Tobio was going to Italy.

Japan was losing two big shots all of a sudden, but what the hardcore volleyball fans were really concerned with was the fact that they would probably face each other on a bigger international scene next time.

This was their last time on the same side of the net until who-knows-when.

And so, the exhibition match came to a close.

Asuka hurried down the steps behind Rubens , Hiroko in tow. The high school girl did her best to remain responsible and check in with her brother's friends via call because the flow of people around them was hard to go against.

Junichi and Masaru had been swept by the current, so they'd probably meet up outside. Keiko-chan was already outside with her own older brother, but apparently Itsuki had disappeared.

So Hiroko wasn't surprised when she ran into some familiar faces lining up for Hinata Shoyo's autograph on the edge of the court.

Itsuki and Asuka had met each other and were already chatting while waiting in line, glancing around at the other nearby players like the highly spirited Bokuto Kotaro and the tired Miya Atsumu. Rubens had left in a hurry after a quick greeting and a picture with the athlete, waving Asuka goodbye as he went. Suga-sensei was behind them in line too, and he was staring hard at Hinata-san.

"Asu," Hiroko stepped up to her brother. "Jun and Masa couldn't come down here so they're asking to get them autographs too."

Her brother gladly obliged while his older sister was baffled at the fact that he had a whole five more autograph boards in his bag. His now worn-out volleyball was in there too, no wonder his bag was weirdly bulky.

Itsuki laughed at the sight. "You really came prepared."

The boy handed three boards to his sister, so she could get Kageyama's signature at the same time. Divide and conquer, he said.

Soon, Asuka and Itsuki came face to face with the athlete they looked up to, huge smiles lighting up their faces.

Hinata Shoyo was only a few inches taller than the two middle schoolers, but his presence felt huge in real life. His smile was bright and his stance confident. He was good at his game, and he knew it. But even with all of that, he was strangely approachable—friendly in a way that drew people towards him. He laughed at jokes, got surprised at some of the things his fans said, acted embarrassed at one thing or the other— yes, Hinata Shoyo was great, and he was every bit a human like the admirers who surrounded him.

Maybe it was because he'd heard so much of him from before he went pro, but Asuka felt an inexplicable closeness to the athlete as if he'd watched the journey from high school to now. A long road had to be traveled because of his lack of height, but Hinata walked it anyway. And that was it really, the middle school boy could have done anything else, but he admired this athlete's persistence against the odds.

And maybe... he wished he could be like that too.

"I'm—" Asuka swallowed and handed out a stack of three autograph boards (Itsuki's included). "My friends and I are big fans! Your debut match got me into volleyball!"

"Really?!" Hinata-san's voice was bright as well. "No way?! That sounds awesome! Are you playing in school matches?"

The sunny man ignored the number of boards and signed each one with practiced ease, somehow continuing the conversation even while he drew small smiley faces with his signature.

Itsuki nodded with Asuka, "We're both starters in our middle school teams."

"That's sounds great! I only got to play one match in middle school, y'know? Have you heard of Yukigaoka?"

Asuka froze for a bit. "We're friends with Yukigaoka's current Vice Captain..."

"So the team's still going?!" Hinata-san handed the boards back to Asuka. "That's good to hear! It used to be just me on there!"

Poor Asuka gaped for a second before quickly shaking his head and giving the boards to Itsuki. He took out the ball in his bag and bowed as he gave it to Hinata Shoyo. "I almost forgot... Could you sign my ball please?!"

Hinata-san looked a little shaken, but he took the ball and uncapped the marker again anyway.

Suga-sensei laughed behind the two boys. "Surprised, Hinata?"

"Suga-san! It's been a while!"

"Yeah, I'll get an autograph too since I got Kageyama's last time." Suga-sensei waved his own autograph board. "Igarashi-san over here is the fan of yours I've been talking about."

"Sensei, you've been telling him about me?!" Asuka asked, mortified as he carefully received his newly-signed ball from Hinata-san. Suga-sensei laughed, "Sorry! Don't worry, I've only said good things."

The middle schooler's face reddened as he turned away. "It's still embarrassing!"

Itsuki pulled his friend to the side to let the line continue moving. Suga-sensei handed Hinata-san his own board as they talked.

Asuka decided he had to gather his courage.

When Hinata-san handed the board back to Suga-sensei, the teen turned back and addressed his idol once again.

"Excuse me, Hinata-san. Can I ask you a question?"

Hinata-san unfailingly turned back to him with his sunny smile. "Sure!"

"Why... did you get so good at volleyball?"

Hinata Shoyo looked up at the ceiling for a second before redirecting a different kind of smile at Asuka.

"It's because I want to stay on the court."

Asuka, and Itsuki beside him, stared.

"To stay in, you gotta win," the man continued. "And to win, you gotta be good! I'm not as tall as the others, so I gotta be good at everything to stay up there with them!"

It took Asuka a moment to let the man's unadulterated love for the sport sink in before snapping out of his stupor and bowing towards the athlete (who still had a couple people in line to sign for). "Thank you so much!"

The two boys made a beeline for the entrance where Hiroko was waiting and made their way outside to meet up with everyone else. Junichi and Masaru were together with Keiko, her brother, and surprisingly, Youta.

Junichi was the first to notice them and waved them over. "What took you guys so long?"

Hiroko handed Kageyama's autographs to her brother's friends. "We were held up for a bit."

The boys received the boards gratefully, thanking Hiro-nee as they did. Jun squinted at it as he muttered under his breath. "Is that a heart on Kageyama-san's sign?"

Itsuki, who was still holding the boards with Hinata Shoyo's signatures, gave Jun and Masa their share of that as well.

"Darn," Youta said when he saw the autographs. "I should've gotten their signs too."

Junichi snorted. "You snooze, you lose."

"I should've asked Hiro-nee for one of Kageyama-san's too..." Keiko lamented.

Everyone started walking towards the buses as they bickered, the setting sun giving the scene a sense of finality. They didn't notice Asuka staring at the signed ball in his hands while he trailed behind the lively group.

Except Hiroko.

"Hey," she slowed her steps to match with her brother's pace and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Her little brother looked up at her then at his friends in front of him before settling back on the smiley face drawn on his volleyball.

"Nothing much, just..."

Asuka beamed.

"... volleyball's really fun!"