☆★☆★☆★

Well fuck.

But of course Reina could not swear out loud, right? It would go against what her father's family tried to hammer into her brain ever since they moved back to Japan from California.

Now she literally had zero control of the situation, courtesy of dumb blondie here who decided to scream for Ojiro-senpai. Now the latter probably think Reina was here to confirm about his proposition.

There were the identical looking Miya brothers who definitely reminded Reina of Tweedledee and Tweedledumb, Suna, Mai and of course, Ojiro-senpai who was walking towards the back of the gym where they were all huddled together.

"Ah, thank the heavens, Shibazeki-san!" Ojiro-senpai looked positively happy, the dude was practically glowing and Reina did not have the heart to interrupt.

Now she really wanted to curse at Tweedledum for ruining her smooth escape from the gym.

Reina should've seen it coming. She really should've known that agreeing to meet up with Suna in the back of the gym instead of in the front gates would end up her being cornered. Not that she expected the friggin Mai to be here. And Reina was sure she slipped a little when controlling her expressions in front of Mai. After all, as much as Suna was a lazy ass, he got sharp eyes for these kinds of things (read: tea spilled).

And from what she heard about his volleyball aptitude, Suna was a beast on the court.

It wasn't like you got the chance, Reina, she inwardly consoled herself.

But if she disclosed the exact reason why she was here, it would mean exposing her and Suna along with the transaction they were doing. The last thing Reina wanted was to ever indulge herself with volleyball business, ever again.

"I...there is a misunderstanding here," Reina tried to explain. From the way Ojiro-senpai's face looked downtrodden in one second, Reina's heart squeezed a little. Okay, a lot. He truly reminded her of a gentle giant at times. "I...I think now is not exactly a good idea to make a decision this important, especially choosing a sports club manager right? Their workload is heavy, taking notes when practice matches, washing the jerseys, keeping the players hydrated and so on."

"It seems that you're well versed about what a sports manager should be doing, Shibazeki-san," Miya Osamu added, causing Reina to flinch. "I don't see what's wrong. You're not one of the rabid fangirls who try applying as manager but is only here to ogle at my ugly twin brother."

"Correction, both of you are ugly because you both are identical to each other," Suna piped in and Atsumu looked positively ready to get into a fight.

"For once, Osamu made a valid point." Ojiro nodded. "But have you really considered all the options, Shibazeki-san?"

Reina's gaze flicked to Mai, who did not waver at all. If not for the way she knew how Mai would faint after running just one lap (and it had nothing to do with her athletic abilities), Reina would've thought her former friend would make a good middle blocker.

"I...no, I haven't. What I'm trying to say here now is not the right time for me to confirm it. I haven't told my friend yet about this. She needs all the help she can in her own club and well...it would be rude if I just say yes without consulting her."

Okay that was the truth, at the very least. Just not the entire truth. She could feel Mai's gaze boring holes into her forehead, but in Reina's opinion, Mai no longer had any say about what decision she would be making.

Not after the way Mai lashed out all those years ago to her face.

"Fair enough," Atsumu said. "I personally don't think your friend's club is important and it isn't like we need a manager or something."

Reina flicked her glance towards the blonde setter, who honestly looked like a washed up yankee that would not survive even one second in a street fight. Whatever drug Miya Atsumu's fangirls were on, it definitely messed up their perception enough to fawn over him. "With all due respect, I only answer to Ojiro-senpai because he is the one who approached me with this proposition."

She heard the sound of a camera shutter and turned her head to see Suna who was already prepared with his phone. Whatever, Suna was not the type to spread gossip to just anyone unless he wanted her to make him go broke by giving him a special price for their future transaction.

A low whistle came from Osamu who was about to clap his hand, but the stares he got from everyone stopped him.

"What is going on here?" a calm voice asked, causing everyone minus Mai to flinch and turn their heads to the source of the voice.

Silence set into the court and the dizziness caused by her anxiety that spiked up to almost sky high levels did not help her to maintain her balance.

A little help in here, please! Inwardly Reina silently begged. But still, nobody said a word. Everyone just looked into each others' eyes, as if they were all quietly agreeing that it was better for her to deal on her own. Shifting her gaze towards the new voice, Reina sized the new stranger up. He was not taller than either Ojiro-san or Suna or the twins, so height was definitely not the reason why their mouths were all zipped tightly.

He must've been the captain, but Reina's brain was too cogged by building panic and embarrassment to even remember his name. A voluntary outcast, she may be, but she was good with names.

Okay, it seemed that everyone in the room was more than ready to throw her under the bus, leaving her to grapple alone for at least something to keep her from drowning in embarrassment and mortification all rolled into one.

"So...nobody is going to say a word?"

Reina did not even have to be a regular for the club to realize that it was a really bad idea to displease this guy. The tension on the atmosphere just thickened to the point it almost choked her. It was crystal clear that she should save herself, since nobody was willing to step in.

"Gomen..." Reina began as she slowly raised her hand. "I...It's my fault. There is a...slight misunderstanding...."

Well, that was an understatement of the century if one was inclined for a hyperbole.

"And that is?" The (probably) captain continued, his gaze never once waver as he shifted his attention to her. Reina could feel the crushing weight of his gaze on her started to take effect.

"I am...not here to confirm the proposition to be the manager," Reina finally answered, applauding herself for not choking out the words or making a fool of herself. "At least not yet. I...still need some time to think about it. Being a manager is not a position to be taken lightly, there are a lot of weight and responsibilities tied into the job that needs to be thought about thoroughly. I'm actually here for Suna, but one thing led to another and...here we are."

The seconds that flew by felt dangerously slow, but finally the captain only nodded. "Okay then, you can drop by here anytime to confirm whether you're going to accept it or not."

With that he turned away as he beckoned to the other guys. "Come on, everyone, there's still lots of time left in practice."

Slowly, the crowd that surrounded her trickled down to nothing. Well, almost nothing. Suna and Mai were the ones left, but Reina could handle them easily.

"So..." Suna quipped up, his keen eyes glancing at both Mai and Reina. Reina could not shake off the feeling that she was being marked, even though he had no reason to. She's not an athlete that he would have to face on court. "I'm not going to witness a girl fight, won't I?"

Jesus Christ. Apparently once the transaction between them was clear, Suna felt zero apprehension of crossing the line of professionalism and just personal invasion.

"Nope. Sorry to disappoint you, Suna." Reina shut it down with a mere raise of her hand. And she wasn't apologetic about how she barely sounded sorry at all.

"Well, Suna-kun." This time it was Mai's turn to speak up. Uh oh, Mai must've turned up the side that she usually showed her string of admirers. "If you wanted a show, you've come to the wrong place. A scene won't happen when the other party has no care left to give."

Mai nodded at her, to which Reina just dumbly responded with another nod. She was too astounded to even process Mai's words until several moments had passed.

One should wonder, if Mai's words about someone not caring was about herself or about Reina. But then again, her former best friend had always been a puzzle that was hard to solve, especially for those who weren't astute enough to see through the fortress of ice Mai put up to protect herself.

"Well, that was interesting," Suna commented.

"Don't you have practice to go back to? I'm sure you don't want your captain to size you up again, questioning why you're not back, hm?"

For once, it was exhilarating to see the usually unflappable Suna showed signs of panic, even if it was just a gulp. "It's not my turn to do the three-on-three match this time, I think."

"Nobody is asking you for an explanation, Suna," Reina pointed out with a smile. "Okay, I'm...going to take my leave. I'm sure you don't want me to accept the position, right? And no need to answer that question, it is rhetorical."

Before Suna could say another word or ask what rhetorical meant, Reina nodded at him and took her leave. Whew, aside from the piling up homework waiting for her (curse the advanced classes workload), Reina still had to think about everything that just happened today.

It was time, after all, to actually make a decision instead of keep going through her high school life like a makeshift robot that she never was.

***

"Holy crap, Suna, what's your deal with her until you can talk to someone that smart? Is she doing your homework for free?" Atsumu's question managed to break the tension. Sometimes, his lack of tact and zero amount of consideration for anyone but himself could be a saving grace.

Keyword being sometimes. And it was not that often either.

"Not telling," Suna muttered as he dribbled the ball on his hands. Shibazeki must've thought to pull up the prices to make him pay for even suggesting her to meet up in the gym. "If you wanted to focus on practice, then stop yammering about forcing free labor on someone."

"Nobody paid me enough to do my own homework," Atsumu grumbled. Right beside him, his twin brother made a face.

Shibazeki never did online transactions, but her presence was low enough to never invite unwanted questions. Until today, that is.

He took a good look at Ichijou Mai, who seemed quietly determined not to say a word after Shibazeki left the gym. There definitely was a whole lot of history between them. Suna's gossipy hunch tingled when the two girls stared into each other. It was like a girl fight waiting to happen between two stony people.

But it did not, sadly. Okay that was cruel, since Mai definitely did not look like she would last even a minute in a girl fight. Shibazeki on the other hand, Suna had seen with his own eyes just how downright menacing she could be.

"Who is she to you?" Suna finally asked with his usual bored tone. "I thought you're more like an ice queen who self isolates from everyone."

"Well, Suna, it is obvious that she doesn't want to talk about it" Atsumu pointed out, definitely did not grasp the gravity of the whole situation and said something that made sense, weirdly enough. "Anyways, we got to continue practicing to make sure most of you aren't playing like trash during Spring High in January."

"I think you heard what the blondie said clearly," Ichijou answered. It dawned upon Suna's realization that this girl was very, very good at being evasive. But with her profession, it was to be expected.

Suna still could not comprehend a girl who looked fragile like Mai was chosen to be a model for Volleyball Monthly. Owing some of his knowledge about fashion from his annoying younger sister, Suna can most definitely tell that Mai was more of like the girl who fitted into the 'heroin chic' kind of model with her waif-like body, willowy figure, yet devastatingly beautiful face. Definitely not the healthy type that was on the cover of sports magazines.

But if one wanted to judge a person's personality based on looks alone, then the Miya twins would be practically saints. The thought caused Suna to snort.

"Hey, we gotta keep our head in the game!" Aran scolded, coming to Ichijou's rescue. Whether he realized it or not, the volleyball club's ace often played knight in shining armor to Ichijou.

Suna scratched the back of his head, but his keen eyes did not miss the way Ichijou gave Aran a grateful look, which was gone in a split second. Somehow Aran's words sounded familiar and Suna recalled that it was from High School Musical movies that his sister forced him to watch while dominating the TV.

"Fine, fine," he answered, imitating Osamu who more often than not said 'ara ara' to the point it almost became his catchphrase.

They decided to continue the practice with three on three. Suna was teamed with Atsumu and Gin while the other team consisted of Yuto, Osamu and Riseki. The third years took a back seat to watch how the second years and the first years would play off each other on court.

"Okay, let us see which team will have the honor to go first," Coach Kurosu said. It was a wonder that he barely flinched when the whole shebang almost went down while Shibazeki was busted dropping by to the gym. But then again, given the way he had to constantly deal with the second year's shenanigans (yes including Suna himself), he could see the way nobody batted an eyelash at what almost just happened. "Tails for Atsumu's team and Heads for Osamu's."

Apparently the fates decided the pisshead twin would win, as Mai watched from the bench. Atsumu as per usual, pulled off an impressive jump floater serve. She inwardly wondered how on Earth one could pack a massive power into a ball like that, making it fly high in the air to the other end of the court.

On the bench, Aran took a seat beside Mai. He let out a low whistle seeing Atsumu's nasty serve being received by his own twin brother. "Whew, he's going to leave a big shoes to fill for the future regulars of the club, I'll have to admit that," Aran said to himself. "Only if he fixed his attitude...never gonna happen though." He scrunched his forehead before letting out a laugh.

"I can never tell if he's going to use which kind of serve he's going to use," Mai remarked, her eyes trained to the court, as if she was taking in every single part of it wholeheartedly. "But Reina most definitely can."

Aran turned his head to look at Mai. For once there was a glint on her eyes, but watching Atsumu play volleyball sort of inspired that look. It made one question how on Earth someone could be so dedicated to a sport, lovingly so, while in reality his personality was close enough to a trash.

"You can talk to me you know," Aran said. "It's not going to kill you to open up once in a while. While I can understand that Suna makes you weary because he is lowkey a gossipy hen, I'm here to listen."

"Reina's family is very much closely associated with volleyball," Mai said, answering while at the same time being evasive. "I...have no intention to cause havoc or anything by suggesting her to be your manager. I genuinely think she would be a good manager. Just search her up on the internet and you can see why. Gotta do some digging though."

"I don't mind if you suggest her to be the manager," Kita's calm voice said, causing Mai to look away from the ongoing match towards the captain. "But, if she doesn't do it out of her own willingness, it would be counterproductive, especially the way almost half of us almost cornered her into making a decision rashly."

Aran looked at his captain and he still had no idea just how Kita could basically dissect anyone with just one glance. It was the kind of ability that one was just simply born with, at least for Kita-san it was.

Mai stayed quiet and Aran sensed that it was her way to still get a semblance of dignity after being called out in the open like that.

"I don't know what happened between the two of you, but Kita-san is right, Ichijou-san." Aran scratched the back of his head, pushing down the urge to reach out to Mai, to maybe give her a little bit of comfort.

"I..." Mai trailed off, unable to conjure up the right words. "I know... I'm sorry, it is out of my selfishness, but at the same time I mean no harm."

"To be fair, I definitely think if Shibazeki decided to be the manager out of her own volition," Kita continued, "she would be able to ease off Aran's worries of leaving the club in the hands of the second years once we graduated."

And there it was again, Kita hit the bullseye the way not even Aran's spikes could. Aran wondered if Shibazeki Reina was ready for her demons to be laid bare right before her eyes if she decided to accept the offer. Hopefully she would because Aran honestly had no idea which female student to approach yet again.

Volleyball really did cost him his networking skills beyond his club members. 

☆★☆★☆★