"What are you going to get?" Anika peers at my menu, even though she already has one in her hands.

"Um... I'm not sure. I still feel bad about your friend paying." I say, whispering the last part.

"Oh, you can just call him Sugawara. And don't feel bad! You can get anything you want." She reassures, but of course, she can say that since they're family friends. I settle on a cheaper, but decent-looking item. I look up and the three boys are talking amongst themselves, presumably about what they'll all order.

A waiter comes to take our orders. We're eventually left without menus in hand and it feels like a group staring contest. Anika and Sugawara eventually engage in one on their own, while the rest of us just watch.

A voice breaks the silence. "So, um, (Y/N), you had a lot of good receives in the game."

I look at Daichi. Sugawara throws his game with Anika to stare at him disapprovingly.

"Hey, they're here to forget about the game," he says, and Daichi starts to look uneasy.

"Oh, it's okay, I'm feeling a little bit better already. Thank you. A lot of those last ones were not easy to get, that's for sure. I think I'll be feeling sore for a while." The words flow out of my mouth easily, but I still feel a little bit tense. I feel eyes stabbing into my face, coming from Asahi's direction. Sugawara notices this and stares daggers back at him, looking as if he wants to punch him in the side.

"Yeah, libero is a tough position. It's hard to notice how difficult it really is, especially when you watch ours. Everything looks effortless from him." Daichi continues thoughtfully.

"Really? Maybe I should get some tips from him." I say, and the three boys look at each other.

"Well... he would probably be extremely forward with you, that's for sure." Sugawara laughs.

"Oh, well, it might still be fun even though our season is over now," I say awkwardly, just before plates are being set down on our table.

⋆⋆⋆

"Thank you so much for dinner, it was really nice of you to do all of this," I say as we head outside, the cold air hitting us vigorously.

"No worries! Any friend of Anika's is a friend of mine." Sugawara smiles at us.

"I'm super full. I'm probably going to head home now." Anika stretches, and Sugawara nods.

"We all walk the same way except for Asahi." Sugawara remarks and Asahi nods in acknowledgement. Sugawara looks exasperated with him and adds, "Why haven't you said anything? Is it because you're with a girl?"

The colour drains from his face, but he opens his mouth to say something. Anything.

"U-um, see you guys tomorrow!" He manages to say before speed-walking towards the sidewalk and taking a right turn.

"He actually goes the same way as I do. I don't know if I should keep up. Or if he wants me to keep up." I think out loud.

Daichi starts to speak, but Sugawara interjects first. "Go for it! He needs more friends than just us anyway." As he says this, a fleeting look of disappointment resides over Daichi's face.

The cold air picks up and it only becomes more clear how dark the sky is, especially for me walking back home alone.

They all look at me, awaiting an answer when I finally say, "Okay, I'll try to catch up to him. It was really nice to meet you both. Hopefully, we can see you guys again sometime."

"Yeah, that would be great. I mean, if that's something you and Anika are up for." Daichi blurts out before looking away.

"Hey, why don't you guys come to our next game? I mean, it's just a practice match with another school in two days from now." Sugawara suggests, and Anika nods excitedly at me as if it's my responsibility to make the decision.

We begin to make our way to the sidewalk as I think it over and decide yes.

"We'll be there," I smile. Sugawara gives me a thumbs up and we say our goodbyes as they turn away to walk home.

"Now to find this guy," I say under my breath, doing a 180. I squint and can see Asahi walking down the sidewalk, not far from where we just were. "Not a fast walker, huh?"

I only have to jog for a short while to catch up with him, and once I get close enough, I call out. "Hey!"

My voice causes him to turn and look at me, with a shy expression on his face. "Oh, hi."

"Hello." I return the greeting. We both stand as if frozen in time before I realize I have to say something first. "Um, I was wondering if we could walk together since we're taking the same way anyway. Of course, you can say no."

He looks surprised for a moment but then appears to suppress emotion and nods. We begin to walk, and nothing is said for a few minutes. Soon enough, it feels like hours without conversation, and I can't stand it.

"I heard you have a practice game with another school in two days."

"Oh, um, yeah." He says, giving a slightly awkward smile.

Silence ensues again.

"You said you play volleyball too. You're on the same team as Daichi and Sugawara?"

"Y-yeah. We go to Karasuno."

"Oh, that's not too far from my school."

"Really? Um, which one do you and Anika go to?"

"I think it's only fifteen minutes from your school if you walk. It's the all-girls school."

"Ah, I think I've heard of it."

"So, have you been playing for a long time?" I ask, feeling as relaxed as the conversation begins to become.

"Yeah, since I was a first-year. I, um, kind of had to be convinced to come back to the team a while ago though."

"Really? What happened?"

⋆⋆⋆

We talk all throughout the walk home and I find him getting more slightly more comfortable having a conversation with me. He still carries the same self-consciousness from the beginning, but any change is a good change, isn't it?

I learn more about his team, his teammates, his role— even though he only talks about volleyball, I find myself holding onto every word he says. I focus on his face as it changes with every story, how he seems to relive every moment in his eyes. I don't have many friends aside from Anika, and this slightly unfamiliar feeling, one of making a new friend, makes my heart feel full.

"Oh, this is my house right here," I say, stopping in my tracks after a few more steps. Seeing it right in front of me now is surprising, considering how long the walk usually seems, making me wonder if time is passing faster than usual.

"It's very nice. I like the garden." He responds with his hands in his pockets.

"Thank you," I smile. "Is your house farther down the road?"

"Well, no. We passed it a while ago." He says sheepishly. I look at him in disbelief before peering down the long road we had just traversed.

"How long ago?"

"Not that long ago, I can get back quickly, I just..." He looks down at his shoes, "um, I didn't want you to walk home by yourself in the dark."

"Oh. Thank you, that means a lot." I say, getting no response from him other than a small nod, still unable to meet my eyes.

"Um," I continue, "I told Sugawara and Daichi that I was hoping we could all hang out again. Or just see each other again, because today was pretty nice."

"Really? Yeah, I... think so too. We should see each other again." He says, freezing after the last sentence. "I mean, we should all collectively see each other again."

I let out an awkward laugh before reaching into my bag and pulling out the apple drink from earlier. "Thank you for this," I smile at him.

"Oh, um, it's no problem! Please enjoy it." He responds, with cheeks stained red. I can only imagine mine are the same from the cold.

"Okay, well... good night, Asahi."

"Ah, good night, (Y/N)."

⭒⭒⭒

"Come on! If we're late, I'm not going to forgive you." Anika crosses her arms as I walk up to her. We had decided earlier to meet halfway between our houses before walking to Karasuno.

"I'm here right now! Why do we have to rush anyway, we have a lot of time to walk there." I say as I check my phone for the time.

"Because! If there's anyone cute, I'll notice them early."

"That makes no sense. Wait, that reminds me, you looked like you wanted to tell me something before our game after you talked to Sugawara."

Anika's eyes widen. "I forgot to tell you!" She exclaims, and I nod knowingly at her, just wanting her to spit it out. "Well, I think I know something."

I sigh. "What is it? Please tell me."

The smile fades off of Anika's face. "I was having fun with it." Just as upset as she was two days ago, she appears to be now.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, you can have your fun." I laugh, yet she pretends to continue sulking.

"No, I'll tell you. When I was talking to Koushi before our game, well..." she hesitates with giddiness in her voice.

"... well?"

"Well, I think someone might like you," Anika says, covering her mouth as she watches my reaction.

"This was after you talked to him? Who is it?"

"Yeah! Honestly, I can't be sure if this person really does... but I have a strong hunch," she says with a small skip in her step.

"Oh, so you don't know 100 percent. I don't know if I can't trust this information then."

"Well, we'll go to the practice match, and we'll see who pays attention to you the most! I already gave away too much." Anika crosses her arms and looks away snootily.

We reach the entrance of their school. It looks much bigger than mine and Anika's but is slightly rough around the edges. Being that it's a Sunday afternoon, no one is on the grounds except for some unfamiliar boys who run in and out of the same building, likely being the gymnasium.

"Quick, how do I look?" Anika grabs my attention by striking casual poses. She had decided to wear a white tennis skirt with a navy-buttoned cardigan. It differed from my own outfit, where I had chosen to wear brown ankle pants patterned with intersecting lines, and a cream-coloured sweatshirt over a white collared long-sleeve.

"You look fine. Hold on, who are you trying to impress? Is it Sugawara?" I interrogate Anika.

Her face contorts with disgust and says, "No! Never, ever Koushi. We're too close for anything like that. This is just for any cute boys I might see." Anika shrugs.

I sigh at her before nudging her to walk toward the gym with me.

We almost pass through the doors before we meet a younger girl with blonde hair who looks at us in confusion.

"Hi, we're just here to watch the practice game, Sugawara invited us," Anika says.

"Oh, let me get him! I'm Yachi, by the way. Manager-in-training!" The girl perks up and strikes a confident pose. She goes back inside and soon, Sugawara comes out with a smile to greet us.

"You made it! We're not starting for another ten minutes, so I can show you both up to the second level where you can watch." He gestures us into the gym with a wave of his hand.

Suddenly, we hear the sound of a ringtone coming from Anika's pocket. She apologizes and suggests that we go ahead, to which Sugawara complies and I head inside with him.

I can immediately feel my face going red as all of the attention in the room shifts to Sugawara and me. The only sound is a lone volleyball's bouncing echoes. My eyes lock onto the first person I can dare to meet a gaze with, which happens to be Asahi. He's not hard to spot, being one of the tallest in the room. He watches with a mortified look on his face as Sugawara ushers me towards the stairs to the second floor. I can't even begin to think of why he looks at me like that.

"It's okay, I told Coach Ukai I'd have some visitors. 'As long as no one gets distracted', he said," Sugawara laughs, waving at me as he returns to his teammates.

"Enjoy the game!" He yells over his shoulder.

I make my way to the second floor and rest my arms on the railing overlooking the court. I feel my cellphone vibrate in my pocket and open it to see a text from Anika.

Anika

(y/n) im so MAD my mom told me to go home

i have to talk to you later instead

UGH DONT HAVE TOO MUCH FUN WITHOUT ME :'(

TELL ME IF U SEE ANYONE CUTE

I look up from my phone and peer down below where I meet eyes with Daichi, who smiles and gives a small wave from below. I wave back, keeping in mind what Anika had said about a secret someone.