Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hi future me!

A new country means a new diary! Shoyou is back in Japan! Well obviously you know that... I hope! Haahahha! Anyways Yachi, Tadashi, and surprisingly, Atsumu came to pick me up from the airport today. Talk about popularity! But I really do believe that Atsumu was here just to gain some more media attention. Tsumu was kind enough to drive me back to my parents, where Mom and Natsu greeted me. Though I did call them multiple times a week, seeing them in person felt so much more real. If that makes sense!

Mom made me my favorite pork buns, obviously she thinks that I am still ten, the first authentic Japanese meal I’ve had in like two years! While Natsu, Tsumu (who had invited himself in :/) and I stuffed our faces full, Mom and Tadashi attempted to catch me up on what I missed. But this was really really hard because Tsumu kept making weird faces at Natsu, who would burst out in laughter and start snorting. I think she actually spat a piece of pork out once… which unfortunately found its way to Yachi’s face.

It's odd, really. I never thought that me and Tsumu would become friends someday. I mean, hes a terrifying guy. Copying my freak quick that took months to prepare, after watching it just twice. But while I was in Brazil, he somehow got ahold of my phone number and we became friends really quickly. He’s so much better than me, which partially I blame for him starting earlier, and having a twin. But it's so exciting that he wants to be my friend because now that means I have more to look up to!

Anyways, I learned that while I was gone, Noya had become quite the celebrity (for the most part). Apparently, he and Asahi have been traveling the world together and Noya has been vlogging them on his YouTube channel. I feel like I should’ve known this, but my YouTube page is all volleyball LOL. Asahi has also gained the reputation for Noya’s “scary, nonchalant bf”. But we all know that he's probably more scared of the camera than the camera is scared of him.

My mother was very proud to report on how well Natsu had been doing in her volleyball career. She is almost as good as I was in my second year! (jk because she can actually receive, shockingly). Her and Yachi have actually been getting along really well. They especially love to talk crap about me behind my back. Always the embarrassing moments too. I feel like Yachi has sort of become a mentor and older sister to Natsu, which I am really happy to see.

Tadashi is studying in Tokyo for something techy. He tells me about the games he watches on TV, mainly the Adlers because of Kageyama. Since I also watched Japanese V-League games while I was away, there were lots of things we could relate to. Of course, Tsumu had wanted to put his two cents in too. He said something about Hoshiumu and Kageyama having insane chemistry or something, but then quickly followed up by saying that Kageyama seems to connect better with me. Odd…

After that very filling meal (both physically and mentally), I was dragged out of the house and somehow found my way in the park I used to spend my mornings at. Of course, we had a volleyball with us, so being the nerd that he is, Yams suggested that we should do some passing drills, while he pointed out every detail that I could’ve improved on during my last beach volleyball match. Tsumu decided now would be a good time to join the bullying, so of course, he started ranting about how my sets were still too sloppy and predictable. I really felt the need to point out that in 2v2s, there was literally one option to set to rather than his usual menu of 5. I think Yachi must’ve had a lot of free time while I was gone because her passes were actually pretty good today. Obviously, that's a joke but I was not about to be at the bottom of the bully pyramid, so I had to push someone down.

I have two tips for any future outdoor players who are considering switching to indoors.
1. Its gonna hurt a lot when you fall, but at least you can actually run.
2. Your teammates are going to cat-call you because of your insane tan lines.
So basically the “lets bully Shoyou” party somehow made the switch to the “lets glaze Shoyou so much until he doesn’t want to be himself anymore” clan. Either that, or Tsumu was actually extremely jealous of my tan lines. I really should not have said that because next, Tsumu started fake crying in a corner and making a scene in the center of a public park. 

Somehow this conversation led to him trying to convince me to join MSBY with him and Bokuto. I told him that I would bring this up with my manager, who speaking of which, I should probably meet up with soon. One thing led to another, and then we were on the topic of the Adlers. They have had a crazy good line-up for like two years especially because they got the genius setter and the little giant on the same team. They apparently can connect really well, almost as well as me and him could. 

But watch out! Hot tea coming your way! Allegedly, Tobio and Kourai are actually dating! So that must explain a lot. Honestly, I never thought of Tobio as one to try and find love because to him, volleyball always came first. But also, Hoshiumi out of all people? Really? I never really found him his type.

Also, I’m like not one to hold grudges but, I find it slightly discomforting that Hoshiumi got the title of “the Little Giant”. Sure, I do believe he deserved it but come on! I am right here. But I got my very own nickname, so its okay… I guess.

Anyways, to end off this long travel day, Yachi and Yams took me to Ukai’s market, to catch up with my former coach, and to get some of his lovely curry pork buns (Tsumu had to leave early to catch the train to Osaka). I’m home again. I don’t know what’s waiting for me here, but I’ll find out tomorrow. They’re all doing so well… guess I better not fall behind!

p.s. make sure to sign up for that training camp next month.

Chapter Text

Hi future me!

I’m proud of you for remembering this diary and writing another entry! So basically, I got a lot of like customary stuff/errands done today. It was actually a really packed day, so I’m sort of writing this to unwind. So I woke up bright and early to see Kenma at this really cute cat cafe in Miyagi. Knowing Kenma, bright and early meant 11, which was fine by me because that meant that I could get in a morning run and then watch a volleyball game over breakfast. 

He was kind enough to make the hour and a half bullet-train trip up to visit me. Which I am honestly surprised by because I thought that since the distance was so far, he’d rather video call. The walls were lined with cat beds, cat trees, cat poo boxes, and other cat stuff. So I get there at 11 o'clock sharp, like any normal, polite person would. As expected, Kenma has not found his way to the cafe yet, so I choose a booth seat with a window on one side. Since I probably had a while until he showed up, I opened up Instagram to see what news I possibly could’ve missed in the hour that I hadn’t opened the app. Nothing important… shocker! I set down my phone with a sigh of disappointment. And at this point, I am literally tapping my foot waiting for Kenma to burst in (it's been 5 minutes since I sat down).

The sun was surprisingly full today, considering the cool temperature. People are actually walking outside right now, though still in full winter coats and scarves. A group of maybe five boys wander by as they're laughing, playfully punching each other, and eating pork curry buns. There's a taller one who punches a shorter boy in the shoulder “playfully” and the short one tries throwing a swing back in retaliation (and embarrassingly misses). Seeing this scene, I sort of chuckle to myself, because it really brings back some highschool memories. It’s like deja vu, really. Back in highschool, that's exactly how me and Kageyama would act like when we were out on a “team bonding” thing (also partially because Daichi forbade us from running ahead of everyone else). 

11:17 and I see Kenma finally dragging his ass in. But that’s okay, because he's Kenma! He gave me some lame excuse, something along the lines of “game” or “phone”, I really don’t remember. He sets his stuff down in the seat across from me while we do a friendly, half-hearted greeting. He suggests that we go order something, which I have been halting on, trying to be polite to the guest. Being Kenma, he literally got black coffee. No cream, no sugar, nothing. How boring! I personally opted for something much nicer looking, their seasonal Sakura Syrup “Cat”-pichino Latte. Which I think is very adult-y because it has caffeine in it! I’m pretty sure he shamed me under his breath, something about me already having too much energy or something. We go and sit back down, only to find that a very fat calico cat has found its way onto Kenma’s jacket. Surprisingly, he doesn’t seem to mind, in fact, he seemed quite comfortable with the cat there. Obviously, I inquired about this and apparently, he and Kurro got two cats, after they moved in together! One is a black cat that they’ve named Kurai, which I assume Kenma chose, coming from the unoriginal name. However, this one apparently likes Kuroo more. Then there is Chai, a caramel Tabby, chosen by Kuroo, who chose Kenma. I assume that’s the cat that is always on his lap during live streams. 

I fear that was all the catching-up he wanted to do. It's not that he doesn’t like me, it's just the way Kenma is. Also he really doesn’t like talking about himself, so it's understandable for him. After that, it is very straight-to-the-point. I literally told him, I think I need to join a Japanese team. He responded back with something like “no shit, hinata” or like “no, really?!”. I kinda forgot, but it was sarcastic as hell. Whatever. I have been studying like decently good club teams that are hosting open tryouts soon. Which to no surprise, there is a lot! Anyways, my top-choice would definitely be the MSBY Black Jackals. Partially because they have a huge rivalry with the Shweiden Adlers, and because I already know so many awesome people there! Plus, I’m pretty sure that Tsumu and Bokuto will likely beat my ass if I don’t at least try out. :/. So I told Kenma that I was probably going to join the Black Jackals, and there really wasn’t a plan B. Apparently, he was already expecting this.

So big mouth Tsumu had told Kenma back when I was in Japan, that I was planning on joining MSBY. Which was a complete lie, because I had no clue what I was gonna do when I got back to Japan at that time. Lowkey, I was too busy with my job and like beach volleyball. Anyways, this led to Kenma pulling out a tablet. So, being the surprisingly good manager he is, he had already contacted the MSBY people and signed me up for their open tryouts! It felt kind of heavy signing my life away for the first time! Really it would only be around a year or so, and nothing was signed yet, but it was definitely very very scary. So he scrolled through the tablet, yammering about contract stuff, legal stuff, blah, blah, blah. I was kind of zoned out as my mind flash backed to those highschool boys. So much nostalgia! I can’t wait to be a part of a club team again, part of a family!

After so much boring blabbering that I doubt even Kenma was paying attention too (though he was the one talking), a text distracted my attention away from him. I guess even nonchalant Kenma was bored, because he tried to peek over too. It was just Yachi, in our years’ Karasuno group chat. She just wanted to announce to everyone that we were going to have a team reunion tonight. And… that she even convinced some of our very busy, employed, seniors to join us, which is always exciting!

I guess Kenma took that as an exit plan and quickly made up some sort of excuse about something with Kuroo and Lev and Yamamoto. Before we departed though, he did mention how Bokuto texted him a bajillion times last night about convincing me to join MSBY, and that I should get my friends to stop bugging him. Noted. So, we awkwardly did a handshake-fistbump thing and he got up to go. I waited until he was gone until I stood up and began to walk back to my house. 

It was only like 12:30 somehow, it felt much longer. So as I stepped out into the cold, sharp, late winter air, I felt a sense of resentment. I should’ve brought my thicker coat. (Also ngl that was a very sophisticated language for me! Be proud!). After being blessed by the Brazilian sun for so long, I literally cannot deal with the cold. Also, my beautiful tans are going to disappear if this weather continues. So, my first stop was a local convenience store to buy some fake-tan. The cashier genuinely looked at me confused when I remembered that tanning is not really popular in Japan.
After, I walked down to a nearby 7-eleven, this one with better food. I bought a sandwich to-go, and some coffee, coffee, coffee! I had a bit of time to waste, but it was a Saturday, so I decided that I shall kidnap Natsu, and drag her somewhere. Perhaps, I’ll take her to the farmers market.

My mother seemed much more enthusiastic about this idea than Natsu, but teenagers nowadays I guess. Can’t bother spending time with her very cool older brother. :(. The walk there, she decided to catch me up on her boy-drama. So basically, this one guy who looks like a cabbage has a big fat crush on her! But apparently he’s really annoying, and a horrible flirt. He tried giving her flowers once, but he really ended up just grabbing a handful of grass and presenting them to her. Jeez! And then she likes this other guy, tall, brunette, dark blue eyes. What I can only imagine as a child of Oikawa and Kageyama LOL! Even the thought of them having a child makes me jump! So apparently, he is on the volleyball team of a nearby school, as the ace. Also, he apparently has a lot of girls thirsting over him. But Natsu swears that he likes her back because apparently, he winked at her before serving when they were at the Inter-High. Then he allegedly got a service-ace. So Natsu basically believes that they are soulmates. 

There wasn’t much to see at the market, lots of handmade items, so fruit stalls, some skewer stalls. The skewers all looked so yummy! So obviously I had to get two for myself. But Natsu took my act of selfishness as an act of generosity and stole one of them. But I don’t hold grudges. She then pointed at a knit-hat stall where she insisted on buying me one of those fish hats. The ugly ones with the big mouths, in dark blue. Then she proceeded to force me to wear it for the rest of the trip. Yeah, if that was a Shouyou repellant, it worked, because I’m never shopping with her, ever again. JK! After that, I took her to a bookstore. I don’t know why. I’m not very smart. She picked out this new manga, where apparently the male lead is really “fine”. Gosh, why is everything about boys these days? 

So after that, I finally took her back home. When my mom asked how it was, she simply responded with a “fine”. Why is she such a jerk? Teenagers bro. After that, we kind of just sat around for a bit. I took a shower with my new, Japan-bought, orange shampoo. It smells really good! Way better than the Brazilian version. That one was overly sweet. My mother, Natsu, and I all decided to play some UNO while watching the new season of Black Clover. It's actually pretty good, and apparently really popular amongst kids Natsu’s age! (which she corrected by stating that she really wasn’t a kid anymore). Anyways, I am pretty sure she cheated on the UNO because no way can you get 4 plus-4s in a row, then use all the other players to stack, and end up giving me a total of 32 cards. Someone tell Hasbro to fix their game, because it is most absolutely rigged.

Chapter Text

Hi future me!

We had a Karasuno reunion dinner with the team we had when I was a first year! I hope that makes sense. So far while writing this, you don’t seem to be drunk, but definitely tipsy, so please don't cringe at whatever I have written under the light influence!

So, around 6, I left the house for the okonomiyaki place where Yachi had decided to make a reservation. We got a tiny room towards the back of the restaurant, suspiciously close to the bathrooms. But it was cute, and the smell of burning cider was there, which kind of gave it a cozy feel. I get there around 6:45, and to no surprise, Yachi and Yamaguchi are already there. A banner has been set up, there's goodie bags in the corner, and a suspiciously human sized and shaped yellow thing. Nevermind! A sulky Tsukishima sat in the corner, but he was kind enough to look up and give me a smirk. It was kind of unsettling because it was the same smirk that he would give someone after calling them stupid. 

We get seated, and while we wait for the rest of the party to arrive, I check my Instagram.
 It is very important to know what is going on in the world, and how my fans are doing. But honestly, my entire page is just volleyball, but I do get a few occasional fan dms! To no surprise, the Japanese National Volleyball Team is very active on Instagram. I click on their circle, which leads me to like seven stories. There were edits of Atsumu (of course), Bokuto’s energetic after-game interview, Suna highlights, and a highlight of Kageyama and Hoshiumi. Their chemistry is really actually really good. It seems like he has evolved his style way more since our high school days. They have a really good dynamic, but I swear his sets to Hoshiumi are still slower than they were to me.

As soon as I look up from my phone, I am met with the (slightly?) possibly really disappointed face of Daichi. Apparently he had been here this entire time, just in the bathroom. Interesting… because not even two seconds later, Suga walks in. A little bit disheveled looking, definitely blushing. I’m happy for them, really! But does it have to be in a restaurant bathroom 15 minutes before your high school volleyball team reunion? Suga seemed really surprised to see me, though I literally texted that I would 100% be there. His greeting was warm, it consisted of a hug and blabbering about how I grew so much leaner and tanner and hotter in Brazil (gosh don't you have a boyfriend?). No, but I was actually really happy to see him. I don’t know why but just the presence of Daichi and Suga felt so nostalgic. I really haven’t seen them since after the Spring Tournament in my first year. Sure, sometimes they would show up to practice, cheer for us during big games, and sometimes bring us food. But there hadn’t been too much time to genuinely catch up. Daichi greeted me with a very firm handshake. Jeez, so formal, Dadchi. Whatever. After Suga’s berate of compliments, Daichi followed with a storm of questions. How was Brazil? Did you adjust well? Did you find love? I saw you run into Oikawa. I’m glad. I really thought you were getting homesick. Where you homesick?

Honestly, running into the Great King was probably one of my Brazil highlights. I hadn’t been able to speak Japanese in months until then. He brought some of that over. He also had been in contact with Iwazumi so obviously, being the big drama queen that he is, I got drama from back in Japan. Also he’s surprisingly really good at finding good restaurants. I swear it looked like he spun in a circle five times and pointed. But after that meal, it became my go-to restaurant. Happy? There to celebrate. Sad? There to remember. The owner's lowkey became my adoptive parents. I do miss Japan a lot. They too would constantly ask about my love life. Not that there was much anyways. I would seldom go out, partially because I was always tired, and also because nobody there was who I wanted to have. It's really hard to describe. I want to hate him so bad but I think I love him? I don’t know. We were unstoppable.

Anyways, I had to answer all of Daichi’s questions. Literally more intimidating than all those job interviews I went to in Brazil. And in Brazil, I couldn’t even understand the question half the time so they had to repeat it a lot! Then there was a white flash. I looked up and Yachi had just clipped me. Really badly. Apparently, it was for old times sake, or like a wholesome father-son moment. I swear if she puts this into a scrapbook. Since it directed my attention away from Daichi, I was able to see Suga in the background with a big batch of cupcakes! I always felt like Suga would be a really good cook or baker but I didn’t know he would actually do it! He honestly probably would’ve if we asked tho. Should’ve taken advantage of that back then. His gotten like gourmet level good because all his kids at his teaching job are constantly nagging him to bring more. I mean, if I had him as a teacher, so would I!

Next to walk in, Asahi and Tanaka at 5:56. Which is actually really surprising. First, it’s an unexpected duo (usually Noya brings them together), and second, the fact that Tanaka is on time. Like yes, I remember him being punctual to important things, but back in my first year, he would always be late to unlocking the gym. It pissed me and Kageyama off soooo many times. Tanka is very excited to see Suga. Also, Tanaka is married. Out of all people. Tanka married first! And to none other than Kiyoko! I actually was a part of their wedding. They put me up on the groomsmen side over FaceTime! Asahi is shy as always, but nonetheless very enthusiastic to see me. Tsukki, who was still sulking in the corner, yelled at Tanaka to shut up. Classic Tsukki. Kiyoko was actually unable to make it today :(. She's doing modeling part-time now and she had a shoot. But I heard that it’s working out really well for her!

Kageyama arrives at 5:59. Basically late. I’m sure with negotiation, I can tally this as a win for Shouyou. I haven’t really seen him since graduation. As a matter of fact, I think I only saw him once since then, and that is when he saw me off to Brazil. He is so much more lean now. His hair, though, is still very unfortunately gone. In a bowl cut. I need to find him a new barber. We made eye contact. Everyone else talking suddenly turns into background noise. Or maybe everyone stopped talking. I’m not quite sure. I was sure you could hear a pin drop with how quiet it was. Now, Tsukki decides to be helpful. He said “I didn’t know the King could take time out of his day for us peasants”. Gosh it was so snarky, but thank you Tsukki because that was a very awkward three seconds. He said it with so much attitude though, geez someone get him into therapy.

Right on time, our world-class best ever bench warmers walk in! Kinoshita, Ennoshita, Narita. Though, it probably wouldn’t be fair to call them that since one of them did become the captain in my second year. It was definitely very nice seeing them again. They greeted everyone with equal politeness, like the employed men they are. I remember back in the day how Kinoshita was Karasuno’s biggest shipper. Any interaction we had with anyone became boyfriend or girlfriend material. Especially me and Kageyama. :/. So obviously when he walked in holding hands with Narita, we all screamed! They were absofuckinglutely going to be harassed all night long. Now that we were all here (except Noya who is always late), Daichi called for a cheer to Karasuno’s risen crows! The only issue was that there was nothing to cheer with, so Yachi, being the mother-figure that she is, called a waiter over and ordered us drinks. For some stupid reason, they were all alcoholic too. This was going to a longggg night. Especially for everyone else. I know now that Suga can get DRUNK, and he becomes extremely sentimental and honest when he is. I think, at least from what I remember. I know I wrote that I was only tipsy at the beginning of this, but let's be honest, I was absolutely drunk. Poor Daichi and Yachi, I should probably apologize to them. Who knows what I put them through. 

Our drinks came and the party started! Literally not even saying cheers, Yachi starts tearing up. It hadn’t even been 10 minutes at that point. I swear her lip was trembling so bad, it made me very very sentimental too I guess. I pulled her into a big bear hug and Suga basically jumped on us and joined in. And for the second time tonight, I was clipped. I saw Narita slide Tsukki a ¥1000 bill. I guess they made bets on who would cry first or something. I think personally, that we should not be encouraging gambling here, but as if Tsukki would listen to anything I had to say. 

To try and lighten the mood up, Daichi begins another one of his long and painful stories. They actually aren't that bad if you're not sober. But I guess they are supposed to be for entertainment? He makes them sound like life lessons. In fact, he does usually make us reflect on it after? Like Dadchi, what is there to reflect on? Don’t puke on Tanaka because he will get mad? That was a good day. Well, not really, but my first ever official match. It brings back really good memories. The first time the world saw my freak-quick, the first time I played on the same team as an ace! It was awesome! So basically this was an embarrassing story that I would not love to reminisce about right now. Or ever really. So allegedly I had gotten my finger caught in a window in my first year on the team because I was trying to see how high I could reach. Like I know that it happened, but I had to deny it because that was so embarrassing. Now Daichi and Tsukki were very insistent that I did it. With no defenses left, I look at Yachi, then I look at Kageyama. Neither of which seem to be in the helping mood, in fact Kageyama looked like he was holding back laughter and Yachi was definitely dying on the inside. Asahi was howling with laughter, and I probably looked like I had to take another English test. Bro English will genuinely be my biggest crash out. Like Portuguese, it was not hard to learn like English at all but English. OH MY GOSH. AND THE TEACHER COULDN’T EVEN SAY THINGS PROPERLY!!!

It ended alright though because I guess that Asahi felt bad for laughing and pulled out a gift for me (as he should, duh). Love you Asahi! It was just a tiny little charm necklace with wings as the charm. The necklace itself is sterling silver, but the wings are black, making a really nice contrast. I probably almost started tearing up, and I think everyone else could tell because Suga had to slap me on the back again to prevent me from crying. So to save whatever was left of my dignity, I just acted like I was crying because of Daichi’s uncalled for story. I fear this planted a little sentimental seed in my heart. I didn’t realize how much I missed everyone until I came back. So at this point, as I was doing my “I miss you all” speech, I realized that Noya was not here yet. 

Then I swear this next part was like a manifesto or something because not even 10 seconds after I thought that thought, Noya burst through the door curtain thing, causing Yachi’s tea to spill over a little bit. Tanaka, who was already tipsy,  nearly jumped him, Suga and Daichi had to hold him back. Asahi greeted him with a little kiss (aww), and everyone else greeted him with politeness. Except Ennoshita who apparently had made a bet back in their third year that Noya would show up late to our first reunion one day and owe him money. I don’t know the context behind this, but both of them seemed to remember. Well rather, Ennoshita remembered, Noya denied, and Kinoshita backed up Ennoshita. I don’t know what it is with these guys and betting but hey, they’re making money. Mostly. Yamaguchi claimed that Noya had gotten taller. Tsukki responded by saying that he still looked like a middle schooler. Noya punched Tsukki in the side, but everyone came out alive!

Eventually, our food arrived and Daichi ordered a cheer for all of us. It was so emotional that I had to write it down on a napkin. To the crows. The ones who learned how to fly in a tiny old gym and somehow kept flying long after the doors closed. The ones who worked until their legs burned and still asked for one more rally. The ones who left the nest and still managed to chase the sky in their own ways. To the crows who grew up. Who failed a lot and got back up anyway. Who found new courts and new dreams. Who still cheer for each other even from far away. To every version of us that got here. And to the fact that we are still soaring.

Daichi must have been reading angst in his free time because that speech got everyone tearing up. I swear even Tsukishima and Kageyama had to look away for a few seconds. Now that everyone was all soapy, and probably tipsy, our former co-captain Suga stood up. Now whenever Suga is tipsy and emotional, we all know that the speech is about to be so heart-wrenching. Not in like a so-and-so died type of way, but like a nostalgic way. He said how he loves his job so much because his kids remind him of us. Including the stupid things they do, he knows how to handle because it had been done by someone before. Like a prime example is when a kid threw up, but he knew exactly how to handle it because I would throw up a lot before games. Or when two kids would fight over toys, he could handle it because allegedly, me and Kageyama used to fight like elementary schoolers. He says he sees a little bit of us in them. So this made Kageyama actually start crying, but not gonna lie, he does get very emotional and cuddly when he's had something to drink. Tsukki’s ears turn red, which happens when he gets sad about something. Specifically sad and not any other emotion because any other negative emotion is backed up by him yelling at us. Yachi has tears streaming down her face. I think she missed us a lot. Seeing this made Suga cry and he’s choking so bad that he doesn’t know whether he should down his tears with another drink or a napkin. Daichi hands him a napkin and he starts to drink-wipe his tears away. 

Yamaguchi took this as a moment to poke fun at Tsukishima, and probably to try and lighten the mood. The time when Tsukki tripped on a volleyball during warm-up at nationals. I genuinely still remember that moment clear as day. It was before the Nekoma game, and when he tripped, he fell princess-style right into Kuroo’s arms. It was so romantic, but he denied it. Like sureeee but I know for a fact that everyone remembers that. The entire table erupts in laughter and Tanka smacks the table so hard that a piece of chicken flew towards the ceiling and unfortunately, ended up on Daichi’s head. 

Noya must’ve had enough to drink, because he started going on about his travel stories. Apparently one time, he somehow crashed a wedding in Thailand. He has photos for proof, but honestly it just looks like a really cheap photoshopping job. Tanaka looks like he's about to blow up from laughter and Asahi looks slightly embarrassed but I think that he’s in the background of the photo. 

You know the feeling that when your head feels like it's above the clouds and your dizzy and unaware and cuckoo feeling? Like it happened a lot to me as a child when I would go jump on trampolines. It’s like you're zoned out but like every single sound and motion is still so sensitive to you. Well that happened. Somewhere between Noya’s wedding antics and Ennoshita complaining about work, I zoned out and then proceeded to ruin everyone's fun with a yelp because I felt a hand on my shoulder. Turns out, it was just Kageyama's hand. He turned to me and asked what I had been doing with my life for the past three years. What a shitty question Kageyama! The first ever time seeing your best friend in three years and you ask if he made any progress? But it made sense for him. We caught up. Regrets on us not meeting when he came for the Olympics, the excuses we made for that, calls that were left unanswered, excuses for that, daily check-ins that we were so insistent on, and more excuses on why we stopped doing it after a few weeks. I really hope that he hasn’t fallen behind, because then, he would be no fun to play against!

Before I knew it, Suga and Noya were drunk and threatening to turn the place upside down, Tanaka was being and active supporter, and Yachi and Daichi was starting to look a little suicidal. It's weird how I always group Yachi with the adults. I guess she's just a team mom. Anyways, as an effort to put all of this to an end, Yachi calls the waiter to get the bill, which Daichi, Suga, Noya, Asahi, Yamaguchi, and Ennoshita, practically jump at. Then there was like a whole fight going on about who would pay. And since the fight wasn’t going very effectively, Tsukki recommended that they split off into bracket groups and the one who won would get the honor. To my surprise, they agreed. So Asahi fought Daichi, but neither of them actually wanted to fight so they shook hands and Daichi took the win. Yamaguchi fought Suga, but when Suga threatened to light Yamaguchi’s hair on fire with a nearby candle, Suga was unfortunately, decided as the winner. Noya surprisingly beat Ennoshita by performing a rolling thunder on him knocking out Kinoshita too. I don’t even remember the rest but I do know what Daichi ended up paying. 

Before we left, Yachi called us over for a team photo. All of us kind of just awkwardly bunch against a wall in the tiny room. Then, we realized that Asahi should probably not be in the front, nor should Tsukki, so we spent a solid 15 minutes trying to rearrange the formation. This left me in a half awkward crouch, half standing position thing, Very uncomfortable. Also, as if supporting my own weight wasn’t enough, Kageyama was also relying on me to stay standing. Tsukki is complaining asking why its taking so long, Yachi is profusely apologizing to the waiter she flagged down to take this picture, Suga is crying again, and Tanaka is screaming One Last Time at the top of his lungs. The picture isn’t perfect, you can't see half of our faces, but that's just like the old times, messy, imperfected, yet so coordinated.

By the time everyone started gathering their coats, the warmth of the night clung to me like smoke after a festival. For a second, I looked around that tiny room and wished time would wait just a little longer. And when my eyes caught Kageyama’s across the table, something in my chest shifted the way old wounds do when you rub salt on them.

If you're still reading this in the future, please forgive my poetic-ness, I guess I become an author once I'm under the influence.