The night of May fifth had gone by quickly for everyone. While the boys anticipated their match with Nekoma the following day, Asuka had her own match to worry about. Instead of going back to Aoba Johsai to get in a few more hits, she decided to cancel and spend extra time in the warm bath so her muscles could relax for the following day.

However, the nerves that fluttered in her head were just enough to keep her up into the late hours of the night. At one point, she even got up to take a walk around the school. While the quiet neighborhood was soothing, all she wanted was someone's support. But she was all alone. Not just now, but practically in life.

Her mother had ended her volleyball career because she said that she'd never live up to her brother. But she knew the real reason was that her mom thought she was selfish and was a case of wasted talent. To make things worse, her own older brother who should've been the one person to have her back told her that she was a disappointment to the family.

Sure, she had Tomiko at her back, but the blonde was supportive because they were best friends. She didn't understand volleyball or have a passion this strong for something. Asuka just felt like she just had to suffer this alone.

Finally getting up out of bed, Asuka packed her bags and changed into her favorite pair of game spandex as well as a white t-shirt. She'd be given a uniform upon her arrival so it wouldn't matter much as of now. Completely getting ready with her hair up and shoes on, she slipped on her Karasuno team jacket. Suddenly, she remembered that she still had possession of Kageyama's jacket. Quickly running out of her room with her stuff, she found that she was completely alone.

They already left?!

Sprinting out toward the Karasuno sports park where the team was supposed to be playing. It wasn't far so she was positive she could catch up. It was eight forty-five when she ran out so she'd make it there in about five minutes.

Seeing the black jackets of the Karasuno team in the distance, Asuka stopped her jog and walked the remainder of the way. She watched as the boys of Nekoma and Karasuno bowed and greeted each other. Chatter ensued among the teams as there were mannerisms that the players seemed to have in common. Meanwhile, Asuka walked over to the tall setter and pulled him aside.

"What are you doing here?" The growl in his voice was off-putting to her. It made her feel less confident than she already was for the day. Kageyama bit his tongue as he watched her shoulders slump.

"I-I just thought you might want this back," she said timidly as she offered him his coat. He stared at it in her shaking fingers.

"Thanks," he mumbled. "Why didn't you just wait until you saw me at school or something?" She shied away at the sound of his harsh tone. He sighed and rolled his eyes at her new attitude. "What the hell is wrong with you right now?"

"I'm already nervous... You're not really helping."

"Why don't you go tell Oikawa about it? He clearly knows you better than we do." Her eyes shot up to meet his and her hands stopped shaking. A glaze fell over her eyes.

"You know what?" She clenched her fist at her side and gripped the strap of her duffel bag tightly. "Next time I'll just fucking keep the jacket," she snapped. She proceeded to roughly shove the material into his chest. He felt as if he had just been punched. All eyes were now on them as her rise in volume caused a scene. "I really just wanted to catch up with you to say good luck. Guess you don't even need it."

Without another word, Asuka stepped away from him and bowed a quick apology to the adults before storming off to her own match.

All alone.

烏

Finally making it into the Shiratorizawa gym, Asuka stepped past all of the now silent boys who watched her confident strides. Throwing her bag down against the wall, she threw her phone into a pocket and got fully game set. Suddenly, a cloth was thrown and rested over her head. Lifting it off of her face, she found a reddish-purple uniform in her clutches. Looking at the perpetrator, she found a giant towering over her. That giant was none other than Ushijima Wakatoshi.

"Put that on," he commanded. Asuka rolled her eyes and swapped her white t-shirt for the new attire quickly before following him out onto the court. Today's match was purely between the Shiratorizawa team with the exception of Asuka who had suspiciously been invited by her brother. She stood alongside the boys in line, her face clear of all nerves and discomfort. The court was her home no matter who was on it with her.

Coach Washijo stepped to the front and motioned toward the girl.

"Boys, this is Asuka. She'll be playing with you today," he said stubbornly. It seemed almost as if having a guest wasn't his preference. "We'll split in half, make sure both teams have the correct positions." He clapped his hands and moved to sit on the bench, allowing the boys to run the day's match.

"Coach is being really lax today."

"We never get to select the teams ourselves." Asuka stood idly, watching as some boys grouped up and began planning their advances. The girl looked to Ushijima and found that he already had a full team swarming him.

Of course. She rolled her eyes and smiled. Who wouldn't wanna be on his team?

Feeling a bit less confident than before, Asuka dragged her feet to the team who seemed to want to ignore the fact that they were missing a player. After all, no boy wanted the girl on their team. However, she walked over anyway and introduced herself.

"Hi," she spoke timidly. "I'm Asuka. I believe I'll be joining your team today." All of the boys locked their eyes on her figure and immediately looked away. She got no response from them which made her huff. Dropping her smile, she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at them. "Alright, listen up!" All of the boys gazed at her with wide eyes. "I'm not here to mess around today. I'm on your team today whether you like it or not, so act like it."

While her words were stern and serious, the boys all proceeded to look across the net to where her tall brother stood. Unbeknownst to her, he was giving them a firm look as if not to mess up. They nodded to themselves. However, Asuka took their minuscule response as cooperation.

How wrong she was.

Not long after, the match began. Asuka remained in her usual position of wing spiker, waiting for someone to finally set her the ball. However, all she had gotten out of the match so far were ruthless receives from Wakatoshi and meaningless calls for the spike. The boys throughout the court snickered at her pitiful state and she hated it.

After a tall boy with dark skin struck a powerful serve, the girl formulated her plan. She wasn't gonna let anyone get in her way. A boy on the opposite side of the court received the ball, albeit a bit off. The setter ran to get in line for a rough set. Lucky for her, it went up to a boy right on her left side. As the male went running up for the serve, Asuka used her speed and cut him off, taking his path to spike it herself.

She was angry. So angry that she believed that she could hit much harder than she had the night she broke through Matsukawa and Hanamaki's wall. Her furious gaze set directly on her brother who simply stared back in distaste. The face he made irked her to her very core.

Taking advantage of her pent-up rage, Asuka smashed the ball through the blockers and right past Wakatoshi's face. The speed of the ball made his hair flutter as it passed him. In conclusion, the ball passed beyond the line and offered a point to the opposing team. Asuka didn't care. Storming up to the setter of her team, she wrung his collar between her fingers.

She seethed in anger, the look in her eyes threatening the poor boy's life.

"Why the hell won't you toss to me?!" Sweat accumulated across his skin in a nervous manner, but he wore a shit-eating grin.

"Just following orders," he sneered. She was struck with confusion and scanned the room to see everyone with a guilty smirk.

"What do you mean?" The boy nodded over to her dear older brother.

"We were told not to toss to you." Suddenly coming to a realization, she froze. Her now shaking hand released the boy and fell limply at her side. She felt as if she could cry.

"Why...?" Her solemn eyes had water brimming her waterline as she made eye contact with her own blood. Wakatoshi was usually a stoic and quiet guy, but the way he glared at her made her heart sink. He'd completely set her up.

"I didn't tell mom that you've been sneaking around in the gym after school, but that doesn't mean we'll just let you play again." Her voice was caught in her throat and she was suddenly struggling to breathe. "I just thought I'd remind you." She felt like she was gonna throw up.

Quickly turning on her heels, she ripped off the uniform she had been given and wrapped herself up in her Karasuno team jacket before storming out of the gym. However, his voice made her halt in her path. "All you have to do is transfer back here and you can play to your heart's content." She scoffed, keeping her back turned to hide the tears leaking out of her eyes.

"You know what, Ushijima?" The sound of their family name startled everyone in the gym. "Family is so much more important to me than volleyball." She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets. "Thanks for reminding me that I don't have one."