13.5

It was loud and bustling like what you would find when entering the classroom. Akari glared at her noisy teammates and put on her headset.

"Oh my God! This is going to be so much fun!" One of the 2nd years, Kimura Saori, shrieked, getting on top of her seat to look around. "This is will be like the first time we'll be having this. Well, second time for the third years."

A first year named Takeshita Yoshie looked over to Ishii. "What about last year?"

Ishii shook her head. "We had Golden Week nearby Shiratorizawa so we didn't have to stay anywhere."

Another first year, Nagaoka Miya, nodded in understanding. "I see… by the way, where is Yoshikami? Why didn't she go with us?" She looked around the bus for the short girl.

Hatsume responded for her, "What are you talking about? Yoshikami-chan is just right over…" She pointed to the seat beside Akari, but there was only a bag there. "Wait…"

Coach Haruto sprung up from her seat upon hearing this. "Where is Yoshikami Hoshi?! Didn't she ride with us?!" The girls began searching through the bus, even to the point that the bus had to stop.

But there was no sign of the short girl.

Yoshikami had just finished number two. She returned the key to the convenience store worker and walked out to find the bus. She blinked twice. Weird, where was the bus? It should be parked right over there- she pointed at the parking area, but there was another bus there. It was white with the words Aoba Jhosai printed on the side.

Her brows furrowed. She rubbed her eyes twice to see what she was actually seeing. Oh great, her height really is a big problem there. Her teammates probably thought she rode the bus with Akari!

She face-palmed. She has to call them. She searched her pockets for her phone. She pursed her lips and looked down at her jacket pocket. She began to panic when her pockets were empty.

"Okay, okay. Calm down. Who has Yoshi-chan's number?" A few raised their hands. "Izumimoto-san, call her." The 2nd year libero nodded and dialed the number.

The loud ringing woke up Akari up and she answered the phone. "Ello?" All girls turned to Akari. Izumimoto put down her phone upon hearing Akari's voice.

Oh, great, just great! Yoshikami was now full-blown panicking. She had no phone, no money, nothing that is important at all to contact her coach!

"Hey, lil kid. Are you lost?" Yoshikami turned around and saw a group of tall guys with jersey jackets. She looked at the color of their jackets then at the bus.

She hoped that they were heading to where she was heading to. "Uhm, I'm lost?"

The guy who spoke to her knelt to her level and gave her pat. "It's okay, kid. We'll get you back to your parents. What's your name?"

Yoshikami face-palmed. "Uhm, no. I'm with Shiratorizawa." She turned around to show them her jersey. "And I'm 16. They left me here. Are you guys going to Higashimatsushima by any chance?"

"What do you mean you lost one of your players along the way?" Saito whispered as well as shouted in a panic. "Okay, okay, I'm calming down… which one… Where did you lose her?" He scribbled down in his notebook. "Okay…okay…we're heading there right now. Good thing we left later than you guys." He ended the call and turned to the older coach. "Coach Washijo, Coach Haruto said that one of their players- short girl with white hair got left behind at one of the convenient stores…" He whispered into his ear so the male players wouldn't hear it.

The coach sighed. "That is why I insisted with her not to accept any short players!"

Ushijima shook in his sleep, feeling his right thigh vibrate. He rubbed his eyes as he took out his phone and answered the call, "Wakatoshi Ushijima."

"How dare you, Bastard Ushijima!" He sighed upon hearing the familiar voice.

"You should've come to Shiratorizawa, Oikawa." He said, knowing full well that they were going to go against each other during the Golden Week.

"Oh, shut up about that! Your school is a mess. They even left this poor, defenseless…" Ushijima rose a brow hearing the voice groan. There was a slight wind then the new voice made him jump.

"Ushijima-kun, can you tell Coach Haruto that I'll be going with Aoba Jhosai to Higashimatsushima?" The voice sweetly asked.

Ushijima furrowed his brows. "Yoshikami, why are you with Oikawa?"

The voice sighed. "It's a long story- I'll tell you when we get there to Higashimatsushima, okay? I'm fine here. They're nice guys. Just please tell Coach Haruto I'm fine."

"Okay. I'll tell her." He ended the call and sighed, dialing the female coach's number.

Oikawa cried out. "Why did you do that?!"

Yoshikami stood over him proudly. "I am not defenseless!" The boys in the bus laughed at the two. The bus was already moving. Yoshikami was seated by herself in the front while the boys filled up the seat behind them.

She was sipping milk which was given to her by the coach. She gratefully accepted it, but included apologies for troubling them.

"I want to pat her…" Oikawa groaned, staring at Yoshikami from above her seat. "…her hair looks so soft." The person beside him punched him hard on the arm. "That hurts, Iwa-chan!" They were seated behind Yoshikami.

Iwaizumi glared at him. "Don't scare her. She must be nervous being around guys."

"No, I'm not." Yoshikami butted in. She got on top of the seat, standing on her two feet because kneeling wouldn't help her. "My friends are all guys. That also includes Ushijima-kun." She narrowed her eyes at Oikawa. "No one curses my friends and gets away with it."

Oikawa scoffed. "Well, hearing him say 'you should've come to Shiratorizawa' is really pissing me off!"

Yoshikami looked at him up and down. "Maybe you should've."

"No! I don't want to hear that from you either!"

"You should've come to Shiratorizawa."

"Shut up, you shrimp!"

"…You should've come to Shiratorizawa…"