Chapter Thirty-Four: Townsperson B

BY THE TIME NIGHT CAME, SAKURA CAME out of the school to meet up with her brother and Yachi at the gym. It was dark out and her own club had finished quite some time ago, but she used the time after that to study some more. With exams coming soon, there was always a need to keep up on her studies for it. Though now with night finally shadowing over the school, and just about every club finishing up, Sakura needed to meet up with her brother to go home. Also check in with her friend to make sure that the practice went well.

"Yachi-chan," Sakura said as she moseyed over to her friend. The blonde jumped at her sudden voice, being dragged out of her own thoughts abruptly. "How was it?"

She laughed nervously, "It was… a bit overwhelming."

"That's understandable." Sakura pursed her lips, "None of the guys gave you a hard time, right?"

Yachi smiled a bit at the worry that her friend had for her, "No, no, it was okay."

"That's good." If they did, she would certainly be first in line to reprimand them for it. The absolute last thing that she needs is for them to scare Yachi away from her. If Yachi decided to not be friends with Sakura based off of a bad interaction with the team, Sakura wouldn't know what to do. Then again perhaps she was overreacting a bit with the possibility of Yachi just leaving her because of this.

As the two were talking, the goddess of a manager came out as well, "Oh, Hitoka-chan. Are you done changing?" Kiyoko said, changing her shoes and noticing that Sakura was also there. "Sakura-chan, how was your day?"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, "fine, nothing too special." 

"I'll walk with you both, so hold on a sec." Kiyoko said politely, "I'm going to change, too."

Yachi jumped, "No, it's okay. I actually think I should be walking with you, or something, or…"

"Don't worry about it." The older girl then walked off to get herself ready to go, leaving no argument to be made from Yachi.

Sakura chuckled lightly at the conflicted expression on Yachi's face. "Kiyoko's really nice, you'll have to get used to it."

From the open window, Yachi and Sakura could hear Ukai and Takeda talking in the gym. "What's wrong, sensei?" Ukai asked, "Why the serious face?"

Takeda sighed heavily, "Oh, well… Apparently, the bus we were supposed to take for the away games in Tokyo was booked by another club, so it doesn't look like we'll get it. It looks like it's going to cost us a lot more than expected, so I was trying to figure out what to do."

"I'll try talking to a few more alumni." Ukai thought out loud, "I'm sure this problem'll come up again in the future."

"I apologize. I'll try reaching out, as well. Well, if all else fails, I do have some savings."

Ukai jumped at that, "No, no, no. You need to save that for your future wedding, or something. And don't do that with your hand!"

Yachi and Sakura shared a look with each other. In a seeming telepathic moment, the two came to the same sort of wavelength. There had to be some way to raise some money for the club, but where were they going to start?

"Yachi-san!" Shōyō suddenly shouted as he came over to the two girls. The poor blonde jumped at the shout of her name, "Yachi-san, are you gonna be our manager?"

"Uh, um…"

Shōyō smiled at her eagerly, "You will, right?"

Sakura stepped up to save Yachi from her brother, becoming a barrier between them, "Don't pester her, Shō-nii. It's only been one practice." As if Yachi would have made her decision after one proper day with the team. The last thing she needed was for her brother or any of the other volleyball idiots scaring Yachi off. No need for Yachi to start worrying too much and have a panic attack right now.

Though it didn't seem like the other boys were going to help the matter either as the two-year idiots were coming up to the group. It was Tanaka who started by saying, "Hey, first-year girl, hey!"

"We hope that you will join the Karasuno High School volleyball team." Nishinoya said seriously.

Yachi blinked, "Huh?"

Tanaka continued on with a smile on his face, "When you're around, Kiyoko-san talks a lot." 

Sakura shook her head and muttered to herself, "of course that's why."

Daichi and Suga then came up from behind them, the majority of the boys having finished changing. The captain bonked the two idiots on the head with a reprimand, "What kind of invitation is that, you idiots?!"

Suga attempted to amend any offense, as usual, "Sorry these guys are so stupid."

"No, not at all!" Yachi exclaimed, "Um… I'm flattered. I've never tried to do something on my own, or had someone need me for anything… Even in drama club, I've only been an extra. Like Townsperson B or a tree." Everyone tilted their heads at that. Though she continued on, "So when Shimizu-senpai worked so hard to recruit a Townsperson B, like me, who has no experience or knowledge of volleyball, I was really happy. But I'm sure I'm not much-"

"I totally get how you feel." Tanaka started, a passionate expression on his face, "Even if Kiyoko-san said, 'I'm going to steal money from you, so follow me.' I'd still follow her."

Nishinoya gaped at his heroic friend, "You're so manly, Ryu!"

"That's definitely not healthy," Sakura stated with a slightly concerned yet disgusted expression.

Endo commented with a hum as he passed by with Asahi, "Toxic, even." 

"Uh, I think that's a bit different." Yachi commented.

Though that didn't matter or register to Shōyō or Nishinoya as the orange-haired decoy exclaimed, "That sounds sorta awesome!" Suga just stared at his bald friend in disbelief, how can they really be this stupid?

"Looks like Tanaka's saying something again." Asahi said, amused by his friends.

"Oh, that reminds me…" Shōyō started as he rummaged through his bag for his phone. He held it up for them to read and saw that it was a text from Nekoma's setter, Kenma.

To: Hinata Shōyō

From: Kozume Kenma

Subject: None

We made it through the first round. This week is round two of prelims.

"Damn!" Nishinoya just about screamed, "Nekoma's so awesome!"

Tanaka joined in as the trio started jumping around, "I'm getting fired up!"

Sakura leaned over to Yachi who watched the boys shouting with a bit of concern. She stated, "they get like this most of the time, well… all of the time."

---

With it now being the next day, Sakura was nervously tapping her fingers on the crook of her elbow. Ever since school had ended, and she decided to walk Yachi to the gym for the second day, she had been nervous. She had to talk herself up to what she had wanted to do right now. Though it should be simple, she just had to ask Yachi something, what was so nerve wracking about that?

She cleared her throat as they made it to the gym doors, "Um, so Yachi."

"Hm?" she hummed, turning to her friend.

Sakura pursed her lips glancing away for a moment, "I was wondering if you wanted to study a bit this weekend."

"Oh," Yachi nodded her head, "yeah of course!"

Sakura let out a relieved sigh, "Nice, okay. Is your house okay? It's probably closer to the school than mine."

"That's perfect! How about this Saturday, is noon a good time?"

Sakura smiled happily, "That works." The giddy feeling that came over her about finally having a friend to hang out with out of school. She's never had anyone to do that with. She hung out with the photography club a couple times to get snacks and boba after club, but hanging out with someone at their house seemed different to her. "Shōyō will probably tag along, since he needs all the help he can get."

"Oh, that's fine." Yachi nodded her head, not having an issue with others coming. "Kaygeyama might come too, him and your brother have been working well enough together to study." Yachi explained happily. Which she found more than inspirational since the two were determined to do their best to get to Tokyo.

"Sadly." Sakura let out a sigh, before turning to leave, "I'll see you later then."

"See you!"

Now sitting around the tables of the club room, the photography club all had their attention on their president. Shimada stood with a broad smile on her face as she presented to them with an air of whimsy around her. Thankfully, since her friends were used to it, they weren't choking on it at the moment, but if she kept this up, they would soon. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, "Well for the next big gallery I was thinking of doing something on Heroes and leaders!" Shimada exclaimed, more than excited to share the news with the club. Though she's always excited to share any news with her club.

Wada blinked at her as she stared at them expectantly, "Meaning…?"

"I would think it means people who are heroes and leaders, duh," Ito explained, as if she were talking to a toddler.

"So you want me to take a photo of the Prime Minister and call it a day." Wada asked dully, thinking of the prompt shallowly. It didn't seem all that interesting to him, not too much artistic style to it like he usually includes. He's not the type of photographer that loves adding more artistic styles to his work. He finds portraits boring, not necessarily wanting to work with people for such work.

"You could if you want." Mori explained, "We were thinking more of people you idolize in your own life who are your hero or a great leader, not just people who are in power like the Prime Minister."

So not just a leader in position and name, but a leader in inspiration, or a philosophical aspect. Sakura thought to herself.

Wada pursed his lips and shrugged after a moment of thinking, "Hmm, I could work with that."

Yokoyama teased with a sassy tone, "You can't take pictures of yourself." They all know that Wada may not be exactly the cockiest person out there, but he has his moment, and they would definitely think that he'd take a photo of himself and say he's his own leader. Though they supposed that could work, still goes against the idea of going out of your way to find something to photograph.

He seemed more than offended that the comment was pointed in his direction, "I wasn't gonna do that!"

Ito deadpanned, not believing him as far as she could throw him, "Really?"

"Shut up." He grumbled at the playfully scrutinizing stare from his friends.

Shimada laughed at the banter before saying, "You've got time to figure it out, since we're not doing the gallery until after exams. Focus on your academics for now, then we'll finish up the planning for the gallery."

Sakura paused for a moment as the thought circled in her mind. She wouldn't say she definitely considered someone to be a hero of hers. A leader she might consider would probably be Takeda or Ukai, since they do quite a good job of wrangling the volleyball club. Even Daichi is quite a good leader with how he keeps them in check but also has a tight friendship with everyone. A hero is a different story to her. If someone saved her life then they'd be her hero, but she's never been in danger of that sort so there wasn't anyone to consider in that regard.

Wada's face suddenly appeared in front of Sakura, startling her slightly. He poked her cheek, which earned him a slap, "You're thinking quite hard, I can see the smoke coming from your ears."

"Leave her alone, Wada!" Ito groaned from her seat, "Don't bully the poor girl."

He raised his hands in surrender, "I'm not bullying, just concerned for her brain, must be overthinking something again."

Sakura scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm not overthinking."

Yokoyama leaned down with a wide teasing smile, "Sounds like something someone overthinking would say."

"No doubt you're overthinking the gallery topic, don't sweat it." Wada continued on, not backing down despite Sakura's light glare, "You did amazing for the first one, the pictures you've shown us lately are amazing, and we're not even focusing on the gallery until exams are done, so you're fine."

She just sighed, "Yeah, yeah." Perhaps she was overthinking it a bit too hard. She has to focus on exams coming up, that was certainly the most important thing at the moment. Sakura knew that she has a tendency to think too hard about something, especially when it's something outside of her comfort zone. Photography, while it's a hobby she enjoys, is not something that she has full confidence in. She was getting there, slowly but surely, though it would still take a bit of time. Though she'll focus on something that she is confident on, and that's her studying.

---

Now that school was over, Endo had joined up with his clubmates to head to the clubroom. His day had been agonizingly boring, nothing too entertaining to give him life during his classes. As always, the only highlight of his day was getting to hang out with Asahi during break time, but nothing else was exciting. So now he was walking into the club room with his friends

"Kiyoko seemed more than excited earlier," Endo commented as he changed into his practice clothes.

Daichi nodded his head, "She's excited to have a new manager around."

Finishing putting his shirt on, Suga laughed lightly, "I think most of the team is."

"When we saw her the other day, she was quite adorable, no?" Endo asked, "Skittish, but definitely cute." He's not really the type of person to talk to anyone outside of his grade, the only exception being the team. So he's never heard of this girl before. Still on the first meeting, Endo didn't think there was going to be any issues with her. Besides maybe her being a tad bit… scared about meeting the team. Though who knows.

With his brown eyes hardening to look at his friends, Daichi made sure to state firmly, "No one scare Yachi-san off, okay? We have to make her feel welcomed."

Endo chuckled, "Better tell that to Thing 1 and Thing 2, they might scare the poor girl away."

"Which ones?" Asahi asked with a tilt of his head, "Nishinoya and Tanaka or Hinata and Kageyama?"

Endo pursed his lips, "Nishinoya and Tanaka. Hinata and Kageyama are tweedle dee and tweedle dumb. Though at times it can change." They all laughed a bit at that before finishing up. With all the boys now dressed up, they headed down to the gym and started their warm up. They set up the net, got the balls, and anything else that was needed.

Eventually, the two managers came to the gym as well. "Ouginishi will arrive in four and a half hours." Kiyoko called out to the boys while tying up her shoes.

They all shouted in response, "Right!"

Noticing the skittish new girl, Endo decided to walk up to them. He has to make a good first impression, after all. If this girl was going to be coming onto the team as a new manager, it would be best to get in her good graces. He approached and saw that she was fiddling with her fingers nervously. He plastered a charming, disarming smile on his lips and leaned down to her slightly. 

A shadow loomed over Yachi as she finished. Yachi jumped at the tall boy leaning over her with a devilish looking smile. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she stared up at his illuminating eyes. To be honest, it looked as though a devil was leering at her, analyzing her every movement. Like any slight movement she made was being recorded into his mind to use for later use.

"You look familiar," he muttered smoothly, "I can't put my finger on it."

Yachi's wide eyes stared at him, "O-Oh."

"Yachi, Yachi." Endo tapped his chin in thought, the girl's name ringing bells in his mind, "What does your mother do for work?"

The girl answered a bit hesitant with the attention of Endo on her, "She's a graphic designer."

"That's where I know your name from!" He exclaimed, causing Yachi to jump up in surprise at the shout. "Your mother has worked for my father's company before. She does amazing work. No doubt you are the same way."

Yachi laughed nervously, now realizing that this third-year was expecting a lot of him now. "I-I hope so." She wasn't sure what company his father has, but she'll probably find out at some point. She was just a bit too intimidated by his height and sharp eyes to ask. Yachi was already overwhelmed by all the chaos that was starting to ensue due to the boys warming up, so she didn't think she'd be able to work up the courage to ask Endo at the moment.

Endo just winked at her and marched off to help finish setting up. That devilish smile now haunting Yachi as he left her to her thoughts. He had met her mother once before at a social function for his father's company some time ago. She seemed like a nice woman, very much focused on her work and proud of it and Endo loved her style. What a small world, he snickered to himself. What were the odds of her daughter being at his school and also joining his club?

"That's Endo Joji," Kiyoko explained, since he hadn't done it himself.

"Endo?" Yachi tilted her head. She's heard plenty about the third-year boy from other students. She knows that he likes gossip and drama, instigating it sometimes, though she never has seen it in person before. Yachi wonders if she'll see it today. 

Kiyoko gave her a kind, reassuring smile, "don't mind him too much, he isn't all that scary." Yachi bristled, having realized that her fear and hesitation about him was able to be seen so easily. So she apologized to Kiyoko, quickly trying to explain herself for her slight. 

"Thank you for having us!" The team that was going to have a practice mat was here. A formidable enough looking team, no one too extraordinary appeared to be on the team at first glance. 

Daichi rallied them all together, "Gather round!"

"Right!"

Both teams lined up across from each other for a proper greeting. Yachi observed them all, intimidated to see even more tall boys coming into the gym. How someone would be that tall never ceased to amaze her. Though if she was to be a part of the team, then she would have to get used to it, she supposed. "Bow!"

"Let's play!" Everyone shouted out.

Each team took a little bit more time to warm themselves. Endo was doing some last minute stretching, knowing that he wasn't going to be put into the game. Even if he was, it probably wouldn't be for too long so what was the point? Any chance he could take to not get too sweaty, Endo would take it.

"We're gonna start soon," Daich called out, "so get changed!"

"Right."

So the boys all got their uniforms so they could get ready for the practice match. As they were getting changed, Suga noticed that Shōyō was attempting to put on his shirt backwards. "Hinata, that's backwards."

"Like Jamila," Tanaka laughed.

All the while, Yachi was freaking out, a blush bright on her face as she became flustered. After all, she's now having to see the boys all taking their shirts off to change into their jerseys. Kiyoko apologized to Yachi, "Sorry, you'll have to get used to this." Though that didn't do much since the poor girl was still freaking about being around them, her cheeks keeping the red hue no matter what.

Now dressed in his uniform, Endo chuckled lightly at the poor girl. Though he understands where she's coming from. "Don't worry about it, Yachi-san, more often than not they'd be embarrassed being around a cute girl." He wasn't sure if his comment helped calm Yachi down or not, since she just got even more red. Though he hoped that it had helped a little bit, even if she embarrassed her in a different way.

Nishinoya noticed a new accessory on their ace, "Asahi-san, that string in your hair is awesome!"

"String?" He blinked and sheepishly said, "It's a hairband. Well, I guess I feel confident if you say that, Nishinoya."

"Straighten up." Daichi scolded the slouching boy as he slapped him on the back.

Tanaka came over, "Trying to change your image, Asahi-san?"

"No, the other day…" He explained, "Kiyoko said my hair braid was tight enough to make me go bald. That's why…" Nishinoya just bursted out laughing, the image of a bald Asahi now in his mind.

Endo ruffled Asahi's hair lightly, "could never imagine you without your luscious locks." If there's one thing that Endo loves about Asahi, it's his hair. No doubt in his mind, it just makes him look so… good.

"I need to be careful, too," Tanaka said, the worry of him losing his hair now on his mind.

Yamaguchi stated, "There are some hot bald guys, though."

"I'm not bald!" Tanaka denied rather loudly. 

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow at his upperclassman, "Aren't you going to get into your uniform, Tanaka-san?"

The bald teen shouted, "I'm about to!"

Endo jabbed Asahi in the side with his elbow as he snickered, "He's not done showing off to Kiyoko." They all knew he was just attempting to flex and show off to Kiyoko. He wasn't exactly subtle about it.

The whistler blew, now warm ups were over. Ukai then called all the boys over, and they were finally ready to start the practice game against Ogi Nishi. So they huddled up together, "This is our first match with another team since the Inter-High prelims." Ukai said, "You haven't forgotten your frustrations for then, have you?"

"Right!"

"All right, go out there and raise some hell!" Ukai shouted with a smirk.

"Right!"

So the game began with the usual starters and usual benchwarmers. They were all ready to refine their team even a little bit more with a team in this practice match. There were a few mistakes that were made, but they could be easily rectified when analyzed later. Ogi Nishi was a decent team to play against, but they certainly weren't a team like Aoba Johsai or Nekoma. They posed a good enough challenge but nothing extravagant. Karasuno was doing well against them.

Even throughout the game, Yachi noticed that there were quite a few of the boys who were sitting on the sidelines. Endo was one of them. She would have figured that third-years would be on the court, considering she would think they'd be a bit more skilled, but perhaps she was wrong. Sugawara was even on the sidelines, so maybe she was incorrect in her assumptions. Though when she looks at them, Yachi notices the look in Endo's eyes. Sharp blue eyes, no longing or jealousy in them about having to be on the sidelines. Sugawara had that expression on his face from time to time, obviously wishing that he could be on the court, but there was an underlying acceptance. Like he knew that it was better for Kageyama to be on the court at the moment. 

Endo though… Endo was not bothered about having to be put on the side. Like he didn't care about playing or was as fired up about this as the others. Yachi had seen that all of the boys were so passionate and dedicated to these games, especially Hinata and Kageyama. However, Endo seemed to be the only one of the team who was… content with his benchwarmer status. She thought that they were all going to be like this, after running into so many of these boys being quite rambunctious and loud about volleyball. Though Endo is different. He was supportive from how he cheered for his friends, but by no means seemed ready to get on the court himself. She could only wonder why.

---

Words weren't exactly becoming jumbled just yet, which meant that Sakura had plenty of time to keep studying. It might be late, Shōyō might already be nodding off to sleep, but Sakura was still going to stay awake and study. She yawned a bit, her eyes becoming a bit droopy now that it was getting a bit later. While her brother would say she's studying a bit too excessively, like usual, she would argue there's always room to improve her study habits. Besides, nothing wrong with going over her work at least a few times. Though in the midst of her revisions, Sakura received a text. She doesn't really get texts from anyone besides her family and the few others who have her number. And when she saw that it was from Yachi, Sakura thought that it was time for a short break.

To: Hinata Sakura

From: Yachi Hitoka 

Subject: Idea

Do you think you could help me with something?

To: Yachi Hitoka

From: Hinata Sakura

Subject: RE: Idea

With what? Nothing illegal, right?

To: Hinata Sakura

From: Yachi Hitoka 

Subject: RE: Idea

WHAT? Of course not!

To: Yachi Hitoka

From: Hinata Sakura

Subject: RE: Idea

Just checking. What is it?

To: Hinata Sakura

From: Yachi Hitoka

Subject: RE: Idea

I was thinking of designing a poster, to help raise some money for the club. I've started a bit so far, but I think you can help me with it. 

|File attached|

Sakura clicked the photo that Yachi had sent her, and saw that it was a rough sketch. An idea of a poster that Yachi seemed to have thought up to help with getting money for the club. It was a good idea, Sakura thought, just needed some refining. Sakura sent her reply;

To: Yachi Hitoka

From: Hinata Sakura

Subject: RE: Idea

You're quite the artist, Yachi. I like it so far.

To: Hinata Sakura

From: Yachi Hitoka

Subject: RE: Idea

You're the club photographer, do you think you can get a photo like this?

Sakura thought for a moment, trying to picture just about every shot that she might have taken in the past few weeks. Though with how Yachi drew what she wanted in the composition, Sakura felt like she had exactly what Yachi had envisioned.

To: Yachi Hitoka

From: Hinata Sakura

Subject: RE: Idea

Actually, I think I have one that might work.

---

When Saturday rolled around, Sakura couldn't argue over the fact that Kageyama had tagged along during their study session at Yachi's. Not that she had a complete issue with it. As long as he kept his comments to himself and focused on studying whatever he needed, then she couldn't complain. Sakura would even help him out if he asked nicely. Even if he was capable of that, Sakura thought.

Though even with a limited amount of conflict, the quartet were able to get through a productive study session. Sakura couldn't help herself but made a few comments against Kageyama which bothered him, but they got through it. So now with the study session over and hopefully progress made, it was time for everyone to head home. Sakura was more than satisfied with how it had gone. She had to help Kageyama with some of his reading comprehension, which went surprisingly well. They both knew that if they had any sort of disagreement, it would just hurt them in the long run. 

Now they were saying their goodbyes after Yachi had walked them down to the street. "Man, you're a lifesaver!" Shōyō shouted, "Yachi-san, thanks for helping us study on a Saturday!"

Kageyama grunted, "Thanks."

"This was good," Sakura commented, a bit of a giddy tone to her voice. Her stomach was full of butterflies, happy with how this went since she was hanging out with a friend. Granted it was hanging out with a friend plus her brother and the king, but it was better than nothing. Perhaps she should think about doing this more often with Yachi, or even some other people in the future. Shimada would definitely be more than happy with that and would want to hang out with her. Maybe even Mori or Ito for that matter. Though she certainly wasn't going to ask Wada or Yokoyama, those two would just be annoying her in some way.

"Sure." Yachi smiled, bringing Sakura out of her thoughts, "Let's do our best on the exam." Yachi's mother, Madoka Yachi, then came outside. Dressed up in a tasteful business suit and lovely makeup, she definitely was ready and poised for her business.

"Oh, thanks for having us." Shōyō said as the three bowed towards Yachi's mother.

"No problem," Yachi's mother said, "Was she a good teacher?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna ace that exam for sure now! I think! Or rather, I won't let Yachi-san's kindness go to waste!" It warmed Yachi's heart to see Shōyō say something like that.

Kageyama thought out loud with a hand on his chin, "Kindness… 'To have a caring heart. A term used to express a caring attitude one has for another.'"

"It actually surprises me that you didn't know that." Sakura blinked, causing Kageyama to glower at her, "Even toddlers would know that."

Madoka nodded her head, "I see. Good luck on your exam."

"Thanks! Let's go to Tokyo together, Yachi-san!" Shōyō cheered loudly, his excitement taking over.

Yachi jumped, at the sudden shout and the nervousness of her mother hearing this, "Huh? R-Right…"

The trio then started to leave as Shōyō waved goodbye, "See you next week!"

"See you in class," Sakura said goodbye to her good friend as they started to head off.

Yachi bid them a farewell, "B-Bye bye…"

The trio started their walk back home. While Yachi's apartment was a tad bit closer to their school than the Hinatas' home, that meant that the twins had quite a ride home. So they'd have to get to their bikes and hope that they got home before it got too dark. Though it's not like Sakura minded, a bit of a ride home was overshadowed by the giddy feeling of having a successful hang out with a friend.

As they were walking, Shōyō couldn't help himself but pull out "Yachi-san's notes are so awesome! Notes should always be like this." Shōyō sang as he looked at his notebook, admiring the organization that he could never achieve without her help. "If Yachi-san joins, we'll have two managers. We totally sound like a champion school."

Kageyama shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "I don't think it really matters how many managers you have." 

"What?" Shōyō blinked at the two, "You don't want her to join?"

"I definitely want her to join," his twin scoffed, "that team needs more intelligent people around." Not to say that most of the team was dumb or anything… Sakura just thought that most of them shared one brain cell most days.

Kageyama just blandly said, "That's totally up to her." A statement that Sakura surprisingly agreed with. If Yachi didn't want to join the team, then she wasn't going to be forced to. Sakura would be a bit disheartened about not having another friend she would talk to while at the practices, but she wouldn't resent Yachi's decision. The last thing she would want is to guilt or force Yachi into a situation she didn't like or feel comfortable with.

"You never agree with anything." Shōyō muttered, "You're not very popular, are you?"

That caused the King to glower at Shōyō, "Mind your own business!"

Though Shōyō didn't notice as he rummaged through his bag and noticed something missing. "Oh, crap! I forgot my textbook at Yachi-san's house! I'm gonna go back and get it. See ya, Kageyama! Just wait for me Sakura." With that, he took off running back to Yachi's house to go get his abandoned book.

Sakura shook her head at his forgetfulness, "I told him to make sure he had everything." Looks like she would just have to wait there for him to come sprinting back with his missing book. How troublesome. Though she blinked at the fact that Kageyama wasn't just leaving, "Shouldn't you be going home?"

He stood there, not even looking at her as he said, "If I leave you alone, your brother wouldn't exactly be happy with me."

With furrowed eyebrows, Sakura tilted her head, "Didn't realize that you actually listened to him at all."

"I don't." Kageyama glared, "I just don't want to hear him complain about it later."

Sakura eyed him closely, trying to gage him in the moment. The two hadn't been left alone to talk with each other in quite some time. She honestly didn't remember the last time that she actually had a conversation with the King. There never really was a reason nor opportunity for her to speak with him. They weren't exactly friends, and Sakura does not like his attitude most days, but the least they could be is civil. Doesn't mean she won't make a comment every once in a while to disparage him. 

She gave him a condescending smile, "I suppose I should be happy, thanks."

Kageyama eyed her as well, his own thoughts trying to gauge what to think about her at this moment. He thought she was annoying, difficult and infuriating. She reminded him of Tsukishima just a little bit less… cold. He has been on the receiving end of her cold demeanor before, and she can be condescending most of the time. Recently, he has been comparing the two from time to time. Sakura is the same as Tsukishima when it comes to some of the things she said to him, but she also was still a bit more humane. She wasn't cruel for the sake of being cruel and never went out of her way to say something. He might be the exception as well as Tsukishima in her eyes, but it was still different from the blond middle blocker. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sakura asked, a bit put off at the fact that Kageyama was staring at her. She shifted while leaning against the stone wall, starting to become a bit uncomfortable. His piercing, gloomy eyes were making her skin crawl a bit.

Kageyama didn't even notice that he had been staring at her for a while now. He had been too lost in his own thoughts to realize he had been doing it. He huffed lightly, a bit embarrassed about having been caught staring, "nothing."

Sakura stared back at him until he looked away, his cheeks now slightly pink in embarrassment. She sighed, "Look, I don't want this to be awkward, you and my brother are… friends." She wasn't exactly sure if they were good friends or not. They were enemies for quite some time and she feels like they've overcome that, but to her it was still unknown if they were close friends. "We might as well as not be at each other's throat, you know."

This was an attempt at peacemaking between them. It was a half-assed attempt, but it was one nonetheless. Sakura didn't like being in uncomfortable situations, that is clear. So to help alleviate the potential of any conflict between her and Kageyama. Not to say that she could be friends with him, she still doesn't like his attitude most days, so there wasn't much going to happen. Not to say that she wouldn't tease him or make fun of him from time to time, or when he needs to be knocked off his high horse, but they could be a bit more, dare she say, friendly. 

Kageyama took that in for a moment, contemplating what she was saying. She wasn't saying that they had to be friends, but it would benefit everyone if they were at least nicer with each other. They had their issues with each other, perhaps they could even get over them in time, but for now, they could at least be civil. 

They both seemed to realize that it would be better without the discourse between them. Sakura's gripe with him was due to his rivalry with her brother and the way he could put Shōyō down at times. He has an issue with her just because she could be mean to him for no reason when he says something about her brother. They could work past that, at least a little.

He huffed after a while of contemplating, "I guess you're right."

So the two were left in silence. It was comfortable, surprisingly. They didn't say anything, whether that was due to not having anything to say or not wanting to talk, there was still a feeling of contentment around them. An agreement was made between them, in so little words. 

After waiting quite some time, the pair were becoming a bit restless. It took about twenty minutes before Shōyō came skipping back towards them. "What took you so long?" Sakura asked her brother, a little peeved that it took him this long to get his dang book. He could have been home by now eating dinner and talking with her sister about their days.

Shōyō gave the pair a wide smile, not noticing the peeved off expression, "Townsperson B is a fighter!"

Kageyama and Sakura blinked at him in confusion, "Eh?"

---

"I think that this works."

Yachi's hopeful expression blossomed on her face, "You do?"

The pair were sitting in their class at break, Yachi had shown Sakura the poster that she had put together over the weekend. The photo that Sakura had sent her was perfect for the vision that Yachi originally had. Shōyō jumped to his impossible heights, appearing to fly like a crow, as he went for a set. It embodied her brother's power and talent, which is all she ever goes for with photos of him like this. This moment, staring at the photo made her so glad that she was into photography. The mention of the Little Giant was a perfect touch, one she knew her brother would fawn over when he saw this. She really couldn't wait to see his reaction.

"Yeah," Sakura said, admiring the poster, "you did a great job, Yachi."

Yachi gushed, "I think your picture is amazing though Sakura, without it, it wouldn't be as good."

"Don't sell yourself short," Sakura shook her head, "You should bring this to Takeda-sensei today. I'm sure he'll be happy with it." She knew that Yachi was pretty talented, but this was so beyond what Sakura was imagining that it was so amazing. Sakura honestly loved it. Though no one would have noticed that she was extremely excited from the fact that there was only a little smile on her lips. 

Staring at the poster, Sakura's heart swelled. Her admiration for her brother was through the roof, and she was more than glad to help him. This would hopefully gain some interest in donations to the club, which could only help her brother in the long run. Though she was nervous and excited to see just when he saw what they had done.

That moment came that afternoon after class. Sakura and Shōyō were riding their bikes home, starving ever since their mother told them she was making tamago kake gohan for dinner. 

Shōyō stared at the photo, the memory of seeing that first Karasuno game all those years ago. It almost gave him the same feeling. That wonder, the amazement of witnessing something amazing filled his chest. However, this time it was him. 

"Wow…" he breathed out, having no other words for what he was seeing.

Silently, Sakura watched him see it. More than overwhelmed with how starstruck Shōyō was just by seeing the poster. She knows that going forward, he was going to get far. There were going to be so many challenges, but she knew he wasn't going to just give up. And neither should she. There was only one last obstacle that they needed to overcome before going to Tokyo; the dreaded exams. The only thing that some of them could do was pray that their scores were good enough. After all the work that they put in all this time, there was no doubt that they would all make it!