Karasuno's Managers: Little Ukai and The Vulnerable

7: Unknown Territory, Maybe We Should Retreat

Day 2

The next morning, Komori made his way towards the gym at 5:45 am.

He stuck to a healthy sleeping schedule. Anything less than eight hours and his beloved cousin would berate and torture him via penalties during practice. It was cruel but understandable. A libero is vital to the team's defence. He had to maintain himself in perfect shape.

However, his teammates were active in the Itachiyama Group chat (the one they all conveniently forgot to add Sakusa to). Everyone was intrigued by Mirae Ando.

The first thing they talked about was her Instagram account which was private. Requesting to follow her at two in the morning seemed questionable, so they concluded that they would individually send a follow request later in the day.

The second and most obvious was the gossip they had found surrounding her short-term volleyball career. She was talented enough to win Gold in the Under 10 Tournament as the starting setter no less. In the years that followed, her popularity died down. An average middle school. A knee injury. From urbanized Yokohama to small-town Miyagi.

This was surprising since her twin sister Rina grew to rank as a top three-wing spiker.

Last, Kiyoomi Sakusa. They were used to his blunt attitude, honest to a fault and pride. Everyone one of them agreed that they had to minimize the amount of time he spent with their temporary manager.

It would not be the first time a girl burst into tears because of him but if they could help it, Ando would not fall victim.

It took a few tries for the keys to fit into the lock but then the door nudged open.

Komori pushed through and saw that the lights were on. Two nets were set up. He walked in, scanning the gym and then saw Mirae pushing a cart of volleyballs out of the storage room.

"Good morning," she smiled. She was wearing a pair of black sports pants and a grey v-neck shirt. She had tied her Itachiyama jacket around her waist.

"Good morning. How come you're here early?" He rubbed his eyes and tossed his bag to the side of the gym. "How'd you get in anyway?"

"I asked Coach Iwasaki for the keys."

"You didn't need to."

"First rule of management," she turned to him and smirked knowingly, "Managers set up the equipment so you boys can stretch properly and start practise on time."

"I could get used to this treatment," he grinned. "Thanks!"

"No problem. Practice starts at 6, right?"

Komori took a volleyball from the cart and smacked it against the ground. "Yup. It's usually just four or five of us."

He began to play bump when she snatched it mid-air.

"You have to stretch first," she scolded. "You'll hurt yourself."

"She's right," a deep voice murmured. Sakusa walked past them briskly.

Komori and Mirae shrieked.

"Why do you pop up out of nowhere?" Komori growled. "Your mother told you to stop creeping up on people. The doors don't even squeak when you come in. Do you oil them or something?"

"Shouldn't the janitor oil the door hinges?"

"They would but Mr. If You Wants Something Done Right, You Do It Yourself does it before they've had a chance to."

Sakusa shot him a glare. He stood away from them and stretched his shoulders.

It was not unusual for him to come to practise early. He liked to check the equipment and ensure his teammates kept the storage room organized. Today was a bit different though. Sakusa had come with the intention of catching Mirae Ando alone.