Haikyuu!! x Kuroko no Basket
A second-year manager for the Karasuno Volleyball Team and the same age as the Generation of Miracles.
Original character, Akatsuki Ai 暁 愛, added to the Haikyuu storyline. Girlfriend of Teikō and Rakuzan's captain, Aka...
The Karasuno High School Volleyball Club continued to have practice during summer break in their Second Gymnasium.
Yamaguchi dedicated nearly every spare second and ounce of energy to perfecting his jump floaters, and Tsukishima's blocks were getting better by the day.
Ai and Kiyoko noticed the improvements with shared smiles. The older females had Yachi stay with the first-year guys while Ai assisted the second and third-years.
Kiyoko sat on the stage to fill out a quick entry of their daily club journal and went home early, since she had been feeling a bit under the weather. Ai understood completely and remembered when she used to get heat strokes at Teikō, too.
.
She took a deep breath and sighed to regain focus.
"Hey, Ai," Kinoshita smiled.
"What are you doing?" Narita said, the two of them walking over to where she sat on the edge of the stage.
"Trying to remember advice and suggestions for Satsuki. She's with the team in Tokyo preparing for the basketball game."
"Oh, cool." A little curious, Narita watched her type a list of things into her phone to email her friend.
Kinoshita shot the middle blocker a side-glance, asking silently if it was okay to talk to her about basketball now.
Narita shrugged in response.
Ai looked up from time to time, to watch the others practice and to make sure they didn't need anything. But whenever she did, she just ended up heaving a big sigh before fixing her eyes on the screen again.
"Are we doing so badly that you have to keep sighing like that?" the wing spiker joked.
"Hm? Oh, no, it's not that. Just..." It was the following day since Akashi had called her about gathering together again to form a new team.
Two days since Jabberwock's street basketball exhibition match, and even now, irritation bubbled up inside of her. Every time the basketball hoops that loomed above the volleyball court caught her eye, she was reminded of the distasteful match and Strky's unfortunate loss.
She cleared her throat. "Are you both on a break? Would either or both of you like me to watch you practice?"
"Sure," Narita took up on her offer.
"I think I'll stay here a bit more," Kinoshita said.
She hopped off of the stage, leaving her cell phone there. "That's fine, but you'll let me know if you're not feeling well, right Hisashi?"
"Yeah," he agreed and waved her off.
"Okay. What are we working on, Kazuhito? May I suggest serve practice?"
The middle blocker set down the water bottle he was drinking from and looked around for an open spot. "I was thinking of receive training."
"Wonderful choice." Picking up a Mikasa volleyball, she switched her mind to the sport in front of her.
.
If he wasn't a second-year like her or the captain of his team, Ai probably wouldn't have bothered sending him something. But, it was good to make friends, and she wanted to make the connection, if Towada was willing. She hadn't even met him after the match with Ohgi Minami; only before, in front of the bathrooms with Hinata.
However, making a birthday card was a much-needed distraction from the displeasing basketball match she'd seen. She finished her creation that night and sent it out in the mail the next day.
———
August 24
Yoshiki-kun,
I hope you're doing well. I was glad to see you play at the preliminaries; I admired your strong will. I'm looking forward to seeing you at the next tournament. Best of luck and regards to your team. Happy birthday.
—Akatsuki Ai
.
"Wha-?!" Towada exclaimed after reading the letter he got from Coach Ninomiya.
The young coach was a little curious, too. In his short time as a coach so far, getting mail for the Volleyball Club wasn't an occurrence that happened often.
The No. 7, Osayu, came over to have a look. "Yo, what's that?"
"Did something happen, senpai?" Natsuse, the only first-year on the team, asked too.
"Who's it from?" Yokote, the libero, wondered.
Tazawa took one glance at the signed name and shouted enviously, "You got a girlfriend, Towada!?"
"N-no! Shut the hell up!" he stuttered, blushing red all over.
The No. 4 teased the captain along with Osayu, and Moritake and Yokote joined in on the fun. They grinned at Towada, who had to spend the day denying his crush and explaining to the team who the mysterious sender was.
***
What is your favorite match (or practice game) from both anime? (Preferably not from the manga)
