Of Cats and Crows (Sugawara Koushi)

University Daze

Mitsumi got back to the apartment after piano practice completely checked out. Yet, she still had so much to do. College had been no joke, and her music degree had sucked the living daylights out of her social life. It was all music, volleyball, part-time work, and sleep. She missed the simple days of just being able to let loose with her friends. Life was just different. The carefree days of adolescence were far behind her now.

The cicada's songs outside seeped through the walls. The girl turned on the symphony that she was studying in her music history class in the background as she lay on the couch and scrolled through her phone. It was a late Friday night. The college volleyball tournament season had yet to begin. Which meant all of her teammates were out partying and living their best lives.

Mitsumi furrowed her brows and scrolled through the contacts on her phone. Someone had to be available to do something. She couldn't just waste time at home in a depressive slump. She clicked on Kuroo's contact information and let out a sigh. He was probably in a chemistry lab. That dork. She typed out a quick text message:

Mitsumi Chie: Hey dork, are you in the lab still?

The response was almost instantaneous:

Kuroo Tetsurou: Lol! I just stepped out for the night. I'm headed out for some boba if you want to join.

Mitsumi Chie Heck yeah! I just got home. Where do you want to meet?

The girl leaped to her feet and dashed to her bathroom. She fixed her now frizzed-out ponytail and slicked all of the flyaways down. She stared at her outfit. She was wearing blue jeans with a black and white striped button-down blouse. It was nice enough, but she wondered if she should change. That's what most girls would do, right?

A knock on her door changed all of that. Mitsumi groaned for a split second before grabbing her purse from her room and rushing to open the door. "You're so fast, gosh dang it!" She slipped on her yellow toms as fast as she could.

Kuroo rolled his eyes, "Come on, short stacks." He was suddenly shoved aside by Mitsumi.

"Don't call me that, bedhead." Mitsumi spat back and locked her front door.

He patted her shoulder with a decent amount of force. But, not enough to hurt her. "Fine fine fine." Kuroo sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "So, I heard from Suga that your team is really working triple time."

The girl nodded and crossed her arms as they walked. "Yeah, we have a match against Miyagi University next week. Of course, the same day I have to perform in Masterclass."

"Pfft. That's on you for choosing such a high-maintenance major!"

"Not like yours is any better! Besides, isn't your team going out to play Shiratorizawa for a practice match?" She glared up at the looming male. Both of them had managed to get scholarships and a spot on Tokyo University's volleyball team. For both Kuroo and Mitsumi, the sport was the only way they could afford school.

"Yeah, we are! But that has nothing to do with school work." The male glared down in annoyance. "And for the record, my classes aren't performance-based. Lab work is easy to catch up on."

The duo argued the entire way to the Boba Shop. Some things never changed. Mitsumi lost the argument and paid for the drinks. She stood at the pickup counter and waited for the order to be done with an irritated scowl on her face. The sly male had yanked her into doing his bidding again. And it pissed her off. He knew that.

A familiar, "Hey, Mitsumi!" came from behind her. Two voices had called out to her, making her snap out of her irritation.

"Lev?!" Mitsumi was surprised to see the two boys dressed in their bright red uniforms. "What are you doing here?"