Of Cats and Crows (Sugawara Koushi)

Ninja Business

Mitsumi was surprisingly enjoying the after-practice potluck with the JNT. Her plate was piled with various home-cooked dishes. She was sitting in the park with her teammates enjoying the beautiful spring weather. Some of them had kids or a significant other in attendance.

She was currently listening to Hatsukoi's three-year-old talk about her undying love for cats. It was quite adorable, and Mitsumi didn't mind the company of the child. "Want to see something, Rima-chan?" Mitsumi pulled her red ribbon with black cats on it out of her pocket. "I like cats too."

Rima's bright green eyes lit up like firecrackers. "Woah! You like cats too?" The toddler pointed to the tiny cats on the ribbon.

Mitsumi chuckled and slipped the ribbon back into her pocket. "I like cats too."

Hatsukoi caught sight of the interaction and scooped her toddler up into her arms. "I hope she wasn't a bother. She's our little chatterbox." She had to bring Rima to practice on Saturdays since her husband worked in a hospital nearby on the weekends.

"She wasn't a bother at all." Mitsumi smiled gently.

Saki sat down under the tree next to Mitsumi. "She won't admit she loves kids. She always has." She smirked and took a bite of a piece of barbequed pork. Everyone always snickered when Saki threw her introverted friend under the bus. This time was no exception. The team seemed to find some sort of entertainment in it.

Chihiro was stacking her plate for the nth time. "Don't you have a boyfriend, Mitsumi?"

The libero hadn't mentioned a thing about Koushi to anyone besides Saki and Akira. Those snitches! Chie glared at her two friends. "How do you know that?"

Madoka wriggled her eyebrows as she looked over Mitsumi. "The Spring Nationals documentary special. That setter guy is super cute. He must have nerves of steel to date you."

Of course, they would be shown together in that stupid news station documentary. She hadn't watched it yet but had it recorded on her television at home. Matsuri had brought her boyfriend, Eijiro, along. He was just as social as the captain herself. And was probably even louder than she was. Especially around Hatsukoi's husband, Kaito. To the captain, it was a shame the infamous Sugawara Koushi they had heard about from Saki and Akira wasn't in attendance.

"He's busy running errands with his cousin today. So, he couldn't come." Mitsumi tried to explain to everyone.

Tetsuya practically dived for Mitsumi's cellphone. "I want to see pictures!"

"Me too!" Nagisa chirped.

"Don't leave me out!" Aimi huffed and went over.

Mitsumi muttered a few choice words under her breath and unlocked her phone. She opened up to a few photos. "This is him. Our high schools were volleyball rivals. So, he came out for training camps a lot." She swiped through her gallery.

The Mitsumi Chie in those photos seemed to be extremely different from the Mitsumi Chie they all knew. She had a bright smile and a relaxed demeanor. Her often furrowed facial features were softened and glowing.

Chihiro blinked rapidly, "Woah, you look different."

Saki and Akira nodded in agreement. "That's what we said!"

"I wanna see!" Matsuri snatched the phone out of the libero's hands. She scrolled through the photo gallery. "Yep, you guys are going to get married."

The world froze and time stopped. "MARRIED?!" Chie shrieked in utter terror. Any form of commitment terrified her, but marriage was her worst nightmare. "There is no f-"