Of Cats and Crows (Sugawara Koushi)

Juniors

Kaori rushed down to the first-year hallway at the end of the school day. She charged toward class 1-3 and pushed the door open. "Kimi! We need to get to the gym!" The second-year panted.

The first years stared at their upperclassmen wondering what business the blonde had. Kimi packed her bag and buried her face in her hands. "Kaori, you are incredibly embarrassing." She stood up and walked towards the door.

Today was an incredibly exciting day for the Tokyo Preparatory School Girls' Volleyball Team. Apparently, some guests were going to be coming in for a special workshop. They didn't know who, but this wasn't something that happened everyday. All they knew was that their visitors were a big name in the sport. There were dozens of big teams in the Tokyo area, so there were a lot of possibilities.

The two girls scrambled to make it to the gym and changed out. Everyone was beyond excited for the big reveal. Their coach gathered everyone together with the sound of a whistle.

"Today, we have some very special guests joining us." She looked around at the high schoolers with her usual expression. "I expect the utmost respect shown to them."

One of the managers pushed the gym door open. "They're here!"

"Perfect timing. Girls, please welcome the Japanese National Women's Volleyball Team for today's practice!" The girls exploded into a frenzy of shocked expressions.

Kimi could have sworn she heard theme music playing. The JNT walked in with their captain at the head of the group. They were clad in red t-shirts with JNT in large white letters on the front and black shorts. They were ready to party it up.

"Welcome!" The girls all chimed in unison as they bowed.

"Mitsumi!!!" Kaori and Kimi spotted their tiny libero friend standing right behind Tetsuya.

Mitsumi gave a smile and wave. "Good to see you both! I didn't know you made the team, Kimi!" She was glad to see Kimi branch out of her comfort zone.

"You guys know her?" A girl with chestnut hair looked at Kaori and Kimi with a surprised expression.

"Long story." They both said in unison.

Matsuri and the JNT lined up and bowed. The captain stepped forward. "Thank you for the warm welcome! It's great to be here!" She beamed. "Coach, is everyone warmed up?"

"Yes, we can jump straight into it! I split them into groups for you already too."

...

Mitsumi was currently demonstrating a drill her group would be doing. She was shuffling through cones and receiving balls from different people. She was using whatever skill she had too: single arm receive, over hand passes, dives, etc. It had taken her ages to actually pass this drill in high school. She was leading the group with Hatsukoi, Setsuna, and Aimi.

"Focus on the height of the ball!" Hatsukoi instructed as she started to spike some balls. The JNT Players were spread out down the line doing the same.

Setsuna was typically a quiet and reserved person. She never really said much. "Nichijou! Bend your knees!"

Aimi and Mitsumi were caught slightly off guard at the sound of Setsuna shouting. They both looked at each other and blinked. They watched the pig tailed spiker suddenly command a few girls around like it was nothing. It was honestly a bit intense. Hatsukoi laughed and rested the ball she was holding on her hip. "That's Setsuna for ya. She's currently in coaching mode."

"I didn't think she was capable of even shouting." Mitsumi felt a bead of sweat drop down her forehead. The next pair of players were coming down the line. She threw the ball up and spiked it down. "Kimi, they should be catching your passes!" She saw her newest pupil struggling to get her feet and arms working together at the same time. Mitsumi made a mental note that she would be going over this drill with her on Sunday evening.