Of Cats and Crows (Sugawara Koushi)

Intensity

The semester had come to an end at an alarming rate. Everyone bid their farewells to the graduates and wished them happy futures. The springtime was always bittersweet and now the summer was rolling along. The humid air hung over Tokyo like a thick blanket. It rained just about every day.

Tokyo University didn't offer a traditional summer semester like other schools. So, everyone was excited to enjoy their summer vacations. All of the athletes were busy training away for their upcoming seasons. Volleyball was no exception.

Mitsumi was busy juggling two practices every day. Her first game of the VNL season was a mere day away. She then had a week break, in which she had her first piano festival. And then the JNT would be off to Italy for their first away game of the season. She was facing a tight summer calendar full of new adventures.

She warmed up with her teammates as they waited for their new players to join them. Today was the first practice of the new season. Makoto seemed to be running a tight ship. Even if she thought it was already sinking.

"The newbies are here!!!" Makoto called out to everyone as the new players walked out. "Circle up!!!" As soon as the call was made, everyone dashed over from what they were doing. "Today is newbie day! So, let's get some intros rolling!"

"Right! Hi everyone! I am Lucy Ramirez! Just call me Lucy, I am from Sweden. I am a middle blocker. This is my second semester." She had platinum blonde hair and bright icy blue eyes. She was a couple of inches shorter than Nomiya. Lucy bowed with a smile. She seemed pretty tame.

"Kizano Mayoi, I am a libero. I just transferred from the Yamaguchi Prefectural Technical University. I'm a sophomore!" Kizano looked like she was going to explode with excitement. She was pointing at herself with her thumb with a grin. Her chestnut hair was fashioned into a bob. She was still taller than Mitsumi, which made the starting libero cringe a little too much.

Yuki glanced at Mitsumi, "You good?"

"She's a whole head taller than me!" Mitsumi slapped her hand over her mouth. That was incredibly out of character for her. Dang it! Madoka and Saki are really rubbing off on me!

Everyone was laughing at her sudden outburst. Kizano put her hands on her hips in a triumphant manner. "I'm 5'6!"

"Almost a whole foot taller than me too..." Mitsumi mumbled under her breath.

Mei gave a shy wave to her new team. "Hey, I'm Mei. Um, I am an outside hitter. I am a sophomore." She glanced at Mitsumi, who was urging her to continue. "I'm glad to be here!" She bowed as everyone clapped.

"Hey! You're that pianist! Mitsumi, you didn't say anything about her being your classmate!" Uehara pointed at Mei with a shocked expression.

Mitsumi shrugged, "There was no need to mention it."

Makoto clapped her hands, "Let's get this show on the road then!"

"We have the goal to keep our title this season. Let's remember that Miyagi University and Kyoto University barely lost to us. Let's sweep them off their feet this year!" Coach Yamata smirked as everyone cheered.

...

Everyone was in a race to see who could finish their diving drills first. Kizano was nothing like Mitsumi, but she was not far behind the world-class player. Mei thought she was going to die. She still hasn't fully recovered from the drill they just did. But to her surprise, she was keeping pace with Yuki and Lucy.

The two liberos had already finished ahead of everyone else. "You got this Mei! Yuki! Lucy!" They shouted at the three girls who were starting to feel the burn of the workout.