Of Cats and Crows (Sugawara Koushi)

Bring On the Chaos

"And the Hikari Pharmaceutical Red Rabbbits win against the Shizuoka Eagles in straight sets! What a way to kick off the first round of the Kurowashiki Championships!" The television blared in the background as Noriko sat in the family room with the bridal party, minus Mitsumi. They were all working on last-minute decoration preparations. Suga's mother had even come down from Miyagi to help out for the day. The living room erupted into cheers as the final score was called.

Mei clapped her hands together, "Take that, Akira!"

"No number of setter dumps can get past Tokyo's guard dog!" Reiko still called Mitsumi by her court name. She had really picked up the volleyball jargon over time.

Noriko chuckled as the younger women howled. "She's definitely gotten better at saving those." She tied off the last garland.

"Saki is still a terror." Watanabe shivered, "Did you see some of those spikes?"

"I'm sad that we don't get to see her and Mitsumi play against each other anymore. Those games were always insane." Kimi sighed heavily.

Everyone chatted about the game as they rushed to finish their crafts. The front door slammed open with a thud a couple of hours later. The first thud was followed by a second one and a pained groan.

"Are you okay, Megumi?" The worried mother stood up and hurried over to the genkan. Everyone looked over with concern.

Megumi stood up and picked up the box she had dropped. "I'm good! I just slipped!" She kicked off her other shoe. "I picked up the dresses before the game."

Matsuki raised her eyebrows. "They came in just in time then!" She had been worried that the dresses wouldn't have made it in time. The wedding was a mere two weeks away. And with Mitsumi and Saki being in tournaments back to back, the bridesmaids had a lot on their shoulders.

"Let's take a look!" Suga's mother came over with a pair of scissors and opened the box. All of the dresses were in pre-labeled garment bags. She and Matsuki helped to pass them out. The group of girls cheered and giggled as they opened the bags. The dresses were a dusty purple color with lacy off-the-shoulder sleeves. 

Watanabe inspected every inch of the dress. "Asahi really made these? Dang, he's talented." She whistled in disbelief. "Let's try them on after the game and send our beautiful bride a picture." 

Little did anyone know, things were about to get much more complicated. 

...

Mitsumi got a video call as she was out for her morning jog. She pulled over to the side and accepted the call. She was ready for the second day of the tournament. The Red Rockets would be playing against the Sendai Electrical Company Snakes first.

"Hey Chie, you love me, right?" Megumi was on the other side of the call. She looked like she was bracing for impact.

The older sister furrowed her eyebrows. "What happened?" She held her breath as she anticipated her sister's answer. Megumi knew better than to disturb her at a tournament.

"I got a call from Kanade-san. She won't be able to perform because her cello got wrecked by an airline. And Imada-san can't make it either since she's in Austria." Megumi had to break the bad news so she could put some more phone calls out. But, Chie was the only one who knew a plethora of musicians. "Everyone else said they can still play. Hironori is still on, Himewari can still play, and even Ootori."

Mitsumi pinched the bridge of her nose. Why are instruments always getting damaged by airlines?! She muttered a few curses under her breath. "I'll reach out and see who's available. Talk to the others and see if they are okay playing without a cellist just in case something happens." She insisted on having a live quartet because she could afford to pay some musicians generously. Exposure doesn't pay the bills, after all.