to greater things beyond the unknown||RK96000||

Chapter 5: Strawberry Shortcake

ao3 - RK96000

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Sneaking into Karasuno is, admittedly, an entirely different experience from what it would probably be like to attend Karasuno.

For one, even though he had shoved the sweater he had stolen from Kunimi earlier that morning on top of his school uniform, it only took one glance at his khaki-colored pants to see that he was definitely from a different high school.

Regardless, Shouyou sneaks past the school gates with as much grace as he can and makes his way to the gym, standing right before the metal doors, and is just about to open them, when-

Ah.

Shit.

Shouyou realizes, an hour or so too late, that just because Aoba Johsai didn't have practice on Monday, that didn't necessarily imply Karasuno refrained from practice as well, if at all.

Which means that Shouyou may or may not have taken the train all the way to Karasuno, only to have to go home after doing a grand total of zero things.

Right! That's fine.

Shouyou glances one last time at the gym as he backs up to leave, from which he can hear the worst, most tempting sound of them all- volleyball. The bam of a volleyball as it strikes the floor, the whistle being blown as their captain calls them over, and- asking where Tsukishima is?

Tsukishima is a nice name, Shouyou thinks absentmindedly, before he freezes as he realizes he's staring a Karasuno student right in the face- but this one's gaze doesn't slide right over him just as all the others' had when he sneaked past, it stays fixed on him with a chilling intensity and a terrifying smirk nothing like Oikawa's.

"Oh? What's this, a middle schooler?"

Despite the urge to flee or scream, Shouyou stands his ground and glares at the ridiculously tall student. Was he on the volleyball team? With height like that- "No!" Shouyou glares, instead of keeping his mouth shut or running away like his stomach screams he should. "I'm a high schooler!"

It's only as the tall, terrifying student's smirk somehow grows even chillier and the air itself drops into arctic temperatures, that Shouyou realizes admitting that was probably one of the biggest mistakes he's ever made.

"Really? Since I don't recognize you from my year, and since I do doubt you have the capacity to be anything older than a first year, I must ask," and then he smiles sweetly, even as his dead eyes send a jolt of fear up Shouyou's spine, "what you're doing spying on another high school?"

Shouyou laughs nervously as he edges away but he has no doubt that the Karasuno student would never let him flee.

And for the first time, Shouyou is so grateful that he didn't go to Karasuno.

"Tsukishima!" An authoritative voice calls out from behind him, and when Shouyou slowly turns around, barely registering what must be Tsukishima as he starts laughing, he sees what must be the Karasuno captain.

This is most definitely the worst mistake Shouyou has ever made.

The Karasuno captain, to his credit, only does one quick double take before sighing and waving them both into the gym.

Inside the gym is standard volleyball club fare from what he can see, a few volleyball carts off to the side and a pretty manager on the bench as she takes notes, although there doesn't seem to be a coach.

The Karasuno volleyball team- the clipped crows, Kunimi had said- don't look very clipped. Tsukishima gives him one last withering glance before joining the rest of the team as they run through what must be individual practice.