𝟭. 𝙃𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝙄𝘿𝙀 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔 || 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐮𝐮 [✔]

Chapter 66: Lose A Set

𝖘𝖚𝖓𝖓𝖞𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖇𝖆𝖇𝖍𝖊'𝖘 𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖑 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞
#101923
•••

As the sun began its descent, Aeris arrived at the gym, dragging her bag and feeling utterly exhausted. She spotted the Karasuno players still doing their punishment, a consequence of losing a set against Fukurodani.

"You guys still lost the set?" Aeris asked, plopping down on the grass beside them. They were all lying there, equally drained from their efforts.

"Welcome back, Aeris-chan," Asahi managed to pant out, offering a weary smile.

"Heyo, let me lie down with you guys. I am so tired," Aeris sighed.

"Aeris-chan, is that you?" Coach Ukai asked.

Aeris raised her hand and gave a thumbs-up, indicating that she was indeed back.

"Okay, good. Boys, come on, we're not finished yet," Coach Ukai declared, motivating the players to groan and force themselves to stand up, despite their fatigue.

"I just want to lie down here for a minute," Aeris said.

Kiyoko, showing concern, sat down next to her. "You good?" she asked, checking on Aeris's well-being.

Aeris nodded and replied, "I'm fine."

"Come on, let's go to the cafeteria. There's an extra watermelon we saved for you," Kiyoko offered.

After dinner and practice, the four teams found a spot to relax and unwind. Aeris took a refreshing bath and decided to grab a can of pineapple juice from the cafeteria. As she walked by, she overheard the Nekoma team discussing Karasuno.

"Yeah, it's amazing how much they've improved. You want one?" Aeris asked, offering her pineapple juice to the Nekoma players. Her sudden appearance surprised them.

"Hi, Aeris-san," Kenma greeted her.

"Hi! Can I sit?" Aeris inquired with a friendly smile.

"Yeah, sure, sit here," the bald-headed player replied.

"Oh no, it's fine. I'll get that chair over there," Aeris said, picking up a chair and placing it next to the bald guy.

"How's your dance practice?" Kenma asked, showing a surprising level of interest.

Aeris was taken aback but soon realized the source of Kenma's information. "How did you—oh wait, Hinata."

"You're a dancer? I thought you were a manager? But I saw you play," the foreign guy chimed in.

"Lev!" the libero scolded him. "Sorry about that, Aeris-san."

"I did volleyball, but I'm currently doing a side quest," Aeris joked, invoking a playful response from the Nekoma team.

"Why?" Lev inquired.

"Because I lost against Shiratorizawa during the Inter-High Preliminaries. I was hoping to make it to the Spring Tournaments this year, but my greed cost my team the match," Aeris explained with a hint of regret.

"But you did great out there," Kuroo complimented her.

"Really?" Aeris was both surprised and pleased.

"Yeah, your strategy is so unpredictable. We tried to read your ways, but it's insane," Kuroo praised her further.

"Really? Stop, I hate being complimented," Aeris replied modestly.

"How did you do that?" Lev asked, eager to learn.

"Hmm, I'm not going to snitch on my team, but......" Aeris advised.

Aeris went on to explain a solid strategy to beat an opponent, using Fukurodani as an example. She delved into their tactics, movements, and how to create an effective strategy to counter them. They talked for an hour before returning to their respective rooms.

Back in the managers' room, Yukie was surprised to see Aeris.

"Aeris, where have you been? I thought you were just going to grab a pineapple," she questioned.

"I enjoyed talking to Nekoma. They were discussing Karasuno, so I joined their conversation," Aeris explained.

"You talked to them because they were discussing Karasuno?" Eri inquired.

"No, we were talking about everyone," Aeris teased.

"You were gossiping about everyone?" Kaori said.

"Yeah, I love some tea," Aeris responded jokingly, but their curiosity piqued, they urged Aeris to share details of their conversation. However, they soon lost interest when they realized it was mostly about volleyball. So, they talked different topic, and went to sleep

The next morning, Aeris followed her usual routine. She woke up early to prepare breakfast and then watched the Karasuno volleyball team practice. She provided insights about their strategies and plays, but despite their best efforts, they still experienced some losses. However, their determination remained unwavering.

In the afternoon, Aeris headed to her dance club, where they practiced tirelessly until late at night. She had informed her team and Coach Ukai that she would be late, as the dance competition was scheduled for the following day. She returned to the gym close to 10 PM, her exhaustion evident.

Aeris made her way to the cafeteria to find dinner that Kiyoko had thoughtfully saved for her. As she ate, she couldn't help but feel the weariness of the long day slowly taking over.

While battling her sleepiness, she was surprised by Tsukishima's voice.

"Aeris-san... Aeris-san," Tsukishima called out to her.

Aeris looked up and saw the Karasuno player. "Tsuk, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Shouldn't you?" Tsukishima retorted.

Aeris chuckled softly. "Touché, touché." 

« ֪ ׅ ֹ =͟͞ ♡
𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗.
𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 ♡