If someone would've told Hayami that she'd became the manager of a volleyball team she wouldn't have believed them.
And there she was.
Becoming a manager, a teammate, a friend, a sister.
But mostly, an ice skater.
A strong one.
A National Star.
She...
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Mid-November came in the blink of an eye. Two days before Kuroo's birthday, the tournament day was there.
"Tetsu," Hayami tapped her notebook on his back, gaining his attention, "the girls' games will be finishing soon."
"Okay, thanks, Yams," he sounded nervous but was trying to hide it from the rest of the team. "We've come this far. Now we're literally one step away from Nationals," he gave his boys his captain's smile, "So, let's go out there and do what we always do."
They shouted back an encouraging 'yeah,' and Hayami took a step back, deciding to let them have their moment. She did not notice a boy behind her. She collided with him, almost stomping on his foot.
"What are you doing? Trying to sabotage us before the game? Not a cute move from such a pretty back...", a fake honeyed voice spoke, implying more than what Hayami was ready to hear, and an unknown hand pushed her forward, resting a second too much on her lower back, "What you always do is maintaining a high-level teamwork and defense, uhm?", Kuroo shot a deadly look above Hayami's head, "Yet you always seem to be missing that fast decisive something. Don'tcha, kitty cats?"
Yamamoto jumped at the attack, pulling Hayami behind his back, "Whatchoo say?! And don't touch our manager ever again!"
"Cool it, Yamamoto," Kuroo grabbed Hayami's jacket, shoving the girl between the boys, covering her, "don't bother with these snaky bastards."
"You know, I've always wondered something," the captain of the opposite team pointed at Kuroo's hair, "do you keep that hairstyle just so you can keep that height. I bet you aren't even six feet."
A vein popped on Kuroo's forehead, "Whatchoo say?!", he became Yamamoto for a second, "No, asshole, I do not cheat like that, and to remain on the theme...", his eyes got smaller, his fingers closing around Daisho's collar, pulling him closer and lowering his voice, "don't you dare to talk to our friend like this over again. Or do you want Mika-chan to know about it? Oh, wait. Maybe she already dumped you Are you gonna be able to concentrate on the game around all your pain?"
Daisho peered over Hayami, raising his brows, "What a girlfriend you've found."
"Stop it, you're stepping over a thin line", Kuroo was ready to punch his nose and surely didn't expect Lev's presence to save the day.
"What Nekoma always does is different this year", the half-russian boy affirmed, smirking down at Daisho.
Yaku was irked at the boy's appearance, "Took you long enough in the damn bathroom!", he tried to ease up the situation, squeezing Hayami's shoulders, but he didn't notice her vicious smile.
"The boy's right," she slid beside Kuroo, this time her hand pushing Daisho back, "this year is different."
And then something in Daisho's brain rang, "I know your face", she was now very close, and her eyes were unmistakable.
