|| Tucked Away || Haikyuu Fanfiction ||

Chapter 7 - Old Friend

Ka-chak. Ka-chak.

"Mitsu, please tilt your head to the left. Give me a more cheerful expression."

The girl did as she was told, smiling happily into the camera. The sound of the shutter went off, continuing for several minutes.

"Alright, good job! We're done with the shoot now."

Mitsuko hopped off the set, grabbing a water bottle and opening it. The photographer walked towards her direction, looking through the photos.

"Kiyoshi-san!" Mitsuko said, "Thanks for agreeing to my request on such a short notice."

The man chuckled, "I did tell you to call me if you ever needed a job. But why did you need to rent a bus in the first place?"

--

"The... the girls have multiplied!! Now they have a sexy one and a cute one!" A familiar wing spiker yelled, kneeling on the ground in desperation.

"Take a good look Tora," Tanaka chuckled. "This isn't even the true power of Karasuno.."

"You mean.. you still have another manager?!?!"

"That's right! Where is Mitsuko-chan, Kiyoko-senpai?" Yachi asked, watching the spectacle before her.

"Hmm, I'm not sure to be honest. I was only told that she would join us later on."

The short blonde stared at her feet, tightly gripping the straps of her backpack. "She's not avoiding me... is she?" The girl wondered.

It had been several weeks since the incident, however Mitsuko had not showed up for school at all. Although Yachi was curious about Mitsuko's past, she was more worried about the girl's health instead. If she was coming to the camp later, then surely it meant that Mitsuko had fully recovered, right? If so, then why did she miss school for so many days?

The blonde sighed. The situation was complicated - in more ways than one.

"Hitoka-chan, let's head to the gymnasium and set things up."

Yachi clapped her face between her hands. "Y-yes!" She shouted, following the older girl with quick steps.

---

"Tokyo, huh? Haven't been here in years."

Mitsuko placed her hand above her eyes, shielding them from the setting sun. Carrying her backpack and tugging along a suitcase in her right hand, she made her way towards the unfamiliar school. With rushed steps, she hurried her way to the gymnasium. While Mitsuko dreaded talking about what had happened several weeks ago, she was also excited to attend a camp after so long.

She pushed open the door to the gymnasium, and locked eyes with a familiar face. Running towards him, she jumped, enveloping him in a koala hug. The boy gasped, taking a few steps back yet somehow managing to hold onto Mitsuko amidst his panic.

"Kei-chan~ What are you doing here? I've missed you so much!" She shrieked, hugging the boy even tighter.

All eyes in the gym were on the pair. A silence had fallen across the room until a familiar, beloved owl resembling captain spoke.

"Akaaaaaaashi! You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend!" Bokuto explained.

The setter sighed. He knew the day was going way too smoothly but he didn't think something so unexpected would happen. "Hey, Mitsuko-san, please let go of me."

"We've haven't seen each other in several years and this is the first thing you say?" Mitsuko pouted. Nonetheless, she let go of the boy.

"W-w-wAIT! That voice... Is that you, Aoyama?!?" Hinata exclaimed.