|| Tucked Away || Haikyuu Fanfiction ||

Chapter 14 - Anxiety

"Look, that's them.."

"Huh?"

"You know, the ones who played a full set against Aoba Jousai..."

Mitsuko chuckled, leaning against the wall. It felt nice hearing that people were wary of Karasuno. After all, it meant that they were strong, and that other teams realized that.

"Ah, Mitsuko-chan, Hitoka-chan, I'm sorry you guys will have to watch from the bleachers.." The younger girls began to shake their heads before the older girl could finish her sentence.

"It's no problem, you are the main manager after all," Mitsuko said.

Turning to face Mitsuko, Yachi smiled. "Besides, we have each other!" she added. The blonde threw her arm around Mitsuko.

Along with the rest of the team, the three managers made their way to the gym. Once the previous game had ended, the team quickly began to warm up. A couple of minutes before the game would begin, Yachi and Mitsuko made their way to the bleachers.

"Hey Mitsuko-chan, is everything okay?" Asked the blonde.

"Eh?"

Yachi began to panic slightly as she explained. "I noticed you were a little tense ever since the training camp."

"Ah, you mean that.." Mitsuko trailed off. She looked down at the ground. She had to admit, she was feeling unstable after finding about the article. But Akaashi had also been helping out greatly by sending her daily messages to check up on her. The actual source of her uneasiness however, came from an entirely different problem.

"It might just be pure speculation but.."

"But..?" The blonde repeated.

"I think someones been following me lately." said the brunette.

"EH!?" Yachi screeched. "Shouldn't we do something about that!? Can't it get dangerous.."

By this point, a good portion of the gym had turned their heads to look at the pair. Mitsuko quickly put her finger over her mouth, telling Yachi to be quiet.

"Hitoka-chan shh! Let's talk about this later okay? We should cheer them on first," stated Mitsuko.

Unwillingly, Yachi nodded. The blonde was concerned about her friend but the game would start in just a few moments. She did however, make a mental note in her mind that she would discuss this with Mitsuko later.

---

"Amazing!! You guys made it through the preliminaries!!!" Yachi yelled to the boys as they walked out of the gym. Her eyes were sparkling and she had a large grin on her face.

Mitsuko smiled. The team had passed the rounds with ease, winning both games with a straight set. "Good job guys!" She put her hands up to high five everyone.

"Alright, go get changed from your uniforms!" Daichi yelled once their celebrations had ended. The team shuffled into the washroom, boisterous and laughing happily. Meanwhile, the Coach and Takeda-sensei were discussing details of the weekend training camps coming up.

Yachi stared at Mitsuko, wondering if now was a good time to bring it up. Kiyoko was still here but it wouldn't hurt for her to hear about the situation either. Taking a breath, Yachi broke the brief silence that had fallen between the members.

"Mitsuko-chan, is it okay if we talk about it now..?" Yachi asked somewhat hesitantly.

"Hmm?" The third year girl asked, wondering what was going on.

The brunette looked at the two girls before sheepishly telling them about the situation. She leaned against the wall, scratching her arm.

It all started about a week ago. Mitsuko felt times where it was as if someone was walking behind her, following her. However, whenever she turned around, she saw no trace of such a figure following her. At times, it sounded as if she had heard a camera shutter go off while she made her way home.

Then, two days ago, she noticed a man walking behind her on the way home. They followed her from behind from the shopping district until she was a few streets away from home, where they suddenly took a left turn. Maybe Mitsuko was over thinking it and it really was coincidence. It was possible that the person was simply on their way home as well, however, there was something off about the stranger.

He had worn a black cap that covered most of his face and tended to look away whenever Mitsuko looked back at him. When she sped up her pace, it seemed as if the man did as well. And, last but not least, it seemed as if he was carrying a small camera. Occasionally, it sounded as if the shutter was going off just like how it had been for the rest of the week.

Yachi's face turned as pale as a ghost's after Mitsuko was finished telling them. "Isn't that a stalker then!?"

Kiyoko had a worried look on her face. "You shouldn't go home alone for the time being, Mitsuko-chan. We'll get someone to walk home with you."

Mitsuko couldn't help but simply nod as she saw how worried they were. Being completely honest, having someone go home with her made her feel more reassured as well. After seeing that man, the brunette felt extremely anxious walking down the dark streets by herself.