effervescent (nishinoya yū)

CHAPTER THIRTY / the conclusion

Summer break flew by so fast that it barely felt like there was one. You spent almost every day with the volleyball team (plus Michimiya, Aihara, and Sasaki) and every night with your parents, occasionally including Ukai, Takinoue, and Shimada. Takeda and Saeko popped in every so often, and you were thankful for the whirlwind of activity that kept you distracted from your invasive thoughts.

Obviously, Nishinoya helped the most with those. When you couldn't sleep at night, you called him; when you came to practice with bags under your eyes, he comforted you. You were surprised he wasn't tired of you already, but that surprise didn't mean you weren't thankful. You thanked whoever your past life was for giving you such amazing karma.

Occasionally, you spent the day by yourself, working whatever odd jobs you could find. It was mainly helping out the adults with their stores, whether it be Ukai with Sakanoshita or Shimada with Shimada Mart. You never told anyone what you were saving up for, but you were more than confident that it would be worth it in the end.

Transitioning from such a busy summer to a dull school year was hard to do at first, but with the qualifying matches coming up in October, you were more than busy helping the boys out with their receives. Volleyball helped keep you sane, and never before were you so thankful that your dad had gotten you into it.

Soon enough, Takeda and Ukai were wrapping up the last practice before the boys faced off against their opponents. You could barely contain your excitement; even though you were going to be at school for this first round, you were fully aware that tomorrow, Karasuno would officially begin their journey to stand on the national stage.

Tomorrow would be the day where everything came together and the fruit of their labors would be fully realized.

You headed home with the other second-years, the mood quieter but more content than it had been for the past few months. The others looked sleepy, ready to turn in for the night and get a good night's rest before the Qualifiers started. You waved goodbye to the others and turned to head home with Nishinoya, the silence between you still warm.

"So, you're not going to be there," Nishinoya said, his hands behind his head as he faced forward. "Damn, I was really hoping you'd be able to see everything!"

You laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Don't worry, Yū. I'll be there in spirit. Plus, I know for a fact you'll give me a play-by-play the moment you get back, so it's like I'll have been there the entire time!"

Nishinoya pouted. "Can you give me a good luck kiss before we go tomorrow?"

You deadpanned. "You guys are leaving at the asscrack of dawn."

"So? I won't play at my best unless I know for certain my beautiful, smart, awesome girlfriend is rooting for me back at home! It's like I'm a soldier going off to war for the first time and my wife is waiting for me--"

You both flushed at Nishinoya's wording of that last sentence. You couldn't help it; you weren't even finished with your second year of high school, let alone old enough to even consider those ideas just yet.

However, as you calmed down and made eye contact with Nishinoya, you remembered what he had said when he took you to the sunflower field, how his grandfather had proposed to his grandmother there. The fact that he both remembered that and made the conscious decision to take you there made your heart flutter a bit.

You gave him a warm smile and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "Win the war and I promise there'll be way more where that came from."

He gawked at you, flushed and startled, but soon he regained his boundless confidence and stood proudly with his hands on his hips. "Of course! This war will be daunting, but I'll win it just for you, my love."