Karasuno's Mangers: Little Ukai and The Runaway

7: Some Friends They Are

Emiko held her phone in the air and tried to read the name flashing on the screen. She could barely make out the caller as Mirae tugged on her arm, urging her to sprint faster.

"Oh no," she rasped out.

"What?"

"It's my crazy Uncle Keishin."

They pushed their way through the gates of Aoba Johsai, their feet hitting the hard pavement as they ran down the sidewalk. It was half-past six and most of the students were already out of school. The two girls crouched against the wall of a tall building. They took deep breaths of air, massaging their calves and fanning their faces.

"Remind me why we didn't tell them we left?" Emiko winced, declining the call again.

"If we told them, they wouldn't let us come here."

"True. My Uncle Keishin is a total party pooper."

Emiko held out two pairs of shaded sunglasses. They let their hair fall over their shoulders and zipped up their jackets to their necks. The two girls then pushed the doors open to the gymnasium.

A sharp whistle blew as a volleyball slapped the court.

Six players on the right side were wearing the white and light blue Seijoh uniform. On the opposite side of the net, six players in yellow jerseys stood. They were on their third set, the points showing a score of 18:21, in favour of the yellow team.

They ran up the stairs on the side of the gym towards the bleachers, triumphantly blending in with the other students.

"That team is Johzenji," Emiko grinned. She leaned against the railing and pointed to the boys in bright yellow uniforms. "They have a really good volleyball team, top four in the prefecture. They're really well put; everyone moves in sync and all their attacks work out fluently."

The team captain on Johzenji's team ran backwards into his Libero, both toppling onto their backs. The volleyball bounced off their head and they sat back, laughing.

"Really well put, you say?" Mirae frowned.

"Hey I'm just as surprised as you are. Surprised and intrigued. They must have evolved."

"I think they've devolved. Though, you're right. If they do find their rhythm, they'll be tough opponents on the court."

The spiker on the Johzenji team ran up and shifted his posture mid-jump, setting the ball to their middle blocker who slammed it down dodging all of Seijoh's blockers. The girls couldn't help but applaud the play.

"Aoba Johsai isn't too far from Karasuno. Why'd you transfer?"

Emiko followed the volleyball with her eyes. "Oh, I didn't transfer from Aoba Johsai. My parents move around a lot because of work so last year I went to a high school in France. Before that, I was bouncing from city to city. Like a pinball. Ooh! We should go to an arcade while we're out!"

Mirae frowned. Arcades were too crowded for her liking and there was always bits of gum stuck on the machines. She kindly declined the offer. "So, why Miyagi?"

Emiko tore her gaze away from the court. "My ancestors spoke to me and told me about my true calling. They told me that I had to make my Uncle Keishin's life hell in preparation for his destination in the afterlife."

Her thoughts wandered back to her first year in high school in the city of Rennes. No one understood her because of her accent, which made it difficult to make friends. She spent most of her time in her room, stalking people on Instagram. She couldn't call her followers friends exactly, because she knew each of them for less than a year.