Another Manager (Akashi Seijuro x OC)

2.3 Townsperson B

Nobody asked for this, but I wrote it this way, so here you go. 😅
I hope you all like Kuroo!

Let me know if any of this book is boring or hard to read... I know the beginning of this chapter lacks dialogue. >-<

Also, sorry if some things get lost in the translation!
(It can be a little hard to describe Japanese polite speech in English)

***

June 10th, Ai prepared the usual for the guest school: water bottles, towels, and chairs alike. The Ohgi Nishi team was arriving at four-thirty that evening, so the guys practiced lightly until then. Picking up the stack of twelve black and orange clothes, Ai placed them on the edge of the stage in numerical order for easy access.

Soon enough, Ai was done prepping for the practice game with time to spare, doing her job with the two other managers.

The visiting team came to their gymnasium doors without their coach. After everyone lined up and greeted them with a bow, Ai helped her team stretch and warm up. She took out her notebook and set it aside for later. Then, Daichi called for everyone to wrap up and change into uniform when it was time.

Her team each took their shirts from the stage, stripping their white T-shirts in exchange.

She wordlessly watched the guys take their clothes off, unembarrassed. She tried to gauge their strength and power just by looking at their naked torso. Apparently, Seirin's coach could do it for both men and women.

When Nishinoya caught her staring, he started posing at her, showing off his lean muscles. It made Ai laugh, and the libero moved on to ask about Asahi's new "string".

Ai fixed Ennoshita and Kinoshita's crinkled collars, earning a pink tinge from them both. Everyone already had their uniform shorts on, so she just collected the white shirts to store out of the way. "I'll take those, thank you," she said tersely.

Sugawara handed his to her after folding it neatly. "Thanks, Ai," he said with a smile.

"Thank you," Yamaguchi exclaimed a bit shyly, while Tsukishima mumbled his appreciation.

Ai folded the rest and smiled to herself as she noticed her handwriting on Kageyama and Hinata's white shirts; she'd written their names in permanent marker. When they had given her their laundry at the Golden Week camp, both of them realized they'd forgotten to mark their indistinguishable shirts. She still remembered the two's blush when she'd given it back to them, washed and with their full names spelled out in black English letters.

Ai watched proudly as the team walked onto the court after Coach Ukai spoke to them. They all had determined looks and hungry eyes for the beginning match against the visiting team in emerald green. Yachi was in awe, and Kiyoko told Takeda-sensei that it was the first time Karasuno was playing against Ohgi Nishi.

.

Kiyoko and Yachi changed the scoreboard while the coach with a grey Miyagino University jersey watched with the whistle.

The first point was by Kageyama's no-touch service ace. Tsukishima jumped for a tall block, and Nishinoya reacted and dug up the ball that was tipped over. The first-year setter tossed to Asahi, and the ace spiked past the opponent's one-man block. Daichi received the other captain's spike, and Tanaka scored a few, too. The game went on with Karasuno in the lead, 12-19. For the next point, Hinata ran stealthily and flew, hitting the ball in their freak quick attack.

.

Their team won both sets, the second one ending in 25-16.

Marvelous. No one would insult them as the "Clipped Crows" now. Their hard work after their elimination from Interhigh was paying off as well. Ai mostly took notes and worked for the guest team, since they didn't have a manager and Karasuno had three that day.