Another Manager (Akashi Seijuro x OC)

2.11 Up Above (part one)

Thank you so much for waiting!!!
I really appreciated all of your comments and suggestions for the mix! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint too much... but next week will also be about this barbecue.

And, I kind of added Kasamatsu's birthday to this, instead of making it separate.

***

For the last day, the teachers had planned a barbecue supplied with their pocket money.

Ai joined the girls in cutting up the vegetables and preparing the meat. Plates, chopsticks, and cups were the females' responsibility while the men helped set up the grills, coal, and fire.

The barbecue was a good idea, since the guys could crowd around the grills and cook for themselves; it meant less work for the managers.
Everyone drooled and waited with anticipation for the meat to finish cooking.

Ai helped supervise the event, making sure everyone had a chance to eat plenty. She stood by Yachi's side as the small girl tried to get some food for herself and waitressed everyone.
Needless to say, she got hit on more than once. Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Taketora had a secret meeting, where the libero indoctrinated the other two on protecting Karasuno's oldest goddess. So, while Kiyoko had the three of them as bodyguards, Ai defended herself.

"You must be mistaken. I'm not your maid."
Just because she took care of them didn't mean that she was their servant. Ai nodded to Konoha and Komi with regality, and gracefully walked away.

It resulted in the two third-years pulling back at the tone of her voice and eyes. She caught Kuroo sneering from the side and gave him a smirk.

Ai had an opportunity to talk with Akaashi for a while, both of them handing Kageyama a cup of water when he choked on his food, before she wandered to the Nekoma team to enjoy their company for the last time.
Her heart was already starting to ache dully at the thought of leaving. She would miss them when she goes back to Miyagi.
Just another team in Tokyo she'd grown to love.

Yaku was thoughtful and had her number exchanged with everyone, so that they would always be only one call away. She laughed and joked with the first and second-years.

The three third-years of Nekoma watched her affectionate interactions with their teammates. Ai gave each of them a pat on their arms before going to entertain her basketball guests.

Kise, Kagami, and Kuroko sat high on the grassy slope that Karasuno had spent much of their time sprinting up. They sat back and relaxed.
Nigou was also happy to run around by people's feet, snacking on any unfortunate accidents that had dropped on the ground or scraps of vegetables from the cutting board.

"It's been a while since I've seen a barbecue." Kagami grinned at the several grills of flaming coal.

"Only we don't have the traditional American BBQ sauce," Ai shrugged. Bokuto looked to be happy with the yakiniku lunch nevertheless; his favorite food.

Kuroko remembered when Seirin went to a steakhouse after a practice match with Kaijō at the beginning of last year. He and his teammates had challenged eating a 4kg (about 8.8lbs) of steak in under thirty minutes. They'd barely made it out of the restaurant without paying anything; all thanks to Kagami's insane appetite.

It was bigger than Nishinoya's and Daichi's, rivaling Aomine's and probably the amount of snacks Murasakibara eats.

"We were saved by Kagami-kun's very big stomach. All of the senpais gave up shortly after I did. I wouldn't have been able to finish it even if I had a week," the shadow said in his gentle voice.

"Hey! What do you mean 'very big'? It's normal!" his partner growled.

"It's definitely not normal. It's anything but normal."