Karasuno's Managers: Little Ukai and The Vulnerable

3: Little Ukai Gang Gang In The House

It was the last practice with the whole of Karasuno. Kageyama and Mirae would take the train to Tokyo City together where he was going to spend a week at the Olympic training center while she spent twelve days at Itachiyama High School. Takita and Shoji were going to Shiratorizawa with a collection of other first years from around Miyagi. Emiko would leave earlier for her train to Hyogo.

"Emiko," Ennoshita called.

She pushed the cart of volleyballs into the storage room and spun on her heels. "Captain?" she saluted him with one fist over her heart and the other behind her back.

"What are you doing?" he asked wearily.

"Saluting my Captain of course."

"Right," he drawled, "can I have a second to talk to you?"

She narrowed her eyes and inched forwards. "If this is about that hole in the clubroom wall, it wasn't me."

"The hole in the clubroom wall?"

"It wasn't me."

He sighed heavily. "I'm really happy that you are invited to the Manager Convention. It goes to show how hard you have been working to support our team. Now, although I trust you to do a great job, I still want you to promise me that you will not provoke anyone and you will absolutely not retaliate."

"What if they provoke me?"

"You will not retaliate."

"But Captain," she began.

"No, Emiko."

She had heard this request in the form of a warning on multiple occasions, accompanied by the narrowing of eyes. It was not her fault that it was a threat repeated; Emiko Suzuki was a bold person. Most people were intimidated by her dramatic antics or annoyed with her quirks.

It was not as though she went looking for verbal arguments and physical altercations. They just happened to occur because of who she was and what she attracted.

"Captain," Emiko sighed as she pushed her shoulders back. She glanced up at him and nodded. "This is the first time you've asked something like this of me. Even back when we went to the Fukurodani training camp in Tokyo, you didn't try to distract me with chores when I got out of hand."

"I don't want to be the type of Captain that controls how you behave to the extent that you fear me."

"You've never been like that," she assured. "You're fair and respectful and kind."

"Thank you, Emiko."

"Honestly, I could praise you all day if you wanted. I have so much to say about you but no one ever listens to me. Did you know that you are the perfect man? The rest of the team have a lot to learn from you. I do not think they could match you if they tried. It would take a hundred lifetimes for them to even compare."

Ennoshita frowned. "You're not dying, are you?"

"No my ancestors have blessed me with nine lives. They said I'd need it to deal with my demon mother. Oh, and my Uncle Keishin."

"I can't laugh, I can't laugh," Ennoshita murmured to himself. He fought back a smile.

"My point is," she paused, "wait, what is my point?"

"You were promising me that you would be on your best behaviour at Inarizaki."

"No, I don't think that was it."

"It was."

"Fine, only because I respect you."

He stepped forward and patted her head. "Please promise me in a full sentence, using the word promise, so you don't try to find a loophole. I don't want to find out that you caused emotional damage in a week or two."