Morning had broke. Good thing for Mizuki, because she was about to head out for her morning jog like usual. She was the only one awakeShe tied her hair up while eating a piece of toast.

RING~

"Hm?" She saw her phone go off. Mizuki picked it up and answered.

"This is Hinata Mizuki speaking...."

[Mizuki?]

"Oh, hey Shotarou-sensei. What's up?"

[Are you still home?]

"Hai. I'm about to head out, though."

[Cancel it.]

"What?"

[You got an appointment to attend to.]

"....Appointment...?"

>>>>>>>>>>Hours later>>>>>>>>>>>

The gym was lively as ever. The volleyball team was practicing. Ukai was the referee. When the whistle blew, team b won the set.

"Yosh~ let's take a break," Ukai hollered. Everyone went to the side as they each grabbed a towel and water bottle. However, Ukai was too fixated on a different matter.

"They haven't had enough practice matches with other teams. I don't think the Neighborhood Association will always be there to help. So what should we do?"

"Guys--ah!!"

CRASH!!

They turned to see Takeda, lying on the floor face front.

"T-Takeda-sensei?" Ukai sweat dropped. Takeda quickly got up.

"W-we're going, right?"

"Eh?"

"Your nose is bleeding."

Takeda showed a piece of paper.

"Tokyo!"

"Ah!" Everyone wide eyed him.

"Tokyo," Hinata repeated, "Tokyo...you mean...Nekoma!?" Hinata beamed.

"Achoo!" In Tokyo, the Nekoma volleyball players were staring at Kenma after he sneezed, letting a strand of mucus hang.

"Geh! Gross!" Yamamoto yuck.

"Tissue," Yaku handed Kenma one.

"A practice match?" Kageyama asked.

"Yeah! But it won't be with just Nekoma this time...its also the Fukurodani Academy Group."

"Seriously?"

"Hai. Its a group of schools from the Kanto Region, that includes Nekoma. They hold practice matches all the time."

"Schools like those have built through relationships throughout the years, so its hard to get in without connections," Ukai implied, "we have to thank Nekomata. And sensei, too...I'm sure he kept persisting him..."

"Ah--no! Your name was a lot of help, Ukai-kun..."

"Thank you!"

"Eh?" Takeda saw the boys bowing to him. He smiled.

"Over the years," he began, "we lost some connections between schools we were close with. There were many schools with coaches, who were once close to former Coach Ukai are now gone. So let's not miss this chance!"

"Yeah!!" They cheered.

"I'm going to be able to see that set up in person again," Kageyama was brimming with a fiery spirit, making Hinata become wary.

"I'll protect us till we win~!" Nishinoya shouted.

"Wuoohhh~! We're going to take down that City Boy Alliance!" Tanaka shouted. Kageyama glanced at Hinata, who was smiling ear to ear.

"This time, I'll break that wall for sure!" He smiled too.

"But we only just received the invitation...so it won't be until later," Takeda informed, "I'll tell you all the details later...but it seems that all of you are..."

"Of course!"

"We'll go~!" They shouted. Just then, Hinata remembered something.

"Oh, that's right. Takeda-sensei...have you seen my sister lately? She didn't show up this morning."

"O-oh," Takeda glanced the other way, "u-um....t-the truth is...you see..." He awkwardly smiled as the others were confused.

>>>>>>>>>>>>The Next Day>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

In Tokyo, two familiar volleyball players in red jerseys, were on their way to school for a practice session.

"You don't get bored after playing that game everyday, Kenma?" The blonde looked at Kuroo.

"Mm..." At that moment, a bus was parking at the bus station in front of them. The doors opened as a figure came out.

"...?" Kuroo looked up to see familiar orange hair. Kenma gave a confused look his way.

"What's wrong, Kuroo?" He looked in front, and he too saw who it was.

"Isn't that....Hinata-senpai?" They saw her looking around, her back facing them while carrying her sports bag.

"What's Mizuki doing here?"

"Ah, she's walking away." That's when Kuroo got an idea.

"Hey Kenma, let's follow her."

"Eh? What about practice--"

"Don't worry. Let's go!"

"W-wait--" Kenma was being dragged by his senpai as they followed Mizuki from a distance. They were pretty much walking down the same road. Soon, they found out that she was headed to their school. She passed the gates and made her way in.

"Why is she going here?"

"Don't know." Continuing to walk ahead, they saw Mizuki turn the corner. When they caught up, she disappeared.

"Eh? Where did she go?" Kuroo looked around. Unaware to him, Kenma was looking behind him, and then back at Kuroo.

"That's strange...say Kenma, do you th--"

"Uwaahh!!" Kuroo jolted while screaming.

"Ahahahaha! Gotcha!"

"Eh?" The raven-hair boy saw Mizuki standing next to Kenma.

"The mischievous cat is now the scaredy cat," she gave a cheeky grin. Kenma stifled a laugh.

"Heh," Kuroo smirked, "so, lil' mandarin...what brings you here at our school?"

"Shotarou-sensei says I'll be joining you guys for practice."

"Really?" Kenma asked while they walked together.

"Hai...from now till the end of the summer training camp that's coming up."

"Heh~?"

RING~RING~~

Mizuki's phone went off, and she quickly responded.

"Hello--"

[Nee-san~~!! How come you get to practice with Fukurodani Academy and Nekoma before me~!?]

Mizuki and the two boys sweat dropped.

"Sorry, Shoyo. Its Shotarou's orders...I'm surprised as much as you are."

[That's unfair~! ]

[Hey Hinata--you dumbass! What are you doing!?]

[Geh!]

[Get back to studying!]

"Um...Shoyo...?"

[...Hello?]

"Ah, Asahi...um, where's Shoyo?"

[He's, um...busy at the moment. He's studying.]

"Studying?"

[Yeah. Final exams are coming up.]

"Ah~I forgot," Mizuki said in a wary voice, "i-is he okay? I mean, to be frank--my brother is not what you call a....well-educated person..."

[D-don't worry. I'm sure he and Kageyama will pass t--]

"Hah!? Kageyama, too!? Aw man~" she face palmed herself.

"Okay, then. Asahi...make sure those two don't slack off, okay?"

[A-alright...oh, and good luck with practice.]

"Thanks. Goodbye."

[Yeah. Bye.]

She hung up. Kuroo gave an awkward smile.

"Sounds like there's trouble back home."

"You have no idea," she shook her head.

Soon the three entered the gym doors. They saw the Nekoma team taking out the supplies. Inuoka was the first to see them.

"Ah, Kuroo-san, Kenma-san! Good morning!"

"Mornin'~!" Yamamoto bellowed. However, he jumped in surprise when seeing Mizuki.

"E-eh?! Hinata-san!?"

"Hello again, Yama-kun! Inuoka!" She waved.

"Hi senpai! Its been a while." Inuoka smiled.

"Is everyone here?" Kuroo asked him.

"W-well..."

"Hm...?"

"Lev hasn't shown up yet."

"Again!? That bastard...how many times did say 'first-years must come early'!" Yak was strangling the volleyball.

"This first-year sounds like a lot of trouble," Mizuki awkwardly smiled.

"You don't know the half of it," Kuroo smirked. He and Kenma were tying their shoelaces.

"Alright! Let's get started!" Naoi bellowed.

"Hai~!"

"G'mornin~!"

"Uh..?" The three turned around to see a tall boy with silver hair and green eyes.

"Waltzing in late, like you own the place," Kuroo sweat dropped.

'He's tall,' Mizuki thought.

"Mm...? Who are you?" Lev stared blankly at Mizuki.

"My name is Hinata Mizuki. I'm a high school graduate from America and a volleyball player."

"She's your senpai," Yaku warned, "so be respectful."

"Oh~Mizuki!" The orange-hair girl turned to see both Nekomata and Shotarou.

"Hello Neko-okksan! Shotarou-sensei!"

"Are you ready?"

"Hai!"

"Then let's start practice!"

When they split, Mizuki, dressed in her old uniform, was on Kuroo's team along with Kenma, Yaku, Kai, and Fukunaga. On the side, Lev was sitting with he coaches as he watched. Coach Naoi blew the whistle, and practice commenced. Mizuki was on the end of the court, bouncing the ball before setting up. Once the ball was in the air, Mizuki jumped high.

BAM!/SLAM!!

It flew past Yamamoto, with him frozen stiff as the others gawked at Mizuki. She was busy stretching her arms.

"Did that...really happen?" Yaku was still processing it.

"A-amazing~!" Lev beamed with a wide smile.

"Nice spike," Shotarou shouted, "keep it up!" Mizuki was getting ready for another. And again, she spiked it passed the opponents.

"Dammit~! I almost had it!" Yamamoto shouted.

"Don't back down on me now, Yama-kun," Mizuki smirked, "show that spirit of yours!"

"Yosh~! One more time!" Yamamoto grinned as he readied himself.

"She's gotten better," Naoi smiled. Nekomata nodded.

The game commenced. Both teams were tied for the winning set. As Kai received the ball, Kenma was getting ready to toss. That's when Kuroo ran up to the net, as Kenma tossed it him. However, just as he was throwing his arm down for the spike, Inuoka had jumped to block it.

"Shit-!" It was too late for Kuroo to react. Just then, Mizuki ran up and jumped next to him, making the ball bounce on them and back at their opponent's court-side. Although, the impact made them fall together.

"A-are you two okay?" Kai asked.

"Ow..." Mizuki awkwardly smiled as she sat up.

"Sorry about that," Kuroo put his hand out, "you okay, lil' mandarin?"

"Hai. I'm fine." Kuroo helped her up.

"Nice timing."

"Thanks."

"We'll get the next one," Inuoka declared.

"Bring it on!"

After the first set, Mizuki was subbed out with Lev. She sat next to Nekomata while they watched. Yamamoto was spiking the ball, which Yaku caught easily.

"Yaku-san sure is agile," Mizuki smiled.

"Of course," Nekomata grinned, "these boys are getting ready for their inter-high preliminaries soon, so they gotta be in good condition."

Lev ran up as Kenma readied himself. However, once he set the ball, Lev swung his arm down as the ball passed him. He stared at the ball below his feet.

'N-no way...' Mizuki sweat dropped.

"That one was close," Lev looked at Kenma.

"No way," Kenma frowned.

"Eh!?"

"He's still lacking the basics," Naoi sighed, "and don't think I see your face, Mizuki. You're thinking the same thing." He smirked at her as she flustered.

"W-well...uh--um...sigh~yeah, I can't lie. He's worse than how my brother was. But....I'm sure he'll overcome it." She put her hands on her hips.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Fast Forward>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

When the sun was setting, everyone was cleaning up. Lev and Inuoka were putting the balls in the carts, Yamamoto and Kai were taking down the poles, and the others were strong other supplies away. Mizuki was picking up volleyballs, when Kuroo called her.

"Yo, lil' mandarin~! Need help?" Mizuki gave a funny look his way while walking.

"Kuroo-san, are you going to call me that all day?"

"Pretty much," Kuroo smirked as he poked her forehead. She slightly pouted.

"This coming from a bedhead cat," she retorted. Kuroo shrugged. They both collected volleyballs while conversing.

"So, are you staying here in Tokyo?"

"Not really," Mizuki implied, "I'll be staying at coach's house, so I won't distract my brother from his studies. I'll just come here whenever you have practice."

"At least you won't spend money on a hotel or something," he joked. Kuroo glanced at her as she picked up a volleyball.

"By the way....I heard about your team playing against Aoba Johsai." Mizuki paused. With no answer, Kuroo thought he might have hit a nerve.

"A-ah... my bad. I guess you don't want to talk about it." He scratched his chin nervously as he felt an awkward atmosphere overtake them. Then, Mizuki turned around. She slowly took a breath, and then did an underhand serve to make the ball land in the cart. She kept doing it while talking.

"I was sad that we lost," she admitted, "but to be honest, I was happy we got to play with strong opponents. Although...."

"Hm...?" Kuroo blinked. Mizuki looked down at the ball in her hands.

"After the game, I almost got into trouble with their team....mainly their captain."

"Are you talking about Oikawa Tooru?"

"W-well...yeah. He was saying stuff about the team, and I got mad--and...and....mm~....UGH~!" She crouched down while hiding her face behind the ball. Kuroo quickly kneeled beside her.

"H-hey....what's wrong?"

"I'm stupid."

"Eh?" He could barely see it with her hair int he way, but he managed to find her eyes filled with sadness.

"I almost made a fist-fight with him. I said a lot of things that were true...but they were still hurtful. I can't believe I shot my mouth out like that...a-and...I'm not mad anymore, its just....I don't know how I should apologize. I haven't spoken a word to anyone...not even my team knows I did this. How come I'm so stupid...?"

She was about to continue on, when she felt Kuroo's hand pull her up, making her face him. He had a serious, yet sincere expression.

"I'm sure whatever you did wasn't entirely your fault. Don't stress over it. When you both apologize, then everything will be okay. Right?" She stared at him blankly, but was soon replaced with a smile, and nodded.

"Thank you, Kuroo-san." Mizuki hugged Kuroo, making him blush. Still, he patted her head while smiling. She released him.

"Mizuki~! Let's go home~!" Shotarou bellowed. She waved to him.

"I'll see you next time, Kuroo-san." She bowed and turned her heel. Just before she walked three feet, the raven-hair boy spoke out.

"Kuroo."

"Eh?" She turned her head.

"Um...just call me Kuroo."

"....Okay," she chuckled, "and I guess...that nickname is okay with me. See ya, Kuroo." She jogged towards Shotarou. Kuroo watched as she said her quick goodbyes before leaving the gym. Kenma was walking towards him.

"Did Hinata-san leave?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Kenma raised an eyebrow, as he saw Kuroo give a confused look at him.

"What?"

"Just now...you didn't do anything weird to senpai, did you?"

"Eh?" Kuroo sweat dropped at Kenma's small glare, a warning sign perhaps.

Mizuki was in the spare room of Shotarou's house. She was texting her brother about his whereabouts on the studying process. When her phone pinged, she read the message.

[Kageyama and I are getting help from Tsukishima.]

"From Tsukishima? How did you manage to convince him?" She knew that first-year can be conniving at times.

[Good luck. I'll be checking on the other guys tomorrow, so keep at it. Goodnight.]

[Goodnight, nee-san]

She put her phone down, and tucked herself in bed.

'Let's hope the 'other two idiots' aren't fooling around...' She sighed deeply. She wonders what will become of Karasuno this summer.