Morning (6 a.m.)

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BEEP--BEEP--BEEP--BEEP---

Groan~....

TAP

The orange-hair girl turned her clock off. Slowly she rose from her bed as the sheets fell off her body. She gave a long yawn.

Minutes later, she headed downstairs to make breakfast. She decided to make it American style: over-easy eggs, toast, bacon, buttermilk pancakes with syrup and orange juice on the side. After setting the table, she went back upstairs.

Knock Knock

She went inside her little sister's room.

"Natsu~....wake up." She lightly shook the child, waking her.

"Mm~...neechan?" Natsu rubbed her sleepy-eyes.

"I made breakfast."

"Really? Yay!"

"Hehehe...go wake mom and Shoyo. I have to go." She started walking away.

"Where are you going, neechan?"

"Just going around town. Now, get ready for school."

"Hai~"

Mizuki changed her clothes. She wore dark leggings, white shirt, and white sneakers. Before she opened the door, she heard her mom calling.

"Mizuki~!"

"Yeah, mom?"

"Could you buy some groceries on your way back? The list is on the desk, right there." She saw the paper and grabbed it.

"Got it. Bye mom!"

She closed the door behind her.

BARK!

Mizuki smiled when seeing Taichi coming out of his doghouse. She petted his head.

"Hey, boy...you ready?" She pulled out his leash and strapped it onto his collar. Taichi would always wait until Mizuki was at his side.

They were now walking out of their neighborhood and onto the open streets. On the way, they saw Ukai sweeping outside of his family's shop.

"Hm...? Ah, good morning, Mizuki."

"Morning, Keshin. Aren't you supposed to be at Karasuno?"

"Later on..."

GRUMBLE~

"Ah." Ukai blinked when hearing a loud sound. Mizuki blushed while looking down.

"Hungry?" He smirked.

"Y-yeah...I left without eating."

"Hmm....wait here. I got something for you." He went back inside. When he returned, he carried a pamphlet.

"You know that noodle shop Shotarou likes in Tokyo?"

"Hai," she nodded.

"Well, it turns out they expanded it. Now there's one here in Miyagi."

"That's awesome!" She grabbed the pamphlet and saw every food listed in categories.

"Why don't you check it out?"

"Okay....oh, and when summer-vacation comes, don't forget to call me when you arrive for the getaway games."

"I won't."

"Well, see ya." She waved as they left.

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

After shopping for groceries and dropping Tachi off at the house, Mizuki decided to find the restaurant. She read the directions while passing the marketplace.

"Let's see....if I pass through here, then I would make a right t--"

BUMP

"O-oh, sorry/I'm sorry..."

"Eh/Huh?" Out of the blue, Mizuki had stumbled upon the Aoba Johsai's third-years; Iwaizumi, Oikawa, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa.

"Mizuki..."

"Uh, hey...um...what are you guys doing here?"

"We just finished our meeting with coach," Matsukawa implied.

"Mizu-chan~!" Suddenly, Oikawa was running towards her with his arms out.

"Purity protection!/H-hey!" Iwaizumi blocked Mizuki away from Oikawa.

"Iwa-chan~ I was just gonna say hi," Oikawa pouted.

"Then wave or shake hands," Iwaizumi glared. This made Mizuki giggle, knowing how overprotective he is.

"So, Mizuki," Hanamaki intervened, "what brings you here?"

"Actually, I'm on my way to find this noodle-restaurant. It's my favorite place, and I heard it's somewhere, here." She showed them the pamphlet.

"Ooh~ those look delicious."

"If you want, you guys can tag along."

"Well, I am getting hungry," Iwaizumi smiled, "so yeah, I'm in."

"Us, too."

"Great! And it should be a few shops down. How abo--"

"Look out~!"

"?" Just then, they heard someone shout from behind. Their eyes widened when seeing barrels rolling towards her.

"No way~/A-a-ahh~!!" Their feet dashed down the road.

CRASH/BASH!

BAM!/SLAM!!

Everyone tried to evade the large objects. Suddenly, the barrels forcibly crashed into someone's stand, as tons of grapefruit, oranges and cantaloupes flew in the air.

"Guys, don't let the fruit hit anyone!"

"Hai!!" Everyone dispersed.

"Ahh!" A woman tried to shield herself, but Hanamaki managed to spike the cantaloupe away.

"On your left!"

"I got it!" Iwaizumi spike one fruit and Matsukawa received three.

"Mizu-chan!" Oikawa set a grapefruit towards Mizuki. She jumped high, and spiked it to block three other fruit from a group of men.

"Wuahh~!"

Mizuki swiftly turned and ran towards a crying girl. She dove to receive it , and then carried the girl towards her mother.

"Watch out!" Oikawa received one before it hit Mizuki.

"Thanks."

"Did we get all of them?" The teens looked around, and saw no one was hurt.

"That was close," Mizuki sighed.

"H-hey~!" That's when two men came running, looking exhausted. They quickly bowed to the five.

"Thank you for stopping our barrels. We're so sorry for causing such trouble."

"We'll pay for the damage."

"Eh?"

"As thanks..." The older man pulled out a handful of coupons and gave it to Mizuki.

"You can use these to buy any of our food products that's 60% off."

"Um, wow...thank you, sir."

"We'll clean up everything. Again, thank you." Just then, Hanamaki glanced to the side and his eyes widened.

"Hey, Mizuki..." When she turned around, he pointed at a shop a hundred yards away, with a noodle-bowl sign above.

"Hey, that's it. Come on." They headed down the path until they arrived. They looked inside, and the place seemed empty. There were wooden tables, a food-counter with tall chairs, the décor had bamboo in every corner, and lanterns hanging above.

"Looks like the shop isn't opened, yet," Oikawa implied.

"Maybe we can come b--"

"!?"

"Ah, crap!" Acting on impulse, everyone ran towards the noise. They found themselves in the kitchen, bowls and pots scattered, and a man in apron on the floor.

"Sir, are you okay!?" Mizuki pulled him by the arm to help him up.

"Ow...I'm fine." Getting a closer look, he appeared to be in his mid-30's and about 5'11. He had thin, chocolate-brown hair that was spiked-up with an undercut, brown eyes with slightly-thin eyebrows.

"You're not hurt?"

"Nah, it's okay," he smiled, "did you guys come to eat?"

"Hai. Are you open?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid." From behind, Iwaizumi looked around.

"Don't you have employees to help you?" He asked. The man just scratched his head.

"I'm new to managing Shinjou's shop, so I didn't have time to find hired-help." He started putting the supplies on the shelves, with the boys' help. Mizuki hummed while thinking. She hated to leave him in such a predicament. That's when she got the idea.

"I could do it."

"Huh?" They glanced at her.

"I've been meaning to find work during college...but maybe I could start early."

"Uh...well...that's fine, but..."

"I'm 17, sir. I just came back from America."

"What about experience?"

"If you count making breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a group of volleyball teens everyday an exception...then, yes."

"...Hmm~...." The man dropped everything and started circling her. Mizuki gave a confused look while cocking her head. He finally stopped while putting a hand under his chin.

"You appear to be responsible...not to mention your hands."

"....My hands...?" She looked at them curiously.

"From what I'm seeing, they show the markings of a hard-worker...I respect someone who puts effort and time into anything."

"Uh..."

"In other words," he grinned, "you got the job."

"Eh? Just like that?"

"I got an eye for character..and you're more than what you appear to be. So I'll try you out."

"O-okay," she smiled.

"Oh, so what's your name?"

"Hinata Mizuki, sir." She bowed.

"No need for that 'sir' stuff, "he laughed, "I'm Izumi Hayate. Izu-san for short. Nice to meet you, Hinata."

"Likewise."

"Could we help, too?" Iwaizumi offered.

"Sure, but only today...judging by your clothes, you're in some club activity. I wouldn't want to intervene that."

"Alright."

"Oh," Izumi blinked in surprise. He saw Mizuki give a sheepish smile, making him chuckle.

"I think my first priority should be feeding you. We can set up later."

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

The Afternoon...

"Really? Good for you!" Ukai grinned while talking on the phone. He was currently at Karasuno High inside Gymnasium #1 with his team.

"So you'll be there in the afternoons and weekends? That's fine with me. Ah, okay. I'll see you later." He hung up just as Takeda was coming forward.

"Who was that, Ukai-kun?"

"Oh, sensei...it was Mizuki. She got a job at that noodle-shop."

"That's great news," Takeda smiled, "maybe after practice, we can surprise her."

"Why not." Unaware to them, a certain libero overheard them from the court.

"What's up, Noya-san?" Tanaka asked.

"I just heard the best news," Nishinoya beamed, "Mizuki-senpai is working at a restaurant."

"No way," Tanaka said with astonishment.

"You know what that means? We can have a regular place to eat after practice!"

"That is awesome!"

"Let's tell everyone when its break-time."

"Roger, that!"

Meanwhile.....

At least three people came in, minutes after the shop was open.

"Welcome~!" Mizuki greeted every one of them with a smile. She wore a dark red apron, her hair tied into a bun with chopsticks in it.

"Here you go." She gave an elderly man some fried food with a side of soup.

"Thank you."

"Mizuki~! Order for table four!" Iwaizumi bellowed.

"Hai~!" She ran back to the counter. Iwaizumi carefully laid the bowl on the tray, and Mizuki gave it to the customer.

Just then, she saw the other elderly customer trying to pour tea, but the pot seemed too heavy.

"Ma'am, wait," Mizuki scurried over. She held the pot and poured it into the cup.

"Oh~ thank you."

"Please, if there's anything you need, just ask." Half hour later, the last customer left as Mizuki bowed.

"Thank you, come again~" She returned to the counter.

"Good job, Hinata."

"Thank you, Izumi-san."

"Say, do you know how to make ramen?"

"Not by scratch..."

"I could show you. Come on..." He lifted the door up, and she entered into the kitchen.

"You guys can be her test-takers." The boys nodded.

After gathering the ingredients, Izumi demonstrated how to properly make Mizuki's favorite dish; pork/noodle soup. The others stood across from the counter while watching.

"For the pork belly slices, make sure to remove the rind." He cut off the tough parts of the meat. Setting it aside, he pulled out some chestnuts and mushrooms.

"You can use either one of these for the dish...and make sure they're sliced paper thin-like. Here, you try..." He handed her the knife. Mizuki carefully cut them.

"Good. After the ingredients...next comes the preparation." Izumi fired up the stove to heat up the frying-pan.

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

At Karasuno, the boys were taking a quick break before returning to the court. Nishinoya and Tanaka were walking around, and told everyone the news.

"She's working at a restaruant?" Sawamura, Sugawara, and Asahi looked at Tanaka.

"Yeah," he nodded, "and the coach thought we could all go there afterwards. Are you guys in?"

"Of course," Sugawara grinned, "Mizuki is a good cook."

"And I'm sure the food over there is delicious," Asahi thought.

"Yay~! Now I can visit neesan everday after school!" Shoyo jumped for joy.

"Not to mention eating all that food," Nishinoya grinned. From the sidelines, Tuskishima and Yamaguchi watched Shoyo and Nishinoya get excited.

"Must be nice to be idiots," Tsukishima mumbled.

"Hold up," Yamaguchi spoke, "doesn't Akiteru-kun go into that part of town for lunch?" The blonde just glanced at him.

"I wonder if Mizuki-san will bump into him."

"Don't think of such things," Tsukishima frowned, "if she did, I'll never hear the end of it."

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

Izumi and the boys watched Mizuki cook the noodles until pouring it into a bowl with the essential ingredients.

"I'm done."

Izumi picked up some chopsticks. Mizuki anxiously awaited as Izumi sampled the soup. After a few chews and sips, he curiously hummed.

"How is it," Mizuki asked nervously. Izumi was silent for a brief moment. Then, he gave wink with a smile, making her sighed with happiness. Izumi looked at the boys while pointing at Mizuki.

"Alright boys...ready to taste?"

"Hai." Izumi gave the bowl to Oikawa, first.

"Itadakimasu~" He slurped up the noodles. After a few bites, his eyes widened.

"It's so good~!" Oikawa hummed. The others sampled it.

"I can't believe its your first time making this, but its delicious."

"Thanks, guys."

"Hello~?"

"Ah, welcome!" Mizuki saw a young man walk in. However, something felt familiar about him. He had short, dirty-blond hair and brown eyes. He stood 6'0.9" feet/inches, had a medium built with broad shoulders. He wore a hoodie with jeans, but that wasn't important. His facial features is what made her curiosity grow.

"This place is nice," he smiled.

"There's an open seat by the counter. Would you like anything to drink, first?"

"Could I get some water?"

"Of course." Mizuki walked back to the kitchen as the tall boy sat down. Seconds later, Mizuki handed him his glass as he read the menu.

"Here you go."

"Thank you. Could I have some takoyaki?"

"Izumi-san, order of takoyaki, please~."

"Hai-hai~"

Minutes later, Izumi returned with the takoyaki.

"Here you are."

"Thank you." The blonde ate it with glee. Mizuki looked back at him.

"Excuse me..."

"Yes?"

"Well...it's just---you look like someone I know."

"Really?"

"Hmm..... Izumi-san, could I borrow your glasses?"

"Eh?...okay." Confused, Izumi gave her his spectacles.

"Could you try this on, please?" He gave a blank expression.

"Um...sure." When he put them on, he stared back at Mizuki. It took only three seconds for her to realize.

"No way! You're like an older-version of Tsukishima!"

"What...you mean--Tuskishima Kei?"

"You know him?"

"Yeah...I'm Tsukishima Akiteru. I'm Kei's older brother."

"Seriously? I never knew he had a brother."

"I figured he wouldn't say much about me," he awkwardly smiled.

"Excuse me~!"

"Ah." Everyone saw a large group of businessmen coming in.

"Wow," Izumi blinked, "I didn't we would have so many customers today."

"And I don't think we have enough stock," Mizuki worried, "I might have to go out, but..."

"I can come with you," Akiteru got up.

"But..."

"I'll be happy to help."

"Mm...okay."

"We'll look after things, here," Izumi hollered. He waved to them as they left.

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

Akiteru and Mizuki were halfway through finishing the grocery shopping down at the markets.

"Thank you."

"Come again~." Mizuki glanced at the list again.

"It was nice of them to give you those coupons. It came in handy."

"I'm glad. So, Tsukishima-san..."

"Hai?"

"I'm curious...what was your brother like as a kid?"

"Ahaha...well, he was a lot cuter before. But anyway...I can't believe you're the assistant coach to Kei's team."

"I know," she shrugged with a smile, "but is it true that you went to Karasuno High?"

"Yup."

"And to think....your brother never mentioned you."

"...Yeah," his voice got quiet, "but he had a good reason. A lot of things happened, and to be honest, I'm not sure where our relationship as brothers stand, now." She could hear a hint of sadness mix with regret in his tone.

"My brother and I never fought as much, but I know that talking to each other always helps, no matter how small or big the matter may be. And the way you spoke...it doesn't sound like Tsukishima hates you in general." Akiteru glanced at her as she continued.

"In fact, I've sensed a disturbance in Kei right after the inter-high...the kind where he shows how much he belittles something, or becomes interested. He's sort of in-between at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

"It's as though...he fears of suffering multiple defeats, the more effort he puts into it. That's what I think...but every chance I get, I try to convince Kei to practice with me in secret. Surprisingly, he often comes by...but I think he's just being stubborn." She laughed at the last part. Akiteru smiled sincerely, knowing that his brother had soemone who looked out for him.

"I actually have a session with him at a nearby public gym in a week. Would you like to watch?"

"A-ah, no thanks. I shouldn't interrupt his practice." By the time they finished, they headed back to the restaurant.

"Thank you for coming~!" They saw that the shop had only two people left at a table.

"We're back, Izumi-san!"

"Mizuki, great timing. We need some help in the kitchen, as you can see." Izumi awkwardly smiled while pointing his thumb. Beside the counter, Hanamaki was trying to get some sticky substance out of Oikawa's hair. Iwaizumi and Matsukawa were cleaning up what appeared to be flour on the floor.

"Aren't you done, yet," Oikawa whined.

"Damn...its too sticky. We're gonna have to cut it off."

"Eh~!? Not my beautiful hair~!"

"Shut up, Crappy-kawa," Iwaizumi irked, "it's your fault this happened in the first place!" Mizuki face palmed

"I guess its my turn to be the hero."

"Hold still." Just as Mizuki was fixing Oikawa's hair....