Impressed. That's the one thing on Mizuki's mind. She and Skye were watching Karasuno's match against Fukurodani. Ukai's team had become different. Synchronized attack, drop toss, and even...

"Chance ball," Sugawara shouted.

"Leave it to me~!" Nishinoya shouted just as he jumped up.

"Ah! Jumping from the back-zone and into a libero's jump toss," Naoi exclaimed.

"Gah!" Suddenly, Nishinoya's feet dropped down, just as the ball bounced behind him. He got the momentum wrong.

"Hey, what's up with those guys, today," Bokuto goofily grinned, "are you okay?"

"Damn it, Nishinoya cursed under his breath.

A libero's back-zone attack. All of them tried, yet failed, and the score board showed the evidence. Even so, Mizuki was absolutely impressed. Yards away from where the girls stand, Nekomata, Shotarou, and Naoi were having light conversation.

"I wonder what happened," Naoi thought, "maybe they're in some kind of rut." But Nekomata and Shotarou laughed.

"I think it's the exact opposite."

"Eh?"

"Because they're crows, they're omnivorous. Doesn't matter if they're deep in the mountains....or in the middle of Kabukicho...they eat everything and take advantage of those stronger than them to survive."

"Looks like they're in the middle of evolving at an incredible speed," Shotarou implied.

"Left--left!"

"Oooorrrraaa~~!!"

SLAM!!

Bokuto spiked the ball passed Tsukishima's hands.

"Yosha~!"

'All of them but one, it seems," The older men thought while watching Tuskishima.

WOOSH~

"!!?" Suddenly Nekomata, Shotarou, even Ukai sensed a strong presence. Even though they were on opposite sides of the gym, they all stared at one place. Mizuki and Skye kept their eyes forward, as that same strong-spirited aura flowed within them.

"Did you see that, Mizuki," Skye smirked, making Mizuki do the same.

"I did. Interesting...very interesting, indeed."

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

"Do you think you should do all that?" Shotarou questioned. He and Mizuki were having a private conversation.

"Nobody knows it better than me and Akira." He could hear the tone in her voice.

"...Alright..." he smirked, "by the way, where's Skye?"

"Ahaha...she's over there." She pointed where Nekoma was currently in a game. Just after Yaku received the ball, Kenma tossed it to Kuroo.

BAM!

FWEET!

"Nice receive! Yaku-san~!" Skye cheered for him, making the libero blush. Mizuki giggled to herself. Just then, she saw her brother peek his head into the gym with Yamaguchi. She jogged right over.

"Hey guys."

"Hey, nee-san/Hello, Mizuki-senpai."

"Done with your penalty already?"

"Yup." They all looked at Shinzen and Ubugawa's match. One of Ubugawa's members spiked the ball fast and hard.

"Their serves are awesome," Shoyo beamed.

"Left!"

Shinzen's ball backfired, earing Ubugawa a point.

"Woah, it's like, fabam!"

"Serve and block," Mizuki explained, "destroy the opponent with the serve, then try to limit their opponent's attack space and block. That's the most ideal method of attack next to a service ace."

"Damn you, Tarako."

"Broccoli."

"Stop that," Kuroo sighed, "you're being rude to food."

"What!?" Daiki and Gora glared at Kuroo. Mizuki awkwardly laughed at them.

"Skye! Mizuki! Time to practice!"

"Ah, it's coach. Better go."

"Bye, sis." Just as she left, Ukai walked over to the boys.

"Call the team back inside. You're going to watch the girls practice."

"What for?" Yamaguchi asked.

"Heh...you'll see," Ukai smirked.

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

Everyone was standing or sitting by the walls of the gym. On one side of the court, the girls were paired with Ukai. The other side had Shotarou, Gora and Akaashi.

"This time, we'll be having a 3-on-3, one-set match."

"Thanks for helping us out, Keishin," Mizuki smiled.

"No problem," he grinned.

"Remember the plan?"

"Hai," Skye and Ukai unison.

"This match is gonna be fun," Nishinoya thought.

"Go nee-san~!" Shoyo hollered.

"Akaashi," Bokuto shouted, "don't let them win!" The setter just nodded.

"We'll serve first," Shotarou shouted from the back zone.

"Let's start the match!"

Shotarou bounced the ball a few times, before jumping to serve. It came in fast, but Ukai received it with ease.

"Not bad, old man," he smirked.

"Nice receive, coach!" Tanka cheered.

"Mizuki!"

"Got it!" Skye tossed while Mizuki jumped.

"Not so fast!" Gora and Akaashi jumped to block. However, Mizuki was undeterred.

BAM!!

She spiked in-between their arms.

FWEET!

"Yes!" Mizuki grinned as she clenched a fist.

"Way to go, Mizuki!" Sawamura cheered. Shoyo nudged Asahi.

"Come on, Asahi-san," he grinned, "don't you wanna cheer for nee-san?"

"Eh..."

"Don't be so shy," Nishinoya smirked, "let senpai hear you!" Asahi sweat dropped at their persistence.

After a while, it was 20 to 21 with Shotarou's team in the lead. Both teams were huddled up for a brief session.

"I know the team will start an attack," Shotarou explained, "so be careful."

"Shoutarou will be expecting us to attack," Mizuki implied, "so we'll have to outwit them with another attack. Ready to put our plan in action?"

"Hai," Skye nodded.

"You bet," Ukai smirked. They dispersed, and continued the game. It was now Skye's turn to serve. She took a deep breath, and gave a serious face.

"Make it count, Skye," Mizuki hollered.

"Hai!" Skye did a running start, before jumping up to smack the ball right down the middle.

"Geh!" It slammed on Gora's arms, but ricocheted off to the left.

"Hey," Sugawara spoke, "that spike..."

"Yeah," Sawamura nodded, "its just as powerful as Ubugawa's power serves."

"Nice job, Akira-san!" Inuoka shouted.

"Yaku-san aren't you going to cheer, too," Lev asked.

"I-I know," Yaku stuttered.

"One more!" Skye spiked again, but Shotarou dove to receive it.

"It's up!"

"Gora-san!" Akaashi set the ball. Just as Gora was jumping up, Mizuki and Ukai switched places.

SLAM!

"Wh--!?" Gora's eyes widened when he saw Ukai receive his spike.

"Chance ball!"

"I got it~!" Mizuki jumped from the back-zone.

"Ah! That's--!!" Nishinoya and Asahi gaped.

TOSS

Mizuki set the ball towards Skye.

BAM!

FWEET!

Some boys made an uproar.

"She did a libero's back-zone attack!"

Nishinoya was speechless. He and his friends watched Mizuki do the same attack three times. Now the score was 23 to 21, with Mizuki's team ahead.

"Amazing," Nishinoya said in astonishment, which Asahi caught on.

"She did that with such ease...it makes mine look weak." He clenched his fists, and gave a wide smile.

"So that's what its like to be a pro....she's incredible."

"....Yeah," Asahi smiled, "she really is..."

"Here we go~!" Ukai served it normally and ran back to his position. Shotarou received it.

"It's headed towards the net."

"Skye!"

"On it!" The blonde jumped the same time with Gora. Even so, she pushed passed his defense.

"Hell, yeah~!" She fist-pumped the air.

"They only need one more point to win," Tanaka implied.

"Come on, guys~!/Let's go~!"

"Left!"

"Chance ball!"

Akaashi was ready by the net. Mizuki, Skye and Ukai nodded at each other. Akaashi set the ball just as Skye and Ukai jumped. Gora spiked it, but the ball managed to tap Ukai's fingers.

"One-touch!"

Mizuki dashed towards the ball as it hovered over the back zone.

"It's too far," Kageyama gaped.

"Do it, Mizuki~!" Skye yelled.

SLAM/JUMP

"AHH!!" Karasuno gawked. Mizuki backflip and kicked the ball back into the court. She recovered and ran back.

"Don't let her go through," Shotarou ordered.

"Hai!" Gora and Akaashi were in position. However, Mizuki changed her direction and headed to the other-side of the net.

"No way!"

TOSS/FWOOM!

Skye tossed it fast and made contact with Mizuki's hand. Using all her might, she slammed that ball down.

bop-bop-bop....

Everyone watched the ball came to a complete stop. At that moment, the referee blew the whistle.

Both Mizuki and Skye made the "urban" handshake and grinned.

"Alright~~!!" They hollered as everyone cheered.

"A-amazing," Yachi stuttered in shock, "they're really amazing!"

"Yay! They did it!" Shoyo jumped excitedly.

"Way to go, senpai~!"

Seconds later, both teams shook hands.

"Nice job, you two," Shotarou smiled, "but this only means you'll be headed for more challenges, ahead." The girls exchanged looks with a smirk.

[English version]

"We've followed your schedules so far..."

"So bring it on, old man."

"Ahahaha! That's more like it!"

"Good game, Gora-san, Akaashi."

"You, too." The girls shook hands with them before walking off the court. Shoyo practically leaped onto his sister as she wrapped her arms around him for support.

"Nice game, nee-san! I can't believe you did that awesome backflip to get the ball!" He got off of her.

"Thanks, lil' bro...you guys do your best, too."

"We will!" Tanaka and Nishinoya saluted.

"Mizuki..."

She turned herself to see Asahi, not seeing the others leave.

"Oh, Asahi...hello."

"Hello. Um...good game."

"Thanks."

"N-no, I mean it."

"Eh?" She blinked when seeing his face turn serious.

"What I saw...it was like you were sending us a message."

"...Really," Mizuki said with amusement.

"Hai. I felt it...it's like you wanted us to observe your every move, and feed off on that to improve ourselves." Just then, Mizuki tip-toed up to lightly poke his forehead. He blinked in confusion.

"You're right...which only proves my point."

"Your point?"

"....that you're willing to make use of things you never thought you'd do. And I was impressed by your efforts today...I'm glad you're improving." He blushed in a shy manner.

"S-speaking of which....if you have time during the training camp...could you help me with my serves?" It was Mizuki's turn to blush when seeing his embarrassed, yet gentle smile.

"Of course...I'm your assistant coach, after all." She fondly smiled back.

BARK!

"Ah/Oh!" Suddenly, Taichi tackled them to the ground, making them laugh. From the sidelines, Skye was giving a smug look, and then leaned towards Mizuki's brother.

"Hey, Shoyo...how about you and me team up?"

"Team up..?"

"Listen..." She whispered into his ear before standing back up.

"And you know already, right?"

"Yup...I know what you mean," he nodded with a grin.

"So, it'll be our secret. You in?" She offered her hand, which Shoyo quickly shook with glee.

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

Nighttime....

Everyone had finished training for the day. Some were packing up, while others were resting. Mostly Karasuno's team, as some laid on the cold, soft grass on the bottom-hill.

"We amazingly loss all our games," Sugawara sighed in exhaustion.

"It's actually sort of refreshing," Sawamura implied.

"I haven't done that many sprints since coach Ukai started coaching," Tanaka groaned. Just then, Sawamura stood up.

"I'm gonna borrow the tablet from Ukai, so we can review the synchronize-attack video."

"Sure thing," Sugawara and Tanaka unison.

"I'm gonna go hit more serves," said Asahi. Yamaguchi heard him, making him think the same thing. He went up to the gym's door, and saw Tsukishima drinking water.

"Tsukki! I'm gonna go hit some serves. Would you--"

But Tsukishima put a hand up.

"I'm gonna go take a bath and go to bed."

"I-I see. Um..."

"What?"

"I was wondering, if you were gonna practice anything on your own..."

"We've already been practicing more than anyone wants," Tsukishima sighed, "going all out in practice isn't gonna solve everything." He walked away, not seeing a sadden Yamaguchi.

"That's true, but...."

Tsukishima was about a yard away from the first gym. Just then, he heard other feet approaching from his right. He looked up and saw Mizuki.

"Ah, Tsukki..."

"Don't call me that."

"I've been calling you that. No point in arguing, now." He frowned at her remark. He and Mizuki started walking together.

"By the way, our last session together is this weekend..."

"Really..." he said with a bored tone.

"And because it's our last...I'll treat you to some strawberry cake afterwards." Tsukishima flinched a little, making Mizuki smile.

"Hey Mizuki! And you, with the glasses!" The two turned towards Gymnasium #3, seeing Bokuto and Kuroo standing there.

"Come and jump some blocks for us." Before Mizuki spoke, she glanced at Tsukishima's annoyed expression. He soon gave a fake smile.

"Oh, actually, I'm done for the night. Excuse me~"

"What?!" The boy unison. Mizuki awkwardly chuckled. Bokuto leaned on the doorway.

"There's no point in practicing spikes without a blocker," Bokuto argued.

"Why does it have to be me? Why not someone from Fukurodani." That's when Akaashi stepped forward.

"There's no limit to Bokuto-san's spiking practice, so everyone runs away."

"I'm too busy whipping this guy into shape," Kuroo pointed his thumb at a dead Lev on the floor.

"I said I'd jump some blocks," Lev complained.

"Shut up! If you want to continue as a regular, you need to actually be able to receive the ball!" Lev cringed at his statement.

"He may not look like it," Kuroo pointed at Bokuto, "but this guy's one of the top five spikers in the country."

"So he somehow didn't make it into the top three, huh," Akaashi casually spoke.

"Don't mind," Kuroo patted Bokuto's back, but the ace swatted it away.

"Don't raise me up just to let me get knocked down," Bokuto argued. Kuroo looked back at Tsukishima with his usual smirk.

"Besides...if you're a middle-blocker, you should practice your blocking a bit more." Somehow, he managed to agitate the blonde, enough to make Tsukishima quietly enter the gym.

"You guys are terrible," Mizuki sweat dropped, watching Bokuto give a thumbs up to Kuroo.

"Are you gonna practice too, senpai," Akaashi asked.

"Sorry, but I have other plans. Maybe next time..."

"Okay."

"Tsukishima~ don't give your senpai a hard time. See ya." Mizuki left, not seeing his blank expression.

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

"One more!" Mizuki bellowed. She was with Asahi in the second gymnasium, standing on the other-side of the court while Taichi was watching by the doors. Asahi jumped up and spiked the ball, and Mizuki's eyes followed it.

She looked carefully from where it impacted.

"You were about a few inches off from earning a point," she informed. Asahi made a low groan as he wiped his forehead. Mizuki jogged over to give him a towel.

"Thank you." As he wiped his face, Mizuki glanced at his sports headband.

"Does your headband help during practice," she asked. Asahi looked down at her.

"Huh...Oh, it does."

"I never wore something like that. Could I try it on?"

"Uh...sure." He gave her his headband. Mizuki first unraveled her ponytail, and then put the headband on.

"How do I look?" She swayed her hip on one side while giving a goofy grin. Asahi blinked a few times.

"....Cute." He mumbled.

"Eh?"

"N-nothing!" He hoped she didn't hear that. Mizuki took the headband off and put it on his head, pushing the hair back.

"You look very handsome with it." Again, Asahi blushed. He wasn't used to all this attention, or receiving a compliment. Just then, Skye was by the doorway.

"Hey guys~! Everyone is headed to the cafeteria. You might wanna grab some food before it's gone."

"I'll clean up."

"No, I can...you go on ahead."

"How about you two go, and I'll clean up." Skye jogged inside.

"Eh? But Skye...you always want first dibs on food. Why the sudden change?" Mizuki was really perplexed.

"Well, everyone needs a change of pace," Skye shrugged, "now go...and just save me a plate."

"Um, alright then...thank you."

As they walked out, Skye was secretly smiling like an idiot.

In the cafeteria, the managers were serving food for the guys. Shoyo was walking away from the counter, when he saw Asahi and Mizuki sitting next to each other. He happily made his way over and sat across from them.

"Hey, Asahi-san, nee-san."

"Hi Shoyo/Hey, Hinata."

"Did you guys practice together," Shoyo asked curiously. The two nodded. After the first chews, Shoyo swallowed and looked at Mizuki.

"Say, nee-san..."

"Yeah?"

"Way back...when you had to go to Asahi-san's house to avoid the rain...."

"Mm?" Unaware to them, some of the third-years from Nekoma, Karasuno, and Fukurodani were across from them, listening.

"What about it?" She asked.

"Mom said she knows his mom," he implied, "so did you and Asahi meet as kids?" Mizuki and Asahi exchanged looks.

"I don't think mom has pictures of us together," Asahi implied.

"Really, that's a shame."

"Why's that?"

"Because mom always thought you two would look cute together."

"!?" The two older teens blushed.

"Come to think of it...did you have to share a bed during the storm, or did you have--"

"S-Shoyo, just what are you saying," Mizuki harshly whispered, "and keep your voice down."

"Eh...but isn't it normal? You often spend time together during practice...and I always see Asahi on his phone, so I know he's talking to you..."

"H-Hinata, please s-stop," Asahi stuttered, "e-everyone is going t-to hear."

"What's wrong? Don't you two...well...like each other?"