"Tadashi! Focus!" Kazumi lightly hit his head with a rolled magazine after she saw him spacing out "Again!"

"R-Right! I-I'm sorry!" he did another jump float serve but it was an out. He cringed at the result and the woman sighed.

"Let's take a five minute break" she said. Yamaguchi felt that he disappointed her and felt guilty.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time, Kazumi-san" he bowed. She patted his head and gave him a bottle of water.

"Don't apologize, Tadashi" she said. She sat down and placed her hand on her forehead "Really...you're just like him..."

"Hai?"

She stopped and realized that she said it out loud "Sorry, I'm saying my thoughts out loud again..."

"Ah, no, I don't mind..."

It was silent for a few seconds until she suddenly asked "Say, Tadashi, can't you concentrate when Aya-chan's not here?"

***

"Achoo!!"

"You okay?" Daichi asked.

"Yes...it was nothing..."

***

"E-Eh?! I-I-It's nothing like that!!" he quickly replied, his face red "It's just..."

She smirked "It's just...?"

"I-It's just...I'm not feeling well today..."

Everything was silent for a few seconds until the lady said "You're lying"

"Eh?!"

She smiled "Just admit it. I promise won't kill you or something"

He didn't say anything until he gave out a sigh "P-Please don't laugh, Kazumi-san...I guess I can say you're right..."

"Why should I laugh about that? It's not something you should be embarrassed about. It's a good thing that you find your own inspiration to do your own thing" she said "In all honesty, I was just like that when I was your age..."

"What...do you mean, Kazumi-san?"

She chuckled "Shall I tell you my high school days? How I met my husband?"

"Eh?! Are you sure it's okay for you to tell me?"

"I don't mind" she smiled, though her cheeks were slightly red "It's a bit embarrassing but it's all in the past and I can't change it"

"I'm envious that Kazumi-san is so confident...I wish I could be like that..."

She started "When I was in junior high, I was quite brawler and delinquent. I punch people that I hate, girls that piss me off and guys that wanted to pick a fight. And I always win in all of them"

"Uwaaa...she's so proud and confident about that..." he gulped as he watched the woman's sparkly backgrounds and smirk "I'm starting to wonder if Ayame is really her daughter..."

"Always fighting..." she continued "I just...didn't know how to express myself with other people so maybe...that's why I fight a lot. And then, when I was in my first year in high school, my teacher told me to join the volleyball club so I could put my strength to good use but...I knew that they wanted me to have some discipline in myself"

"Ano...what high school did you study, Kazumi-san?"

"Karasuno"

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Hai?!" his jaw dropped as he stared at her in shock.

"Wait, I didn't tell you about that?" she asked and he shook his head "Anyway, yeah. I studied there. As expected, I didn't get along with the team members. Even the seniors were scared of approaching me because of my attitude and record. But, I find myself loving volleyball but...I still didn't know how to get along. Until I met him..."

"You mean your husband?"

"Yes. That time, I was thinking of quitting the club, even though our coach didn't want me to leave because of my potential but I could feel that the members were uneasy around me. I was about to pass my club withdrawal slip when I slipped at the stairs and fell down and hit my head at the wall. It hurt a lot like hell..." she said, rubbing her head.

"Crap...that freaking hurts..." she muttered, rubbing her head. She tried to stand up but the pain from her leg stopped her from trying.

"What are you looking at?" she glared at the students watching, who quickly scuttled away from her. No one noticed her and she's fine with it. But...

"Are you hurt somewhere?" a voice asked. She looked up and saw a boy with violet eyes looking at her worriedly.

"No, it doesn't hurt at all. I'm fine" she answered, looking away at him. He sighed and kneeled next to her.

"You're such a liar" he said before lifting her up piggyback style.

"W-Wait!! W-What are you doing?!"

"I'm taking you to the clinic to let you rest. You're suffering from slight concussion and your left leg was sprained from that fall. Don't be stubborn"

For the first time, she didn't fought back and let him carry her "Why are you helping me?"

"Why are you asking that?"

"Well, I'm pretty well-known, you know"

"Yeah, I know. I heard that you got into fights quite a lot and punch a lot of guys. Literally, everybody in the whole school knows you"

"You know that, then why are you helping a person like me? Didn't you see that other students are avoiding me because of my attitude? Why are you so kind to me?"

He stopped and turned his head slightly to face her "Because deep down, I could see you're a very kind person who doesn't know to express herself"

"That time, I was surprised by his words. It's like, his violet eyes can see through my very soul"

She was silent while he carried her towards the school clinic until she finally asked him.

"What's your name?"

"Mizuki Kaito, a first year. Yours?"

"...Haruka...Kazumi...I'm a first year too" she answered "Hey, am I heavy?"

"Yeah. For a tiny girl, you sure are heavy"

A vein popped in her head and she strangled his neck with her arms "I'll kill you"

He desperately gasped for air as he tried to apologized "S-S-Sorry!! I-I was only joking!! L-Let me go!! I-I'm going to die!!"

"Kaito became the first friend I made, though it took us a few weeks to be friends. He gave me advice and helped me in my club. He belonged to a different club at that time but he's always helping me. He was the one that talked to me about my decision of leaving the club and I thank him for that. I didn't realize that...I fell for him"

Kazumi was slightly blushing and Yamaguchi saw the "Demon Vixen's" other side "He sounded really amazing to make Kazumi-san feel like that...Ayame's kindness must be from her dad...and also her violet eyes"

"What happened next?" he asked curiously.

"He was such a kind person, and I admire him because of that. He was the first person who wasn't afraid of approaching me. M-Maybe I also liked him because he looked at me as a proper girl and his violet eyes are beautiful but...mainly, I think it's because of his kind personality that made me fall for him..."

"She really loved him..." he thought.

"He became my inspiration and my source of confidence. I didn't want to admit it at first because it was embarrassing but...I realized that I can no longer deny that. He was the person who changed me and helped me and I owe it all to him"

The freckled teen was silent and unsure how to respond.

"That's why, Tadashi, the way you are now reminds me of myself when I was younger. You kept denying that my Aya-chan is your source of inspiration. Do you think I mastered the jump float serve alone? No. I found Kaito and he inspired me to do my best. It may sound stupid but that's trick to it, Tadashi"

"Even Shimada-san?"

She smirked "Even him, of course. He's just not telling me, that guy"

***

Inside the shop, Shimada suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and he hugged his self.

"Uwoo...That was scary..."

***

"Is...that so?" he said, lowering his head.

"But...you mostly remind me of Kaito with that attitude of yours"

"Eh? In what way?"

She smiled ahead "He's always apologizing, even though it's not his fault. I always find that cute when he's like that. He's kind and he cared about me, like how you cared for my daughter. And then, he's the only person that can see through my lies, like, his violet eyes can see through my soul...but...Aya-chan's violet eyes aren't like that..."

"They're for hiding...a secret, right?"

Kazumi flinched for a moment before making a small smile "You noticed it, too, huh? You're really just like him..."

"Ano, Kazumi-san...I-I don't mean to intrude but...why is Ayame always pretending to be okay, even though she's hurting?"

"You really care for my daughter, don't you, Tadashi?"

"Y-Yeah, well, she's my friend and I want to help her...She's always in pain and she's hiding under her smile and cheerfulness...and it hurts me to see her like that..."

"So do I. But she's hiding her true feelings from me and I don't want to force her. She's my own daughter but I don't know how long she's been hiding it from me. Aya-chan needs to learn to trust someone again"

"But why?"

"She's afraid. She didn't want to repeat the same mistake last year. But..." the woman faced him "I believe you're the only one who can save her, Tadashi"

"But, why me, Kazumi-san? What about Daichi-san?"

"She's also hiding it from him and he can't do anything about it. But you, Tadashi, have the ability to see through her eyes. I could tell that you could see through her lies and expressions. You're like Kaito. He changed me and I believe you can change my daughter. Please, I'm begging you" she squeezed his hand and lowered her head "Save Aya-chan. If she can tell you the truth, she could learn how to trust someone again. She'll be free from the shackles of her past. That's all what I wanted for her. Please, I know you can do it, Tadashi"

"I-I don't know..." he looked away "I want to help her but...I don't think she'll tell me anything..."

"You want to know her secret, right?"

"Yes, I want to ask her...but I'll only do it when she's willing to tell me"

"No matter how horrible or terrible is it, will you still accept her?"

"Yes, I don't care about all that. It won't change anything"

Kazumi could feel her eyes watering and she slightly looked away to wipe it "Thank you, Tadashi. I'm so happy Aya-chan found a friend like you. Please, help her..."

"I-I will do what I can"

"Oh! You guys are here!!" Ayame waved her hand from outside the gym. Behind her was Daichi and he also waved at them "Thank goodness I still made in time!"

"Aunt Kazumi is teaching Yamaguchi with serves? Why didn't you tell me, Ayame-chan?" the captain asked "I could've also asked Auntie to help the team"

"Yeah, well...mom agreed to only help Tadashi-kun. There's nothing I could do about it"

Kazumi smiled when he saw them and stood up "One more round of serves?"

His eyes held a determined look and he nodded "Hai!"

"Please help my daughter, Tadashi..."