Ayame felt a lot better after what happened in the infirmary. She could think clearly and focus on today's practice match. However, she was still a little nervous when she decided to tell the other members about her past.

"How's your head, Ayame-chan?" Daichi asked her.

"I'm okay, Daichi-nii. It doesn't hurt much" she replied. The two childhood friends leaned on the wall inside the gym as they all took a break.

"Bokuto-san apologized to me earlier about what happened, by the way" she said.

"Yeah, we know. Their setter told us" he took a sip of his drink before continuing "I guess I feel a little bad for getting mad at him. It was a shock to us that you were hit but it was an accident and he apologized so it's all okay"

"Mhmm..." she hummed "Neh, nii-chan...I...I decided to...to tell the others about what happened...seven years ago..."

"What?!" he looked at her in bewilderment "Why? You don't have to tell them because I know it is going to be hard for you-"

She hugged the captain and buried her face on his chest "Maybe. But, I want to tell them. Sooner or later, they might find out and...I think it's better if I tell them in the first place...if you don't mind..."

"Well, I don't really mind but I'm worried about you. Why did you suddenly decide to tell them?"

"...Actually, nii, I...I already told someone about it...and...he didn't hate me. Please don't be mad..." she gripped his shirt tightly.

"I'm not mad. Who is it?"

"Tadashi-kun..."

For some reason, Daichi was relieved. He knew that the boy is really kind and understanding "I see. So it's Yamaguchi. Since when did you told him everything?"

"Just earlier. In the infirmary" she replied "After telling him, I felt relieved and...it made me think that the team should learn the truth since...all of us are in the same prefecture. That news was pretty much known to all of us, after all"

"Yeah, though it was fabricated a bit to protect you. It was auntie's way of protecting you" he stroked her brown locks "Anyway, when are you telling the team?"

"...Tonight"

"Wha?! So fast!! Don't you need more time?"

"I have more than enough time, nii" she looked up at him "I'll be fine as long as you guys are there"

"Okay, leave it to your nii-chan" he smiled and gently ruffled her hair.

"Thanks, Daichi-nii-chan"

***

"Kenma, give me some tosses!" Hinata ran to the pudding haired teen, who only looked at him with his typical "lazy cat" face.

"What?" he looked at the ball on his hands "But...we're cleaning the gym..."

"Please? I wanna practice some spikes!!"

"..." the second year looked like he didn't want to.

"Oh? Shoyo-kun, are you going to practice some spikes?" Ayame stopped after she heard their conversation "With Kenma-san? I thought you were going to practice with Kageyama-kun"

"That's what I want to tell him" Kenma sighed.

The orange haired teen grumbled "He didn't want to. He told me that he's not practicing with me. He's going to perfect the toss and I want to practice fighting mid-air battles so...we're having separate practice"

"Well, Kageyama-kun has a point" she nodded and then looked at the setter "Neh, Kenma-san, can you help him a bit?"

"Eh? But..."

"Pretty please? A few tosses will be fine, right, Shoyo-kun?"

"Yup!"

"So...can you please toss to him, Kenma-san?" she clasped her hands together pleadingly. Kenma looked at her for a moment before sighing in defeat.

"Fine, if you say so, Ayame..." he gently ruffled her hair.

"Thank you, Kenma-san!!"

"Ah! No fair, why did you agree when Ayame asked?" Hinata whined and asked him the first thing that entered his mind "Do you like Ayame, Kenma?"

Hinata's voice was loud and almost everyone in the whole gym heard him. Sugawara and Ennoshita nodded at each other and restrained Tanaka and Nishinoya before the two could react. Yamaguchi felt a brick hit his head and he glanced at Ayame and Kenma. He feared another rival and silently prayed that the second year would say no.

"Yeah, I like her" he answered monotonously.

Cue the even more tightened restraining of Sugawara and Ennoshita to the growling second year duo and the shocked face of a thunder struck Yamaguchi.

"Eh?! Really?!" Hinata blinked in surprise.

"She's a like a little sister to me" he said and ruffled her hair again "Ayame is cute and I like her"

"Oh...that type of like"

Relief washed over the Karasuno boys at the back.

"Anyway, Kenma!! Toss!! Toss to me!!"

"Yeah...I get it...you're too hyper, Shoyo. Looking at you is making me exhausted..."

"Eh?! What does that mean?"

Ayame went back to Yachi and Kageyama, who is helping him with his toss. She looked around and saw the others do their own thing and silently praised their improvements. She kept fidgeting and biting her lower lip as she felt the nervousness tingle her spine. Ah, she'll be telling the whole team soon and she can't help but feel nervous.

"Eh? Kenma?! Where are you going?!" Hinata called him as the second year ran from him. Well, he's not technically running but more like brisk walking.

"Bathroom" but he was carrying his stuffs with him "I guess five tosses are fine..."

"Eh?! You're running away?! But I still haven't practiced enough spikes!!" the orange haired teen chased after him and he quickened his pace.

"I'm tired...good work for today" and he left the gym.

"Aw...fine then. Thanks by the way, Kenma!!" he took off his gym shoes and quickly wore his outdoor shoes.

"Ah, Hinata, where are you going?" Daichi asked after noticing him in a hurry.

"Practice!! To...uh...where Bokuto-san is practicing!!" he picked up his knee pads and gym shoes "I'll be leaving, captain!!"

"Don't forget the meeting later!"

"Osu!"

Hinata left the gym and headed to the third gymnasium. He sighed at his energy before heading back to the team.

"Eh? Where did Ayame-chan go? Wasn't she here with us a minute ago?" the captain asked as soon as he noticed that she's gone from Yachi's side.

"The moment she heard that Hinata's going to Fukurodani's ace, she left in a flash without saying a word...though her face was getting all sparkly" Sugawara chuckled "You know how much she idolized Fukurodani's ace"

***

"Oya? What are you doing here, Ayame?" Kuroo asked as he noticed the violet eyed girl peeking at the doorway, her face full of sweat and she was panting slightly "You okay?"

"Can I watch you guys?" she looked up at him, her violet eyes sparkling in excitement.

Kuroo mentally smiled, thinking that her reaction is really cute "Well, I don't see any problem there. You can also help by changing the scores as we play"

"Thank you very much!!"

"Oh!! Ayame!! You're here to watch us?!" Hinata was jumping up and down with excitement.

"Really, Ayame-san?!" Lev was excited that she's here to watch them.

"Yes! I hope you don't mind" she grinned and they hyper ones jumped in glee "Um...what's the line up?"

"Here" Kuroo spread out his arms, showing that it's already been grouped.

Cats: Kuroo, Lev, Tsukishima

Owls: Bokuto, Akaashi, Hinata

She sweat dropped when she saw the line up "Um...can I make some comments?"

"You're thinking that it's kinda unfair, right?" Akaashi told her and she smiled awkwardly.

"Yeah...but I think it'll be okay. Owl team has the total height average of 176.8 cm and they have a consistent setter and an ace that can score through the blocks and a middle blocker that has very fast reflexes. Cat team has the total height average of 190.2 cm and they have an experienced and strong blocker, a witty blocker and a rookie, though he has the speed and senses to make up for the experience"

Kuroo clapped his hands and whistled "As expected from Ayame's sharp eyes"

Bokuto, Hinata and Lev were moved by her words and were grinning proudly like a bunch of airheads.

"I'm pretty sure she didn't know that she's throwing compliments at them..." Akaashi thought.

"...Simple-minded..." Tsukishima thought "As expected from Ayame's ability to unknowingly flatter other people..."

"Neh, neh, Ayame-san! Which team are you cheering on?" Lev asked her.

"Eh? Ah..."

Kuroo and Bokuto suddenly glared electricity to each other.

"Of course it will be my team she will be rooting for. She and Nekoma are acquainted for quite some time, after all" the bed haired captain smirked.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't forget that she's a fan of mine! She will be cheering for my team" the ace intensified his glare to the other.

"How come she'll cheer for you when you're the one who hit her head in the first place?" he countered, which indeed struck a nerve to the third year.

"Kuroo, you bastard, you really love to piss other people off, don't you? Mizuki-chan already forgave me quickly because she said that if it is me, she'll always forgive me" he smirked widely while Nekoma's captain popped a vein in his head.

"Ano...why did this turn out like this?" Ayame sweat dropped at the atmosphere.

"All because Haiba asked who you'll give support to" Tsukishima pushed up his glasses.

"Why is it my fault?!" the half Russian whined.

She sighed and cleared her throat for them to notice "Etto...shall we start?"

"Which team are you supporting, Mizuki-chan?!" Bokuto faced her "Your support is very crucial!!"

"Eh? Ah...I can't decide so...I'll just stay neutral and cheer both teams, I guess...so, can you two stop fighting?"

"She's too kind..." Tsukishima and Akaashi thought.

"Fine. Let's start!"

"Osu!!"

***

"Lev! I told you to jump after looking at the toss! Read blocking!!"

"O-Oh, right!!"

"I was not mistaken. Lev-kun is mostly likely guess blocking rather than read blocking" Ayame silently thought as she observed the match. Hinata was the decoy as Akaashi set the ball to Bokuto, which was then received by Kuroo and the ball returned back to the Owl's side.

"Oh! He got it! As expected from a Nekoma player!"

"Don't try jumping too far to the sides when blocking! When you have enough time, full stop, then jump up!" Kuroo told his teammates.

"Right!"

"Chance ball!" Hinata received it and started his run up. Akaashi sets it to him and the two tall first years were there to block him.

"Good timing, Tsukishima-kun"

The orange haired teen was shut down and was pissed off by the megane's smirk.

"Damn it! Bring it again!!"

She flipped the Cat team's score and clapped her hands "It's okay, Shoyo-kun!! Get back that point next time!"

"Ah, they're still here"

Everyone turned to look at the newcomers.

"Tadashi-kun! And Fukurodani's managers...etto...Suzumeda-san and Shirofuku-san!" the violet eyed girl exclaimed "What is it?"

"Um...if you don't wrap up soon, the cafeteria will close, and you won't get any dinner~" Shirofuku told them.

"And uh...it's spicy pork curry on the menu" Yamaguchi added helpfully, knowing Ayame's favorite food.

Hinata, Lev and Bokuto's jaws dropped. Ayame stiffened and started to make a run for it.

"Ah! No fair!!"

"I didn't expect she would actually run for it..."

She didn't dare look back, for she didn't want to miss dinner and her favorite food.

***

"Is everyone here?" Daichi did a head count when Shimizu and Yachi entered the room.

"Sorry we're late. We had to finish washing the dishes" the third year manager apologized.

"No, it's fine, Shimizu. We understand, you two being the manager and stuff" he said "Well, looks like everyone is here"

Coach Ukai sighed "It's a pity we had to miss some drinking session with the other coaches but I don't really mind"

"Ayame, is it okay for you to tell them?" Mr. Takeda whispered worriedly to her ear.

"It's fine, sensei. It's better to tell them myself than they know it from someone else"

The members of Karasuno volleyball club wondered why they are all called together for a "secret meeting". It looked like that it is something serious, since the two adults are here. Ayame breathed deeply and held Daichi's hand for support.

"Everyone, thank you for your cooperation. I'm sorry if I suddenly asked for a meeting" she bowed her head in formal apology.

"No, if it's Ayame-chan, even if it's the middle of the night, we will still listen to it!" Nishinoya said and Tanaka nodded in agreement.

"Hey, you two, pipe down, this is serious" Sugawara scolded them.

"No, thanks to senpai, almost all of the tension escaped from my body. I appreciate the thought, Yuu-senpai, Ryu-senpai" she made a small smile and, as expected, the duo swooned from happiness.

"Moving along..." she cleared her throat and faced them seriously, though the nervousness was slightly reflecting from her violet eyes. She glanced at the freckled teen on her right and he nodded encouragingly. She then looked at the captain on her left and he whispered "It's okay. We're here for you. Your nii-chan's here for you"

She breathed deeply "There is something I would like to tell you all"

She started to explain to them about the events that happened seven years ago and they were all familiar of that news. She repeated what she told Yamaguchi to them, though it took a while since she was shaking while telling them. Gasps and whispers rang out and Daichi shushed them.

Ayame was already nervous about what they will say to her but she continued until she was done.

"E-Everyone...sorry for...d-deceiving you..." she crouched down in front of them "I-I'm...I'm really sorry..."

"Ayame..."

.

.

.

.

.

.

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

She looked up in surprise and saw almost half of the team crying their eyes out.

"N-No...w-we had no idea Ayame-chan..." Nishinoya sniffled and wiped his tears with his shirt.

"Ayame-chan's been suffering for...for...a long time...and yet...she..." Tanaka sobbed loudly, unable to continue his sentence.

"...E-Eh?" the confused violet eyed girl blinked, unable to comprehend why they are being emotional when she's supposed to be the emotional one right now.

The two adults were desperately trying to cease their crying, fearing they might disturb the room next to them.

"Ayame-chan's such a kind and strong girl...She endured that pain and kept it to herself...and...and we have no idea...damn it, I'm tearing up..." Sugawara was covering his eyes with his arm. Hinata couldn't say a thing, or in fact, they can't understand what he is saying because of the tears and snot running down his face.

"Etto...Please forgive their reactions, Ayame" Ennoshita said.

"W-Wait, everyone...d-don't you hate me? I...I killed two people...my own father even..." Ayame looked down in shame.

"Idiot~" Tsukishima karate chopped her head lightly "How can we hate you because of that? You're no murderer. You're only a super dense, gullible, innocent as hell, genius assistant coach"

"Tsukishima...I don't know if you're making her feel better or badmouthing her..." Coach Ukai and Daichi thought at the same time.

"As expected from Tsukki..." Yamaguchi sweat dropped.

"It's pretty unbelievable but...we can never hate you, Ayame. You're still our precious friend and assistant coach. Nothing will change" Ennoshita said in behalf of everyone.

"That's true!!" the crying males nodded in agreement.

Coach Ukai placed a hand on her shoulder "We know it's not your fault. So stop thinking that we will hate you because of what you did"

Yachi and Shimizu embraced her "We accept and understand you, Ayame-chan"

"They may not look like it but these guys can hide a secret pretty well. You can count on them" Daichi assured her.

"Captain..." the players stared at him with teary eyes.

"Everyone..." Ayame started tearing up and she covered her face with her hands "Thank you...thank you..."

"Uuuuu...Ayame-chan..." and the males started to cry again.

"Jeez...you guys..."

"They're so emotional...how childish..."

"Tsukishima, you brat! Learn how to read the atmosphere here, will you?!"

"Now, now..."

"Dad...I did it...I told them...and they didn't hate me..." she thought "I wonder...if you really forgave me...like what Tadashi-kun told me..."