(flashback: before the game against Wakunan)

"Oh! I see Kazumi-san!" Shimada said when he spotted the woman walk by the bleachers. He waved his hand to catch her attention "Kazumi-san! Over here!"

Kazumi saw them and gave them a wave "Hey. Sorry if I only came today. I have work to cover up my shifts"

"Kazumi-san, hello" Yachi bowed in front of her to which she replied with a smile back to the girl.

"Hello, Hitoka. Thank you for doing your best in cheering the team here"

"H-Hai!!" Yachi bowed again, feeling quite bashful and elated.

Saeko suddenly made her introduction "Heyo! I'm Tanaka Saeko! Ryu's big sister!"

"Ryu-oh! Ryunosuke, that bald kid" she said "Nice to meet you, Saeko. I'm Kazumi, Aya-chan's mother. Only you guys are here?"

"Ah, Takinoue said that he has work to do but he could probably come by in the afternoon" he explained.

The crowd behind them suddenly whispered "Hey, isn't that lady familiar?"

"That brown haired woman? Now that you mention it-ah!! I remember now!" he exclaimed loudly "That woman is the Demon Vixen!!"

Gasps rang out from the crowd in their range.

"Eh?!"

"No way!"

"It's really her! It's been a while since we last saw her!"

Kazumi heard them and turned around and gave a small wave. The crowd waved back excitedly and snapped some shots of her profile and squealed on how she looked so youthful and wondered if she's going to continue her volleyball career. There were a few hesitant people who looked like they wanted her autograph.

Saeko whispered to Shimada "Kazumi-san's quite famous. What's with the awesome nickname "Demon Vixen"?"

The man smiled widely "Kazumi-san used to be a volleyball player and she was an international volleyball player before retiring. She's Miyagi's best serving specialist and was mostly known as the "Demon Vixen" because of her tricky plays. Lots of volleyball players and fans know her"

"That's amazing! No wonder Ayame-chan is really good at volleyball plays!"

"I know, right?"

Kazumi faced the court as soon as she heard the whistle "That match's starting. So their opponent today is Wakutani Minami High?"

"That's right"

She placed a hand on her chin "Hmm... I'd love to observe the game up close but up here will do. This Wakutani team is quite interesting"

"What do you mean, Kazumi-san?" Yachi asked curiously.

"I mean, aside that their captain's height is around 160 cm, they are the type of team that gives off the word "impenetrable", like the Nekoma team. I want to see how their plays work" she said with a mysterious smile on her face.

***

When it came to the part where Daichi crashed to Tanaka, Kazumi rubbed her hands in worry. What made her worry even more is that she saw Ayame hunched up on the bench. Despite the distance, she could tell that the collision made her recall the incident.

How she badly wanted to go down and comfort her daughter, but her worry faded when she saw the freckled teen rush to her side.

She was glad that it was Yamaguchi who could aid her.

But her worry went back to the boy she considered a relative to her.

"It looks like he hit his head pretty badly..." Shimada noted worriedly.

"Huh? Where did Yacchan go?" Saeko asked after noticing the missing manager.

"She went downstairs to assist Daichi later" Kazumi answered "Being their second manager, she assist players to the infirmary while the main manager stays at the bench"

They watched as Daichi was assisted out of the court by Coach Ukai.

"It looks like Keishin will have Aya-chan handle the game for now, with Takeda-sensei's support" she said when saw the situation below "Now that Daichi's out, I'm a little worried about this match"

"Why is that?" Saeka asked.

Shimada seemed to understand what she meant "That accident just now affected the team's morale, especially, the bald kid. Aside from that, their defense and offense have dropped now that the captain's out"

"With Daichi out, Karasuno's defense have dropped to 45 percent and the offense to 35 percent. Aside that Daichi's their solid foundation, he plays a big part in the floor defense. With a team they're up against like Wakutani, they will have a hard time fighting off their tenacity in both offense and defense" the older woman added.

"Urgh... I can't even understand half of it..."Saeko's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to process what they said.

"In other words, with Daichi out, Karasuno will have a hard time playing against Wakutani" she said after noticing her confusion "They need to sub in someone who could at least play his part closely yet having control over the others as well"

Ennoshita was subbed in and Shimada spoke "Wow, this is surprising. At first glance, Ennoshita seems like he'd be pretty timid"

"No way" Saeko grinned "Judging by how he is whenever he's over at our place, Chikara's definitely the don of the second years"

"He has the aura of someone capable of handling his team" Kazumi agreed "Technique-wise, he's still a bit far behind Daichi but he is competent enough and it was a right decision to send him in. Chikara and the team will be all right"

When Karasuno was only two points away from winning the first set, they subbed in a nervous Yamaguchi and Shimada instantly flinched and paled.

"...I feel sick"

"Eh?!" Saeko faced him in surprise.

"Have more faith in your student, Makoto" Kazumi sighed, though she is secretly worried after seeing the boy back to his nervous self.

"I have faith in him. It's more like when Tadashi feels sick when he's suddenly subbed in, I feel sick as well. He's my student and it rubbed off on me" he replied as he exhaled loudly.

The woman recalled her training with the teen "I already taught Tadashi the trick to it but... it's not going to work if he doesn't truly believe in his self..."

His serve managed to cross the other side after it hit the white band on the net, making Karasuno at set point. Saeko was impressed by it while Shimada looked like he lost ten years of his lifetime.

Kazumi only watched with a plain look on her face.

By Yamaguchi's second serve, he switched to a normal overhand, which caught their attention.

"Huh? He's not going to do a jump serve this time?" the blonde wondered in surprise.

Shimada and Kazumi could only watch as their student switched his serve.

Despite that, Karasuno won the set and switched court. There was a slight commotion after Coach Ukai came back but it was only for a minute.

Saeko once again asked the two "What? Was there a problem?"

The man explained to her the difference of using a float serve and a jump float serve "I don't think it's bad to be cautious right now. In the end, Karasuno scored the point. But...For Tadashi to be able to fight as hard as everyone else around him right now..."

"The serve is all he has..." the woman added "If he runs away from that, there is nothing left"

"Oh..." the blonde said "That's...pretty sad on Tadashi's part..."

"That feeling of not wanting to be left behind..." Shimada recalled what the teen said to him after the loss against Seijoh.

"If he could only believe in his self more, like how Aya-chan and the others believed in him" the older woman said.

***

"The match is over, huh?" Kazumi stated after Karasuno won against Wakunan "I want to check up and see Daichi but, I want to surprise them afterwards...I guess I'll just have to ask Hitoka later"

"Um...E-Excuse me!!"

She turned around and saw a couple of high school students holding up their phones and volleyball.

"Haruka-san, can we ask for your picture?!"

"Can we take your autograph?"

The teens look hopeful and excited, and the woman could not resist their request. She smiled "Sure. Ah but, I'm no longer Haruka Kazumi. I'm already married so my last name is Mizuki now"

"H-Hai! Sorry for our ignorance!" they bowed.

Shimada and Saeko watched as the woman took a few photos with them and signed their volleyball and their personal things.

"Even though she already retired, Kazumi-san's popular as ever" the man noted with a smile as more teens and volleyball fans went to her.

When it was a high school boy's turn, he asked "M-Mizuki-san, ano... are you by any chance related to Karasuno's assistant coach, Mizuki Ayame-san?"

"Yes, she's my daughter" she replied with a hint of pride in her tone.

"That's amazing! No wonder she's so smart in volleyball!"

Oh how Kazumi wanted to grin widely and scream that's-my-Aya-chan and show off her daughter to them. Like a typical super proud mother she is.

Instead, she smiled proudly at the mention of her daughter.

It took a while until it was over. Kazumi waved at them facing Shimada and Saeko "Sorry that took a while"

"It's fine. It can't be helped that people still love you despite your retirement" Shimada told her.

"That's pretty awesome, Kazumi-san!" Saeko agreed.

She chuckled at the compliment "I guess. People keep on asking me if I'm going to come back and play again or coach a volleyball team in the V-League and my reply is always the same and it's a no"

"Why, though? You're still in top shape even though you stopped playing years ago" he asked.

The woman smiled and faced the volleyball court below "I want my daughter to shine this time. Aya-chan and Kaito had been the ones who were always supporting me when I was playing and this time, I want to support my daughter in a way she supported me before. Simple as that"

Saeko whispered to Shimada "Whoa, she really gives off this mature and cool lady vibe! I like it!"

"Yeah..." he sweat dropped because his experience with her begs to differ "Most of the time anyway..."

Kazumi spoke "I'd like to watch the other matches. Are you two coming with me?"

"Of course!"

***

"Ah, high school teams these days are really strong and competitive. Back in my time, only selected people are quite passionate in volleyball" the older lady sighed as she sat on one of the chairs.

"Time's are really changing, huh?" Shimada said.

"By the way, Kazumi-san, did your team go to the Nationals during high school?" Saeko asked.

"Yes, though the farthest we managed to reach was the top 20. There are a lot of strong teams all over Japan and I'm pretty sure this generation's volleyball is much more intense than ours"

"Eeeeeh..."

"Hey! I made it in time"

They all turned their attention to a newly arrived Takinoue.

"Hey" Shimada greeted him "The match with Wakunan was pretty brutal this morning"

"Really? I wish I'd been able to see it-eh?" he noticed Kazumi sitting by the chair "Kazumi-san?!"

He instantly flinched and straightened up in reflex.

"Yo, Yusuke" she made a small wave "You seem pretty scared to see me. Is there a problem?"

"A-Ah, no! It's not like that!" he immediately denied but actually deep inside, he was a bit scared to see her after she gave him a small scare during practice "I-I was only surprised to see you here! That's all!"

She chuckled and answered "I came to watch my daughter and Karasuno's match since I was unable to come yesterday"

"Ah, I see. It's great to see you here, Kazumi-san!" he bowed and then noticed that there's also another person with them "Hm?"

Saeko introduced herself "Heya! I'm Tanaka Ryunosuke's older sister!"

"Hi!" he greeted her back as he noticed the similarities "Tanaka's older sister... they look alike..."

He then faced the court below "They got all the way to the semi-finals"

"Yeah" the glasses man agreed.

"This is the semi-finals?" the blonde checked the leaflet she has on hand "Huh? That means...Wait. So if they win this one and the next one, they're going to the Nationals?! Isn't that awesome?!"

"It's not that easy as it sounds" Kazumi stood up from her seat and took a spot next to them "Beating the prefecture's two top schools is no easy task. But, I'm not saying they can't beat them"

"Do you think they can beat them?" she asked.

She shrugged and smiled "Who knows? It's up to them to believe to themselves. Based on numbers and statistics, both sides are parallel to each other"

Yachi came running to them right before the match is about to start.

"You worked hard, Yacchan" Shimada told her after arriving.

"Hitoka, how's Daichi's injury?" Kazumi asked.

"He's all right now. His bruise might still be there but they said that he'll be fine and can play" she explained.

"That boy...making me worry about him..." She gave off a dark aura and clenched her fist "I'm glad he's all right but... I want to punch him for making me worry..."

Meanwhile, Daichi felt a chill down his spine and he felt the part where Ayame punched him earlier tingle, making him feel a bit nervous and scared for his well-being.

The blonde manager shuddered in fear when she saw the face she's making "She's like Ayame earlier...scary... Like mother...like daughter..."

***

It's the second set and Karasuno subbed Yamaguchi in. He looked a lot less nervous and he seemed to have that air of determination around him. Kazumi noticed his change and smiled.

"Show me your strength, Tadashi"

It was a service ace.

"It was inbounds...!"

"Tadashi!!"

"Nice serve!!"

The older woman smiled and looked at the freckled teen "He finally did it. Great job, Tadashi"

Shimada was shaking as he recalled Yamaguchi's first serve in his first match and compared it to the current one. He made a fist and shouted "Go and catch up!"

When he did another service ace, Kazumi's smile widened "Good, good. Nicely done. His technique is improving"

"He finally did it and used imagery"

His third serve was received. Kazumi and the others watched on how it will flow. When the freckled teen went for an unorthodox receive, she winced because it was right on his chest and she's pretty sure that would hurt a lot like hell.

Karasuno still managed to take the point after the blonde megane did a block-out.

"Nice play, Kei" she nodded in approval.

"He used to block quite well, huh?" Takinoue noted "Now they've got three consecutive points"

Seijoh asked for the timeout.

"Oh? Seijoh's taking a timeout" Shimada said

"They are physically stopping the momentum" Takinoue said.

"This has to be expected since Tadashi got them three points in a row" Kazumi leaned on the rail "Seijoh's stopping him"

It might be bad timing to stop him but for the woman, Seijoh asking for a timeout means they realized that Yamaguchi turned into threat to them, and she felt proud for his change.

The timeout ended and Yamaguchi was back to his serve and did his fourth serve. His net drop made the two mentors realize he switched to offensive.

"Now..." Yachi suddenly said in awe "We're tied"

Saeko leaned closer to the rail "That same net drop that happened during the Wakunan match, right? Tadashi's a lucky boy!"

"Yup, yup!"

"That's not all" the glasses man said.

"Though it looked like it was the same net drop, there is a huge difference between the two" Kazumi started.

"What do you mean?" the older Tanaka asked in confusion.

She continued "During the Wakunan match, Tadashi was mainly thinking if his serve would go in or not and that's all he worries about. But this time, it's different"

"He's thinking where to aim his serve" Shimada nodded in agreement "In this way, it proves that Tadashi's going offensive with this kind of net drop"

"Uwaaah~" the two girls said in awe "How amazing, Tadashi!"

"Though I'm sure he's entirely comfortable with that" both mentors thought at the same time.

(End of flashback)

"I was watching the match against Wakunan. You all did a splendid job. Chikara, good job for playing the role" Kazumi told them.

The second year bowed in gratitude "Hai! Thank you very much!"

"Daichi" she turned her attention to the captain.

Before he could even react, she sent him a punch on his stomach, shocking everyone in the room.

"EEEEEEEEEH?!?!"

"I-I guess this is to be expected... She loves to hit people as a greeting and tends to hit people when worried..." Coach Ukai sweat dropped.

"She still has her delinquent touch. I'm not surprised" Takinoue thought.

Daichi felt his soul leaving his body "Again... they are really mother and daughter...sob...."

"M-Mom... you shouldn't punch nii-chan. He's still injured..." Ayame sweat dropped.