LI

"Isuma-san, have you chosen what you're going to wear to the formal event tomorrow?" Riko asked out of the blue. She and Saru were holding on to a step ladder while Isuma fastened a banner to the wall. She looked down and shook her head. "I haven't. I was just going to wear what I have on now. What about you?"

Saru was staring up at her in horror. "Isuma-san, people from Tokyo are going to be here! And a lot of other places! These are the people at the top of the pole; you have to dress up a little!" Isuma climbed down the ladder. "I haven't really had the need to buy any dresses lately. My newest one is from two years ago. Do you expect me to wear that?"

The other two exchanged identical glances; Riko pulled out her phone. "We really need to help you. Here, look. This is what I'm wearing."

Isuma expected it to be extremely fancy and something she wouldn't wear to her own wedding, but surprisingly, it was quite simple. The light yellow dress was knee-length and plain, causal yet oddly elegant at the same time. Riko was flashing a peace sign in the picture. "It's pretty."

"Oh, here's mine." Saru's dress was a little shorter and a flashy red. Isuma had to admit it was attractive. Riko leaned over. "You're wearing that, Saru? It's winter; you'll freeze!"

"Ah, I'll be fine. It's worth it." Saru waved off her concerns and looked at Isuma. "We must get you something, Isuma-san. It doesn't even have to be fancy; you just need to look presentable."

Riko agreed, "Yeah, exactly! The boys are dressing up too, you know. They're supposed to wear dress shirts and nice slacks. I bet some of them won't make it through the evening."

She and Saru laughed as Isuma managed a smile. "I'll try to find something. I can't promise anything, though."

"You can borrow a dress from me." Riko eagerly said. "You don't seem like the makeup type though..." Saru murmured. "Okay, I'll do your hair!"

"What color do you think suits her, Saru? Dark colors, right?" Riko asked. Saru nodded. "Yep- oh, what about dark blue?!"

"That's perfect!" Riko did a fist-pump. Isuma was watching them in bewilderment, unsure of what she'd gotten herself into. Riko held up her fingers as if to measure Isuma. "Hm, you're kind of thin and small... I think my clothes would be a little too big."

"Mine too..." Saru sighed. Riko tapped her foot, thinking. "Well... I do have this dress I bought a while ago, but it was too small. I think it'd be perfect for you." Seeing Isuma's reluctant expression, she added, "It's not too revealing, Isuma-san. The sleeves go past your elbows and I think the dress itself would be just past your knees. It's a dark blue; it would look lovely with your skin and hair."

"...is this really necessary?" Isuma asked, avoiding Riko's offer. They replied in harmony, "Yes."

"...alright, if you say so." Isuma hesitantly responded. They cheered, "Heck yeah!!"

Just then, a small commotion at the doors turned their heads. Almost everyone had converged there, greeting someone excitedly. Riko echoed Isuma's unspoken question: "Who's here?"

They walked over, trying to catch a glimpse over all the people in the crowd. Several parted to let them through, and Isuma was suddenly directly in front of Atsumu.

"'Suma-chan! Tokyo was totally awesome; I met this guy, Kageyama- a crazy setter!! I wish you could've seen him; he's a freaking monster! And then this other dude, Sakusa- you know him, right? He's in the top three aces in all of Japan! Kind of freaky at first, but he's super talented, and setting to him was so much fun! And there was this white shorty there- I swear, he had springs glued to his feet, because there's no way a human should be able to jump that high- 'Suma-chan, are you listening?"

Isuma nodded, shakingly laughing. "Yeah. Sorry, it's just good to see you again."

"Yeah? You and 'Samu have been okay, right? Didn't miss me too much?" Atsumu asked, flashing a grin. Osamu murmured, "In your dreams."

"Go warm up."

They all turned around; Kita was staring at Atsumu apprehensively, his expression impassive. Atsumu blinked. "What?"

Akagi leaned forward. "He said 'warm up.' You realize how terrible it's been without you? We lost against Kamino yesterday."

Hinosa yelped, "Hey! You might've lost with him! We've been training!"

"We'll see." Atsumu's eyes landed on Saru and Riko, who were hovering in the background. Saru was looking at Kita, her expression a little more than admiring. His eyes narrowed, but before he could say anything, the other second-years dragged him out of the doorway and ordered him to quickly warm-up. Isuma glanced at Osamu, who was talking with Suna. She waited until they'd stopped before approaching them. "Did you know he was coming this early?"

"I didn't. He texted me around an hour ago saying he was about to arrive." He answered. Isuma glanced back at the other managers and lowered her voice. "How 'fancy' is tomorrow going to be?"

"It's not terrible. They say it's very formal and all, but it's honestly pretty causal after the ceremony. You just stand around talking until dinner. Oh, and there's usually reporters, so be ready for that." Suna explained.

"Reporters?" Isuma repeated the word like it was poisonous. Osamu said, "Don't worry. They won't be after you- just the higher-ups and coaches."

"And Atsumu," Suna added. "And Osamu. And Kita Senpai. And Aran Senpai-"

"I get the point. And you, right?" Isuma questioned. Suna murmured, "They might ignore me this time."

"Isuma-san!!" Riko waved her over, waiting expectantly. Isuma said, "I better get back to them. You should go practice too."

Riko waited until she was within earshot before speaking. "So? Do you want to come over? We still have a few hours before people start arriving. Saru's coming; we can just leave from my place. It's not too far from here."

"If we finish everything, then maybe." Isuma vaguely responded, privately hoping something would suddenly go terribly wrong.

***

She ended up going, as all the coaches had insisted they go freshen up and come back in two hours.

Riko hadn't stretched the truth when she'd said the blue dress wasn't revealing. It was simple and a little on the casual side, but Saru assured her it was okay. Isuma point-blank refused to wear makeup, claiming she was allergic to certain chemicals, and begrudgingly allowed Saru to brush her hair. The other two took longer to get dressed, and when all three were finally ready- Isuma wasn't sure how she felt about them at this point- they left.

The ceremony was being held on the stage in the auditorium; the stage itself was completely empty, as everyone had opted to wait on the floor. All the lights except for the ones on the stage were off, making it difficult to see. Looking around for her brothers, Isuma crashed into someone and would've fallen if Riko hadn't caught her arm. "Sorry-"

Isuma noticed who it was and caught her breath.

The Inarizaki school uniform hadn't done Kita justice. Yes, it consisted of a blazer and tie as well, but he'd always been casual with it. Black and white were on whole other levels. His tie was perfectly set against his white dress shirt, his coat was neatly buttoned and smoothed out. Isuma suddenly felt self-conscious of what she was wearing herself. "-sorry, Kita-san."

"It's okay." He dropped the empty glass he had been holding and quickly knelt to retreat it. "You look... pretty."

Riko gripped Isuma's arm a little too tightly; on her other side, Saru looked offended that she'd overlooked him. She piped, "You look great too, Kita Senpai!!"

He glanced at her as if she were a foreign species; Saru hastily looked away. Riko quickly said, "Um, Saru and I have to go find our teams, Isuma-san. We'll see you in a second!"

Riko pulled Saru aside. "What are you doing?"

"I just complimented him! He didn't even reply." Saru murmured, disgruntled. Riko sighed loudly. "How dense are you?! Saru, they obviously like each other! Even you can't have missed that!"

"You don't know that for sure! I'll only accept it if Kita-san tells me." Saru stubbornly replied. Riko sighed. "Why are you setting yourself up for heartbreak? C'mon, you know it as well as I do! And if you don't, just look at them!"

Riko wheeled her around; Kita and Isuma were still talking several feet away from them. Kita laughed at something she said. With a jolt, Saru realized she'd never seen him laugh. The only time she'd seen him smile was when he was with Isuma. "...I can try, Riko. Okay?"

Riko's lips pressed together to form a thin line. "Fine. But when he flat-out tells you he doesn't like you, don't blame me."

Saru didn't say anything and merely cast another glance in Kita's direction.

***Kita was certain his heart had almost failed when he'd first seen Isuma.

One moment he'd been listening to Kosaku and Akagi talk, and the next he was looking at her. She always looked pretty, but seeing her in a dress was still startling. Her hair had been combed neatly, and a few braids fell down one side. The dark blue dress went with her skin tone and hair perfectly. Her eyes were more prominent than ever and sparkled whenever she looked at him.

Isuma was more beautiful than usual but in an intimidating way. Personality-wise, she was the same, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy. To his relief, Suna rescued him a few minutes into their conversation. He looked indifferent to seeing her. "Isuma-chan, your brothers are looking for you."

"Ah, right, I told them I'd meet them." With a quick wave to them both, she vanished into the crowd. Suna glanced over at his captain, his expression changing. "What's wrong?"

"...nothing."

Even Suna could tell it was an important 'something.'

***It was even more difficult to see now, as it was much more crowded. Isuma couldn't see her brothers through the newcomers, most of whom were at least a foot taller than her. People kept on bumping into her and then apologizing, which made the process much slower. The fifth time this happened, someone from behind caught her before she inevitably fell. Isuma glanced back; Tamiko was holding her arm, his expression inquisitive. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. This is the second time I've almost fallen in the past ten minutes." He let her go but made sure to stay close as the crowd around them moved. He was wearing black and white, which went well with his dark, almost blue hair. "Um, listen. I was actually going to find you, but since you're here..."

Isuma's interest piqued. "What is it?"

"I thought about what you said the other day. About leading and being a good captain," Tamiko said. She didn't dare hope, but she carefully prompted, "And?"

"I talked to Hino-nii and well... I agreed to be captain. At least for a month." He conceded, tugging on his sleeve habitually. Isuma's eyes lit up. "You did?"

"Yeah..." He sounded unsure about his decision. "Maybe I shouldn't have. Do you think-"

"Tamiko, no! That's great!!" Isuma exclaimed, her eyes beaming with happiness. Tamiko cast her a sidelong glance. "It's only a trial, though.""

Still! What made you agree?" She questioned. He murmured, "Mostly what Hino-nii said. But in the end... it was really what you told me."

Isuma remembered what she'd said to him; she couldn't recall anything significant. Before she could ask- what was it with people interrupting her conversations today?- Atsumu materialized beside them. "Hey, 'Suma-chan! Nice dress."

His voice was playful and sardonic, but there was a deeper meaning underneath his tone that showed he truly meant it. "Thanks. Were you looking for me?"

"Oh, yeah. There are some people I want you to meet- um, if you're okay with it." He added. Isuma briefly hesitated. "Sure, I'll come."

"Great!" Atsumu exclaimed. Tamiko could hear the layer of fear in her answer; he looked between the two of them, thinking of what to do. Kita would probably reprimand Atsumu, while Suna would snap at him. Osamu and Ginjima would call out Atsumu for his insensitivity.

Tamiko wasn't like any of them. Quickly settling on a decision, he spoke up. "Is it fine if I go with you?"

Atsumu shrugged. "Sure. Let's go." Isuma cast Tamiko a curious glance before they followed her brother.

The stage was now set up with a podium and official banners; several people were standing there, taking in the crowd. Isuma had only looked at them for a few seconds before Atsumu led her towards a small clump of people, one of whom looked to be still in his teens. "Yamaha Sensei!"

The eldest of the group- an older man with gray hair- greeted, "Miya-kun, it's wonderful to see you again. My, is this the girl whom you spoke of?"

"Yes. 'Suma, I met Yamaha Sensei while I was in Tokyo." Atsumu introduced. Isuma managed a small smile. "It's nice to meet you, Yamaha Sensei."

"And I you." He bowed to them in a dignified manner. "This is my grandson, Yamaha Riok."

Isuma's eyes landed on his; he was evidently a little older than them. His eyes were a magnificent blue that was striking against his wavy black hair. His hands were carelessly in his pockets, plainly showing he'd much rather be somewhere else, although he plastered on a smile to greet them. "It's good to meet you, Miya-san."

His expression wavered when he laid eyes on Isuma, who stepped back. Her face was pale and her eyes were dark, as if she'd seen a ghost. "...right."

Tamiko quizzically looked at her, but before he could say anything, Riok turned his gaze on him. "And who may you be?"

"...Altan Tamiko. I'm Kamino Academy's setter." He replied. Riok raised his eyebrows. "Kamino Academy? My, my, I thought you would despise Inarizaki rather than being friends with them."

His voice was causal with a touch of surprise, the mocking tone hidden well. Tamiko's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I'm friends with her. And?"

"It's just surprising." Movement on the stage caught Riok's eye. "If I'm not mistaken, we'll be starting soon. Excuse me."

He bowed to them before departing to the stage. Atsumu murmured, "That guy's annoying."

"Yeah."

I'm sorry, I rushed. School's being terrible right now. And I have shin splints. It sucks.

No update next week, or the week after. I have like a million other things going on right now, and something has to give. PSAT's coming up, I'm the head designer for our production in theatre and in charge of a bunch of freshmen who don't know how to listen. And a few dozen other burdens :((