ため野矢の: Because of Noya

驚き Surprise

It's been about 3 days since that encounter with Hinata-san and Sugawara-san. If you're wondering, I haven't gone to the gym to see them. And, I'm not going to sugar-coat the story with a bunch of excuses.
I just didn't want to go. That's all.
But, tonight, that changed.

At around 5 p.m., I started going to a train station to get home from school. I decided not to walk today, because it was extremely windy and rain was pouring heavily along the now musky and muddy grounds of Karasuno High. I washed my only pair of white stockings yesterday, and I definitely didn't want them to get dirty and have to repeat the whole process again.

Unfortunately for me, my way to the train station (and under the hooded path of the sidewalk along the school), made me cross the gym entrance. At the time, I didn't realize that until I mortally regretted it later.

Continuing the story, I was walking along the path leading me to my destination. The rain drops scattered everywhere along the hood shielding me, daring to pelt me with wetness if I even stepped foot outside the covered area. Everything was dark and misty, and my glasses were fogged up. I couldn't see anything from then on, so I had to grope my way around the edges of the sidewalk, being careful not to step out and get myself drenched. As I was blindly fumbling my way about, I saw an orange-y, yellowish light emanating from a close proximity to where I stood. Excited to finally be able to have shelter for a short while to regain my composure (and clean my glasses)other than a rickety hood for cover, I started jogging/walking towards the light.
Clumsily enough, I ran into the door where the light was actually coming from. This threw me back a bit, and almost knocked my glasses and blue bag slung around my shoulder off of me. I managed to regain my balance and fix what was out of place.
Groping around in the mist, I found the handle to the door I was hoping for and flung it open, heaving it closed behind me.
I sighed a breath of relief, as I turned around and walked into the building with only a bit of my sight regained.

"OI, GLASSES! WATCH OUT!"

I heard an all to familiar voice scream out in what seemed to be a fairly, no, extremely big room to which his voice echoed into. I couldn't tell yet where I wound up.
For the second time, I heard a familiar sound of a volleyball. And again, for the second time, it was hurtling straight towards me, so fast I could hear the wind rushing behind it.
So, what did I do then? What I think I would have never done in that situation.
Barely able to see, I threw my arms together into a receiving position I learned from junior high volleyball, and flung them up, shockingly colliding with the volleyball I hoped would be there.
I was relieved but shocked at my action, and it didn't end there. Because the force of that volleyball was so intense, after hitting it, the ball threw me backwards into the door.
I then tripped over my own shoes trying to regain my balance, but it proved to be of no avail. I crumpled to the floor, my bum slamming against the stiff wooden ground beneath me.
I mumbled a strained "oowww" as I picked my glasses off of my face and cleaned them with my shirt (even though it shouldn't be the first thing I was worrying about. At all. I should have been blind during the whole incident). Upon putting them back on my face, and focusing my eyes, I saw a whole team of shocked volleyball players. Besides Nishinoya, whom I heard beforehand.
At the time, I wanted to dart out of the gym, away from the problem, and just run my way home.
But that was not an option I was willing to take. Basically, because I was frozen in fear as of what to do or say. But, someone else spoke for me.

"Oh! Kameko-san! Nice receive! What are you doing here?"

Sugawara said as he walked up to me. With every step, I pressed myself harder against the door, pleading for myself to just melt under it. But, I'm human. And can't do that. Before long, Sugawara was standing in front of me, holding out his hand to help me up. I tentatively took it, and was lifted to my feet in no time.

"HEY! KAMEKO-SAN! WHERE DID YOU LEARN TO RECEIVE LIKE THAT?! PLEASE TEACH ME, SENPAI!"

An easily amazed Hinata yelled from behind a white volleyball net, very far from where I fell.

"No! No I didn't mean to. I just, I couldn't see, and I tried to get it aw-"

"YOU COULDN'T EVEN SEE IT?! THAT'S MORE AMAZING! TEACH ME HOW TO DO THAT, KAMEKO-SENPAI!"

Hinata pleaded. I can't believe he can hold in so much energy and excitement into one tiny body. It's almost impossible-looking for someone like me, so I would rather be taught how to manage that instead.

"It was just lucky. It won't happen again."

"Hey, Kameko, you didn't answer how you got here yet. Wait! You came to see us practice after Hinata told you, right?"

Sugawara said, a bit more jubilant that I expected.

"No. I was kind of just walking to the train station from school. I was pretty cold and tired, and then I saw this light. I followed it, and it happened to be the gym. That's all."

"Aaaah. Well, it's not what we expected. But we're glad you came! Come have a seat on the bleachers and watch while you recover from outside. It's really bad!"

Sugawara sat me down on the top row of Karasuno's black bleachers. Finally, I was able to take my clunky (but warm) jacket off along with other accessories to accompany it (gloves, hats, anything stereotypical for cold weather.)

"EVERYONE, LINE UP!"

A fairly tall player with short-cropped black hair yelled. I'm assuming he was the captain, given the rest of the team were obediently standing on the instructed line. I questioned what they were planning to do at first, but I immediately knew once they picked up different colored pinnies to put over their regular attire.
It was a scrimmage.
I leaned back on the wall behind me and folded my hands. I haven't watched volleyball in a long while, and seeing it again might be a bit interesting.
Just like a regular ordeal, teams were picked to go on opposite sides of the net. They set up, got in formation, and started to play as soon as the coach's whistle blew.