Chapter Text
As nervous as she was, she was excited to see Japan for the first as she soon began to live there after moving from America. Upon landing from a long flight, a girl with short dark brown hair and eyes of the same shade looks around with a curious smile. Holding both hands of her beloved parents, the family settled things before moving from America to seek their new home in Japan.
Her name is Minnie Patchouli: a kindhearted and cheerful individual, but also calm and quiet. As she begins to see the landscape of Japan with her own eyes for the first time, Minnie is filled with joy on her first visit to where it has nice places to see, although it may have its quirks. Heading out of the airport and taking the car, Minnie and her parents settle into their new home. The fresh air of a new home brings in a nostalgic time when they moved into a new house a couple of years ago. They decorate every part of the interior; the house turns into more like a home.
Both the father and mother looked at their child and smiled warmly with their hands holding hers. They told her all about this country and it would be a new experience in their lives to forever remember. Smiling with her parents, Minnie begins her new life in Japan as she gets ready for a journey of a new day.
"Guess a new day will be like another new one." Minnie says with a smile as she opens the curtains, seeing the light of the sun shining across the window in her room.
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After receiving proper information, she was able to attend her first year in Japan. On the new day, Minnie packs everything she needs before setting off to her first day of school in Japan. She had on her usual clothes of a pink shirt with black seams around the sleeves, dark blue pants with tied drawstrings, and gray shoes. Her parents packed her a good lunch and everything, telling her to have a good day. She says goodbye to her parents before setting off to Miraihara High School.
She didn't talk much on the way to school, minding her business like she usually did on any other day. Taking the local bus, she saw new faces who were occupied on their phones or talking to one another. Some of them were wearing uniforms of their own, and some of them wore what they wished to wear. Minnie takes an empty seat at the front, looking through the window as the bus drives to the school. It reminds her of the times when she boards the bus to school; however, she feels a different atmosphere from it. Minnie has always been wondering what Japan is really like, and now she's living in it.
A couple of minutes later, everyone arrived at the school. It was Miraihara High. This new place was among the places she had visited yesterday. The petals that fall from the branches of the cherry blossom trees welcome the newcoming and returning students.
On the first day, Minnie gets ready to start school in Japan. She looks around to see many people in uniforms or casual clothing; the school is lenient in dress code. Sighing a bit, she looks at the desk she is at while putting her backpack down. This is what life in Japan is going to be from now on.
Soon, the teacher comes in, asking everyone to take their seats. The introduction of new students brought interest to their fellow classmates, although some of them felt that it was just normal like a boring day of lecturing. A part of her feels like she's sticking out like a sore thumb, though. Strangely, Minnie wasn't nervous; she was neutral to how things had turned out. The students had some free time to themselves before class officially began.
"You must be the new kid from the United States," looking up, Minnie sees another first-year girl with shoulder-length light brown hair wearing a blue uniform with a red ribbon smiling at her while she's at her desk. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sayaka Minase."
Minnie smiles at the friendly girl. "Hello. I'm Minnie Patchouli. I'm still getting used to the place." As she says this, she shakes hands with the girl named Sayaka.
"Don't worry, I think it'll be a nice experience." Sayaka grins optimistically after the handshake. "Hey, I heard you just moved here yesterday, right?"
"Yeah." Minnie responds.
"Hey, is there anything you like in particular?" Sayaka asks.
Minnie turns to her after putting up one or two notebooks to write with a pencil. "Well, I do like drawing art; it is my hobby. And... I like volleyball a little bit."
"Ah! I see!" Sayaka beams upon hearing volleyball. "I like to play volleyball too. In fact, I played it a whole lot back in middle school. I've always thought that it is a cool sport. Heh. Since this is your first time here, do you mind if I can show you around the place?"
Minnie chuckles a bit before responding in an informal but cheerful tone, "Sure."
This made Sayaka more than happy to show Minnie around the school. She even showed her the schoolyard. As Minnie and Sayaka talked some more, they became friends and shared each other's contact numbers. After a while, a lecture began with the class following the lesson written in textbooks and writing notes on pieces of paper.
A crumbled piece of paper hits Minnie in the head and lands on her desk. Seeing it, she picks it up and opens it. Written in pencil, the paper read: "Welcome!"
Minnie looks over at the desk behind her to see a few students grinning and waving at her. She smiles and waves back at her. Seems that the peers find it interesting that a student transferred from the United States. Minnie decides to open up and talk about the state she was from. Not many of her peers have heard about it or even went there as part of their trip.
"Really? This is your first time going to Japan?" One student was surprised as he asked her a question about being there before.
"Yes, and I'm looking forward to staying here." Minnie smiles.
"You look so cute with that ribbon!" Another girl with short hair complimented the ribbon that is pink on one side and red on the other in Minnie's hair. "I wonder what kind of fashion you know."
"I wish I could see the United States." Pondered another girl.
"Don't get too excited about it." Says another classmate as he made a small wave of his hand. "I once went there myself and it was not all fun and games there. Anyway, let's give this kiddo some time to get used to what it's like living here."
"I like it!" Says the other girl.
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When classes were done for the day, Sayaka introduced Minnie to Miraihara's volleyball club. So many volleyballs were everywhere, going back and forth the net. The coach was calling out to the players on the team to keep going until she saw the two at the doorway. She welcomes them in with a casual smile.
"Is this?" Minnie takes in the whole view of the school's gym.
"Yep." Sayaka puts her hands on her hips as she looks on proudly at the people trying their hand at spiking the ball across the net. "This is Miraihara's volleyball club. We prefer to be easygoing and be comfortable with how to play the sport."
Admittedly, Minnie likes volleyball and has played that sport as an activity in her middle school's gym class. Sayaka gets an idea and has her play the sport to get more accustomed to it. With her arms stretched out, Sayaka teaches Minnie how volleyball is played. She is the wing spiker on the team and finds it enjoyable to hit the ball set to her at ease. The ball bounces into the air from the lift of her forearms before being hit across the net a couple of times. Minnie tries various positions; ultimately, she chooses to play as the libero. With her new friend, Minnie learns every lesson in volleyball to always be mindful of.
Sayaka shows Minnie the gym wear for practice: a green shirt with darker green shorts.
"So, Minnie-chan, what do you think of volleyball?" Sayaka asks as she sits on the bench with Minnie.
"I think I was learning volleyball all over again." Minnie says with a straightforward tone.
"I know, right?" Sayaka grins. "I felt that way when I started playing again." She sighs as she looks up at the high ceiling of the gymnasium. "Honestly, I think sports always teach people what teamwork is."
"For me, I don't always think about sports."
"I know how you feel buddy." Sayaka shrugs. "Well, it may not be for everyone, but heh, whatever makes them happy."
Laughing together, the two friends gather more thoughts over this sport of receiving, setting, and spiking the ball over the net.
"But you know..." Sayaka begins to get lost in thought. "I don't believe it to be some boring sport like everyone else says."
"...?" Minnie looks over, wondering what Sayaka meant.
Sayaka turns to her friend, chuckling to herself cheerfully. "Heheh. If I were to not play volleyball, I would be putting my skills as a gardener or maybe become a doctor like my mom is. But, who knows?"
Minnie blinks before looking up at the sky where the sun is. Seeing the way volleyball is, their perspective on sports changed a little.
"What would you do if you weren't playing volleyball?" Minnie decides to ask.
Sayaka ponders over the question, keeping her hands together. "Hmm... Honestly, I'm not really sure." She answers, putting one hand under her chin. "It's not like I'm following in anyone's footsteps. But, I guess when you settle on one thing, you get used to it so quickly. So, it just becomes easier."
Soon, Minnie grows accustomed to volleyball and the new school life in Japan.
Over the next couple of days, Minnie has become happier than before in her new home. She tells her parents all about her day, including her friendship with Sayaka. They told her they were proud and happy for her. Even though things around her were different compared to before, Minnie acknowledges that it is what people do every day.
Minnie remembers the cherry blossom petals that fell onto her head on her way to school. She wouldn't mind that at first, but she has to brush them off her head before entering the campus building. She also remembers the way the coach teaches her new team in volleyball. She remembers all the times when she bumps the ball in the air with her arms. Receiving the ball before getting back up to her feet was like back in middle school, but that was the only time she played volleyball. After watching a few matches with other volleyball teams including Karasuno, Nekoma, and Aoba Josai, Minnie finds out how the teams always persevere no matter how strong their opponents are. She raises her hand, silently respecting them for their effort in the sport.
Her parents smile as they see what their daughter is doing. Her mother let out a soft giggle before calling her for dinner. Her father prepared some of her favorite dishes and told tales of the boring days at work. Minnie and her mother think that work is too much for one person to think about, her father laughs it off and says that work is work in a lighthearted voice.
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Minnie's life in Japan will remain the same as it was but with a few changes.
She and her parents came to a match in a volleyball tournament one day. In the Hyogo Prefecture, she watches the volleyball match up close unlike the ones she usually watches on TV. There was a team in black jerseys playing against another team with a different set of jerseys. Two people that look alike set the ball before slamming it to the ground. The other team looked over where the ball was in surprise before looking back at the two who were facing them with a smug face and a nonchalant frown. The announcer was in awe of how the two, the Miya twins Atsumu and Osamu, pulled off their quick so smoothly. Soon, the next play began with a player with a foreign-sounding name dribbling the ball before serving. The other team struggles to keep up with the pace of the serve, leaving a sloppy receive from the opposing libero.
The announcer says the one who made the serve, Aran Ojiro made it more difficult for the opposing team to catch up with them. When the setter tosses the ball over to one of his hitters at the front, he hits the ball. However, the player with dark brown hair and narrow eyes jumped upward with his hands up to block the ball completely. The ball hits his hands, leaving one of the hitters to try to bump it back into the air. Despite this, the player in the black jersey had the advantage after jumping and throwing the ball over through the other player's hands. The announcer commentates how the middle blocker Rintaro Suna stopped the ball completely before the ball was then bounced against the ground after his teammate scored a point for them. Another point was gained for the team in black and white jerseys. The other team seemed to be frustrated but still kept going until the game ended with whoever made the last point.
Minnie looked on calmly, but she was mentally cheering on how the game went. As the teams bow their heads to the crowd who cheered for them, they head off the court. The team in black and white jerseys, Inarizaki, can proceed to the next round upon their victory. Numerous fangirls were in awe, cheering loudly for the team they admired so much. Most of the Inarizaki players would just brush them off like they usually do with the girls at their school. Most of the girls carrying fans and phones were in enamored with the popular volleyball team from Hyogo, but the team would ignore them out of annoyance that they wanted their attention.
A little while after the game was set, Minnie went over to the snack store to find some snacks she liked. Among the rows and columns, there were dozens of snacks to choose from, including those that were not sold in the United States. What spotted her eye was the chuupet, or fruit jelly sticks. Picking it up, she reads the price on the back. When she stands up, she sees someone staring at the rack of snacks like she was. It was the guy who made that block from earlier, Rintaro Suna.
Apparently, Suna's attention was on the chuupets, but then he turned his head to Minnie who was carrying a bag of them herself. They stare with neutral looks on their faces before Minnie turns to the check-out to buy the snacks, not wanting to bother him. Soon, she heads out of the snack store and goes to see another volleyball match going on. Watching the game made her pay close attention to where the ball was heading and when it was needed to be received or spiked. She looks around to see where her parents are, only to find Suna standing beside her, staring at her.
The two did not say as much as they watched the volleyball match that was going on. When looking at each other, Minnie tilts her head and Suna does the same thing. Suna's expressionless face was staring at Minnie's more casual one. The more the middle blocker stares, the more he wants to know from the person who is not a fangirl of his. Blinking her innocent eyes, she speaks up to talk to the middle blocker with dark brown hair and grayish-yellow eyes.
"You played a good game today."
Suna doesn't say anything, but only tilts his head again, analyzing Minnie to understand her. He remains reserved in contrast to Minnie's warm personality.
"Did you enjoy volleyball?" Minnie decides to ask.
Suna was still silent, blinking his eyes before giving a small nod of his head.
"I see." Minnie says quietly after she was given the answer without him saying anything for a few seconds.
The two stare at each other for a while before resuming to watch the volleyball match. While Minnie was watching with a smile on her face, Suna was standing there with a blank face that didn't say as much as his teammates. Suna looks over to see Minnie cheering on the game with her fist pumping in the air. The way she was doing it was adorable. So much time passed by before Inarizaki was due for the next match. Suna stares at Minnie once more before departing back to the court for his match with Itachiyama from Tokyo.
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Minnie watches the match between Inarizaki and Itachiyama. It lasted until three sets later when the opposing team won 3-1. Inarizaki was disappointed, but they accepted their loss with a stone face. At the very least, they receive praise from the band and the cheerleaders in the crowd. After the match was over, another match began as the other teams packed up to go home.
Minnie was outside to take some pictures of the scenery outside of the volleyball tournament, capturing the lovely landscapes on a bright sunny day. She thinks of an idea to draw anything she sees in Japan. It wasn't long until she turned around to see Suna standing behind her. The Inarizaki's #10 was genuinely curious about the kind of person Minnie was.
Suna, wearing a red jacket zipped all the way up, observes Minnie some more. Approaching Minnie by a few footsteps he decides to speak up to ask her.
"Do you watch volleyball?" Suna finally says.
Minnie's eyes widen in surprise at the question. She then nods her head.
Suna blinks his narrow eyes, scanning Minnie as much as he does before responding with an emotionless face.
"I see."
"Hm?" Minnie tilts her head. "What if I were to say no?"
Suna stares down at the person shorter than him before responding bluntly. "I do not think much about it. It makes no difference to me."
The answer prompts Minnie to be a bit curious about Suna. Outside was quiet so it was easier for Suna to talk to Minnie without being bothered by anything that annoys him. He doesn't tell her anything as much, but the small conversation was the start of knowing each other.
"So, you like volleyball," Minnie says as they look up while outside of the building. "I do too."
Suna only looks at Minnie after she says that she likes volleyball. He hums in agreement but keeps a cold, blank face on as he looks at the ground. Minnie then moves her head to Suna. Their conversation would've been in awkward silence, but it was a friendly interaction between a well-known volleyball player and a novice.
"You are a complete novice in volleyball." Suna says with his usual blunt voice.
Minnie makes a small smile after hearing that. "Heheh. Yeah, you could say that."
Suna looks from the ground to Minnie, pondering over the statement she just said. There wasn't anything else the middle blocker had said to Minnie as he kept examining her expressions. Her mood was happy but also calm. From what Suna can see, she is kind and straightforward. He tilts his head, believing that she is lost in thought. As soon as Minnie gets out of her train of thought, she looks at him again. Suna was kinda hard to read because of his blank face.
"Do you find motivation in volleyball?" Minnie decides to ask.
"I do not know," Says Suna after a few seconds of contemplation, "but I felt that was the sport that connected me to my team. And what position do you play?"
Minnie looks at Suna. "I play as the libero."
"I see." Suna responds.
Minnie then raised her arms high in the air; she was somewhat imitating a middle blocker jumping to block the ball. The sleeves that were partially covering her hands rolled down a bit. Suna tilts his head, puzzled at the brunette's childlike gesture.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"I'm pretending that a middle blocker is blocking the spike." Minnie says as she keeps her arms in the air before lowering them.
Suna blinks, seeing how Minnie is intimidating a middle blocker stopping the shot of the ball. "That is their task when players are at the front row, and yes I am a middle blocker."
They continue to stare at each other with neutral faces, well, one is innocent and the other is expressionless. Minnie is not sure what else to say to Suna whose face is devoid of emotion. It was like looking at someone else in the reflection of ice, his face doesn't budge at anything people tell him which makes him look apathetic.
Minnie checks the time on her phone. It was 3:56 PM, meaning that she should go home now.
"I need to go." Minnie says, putting her phone away and Suna watches on with a blank face. "Oh, what is your name?"
Suna keeps a cold gaze on her as he introduces himself. "I'm Rintaro Suna." He straight-up says.
"I'm Minnie Patchouli, and I'm new around here because I just moved from the U.S." Minnie makes a small smile before making a small wave at him as she turns around. "Bye now. I must go home."
Suna puts his hand up in response, not putting it in a waving motion; he blankly stares at Minnie as she heads back inside the building to meet up with her parents and go home. Seeing how she has a similar view on volleyball made Suna a bit curious. Even if their conversation was just a few words, he felt a sense of relief after having to deal with all of his fangirls after his team's match. From his observation, that girl from the U.S. happens to be kind yet neutral. Her innocent self and the responses she made gave Suna the impression that she was an easygoing person. Her disposition contracted from his, and he felt a stir of emotions from it.
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"Suna! Where the heck were ya, man?!" The setter, Atsumu, with his hair dyed blonde came over to Suna as soon as he walked back into the building.
He finds the rest of the Inarizaki team waiting for him after they finish everything up from their latest match in the tournament. The quiet middle blocker was no less than surprised, though.
"..." Suna gives the setter the usual unexpressive look on his face before saying something in a blunt tone. "Nowhere near the fangirls."
Atsumu's younger twin, with dyed gray hair, Osamu shrugs nonchalantly. The other teammates of Inarizaki were there too, including the captain Shinsuke Kita.
"Please, we all needed to blow some steam after getting away from the fangirls." Osamu makes a subtle smug, teasing Atsumu as he is the more popular twin in the volleyball club.
"Are you pointing your finger at me for bringing so much unwanted attention?!" Atsumu accused his twin.
"And who are you to be picky with your sets?" Osamu crosses his arms.
The older twin growls at him in irritation.
Their wing spiker Hitoshi Ginjima steps in to stop the Miya twins from fighting. "Guys cut it out! You're in the presence of Kita-san."
The twins stop for a moment and look at Kita who had his arms crossed while maintaining a blank face. They dread of the punishment if their argument ends up angering him. So, they relent.
"Sorry..." The twins mumbled.
Suna makes a soft scoff before heading out with the team, leaving the building to get back to school after their loss against Itachiyama Institute. What was on his mind was Minnie Patchouli, a first-year student who came from America and had a similar view on volleyball. Despite the cold and quiet demeanor he has, he feels a sense of friendship with her the moment they start talking to each other.
Perhaps, he'll find a chance to see Minnie again.