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ni-kol-koru · 1 year

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KnB 30-Days Challenge

Day 10 : Favorite Team

Shūtoku High School BC 🏀🧡

Another very difficult choice for me. Every team in this show has unique characters, an interesting dynamic and their own unique playstyle and something special, like a quirk. I kind of know what my TOP 3 teams are, but choosing one of them seemed like an impossible mission... So, I made a little system that will help me pick my favorite team. When I added and substracted some points, Shūtoku won!

Shūtoku, as a team, has some of my most favorite characters ever. It is also the only team (after Rakuzan) in which I love and adore absolutely every member! Since I rambled about Shintarō and Kiyoshi, and am going to ramble about Kazunari very soon, let me just talk about the forgotten two of Shūtoku: Taisuke Ōtsubo and Shinsuke Kimura. A lot of people seem to forget that these two guys exist. They don't look super flashy, like Shintarō and Kiyoshi for example, because they have dark brown hair and dark brown eyes and generic hairstyles. They don't have prominent personalities either, like the other 3 members, who have their own very distinctive quirks and personality traits. But, that is just the surface. I was very curious one day and decided to scratch it and dive a little more into the lives and personalities of these two handsome boys. Well, after researching about them, they turned out to be very interesting, and dear to me.

Taisuke Ōtsubo. He is a serious, responsible, determined captain and a great sportsman. He is the pillar of his team on the court and is there to cover up the mistakes of his fellow members by saving every rebound he can. Everybody seems to think he is just tall, strong and scary and rough, but seriously, this guy is just a teddy bear. Other than being very kind and showing it in form of great sportmanship, he has some really surprising hobbies. It's cooking, cleaning, and knitting! In Extras, he is shown to be really skilled with needles and yarn, knitting a scarf almost 2 meters long during a boring class! He also carries things he made in his bag all the time, like mittens, hats... These things he does are not usually something that men do, and I just love how he looks like the manliest man ever and has these hobbies, breaking the patriarchal norms. He also really loves his team and always takes care of his teammates, knowing how to motivate them and cheer them up when it's needed, and tending to them when practices get tough and they feel sick. My favorite thing about him is that he likes spending his free time with his little sister, Ōtsubo Tae! Her age was never confirmed, but she is somewhere around 15, or maybe even 16, if we think about what Yūya said. Now, a lot of big brothers seem to, for some reason, find it boring, and even embarrassing, to hang out with their little sisters, but no, not Taisuke Ōtsubo. This guy loves it, we know it because he chooses to spend his free time in her presence! Taisuke is 18 years old, a grown man, basketball player, graduate student, preparing for college and adult life, and in a busy time like that, when he finds free time, he still spends time with his little sister. I can totally see them cooking together and cleaning together, but another activity that I can see them doing is just, talking. Taisuke can sit and talk with his sister all day, listening to her without feeling the need to interrupt her of mansplain anything if she just needs to let things out, or offering honest advice and support when she needs it. He is also surely protective of her, making sure to let everybody in her life know that if they hurt her in any way, he will find out and they will pay for it. He is just ready to do anything for his sister, I think. Another little detail about his character, that I really love, is that he is part of the Library Committee, which means he likes to read, and help people find books they like! Not only that, but his favorite subject is physcis, which means he is good at it, and that only reveals how smart he actually is! This man literally has the words 'Perfect Guy' on his forehead, how can people sleep on him like that? The only thing he can't do is kill a cockroach (actual canon and his actual only shortcoming).

Shinsuke Kimura. Calm, hard-working, doesn't like the spotlight and prefers to stay out of trouble. That's pretty much the only things people know about him. Though, reading between the lines of his behaviour, I found a couple of really endearing character traits! I He is a really supportive person, but he is doing it rather quietly most of the time. In games, he sets up solid screens to give his teammates freedom to move and opportunities to score, though. He also brings delicious fruits when practices get exhausting, and he is there to help his teammates if they ever feel sick, like when he was rubbing Kazunari's back and called for help when he felt like throwing up. He is even supportive in the strangest way possible, by always offering a pineapple to Kiyoshi when he is irritated, supporting his dear friend's anger issues. When times call for it, he knows how to motivate his teammates and give them a reason to stand up on their feet and continue fighting. He is extremely hard-working and he proved it by practicing harder than everyone until he finally reached the starter line. That's a thing I really admire him for. Something that caught my attention when reading his Wiki page and exploring his character was how he likes to spend his free time. He spends it by helping at home. Now, if you know that his family owns a convenience store and grows their own fruits, it probably means that he helps with taking care of the said plants, carries heavy boxes, cleans the store, helps in organising new arrivals, works as a cashier and so on... However, if you ever happened to notice the fact that he doesn't have a mother, it adds another, whole different meaning. Having only a father means that all the house and store responsibilities fall onto him when his boys are at school, which is difficult to balance. So, taking care of the house, cleaning it and cooking meals, probably sometimes falls onto his two sons, and very likely Shinsuke, as the older brother, takes care of most of those things. This boy is another level of hard-working. We can even gyess that he gave up college to continue the family's bussiness, because he is never shown worrying about any college entrance exams, like the other two Third Years. He is just, wow. The moment I completely fell in love with him was when I listened to a Special CD. In the said CD, he reveals such a beautiful side of himself and he tells us about something really important for him. He talks about wrestling. He has been doing it since he is 8 years old, it's something that he loves a lot and is extremely passionate about! I wish you guys could hear his voice when he talks about wrestling, he just sounds so happy and passionate! Oh, and he gets so excited when he finds out Shintarō knows a thing or two about his sport! Listening to that part of the CD always makes my little heart melt! Shinsuke is so precious to me and I just love him so much!

If you get into typology, Shinsuke and Taisuke both have a Kanji in their names that means 'Support', showing how important they are for the Shūtoku team. Also, they are really handsome, and it's a hill I will die on. If anyone disagrees with me on this one, I am willing to argue until the end of time.

Now, the characters aren't even the best part of this team. What I endlessly love is the chemistry and all the different friendships between all of them!

Three Third years and two First years in a single team is a really interesting combination itself. Almost like parents and children. Getting along with each other, as two separate generations, was probably something that they had to work on a lot, but in the end, they did it! Since the beginning, the First years had respect for their Seniors by listening to them and respecting their opinions. Sometimes, the Third years had to pick their younger members up and give them motivation to keep fighting. They are also there to tend to the boys when they feel unwell and are always willing to offer their help when they get in trouble, like in the Midorima's Unlucky Day Extra! An important step towards the team working well was Third years getting along with the fact that the First years, were indeed, special, and needed to be cut some slack for such behaviour from time to time. Honestly, realising that they will be on the same team only for a single year breaks my heart every time, it breaks theirs as well... The moment Shintarō and Kazunari pointed that out in their game against Rakuzan was the only time I cried in the show. Seriously, I love these guys so much.

Shūtoku has some really interesting friendships as well, one of the most precious friendships being the one between Kazunari and Shintarō. It is obvious that these two are inseparable! After all, they are always there for each other, on the basketball court, in school and even in private life, offering support and having fun! Kazunari cares for Shintarō really deeply, and he shows it by carrying some of his neccesities, such as tape for fingers and sometimes even lucky items with himself, and always being there to cheer him up and protect him if the upperclassmen are picking on him. Shintarō is pretty tsundere, usually trying hard to not show how much he actually appreciates Kazunari and his thoughtfulness, but every time he softly smiles and relies on his dear friend he reveals to us how much he appreciates him.

Another friendship that is very dear to me is the one between Kiyoshi and Shinsuke! These two share the same story on how they got their well deserved positions as the starter members of the basketball team. They worked harder than everyone, stayed late to practice and got close because of that, possibly practicing with each other a bunch of times. But that's not everything, The Extras really reveal just how close these two are! They are actually classmates as well! Being in the same class with someone surely brings two people together, so these two being in the same classroom for 3 consecutive years surely did its wonders! Now, their personalities might clash a little, because Shinsuke is calm and Kiyoshi is rather uptight, Shinsuke prefers to stay out of trouble while Kiyoshi attracts a lot of trouble, but they are also similar in their determination, seriousness and hard-work, which is why they can probably get along. In the anime, we can also see these two tease each other sometimes, in the besties way, of course. The Extras also show how sometimes, when paired up, these two know how to 'have fun' by poking at their underclassmen (which is a little mean, but they never really hurt anyone, as far as I know, so they are forgiven). Oh, and of course, they have this famous pineapple/pick-up truck deal, where Shinsuke always offers his fruits or vehicle to his dear friend when he is irritated. It is just so iconic, like their own little inside joke!

There is also something very interesting going on between Taisuke and Kiyoshi. At one point in the anime, Taisuke reveals to Shintarō and Kazunari that they go to idol concerts together and that idols are actually their common interest! As someone who is into idols myself, I can see them collecting albums, CDs and photocards and trading them with each other all the time, which is something that is fun when done with friends! But that's not quite it... Remember when Taisuke said he was really used to seeing Kiyoshi work so hard? Well, I somehow came to an idea that they practiced basketball together, more specifically, that Taisuke helped Kiyoshi with polishing his fundamentals and mastering dribbling against an opponent with good defense. This duo kind of makes sense, because Taisuke is just supportive like that, he is the type of a guy who would help others in need with no hesitation, and Kiyoshi just screams 'someone help' as a character and a person, and especially in that period of time, I think. So, naturally, they were kinda drawn to each other, and later when they realised they have some things in common, they became good friends! I can kind of see Kiyoshi always feel so grateful for Taisuke because he supported him and helped him in some really tough times, and probably even picked him up when he fell. Also, before Taisuke revealed their shared interest to his underclassmen, he was about to say something about Kiyoshi, but he cut himself in the middle of his sentence and never said it. I can feel that he was about to say something really nice about him, groundbreaking for their relationship even, and I am still mad he never finished it...

Shūtoku is also a team with a lot of brothers and sisters, where every regular memeber we know has a younger sibling! Shintarō, Kazunari and Taisuke have younger sisters, while Shinsuke and Kiyoshi have younger brothers! Sadly, we never got to truly meet any of them. We only know something little about Yūya, only know Tae's name and looks, and the appearance of little Kimura. Unfortunately, we have nothing for little Midorima and little Takao. Well, still, it's really something interesting to think about, all the possible big brother tropes that the regulars of Shūtoku might be! It's sad that we don't have almost anything for some of these younger siblings, but that doesn't have to be all that bad! It leaves room for our own imagination and creativity to shine, we can make up our own fun headcanons for their looks, ages, personalities and relationships!

I just love this team so much! 🧡

#knb #knb 30-days challenge #shuutoku #shutoku #takao kazunari #midorima shintaro #midorima shintarou #miyaji kiyoshi #miyaji yuya #miyaji yuuya #taisuke ohtsubo #taisuke ootsubo #taisuke otsubo #tae ohtsubo #tae ootsubo #tae otsubo #kimura shinsuke #chibi kimura #i am speechless after all of this #it took me SO MUCH EFFORT #it took me SO MUCH ENERGY #but it is here #hope you guys love it #when some of my friends watched knb and i asked them what they thought about some teams #one of my friends told me about how shuutoku is a perfect team #and how the only thing they dislike is their jersey color #because appearantly the color reminded them of garbage collector uniforms too much #another friend said they look like they were in jail when they wore their orange jackets #i love their team colours though hahaha #orange is my favorite color ever i love them for it OH AND THEY WEAR IT WITH CONFIDENCE

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le-amewzing · 7 years

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Moving Mountains (part 2/2)

A side story in this AU, but it can be read on its own. Follow the Birds of a Feather tag for more.

Fic: "Moving Mountains" [FFN] [AO3] | part 1

Pairings/Characters: Ukai Keishin/Takeda Ittetsu, Takinoue Yuusuke/Shimada Makoto, Keishin's parents, Ukai Ikkei, Shimizu Kiyoko, Naoi Manabu, Otsubo Tae, Kimura Shinsuke, Sugawara Koushi, Sawamura Daichi, Kobori Kouji, with cameos from Yaku Morisuke, Anabara Takaaki, Mizoguchi Sadayuki, & Azumane Asahi

Rating: T

Words: ~16,500 total; ~8,600 for part 2

Summary: Just when Keishin thinks he's settled, his grandfather goes making plans. Again. *An AU oneshot set in my Birds of a Feather AU, but may be read on its own; set before and during "Opportunity" in the BoaF collection; slash.

"Ukai-san. Ukai-san!"

Early on Thursday evening, Miyaji came into the conference room, which Keishin was treating like a makeshift office of his own, and cleared away the remnants of his late lunch. But, even after having his name called, Keishin didn't notice her until she touched his arm.

The secretary's brow was furrowed. "Ukai-san, you've not taken a break all day. You worked through lunch. Are you all right?"

He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them. Good gods. Had he really done that? He checked the time on his watch only to see the analog display read eight o'clock. He gaped at that and then at Miyaji. "Is it really this late?!"

Miyaji's eyes darted to his accessory. "No, Ukai-san. It's a little after five."

Great. He needed a new watch.

"May I suggest a walk around the building?"

"Yeah… Yeah, stretching my muscles sounds like a good idea." At "stretching," his mind briefly flew away as he imagined Ittetsu's gift, but he calmed down. Though he was looking forward to this experiment, a part of him felt bummed about today, having come in to work on his birthday with no expectations for celebration. At home, his mother had mentioned making his favorite dishes, but there was something about going out to celebrate one's birthday properly, even as an adult. And an idea popped into his head. "Actually…"

"Yes?"

He stood and slipped his jacket on. "Where's the nearest train station?"

Miyaji furrowed her brow again. "Two blocks away, but—"

He nodded his thanks and took his lunch trash out of her arms, disposing of it himself in the waste bin by the door. "I'm going out, then, Forty-five minutes, maybe an hour. But I'll be back—"

"Ukai-san—"

"—so just tell Grandpa I'm just in the bathroom or something if he comes looking for me—"

"Ukai-san!"

Keishin froze on his way out of the room, with Miyaji right behind. Uh-oh. Had he been too crass just now? Crap! He didn't know how the corporate social sphere worked, so he didn't know where the lines were.

But Miyaji exhaled and strode by, heading to her desk. She picked up her phones, hit some buttons, and then hung up. "Kimura-san will be waiting for you downstairs."

"Oh." He'd forgotten about Kimura. "But…what if Grandpa has to go out?"

The young woman shook her head and gestured to his closed office door on the left. "His schedule's full today. Shimizu-san wouldn't let him leave even if he wanted to."

Keishin stroked his chin, impressed. Shimizu might've been the Operations manager, but she made for a hell of a vice-president, if she were one. …actually, she'd probably make for a better president, Keishin thought with intimidation as he went downstairs and out the front. True to Miyaji's word, Kimura was there and opened the door for the coach.

What would've been a five-minute train ride was a fifteen-, almost twenty-minute car ride deep into the city. Keishin mused about striking up a conversation with the driver, but, as no topics came to mind, he gave up on that venture. So he noted how the vehicle recently had been vacuumed, that there was a pineapple air freshener that no longer smelled hanging from the mirror, and that traffic at this time of day was horrible—but it was nice having legroom and not being crammed into a train car.

He was relieved, almost excited, when the school came into view, and he had Kimura drop him off at the curb in the front. "Please circle back around for me in about half an hour," Keishin requested, and he hopped out before Kimura could make a fuss about getting his door. If there was any place Keishin didn't want to be treated like a young master, it was here.

The stone steps were a welcome sight compared to Ukai Corp.'s headquarters, and Keishin climbed them steadily, scanning the campus for a moment before spotting the gyms and making a beeline for them.

In this mild weather, the gym doors were open, and Keishin's ears pricked up at the comforting sound of volleyballs smacked high in the air, of sneakers squeaking as receives were made. He slipped inside with little notice, but he made his presence known to the three adults across the way.

The oldest and tallest broke into a grin and waved back. He gave his clipboard to the shorter man beside him, who, in addition to the woman with them, spied Keishin and waved as well. But then her and the shorter man's eyes widened the longer they stared.

Keishin frowned and looked down at his suit and tie. "Ah, I look stupid, don't I?"

"It's not your clothes Yaku and Yamamoto are shocked by," Naoi corrected once he was in earshot of his rival. "It's your hair."

Keishin rolled his eyes but still shook Naoi's hand and clapped him on the back. "Yeah, yeah… You cats are so weird. You're used to bleach-blond characters."

"Considering Yamamoto's older brother and Kozume still have golden locks, you're not wrong," Naoi said, referencing some alumni which Senior's players had faced before Keishin took over coaching duties.

Keishin joined Nekoma's head coach right inside the door and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He smirked as Naoi's attention was caught by a set that was spiked poorly. "And what about you? I can't picture you bleaching, but, uh, maybe a little color around…"

Naoi turned redder than his Nekoma sweats, and his hand shot up to cover the spot of gunmetal gray by his left ear. He glared at Keishin, who snickered. "Oh, shut up, Ukai. So I'm graying. You just wait your turn."

But the crow coach shrugged. "I can wait. Grandpa and Dad didn't start graying until their fifties."

At that, Naoi's shoulders sagged. "Yaku and Yamamoto keep trying to put a positive spin on it, saying I look distinguished…"

He looked too forlorn for Keishin to make another jibe. "Was it recent? I saw you with your team on television for the Spring High months ago and didn't notice it then." There. A subtle reminder that Nekoma had made it to Nationals while Karasuno had not ought to do the trick.

But Naoi frowned and peeked at Keishin before averting his gaze. "It was recent. It happened after Nekomata-sensei's eldest daughter called me at the end of January to say he looked to be more tired than usual. I thought I might swing by and join him for drinks, because you know how he was: the life of the party, outlasting everyone who drank with him." He dropped his hand from the gray patch and ran his hand through his hair. Then his hands were clenched fists at his sides. "But I didn't get the chance. Sensei passed at the start of February."

"My condolences," Keishin mumbled. "Sorry I couldn't make it."

Naoi spared him a small, tight grin. "He had a nice turnout. Ukai-sensei was there, so consider your family and Karasuno represented. Yamiji-sensei from Fukurodani was there, too."

That made sense, since the two Tokyo schools were closely linked. "It'll be weird to see Yamiji-sensei to go someday, too."

Naoi nodded. "All the greats of their generation. Him, Washijou-sensei—"

Keishin snorted and exchanged a look with his friend. "Naoi… With personalities like theirs, Washijou-sensei and Grandpa are gonna be last, and they'll go kicking and screaming—especially Washijou-sensei."

They laughed, but Yaku sent them scathing glares when some of the students stopped to see what the deal was. Chastised, Naoi motioned for Keishin to join him outside, and they resumed chatting. "But you didn't come here to talk morbid things, did you, Ukai?"

"No. I was hoping to convince you to cut out early and have a drink with me."

"Just because you're in the city?" Naoi's eyes gleamed. "What would Takeda-sensei think?" he teased.

Keishin blushed and gave him a dry look, his face reddening, knowing how childish he was about to sound. "…no. It's my birthday."

The dark-haired man blinked. Then he laughed, not at all bothered by the insinuation he'd made. "Happy birthday, you old fart."

"Hey! If I'm an old fart, then so are you!"

Naoi laughed again. "Ah, Ukai… I'd join you, but I've still got practice…"

"And the club has Yaku and Yamamoto."

"Yamamoto's only an assistant coach, and the club's size has gradually increased over the past few years."

"The club has Yaku and Yamamoto."

Naoi grumbled about not being heard, but Keishin ignored that, too, and went inside to ask Yaku if he could borrow the head coach. Polite though his language was, Yaku all but spat "Please, take him and go" after club was interrupted for the third time.

Keishin considered hailing Kimura for a second but remembered he was trying to downplay his new role. He took an abrupt detour up the street after.

A minute passed, and Naoi coughed. "Did you have a destination in mind?"

"Um…"

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?"

The crow shot him another dry look. But he was saved from having to respond when a food stall appeared up ahead on their right, and Keishin grabbed them two seats in the middle. "Two beers, and steamed buns and dumplings, please!"

Naoi shook his head and amended his drink order to nonalcoholic beer. "So, care to tell me what you're doing here, looking like that? I know your grandfather owns Ukai Corp., but…"

"I'm…helping."

"Only helping? Didn't think you'd give up the bleach only to help." He paused when they were passed their beverages, and he toasted to Keishin's good health. But then he asked essentially what Takinoue had last month: "Are you going from coaching to corporate?"

And, as he had with Takinoue, Keishin was reluctant to come out with a definite answer. "…I'm not a numbers person," he mumbled into the mouth of his bottle.

"No, you're not."

Keishin heaved an exasperated sigh.

"But stats? You can handle those." Naoi waited for Keishin's full attention in order to continue, and he gave his companion a small smile. "It's true. Running numbers versus analyzing information—that was part of our advantage as setters, being stats guys."

"Benchwarmers' Club," Keishin reminded him.

"I know. But we took that background with us when we became coaches. And running a company isn't just about numbers—I'm sure Ukai-sensei's got people for it. But taking in information and processing it before making a move?" The dark-haired man shrugged. "Coaching or corporate, I guess it's not that different. You'll just have to figure out what to do."

The food arrived, and Keishin picked at a bun while Naoi heartily ate the lion's share of the dumplings. "I never said I'm switching careers."

"No. But it's hard to say 'no' to or to disobey a man like your grandfather."

Keishin huffed, hating that he was right.

Naoi pushed the last two dumplings in front of him and convinced him to eat. With the dumplings and all but one bun gone and Keishin's beer hardly touched, they trudged back to Nekoma. With the sounds of equipment going away for the night, it was easy to figure practice had wrapped up in Naoi's absence, but he didn't grouse about it. Instead, he asked Keishin another question. "You didn't leave Takeda-sensei to coach all of a sudden, did you?"

The sympathetic expression for the teacher pulled Keishin out of his funk. "No, I didn't."

"Oh, good."

"You get to deal with the likes of Coach Shimada and Coach Takinoue instead."

"Oh, crap."

Keishin grinned, and they parted there. Keishin caught Yaku's eye before he turned to leave, and he gave him a quick nod of thanks.

Kimura pulled up as Keishin's foot left the bottom step in front of the school, and he let the coach get in by himself. "Are you feeling better, sir?" the driver asked at the first red light.

Keishin looked at him in the mirror. Had he come across as disgruntled earlier? "Uh, yeah…"

Kimura nodded. "I heard from your grandfather that today is your birthday, sir."

"Hah? Ah, yeah, it is… Hey, Kimura, you don't have to call me 'sir.' Maybe it's fine for Grandpa, but I'm not old enough to be a 'sir' yet."

"Yes, sir," Kimura replied, smiling.

Keishin rolled his eyes.

"And…Ukai-san?"

Well, that was a relief. "Yeah?"

"Happy birthday, Ukai-san."

It was the first time that day anyone had said that exact phrase, and it made Keishin feel comfortable for the first time since coming here. "Thanks, Kimura," he said, and he settled in to watch the city lights as they wound their way back to headquarters.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Ittetsu wore an unimpressed expression on Keishin's phone's screen. The teacher took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, but he didn't look angry anymore. "Keishin. I get it. I'm sorry, too. Now are you going to apologize for the rest of the evening, or may I get a word in?"

Keishin sighed. "You can… But, to be honest, I think I'd prefer having to say sorry for doing something wrong in bed."

Ittetsu smiled, but his eyes said otherwise: "You bet your ass I'd prefer the same, damn it." The piercing gaze made Keishin shiver.

He'd really messed up, he internally bemoaned in the guestroom towards the end of the month. On his birthday, he'd come home in a decent mood, thanks to Naoi and to Kimura, and he'd had a nice, lively dinner with his parents and Senior, complete with quality sake his father had gotten from a trusted client. But all three Ukai men had overdone it, and Keishin had retired to his room…and slept through the night, missing Ittetsu's call.

Ittetsu had ignored his few calls and texts, few only because Keishin was busy at Senior's company. And Keishin had gotten out only a few apologies last week when Ittetsu finally answered. Only tonight had he been given the chance to explain, but at least Ittetsu was tired of being upset with him.

"So…,"Keishin began, happy Ittetsu had accepted a video chat tonight. It was a relief to see those round eyes and cheeks.

The teacher put his glasses back on, and he held up a paper calendar. "Golden Week! Next week, we're going to stay over at Johzenji. We'll be joined by Datekou and Seijou."

"Holy fuck, how in the hell did you manage that?"

"Well, Oiwake-san loves the chance to test each new Iron Wall on Karasuno, you know that, and he wanted more than just a practice match against us. Anabara-san was looking for a proper training camp for his team since he's forever cursed with lazy students at Johzenji."

"And Seijou?"

Ittetsu shrugged as if it were nothing. "Mizoguchi-san and Iwaizumi-kun were hesitant at first, especially after hearing Johzenji's hosting. But Shimada-kun pulled a favor with Shido-kun, who convinced his old coach and teammate that it was an 'enemy of my enemy is my friend' situation."

Now it made sense. "Ittetsu-san, is this a training camp or an Anti-Shiratorizawa Brigade?"

The teacher laughed brightly. "Shimada-kun and Anabara-san were mulling over inviting Shiratorizawa if Seijou opted out."

"Washijou-sensei would never agree, not with a club that size and their own facilities."

"Yes, but Mizoguchi-san and Iwaizumi-kun are a bit too hardheaded to reach that conclusion." He laughed at his own summation, and Keishin was reminded it was this deviousness plus persistence that had convinced him to date Ittetsu in the first place.

"This sounds like something I don't want to miss," the coach said, and he reclined on his bed and held his phone above his face, back to admiring the cheerfulness on his lover's countenance.

"I know. And I don't want you to, but I know it's somewhat last-notice." He furrowed his brow but smiled nevertheless. "I mean, does the company take Golden Week off or…?"

Keishin sighed, as he already knew the answer. "No. But work has been steady and nothing's come up, so I'm gonna barter with Gramps…."

Which he did the next morning on the way to the office. And, shockingly, Senior agreed to it.

"Hah?!" The youngest Ukai couldn't help gawking at the old man in the backseat.

Senior paid his rudeness no mind. "I'm encouraging you to drop in on the training camp."

"What?! I'm not— I'm going just for Ittetsu-san—" He shut up when Senior huffed.

"That's a bonus. Go and check on Makoto and Yuusuke, make sure they're not besmirching our good name. Makoto was a good mentor to Tadashi and others like him after, but Yuusuke still has that streak in him of doing things his own way."

"I'm not going unless I promise to evaluate them, am I?"

"I'll have Miyaji check for available train tickets. We'll collect them from her at the end of the day."

And that was how Keishin found himself on the train home on Monday afternoon.

He would've liked to leave on Sunday or even Saturday, before the start of Golden Week, but Monday was the best Miyaji had been able to do, so he'd still thanked her. He'd be responsible for his ticket back, but at least that meant he got to choose when to return to the city.

Considering when he left, he arrived in his hometown well after dark, and he was exhausted. But he made it home and took a nap before getting in his car and heading to Johzenji.

Johzenji High, like Datekougyou, was a fair drive from Karasuno, unlike Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa, which were a good walk and a mad run from the crows' nest, respectively. The school was about as old as Karasuno, too, but its buildings were better kept than either Karasuno's or Nekoma's.

Keishin pulled into the lot and circled around back by the main building as he searched for where to park. He found the cluster of what must've been the coaches' cars off near the running tracks by the gyms, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he recognized the bus he and Ittetsu borrowed from the school for club trips. He parked beside it, got out, and dialed Ittetsu as he rested comfortably against his trunk. On the second ring, Ittetsu picked up, and Keishin said, "I think you've got a flat tire."

"What?!" the teacher yelped, and he hung up.

Keishin chuckled and waited, sticking his phone and hands in his pockets.

A moment later, a breathless man came running from the clubhouses by the gym, using his phone as a flashlight. Ittetsu locked eyes with Keishin—and ran faster. He collided into the coach's arms with an "Oof!" and didn't have any breath left to laugh, but he clung to Keishin as if gravity kept them together.

"Damn, it's good to see you for real," Keishin whispered. He pushed back the curls on Ittetsu's forehead to kiss it, and he chuckled again when Ittetsu pouted at him. So he pushed the older man's frames up and out of the way and went for a real kiss instead.

Once Ittetsu's knees gave, the teacher considered himself satisfied and sank into another hug. "Ahh, Keishin…!"

"Did you miss me?"

"Of course." Ittetsu was blurry with light only from one flood-lamp on the tracks providing clarity for the entire area. Regardless, he was a sight for sore eyes.

"…uh, Ittetsu-san…what are you doing…?" Keishin asked as the teacher craned his neck around his lover.

"Checking the bus, of course! Where's the flat?"

Forty years old and still so gullible…! "Ittetsu-san, I said that just so you'd rush out," Keishin confessed.

Ittetsu sighed, pulling Keishin's head down to rest it in the crook of his neck. "Oh, Keishin… I still would've rushed out to see you."

"Really?" the coach mumbled. He unzipped his lover's favorite track jacket partway, enough so he could breathe against his collarbone.

"Stop that," Ittetsu scolded, and Keishin laughed when the former squirmed. "No, seriously… The students are in the B building behind the gym and the adults have accommodations in the clubhouses, but we divvied up the arrangements three, three, and three."

"So it'll be three, three, and four now," Keishin said, breaking away to grab the small bag he'd packed and to lock up his vehicle. He followed Ittetsu to the clubhouses. "Wait—three, three, and three?"

"Yes. Anabara-san's assistant coach quit, apparently. He's sharing with Oiwake-san and Sakunami-kun."

"And his hands aren't full all on his own?"

"Saitou-kun, from Shiratorizawa, will be by during the day to lend him a hand."

Of course. Those two were old friends. "So then…"

"Mizoguchi-san, Iwaizumi-kun, and Watari-kun took the second room," Ittetsu said as they passed by the second door on the floor level.

"I thought Watari was only a fitness trainer."

"He is, but he's volunteering his time to help out, too. So, here we are," the teacher finished, and he opened the door to the third and second-to-last clubroom—

"ARGH! Damn it! Again?! How can you do that again?!"

Keishin and Ittetsu blinked at Anabara's outburst and…well, at the scene before them.

The "responsible" adults were seated around a game of mahjong. Anabara looked close to crying, Oiwake had nodded off while sitting up on Anabara's left, Mizoguchi and Iwaizumi looked equally irate and perplexed, and Takinoue seemed either scared or in awe of Mahjong Master Shimada.

Ittetsu sighed, catching the others' vague attention, though Shimada waved. "Good grief. Watari-kun and Sakunami-kun left to do patrol, so I was hoping this lot would put it away and go to sleep…"

Keishin pointed at the scene before them. "Are they seriously gambling during a training camp?"

"It's harmless fun," Shimada piped up. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, tucked some hair behind his ear, and collected several tiles in one fell swoop.

In response, Anabara flopped backwards with an "I give up," Iwaizumi scratched his head, and Mizoguchi cursed and got to his feet, bitching about there being no alcohol on school trips. Seijou's head coach clasped Keishin's shoulder on the way out. "Please tell me that," he said, pointing to a cackling and victorious Shimada, "is not a permanent change, Ukai."

A part of Keishin wanted to apologize for the rowdy behavior…but he also knew Mizoguchi was as big a pain in the ass as Irihata had been for Karasuno, so he smirked. "Goodnight, Mizoguchi-san."

Mizoguchi rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath. Iwaizumi followed after, but after he woke Oiwake and had his help dragging Anabara out of there. Once it was crows-only, Ittetsu closed the door, and Shimada beamed at the other three.

"I told you it was harmless," he repeated as Takinoue put the tiles away and Ittetsu laid a futon out for Keishin next to his. Shimada gestured to the hoard of vending machine snacks and drinks piled at the head of his bedding. "We only bet food."

"For two nights," Takinoue piped up. He tousled Shimada's hair, but the latter was two giddy over his win to swat him away.

Keishin shook his head at them. "And you played with him, Tattsun?"

"I know better than to play against him, so we did teams." Takinoue eyed him and Ittetsu. "But what are you doing here?"

In his mind's eye, Senior's words about sizing the new coaches up floated to the forefront of his thoughts, but Keishin wisely withheld that piece of information. "I thought it'd be obvious," he said casually, snaking an arm around Ittetsu's waist and pulling the teacher to him, making Ittetsu laugh. "We'll be on our best behavior if you are."

Takinoue and Shimada exchanged a look and a snort. "Shyeah, right," the blond quipped.

"You won't even know I'm here, honest…!"

"All right, all right, Keishin, we have an early morning, so let's all get some rest before any of us have to patrol, all right? …"

Keishin turned out to be right—or, rather, he made good on his promise. He stayed out from underfoot of the other coaches and kept out of Shimada's and Takinoue's hair. He kept off to the side with Ittetsu when it was appropriate to mingle, and he kept his exchanges with the students brief so they'd rely more on their new coaches. The only place he interfered was in the kitchen to lend the five managers—two from Johzenji and one each from the other schools—a helping hand, which the girls welcomed.

"It's like having your wife make you dinner," Shimada snickered after dinner Tuesday night, and he guffawed at the deer-in-the-headlights look the happy couple shared as they walked back to the clubhouse with the crow coaches.

Takinoue snickered, too, but he caught the Evil Eye which Keishin sent him, so he sobered up and took PDA-allergic Shimada's hand in his. It worked. Shimada was nearly docile for the rest of the night.

Ruckus or no, teasing or no, it was so pleasant to have a repeat on Wednesday after all the tense weeks that had passed. It was nice, too, to see Shimada in action compared to Takinoue; Shimada had talent for explaining concepts, but Takinoue, natural talent he was, was the better demonstrator. They made a balanced team.

Then, that evening, Keishin had a text from Shimizu:

-Ukai-san, can you call me?

Keishin's smile fell as he stood inside the A gym with Ittetsu, watching Johzenji bounce around Datekou's defense. A second passed before he realized Ittetsu had stopped watching, too.

"Keishin, is something wrong?"

The young coach snapped out of his stupor and considered his lover's worried expression. "Uh, no, just… I need to take a call. I'll be right back," Keishin assured him, and he gave Ittetsu's nearer hand a quick squeeze before stepping outside.

Shimizu answered on the first ring—hopefully a sign of her promptness and not one of urgency. "Good evening, Ukai-san. My apologies for disturbing your vacation."

He ran a nervous hand through his hair. "It's fine, Shimizu. I take it this is important?"

There was an odd pause. Then: "We've…hit a snag."

"What kind of snag?"

"Missing information."

"From where?"

There was the sound of her flipping through papers. "Production. The data came from Marketing." She let that sink in.

"Which was where the breach originated," Keishin reminded himself.

"Yes." Another pause. When Shimizu spoke again, there was uncertainty in her tone. "Ukai-san… I might have jumped the gun notifying you, as we only discovered the issue this morning, but—"

"No, no, I… I'd want to know." He grimaced. "It's still early enough. If I caught the train now—"

"If I may," the Operations manager interrupted politely. "You would return quite late, Ukai-san. If you come back, consider the morning as your earliest possible choice."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Keishin flashed his eyes at the gym doors, glimpsing Ittetsu, Mizoguchi, and Shimada all looking on quite curiously. "Then I'll be on the first train back, Shimizu."

"All right."

"Oh. One more thing."

"Yes?"

Senior would strangle him if he ever learned of Keishin's next requests, but the grandson asked anyway. "If my grandfather is still at the office, send him home, will you? And, even when I'm back, keep tabs on him for me. This company…" Somehow, the words "means everything to him" didn't capture everything Senior felt about the company he'd built from the ground up.

"Understood. We will see you tomorrow, Ukai-san. Goodnight."

"Ah, yeah… See you then."

It was clear to the others that something was amiss when Keishin slogged back. Ittetsu fidgeted, and Shimada ogled him openly. Only Mizoguchi tried clearing the air. "Datekou put an end to Johzenji's boundless energy. Ready to see our efforts as we hand your asses to you?" he taunted in a friendly manner.

Keishin narrowed his eyes at him, but the jab lit a fire in Shimada, and the two active coaches walked onto the court as their respective teams began warming up. It was the perfect segue for Ittetsu to jump in.

His eyes seemed to scream "Don't tell me it's nothing." His lips even quivered. And Keishin…

Keishin couldn't find the strength to lie.

Where there is smoke, there is fire.

Ukai Corporation's executives were in a frenzy when Keishin returned, and the next several days blurred together as the situation unfolded. The issue of missing information from Marketing and from Production kept cropping up—only for the info to be found later, so that files could be reconciled. But those seven open projects were the tip of the iceberg.

On Wednesday, Senior called for a managers' meeting, and that conference room filled up quickly. Several faces were as familiar as Shimizu's to Keishin, since Sugawara, Sawamura, and Azumane each headed up a different department within the company. Unfortunately, this was no time for a trip down Memory Lane.

"We keep finding holes in our records," Sawamura spoke to the room. "Suga's team has patched every single one so far, but…"

Kobori, the I.T. manager, cleared his throat uncomfortably. "We recovered all of Terushima's lost files following the hack. But we're working 'round the clock to pinpoint the source of this mess."

"Is this another breach?" Keishin asked on his grandfather's right at the head of the table.

The others murmured, but Kobori threw his hands up in a calming gesture. "No! No, we're…" He trailed off, unable to confirm they were safe.

Azumane frowned and spoke up. "Whatever it is, I believe it's reached Distribution. Numbers on the warehouse's system have been wonky, especially when compared to the stores' numbers I got from Shimizu."

At the mention of her name, Shimizu passed a paper around the room, with tables highlighting stock and material discrepancies. Keishin scanned it and noticed out of the corner of his eye that Senior didn't bother to look, rubbing his eyes instead.

The meeting went on for a while, with each manager bringing their colleagues up to speed. The day ended with a nervous agreement to monitor the situation, with heavy emphasis on I.T. to find answers as soon as possible.

Then Seo rushed in to Senior's office the following morning, and she spoke of how several important research cases in her department, Sporting Specialty, were gone.

Of course there were hard, paper backups for some cases, but the freshest data had yet to be printed—and now those ideas were gone.

Senior emerged from his office, Seo, Keishin, and Shimizu on his heels. "Miyaji," he told his secretary, "bring everyone from yesterday back in."

She did as asked, and the conference room was full an hour later. But yesterday's murmurs were now voices rising in volume. The only interruption came when Miyaji barged in. Her jaw clenched with the dozen or so pairs of eyes on her. "I apologize for interrupting, President," she told Senior. Her eyes flickered to Sugawara. "But there's an urgent message for Sugawara-san, from Ennoshita-san, his subordinate."

Sugawara's tan eyes widened in the suddenly quiet room. "Yes?"

Miyaji double-checked the sticky in her hand. "There are incomplete files they can't fix, though they're still trying, and they're checking others right now."

Senior, like Miyaji, clenched his jaw, but Keishin could see in his grandfather's eyes that he was still trying to grasp the severity of the news. So Keishin stood and spoke to the room. "Everyone, listen up. Head back to your stations and check everything by hand, thoroughly. Whatever you have backed up, make new hard files. Keep lines open between departments and update us with every new piece of information. It's important to connect"—he blushed at how naturally one of his volleyball speeches emerged and corrected himself—"I mean, communicate, but let's do this calmly."

He ended it there, and the managers did as he said. But he motioned for Miyaji. "My dad—is he still out visiting with vendors?"

"The vice-president will be back by lunchtime," she confirmed.

Finally, Senior sighed and mentally returned to them. "Get Takeichi on the phone, Miyaji. And then get me a list of our investors." He stood and left for his office. "We've got a long day ahead of us."

A lot can happen in two days, and much did transpire. Between the ballooning situation with their corrupted systems to spending half of Saturday meeting with investors to fill them in on the news, the Ukais barely had the chance to catch their breath. Keishin gave his father credit, though. That was the first time he'd seen him in action and at headquarters, and he had a certain finesse for easing tension that Keishin and Senior lacked.

Unfortunately, a miserable air clung to the three of them on Sunday, even through a delicious meal made by Keishin's mother. "Wearing such faces while eating my food is an insult," she scolded her husband, father-in-law, and son. "Now you all eat up. You can't get anything done on empty stomachs," she added, dishing up seconds that no one touched.

"Mamiko, please," Keishin's father mumbled. "The investors are worried of this leaking to the media."

"That's to be expected," Senior chimed in, finding it in him to nibble at more rice.

Keishin looked at them, an idea forming. "Well…the managers all know, and our investors know, and I'm sure the employees can sniff out we're in trouble. What if we move ahead with giving the employees an official statement? Then we talk to the press after, and no one's surprised who shouldn't be."

Senior regarded his words, but his father shook his head and got to his feet. "No. With what else the investors suggested—I don't want to be part of that."

"Takeichi—" Keishin's mother began, reaching for him.

But he pulled away. "I'm sorry. I'm tired." And he disappeared upstairs without so much as a polite parting.

She sighed and started clearing things away, even though Senior had eaten more. But Senior let her do what she wanted, and he went to the door, slipping on his shoes and stepping outside.

Keishin, meanwhile, felt awkward in his mother's silence, so he, too, put on his shoes and joined his grandfather in the small front yard.

The house was medium-sized and in a nice neighborhood, but it still was crammed into an area with similar homes, as one imagined in the city. The trains and traffic weren't far-off sounds, nor was the hubbub of the busy shopping district a few blocks away. Yet Senior stood outside here, looking up at a navy, starless sky as if they stood in the quietest place on Earth.

"Gramps?"

Senior's shoulders were stiff and relaxed slower than a snail moved. "I know Takeichi's opinion on the matter," he stated.

Keishin frowned. He didn't need to point out to the old man that it was plain to see he was hurt by his son's opinion nevertheless. "Dad…likes talking with people."

"I know. That's why I gave him the tasks I did. Securing contracts and partnerships is his special power." He snorted. "Who ever heard of a vice-president who works like Takeichi?"

The coach mustered a halfhearted smile and stepped beside his grandfather. "Yeah. Dad marches to his own beat."

"He is my son," Senior said quietly. Then, in an impossibly quieter voice, he said, "This industry… It's no longer for me." He shrugged. "It's not an old man's game."

The words weren't a shock to Keishin, and he knew where this conversation was heading, with or without his input. "And Dad's never wanted to take over."

His grandfather nodded. Then he faced Keishin. Perhaps being backlit by the lights from the house made his features softer. Or maybe time was catching up with him finally. "But you care about this company. You came to help, and you came when things went south." He grinned, the Unyielding Coach Ukai twinkle in his eye. "When I first hinted to you last fall, about taking over, you freaked out like an idiot, but you didn't say 'no.'"

Keishin rolled his eyes. "To be fair, it wasn't really the first time you've made mouth noises about it. I freaked out because it was the first time I could tell you meant it."

Senior shrugged again. After a quiet moment, he continued, "…understand one thing, Keishin: Your parents and I don't see the same Keishin we did a decade ago. I'm not grooming you for this position with the expectation you'll marry and have a family and have someone to pass this on to. Every single one of my employees has started with me and climbed to success within the company. I picked them because I saw their potential. They don't need someone showing up out of nowhere, telling them what to do. They need someone who knows the business—is learning the business," he amended at Keishin's dry look, "who cares and sees them as family, just as I do.

You've got the head for this, Keishin. Just as I knew I could trust you with the Karasuno Volleyball Club, I know I can trust you with Ukai Corp."

The grandson's shoulders sagged. "We've made it to Nationals several times but haven't won since you were coach."

"Eh, details."

Still, Keishin bit his lower lip.

Senior eyed him and sighed. "Talk it over with Ittetsu, but do it soon." He gripped Keishin's shoulder then, and he went back inside, leaving his grandson to think under that endless night sky.

Keishin couldn't sleep. So he called Ittetsu shortly before one in the morning.

Ittetsu's sleepy voice was precious, and he grumbled unconsciously as he woke up. "Keishin…? It's so late…"

"I know. Sorry for waking you. But we need to talk."

Just like that, Ittetsu was at attention. "Oh, no. What happened? Wait, no. I—"

"Agh, sorry, sorry!" Keishin pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes. "That was poor wording on my part."

"Oh. Okay. Ha." Ittetsu exhaled, low and slow, but his voice was wet. "Um…is it all right if I cry a bit? I kind of panicked…"

Gods, if only they were in the same room, Keishin could wrap his arms around him and squeeze the fright out of him. "I really didn't mean that, Ittetsu-san."

The teacher sniffled and took a couple of shaky breaths, but he calmed down. "I'm good. But what about you?"

Keishin hesitated. "Grandpa…finally said it."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Keishin turned on his side in bed, facing the wall. In the dark like this, with his phone against his ear, he could almost picture Ittetsu lying beside him, could almost smell the comforting scents from their home above Sakanoshita Shop. "Dad's…not willing to make cuts—money or people. Grandpa and I know what has to be done, even if we don't like it. And—" He paused.

"What?"

"Well, Grandpa's tired. None of our investors came out and said it, but I don't think they'd disagree with him stepping down from running the company."

Now Ittetsu paused. "Ukai Corp. is…not next door to Karasuno High."

The coach squeezed his eyes shut tight. "I know," he admitted painfully. "I— This is why I wanted to talk with you. I'll be interim president, until I can get a read someone who's been there longer and can do a better job."

"But you'd be president regardless."

"True. So…"

"So?"

"Maybe I can live in the city during school months and come home the rest of the time." It was said half seriously, but Keishin knew how absurd it sounded.

Perhaps Ittetsu knew that, too, since he chuckled. But then he said, "I kind of like that."

"You do?"

"I do."

Keishin opened his eyes and pictured Ittetsu looking back at him, his smile wide and as stunningly unmarked with lines of age as ever. "Say that again."

"Hmm? I do."

Ah, yes. Words like a kiss pressed to his forehead. "Again."

"I do!"

"One more time."

Finally Ittetsu caught on. "Keishin…! … I do…"

"One more?"

"I do. …"

An email was sent out early Monday morning, a quick, succinct draft written by Senior in the middle of the night and proofed and checked by Shimizu and Miyaji before going around to the various department managers. The message was forwarded by them to their subordinates to guarantee everyone received it. This way all knew about the company-wide meeting to attend in the studios in Production on Wednesday.

Tuesday was filled with paperwork and lawyers and updates. Shimizu's poker face was impassive while Keishin and Senior squared away the power transfer, but Miyaji was misty-eyed. The action reminded Keishin about how the old man had put his company together. Family, indeed.

At last, Wednesday arrived. Keishin followed his grandfather and Shimizu down to the second floor, where Production was located, and the buzz of people grew louder the closer they approached the end of the large room where a podium had been placed.

"I—" Keishin started.

"You can do this," Shimizu said in her quiet but strong tone. She pushed her pink frames up her nose as if that was that.

Senior found her forthrightness entertaining, and he even grinned. "No need to be awkward, Keishin. You'll be fine." His smile faded as he took a breath and patted his beige suit jacket. "Remember, Keishin: Everyone on this side of the 'net' is your ally," he said with a quick jerk of his head in the crowd's direction. Then he stepped up to the podium.

Keishin appreciated the encouragement, but it didn't make him any less nervous. He winced when the microphone Shimizu clipped to Senior's jacket emitted a high-pitched whine, and then he listened as intently as everyone else as Senior spoke.

"Ah, let's see…" His grandfather scratched his ear and heaved a sigh. He glimpsed the speech Shimizu had drafted for him and left on the podium, but he seemed to change his mind about reading the printed copy. "I think I'll get right to the point: I've got good news and bad news."

Internally, Keishin sighed at the cliché. He peeked at Shimizu and thought he saw the Operations manager's shoulders slacken with a sigh, too.

"First… It's been a long time coming. I've wanted to retire for a while. This industry—it's not an old man's game anymore." He held up a hand to quiet the audience at that, and Keishin wondered if he would recycle everything he'd told his grandson the other night. "Now, you know I wouldn't leave you in the lurch. I've been training my replacement for ages, in many ways. So now I'd like to introduce my grandson, Ukai Keishin."

With a wave of his hand, Senior motioned for Keishin to join him at the lectern. His knees shook with a few hundred pairs of eyes on him, and it was all he could do to bow his head respectfully to them. He prayed to the gods that he wouldn't be expected to speak, not right now.

Luckily, his prayer was answered. He took a step back as Senior cleared his throat and addressed the crowd again. "Keishin here has a good head on his shoulders, and you'll need that in the times to come. A few months ago," he stated after the place quieted, "our company was hacked."

The sudden silence was incredibly loud.

"What seemed like a small intrusion has become a worse problem. I'll have our I.T. manager give you a quick run-down. Kobori," Senior finished, nodding to the tall man who Keishin only now noticed had been standing at the front of the gathering.

Shimizu clipped a second microphone to Kobori's shirt pocket, and he gave the company a curt nod. "Uh, yes. I'm Kobori, from I.T. Someone infiltrated our system a little while back. While we kicked them out, they left some presents behind." Like Senior, he had to raise his hands to quiet the lifting voices—a few people even shouted. "Please, please listen! No one's personal data has been compromised, and our finances are safe."

Well, that was partially true. Accounts hadn't been affected, but Keishin knew the company had suffered a tremendous hit with the confusion at the stores and in the warehouse.

"That information is stored on a separate system," Kobori continued, "so that can't be breached. However, some work data is missing, and there are false statistics that some departments have been working with, so…" He passed things back to Senior as things got loud and out of hand.

"What this means," the old man spoke over everyone," is that there are going to be some changes around here. And that means…there will be some involuntary transitions in the near future." Arms were crossed and eyes widened as he finished there and bowed his head to them in sincere apology.

The murmurs returned as all spilled from the studios, and Shimizu signaled to the former and new presidents to follow her back the back way they'd come.

"Wait!" a voice called after them. "Please, wait!"

Sugawara's voice was so pleading that Keishin turned, and they waited for the Marketing manager as he pushed his way to them. Sawamura was a beat behind him, and the Production manager kept grabbing his arm, only to have Sugawara shake him off each time. "Suga, don't!" he warned.

But Sugawara didn't listen. His eyes were big and round and manic, and they darted between the Ukais. "Please, don't fire Terushima!"

�� Keishin's frown echoed his father's grimace at the mention of the source of this mess. "Sugawara—" the young coach started.

Sugawara realized what their looks meant. That was when he dropped to his knees and prostrated himself in a perfect dogeza. From the others' angle, his forehead might as well have touched the floor. "Terushima Yuuji can be an idiot and lazy, but he's done good work up to and since the incident, and that was an honest-to-goodness mistake. He doesn't deserve such extreme measures. Please, please, don't fire him!" He balled his hands into fists so tight that his pale knuckles turned blindingly white. "If you need to fire anyone, consider me instead!"

Keishin knelt and touched the sandy-haired man's shoulder, shaking it when Sugawara refused to lift his head. "Sugawara. You are not in trouble. I won't lie to you—layoffs are coming. But that's a work in progress, and I know Terushima had no ill intentions. So…when the time comes to figure out what to do with him, I will hear you out. But don't lower your head to me and throw away your hard work in the process."

Sugawara's tan eyes turned glassy, but he held back his tears and stared at Keishin, his mouth hanging open in a little "o." Sawamura helped his gob-smacked friend to his feet, and it would only be later when Keishin thought back on the scene that he'd realize Sugawara was probably the first Ukai Corporation employee whose trust he'd earned not by word of mouth or because of the Ukai name but through his own, honest actions.

Honest actions could only carry him so far, Keishin believed as the week passed and he made plans as the news broke in the country. While he listened to Senior's input and Shimizu's advice and assured department managers that all managerial positions were guaranteed safe, the media took mild interest in the story. Some reports guessed at what had happened, though no Ukai Corp. reps confirmed their theories.

"Pay the media no mind," Senior told him. "Either they figure it out for us or we solve everything and hold another press conference. Focus on the task at hand."

Keishin groaned. He was focusing. Sugawara had just left Senior's—no, Keishin's now—office after they came to an agreement that Terushima would be the first laid off. It was the best available solution, and at least Sugawara could meet with Terushima, knowing he wasn't going to fire him.

But Terushima and part-timers had to go for the sake of the company's fiscal health. Probably the worst case was letting Ikejiri in Accounts go, as she'd been back part-time for months after her maternity leave; Keishin could only look at it optimistically when he considered her husband worked fulltime in Production under Sawamura, so the family was not entirely cut loose. Other than them, Accounts lost another in addition to Ikejiri, Sporting Specialty lost two, and one each exited Engineering and HR.

By the end of May and the start of June, Ukai Corp.'s luck took a turn—for the better. Through networking, Keishin learned of a small tech outfit, Nine Lives Net, and Sawamura pitched the idea that at least Ennoshita's friend there, a Narita Kazuhito, might come in and do security consultation for I.T. Keishin authorized it in a heartbeat, and he—and Ukai Corp.—made it to mid-June with no more trouble.

"Don't jinx yourself," Ittetsu fretted over the speakerphone in Keishin's office on a Saturday afternoon.

Keishin sighed and loosened his tie. "I'm not. Ittetsu-san, I swear. In fact, we just sent out a note to everyone the other day. There's a hiring freeze, but we're done laying people off. The real work begins now."

"I saw the news. Did Kumo Japan's president, Hanamiya, really hack the company?"

He snorted at that. "Emperor Industries leads the pack. They don't see us as a threat, so I don't think they'd do it. But Kumo Japan's two spots behind us. So if Hanamiya is as nasty as I've heard, then it's a possibility. Though we don't have any evidence of it."

"I see…" Ittetsu's words trailed off. "You're doing a good job, Keishin."

Keishin smiled sadly. "Thanks."

"We'll figure us out long-term." He said it as if that were merely the next task on their to-do list, which made Keishin laugh. He'd be forever delighted by Ittetsu's go-get-'em attitude, five, ten, twenty, forty years from now.

"You do know I'd rather be home with you and the shop, though, right?" Keishin continued, taking his cellphone from his pocket and bringing up the video chat app.

There was a buzz, and the speakerphone clicked, the call ended. A second later, Ittetsu was shaking his head on Keishin's phone's screen. "Of course I know that," the teacher answered, though his cheeks were rosy with happiness at seeing his lover's face. "But be honest for a moment."

"Shoot."

Ittetsu raised his dark eyebrows above the rims of his old-fashioned glasses. "Aren't you just at the store because it's easy?"

Keishin gave it some thought. That was…only part of it. Damn, Ittetsu had his number. "But we'll be away from each other…"

"And we've managed okay so far," Ittetsu said while Keishin walked around the office, pausing at the sole window, looking out onto the city skyline. "We can always give the webcam another try."

The young president coughed at that, and Ittetsu laughed a tad harder than he needed to at his lover's reaction. "…well, I guess…practice makes perfect."

"Good. So we're in agreement. Manage it part-time, come home on school breaks, and we'll go through a couple of webcams." He laughed at his own joke, but his eyes crinkled, his smile growing the longer he stared at Keishin.

"Or I could move the company headquarters…"

"Keishin!" The teacher blushed at the grand gesture, and he shook his head at him again. His eyes roved over Keishin. "I really do love the chestnut color," he said with a happy sigh.

"…yeah, me, too," Keishin admitted, accepting his new future with a tousle of his unbleached locks.

WELL. When I first planned BoaF/started writing it, this was one of the initial side story ideas…which I've finally written 3 yrs later. XD So much happened in the setup for "Opportunity," though, and I thought it was important to see this side of things. Not to mention we got to see some of who are teaching the next generation of volleyball kids. ;3 I have to say, my favorite parts of this were likely the interaction between grandfather and grandson and that scene where Suga asks Ukai Jr. not to fire Terushima. That's supposed to be the BoaF nod to Suga asking Ukai Jr. to do what's best for Karasuno and keep Kageyama in if it means they'll keep winning; but here, this Ukai Jr., too, knows Suga shouldn't discard his own talents. :)

Some other notes:

-Yes, I named Keishin's parents. I like the name "Mamiko" a lot for some reason, but "Takeichi" was more specific, since we have Ikkei → Takeichi → Keishin. I wanted "kei" in there somewhere, though you wouldn't write his name with a "kei" character but an "ichi" instead. ;P

-Kudos if you're a dedicated BoaF fan and recognize Nomura-san popping up again! :D

-I love Shimada & Takinoue & ship Takishima BADLY. Ofc I'd include them. ;D

-There are a lot of KnB (and other fandom) references. And characters. For reasons. XDDD (It's a multi-fandom AU, I mean, pssh. XD)

-When Keishin comments about feeling like a yakuza entering U.C., it's because of his suit; it's a common trope that yakuza wear flashy/gaudy suits and so can be spotted a mile away. Not all of them do, but it still happens, *lol*. *mew also loves yakuza stories, bye*

-Manga readers recognize Yamamoto's lil' sis, Akane, making a cameo as Nekoma's assistant coach. I have plans for her…as well as others mentioned in the training camp scenes. -w-

-In BoaF, instead of Takeda having to convince Ukai Jr. to coach the crows, now you know Takeda had to be persistent in asking Ukai Jr. out. (He's going to be 90yo someday and still adorable, y'know.)

-Golden Week (copied from my A/N for "Opportunity”): In Japan, this week from April 30th to May 5th (or until May 6th if April 30th is a Sunday) is a time of kind of…national vacation? A lot of companies have their employees take off here, so there's a LOT of travel, and it's a popular time of the year for clubs to hold activities and training camps at schools. Not all companies participate, & the canon of BoaF is that some companies are too small or have other offerings for flexible time off (as U.C. does) to allow Golden Week vacations. -w-

-Songs for this fic: "Chronostasis" by Kinoko Teikoku and "Calling in Love" by Suran featuring Beenzino; both v appropriate for the moods and scenario here. :3

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or the AO3 link at the top of the post! The 7th EnnoTana story, "Personal Day," will be posted in the Birds of a Feather collection in a while (there's another bunch of side stories following that one), so please stay tuned! And check out my other [HQ!!] fics if you liked this, too!

~mew

And if you want to support Birds of a Feather, please swing by its FFN and AO3 versions and consider liking and reblogging these posts on my tumblr!

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