3

                                    

                                          
After several days of interviewing various members from the MSBY Black Jackals, you finally got to the final four players. The four guys that stand out the most: Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shoyo, Miya Atsumu, and Sakusa Kiyoomi.
You stand in front of the four boys, all except one being  visibly excited to speak with you. "Um, who wants to go first?"
Hinata, Bokuto, and Atsumu started talking all at once, making it hard for you to make out any words. You scrunch your eyebrows in confusion, not knowing what was going on.
You clear your throat, making them stop. "How about we go in this order: Bokuto-san, Hinata-san, Atsumu-san, then Sakusa-san?"
Your words settled in their heads. They all nodded, murmuring their agreements.
Bokuto happily stood in front of you, while the others walked back to the court. "I'm single."
You close your eyes, taking a deep breath. "Good for you. I just want to know about your volleyball career."
"Are you in a relationship?"
"No."
"Are you free after this?"
You press your lips together into a thin line. "No. I'm quite busy with writing. Also, I'm not interested into loud extroverts. I'd prefer someone quieter, smarter, and calmer."
Bokuto hums. "I think I can set you up with someone."
"I'd rather focus on my career. Can you please talk about volleyball? I want to know your thoughts and feelings on your career."
Bokuto beams. "I love volleyball! I've been playing it my whole life!"
Your lips curl into a slight smile, happy to be starting to make progress. "When did you decide that you wanted to be a pro volleyball player?"
He hums, bringing his hand to his chin while thinking. "I think it was this moment I had in high school."
"Oh? Could you tell me more about it?"
Bokuto nods, smiling. "Well, I kept getting blocked while doing one type of spikes. While getting frustrated, I attempted doing the other kind of spike and it got through. That was the moment I got completely hooked on volleyball. I knew from that moment that I wanted to play for my whole life."
You hum, typing the words into your tablet. "Sounds wonderful. Mind if I ask you about how you managed to come to this team?"
***
Hinata was happily sitting beside you, shining bright like the sun. "Have you ever played volleyball?"
"Back before college, I played quite a bit. But this isn't about me. What got you into volleyball?"
"Oh, well, that's easy! I was riding my bike in the street of my hometown, then stopped in front of a window display of TV's. On one of them, a high school volleyball game was showing. The former little giant, the number ten from Karasuno from all those years ago, was spiking. I started learning to play and even formed a boys' volleyball club at my middle school. I learned to get better in high school, when me and Kageyama were joining the same team."
You raise a brow at him. "You mean Kageyama Tobio of the Schweidan Adlers?"
The orange haired man nods excitedly. "He was on the team I faced in middle school, during the one official match I got to play in. We got into fights a lot after being in the same school, but we were also good friends. We helped each other grow stronger. Without him, I might not have learned just how high I can fly."
You type quickly, hoping to get every word he says into your notes. You could organize everything later, when you get home. "How did you get this far?"
Hinata's eyes sparkled at the memories. "Well, it first started when my high school team met our Tokyo rival, Nekoma. During the summer of my first year, I met Bokuto-san at a training camp in Tokyo. That training camp made me learn to improve on my special quick with Kageyama. Oh, that was a minus tempo quick we did, by the way. And then we beat Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa during the prefecture qualifiers. In our second round of the spring nationals, I met Atsumu-san. I faced him in the tournament and he and his twin, Osamu-san, copied my special quick with Kageyama. In the end, my team won because Kageyama and I blocked the twins' quick."
You blink quickly, making sure you have all that typed out. "Wow. Sounds interesting. What led you to joining the Black Jackals?"
"Well, I went to Brazil to learn beach volleyball for two years. It took a while, but I got an offer after coming back home."
***
Atsumu grinned, trying to lean closer to you. "Are ya a big fan of me?"
"I'll be honest, I don't watch volleyball much. I only know the team since I live in the same prefecture. Can we just get along with the interview?"
He shrugs, keeping his eyes on you. "Whaddya wanna know?"
"When did you start playing volleyball?"
"Ah, good question, beautiful." He takes a breath. "Me and my twin, Samu, started out in a local club. We met our middle and high school teammate, Ojiro Aran there."
You nod, leaving the "beatiful" part out of your notes. "How did you decide to become a pro volleyball player?"
"Ya ask everyone these questions?"
"Yes, either these exact questions or a similar variation of them. Can you answer my question please?"
The fake blond hums. "Sure thing. Well, I always loved volleyball, so I wanted to play for as long as possible. I got mad at Samu in high school when he said he wouldn't go pro after we graduate."
"What made you choose MSBY?"
"It was closest to my home in Hyogo! And I'm so good that I got an offer to be a setter here right after graduating from high school. Bokkun came about a year after me."
"I see. What do you think about the current rankings in the division?"
***
Sakusa just remained standing in front of you once it was his turn. "How long is this going to take?"
"Not long, hopefully. Your teammates seemed overly excited for this. A few were trying to hit on me."
He nods. "They're like that. We're all fans of your work. Though I have a feeling they don't read some of your more in depth books."
You look into his eyes. "Ah, sorry. This is becoming unprofessional of me. Would you like to take a seat while we talk?" You gesture to the bench you were sitting on.
Sakusa narrows his eyes. "Since those other germs had been sitting there, I think I'll remain standing. Just be quick about the questions."
You hesitate, unsure of how to take that response. "Um, would you mind telling me about how you got into volleyball?"
"My cousin, Komori Motoya got me into it."
"Why did you go pro?"
The curly black haired man just stares down at you. "I didn't like leaving things unfinished, so I continued working harder. I guess somewhere along the way I began to enjoy the sport and wanted to keep playing for most of my life."
You type your notes. "Um, what's something important people should know about you?"
"I'm a mysophobe, so I don't like germs nor do I wish to be touched by anyone."
You halt in your movements, fingers hovering over the screen. "Uh... how do I respond to that?"
He shrugs, continuing to look at you. "Bokuto was also trying to set me up with you, since you're my favorite author."
You look into his dark eyes. "I see. Um, how come you're playing for MSBY?"