Haikyuu: Reborn in Karasuno

The rain had stopped at some point during the night, but inside the room, no one was asleep.

After a long silence, Kiyoko was the first to break it.

"Hayato, did you really want to marry me when we were little?"

There was a brief pause before Hayato's muffled voice responded.

"Of course, Kiyoko-nee. Do you remember? Every time I ran to the slide in the park, you were always the first to find me."

Kiyoko smiled softly, remembering. "How could I forget? You were so stubborn back then, never admitting you cried."

"Let's not remember that too clearly," Hayato chuckled, his voice growing more serious. "But it was then that I started developing feelings for you."

"I see."

Kiyoko's voice was warm, and Hayato could hear the happiness in her tone. His own smile mirrored hers.

"But, Kiyoko-nee," he continued, his tone serious, "I still want to wait until our feelings truly turn into love before I properly confess to you. Besides, right now, we need to focus on the qualifiers. If we really win the championship... I want to confess to you in front of everyone. What do you think?"

Hayato turned onto his side to face her, looking at Kiyoko with determination. She did the same, propping her head on her hand and reaching out to flick his forehead playfully.

"Talk to me when you've actually done it," Kiyoko teased, her smile radiant. "For now, let's just keep it as your idea. Good luck with the qualifiers."

Without her glasses, Kiyoko's smile seemed even more captivating. The moonlight poured through the curtains, casting a soft glow on her face, making the moment feel almost sacred. Years later, Hayato would still remember how beautiful she looked in that fleeting moment.

Morning light streamed into the room. Kiyoko stretched and, seeing that Hayato was still asleep, smiled gently before quietly slipping out of bed to prepare breakfast.

She first checked the clothes drying on the rack, feeling them to confirm they were no longer damp. Only then did she relax—otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to go to school. Though she had no spare set of underwear, this was the same set Hayato had previously said wasn't cute enough. Kiyoko muttered to herself as she put it on.

"Is it really not cute enough? Hmph, how would Hayato know? He must have been sneaking a peek at things he shouldn't have."

After changing, Kiyoko quickly washed up, relieved to find Hayato's house had mouthwash—thankfully avoiding the awkward situation of not having a toothbrush.

She then entered the kitchen, tied on an apron, and began preparing breakfast. The clattering of pots and pans filled the air as she worked busily.

Finally, after some time, she placed miso soup, tamagoyaki, teriyaki salmon, and several small side dishes on the table. She glanced at the clock—it was already 6 AM.

Upstairs, Hayato was still sleeping. Kiyoko went to wake him up, nudging him gently.

"Time to get up and eat! How much longer are you going to sleep?"

Hayato groaned, stretching. "Mmm, five more minutes."

"No way. Get up quickly, the food will get cold soon!"

Sitting up with a yawn, Hayato rubbed his eyes and then paused when he saw Kiyoko standing before him.

"Huh, Kiyoko-nee? Oh~ right, you stayed here last night."

Another yawn escaped him, but it took him a moment to fully wake up. He reached for the alarm clock by his bedside table.

"Ah, no wonder it didn't ring today. The battery's dead."

He put the clock back, then noticed Kiyoko turning her head away, avoiding his gaze.

"Kiyoko-nee, why are you—"

Before he could finish, he realized what was happening. He immediately squatted down, flustered.

"No, this is normal, no, it's just…"

"Alright, alright, I know. Hurry and change your clothes, I'll go downstairs first."

Kiyoko, embarrassed, quickly exited the room. Hayato sighed and stood up, taking the uniform hanging on the wall.

"Goodness, I've embarrassed myself again."

Once he calmed down, Hayato changed into his uniform and went downstairs. As he entered the living room, his eyes widened at the spread of breakfast.

"Oh~ it looks so delicious!"

Just as he reached for a piece of tamagoyaki, Kiyoko slapped his hand away and stood, hands on her hips like a little wife.

"Go wash your face first. That's so unhygienic."

"Yes~~"

Hayato dragged out the word, but Kiyoko simply nudged him toward the bathroom.

After washing up, he returned to the table and took a sip of miso soup.

"Delicious. I wish I could drink this every day."

After everything that happened last night, Kiyoko was unfazed by his usual teases. Instead, she raised an eyebrow.

"Dream on."

The two chatted as they finished breakfast. With time still on their side, Hayato went out for half an hour of exercise before returning to school with Kiyoko, who had prepared his bento for him.

On their way to school, they walked side by side, chatting casually.

"By the way, Kiyoko-nee, are you free this Sunday?"

"Sunday? I don't have any plans."

"Then let's go on a date."

Kiyoko's eyes narrowed as she glanced up at him, teasing. "A date? You really dare to say that? Alright then."

Hayato stopped walking, stunned by her quick agreement. He turned to look at her in disbelief.

"Wait, you're really saying yes?"

Kiyoko smiled mischievously and tugged on his arm, urging him to keep walking. "You said so much, but now that I've opened up, you're hesitating? If you back out now, I'll laugh at you."

Hayato blushed, his heart racing. "I was just surprised by Kiyoko-nee's decisive answer, that's all."

"Yes, yes, yes~"

Arriving at school, the two parted ways at the shoe lockers. Hayato went to his classroom, still in a daze from the conversation. As soon as he sat down, Tanaka leaned over.

"Hey, Hayato, you're in a good mood today."

"You can tell?"

"Your face is practically splitting from smiling. Who couldn't tell?"

"Ahem, not at all."

They exchanged a few playful jabs before the teacher entered, and the students of Karasuno High School began their day.

At lunch, Kiyoko's friend approached her, noticing something different about her.

"Kiyoko, why are you so happy?"

"Am I?"

Kiyoko controlled her expression, but her friend wasn't fooled.

"Yes, you are. Although I can't tell from your face, I can still feel it. Is it because of your childhood friend?"

Kiyoko paused. "Why are you suddenly asking about Hayato?"

"Don't you know? He's already the talk of the girls. He's tall, handsome, good at all sports, and his studies are great too. Teachers love calling on him to answer questions, and his English is especially fluent."

Her friend counted off the reasons on her fingers. "He's basically perfect. I heard a girl in his grade is preparing to confess to him."

Kiyoko chuckled lightly. "Oh, well, that's right. Hayato is indeed very excellent."

Her friend raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you jealous?"

Kiyoko silently scoffed. She had almost… yesterday. How could she be jealous now?

"Of course not."

Suddenly, she sneezed.

"What's wrong, Hayato? Catching a cold?"

Tanaka asked with concern, noticing Hayato rubbing his nose. With the training camp approaching, he didn't want his friend to be sick.

"Maybe I caught a chill. It rained yesterday, right? It's nothing, I'll be fine after taking some medicine at home."

"That's true. Hurry and eat, though. I still need your help with that English passage we covered this morning."

"OK~"

After lunch, Hayato and Tanaka reviewed English together, and the afternoon classes went smoothly.

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POWER STONE!!!

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