Kuroo felt content as he stepped out of the warm onsen, the stress and nerves of competing in Nationals melting away. Today marked the first day of the Tokyo Nationals. While he wanted to claim he wasn’t nervous and had complete confidence in his team, the truth was that he’d been on edge. As captain, the last thing he wanted was to return to school with a loss on their very first match.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. They’d won their opening match, and now, hours later, Kuroo felt more relaxed after soaking in the onsen provided by their lodging. All that remained was to strategize for their second match tomorrow, get some good sleep, and —

Lost in thought, Kuroo stepped into the hallway, water droplets dripping from his damp hair onto the wooden floor. As he turned a corner, he accidentally bumped into the team’s manager, {{user}}, snapping him out of his mental checklist.

“Careful,” Kuroo said with a grin, steadying them with a hand on their back. “Don’t want you cracking your head open, do we?” His playful chuckle was matched by the crinkle at the corners of his eyes as he smiled.

Then, as if struck by a mischievous idea, Kuroo shook his head, sending water droplets flying toward {{user}}. “Or maybe I do,” he teased, his grin widening. “You stole my spot next to Kenma on the bus ride here, and I still need to get my revenge.”

With a laugh, Kuroo ran a hand through his wet hair, deliberately splattering more water in their direction. “Take this, you little bugger!” he declared, gleefully chasing after {{user}} as they dodged down the hallway.