He sat on the bench, stroking his chin thoughtfully. How was he going to beat Nishinoya? He needed something impressive. There was no way he could out-prank his pranking partner and rival by simple deflating a volleyball or colouring the bottom of his shoes with brightly coloured washable marker. He had already done that, and he didn't want to recycle a prank. Practical jokes, much like any other joke, were best the first time.
Tanaka noticed a boy in a red coat nearby. Was that a Nekoma jacket? The coach had mentioned that they would have another practice game soon, because both teams happened to be training in the same area.
Tanaka found himself walking towards the boy. He slowed, not wanting to arouse suspicion, but still hoping to figure out if he was correct. The boy turned to look at Tanaka, and, out of habit, he glared at the boy. Tanaka's expression didn't affect the boy's nonchalance, but it did get him to look away quickly. The boy stood, closing his book and walking away. However, Tanaka had still gotten a good enough look at the boy's face to know that it was definitely Kenma. A boy on Nekoma's volleyball team.
Smirking, Tanaka casually tailed Kenma, ducking behind trees, and poles, and blending into the shadows. If Hinata had been there, he would have definitely been gushing about how cool his senpai was, Tanaka thought. So it was a good thing that he was not, or he would have blown Tanaka's cover.
Tanaka noticed that Kenma had left something behind on the bench where he had been reading. It was a small bag, filled with what appeared to be fortune cookies. Tanaka picked up the bag to examine it, noticing that the packaging claimed that they were 'advice cookies', and that they would 'strengthen relationships and bring great fortune, with shocking results'.
Remembering that the cookies belonged to Kenma, Tanaka stood, clutching the bag tightly in his hand, meaning to go return it, and possibly get a few cookies as a reward for his heroism. But to his dismay, Kenma had already disappeared from his view.
Tanaka's disappointment was short-lived, as he examined the bag closely, various ideas giving birth to a brilliant scheme. The cookies would be the perfect way to one-up Nishnoya. Tanaka hurried back to the campsite where the team was staying, hardly able to wait to begin phase one. He wondered briefly why Coach Ukai had decided that the team would be roughing it while he, Takeda and Shimizu would be staying at a hotel. Knowing them, it was probably for either training purposes or teamwork his way, Tanaka saw Shimizu out of the corner of his eye. That gave him an even better idea.
"Oi! Shimizu!" He called, quickening his pace to catch up with her.
She turned to look at him, and Tanaka had to remind himself of his plan to keep from bursting with excitement. She had looked at him! He had called to her from far away, and Shimizu had turned her head, her glossy hair shimmering in the sunlight shining through trees, and gazed upon him with her stunning eyes. Her unrivaled beauty was his to look upon, and his only, for this wonderful moment. Tanaka sighed happily, reveling in his good fortune. The cookies were working well already! Taking a second to pull himself together, so as not to make a fool of himself in front of a woman so beautiful, Tanaka held out the bag in front of himself. Shimizu looked at it in confusion for a moment, before he explained to her that he wanted her to give it to his teammates for him. He felt himself floating up to cloud nine when Shimizu agreed, and their fingers brushed as she took the bag. Her soft skin felt every bit as glorious as it looked.
It was a good thing that Shimizu turned and began walking away them, because if Tanaka had spent any longer alone with her he may have fainted from excitement. Tanaka smirked, taking the long route to the campsite, so that nobody suspected him using beautiful, innocent Shimizu to do his bidding. That would be unfair, and he would never want something like that to happen to her.
When he arrived, most of the team was already there. Daichi, Sugawara, Asahi, Nishinoya, Kageyama, Hinata, Tskushima and Yamaguchi were all sitting on stumps around the empty firepit looking bored.
"What took you so long?" Hinata asked, "Shizimu said we had to wait until you were here before we could eat these!"
"Huh?" Tanaka grunted, pretending not to know anything about the cookies.
"Shimizu brought us cookies." Nishinoya said dreamily.
"Really?" Tanaka asked. His plan was going well.
"Yup."
"Aren't we going to wait for-
"Gyaaaaa!" Hinata interrupted Tanaka, "There are only eight!"
"That was my ear, idiot!" Kageyama growled, "And why are you opening it?"
"Because Tanaka's here now!"
"Well, didn't-
"Here they go again." Daichi sighed.
He opened his mouth to quiet them, but Nishinoya beat him to it, yelling something about wanting to eat the cookie Shimizu brought him.
"How can you waste this great fortune?" he asked.
"But there are only eight!" Hinata protested.
"That's fine. Somebody can have mine." Tanaka said.
Sugawara and Daichi stared at him as if a third leg had suddenly drown out of his chest. Luckily, Nishinoya was too excitied about getting something from Shimizu to notice.
Nishinoya picked up the bag from where it had been dropped during Hinata and Kageyama's scuffle, and handed everyone a cookie, except Tanaka. Both boys were smirking. Nishinoya because Tanaka wasn't getting a cookie, and Tanaka because Nishinoya was.
As his teammates ate their cookies, Tanaka read the writing on the bag.
"These advice in the cookies must be read after the cookie has been eaten." He began, ignoring Hinata's complains about hating surprises. Kageyama would keep him quiet.
"Once the advice has been read, the cookies' affects will take hold. The cookies will strengthen relationships, and bring great fortune, with shocking results. After one week has passed, your trials will be over, and those worthy will have learned important information about who they are as people." Tanaka read.
"That must be why Shimizu got these." Sugawara said.
Tanaka tried not to laugh.
Nishinoya was the first to read his advice. "Energy put aside for that which is hopeless is better spent on that which has potential. What does that even mean? Give up because I'm hopeless?"
"Not quite." Sugawara said, "I think you'll figure it out."
Nishinoya just started at the slip of paper, baffled.
"Mine's weird, too." Hinata piped up, "It says something about not being able to see. I can see great!"
Sugawara exchanged a knowing look with Daichi.
"Hey, what does yours say Kageyama?" Hinata hopped off his stump and went to stand behind Kageyama, reading over his shoulder. Kageyama moved to cover the paper, but Hinata still saw a couple of words.
He laughed, "Yours is really weird. How are handcuffs art?"
"That's not what it says, idiot."
"Is too!" Hinata said.
"You didn't even read the whole thing!"
"You didn't let me!"
"Well, maybe I should handcuff you to a tree and call it art." Kageyama shot back.
"As if you could do that!"
"You're just lucky I don't have any handcuffs!"
Tanaka picked up Kageyama's advice. He had dropped it when he and Hinata started fighting again.
Bonds are not shackles, but works of art which must be treated with care.
Tanaka burst out laughing. It was better than he had expected. If he could actually get his teammates to believe the ridiculous advice, he would definitely have a good laugh.