Disclaimer - Haikyuu is not my property. It belongs to Haruichi Furudate, Weekly Shōnen Jump, and Shueisha.
Chapter 7 – Only The Strong.
Hinata sped over towards Yukitaka-kun's missed toss with a speed that shocked some of the people in the audience around me into momentary silence. I watched with eager anticipation as he leapt into the air as if defying gravity, arm poised to spike.
I noticed that Kageyama-san had realised what he was doing and was quickly running after him on his side of the court to try and jump into a blocking position but it was clear that he wasn't going to make it in time.
Come on….!
Wham! Hinata hit the ball with all his strength, sending the ball hurtling to the ground along the outside line, as the sleepy-looking boy dived for it.
After the ball hit the ground and bounced off, we all held our breath to hear the referee's verdict. After thinking, the man raised both his arms to the position for 'out' and blew his whistle.
…Out…
As the scorekeepers moved Kitagawa's point count to 25, I leaned back from the railing letting out a breath I hadn't entirely realised I'd been holding, looking down.
Two sets to Kitagawa Daiichi… And Zero sets to Yukigaoka. We lost…
'What have you been doing for the last three years?!" Kageyama-san's voice caused me to look up in surprise. He was grasping at the net, looking at Hinata with a frustrated expression. I leaned forward again to watch.
Sekimukai-kun became furious, and moved forward aggressively, and as he was held back by Yukitaka-kun, he yelled angrily at Kageyama-san. 'You don't know anything about what he's done for these last few years! How hard he's worked, and what his friends have done to help him get this far…!'
I covered my mouth to hold back an emotional gasp, my eyes watering. I shook my head, and hung it, holding in my tears.
'H-Hey… are you okay?' a voice to my left barely registered with me. After a moment, I glanced to the side the voice came from through my bangs.
Looking to me with concern, there was an older boy with brown eyes, and light coloured hair. He had a beauty mark under one of his eyes. With him were two others, and they were all wearing plain black jerseys.
One of the other two boys had brown hair and eyes, and broad shoulders. The other had sharp eyes and a shaved head – I remembered he was one of the ones who'd laughed at my out-of-nowhere solo cheer from earlier, to which I pouted.
The silver-haired boy gave a smile, 'You were really cheering for the other team, huh? Are you from their school?' he asked me.
Hesitantly, I nodded, glancing to them then away from them awkwardly. 'Y-Yeah…we're all from Yukigaoka. I came to cheer for a good friend of mine, Hinata-kun. It was their first match.' I replied. And last, I thought with a knot forming in my throat.
'Ooh, you mean the chibi with the number 1 jersey? Man, he was short but he could really jump!' said the shaved-head high-schooler.
The brown-haired high-schooler nodded, 'It's a shame they had to lose here, but it really was bad luck to be matched up against a team like Kitagawa Daiichi.' He said, glancing down on the court to see the team clearing up. I nodded and looked down there too, to see Yukigaoka huddling – they all looked so downtrodden. I couldn't see what kind of face Hinata was making.
'You should go check up on them when they leave.' The silver-haired high-schooler's voice came again and I looked back at them. 'I think some words of encouragement are what they really need right now, right?' he asked me, and gave me a toothy grin.
I gave him a small smile in return, 'I will! Th-Thank you for coming to see if I was alright. I'll be okay. I've got to go make sure Hinata-kun and the others will be too…!' I replied, and gave a bow, excusing myself.
As I left, I glanced back at the shaved-hair high-schooler one more time, before leaving. As I did, I heard him speak.
'W-What was that look she gave me…?' he stuttered, taken aback.
'Well you did laugh at her before, Tanaka.' The brown-haired high-schooler replied with a chuckle. That was all I caught before I was too far away to hear them anymore.
I wiped my eyes dry as I descended the stairs, keeping an eye out for Yukigaoka's green jerseys… That encounter with the high-schoolers aside, I had to find Hinata-kun and the others…!
With little trouble, I'd managed to find the first-years Kawashima, Mori and Suzuki, and after checking up on them to see how they were doing, and giving them a little pep-talk, I asked them where Hinata, Sekimukai-kun and Yukitaka-kun had gone. Mori-kun told me that Hinata had stepped out for some fresh air and Yukitaka-kun and Sekimukai-kun were worried and had followed after him.
I thanked them, and headed out to look for them outside.
It took me a while to find any sign of them, as the late afternoon sun and light breeze washed over me. Eventually, I got my first hint of where Hinata was when I heard his voice.
'You! …If you're supposed to be the King who rules the court…' As I ran to turn the corner, I heard Hinata's voice choke with emotion, and pursing my lips together, I picked up my pace. I came to a stop by Sekimukai-kun and Yukitaka-kun who jumped at my sudden presence, gasping out my name.
I didn't reply, I just looked down the flight of stairs in front of us, where Hinata stood on the steps with his back facing us. At the bottom of the stairs was Kageyama-san, his team-mates walking away ahead of where he'd stopped to face Hinata.
Hinata continued, sounding as if he were biting back tears, but was full of determination and frustration all at the same time.
'…I'm going to defeat you… gh… and stay on the court the longest…!' he finished, and went to rub his eyes. Don't tell me… Hinata was crying…
As Hinata hiccupped and tried to hold back the emotions bubbling up from inside him, I grabbed at my chest as my heart twisted painfully inside. I didn't…. like to hear Hinata like this…
Kageyama-san looked up at him with a serious frown, before replying to Hinata's declaration of rivalry; 'Only the winner gets to stay on the court. Only the strong. If you want to stay on the court, then just get stronger.' He told Hinata, turning to face him. After saying that, they looked to each other as if in a silent agreement, before Kageyama-san turned away and left with the rest of his team.
Not sparing a moment, I quickly descended the flight of stairs, heading towards Hinata who still had his back turned to us. Yukitaka-kun and Sekimukai-kun quickly followed after me.
'… Hinata-kun…!' I called out to him, stopping a few steps behind him, and after a moment, he turned to me.
The corners of his eyes were still red from crying, but he had a peaceful, but determined look in his eyes.
'Mogami-san…' he finally replied, and then noticed Sekimukai-kun and Yukitaka-kun, 'Mogami-san! Izumin! Koji! Thank you for today!' he suddenly said loudly, bowing low to us and we all jumped.
I had to fight back another wave of tears that were threatening to spill, as Sekimukai-kun cried out 'Y-You idiot! You don't have to thank us!' while turning away to hide his own dewy eyes.
'Eh? Why're you crying, Koji?' Hinata asked, blinking at his friend.
'I'm not crying!' Sekimukai-kun vehemently denied it, barely choking back sobs. A small smile threatened to show on my lips, and I glanced to Yukitaka-kun who was also exasperatedly smiling.
I turned to Hinata, 'Hinata-kun,' I began and he looked to me.
He grinned abashedly, looking embarrassed, 'I'm sorry, Mogami-san… You cheered so hard for us, and we ended up losing…' he said, kicking at the floor.
'You don't have to apologise,' I said, shaking my head, 'In fact… Hinata-kun… and Sekimukai-kun and Yukitaka-kun… and the first years too… You all did great out there today. I'm really proud of you guys no matter the outcome!' I told the three boys, and they all smiled back at me.
'Speaking of which, Mogami-san's cheering was a bit…' Sekimukai-kun trailed off jokingly. I pouted at him.
'W-What was wrong with my cheering…!?' I cried at them, folding my arms. The boys just laughed at me.
'W-We just never expected you to get that loud. It was surprising!' Yukitaka-kun explained, still chuckling.
Hinata titled his head to me, grinning, 'It really pumped us up! Thanks for believing in us.' He said, and I sighed and nodded. Hinata gasped, 'That reminds me, the girls' matches are next week, right?' he asked me and I sighed heavier.
'Don't remind me. I'm still really nervous about that…!' I groaned, hugging my stomach.
'It just means you want to do well, right? It's only natural to be nervous.' Yukitaka-kun noted, recalling what I'd said to them before the match. I smiled a little and nodded.
'We'll come to watch you guys play!' Hinata cut in to say loudly.
''We'll' come?' Sekimukai-kun repeated, 'I dunno if Izumi and I can though – we already skipped enough practice.' He added.
'Well I'll go.' Hinata corrected, frowning. I giggled,
'You don't have to, Hinata-kun,' I said to him with a shake of my head.
'You didn't have to come with us, but you still did, and you cheered us on too.' Hinata countered, and I couldn't say anything to that; he grinned, showing his teeth and said 'I'll watch you, too.'
I smiled happily, 'Th-Thank you… I'll do my best.' I said, and he nodded once resolutely. Sekimukai-kun looked around, and pointed back over his shoulder with his thumb;
'We should find Mori, Kawashima and Suzuki. The bus'll be here soon to pick us up.' He said and we all nodded in agreement.
And so came the bittersweet end of Hinata's middle-school volleyball tournament career, and the impending beginning of my own. I wondered how it would all turn out…
Four days later, matches were already on their way. We'd already had our first match, and though it was challenging, Michiko really stole the show for us and overwhelmed the opposing team with her service aces. Excited, and nervous for our next match, we were replenishing our energy with light snacks I'd prepared, and water.
We were still buzzing from the adrenaline from winning our last match, and were sitting in a corner of the hallways out of other people's way, as we waited for our next match.
I glanced at the clock hung on the wall in the distance and calculated the time remaining until then, and saw that we had about 25 minutes. Hinata had said he'd come today, but he still hadn't been able to make it.
I hoped he'd be able to make it in time…
'Hey, Moeka-chan,' a team-mate of mine, Saori called out and I turned to look at her. She was fiddling with the stopper on her water-bottle and frowning a little.
'What is it, Saori-chan…?' I asked, furrowing my brows in concern.
'Well, for the next match, could you maybe try tossing to me and Rei-chan as well?' she said, and I blinked in surprise at her.
'Um… s-sure, but what brought this on?' I asked her.
'Have you not noticed?' Saori raised her brow at me, 'You seem to send like 90% of your tosses to Michiko-chan… I mean I know she's our captain and ace and all, but… Rei-chan and I practiced hard for this too…!' she said, and next to her Rei-chan nodded in agreement.
'It's like your favouring her, and tossing to her even if someone else could've done it too. You know, we got lucky for the first team, but smarter teams will catch on if you keep doing that and they'll send all their blockers to stop Michiko. We could lose points because of your favouritism…' she told me and I took it all in.
My eyes widened in horror once it dawned on me. They were right. I'd been relying heavily on Michiko because she's just so good…and I trust her… maybe more than the other girls…?
I bit my lip, realizing how awful that sounded.
Saori smiled wryly, 'Well it looks like you understand at least. So let's try changing things up with the next match, ok? I don't know about Rei-chan, but I'm looking to score lots of points!' she said.
'Me too! They won't know what hit 'em.' Rei agreed, and giggled.
I bowed my head in apology to them, 'I'm sorry! I'm supposed to be the one keeping an eye on all of my team-mates and the court, but I failed at that so far…' I said, mortified.
'Well, I wouldn't say you totally failed… You are kinda new to having such a big role~ Some of the other girls who've been regulars will forget that sometimes.' Rei smiled.
'We know you're doing your best to fill the space Hatsumi-senpai left and that's a lot of pressure.' Saori added, and then blinked, 'Anyway, didn't you say that red-head kid was coming today to watch?' she asked.
I laugh nervously, 'You call him a 'kid' but he's the same age as us Saori-chan… And yeah, Hinata-kun was supposed to be here, but I guess he got held—' I trailed off when my phone began vibrating inside my sports bag. I quickly pulled it out, and read the text that had arrived. It was from Hinata.
I looked back up to the girls after finishing, 'Looks like he just arrived. He's trying to figure out which gym we're playing in.' I said, and proceeded to type directions into my phone to send Hinata.
As I did, Coach Tezuka came up to us and clapped her hands together, 'You ladies are looking far too relaxed right now! Put away your things and go warm up on court 6. It's clear for our next match now, so you ladies can get started. Come on, let's go!' she said sternly.
We all chorused out a 'yes ma'am' and I pressed the send button on my phone before putting it back in my bag and zipping it up. Coach collected up our snack containers into a bag, and we all headed for our next match.
We quickly got on the court and started warming up. As we did, I kept glancing up at different parts of the audience stands, trying to spot Hinata. He didn't show up for the rest of warm-ups and I wondered if my text had sent properly, or if Hinata had got lost trying to find the right place.
Soon, we were all in our positions in our assigned rotation, waiting for the referee to blow the whistle for the match to start. It was our opponent's first serve.
The seconds felt like minutes, but soon, the match was in session. And as far as I knew, still no Hinata.
A few minutes later we were tied at 2 points each. Rei-chan served the ball, and it soared over the court, before hitting the arms of one of the opposing team's middle-blockers and bouncing back up over to our side of the net while she cried 'My bad…!'
As her team-mates reassured her, I got into position to toss the ball. That's when I heard him.
'Mogami-san! Fight-o!' I knew that voice anywhere by now after hearing it so much these past 5 or 6 months. Hinata Shōyō.
Feeling a rush of adrenaline, I tossed the ball backwards while calling out 'Saori-chan!' quickly.
Behind me, Saori leapt into the air with her arm back ready to spike. With a grunt, she spiked the ball with all her might, it curving slightly into the centre of the court on the other side, and it bounced off the edge of one player's wrist and hit the grount.
Saori jumped happily, pumping her fists happily, then she turned to me with a grin, raising her hands for a high-five. I smiled, and clapped my hands against hers, and then turned to the audience to try to seek out Hinata's location.
As usual, he wasn't hard to spot, with his bright hair. He caught my eye, and began waving down at me energetically and I smiled, and waved slightly back at him.
Michiko clapped her hands together, 'Great job guys! Let's keep scoring points and not let Mikahashi' catch up!' she said and everyone agreed.
We carried on with the match, and though unfortunately, we ended up losing the first set due to some bad luck, we managed to barely pull through a win against Mikahashi Girls' Middle-School team. It was close, but the fact that we won was a fantastic way to end our matches for the day. We only had two more matches, and if we could win them both, we'd even make it to Nationals…! It was exciting and something I never thought would happen, despite my attempts at being optimistic.
After the match, we all gathered in the hall for a brief talk with Coach Tezuka, about how the next matches would be in the morning rather than the afternoon, so we'd have to meet at school a little earlier to take the bus here. Michiko turned to me, and nudged my side. I glanced at her curiously, and noticed that Michiko's smile was not her usual one. I couldn't make it out, but she seemed almost nervous. Maybe it was for the match tomorrow morning…?
'Hey, Moeka-chan, why don't you sleep over my place tomorrow? We won't stay up too late, and we can walk to school together! We haven't done that for a while cause I've been busy after practice, right?' Michiko asked me eagerly.
I tilted my head to the side, still a little confused by her slightly-off personality. Usually, she would have just said 'you are sleeping over my place' instead of asking if I would.
Nevertheless, I nodded, 'Sure thing. You need a player 2 for a level in the videogame you're playing?' I asked her and she laughed.
'You got me…? Yeah I've been stuck on this one puzzle and I can't figure it out! You're better at this stuff than I am. Okay, so come over at 7-ish? I'll let mom know to expect you.' Michiko smiled, looking relieved.
I wonder what's up with her…?
'Mogami-san! Ayasato-san!' Hinata called, joining Michiko and I. He seemed full of energy as usual. 'That match was so cool! Ayasato-san's serves were like 'ba-bam!' and the other team was like 'whoa!' and.. and Mogami-san was so cool, too!' he chattered.
I blushed a little, 'I dunno if –cool- is the right word…? But thank you Hinata-kun…' I said, rubbing my cheek with my finger.
Michiko laughed, 'Oh I'd say you're plenty cool, Moeka-chan! You're just too modest!' she said, swinging an arm around my shoulder, and I crumpled slightly under her weight.
I covered my face to hide my blush from the laughing Michiko and Hinata. Well at least Michiko had perked up a bit and seemed more like her natural self. But I think that's just because she distracting herself from whatever's bothering her.
Whatever it is, I hope she opens up to me about it tonight. Maybe inviting me around is her method of telling me. I hope it is.
onigiriri: Sorry for taking so long! I ran into a bit of writers' block and had to brainstorm some ideas, but I finally came up with something and I hope you like it! And also, sorry for another cliff-hanger with Michiko...! xD
