The day of the first preliminaries finally arrive. We situate ourselves in a cozy corner on the second floor. The nerves of the team seem to have an infectious effect, and my stomach refuses to calm down too. But then I remind myself I have no right to be nervous and the feeling dissipates.
"Hinata, are you sure you're okay?"
"I threw up on the way here, so I feel better."
Yikes, just at the mention of the word vomit, the sour smell wafts up my nose and I cover my mouth.
"Of course you'd feel sick after eating all those pork bowls for breakfast," Tsukishima says, despite being on the ground his glasses still manage to complete the 'I'm superior' gleam. As I reach into the first aid kit to retrieve some medicine, I hear Yamaguchi's teeth, no, bones? his whole body make an unsettling shaking sound.
"J-just hearing the word puke makes me want to p-puke," Yamaguchi stammers.
"My nerves are getting to me, too..." Asahi-senpai's sickly blue face is a flashing sign saying 'WILL VOMIT. STAY AWAY'
"Men, will you fortify yourselves oh my god."
"Shoyo, is it true this is your second time throwing up before a match?" laughs Nishinoya.
"At least this time you held it in till we stopped and didn't puke over someone's crotch." Tanaka slaps Hinata on the back while laughing maniacally.
"How'd you guys nearly beat Seijoh when you were in this state before the game?" My doubts for Karasuno emerge and I find it hard to believe this is the team I will have to cheer for.
But this'll be the first official match I'll be witnessing of Karasuno. I can't stop the pounding in my heart.
After the practice spikes, or as I like to call it, intimidation sessions Karasuno and Ougiminami line up on their respective sides.
I want to be down there with them so badly but I can only cheer from up here. Finally Daichi-senpai yells, "Karasuno, fight!" and I join in with a soft yell.
"Oh! So you came to watch the game too, Ukai-sensei?" Ukai? There's a fierce-looking old man, followed by two young boys, walking to the man who called his name.
"Yea," he replies, but not removing his eyes off the court.
"I guess that is your precious grandson's team." Grandson? So this is Ukai Senior, Coach Ukai's grandpa. Uwah, they even have the same aggressive face.
"That's got nothing to do with it!"
"Hey you're from Karasuno too right?" asks the brown-haired kid wearing a blue shirt. "What are you doing up here?" Somehow, I get extremely miffed at the kid for indirectly saying, 'Where's your place on the team?'
"There's only one manager allowed on the bench, didn't you know?" I retort rather childishly.
"Oh look it's Sho-chan!" exclaims the other boys, who has a cat-like face.
"Sho-chan? Oh, you mean Hinata."
All three of us notice the weird hip warm up movements he does.
Asahi-senpai serves first, an amazing no-touch start. I shiver as I know this'll turn out to be a good game. I grip onto the metal railing in excitement, but also in fear because I keep leaning so far I'll probably fall. Their results are becoming more and more evident, after every spike, every serve, every connection made. Being under a waterfall that constantly harasses and beats down on both your spirit and shoulders, eventually a storm will feel like a little fall of rain. Going up against Shiratorizawa seems a little bit closer than before.
Karasuno wins both set with a considerable lead. Hinata and my teeth chatter as we watch for our potential opponent in our next match. It's really hard to see the full strngth of the two-metre giant when you're so far away. However his height obviously conquers all as everyone else looks like dolls on the court.
"That's creepy!" Tanaka mumbles as he eats his banana.
"It's a weapon... His height is a weapon," says Asahi-sepai in his usual negative attitude.
We gather around the whiteboard displaying all the match results. How nostalgic, I haven't seen one of these since junior high, reminding me of the fact that one loss means game over. All of a sudden my muscles tense as I feel a a shadow consume my body. There he is, the two metre titan of Kakugawa. I rub my arms in an attempt to smooth down the goose bumps.
"Two metres is super huge," splutters Hinata.
"201 centimetres and 162 centimeteres huh..." muses Yamaguchi.
"I'm 163 if you round up!"
"201 centimetres and 162 centimetres huh..." repeats Tsukishima. "That's a 40 centimetre difference."
"40 centimetres is the same size as Ketty-chan," I say to lift Hinata's spirit and mine along with it. "If you think about it that way, it's not that much of a difference."
"Is that an attempt to cheer him up?" Tsukishima questions my decision to use Ketty-chan as a comparison.
"Tekachu is also 40 centimetres," Yamaguchi says, seriously playing along with my idea.
"So is a fujikujira," Tsukishima adds. Is he joking or not?
"F-fujikujira?" I think that's a type of shark?
"It's a type of shark." Ah, so it was.
"Tsukki you're so smart!"
Hinata trudges to the entrance of the door. "Ah, I want to combine with the shark," he says lifelessly. Kageyama who has no idea of the previous conversation looks at Hinata weirdly. "If I combined with the shark, I'd be two metres tall..." he mutters as he walks in, leaving the managers outside.
"Kiyoko... I think I screwed Hinata up."
"Well I'm sure he'll be fine even if he's like that before a match." Somehow that does very little to convince me. I return to my cheering position upstairs, praying for Karasuno's victory.
The match starts, and in the first 5 minutes, both Karasuno and Kakugawa have garnered quite a crowd. I have to stop the creeping feeling of pity as the giant hits and scores a point from above our block. What am I saying? I know better than anybody up here on the second floor the effort and training we put in the last few months surpasses anyone. I laugh a bit evilly in my mind. Just wait till we pull out our full arsenal.
The time out Takeda-sensei called for ends and the players resume their positions. They seemed to have figured out that Kakugawa #9 can only do cross shots, as proven when Nishinoya stands by waiting and the ball perfectly falls into his arm. Hinata does his insane diagonal attack, beating the titan and gains Karasuno's first proper point.
The people around me have become too annoying, so I tune the others voices out. Suddenly, Hinata glows brilliantly.
"Wow, Hinata's really sparkly," I say.
"He looks just like my dog when it's really hungry," the boy in blue says, laughing along with his friend. Well, I'm not going to deny that.
Watching the match from afar, gives a totally new perspective, literally and figuratively. I can sort of sense everyone's feelings. Just like a calm before a storm, Hinata and Kageyama execute their ultimate combo. It's like watching the lightning strike and the thunder that's super delayed.
The crowd is impressed. In fact, some people recognise it as their usual quick but little do they know the true difference.
"Hori, you're making a really weird face."
I throw my arms around the kid, putting him in a headlock. "Shuddup, I'm super happy right now."
And this isn't even Karasuno's true strength. I cackle again. Oh my god, I have to stop.
All of a sudden, four players on the court dash to the net. Karasuno's first synchronised attack! The enemy is seriously confused at the large number attacking the net. As expected we gain that point. I try to unclench my fist which has hardened into that position.
We're down to the match point, in Karasuno's favour. I worry for a moment because our rotation is at its shortest however the front line seems more fired up than ever. Especially Tanaka and Hinata. They're matched up against the giant for their mid-air battle. These types of battles aren't entirely reliant on height, sure with height you reach the summit faster. But it's just that. The first one who's highest at that moment wins.
I pray for their arms, most specifically Hinata's arm to stay intact. However as the ball makes contact with the block, it's directed to the back of the court.
"A soft block!" I gasp.
Taking advantage of this chance, Hinata delivers the final blow. My heart sinks. He's not going to reach it! Come on come on come on, prove that height isn't the only thing you need. I accidentally choke one of the kids.
"Sorry!"
Perhaps it was a miracle, perhaps it was Hinata's intention but instead of doing his usual quick, he gains the point via a wipe. And thanks to that, we've made it through the preliminaries.
"We made it without the fujikujira!" I cry.
"F-fujikujira?" says the really confused kid.
"Kiyoko! I'm gonna go check if anyone's left anything behind."
"Thank you! Be careful though," she warns. Of what? I think, quickly brushing the warning away. I saunter into the corner we settled in before. In the corner of that corner is a bento box with a very cute bunny wrapping. A bunny, how cute. I wonder whose it really belongs too. I can only imagine Hinata with such an adorable wrapping. If I tried to imagine anyone else. How absurd.
"Oh you're cute! Won't you give me your number?"
Ack, what's this. I'm getting hit on. Unsolicited approaches like this make me feel like I've been doused in grease. A sleazy looking guy in a red shirt and yellow pants, not to mention his hair is also dyed yellow. He is literally striped yellow, red and yellow. The other guy, equally as sleazy isn't dressed in something as embarrassing as alternating colours over there but he's not particularly my style either.
"I'd rather not," I decline as I try to slip through the gaps of the bodies.
"Come on, it'll only take a second," eggs Tacky Trash Bag No. 2. I said this before but I'll say it again. Where are the bodyguards when I need them?!
Suddenly a new colour enters the picture. I flinch back in shock. Hinata successfully manages to make the two males jump back in surprise. Once I see the expression on his face however, I don't feel too confident about the situation. I can hear his teeth chatter even though I'm not facing him.
"Sorry! That's my lunchbox!" Hinata apologises, pushing my back as he leads me to safety. "Let's go! Hurry!"
"Wait up!"
Tacky Trash Bag No. 1 grabs Hinata by the collar and tosses him away like a paper bag.
"We were still talking," he smiles at me while rapid-fire shooting questions.
"Hinata!" I dash to reach him but he holds his hand out in front of me.
"So you have a iPhone? Or an older version."
"Excuse me!" I flinch backwards yet again. Hinata leaps in front of me, though I've seen his jump more than a hundred times by now, this is the first I've seen in so close to my face nonetheless!
"Ho-Hori-san is out precious manager so uhmm..ummm…" Oh my god, do I have to protect the both of us from him? When I decide to make my move, I realise his attention has been caught by something else. No, someone else.
"So you guys beat the two-metre guy."
"What? I mean, I guess," he says, as the trashbag comes up right into his face like a declaration of war.
"Awh.. And I was looking forward to playing against the two-metre guy," he sighs dramtically, placing his hands on his hand. This guy… kinda pisses me off.
"Play?" Now I feel like I should be the one rushing Hinata away from this guy.
"Matches are super fun, aren't they?" What is with that totally cryptic statement? I tug on Hinata's backpack, my natural instincts forcing me to run.
"Umm… Did you get through the prelims?" I groan mentally, Hinata why are you still continuing this conversation? I hate myself because I am both irritated and relieved that attention is not on me. I want to simply say Hinata 'let's go' and actually be able to go.
"Prelims? We didn't play in the prelims," Trashy Narcissistic Dirt Bag No.1 says as he holds his head up high.
"Huh? So you guys were in the Inter-High quarterfinals?" Hinata asks my question aloud.
"I think it was the semis."
"S-semifinals?!" Hinata's voice enters his high register due to his shock. I refuse to believe such a dodgy dude like him is actually a good player.
"Well see ya kid. If we manage to bump into each other at the qualifier," he says as he affectionately rubs Hinata's hair. "Let's have some fun and play."
They leave with their hands deep in their pockets. How irritating! I'm totally miffed right now.
"Let's have some fun and play? Ah a-apparently he doesn't need your number anymore Hori-san."
My head rolls back as I sigh. "Thanks Hinata, nice save."
"And here, you forgot this," I say as I present his yellow bunny lunch box wrapping. He quickly hides the wrapping behind his back.
"Why're you acting like this?" I playfully nudge him. "It's a cute lunch box wrap."
"This is Natsu's… My little sister's! Not at all mine!" He tries to clear up the situation.
"Anyways Hinata, you were amazing today. I was totally impressed," I say as we finally walk out of the building.
LINE: Mum's Secretary
Shiraishi: Hi Erina! Your mum sends her apologies for the late birthday present. Here are two tickets to the next SPYAIR concert in Sendai. Please take a friend with you.