A/N: Hello everyone! I managed to upload this chapter sooner than expected. I'm going on vacation today, so I wanted to finish it as soon as possible. At first, I thought I wasn't going to make it, but I finally did it!
Last chapter was all about volleyball, but I promised that this one was going to more on the story and the characters, so I hope you like this chapter.
Oh! I almost forgot! I've drawing some of the OCs of this story. I'm not an expert, but I'm more or less proud of what I'm doing. Now I don't have time to show how I drew Noa, but next chapter I'll show you, along with other drawings of Jiro and Nagisa.
Deadlywhisper21: Omg, thank you so much! I've watched a lot of volleyball and read a lot about it. There are many things that I don't understand yet, but I guess that I will if I continue doing some research about the topic.
Mmmm… Daichi as a love interest for Noa? I haven't considered it until you told me in your last review. I'm not sure if that pleases me. I mean, yeah, they could be something, but I guess I prefer their relationship to be more like brother-sister. They have found someone to rely on, but if one of them falls in love I think all that progress they've made is going to crumble. But, well, that's my opinion. You might think otherwise J
Luna: hahahaha I'm glad you are feeling so nervous for the match. You're right, they've work so hard. It would be a pity if they don't win this match.
To answer your question (if Noa was going to interact with other boys' teams), she has already interacted with Nekoma (especially Kuroo) and Ushijima. I didn't want to spoil anything, but I'll tell you something that I think you're going to like: Ushijima will be back sooner than you expect and he won't be alone (if you know what I mean… *cof cof* Shiratorizawa *cof cof*) AND Nekoma (Kuroo mainly) will be back as well, but you'll have to wait a bit longer for that.
I do not own Haikyuu or its characters
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Truth always comes out
Hatsue looked at her players. They all seemed sad, already defeated despite they had still one more set to play. She sighed and put her hands on her hips.
"Stop pitying yourselves"
The girls raised their gaze from the floor and stared at her, astonished. She was their coach. She was supposed to be supportive, she should be encouraging them with positive words. It was as if she was attacking them.
"Well, what did you expect? Did you want me to tell that everything is going to be okay? That's not my style", Hatsue raised an eyebrow. "There's only one set left. Don't sit back and relax"
"But if we lose-"
"If you lose, life goes on", Hatsue cut Yui off. "The third-years' period in the team will be definitely over, but the rest of the team will learn from their mistakes for the next year. Try to enjoy the moment at least, okay? Free your mind. You can do it. You've believed you could do it during the first set, but, due to the fact that things weren't as you all expected in the second one, you've crumbled. What did you intend? Do you think all matches are going to be easy? If you think that way, I prefer that you don't go to Nationals. You'll be devoured. Teams which qualify for those competitions are predators. You'll be an appealing prey. Don't make me regret the decision I made. Don't make me regret I'm coaching you"
The blow of the whistle which followed Hatsue's words warned them that the third set was about to start. Jiro gave them a thumbs-up to encourage them, but none of the girls seemed to notice it.
3rd set
KINGA SCHOOL
Honda (WS-2nd year) | Fujita (S-2nd year) | Ishikawa (MB-3rd year)
Akiyama (MB-3rd year) | Yukimura (S-3rd year) | Hirata WS (3rd year)
NET
KARASUNO HIGH
Michimiya (WS-3rd year) | Harada (MB-2nd year) | Furihata (WS-1st year)
Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Oka (MB-2nd year/ Shiraiwa (L-2nd year) | Niimura (S-3rd year)
"You've been too harsh", Jiro said frowning.
"Are you going to tell me now how I have to motivate my players?" The woman crossed her arms. "I know what I've told them has hurt them, but, right now, two different things can happen: they can totally wallow in misery or they can take out all that anger because of what I've said and project it in the match to get all strength needed to win"
Jiro pressed his lips in a thin line, not much convinced of what the coach said. Right then, Kinga scored its third point while Karasuno hadn't even managed to get one point.
Hirata Emi, who hadn't been feeling comfortable during the match, had managed to loosen up and she was now being trouble for the defense of Karasuno. The swings of her arms were quick and accurate. Her straights were so fast that the Karasuno players found them utterly difficult to block as they were always late. This fact and the lack of coordination in the moves of Karasuno were letting Kinga be leading the scoreboard. Kinga was now the favorite to win. Karasuno players had exerted themselves during the first set and that was taking its toll on them now. Kinga didn't seem to need much effort to win the match.
"Harada-san, come over", Hatsue called Ayako, who was standing, watching the match closely. The setter approached the bench. "Do you think you'll be able to play the rest of the match?"
"Sure! I'm always prepared"
The coach grinned. "Good. What have you seen?"
"What do you mean?"
"You've been out of the court for a long time, watching the match. You've had to notice things your teammates haven't. You have to take advantage of it. So, tell me, what have you seen?"
Ayako thought about it for a few seconds before giving an answer.
"They are abusing quick attacks"
"But, according to what I've read, quick attacks are mostly used against teams whose strong point is blocking or teams whose blockers are tall, didn't they?" Jiro asked.
"Yes", Hatsue answered. "But even though Karasuno lacks height, that's the style of Kinga. Their team has good hitters and setters. They play that way to make the most of their players, as it should be", she stood and asked for a time out.
When the whistle blew, everyone gathered around the coach. Their faces hadn't much changed, but she trusted that Ayako, with her confidence, could push them enough to react.
"Harada-san is in. Niimura-san is out", the coach informed. "According to Harada-san, Kinga is abusing quick attacks. Maybe we could find a way to defeat them if we find out which is the weak point in their strategy"
"We'll have to keep an eye on their timing and coordination", Ayako explained. "It will take us a little bit to get used to it, but, when we'll do it, they'll be forced to choose between two options: switching between quick and slow attacks or increasing the speed of their attacks. And, taking as a starting point what I've seen, that their strong point is the quick attack, I hope they'll aim for the second option. It will benefit us"
"Mmmm… Quick attacks demand a lot of pressure and stress in the players. Increasing that speed they will be prone to making mistakes", Ayaka grinned. "I like this plan"
"But we can't", Yui said. "I mean, our legs aren't working like before"
"They'll have to work then, Yui-san", Ayako frowned. "I'm playing because I want to win. That's what this moron promised to all of us", the setter pointed at Noa.
"Hey!" The first-year quibbled.
"I'm sick of being laughed at, of being the weakest link in the chain. I'm not losing today. And, if I lose, it would be kicking and biting, fighting", the setter followed, ignoring Noa's death stare. "Don't let Mori-san be right. Stop pitying yourselves"
The blow of the whistle warned them that the time-out was over. Hatsue clapped her hands so everyone would get back to their positions as soon as possible.
"Harada-san", she called the setter, who looked over her shoulder. "Well done. But be careful. You might be too confident sometimes. It could turn against you"
The second-year nodded eagerly and Hatsue smiled. The setter was mentally strong. Maybe she was too straightforward sometimes, even rude, but she was a survivor. And Mori Hatsue was certain that her personality was what the team needed at that moment.
17-11
KINGA SCHOOL
Yukimura (S-3rd year) | Akiyama (MB-3rd year) | Honda (WS-2nd year)
Hirata (WS-3rd year) | Ishikawa (MB-3rd year) | Fujita (S-2nd year)
NET
KARASUNO HIGH
Oka (MB-2nd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Michimiya (WS-3rd year)
Harada (S-2nd year) | Furihata (WS-1st year) | Harada (MB-2nd year)
Just like Ayako predicted, Karasuno had some trouble to catch up with the rhythm of Kinga. Tiredness had already dented them, so their bodies wasn't responding as they should. But, little by little, and although they didn't manage to completely block the spikes of Kinga, there was always someone ready to receive in the backcourt whether it was more or less gracefully.
As the third set was drawing on, the feeling of helplessness and unease which had hit them at the end of the second set was starting to be replaced by anger. Hatsue's words were like a punch. They weren't pitying themselves! She was supposed to be their coach, she should be encouraging them. Anger had started to grow inside of them and they wanted to show Hatsue that she was completely wrong, that everyone was wrong. But it was being difficult for them. Although, definitely, they were trying.
Moreover, and rubbing salt in their wounds, Ayako was on their coach's side. Their own teammate. They knew the second-year well enough to know that she never spoke without a reason. If she said something, it was because she was feeling it. She had no filter. The setter seemed willing to fight, even though she had to fight alone. And everyone felt bothered about it because it wasn't that they didn't want to fight. The point was that their strength was faltering, that they were becoming smaller as Kinga bombarded them with one quick attack after another.
But Ayako was right. Kinga ended up choosing the second option: increasing the speed of their attacks. That way, the tosses were more inaccurate and not all their spikes were perfect. The coach of Kinga tried to bring some sanity, being forced to ask for a time-out when at the beginning of the set his team seemed to be solving everything easily. But, at that moment, his players were overwhelmed by the fact that Karasuno was still fighting. They shouldn't have taken for granted that their rivals were already defeated. They had made a terrible mistake even though he had already warned his players. Even Hirata had noticed it. The Karasuno they were facing at that moment wasn't the same as the Karasuno that played in the Preliminaries of the Inter High.
25-26
KINGA SCHOOL
Ishikawa (MB-3rd year) | Hirata (WS-3rd year) | Yukimura (S-3rd year)
Fujita (S-2nd year) | Honda (WS-2nd year) | Akiyama (MB-3rd year)
NET
KARASUNO HIGH
Furihata (WS-1st year) | Harada (S-2nd year) | Oka (MB-2nd year)
Harada (MB-2nd year) | Michimiya (WS-3rd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year)
Ishikawa served. Ayaka received easily and lifted the ball up in the air. Her twin sister moved backwards and tossed the ball for Noriko, who jumped from the backcourt. Her spike was powerful, but Hirata dug and lifted the ball up for her teammates.
Fujita and Yukimura changed positions. The blockers of Karasuno tried to find out which setter was going to toss and to who. Suddenly, Ayako pushed Noa, what the first-year understood as a way to ask her to follow Yukimura. The ball landed on Fujita's fingers, who set the ball up for Honda. The attack came from the center, but Yui was attentive and she managed to prevent the ball from touching the wooden floor. It flew off towards the side of the court of Kinga. Without thinking twice, Hirata spiked it, but it was too powerful and the ball flew over the side of the court of Karasuno and landed outside of it, but closer to the side line.
It was a point for Karasuno. Jiro let out all the air he had been holding in his lungs.
26-26
"I think I'm going to throw up", the manager put his hand over his throbbing chest.
"If you are going to throw up, do it to the other side, please", Hatsue glanced at him to check if he was fine.
"How can you be so chill, Mori-san? We've evened the score one more time. I hope they don't get nervous"
"Trust in them"
It was Chizuko's time to serve. Just like they have done in the first set, she aimed for Honda, who, along with Akiyama, was the worst receiver in Kinga. The wing spiker didn't lift the ball up as she wished, but that didn't stop Yukimura from tossing for Hirata. The Ace swung her arm as if it was a whip. The three blockers of Karasuno jumped and, with the tip of her fingers, Ayaka rubbed the ball.
"One touch!" The middle blocker yelled.
Chizuko ran towards the ball. She hit it as hard as she could, sending it towards her teammates. Noa ran from the right and she got ready to do a cross-court that Akiyama blocked, but the first-year managed to give it so much angle that her rival could only rubbed it with her nails as the ball flew almost parallel to the net.
"Nice shot!" Everyone yelled while Noa clenched her fist. The palm of her hand was red and her skin burned due to the strength she had used to spike. But that pain made her feel alive. They had to reach the match point.
Chizuko took some breath, trying to calm the trembling of her arm. The sweat was falling down her forefront and was starting to get into her eyes, what made her feel some discomfort. Her body was tense and she thought that, anytime, her muscles were going to say enough is enough. But she had to serve. She should aim well.
The ball flew towards Honda once again, but the second-year stepped aside and it was Fujita the one who received. The ball landed on Yukimura's hands. The setter got ready to set it up for Hirata, but the coordination of both girls wasn't optimal and Ayaka blocked the spike firmly, which landed on the side of the court of Kinga.
"YES!" Jiro and Yoshino shouted at the same time, their yell quickly disappearing as soon as the crowd's applause followed. Finally, one of the teams had the match point. After having a hard time during the second set and after having partially resurrected in the third one, Karasuno could win the match.
26-27
"Come on, Chizuko!" Ayako encouraged her. "Nice serve!"
Chizuko swallowed hard as she got ready to serve. She wanted to aim for Honda one more time, but, by that time, Kinga knew already her intentions. She hit the ball only to send it to the other side, although she knew that could be a terrible mistake. But her mind couldn't process anything at that moment, let alone after so many emotions experienced in only one match.
Ishikawa received. Yukimura tossed for Hirata, and, when the blockers jumped, Ayako's legs buckled and that part of the defense was exposed.
Shit, everyone thought when they saw how the ball went through the block easily. Yui, however, dived, preventing the ball from touching the floor at the last minute. Ayako set it up and Noa spiked as hard as she could.
The ball hit Fujita's chest. It flew off, but Honda managed to get on time to set it up from the billboard so Akiyama could spike. It was blocked by Noa's forearm. Yet, the ball threatened to fall in their side of the court anyway. Ayaka stretched her arm on time so she stopped it and Ayako sent the ball to Kinga, so they could regroup.
Yukimura, the main setter of Kinga, set the ball up quickly. Hirata did an amazing spike, but Yui received, clenching her teeth. The ball landed on Ayako's hands who set it up for Noriko, who spiked. The blockers of Kinga stopped it. The ball returned to Karasuno and they prepared another attack, but it was blocked once again and it returned once more to the side of the court of Karasuno.
The crowd hold their breath as they saw how Karasuno wasn't able to beat the blockers of Kinga two times in a row. The third time, the ball went through the blockers, but Akiyama rubbed it.
"One touch!"
Fujita and Ishikawa ran backwards to avoid the ball bounced out of the court. The third-year middle blocker warned her teammate and hit the ball, which made a perfect curve in the air. It started to land near the net and Hirata jumped to spike.
Jiro stood up, unable to stay calm.
The ball crossed the court, but Noriko managed to control it. The ball was set up by Ayako to the person who was right behind her. Chizuko jumped from de back line and yelled at the same time she hit the ball, full of rage. The ball flew over the net and fell at high speed toward the wooden floor. Ishikawa jumped forward, diving, but one of the referees raised the flag as he blew the whistle.
The ball had already touched the floor when Ishikawa had reached the ball. Karasuno had won.
26-28
The crowd burst into cheers, applauding the winner. Kinga player's eyes widened, not believing how they could have let get away a match they had controlled. They had been too confident and, although it was extremely harmed, they let Karasuno alive when they should have finished it off.
Jiro raised his fists in the air and hugged Hatsue, who didn't know how to respond to the unexpected move of the manager. Karasuno girls bent their knees and sighed, feeling relieved. They didn't celebrate, because it didn't taste as a true victory. Although they had managed to recover at the end, they had shown everybody that they were much weaker than what they expected at first.
Yoshino approached her teammates and help them stand up one by one.
"We have to bow, captain", she smiled at her best friend.
Both teams lined up and bowed.
"We've underestimated you", Hirata confessed. "But I think that, thanks to us, from now on, your rivals won't take you for granted"
"That was the whole point", Yui replied as she shook the Ace and captain of Kinga's hand.
"Well done, girls. I'm so proud of you", Hatsue smiled. "I know you are tired now, but try to relax a little bit because our next rival is Shiratorizawa"
Noa, who was drinking some water, almost choked. Everyone turned around to look at her and she wiped the water that was spread all over her mouth and chin with her hand. The first-year grinned nervously, trying to comfort her teammates who seemed worried for her.
"My mistake"
"All right", Hatsue clapped her hands to catch her players' attention again. "As I was saying, you can relax for now. We have to leave the gym for the next match. The first semifinal is between Niiyama and Aobajohsai. Go to the restroom, massage your muscles and we'll see each other in the stands. We'll enjoy some volleyball as spectators"
The girls left the court and searched for a good place in the hallways of the sport facility where they didn't bother anyone in order to stretch their numb and sore muscles. Mayu, however, grabbed Noa's arm and she dragged her towards the restrooms, ignoring the curious stares of some of their teammates.
"Shiratorizawa", Mayu mumbled. "We didn't think about that possibility"
"What are we going to do!?" Noa panicked.
"Don't be so loud!" Mayu muttered. "I don't know", she whined. "This is too hard", she hid her face with her hands. "We can't say anything right now. That would destroy Chizuko-san"
"And what about us? We have to see that girl's face again! Do you think she'll do something?"
"What are you two murmuring?"
Mayu and Noa flinched when they heard a voice behind them. Ayako was watching them with her hands on her hips and her brow furrowed. Next to her, Ayaka and Chizuko stared at them curiously.
"We were worried about you", Chizuko explained.
"You are acting weird", Ayako pointed out.
"Are you sure everything is all right?" Ayaka asked.
"Yes! Yes!" Mayu and Noa replied at the same time and, then, both smiled innocently.
"You are scaring me. Don't make that face never again", Ayako grimaced and pushed one of the doors of the restrooms.
Noa and Mayu exchanged looks. They had preferred running away from their teammates, but they finally stayed with Chizuko and the twins not to give rise to a suspicion.
Together, they left the restrooms and went back with the rest of the team.
"Look! It's Watanabe-san!" Chizuko pointed towards his direction. Nagisa was wearing the school uniform. He had his hands in the pockets of his trousers and was listening carefully to what Jiro, who was extremely excited, was explaining to him.
"Oh. His sister is here too", Ayaka added. "Didn't she tell us that she would come when we had to play the final? We are going to play now the semifinals"
Watanabe Aimi was beautiful. She was wearing a grey cardigan and a dark blue pencil skirt. Her glowing blond hair was tied up in a bun. Her beauty was overwhelming. Everyone who walked near her turned around to stare at her. She knew that for sure, but she was already used to being in the spotlight, so she kept chatting with the coach as if nothing happened.
"Oh! Here they are!" Jiro beamed happily. The four girls waved at the Watanabe siblings, smiling.
"Thanks for coming", Chizuko bowed.
"You don't have to be so formal", Aimi giggled.
"Chizuko-san is adorable", Jiro said, making the second-year middle blocker blush.
"Congratulations for qualifying for semifinals", Nagisa said. "I've been told that it was thanks to you, Harada-san"
Ayako clicked her tongue. "Yeah. Well… It wasn't a big deal. I didn't even play in the second set", she rubbed the back of head, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"You are too humble, nee-chan", Ayaka smirked teasingly and tapped her sister's back.
"Shut up", Ayako hissed.
"What are you doing here, Aimi-san?" Noa asked.
"Well, isn't it obvious? I came to see your big match!"
"But it isn't our big match", Yoshino replied. "It would be tomorrow and only if we won. We are playing the semifinals today"
"Mmm… Well", Aimi seemed to waver for a few seconds. "But you know that this year-"
"We should go now, sister. Let's find some good seats", Nagisa cut his sister off. He put his hand on Aimi's shoulder.
"What?"
"Come on", he dragged her out.
"But-"
"Come on"
Everyone blinked confused as they watched them leave towards the stands.
"Jiro-kun, you might be a weirdo, but your friend is much worse than you", Noriko shrugged as she glanced at the manager. "Watanabe-kun is such a weird boy". Her teammates nodded eagerly.
"Okay", Hatsue clapped her hands to catch their attention. "When you finish stretching your muscles and you can go see the match which is taking place now. When the match is about to end, we'll come here to review what we now about Shiratorizawa, okay?"
Everyone nodded again.
The twins, Chizuko, Mayu and Noa joined the third-years to stretch their muscles. Jiro stayed with them to help them after he finished refilling the bottles. They made sure they were doing the exercises right and, for that, they helped each other. It was important not to get injured, let alone after all the effort made and especially when they were facing Shiratorizawa next. They had to make good use of the little stamina they still had and not use all of it in the first set, like it had happened against Kinga. They had ended up suffering and their bodies were already in pain. That mistake could cost them the match against Shiratorizawa. But, truth to be told, they preferred not to think about it when the match hadn't even started in the first place.
When they finished, they put on the jackets of their tracksuits and walked towards the stairs which led to the stands. The sound of the bands of both high schools and the chants of the students didn't let them hear the sound of the squeaking trainers against the wooden floor.
They searched for Nagisa, Hatsue and Aimi until Yoshino spotted them in the first row, in the opposite side of where they were standing. They crossed the stands, apologizing for bothering and they sat around the three of them.
"How is it going?" Yui asked.
"It's a narrow match", Aimi replied. "They are all good"
Noa stood up a little bit to have a better look of the scoreboard. Aobajohsai was winning Niiyama 17-15, but it didn't seem that the distance was going to grow. At that moment, a tall short-haired girl, a Niiyama player, jumped higher than the Aobajohsai blockers and scored. The crowd cheered.
"They are huge", Mayu's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Especially that girl"
Niiyama had become one of the strongest girls' volleyball teams in the Miyagi prefecture in the last years. The school had been working for years to create a good basis and picked the more promising girls in the prefecture. In the last five years, Niiyama had gone to Nationals and they were the favorite team in Miyagi to go once again.
Noa found amazing watching them play. All of them had good physical conditions. They were tall, muscular and their limbs were long. Noa didn't know how they would be out of the court, but, when they played, their faces were so serious and determined that they almost gave her chills.
It didn't take long for Niiyama to be on the lead. Noa's eyes sparkled, full of admiration and excitement. She expected she had provoked the same reaction when she played beach volleyball because, right now, she felt that that aura of an unbeatable spirit was gone. And she wanted to get it back. She had to. Being able to wake up in others a feeling of admiration had always been motivation enough for her. She had forget about it until then.
"One day we'll be like them"
"Mmmm?" Mayu hadn't hear her well. The libero glanced at her, but Noa had still her eyes on the match, as if she was hypnotized.
"One day we'll provoke that feeling. We'll be powerful and people will fear us as a team"
Mayu didn't reply and returned her attention to the match. She really wanted to believe what Noa said, but she found that goal too far for them to achieve.
Niiyama ended up winning the first set and the second one seemed prone to the same. Hatsue was the first one to stand up and she waved her hand, so they could follow her. They had to start stretching their muscles again and review some things before the match started.
"We'll be rooting for you!" Aimi smiled gently. "Good luck!"
The players followed their coach. They left the stands and gathered in one of the hallways. Jiro rummaged in his bags and took a whiteboard with magnets that he handed to Hatsue.
"We've prepared more the match against Kinga", the coach started. "The point is that playing more than a match in one day is trouble, but we have to do the best we can", she moved the magnets, showing them the line-up. There wasn't much difference, they were the same players. The only thing that changed was the initial positions. The tallest members of the team were in the front line at the beginning.
"Shiratorizawa has the tallest players in the tournament", Hatsue explained. "They are powerful thanks to their serves. Sawa Chiyoko –wing spiker, second-year– and Akabayashi Ai –wing spiker, third-year– have a powerful spike. They are known as the 'Perfect Tandem' as they can defeat any defense. It doesn't matter how strong it is. They are the best hitters Shiratorizawa has. Yet, it's not a perfect team. They are weak in defense because, in contrast to their attack, they aren't as disciplined"
The match had ended. Niiyama was in the final of the Spring High Preliminaries.
While the court was being cleaned and set up for the second semifinal, Karasuno tried to stimulate their muscles by jumping and stretching their legs.
Noa took a deep breath as she moved her legs and arms, trying to erase all nervousness provoked by the fact that they had to play against a strong opponent. And truth to be told, she didn't want either to know them, especially after what she had witnessed the day before.
"I have to admit that it's been a huge surprise that you've come this far"
Noa turned around. Her eyes widened. The girl who had been kissing Chizuko's boyfriend was standing right behind her. Next to her, another girl was smirking playfully. The rest of the players of Shiratorizawa were on the opposite side of the hallway and, although they didn't seem to be paying attention to what was happening, they were actually glancing at them from time to time.
"You seem to be a good team. You've changed a lot compared to how ridiculous you were during the Inter High Preliminaries! I guess it's all thanks to you. I don't know you, so you must be new", the girl narrowed her sharp eyes. Noa opened her mouth to say something, but words didn't come out her mouth. Mayu, who had been next to her all the time, had turned pale. "I can tell that you are a good person. Thanks for keeping my secret!" She winked at Noa.
"I-I don't know what you are talking about", Noa mumbled.
As soon as Noa replied, her teammates turned around and stared at them curiously. The girl glanced over Noa's shoulder and smirked mischievously.
"But, you know? I'm not as good as you are. In fact, I'm not good at keeping secrets at all"
"I-I think you should go. Your teammates are over there", Mayu interfered. She imagined what that girl was trying to do.
"You are Chizuko-san, aren't you?" The girl completely ignored Mayu. Chizuko blinked confused. She didn't know who that girl was, but she nodded anyway. "I find really interesting the fact that your boyfriend goes to Shiratorizawa and you are now its rival"
"Do you know Takeshi-kun?" Chizuko seemed surprised.
"Oh I know him really well", she chuckled. "Anyway, isn't it weird, the fact that he is going to be sitting with his classmates and cheering for your rival?"
"I-It's fine", Chizuko replied, still feeling confused. "He isn't coming anyway"
"But he was here yesterday!" The girl beamed happily and, then, she pointed at Noa and Mayu, who flinched. "Didn't your teammates tell you?"
Chizuko looked at Mayu and Noa. Why hadn't they told her?
Meanwhile, Noa was feeling that she was starting to panic and Mayu seemed she could faint at any given moment.
"Didn't they tell you?" The girl faked surprise. "Ops! Maybe I'm talking too much"
"Hey! What do you think you are doing?" Ayako frowned. That girl was taking on her nerves. She had the feeling that she wasn't playing fair.
"Don't attack me", the girl raised both eyebrows. "I'm not the liar here. He is the only one lying because he's hiding things from his girlfriend. Too many things", she made a puppy face. "I'm only being nice"
The emphasis she made while pronouncing 'too many' made Karasuno be on alert immediately, so all of them started to get defensive.
"If you want to say something, just say it", Noriko spat.
"You have a charming boyfriend, Chizuko-san. That beauty mark he has near the belly button is really sexy. You should appreciate him more"
Chizuko's eyes widened. Everyone opened their mouths, astonished. Ayako clenched her fists.
"What are you suggesting!?" The setter was furious.
"It's just a tip. He needs to feel loved. It's normal that he wants to find that love in someone else, someone like me"
"Chizuko, don't listen to her", Ayako looked at the middle blocker, but she seemed to be far away. Her eyes were fixed somewhere else.
"Be attentive as well of who your friends are. If I saw my friend's boyfriend kissing other girl, I would tell her immediately", the girl glanced at Mayu and Noa. Everyone in Karasuno stared at them intently. "You should be more careful from now on"
"Why are you doing this?" Yui muttered.
"Because we are girls and we have to take care of each other, don't you think?" She smiled innocently.
"Fuck you!" Ayako yelled. The setter stepped forward, but, as soon as she did it, Yoshino and Noriko stopped her, knowing that the second-year might have made a huge mistake.
"Oi! Be careful of what you do", the other girl, who hadn't say a word till then, stepped aside, protecting her teammate standing in front of her, as a shield. "Don't even think about laying a hand on Chiyoko"
"Let it be, Ai", the girl put her hand on her teammate's shoulder, trying to calm her down. "They'll have many things to talk about before the match starts and we need to start warming up"
Both girls joined their team. The rest of the players of Shiratorizawa were glancing at Karasuno, smirking, and, then, they went through the door and headed towards the court to start the warm-up.
"Chizuko-san…" Noa felt a lump in her throat. The middle blocker was pale. "I… I mean… We…" Noa tried to approach her, but, as soon as she did, Chizuko fixed her eyes on her and Noa stopped. The first-year felt a throbbing pain in her stomach. Chizuko's eyes were watering.
"We didn't want to…" Mayu tried to apologize without much success.
"What kind of teammates you are!?" Ayako pushed them. She was angry.
"We didn't want to hurt her"
"It's obvious that the remedy was worse than the disease!"
"You could have stand up for her. You could have said that she was lying!" Ayako crossed her arms.
"S-She wasn't…" Chizuko muttered. Everyone turned around to look at her. She was clenching her fists.
"W-What?"
"Come on, Chizuko-san", Yoshino smiled gently. "She has said that because she wants to hurt us. We all know that you boyfriends loves-" The third-year stretched her arm towards the middle blocker, but Chizuko slapped her senpai's hand.
"Don't touch me!" Her voice broke off. Her teammates looked at her, sad expressions on their faces as they didn't know what to say to make her feel better. "Why are you looking at me like that!? I don't want you to feel sorry about me!"
"Chizuko", Jiro approached her, but the middle blocker stepped backwards. The manager tried to hold her in his arms, but, before he could reach her, Chizuko turned around and ran away.
"Chizuko!" Everyone yelled at the same time, but the middle blocker was already disappearing in the hallway.
"This is all your fault!" Ayako turned to point at Noa and Mayu in an accusing way.
"Calm down", Yui meddled. "If there's someone responsible of all is this, it's Chizuko-san's boyf-"
"She was telling the truth! And you didn't say anything to stop her! You let them get away with it!"
"We didn't want to hurt Chizuko-san", Mayu tried to defend herself. "Put yourself in our place! What would have you done?"
"We were planning to tell her, but we didn't want anything to affect our performance!"
"You are stupid", Ayaka looked daggers at Noa.
"Fuck off those damn Nationals!" Ayako's face was red because of the anger. "What's good now, huh!? Chizuko isn't here! You let her be publicly humiliated! Since you are in the team, you've only made things more complicated! Look at us now! We are a damn mess!"
"You are crossing the line, Ayako-san", Mayu wasn't letting anyone blame them for what had happened, let alone Noa. Her best friend didn't mean any harm.
"Everything was fine! We were all friends and right now Chizuko isn't here!"
"What the hell is happening here!?" Hatsue was gazing at them with her hands on her hips and her brow furrowed. "Shiratorizawa is already warming-up. I've been waiting for you in the court for five damn minutes! And your yells can be heard in the whole building!"
By the expression on their faces, Hatsue knew that her players had had an argument. And in the worst possible moment.
"Where is Oka-san?" The woman asked. She noticed that the middle blocker wasn't around.
"S-She's gone", Yui answered, her voice shaking. Their coach seemed to be really mad at them.
"What do you mean? Has she gone to the restrooms?"
"W-We don't know", the captain made a pause. "She ran away"
"Some girls from Shiratorizawa have said bad things about her boyfriend", Yoshino added.
"And she's gone now", Hatsue seemed truly mad, even more than before. "She is gone, even though she knows that we don't have enough players and that she is always in the line-up. So that's what you mean"
"I…I'll go find her", Jiro moved away, hoping that would decrease the coach's bad mood.
"Start warming up now", she hissed. She could tell them many things, but she preferred to bite her tongue not to make things worse. She didn't want to aggravate the situation, because she was well aware that whatever had happened was going to affect their performance against Shiratorizawa.
Ayako hustled Noa and Mayu before joining the rest of the team. Both girls remained quiet while the rest of the team entered the court to start the warm-up. Mayu sighed and tapped Noa's back gently before following them. Noa looked at the same place where Jiro had gone, hoping he would appear with Chizuko. But they didn't. She was hoping that the manager could find a solution and that, someday, Chizuko would forgive them.
So, that's it! That's the end of the chapter!
For the next one, I have many ideas for a title in mind. The simple ones are 'Shiratorizawa' or 'Swans', but I have other in mind like 'Her three types of smile' or 'Spread your wings' (this is my favorite). Well, I think I have still plenty of time to think about it.
Next: the coach's character profile!
CHARACTER PROFILE
MORI HATSUE
Complete Name: Mori Hatsue
Date of birth: December 25th
Age: 36
Height: 176.57 cm
Weight: 68 kg
Appearance: Mori Hatsue is a woman who impresses at first sight. Not only because she is fairly tall, but because her career as a professional water polo player gave her an astonishing body and a broad back. She is only muscles, even though she retired some years ago.
During the last 10 years, Hatsue has changed a lot. She hasn't short black hair anymore. Now it's longer and she had dyed it red. She has also sharp brown eyes.
Personality: Hatsue is honest and serious in all what she does. She likes when things are done well and that usually implies doing it her way because most of the time she's right. She's aware that she's tough sometimes, especially with words, but she considers also that toughness is necessary to progress in life.
She is independent and resolute. She doesn't follow what other people expects and she defends her beliefs, even though they are wrong. It's not that she is stubborn. The thing is that she thinks carefully when it comes to make a decision or chose one side, so she is against changing her mind. It's not the right thing as she has the feeling that, if she does that, she'll be betraying herself.
She, however, isn't as serious as she seems. She is unbiased when necessary and she has a soft spot for her three-year-old daughter, Megumi, to whom she shows a part of her that not many people have seen.
Occupation: Personal trainer, talent scout
Team: Karasuno High
Position: Coach
Favorite food: Chikara Udon
Goals: Make them believe in their possibilities
Current concern: Is she starting to get grey hair!? But she's only 36!
Statistics (out of 5)
Power: 3
Jump: 2
Stamina: 5
Strategy: 3
Technique: 4
Speed: 3
See you next time!