Thank you to everyone who followed and favorited!
LuxKlara : Non vedo l'ora quando Ayaka e Kou arrivano ancora una volta in questa storia. Anche, nel prossimo capitolo di Sowlmate, incontriamo Akane! ;) Hey, capitolo 31 è più vicino...! ;)
AnimeViolinist001 : Awkward Iwaizumi is best Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi is best Iwaizumi. All evrsions of Iwaizumi. I love Iwaizumi, he's so amazing. :D Ayaka will show up again in this story, and it won't be passages we already know from Sowlmates! ;)
Krisia : Ayaka isn't Oikawa's love interest - his love interest is... not exactly "missing" but she doesn't appear in this story. We'll hear about her but that's it. AYAKA IS BOKUTO KOUTAROU'S ONE AND ONLY!
Houshikun001 : My~ You are very welcome! ;) I hope the emotions from the showdow with crows were good enough - I'm mostly impatient for next chapter, with Shiratorizawa's match! :D
FANFICTION
HAIKYUU! : QUIET VOICE
CHAPTER XXVIII : Setters' Showdown
"Winning isn't everything – but wanting to win is."
― Vince Lombardi Jr.
"Why would I want to win anything other than a beautiful game?"
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Wise Man's Fear
"Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don't have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up."
― Amby Burfoot, Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life
"The greater the loyalty of a group toward the group, the greater is the motivation among the members to achieve the goals of the group, and the greater the probability that the group will achieve its goals."
― Rensis Likert
"Remember teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability."
― Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
Sendai Gymnasium, second day of the Inter-High…
When Aoba Jousai entered Sendai's gymnasium, Kiku noticed that the halls were less packed than the previous day from all the teams who had had their competition stopped. She glanced up at the board with all the groups and teams who had won up to this point. She observed it a moment then ran after the boys, catching up with Makki and Mattsun, Oikawa and Iwaizumi just before them – the Ace was making sure the setter wouldn't get caught by girls once again with a tight hand on his shoulder and a death glare.
"H-hey, i-if you win this match against Karasuno, and win this afternoon's match… you'll go to finals, right?" She asked.
"Not 'if', we will win – we'll even win against Shiratorizawa." Mattsun answered, "If we don't… Oikawa will cry and it's too much of a pain to deal with…"
Kiku glanced up at the Ace before her, so close and yet, she didn't dare reach for him. He didn't seem to have heard anything they just said but–
With a gasp, she suddenly fell forward and hit Iwaizumi's back, the Ace immediately going to a stop and spinning around. He put a hand on her shoulder to keep her steady, glancing down worriedly at their manager.
"You're okay, there? What happened?" He asked.
"N-nothing… j-just… tripped…" She muttered, blushing in embarrassment.
"Be careful," he answered, continuing as if nothing had happened.
"You should try holding her hand to make sure she doesn't trip again~" Oikawa remarked.
Blushing, they ignored him – or rather, Iwaizumi grabbed his collar and dragged him away… and Kiku immediately whipped around and glared at Makki who had put his foot before hers to make her trip into Iwaizumi intentionally. Oikawa had noticed this and turned around, lifting up his thumbs up towards the wing-spiker after his little intervention – even if Iwaizumi hadn't reacted much to it.
After stretching their muscles, they moved to the court for the official warm-up, Karasuno doing the same just on the other side of the net. Aoba Jousai's cheering squad was shouting from the seats, giving more enthusiasm to the players. And there was also…
"Oikawa-kun~! Do you best!"
Kiku startled at the high-pitched voice then glanced up at the girls here for Oikawa and Oikawa only…
"What do they even find him? He's not that great compared to Iwaizumi-san…" She murmured to herself, glancing to her Ace.
Her uncle heard and stared at her but after realizing what she just said, she blushed and walked away from him, checking that everything was ready for the match.
It didn't take long for Karasuno, despite not having any cheering squad, to shout loud enough to cover Oikawa's fans's screams. They were definitely determined to win, but so was Seijou. After Karasuno was done with their warm-up, it was Seijou's turn, Oikawa giving remarks to every toss he sent to have an idea of how the spikers felt today.
"Nice, Makki! Super sharp!" He complimented the wing-spiker who answered with his raised fingers in a victory sign.
Next was Kindaichi, who was still not used to a setter keeping his well-being and preferences in mind.
"Sorry, Kindaichi… That one was a little high…" He apologized to the startling first-year.
"Uh, no… yes!"
Next was Iwaizumi who got his favorite, usual toss but of course, Oikawa couldn't just give an easy compliment.
"Iwa-chan, are you sure you're not trying too hard? You don't have to try and show off. None of the girls will be looking at you, anyway – well none except Kiku-chan~!"
Putting the stray balls back into the carts, Kiku looked up and saw from afar Iwaizumi trying to murder Oikawa, held back by Kindaichi and no one looking surprised. The setter only laughed good-heartedly but still ran away in case Kindaichi's hold were to falter.
"What did he say again?" Kiku asked Makki after pushing the cart.
He dropped a ball into it and smirked.
"Do you really want to know~?" He teased.
She raised an eyebrow but before she could obtain any answer, the referee whistled for the end of warm-up. Iwaizumi calmed down – but still threw bad looks in the direction of the Captain – and they lined up. There was a tense, short moment until the whistle resonated.
"Let's play!" They all shouted, bowing down.
Kiku noticed Oikawa talking to the other team's setter – it was the number nine, the genius setter who seemed to have a history with everyone on the team…
"Is it going to be fine?" She asked Iwaizumi as soon as he was nearby.
He glanced in the same direction as her just as Oikawa walked back towards his team. Seeing his determined gaze, the fire burning within it, the Ace nodded.
"Yeah… he's been waiting for that for a long time…" He muttered, reminding himself to keep an eye on Oikawa during the match.
After a quick reunion of the team together, Oikawa was the first one to put a foot on the court, shaking his wrists to make sure it hadn't cooled from the little bit of time without tossing.
"All right, let's do this… Now then, as usual…" He started.
He stopped and glanced over his shoulder, looking straight at his teammates. His gaze was so intense it froze everyone and filled their spirits with the strength and determination they'll need to win this match.
"I believe in all of you." He said with a voice that for once, had no mockery nor threatening tone.
It was just Oikawa Tooru, Grand King, setter and Captain of Aoba Jousai, trusting his teammates to win this match.
The usual dorky atmosphere surrounding the team disappeared and when they stepped on the court, it was a totally different team. It was the second strongest team of Miyagi prefecture, it was the most balanced team of Miyagi with the best setter of the Prefecture and sixth best Ace spiker of the country.
Kiku shivered and held onto her notebook tightly.
There were a few seconds where the teams showed their rotation then the referee whistled the beginning of the match. Kiku's heart missed a beat as Karasuno served first. It was received smoothly and immediately Iwaizumi and Matsukawa started running to spike – but Oikawa did it instead.
"Eh?" Kiku murmured, blinking.
The whistle resonated and the cheering squad congratulated the Captain for the first of many points marked:
"Setter dump? Right from the start? He's so… waah…" Kiku murmured, writing down the results as Irihata chuckled at her reaction – he was only half-surprised by Oikawa's action and he hoped he'd keep playing like that, but it wasn't something he had to worry about.
Oikawa told something (probably snarky) to Karasuno's players who gritted their teeth at this.
"Go, go, Tooru! Push it, push it, Tooru!"
It was Mattsun's turn to serve, it was received and Karasuno's number ten made his crazy quick – but it was received by Makki (who was, for once, reliable, according to Kiku's notes) and this time, Oikawa went all out for another setter dump. He jumped to spike it but at the last moment he switched into the position of a set, tossing to Iwaizumi.
"W-wow…" Kiku murmured, in awe.
The team might have taken easy the previous day's match but today they were going all out – especially Oikawa. He was determined to show he was the best setter.
Another serve received and Karasuno went to attack – this time, there were two more spikers added to number ten – one on the left and the Ace for the back-attack. They jumped and froze when the setter made a dump. The ball landed right behind Iwaizumi, no one having moved as the point went to Karasuno. Kageyama said something to Oikawa Kiku didn't hear… but she knew that whatever it was, it set Oikawa on fire from the look on his face.
She shivered once again, glad she was the manager and not a player on the opposite court.
Next, Kageyama served and sent a beautiful home-run that made the players on Aoba Jousai smile for the most polite – chuckle for the most daring ones. Oikawa was the one to serve next, sending a powerful one right towards the libero. Kiku hissed, thinking he'd die or lose his arms but as shocking as it was, he received it easily. The plays continued and, surprising everyone, Oikawa asked for a time-out. The team gathered around him as he gave his explanations:
"I'm pretty sure I'm right about this. It's 'bring it' and 'to me'. At first, I noticed that the shrimp would always yell something when he'd move in on the ball, and I thought he seemed pretty stupid – but then, Kiku-chan said something that made me think twice about it!"
Kiku blinked and everyone turned to her, making her blush but Oikawa continued calmly:
"'His presence is incredible, does he need to call for a toss that much?' – you said that yesterday and, you were right. The shrimp is small but has a huge presence, Tobio-chan can send the toss directly into his hand – so there is no need for him to scream that much. But when they use that god-like quick attack, it appears they're using 'bring it', like 'bring it here' or 'bring it to me'. And with a normal one…"
"…They're using 'to me'," Iwaizumi finished his sentence.
Oikawa nodded enthusiastically, the others taking in the information.
"But that shrimp's role is to be the decoy. They want us to focus our attention on him. So let's just set up a simple rule: when we hear 'bring it', let's just have one person mark the shrimp, when we hear 'to me', let's see where the toss goes before we jump. Okay?"
"OSS!" They all shouted.
"Considering we took a time-out this early when nothing's really happened yet, don't you think they realized that we've realized what they're doing?" Iwaizumi remarked, glancing over his shoulder at the other team's setter who was clenching his teeth.
"That's completely fine~! It's actually better if they realize it. If they know that we've realized they're using those signals, it might be minimal, but Tobio will panic." He answered.
Not for the first time, Kiku thought that Oikawa was actually a very scary and scheming person but kept it to herself. She understood the will to win at all costs – but by breaking the other team's mental strength, was it really fair? She didn't like that…
"Why do you look so gloomy?"
Kiku didn't realize this question was destined to her, until Makki hit the top of her head with his water bottle. She rubbed her forehead and glanced up at him, the others glancing at her from over their shoulder.
"We have an attack plan and we'll stop this crazy quick – we can't lose this way." He continued.
"Yeah but…"
"And it's thanks to you Oikawa figured it out, we wouldn't have been able to have an attack plan so quickly without you," Iwaizumi added with a smile.
"H-he would have figured it out eventually…" She murmured with a blush.
"Cheer up, Kiku-chan~! We can't have our manager-chan looking so gloom – not with a team with so many handsome people and, well~ me~ as Captain and main attraction of the match, there is no way–"
"Stop showing off!" Iwaizumi and Hanamaki exclaimed, slamming their hands in their Captain's back.
"AAGH!"
Oikawa jumped forward, pushed by their strength as the time-out was ending. They went back on the court and despite the smiles Irihata and Mizoguchi had had upon seeing their Captain leading the team so effectively, they became serious once again. Noticing his niece's dark expression, Irihata glanced down at her:
"You don't like their way of doing?" He asked.
She startled, surprised he figured it out so easily but he continued, glancing at Karasuno as they went back on the court:
"You're too kind, Kiku. You don't want your team losing but you don't want the other team losing as well. Isn't it right?"
"…Yes but… if they win, it'll be by breaking the number nine, um, Kageyama-kun's mental strength… I find it unfair that a team would win with such ways instead of their skills and power." She explained sheepishly, not wanting her uncle to think she was encouraging the other team.
He stared at her, a little stunned because if he knew she was kind, it was still incredible how much compassion she had for others – even opponents who might take away her team's chance to go to the next step.
"You're not wrong, but don't forget that Oikawa is afraid of Kageyama – he wants to crush him to prove he's the best setter. I don't say it's the right way to do but it's the only way. After all, they are both setters…"
Kiku glanced up at him curiously as he explained, watching over the teams as they exchanged balls, slowly getting points from one side or another.
"A setter leads the plan of attack, he brings out the potential of his teammates, but more importantly… he has to remain calm and keep thinking carefully to take the best decision, throughout the whole match. The best setters are the ones who can keep calm, the ones who have the capacity of analyzing the other team, to make choices, to be bold… If Kageyama breaks so easily just because we figured out their signal – he doesn't have the guts to be a setter."
"This… is what Oikawa-san is trying to prove… that he's the best setter…" Kiku whispered, slowly understanding how he thought, "But if he doesn't break, isn't he going to be stronger? It's not a good thing for Oikawa-san, right?" She asked, tilting her head on a side.
"Aaah… I don't understand Oikawa, he doesn't make much sense even for me… Everytime I think I finally understand this boy he does something incredible yet again and I'm stunned by his skills. He never listens to me anyway – I think the only one who knows what he has in mind might be Iwaizumi." Irihata concluded with a shrug, "As long as he leads the team effectively and they keep playing to their best, I have nothing to say. As long as their tactics are good and effective, I don't need to intervene."
Kiku looked back towards her team – they all trusted each other, trusting Oikawa first of all. But it might be possible thanks to their two coaches who were the first ones to trust their team.
Aoba Jousai got more points, spreading panic and chaos among Karasuno – Kageyama wasn't the only one aimed by the tactic of breaking their mental strength but now Kiku could tell that even if she didn't agree with this tactic… as long as the opponents were mentally strong enough, Seijou's ways didn't get to them. She wasn't sure about Kageyama, but the other members seemed to be doing fine…
18 – 11
"Kageyama-kun is panicking, isn't he…?" Kiku remarked when his tosses kept getting faster and faster.
The coaches at her side didn't answer but it was enough to know how the first-year setter was doing.
After Oikawa and Kageyama faced each other to push the ball on one or the other court, and Oikawa won easily, it was when Kageyama fell. Not just because he landed on his behind, but everyone could see that his shoulders went down as well, that as he looked up at Oikawa, it wasn't at an adversary he had failed to win against. It was the gaze of fear of a boy who was overwhelmed by the strength of the setter he looked up to.
Proof of this fall of might, Kageyama then missed his toss and Aoba Jousai ended up marking the point.
20 – 11
Without much surprise, the whistle resonated and Karasuno then switched setter. Kageyama had to leave the court, the number two of Karasuno arriving on it. Kiku checked on the list of players she had of Karasuno and blinked.
"He's a third-year…" She murmured, wondering how he must feel about a genius first-year taking his place as regular.
At first, Aoba Jousai panicked a little because the number two was such a different setter from Kageyama's blinding genius. Karasuno got point after point, annoying more and more Seijou. But as good as he was, "Mr Refreshing" as Oikawa called him had classic tactics and after some adjusting, and thanks to Oikawa's serve, they came back and got the first set.
25 – 15 – first set won by Aoba Jousai
"So, Karasuno's attacks… since we were assuming their only attack was the quick with Kageyama and that number ten, it totally throws us off when they do normal attacks." Iwaizumi started, after Kiku distributed towels and water bottles.
"We end up looking towards number ten too much," Matsukawa agreed.
"Iwa-chan, if you think too hard when you don't have a brain, you're going to get a headache!" Oikawa piped in.
Kiku rolled her eyes while he was being hit by the Ace – he had it coming… No one was surprised by their shenanigan, used to their banter to the point that Makki caught Oikawa's bottle before it'd fall.
"Will you be all right?" Kiku asked the boys.
Still fuming by the previous remark from his friend, Iwaizumi couldn't stop frowning when he turned towards her:
"Yeah! Of course we'll be all right! We'll win next set too, and we'll move to the next match!" He exclaimed.
He grabbed Oikawa by his collar without any tenderness, lifted him up easily from the floor, making him gasp. Then, Iwaizumi slammed his hand on his back, Oikawa crying out in pain and jumping forward as the team looked at them:
"We're not going to lose this match! Time to get our asses back together!" He exclaimed.
"YEAH!" They all screamed.
"Well~ well~" Oikawa started, putting his hands on his hips as he faced his team, "As Iwa-chan said… let's win the second set!" He exclaimed.
"OOOSSS!"
The second set started and despite their determination, Karasuno was close behind Aoba Jousai, tailing them. Neither team could pull ahead and half-way through the set, when Seijou's confidence to win started showing, Kageyama came back as setter. Immediately, he got a service ace from Watari.
"Even after being out, he can make such serves… it's scary…!" Kiku murmured.
"It'll be an amazing weapon when he'll be able to control the ball," her uncle added.
With Kageyama back, and with him, the god-like quick, the team had to get used to the plays yet again. When Karasuno arrived to the 20s first, they called for a time out and soon after, it was Karasuno's turn. The beanpole, number 11 on Karasuno, totally played with them and got several points with his tactic. Finally…
24 – 22
"I can't believe Karasuno has a set point… what are they doing? They need to get it back…" Kiku muttered, not believing that such a little team could possibly get a set from hers.
BABAM!
The sound of Iwaizumi's spike resonate din the whole gymnasium, Kiku immediately perking up and grinning proudly.
"We won't let you have it!" He shouted.
24 – 23
His teammates grinned while Kiku trembled on the bench.
"H-he's so strong…!" She exclaimed with a flush, only heard by the two coaches who sighed and smiled at her admiration for the Ace.
And then, it was Oikawa's turn to serve. Kiku was confident they could easily get back to win this set and the match – there was no way Oikawa would fail after all… He dribbled the ball a few times then looked at the other side with a frighteningly focused gaze. She noticed Iwaizumi saying something to Oikawa, they seemed incredibly serious and whatever it was, it made the Captain's determination get even more incredible.
There was a moment where Kiku stopped breathing, praying for this serve to break Karasuno's confidence and help Seijou win. Unfortunately, as powerful and breathtaking as Oikawa's serve was, it was received by the other side's libero – but it was a chance ball. Oikawa tossed to his Ace but despite his power, Iwaizumi hadn't expected a two men wall to come up – the ball landed on Seijou's court.
25 – 23 – Set won by Karasuno
The screams of joy from the crows covered Aoba Jousai's cheering. Kiku felt her heart break when Iwaizumi came back with his brows furrowed and his teeth clenched tightly – guilt. It was shining so brightly in his eyes it physically hurt her to see him like this…
She immediately went to him with a towel and water bottle but he was growling against himself and his missed spike. Makki was about to tell her to let him on his own, or to not mind the Ace ignoring her at the moment but before he could say a thing, Kiku went on her tiptoes and put the towel around his neck.
Surprised by her small gesture of comfort, Iwaizumi glanced at her as she blushed and walked towards the others to give them what they needed. Hajime's heart missed a beat but then, remembering he had failed making a deuce against Karasuno, and worried he had disappointed Kiku… his hands went to his hair to shake it viciously as he screamed.
"Damn it! I'm sorry!" He grunted.
"Don't mind," Hanamaki said casually while Oikawa laughed good-heartedly.
"Why are you laughing?! I'll punch you!" Iwaizumi shouted, probably about to go for blood.
"Stop saying you'll hit me all the time, Iwa-chan~ It's not a very attractive trait, you know~?" He answered, sending a very quick glance in Kiku's direction but it only made the Ace pout and glare at him darkly.
"Don't worry, I only say that to you, and I won't hit you!" He answered.
But Oikawa was done laughing and he became serious once again, thinking back on the last plays:
"Right then, doing a quick attack from the center would have been a cliché move. But apparently, Tobio-chan was able to read that I'd send to the left. Do you understand what this means? It means it's come down to not only methodical thinking, but, in the end, our effort, as well. My perfect trust with you, Iwa-chan."
"Like I'd ever want that with you," he answered stubbornly but no one could deny these two had a perfect trust in each other.
"That just means they were making rather comprehensive decisions. What did Mr Refreshing tell Tobio-chan? The dictator king is somehow trying to become a decent King. What is this…? I'm really pissed off, and yet…" He continued with a raging voice.
He turned around, Kiku startling at his frightening expression while the rest of the team just followed him – they were used to this excitation whenever they faced great opponents and he was their Grand King after all.
"Hurry! Let's hurry up and finish the final set!" He exclaimed with a gaze burning in determination.
The third and final set begun even more tense than the first two. No team could pull ahead, both were grasping onto victory as if it'd cost them their lives to lose, the rallys were longer and the ball wouldn't fall on the court. Karasuno's attacks were incredible and their libero was more skilled. But Aoba Jousai didn't waver and continued to use their great set-ups and powerful attacks calmly. Overall, they obviously were the best team – more skills, more power, more experience. But what caused a real problem for Seijou was the wild beast, the number ten and his broad cross. Kageyama and the little monster managed to get several points with it until a time-out was necessary and the players had to gather to think of a way to counter it…
"What are we going to do about number ten's broad cross?" Matsukawa asked, the most annoyed, along with Kindaichi, by this small player who managed to get past their height and block.
Silence resonated, everyone thinking deeply, the cogs of their brains spinning.
"That broad cross, we'll let it fall." Irihata said.
"Let it fall? How?" Kindaichi asked, confused.
"That shrimp's broad is god-like. It's really fast but his body will go with the momentum, so he won't be able to redirect the ball." Oikawa explained.
He turned towards the coach who nodded, satisfied that the Captain could keep up so easily with his new tactic. Now knowing what to do, Oikawa turned back to his team:
"Instead of blocking that broad cross, we'll use a dig." He decided.
"Right!" Watari exclaimed.
"A useless block just gets in the way of receiving the ball." Iwaizumi added.
"No matter how difficult things get, don't forget to think and communicate!" Irihata exclaimed.
Some time later, as soon as they had an opportunity of using this tactic when the number ten went for another broad cross, Aoba Jousai's blockers didn't move, letting the spiker go free… Until his spike was easily received by Watari and the team got a point.
"Yes! It's working!" Kiku exclaimed happily, clapping her hands together to see her team back to their usual selves.
With their top-attack being stopped, Karasuno was panicking again and Aoba Jousai started taking the momentum. The team tensed a little when a pinch server arrived…
"Pinch server… is it risky? But they'll do good, right?" Kiku asked, turning to her uncle.
"As long as they keep the ball connected, it'll be fine. They'll know how to counterattack."
Kiku waited as the number twelve went for a float jump serve. Everyone tensed and she knew they didn't like this sort of serve but thankfully, it hit the net and fell back on Karasuno's court. She sighed in relief but felt sorry for the poor pinch server who had lost a point with this mistake.
Aoba Jousai continued racking up points but Karasuno's players were stubborn and didn't give up easily. They kept attacking and attacking, holding onto the points gap that didn't widen. Kiku, and everyone on Aoba Jousai, perhaps everyone watching the match, were totally stunned when Kageyama managed to do a one-hand toss – Oikawa most of all was shaken up. But it didn't break him, or the team, he still had one card to play: Kunimi. Because more than anyone else, Kunimi knew how to preserve his energy, now that the others were tired, Oikawa was using him more than any other player. Soon, though, the two teams arrived into the 25 points…
"Aaah! What a deuce! It's never-ending…!" Kiku whined, clenching her notebook tightly, having given up taking notes from how intense the match was.
"As long as they don't give up, it's not lost. They won't lose, they can't afford it." Irihata answered and even though he kept a calm voice and straight face, his eyes showed that he was more stressed than he showed.
Kiku nodded, knowing they wouldn't lose against Karasuno when they needed to go to finals… but when Oikawa served next… and missed… She had never seen him miss a serve and she wasn't sure how to feel about any of this.
"Oikawa-san… missed a serve…? When it's his absolute specialty…? And it's Karasuno's match-point now…" She murmured.
Her uncle or Mizoguchi didn't have anything to say to that, everyone was shocked…
But then, for Seijou's next attack, Oikawa tossed to Iwaizumi who marked the point with brio.
"And that nullified it! We each have one point now!" He exclaimed, looking straight into his friend's eyes.
Kiku cheered up instantly, sparkling in joy to see her Hajime so bright and powerful. Everyone's hearts and spirits were lifted up by his words and confidence.
"Iwaizumi-san, you're so cool!" The first and second years exclaimed.
"I feel like I've lost to Iwa-chan…!" Oikawa said, but it was obvious he was glad his friend was here.
"When the hell did you ever beat me?" Iwaizumi answered, as awesome as ever with his replies.
While they went back to their usual selves, Kiku grinned happily.
"Your boyfriend just saved the team from crumbling," Irihata said with a thankful voice.
She startled and blushed then looked in the opposite direction of her uncle or Iwaizumi. Or anyone.
"H-he's… he's not… we're not… u-um…" She stammered but he wasn't listening.
The two teams went back to racking up points. More and more, constantly having set point but never letting the others get the second point of lead that would ensure the victory. Kiku couldn't believe they reached the 30s and had done a full rotation…
"How long will they keep this up…?" She murmured worriedly, seeing Oikawa go for a serve.
She thought back on his last serve – it had been out. There was no way he couldn't think of it now. He was known and feared for his serves, he couldn't miss it and yet… But when she saw Iwaizumi tell him something – probably some sort of threat or encouraging words from the way Oikawa reacted? – the setter seemed… confident.
Kiku relaxed a little, and when Oikawa served she couldn't help but admire his beautiful form – she was left out of breath just from seeing him serve.
They got more points thanks to Kunimi's spikes but Kiku's smile wavered when she remarked, at the other side of the net, Kageyama staring over at Oikawa with wide, shaken up eyes… She couldn't tell what was going on in his head but he seemed totally broken at this moment, as if everything he had worked for meant nothing, as if he couldn't help but feel all of his fears and doubts seep in.
From the circle they had made to motivate each other and listen to Oikawa's advice on Tobio's next play, Iwaizumi noticed Kiku's gaze turned towards the other side. She seemed sad, as if she didn't want the other team to lose. He knew she was kind and probably disliked seeing the opponents' defeat and their tears… but, he couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous that, when they were so close to victory, she would look somewhere else, at someone else but him and be sad rather than happy.
"Let's get this point!"
Oikawa's voice shook Iwaizumi out of his staring and he frowned, going to his position. The match wasn't over, they hadn't won yet. He couldn't lose his focus.
He looked back at Karasuno as they received Oikawa's killer serve and despite their position dispersed, Kageyama ran for the ball as the quick little monster started a run-up – a run-up for a quick!
"The next time Karasuno looks like they're going to use a quick, Tobio will use the god-like quick." Oikawa had said a few seconds ago.
"Kindaichi, Kunimi!" Iwaizumi shouted, connecting the dots before the two first-years.
"YES!" They exclaimed, ready for the quick, god-like or not.
They jumped right in time to block the ball. As if in slow-motion they saw the number ten's expression faltered as he realized he hadn't been able to avoid the block and that the ball was going back on their side. Several players dived, desperate to reach the ball and save it… But in the end, the ball landed on Karasuno's court and the whistle resonated.
33 – 31 – Match won by Aoba Jousai
Kiku sighed in relief as everyone cheered. Several times she had thought they might actually lose without quite believing it – a little team that had come out of nowhere, that wasn't even in the top eight last year, couldn't win against Aoba Jousai. They were destined to go all the way to finals and this time, they'll win against Shiratorizawa.
Standing up, she followed the players so they could line up under their school's banner.
"It was a beautiful match, congratulations!" She told everyone, making the boys smile even more, "Kindaichi-kun, good work on the last block!" She added when the middle-blocker walked past her.
"AH! Yes! No!"
"Which is it?"
He blushed and walked away, making her chuckle. She followed them but Kiku slowed down to a stop when she noticed Iwaizumi staring at Kageyama as he walked past Oikawa.
"Iwaizumi-san? What is it?" She called, tilting her head on a side.
He looked back at Kiku then joined her, both calmly going back to the others to line up.
"Nothing, I was just thinking… he really is a monster." He said, sounding absent-minded but his gaze was burning.
She didn't understand what he was talking about, or who he was referring to, but before she could ask him, he ran and joined Oikawa.
After bowing down to the cheers, Aoba Jousai took a short break before their next match – the quart-finals. If they won this match, they'll face Shiratorizawa Academy the next day.
Distributing towels and bottles, making sure everyone was nourished and full of energy, Kiku then started distributing their other version of uniforms she had kept in a bag in case of they needed to change. Glancing in Iwaizumi's direction while he was changing totally was an accident – staring until he was totally covered by clothes also was an accident. A very fortunate accident.
"'Even if one person is good, you can't win. Don't mind.' Isn't that what you wanted to tell them?" Iwaizumi asked Oikawa, imitating (trying to, at least) his voice.
"But Karasuno had more than one strong player, didn't they?" Oikawa answered, admitting their strength.
"You're really annoying…" Iwaizumi sighed.
"How rude!" He whined before being back to his (rare) serious-self, "The end of that second set… when he was able to read my toss to you, I could tell Tobio was trying to go from being a dictator to a decent king. Even if Tobio had stayed a dictator, he might have still tossed to the shrimp in the end. I only thought it was a possibility, and there was no guarantee he was going to do it. He was reading my attacks, but this time, he ended up having his attack read by me." He concluded, hands on his hips.
"So Kageyama had finally started trusting other people…" Iwaizumi said with an unreadable expression.
But then, a little smile appeared and Kiku might have imagined it, but there was relief in his eyes.
"Really… nothing could be more troublesome…" Oikawa muttered.
Iwaizumi glanced at him, the same burning gaze as earlier that Kiku had noticed.
"Ah, I have to go see the coach for next match," Oikawa suddenly remembered, walking away.
Iwaizumi stared at him, taking a moment to breathe in-between the two matches. Kiku slowly walked to him, still observing his expression.
"You meant Oikawa-san… didn't you?" She asked.
"Uh?" He asked turning to her because he hadn't noticed her coming closer.
"When you talked about a 'monster' – you meant Oikawa-san… Right? Because… he managed to guess Kageyama's last attack?" She hesitated.
Surprised she had noticed this, and understood him, Iwaizumi nodded before scratching his cheek, flushing lightly.
"Y-yeah… He really is… a monster," he said again but with a smile this time.
"If you want to compliment him, just say he's a great setter. I'm sure it'll boost his confidence for tomorrow's match!" She said with an amused smile.
"No way! It'll make his ego get even bigger than it already is! And we haven't won yet." He mumbled, pretending to be annoyed that she would read him so easily but truly, he was just happy she knew him so well.
"You will."
He looked back at Kiku and her smile got brighter:
"You will win, I know that. It was a beautiful match, and more than once, you kept the team together so… good job, Ace." She continued.
She was about to turn around and join the others when Iwaizumi reached over and grabbed her hand. Kiku looked up to him, shocked but he immediately let go of her hand and looked away, blushing in embarrassment.
"Ah, um… earlier… just before the last play… You were staring at Kageyama – why?" He asked, finally saying out loud what has been in the back of his mind since he had noticed her staring.
"Ah… I just thought… Kageyama… seemed very frightened and shocked back then – it didn't make sense after seeing up-close Oikawa-san's set-ups, or his former teammates' evolution at this point in the match… I don't know why… it made me sad… Seeing him so shaken up. I wonder what happened to make him feel so inferior to Oikawa-san…" She continued, because when it came to skills and technique, they were almost on par.
Iwaizumi didn't answer right away, but Kiku once again surprised him when she turned to him with a sad smile, knowing exactly what was on his mind.
"You know what happened between them, right…? Is this why you seemed glad that Kageyama could trust his teammates? What happened between all of you for such… such vivid emotions binding you all?" She asked curiously.
"…It's a long story…" He answered, glancing quickly at a laughing Oikawa before putting his hand on Kiku's shoulder, "I'll tell you about it someday. But right now, we have to focus on our next opponent."
He tapped her shoulder then joined his teammates.
Soon, the match started and unlike the challenge that had been the match against Karasuno, the match against Senseki High-school was easy to win. Aoba Jousai won in two sets and the team started moving so they could go back to their school and discuss today's matches and prepare for the finals.
Kiku glanced up and saw Karasuno taking away their banner… They all looked so sad, she prayed she wouldn't have to see her own team with such expressions the next day…
"Kiku, don't get left behind!" Irihata called when he noticed her spacing out.
"Ah, yes!"
She finished gathering her stuff then ran after the team. They were so strong and confident, their set-ups were on par with National-level teams. There was no way they would lose. They couldn't lose. Mere power couldn't do that, even if said-power was from Ushijima Wakatoshi. Aoba Jousai would be the representative for Miyagi Prefecture for the National Inter-High.
BONUS
[While the team was going onto the bus…]
Hanamaki smirked when he noticed Kiku glancing in awe at Iwaizumi from afar and, because there wasn't anyone else close-by, he decided to tease a little – it was the best part of her feelings for his friend after all.
He let his long arm fall around her shoulders, making her squeak and startle just as he leaned towards her ear.
"Did you like it?" He asked.
She blinked, knowing he wasn't referring to the matches but to something else – she was confused.
"Staring at Iwaizumi while he changed earlier… You couldn't tear your eyes away from him – did you really think we wouldn't notice~?" He cleared up.
She gasped and blushed, glancing around nervously, afraid he might have been heard.
"You had never seen him bare-chest, right? Was it up to your imagination? Everything you expected?" He teased with a wink.
She blushed even more and her gaze turned to Iwaizumi who was giving orders about finding where Oikawa had gone because he had disappeared. He was screaming about how much of a pain in the ass he was being. Kiku recalled the beautiful vision– arhem, accident. The fortunate accident from earlier when she had caught sight of Iwaizumi (read: stared shamelessly) as he was changing from the white with turquoise details uniform into the turquoise with white details one.
She blushed even more then nodded, to Makki's great pleasure – he would never let it go, he would spend the rest of his life teasing her about it.
"Everything I expected… and more…" She murmured with a thankful nod.
He laughed loudly, not having expected her to actually answer but it was even better!
"Iwaizumi!" He immediately called, walking towards the rest of the team.
"WAH! STOP IT STOP IT, MAKKI!" Kiku shouted.
She jumped against him and grabbed him by the waist to stop him from walking any closer to Iwaizumi who had, unfortunately, heard (like the rest of the team) and was now observing them from afar.
"D-don't tell him! Don't tell anyone! Keep it a secret! Please! I don't want him to think I'm a pervert!"
"You are one, though."
"Eeek! I'm not! Have you looked at Iwaizumi-san?! How can you not stare when you catch sight of–"
"Pervert."
"GEH! Just don't tell him, please! Keep it a secret! Please!"
Hanamaki rolled his eyes just as she hid her red face against his back.
"It's too embarrassing…!" She mumbled, voice smothered.
He glanced over his shoulder at the girl who now looked truly frightened at the idea that Iwaizumi would learn she had been staring – the whole gymnasium had been staring at them changing anyway… But Kiku liked Iwaizumi, which gave this staring a different meaning. And he – by some unknown twist of fate Hamanaki would never understand – liked her too. This staring meant a lot for the both of them.
"What are you two doing? Just climb in the bus or we'll be late!" Matsukawa called from afar.
"Oikawa! Where were you?!" Iwaizumi shouted when he noticed the Captain coming back.
"GYAH! To the toilets! Why are– GEH! Stop hitting me, Iwa-chan!"
Hanamaki threw one last look at Kiku's frightened expression then sighed, tugging her arms away from his waist then pulling her towards the bus. She didn't fight his lead but still looked terribly stressed when she took her seat in the bus. No one seemed to notice her trouble – they were either too excited about winning, too tired by the matches or too taken in by their Captain and Vice-Captain's banter.
"What were you talking about with Kiku?" Mattsun asked Makki when he sat down next to him.
"…Secret," he answered with a shrug.
Kiku heard and whipped around towards him. He closed his eyes and pretended to fall asleep but she grinned and relaxed instantly. Takahiro opened one eye to glance at her then smiled to himself. He hoped he'll have some free patisserie for this good deed.
Next chapter is the match against Shiratorizawa which I tried to make as epic and emotional as possible! I hope you liked the match against Karasuno and are as impatient as I am for chapter 29! :D
NEXT CHAPTER : LAST CHANCE FOR THE NATIONALS
Yours Truly,
May
