Since the next match was scheduled to begin in fifteen minutes, Mina and Yachi only had a five-minute time slot to congratulate the team on progressing to the quarterfinals. After the short encounter, it was time to return to their seats. The blonde manager had a sparkle in her eyes and a curled fist to her chest as the pair began sauntering down the corridor. She was confident that Karasuno would move on to Nationals – not even Ushijima would stop them.
"I know Tsukishima has been practicing a lot too. Yamaguchi told me that Tsukishima is worried about Ushijima, but I think he can do it. He can block him!" A determined expression had claimed her features, it was truly an adorable sight. Reaching out, Mina caught the younger girl's cheek with her fingers and began tugging at the skin.
"You are the cutest cheerleader I have ever seen."
Yachi pouted at the words but did not attempt to swat her away.
"Mina-chan, why are you attacking that poor girl's face?"
A sheepish smile had brought her lips to lift and expose her pearly whites, slowly she released Yachi's cheek, her hands now in the pose of surrender.
Oikawa had an eyebrow raised in artificial suspicion, with a hint of a grin on his features. Beside him stood Seijoh's Ace whose focus was on the younger blonde rather than her.
"Are you Karasuno's new manager?" It surprised him how the blonde involuntarily twitched at the sound of his voice. His eyes immediately travelled to Mina, silently inquiring if he had done something wrong.
"Yachi… There's no need to be afraid. This is Iwaizumi, a friend of mine. And that silly one beside him is my boyfriend, Oikawa." Mina swung an arm around the shorter girl, beaming down at her supportively.
"Oh hello…" The greeting was squeaked out and followed by a small bow of respect. "I am Yachi, Karasuno's first-year manager."
"Well hello Yachi, it's a pleasure to meet you." The mocha haired captain's tone was soft and velvety, indicating his harmlessness.
"Nice to meet you. I'm sorry if I startled you before." Iwa scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, even he was a big ol' softie on the inside.
"Now that the introductions are out of the way, I think we should head in." An arm remain snug against Yachi's shoulders as Mina offered out her free hand. Oikawa did not hesitate in accepting the offering, lacing his fingers together with hers.
By the time they had joined Saeko and Shimada, the first set was seconds from commencing.
"Mina, I totally forgot to remind you. But did you text the Tokyo boys that we won the last game?" Saeko blurted out apologetically, not knowing that a simple question would cause a certain captain to tense up.
Oikawa originally had an arm loosely wrapped around Mina's waist, his grip had tightened the second the 'reminder' was provided.
"I texted Nekoma and Fukurodani's captains earlier! Fukurodani has already secured their spot at Nationals. I'm so proud." Mina faked a sniffle then brushed away her non-existent tears. Behind her, the Seijoh Captain huffed childishly to catch her attention. Raising an eyebrow, she shuffled in his embrace to loosen his grip and gain a visual of him.
"How does your hair look this good after a match?" Complimenting him was the quickest way to elevate his mood.
"That's because his hair products cost more than the average person's lung on the black market." The comment had come from the Seijoh Ace who was stood a few inches away from the couple – sometimes their PDA was a bit too much.
"Iwa-chan, why did you need to phrase it like that!" Oikawa was the tiniest bit worried by his best friend's bizarre response.
"Hajime… How do you know how much a lung costs on the black market?" A pair of skeptical eyes had shifted onto him, the use of his first name had gained more of a reaction from him than the question itself.
"What – you've never been on the dark web?" The fact that the Ace was 100% serious had Mina choke on her laughter.
"No?" Oikawa was sincerely beginning to wonder what his friend did whenever he wasn't playing volleyball.
The conversation was drawn to an unsatisfactory conclusion as the referee blew the whistle below. Karasuno was receiving and Nishinoya was bouncing on the spot in anticipation. The group fell silent for the first five minutes of the game, outside of Shimada's occasional comments. They were still early into the set when the incident occurred.
The second Daichi had collapsed onto the ground, Mina's heart had sunk to the pit of her stomach. Injuries were common in any sport, and volleyball was no different.
"I'm sure he'll be fine." Instead of Oikawa, it was Iwaizumi who had strived to comfort her. The Seijoh captain was silent, surveying the scene unfolding below. "He's already walking on his own. If anything, it's a minor concussion."
The brunette's teeth had sunk into her bottom lip, tearing at the protective layer. Her hazel irises followed the captain's silhouette until he was escorted out of the court.
"I wonder how they'll play now without their captain."
The observation uttered by Oikawa did not sit well with her, yes injuries were common, but that was her friend. It was someone she loved dearly.
"My friend just got hurt and you're saying that?" Tugging at the arm that kept her hostage, she wiggled out of his embrace with a glare settling over her eyes.
"Mina… I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." The second she ripped herself from his arms, he recognized his mistake. It was a reflex for him, observing and calculating any weakness exhibited by a team. Without Daichi, his mind logically considered who would replace him. "Please don't be mad."
For a moment she stood motionlessly, with the deadly glare still intact. "Good luck on your next game. I'm going to check on my friend." Right now, more important than the game was her friend's health.
"I'll come with you. We still have some time," He absolutely hated fighting with her, and this time was no different. "Iwa, text me and I'll meet you guys at the gym."
Mina had already stormed out of the spectators' pit, Oikawa had to direct his best friend while rushing out behind her.
"How many times do I have to say sorry? Mina-chaan." A pout formed over his lips as he trailed a few steps behind her. "Sometimes I can't think about anything outside of the game. It's a bad excuse but I'm sorry."
Even once they reached the medical office Mina continued to ignore her boyfriend's presence. Oikawa knew that Iwa would be texting him any moment now, and he was yet to make any progress with her. "I was insensitive, and I promise to be better next time. Will you please forgive me?" The Seijoh captain had prepared his best impression of a puppy, hoping it would score him some points with her.
"…Fine. Now go. I know your team is waiting for you." Sure, she was upset – but that did not mean she would be inconsiderate to his entire team. "You better win, or I won't forgive you."
An amused laugh danced past his lips as he shook his head. Whether she was being serious or not was unclear, and he loved her for that.
"I'll see you soon, pretty girl." Before he began sprinting down the hallway, he pressed his lips against her forehead in a chaste kiss.
They would win and make it to the semifinals, they just had to.
A/N: I should call this chap 'dadchi's death' lolol. okay but why is Iwa on the dark web ?