égoïste
raison #31
The ball painted the line, scoring a point for Team B. Team B cheered, high-fiving each other as they shouted "Nice serve!", "Another!" at their server, Shiori.
The Maebara exhaled, feeling how clear her vision and head was. She caught the ball given to her for her next serve and dribbled it a couple of times before proceeding to serve.
She waited for the whistle to blow before she threw the ball up into the air, hitting a jump floater. As it went over the net, the other team was a mess as they rushed forward to get it, allowing for a free ball.
Alright!
Shiori landed on her feet and watched as the ball came to their side, in which a quick was already set up for the wing spiker to hit.
Have they worked together before? She wondered post-game. Her drink bottle emptied as she sat with her temporary teammates, who were cheering because they won. They were waiting for the other game to finish up on the other court, before everyone would get together.
Currently, Shiori was at a venue in Tokyo that held the weekend practices with prospects for the future Japan under 19s team.
Of course, she was only there to test the waters, but the level in which they played was high - as expected of an activity that was restricted to invite-only.
Originally, Kuroo had mentioned that it was a free practice, but when he sent the information to her later and gotten permission for her to join, he said that he was wrong.
The players are on par with the players of Fukurodani, was what Shiori thought as a first impression. That was an overall feel, but for each player their skill sets varied. The experience on the court as well as familiarity with the ball also differed with each individual.
Seeing everyone getting along and playing well with each other, made Shiori wonder if she walked into something that she had no place in.
After all, she wasn't personally selected and invited - she got in through connections. She would understand why others would be hostile towards her if they find out this fact.
I should keep it under wraps, she placed the bottle down and heard the whistle blow, indicating the end of the game and the session.
"Interesting girl, isn't she?" One of the representatives of the Japan team overlooked the matches by the prospects of the under 19's women's team. They were standing on the sidelines, watching along with the coaches of the women in the makeshift teams.
"Which one?" An assistant coach of the current women's Japan team looked up at the representative, wondering which one they meant. After all, there were more than a standard team there.
"The newcomer, Maebara." He held a light smile on his lips as he remembered her play, comparing it to what he remembered of her from a few years back.
"Her plays need more honing. Serves are good, but other plays need work. Why did you agree to let her in?"
"I think we'll see something interesting." The representative left it at that, heading over to the girls who were packing and leaving.
Most of them had already left, but Shiori was checking her phone to see if she got any messages from the Fukurodani boy's volleyball team. There were a couple of messages, from Yukie and Akaashi, with Yukie celebrating their wins of the day in a super happy tone, and Akaashi mentioning that they had advanced to the next round.
She didn't even realise the corner of her lips curled up slightly and her eyes started to liven up.
"Hello there, did something good happen?"
"Hm?" Shiori looked up almost immediately, surprised by the new voice. She instantly recognised the person as the one in charge of all the teams, the head honcho, per say.
She stood up abruptly and bowed a little in greeting at the higher standing figure. "Hello! Inoue-san! Nice to meet you!"
Shiori couldn't believe it - she was in the presence of the one who coached the under 19s, or the past and future Olympic women's teams: Inoue Haruto. He had led the teams to victory, as well as trained them to become the level that they were. In short, an incredibly important figure in women's volleyball.
"Nice to meet you, Maebara." He greeted with a smile.
Shiori nodded and plastered a nervous smile on her face, unsure of the situation. "Um, I just got word that my school's volleyball team advanced to the next round." She answered his first question, thinking it rude that she didn't answer such a prominent figure's question.
"The Fukurodani girl's team?" Inoue tilted his head slightly, remembering that was the school she went to when he saw her profile.
"Ah, no, the boy's team." She corrected.
"So I see you've been in touch with volleyball even after you've stepped out of competing." The coach sat down and gestured for the 3rd year to do the same.
Shiori sat down, trying to mind her manners as her parents taught her. Especially with someone who's so high up the ladder, it was impossible not to be conscious of the fact.
"Your serves were more powerful than when I last saw them. Have you been training?" Inoue asked.
Shiori nodded, "I have tried to make them more accurate."
"You're a surprising one. Are you training to compete?"
She paused, recalling Akaashi's words. "...in a way, yes?"
"Why are you phrasing it like a question?" He blinked a couple of times. This was probably the first time someone at the camp was so unsure of wanting to play volleyball on a competitive level.
"Because I'm not sure if I have what it takes." Shiori smiled at Haruto, but it wasn't a pleasant one.
"Are you talking about your other plays?" Haruto quizzed.
The player nodded. "Compared to my serves, the rest of my plays are mediocre at best. If anything, I won't add value to the team as a regular member, but rather more of a pinch server or starting on the sidelines." She spoke honestly. After all, what's the point of lying and saying that nothing was wrong? Especially at a possible entry point to a higher level, it just wouldn't do any good.
"Then improve them." Haruto clapped his hands together. "We have training every week to see progress and try out the best rotations with the attending members. Why don't you come and see how you fare? You might learn a few things here and there that you might not with the boys team."
Shiori could only face him with her lips parted. Was he personally inviting her to stay and learn? To play more so that she could improve her skills? In a place where they may be picking members of the under 19s teams? To possibly get into the professional leagues?
"Are...are you sure?" Her words came out filled with amazement.
Haruto nodded with a grin. "We train up hopefuls so they can one day represent our country."
"But…" Shiori thought about all the girls that have come, finding herself wondering what they were thinking, by letting someone like her onto the team. Even as a weekly training schedule, it seemed as if by being there, it would be competitive. "What about the rest of the team and members? Would they mind?"
"Do you think you're the only special one here?" Haruto's sudden words were sharp, piercing. It made Shiori jump a little, wondering if she had said something wrong.
With stern words, he spoke, "No one here is special. Sure, there are those who have talents that far surpasses others, such as jumping ability, spike power or speed. And so? Being good at those things, is it that special?" With a smirk, the coach shook his head, "None of it is. There will always be someone that is better than you, within the game or outside.
"But does it matter? On the court, it doesn't matter whether you're the best at one thing, or all things. What matters is if you can keep the ball up in the air, if you can score a point, if you can stop the other team from scoring a point. You work together with your team to achieve those feats. You don't work alone.
"No matter what your teammates think of you - you're in it together. It doesn't matter whether or not they're better than you at one thing or another, in the end they're your team and you win together.
"That is what matters. That is what volleyball is. It's all connected." Haruto grinned widely.
Shiori couldn't help but watch him explain what volleyball is to her. She nodded after the end of his rant, digesting the information like a sponge.
"You're welcome to come anytime, Maebara. I'm sure the team is happy to play with you." Inoue stood up and waved as he left, "I'll see you next time!"
Shiori said her goodbyes and just sat there. She exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding, finding herself leaning on her thighs. She stared at the ground, recalling Haruto's words, and then laughed, her hands covering her face as she felt tears fall.
She couldn't help herself - it felt so much easier to breathe.
"That's right...volleyball is about teamwork. We can learn from each other." She whispered to herself.
She wiped the tears from her face and blew her nose, jumping up onto her feet. She felt a smile naturally go to her lips when she looked down at the courts.
I guess I'll see you again soon.
Akaashi couldn't believe that she was even at his dining room table. He also couldn't believe that his mother and his crush were hitting it off so well, that it was almost like he was invisible.
"Keiji was really something when he was younger!"
"I can imagine that! He's actually kind of cheeky even now."
This is as bad as trying to deal with one of Bokuto-san's emo modes...the setter chewed his food as he ended up listening in on all the embarrassing stories that they were telling each other.
He could feel himself go red slowly, inch by inch climbing up to reach his maximum threshold. Each time they told a story, he slowly became the colour of a tomato.
"Oh?" Both Shiori and Akaashi's mother watched as Akaashi got out of seat, starting to clean up. When they saw what he was doing, they both rose to help, but he said he could do it himself.
"I think he's embarrassed that we talked so much…" Akaashi's mother placed a hand on her cheek, giggling slightly as she saw her beet red son doing the dishes.
"Probably," Shiori laughed, "Sorry Keiji-kun!"
"It's fine." Even though Akaashi's voice didn't give much away, it was the opposite with his expression.
Akaashi's mother watched the two of them interact, thinking up future plans for them since they got along so well. The smile never left her face as she relaxed and engaged in conversation - it went by very smoothly.
"Hey, Keiji-kun, can I see your room?" Shiori suddenly piped up. She was full of curiosity, wanting to know more about the setter.
Hearing those words, the mother whipped her head to take a look at her, eyes wide at the bold request.
With a sigh, Akaashi gave in, knowing that she wouldn't give up after seeing the curious glint in her eyes. "Come on." He gestured for her to follow.
She followed him like a duckling until he reached his room, where he let her in first.
"This is very Keiji." She commented, taking in the interior. Everything was neat and had a good balance of dark and light colours. In a nutshell, it was very much what she expected of him.
Akaashi glanced at her, the corners of his lips tilting upwards as he couldn't help himself. He could feel the heart in his chest thumping loudly, and he hoped to God that she couldn't hear it.
"Oh! Is this the picture we took a while back?" She looked to his desk, staring at a framed picture of the team and her, taken a few months ago.
"Yeah, it was a nice picture." He remembered having lost motivation for studying, but after looking at the picture, he'd feel reinvigorated as he knew he could get through it.
"It is! You really love the team, don't you?" Shiori grinned at sat on his desk chair, giving it a little spin before stopping and relaxing on it, "This is really comfortable."
"Really?" He likened her actions to a certain owl, but then pushed the thought out of his head as he didn't want to hear the echoing of his words of affection towards Shiori. "The bed's more comfortable."
"Is that right?" Shiori didn't even think twice before heading over and plopping down on it. It was firmer than she had thought, but it was still comfortable. "Oh! It is!"
"See?" Akaashi laughed a little and replaced her spot on the chair, sitting on it backwards, the same way she had been before.
"Keiji-kun, did you know, today, I met the coach for the under 19s girls team!" She spoke with an excited voice.
"Inoue Haruto?" He questioned, trying to recall the person from the top of his head.
Shiori nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! I talked to him a little bit, and he said that I was always welcome to come and play on the weekends."
"That's good." The setter could only smile for her. He thought for a moment, wondering whether it was ok for her considering her reluctance to be in a team. "Is that okay with you, though?"
To his surprise, she nodded. She was so bright at that moment that Akaashi thought he would become blinded. "It's still a little bit of a sore spot for me, but Haruto-san told me what volleyball was about. I'd completely forgotten the feeling, and the meaning and exactly what I had to do to play - but I was worried for nothing. I can keep moving forward, since all plays are connected."
Akaashi found himself nodding along with her, happy that she was leaving her troubles behind. He wondered how it'll affect her current plays, and whether or not it would be the same, or different, this time.
Maybe I should watch her play on the weekends sometime? He thought. He wanted to see her play with some teammates, and if he could, see her improve from there on out with a team she may be with in the future, if she decides to tread that path.
"But, when I was talking to him, he was well aware of my weaknesses, as well as my strengths. He pretty much said to keep working on them." Shiori nodded to herself, finding the words that she wanted to say.
Akaashi hummed in response.
"And before I forget - while I was initially annoyed at your little blackmail scheme, I'm actually incredibly thankful to you. I wouldn't have gone this far without you, and without the support of everyone on the team, and a brain cell and a half from Nekoma. So, seriously, thank you." She spoke with such sincerity it made Akaashi's lips part, unsure of how to react.
In the end, he leaned on his arms, hiding his reddening cheeks.
Shiori saw his red ears, wondering if he was embarrassed just like before. She laughed a little bit, "Maybe you should come watch some time when you're not busy."
"I guess I might."
"Nothing's really stopped you, has it?" She grinned, recalling the times when he would just be there to see her plays.
Ah...this is bad, Akaashi just couldn't stop his thoughts. All he wanted to do was give her a hug and hold her in his arms - maybe push her onto the bed - but his conscience stopped him. He shouldn't be thinking about these things, but they were running rampant in his mind. It took almost all of his mental power to stop those thoughts, so he ended up just leaving his head covered in his arms.
That is, until Shiori ruffled the back of his head with a laugh.
Akaashi just wanted to scream and tell someone of what he's been feeling, but he couldn't do that so easily.
Maybe he should contact Yukie later, since she seems to know more about this sort of thing, and keep it under wraps.
On the way home, Akaashi walked her home, since it was nearby.
"Hopefully the team will do well in the semi-finals tomorrow!" Shiori stretched and yawned, remembering the team had to play the next day. "Best of luck to you - brain of the team." She poked his cheek and grinned.
"You've been hanging around Kuroo-san too much." He didn't add 'pain in the ass' since she didn't need to know that. He must've said something about their team anthem of sorts before each game.
"Nah, I requested him to do the Nekoma thing and when he did, it was cool, but since he was saying it alone, it was embarrassing, so now I just make fun of him for it." The server laughed at the memory.
Akaashi just stared at her for a long moment, not saying anything.
Shiori just smiled at him, tilting her head slightly at his bland response. He leaned forward just slightly, then poked her cheek too, feeling how soft it was.
Her expression changed to a strange one, wondering exactly what he was doing.
"You do this all the time." He pointed to his own cheek, then poked hers again. "I wanted to see why."
"Oh…" She let out a strange laugh, finding it strange that he would pick up the mannerisms that she would exhibit with him.
She cracked a grin when he repeatedly poked her cheek, then laughed and pushed his hand away, finding the attention a little funny.
"Whoops, I went overboard." He spoke it so monotonously his female companion let out a loud laugh, before covering her mouth so as to not disturb the neighbours.
Seeing her laugh like that made Akaashi's lips curl and the heat in his chest blaze.