Chapter 9: Saa, Suu, and Pon!
"Libero?"
"Uh-uh!"
"But all you do is keeping the ball up, Yuu-san. You don't jump and do awesome spikes like the rest of the team. I think being a spiker is better. Not to mention being an ace spiker!"
"You might be right about that, Eijun. Plus the word 'ace' is already cool enough."
"Right!"
"Compared to the star player known as an 'ace spiker', the setter and the libero just look plain, no? Still, during a match, no matter how incredible the spike is, what excites and awes the crowd the most is when they see a super receive."
"Hmm, well, now that I think about it. Every time there's a spike that looked so hard to receive, you always managed to get it so well that it's so cool watching you."
"Even if you can't spike the ball, even if you can't block it, if the ball doesn't touch the floor, then you can't lose volleyball. And the one who is best at enduring that is the libero!"
"Y-Yuu-san! So cool! I change my mind; Teach me how to receive like you. Teach me everything about being a libero!"
"As expected of you, Eijun! You might be good in floor defense just like Daichi-san. Now come on, let's go with the simple saa and then suu and finish it with a pon!"
"Got it!"
Current Lineup:
MSBY Black Jackals
Meian - Opposite Hitter
Inunaki- Outside Hitter
Thomas- Outside Hitter
Miya- Middle Blocker
Sakusa- Middle Blocker
Hinata- Setter
Sawamura- Libero
Schweiden Adlers
Hirugami- Outside Hitter
Romero- Setter
Sokolov- Outside Hitter
Ushijima- Middle Blocker
Hoshiumi- Opposite Hitter
Kageyama- Middle Blocker
Hyuuga- Libero
Rotation:
Hirugami Hyuuga Hoshiumi
Romero Ushijima Sokolov
- - - - - NET - - - - -
Sakusa Thomas Hinata
Meian Inunaki Atsumu (serve)
"You guys just keep hitting because when the ball is flying my way, I'll make sure to put it back up. I will guard everyone's back since I am your libero."
Nishinoya looked at him, eyes glinted with pride. He almost couldn't believe how Eijun had grown so much from the times he spent with them when he was a kid. Nishinoya watched him as he reassured the Black Jackals, and it made Nishinoya chuckle, recalling when Eijun used to be doubtful about the libero position.
"Now he looks and sounds like a libero."
~Badum dum dum tsss~
The cheerleaders of the Black Jackals all danced gleefully at the sound of the music. Eijun bopped his head to the rhythm of the drums beating loudly as the team mascot, Jackasuke, danced alongside him. Bokuto finally calmed down after accepting that he won't play in the 2nd set and joined them. It felt like a party, and everyone loved it. Unbeknownst to the lively pitcher, the Karasuno team watched him sway his body and match up the movements with Jackasuke and Bokuto, never caring about the world.
"Sometimes I forgot you two are related, Daichi," Suga stared at the older Sawamura and then back to the younger one.
"What does that supposed to mean?" Daichi narrowed his eyes as he raised his eyebrow.
"He's carefree and you're…." Suga gestured his hand to Daichi in a rather humorous way, leading to the police officer glaring at him.
Atsumu raised his hand, and with a swift motion with it, everything fell into silence. Eijun looked at him as he silently thought that what Atsumu did just now was sorta cool. Hinata as well.
BAM
His serve's power was strong, though he hit it a bit too much, and it almost hit one of the crowds, specifically the area where the Inashiro bunch seated.
"Damn!"
Sakusa looked at him with a condescending sneer, and both have a good stare-off. Osamu from the other side commented that he's just over-excited, and Atsumu sensed it and looked to where his brother was. A sort of twin thing.
"You don't need to hit a home-run, Atsu-san. This isn't baseball!" Eijun shouted from the benches, and Bokuto nodded beside him.
"I was just excited to see yer libero skills, 'tis all." Atsumu winked as he high-fived with Eijun. Eijun jogged to the court and greeted the others.
"Looks like Omi-omi's going to be the one to do a service ace out of us again, Tsum-tsum," Bokuto chuckled as Atsumu joined with him. The latter smirked and can already imagine the look on Sakusa's face when he will look in Atsumu's way once he does a service ace. He always does that to Atsumu and it's like their way of subtle flirting in the court, which the team may or may haven't noticed.
"Looks like it, Bokkun."
Eijun can hear the squeakiness of his shoes as he positioned himself and awaits Romero's serve.
"Let's go!" He yelled loudly with the team. His presence and voice can be heard even from the other side, and the crowd is getting excited to watch him play.
Romero served it hard at the back. Eijun can see it coming in his way and he bent down and used his arms and the weight of his left body to bump it up. His eyes started to twinkle in excitement. Nishinoya's head nodded in approval.
As expected, Romero-san's serve is nasty, but it really feels good to receive it.
"Nice receive, Eijun!"
Hinata tossed the ball to Sakusa and Sakusa cleanly spiked it on the other side. Now both teams are tied.
-Meanwhile-
"A player who specializes in defense. He cannot attack with a spike, serve, etc. He is also prohibited from completing an attack or block hit from higher than the top of the net. He replaces a player in the rear guard and acts as defense. That is what a libero is."
Nabe finished telling the Seidou team about the position Eijun is currently in. Hitoka explained it to the regulars a while ago, but the position is still confusing for the baseball bunch.
"Sawamura not hitting the ball this time? Now this is interesting since he's going more in the defense now," Kanemaru cracked his knuckles as he gave out his menacing grin.
"But why the different jersey? That guy- uh, Bokuto, was it? He also wore a different jersey like the Adlers' Kageyama." Miyuki asked, grabbing some freshly made onigiris the managers whipped up for everyone.
"The libero wears a different uniform than the rest so that so that the referees can spot them easily and enforce the rules of that position," Nabe calmly answered as he closed his phone, the main source of information.
Everyone went with an "OH" answer to Nabe as they continued watching the game. It was a long rally after Hinata served the ball. They watched how Eijun managed to focus rather intensely and his knees seemed closer to the ground than the others were. After the rally, the Black Jackals finally earned another point, and the Seidou team cheered for them again.
Schweiden Adlers 1 - MSBY Black Jackals 2
Another set of rally, and Eijun managed to receive each spike coming in his way. Some were clean, and some were a bit too off- in which his frustration from a messy receive can be seen from his face and it humored everyone. Miyuki, however, can't help but react every time the ball is heading to Eijun's way.
"It's like he's asking himself to be hurt," Miyuki groaned. Few chairs behind him, Okumura observed his senpai's frustrations and felt the same way. If something were to happen to Eijun's arms, it'd be a problem for the team. Okumura then noticed how Eijun's movements felt like he knows where the ball is heading and Okumura had never seen this before from Eijun when they were in the field. It somehow surprises him.
"I got to hand it to Sawamura, though. I didn't know he's that agile. If he does that in our practice, it might've been pretty handy," Kuramochi commented, chewing an onigiri. The coaches and Rei watched intensely and didn't know Eijun could follow his reflexes every time the ball is in play. Definitely different than when he plays baseball back in his first year. His floor defense is indeed something not to be underestimated.
A synchronized attack from the Adlers, but the Black Jackals managed to deflect it and counter-attacked them with a synchronized attack as well. What might look like the Adlers' chance to score but Eijun managed to keep them in check through his reliable footwork. The Seidou team then saw a player heading to the net as Romero set the ball to him.
"That guy's a southpaw like Sawamura, right?" Miyuki asked.
They saw Ushijima getting ready to jump.
"Ah! Ushijima-san? The girls and I read something interesting about him," Sachiko said as she grabbed her phone and looked something up. "Ushijima Wakatoshi, a strong cannon southpaw. He has a lot of nicknames. He was called the super ace, miracle boy, and also-"
Ushijima jumped, and there goes his spiking form for everyone to see.
BAM
Everyone flinched at the impact when he spiked directly to Eijun and the ball ricochets out of the court.
"-the rally ender…."
Ushijima looked at the younger southpaw. Ushijima always had a soft spot for Eijun but when in court, there's no such thing as playing favorites. It's volleyball, after all.
"Sorry, I'm just too strong for you," Ushijima eyed him with his fixed expression, and Eijun just grinned at him. Though inside, Eijun was frustrated by the fact he couldn't get Ushijima's spikes well than the rest of the Adlers.
The Seidou team can already imagine Eijun's pain from that strong spike. Kuramochi swore he heard Miyuki groaning again when they all heard the impact.
"Oi," Zono gulped. "Is Sawamura's going to be okay?"
Schweiden Adlers 2 - MSBY Black Jackals 2
Ushijima's turn to serve. Eijun braced himself. Ushijima's a southpaw like him and he knows how nasty his spins are since he heard about it from Nishinoya during their video calls with the rest of the Karasuno team before.
'As a southpaw myself, this might be our first showdown, right, Ushiwaka-san?'
Eijun widens his stance and steels himself. Eijun stared at him intensely, and Ushijima responded with excitement in his eyes and emitted a fiery aura around him, accepting the silent declaration of war from Eijun. Everyone from the Adlers and the Black Jackals felt it. Kageyama couldn't hide his proud grin and Hinata gave Eijun his telepathic support. From the bench, Haru almost felt sorry for Eijun but admires his determination.
'He was always like this ever since middle school,' Haru thought.
Ushijima raised the ball in the air and, in response to Eijun, directly serve the ball to Eijun. With fast reflexes, Eijun bent down and tried to bump it up but it bounced out on his arms to the backcourt as the team tried to chase it.
In the battle of the southpaws, Ushijima won the first round. Eijun clicked his tongue.
"You okay, Sawamura?" Inunaki asked him, sympathizing with the young pitcher as he knows how hard it is to get used to Ushijima's serves and spikes. No matter how many times people are calling Eijun a genius, the fact he stopped playing volleyball for almost three years is still there.
"Three," Eijun exhaled, raising his three fingers to the team. "Please give me three tries. I promise I'll receive his spikes."
The team was surprised by his determination and nodded. Hinata looked at Eijun and chuckled as he remembered when Nishinoya said something similar to the Karasuno team back when they were against Shiratorizawa.
"It's only just the beginning, Eijun," Nishinoya clenched his hands in a tight fist from his seat, giving support to Eijun because he believes in him. "Life's a bore if you don't challenge yourself, after all."
Schweiden Adlers 3 - MSBY Black Jackals 2
Ushijima once again served, but it went over the net. The Black Jackals managed to dive it up, but it was too low and Eijun passed it over, earning the Adlers a free ball. Romero tossed it to Kageyama in front and spiked it at the back of the Jackals' court. Eijun managed to dive for it (in which the Seidou team were impressed from his sudden dive), Hinata to Sakusa but the Adlers received it. Finally, Romero once again tossed it to Ushijima and Eijun managed to make contact with it, but it flew over his shoulders, widening the score gap between them and the Black Jackals further.
One.
After that, the rally was once again in place. Romero set to Hirugami for a back-row attack, but Eijun was already in position and managed to bump it. Sometime later, Romero once again set the toss for Ushijima and Eijun licked his lips in anticipation of the attack.
"Hey, that kid's good at reading Ushijima's movements!" Someone from the audience commented.
"A fluke," Mei scoffed at the person. "It's a fluke, I tell you!"
"Be quiet, Mei. You've been like this ever since he was moving like crazy a while ago," Carlos shushed him. "That's what is expected to be a libero. Being good in receive is just one of many requirements for a libero, after all. You have to be quick in your feet and read the ball well."
"He wasn't this quick in his feet when he was against us last year, no?" Shirakawa asked in his usual low yet bored voice. "Though, I honestly didn't expect a pitcher to use his arms and legs so recklessly. That southpaw player in the Adlers is a serious threat, yet he still fights him on. If it were me, I'd leave that guy to the teammates, who have a better experience of that guy."
"I agree, senpai. It looks like Sawamura is just giving himself a hard time. It might be because he's the team's chosen player. That's why he's just trying to fill his role," Itsuki stared at Eijun in a concerned way. As a catcher himself, he doesn't want his pitcher to be that reckless and already shuddered at the thought of Mei doing what Eijun is doing right now.
They watched as Ushijima spiked for his line shot, and Eijun extended his arms at a certain angle to receive it.
"Hey, it looks like he's going to get it finally!" Mei jerked up and excitingly stood up once again in his seat as the guys tried pulling him down.
'Damnit, it's a bit off!' Eijun pulled a face.
The ball flopped down when it made contact with his arms.
Two.
Another point for the Adlers.
Schweiden Adlers 5 - MSBY Black Jackals 2
Now that there's a three-point difference, the Black Jackals called for a time-out.
"Nghnghngh," Eijun gnashed his teeth as his eyes turned like that of a cat when he sat by the bench.
Frustrated that he failed as a libero.
Frustrated that he's getting ahead of himself just because floor defense is his second-best, yet he couldn't get Ushijima's spikes well.
Frustrated that he might disappoint Nishinoya but little did Eijun know that Nishinoya and the Karasuno team are literally behind him but for some reason, he still hasn't seen them even though Suga and Tanaka tried their best to call out to his attention, much like what Mei did a while ago.
'Tsk. And to think I told everyone I got their backs. I'm such an idiot.'
The team looked at him, and Bokuto was about to approach him when Eijun slapped himself.
"Eijun?" Hinata's eyes widened, and almost choked from his drink.
"It's just a three-point difference," He whispered, then went back to his usual tone of voice when he looked at the team. "We can still do this. This is nothing the Sawamura Eijun couldn't handle. Besides, you guys were amazing back there. Just keep doing what you guys do because I enjoy getting the ball up!"
He let out another one of his bursts of laughter, much to everyone's relief, but they can tell he has a hard time keeping up with some spikes, specifically Ushijima's.
Atsumu put his arm around Eijun's shoulders and pulled him closer to him.
"And here I thought yer about to cry. I was gettin' ready to comfort ya, Eijun-kun," He smirked with his playful tone of voice that Eijun knows awfully too well.
"There you go again, treating me like a kid!" Eijun tried pushing him away but Bokuto joined in and Eijun is now between them. "Kotarou-san, you too?!"
Watching Eijun's struggle from both the clingy players trying to take him all to themselves, Hinata laughed. It was a way to comfort him in their little way.
"Junei!" Bokuto called him, his eyes drew in wrinkles and his cheeks were full.
"What is it, Kotarou-san?"
"Nothing. You just sound so cool after saying that. It makes us feel safe knowing the team has you to watch over our backs," Bokuto grinned.
"Like a true libero," Inunaki said, and he meant it.
"Wan-san!" Eijun widened his eyes as he felt red flushes on his cheeks. The libero, himself, acknowledged him, and Eijun couldn't hide his excitement.
"But wow, Bokuto. You said that to Sawamura but never to me, the team's original libero?" Inunaki scoffed at the owl.
"Eh? But Wan-san, you're already cool before the word itself has been invented!" Bokuto exclaimed. "besides, Junei here needs our reassurance since he's hiding his struggles behind his tough-and-strong act. Right, Tsum-tsum?"
"Wha?" Eijun was flustered. "I'm not struggling about anything or whatsoever, Kotarou-san. You're just overthinking it, that's all! Nyahaha."
But Bokuto knows better than that and gave Eijun his soft expression. Atsumu then hummed and called the team for a huddle. Everyone went right away while Sakusa dragged his feet towards them.
"Ugh, just so you know, I'm just doing this because it boosts the morale of the team," Sakusa hesitantly extended his arm to the team.
"Oh, come on now, Omi-san. We know you like this," Hinata pulled him to the team, and they could hear him groaning.
"Wait, wait. Kotarou-san put me down!"
Bokuto suddenly raised Eijun in the air, and Eijun was blushing as everyone laughed at his cuteness.
"I knew it; You guys are definitely treating me like a kid!"
The Karasuno team stared a distance. Eyes narrowed in envy, knowing how much the Black Jackals adore Eijun.
"Even though Eijun's supposed to be ours!" Suga bit his handkerchief. He's slowly getting impatient and he's one step away from literally jumping over the stands. Daichi felt it and held him back to his seat. The others feel the same way as Suga. Oh, what they would give to be in the Black Jackals place right now.
*Ring*
"Ah, a new message from Kinoshita-san," Kuramochi opened his phone. During the team's time-out, it went to a quick commercial break so currently, they have no idea that Eijun is being spoiled right now.
"What the hell?" Kuramochi gaped as he examined the photo. "Hey guys, look."
He showed everyone a picture of Eijun. Now that they've switched courts, Eijun is closer to the Karasuno team, and thus the picture has a better angle than in the earlier shots.
In the photo, Eijun was being held up by Bokuto and the team was smiling around him except Eijun. He was blushing like crazy.
"It's like he's their kid or something," Zono snickered. "The team really likes him, huh?"
"And he, of all people, is embarrassed by it," Kanemaru shook his head. "What goes around comes around."
Another photo sent by Kinoshita: Eijun wiping his face using his jersey, revealing his abs beneath. It seemed like Kinoshita took it right after Bokuto put Eijun down. Miyuki looked at it for a relatively long time, even after everyone returned to their seat as the commercial was about to end. Miyuki poked his friend beside him.
"Kuram-"
"Hell no." Kuramochi cut him off. He's not going to let Miyuki have his way.
"But I didn't say anything yet!"
"I know what you're going to say," Kuramochi replied a 'thank-you' to Kinoshita before glaring at Miyuki. "You want me to print that photo of him. Not even your lunch money would convince me, Miyuki."
"So, in short, you want the photo all to yourself. Is that it?" Miyuki concluded and he let out a loud and boisterous laughter, much to Kuramochi's annoyance.
"It's that face and that personality of yours that makes me want to punch you right now. You know that, right?" Kuramochi grabbed him by the collar, but the four-eyes continued grinning and laughing.
"Haha! You're welcome."
"That wasn't even a compliment!"
The time-out was finished, and Ushijima returns to serve once more. Eijun breathes in deeply. Instinctively, Eijun lunged forward when Ushijima finally served, but it got caught up in the net instead, and the Black Jackals scored. Ushijima switched to Haru. The battle of the lefties would be postponed for now.
It was a long game as both the liberos showed their intensity. What was supposed to be the battle of the lefties is now the battle of the former teammates.
Eijun showed the audience how quick his reflexes were, making Daichi and Nishinoya proud of him. The side steps and the timing were in Eijun's favor, and it fueled up Eijun's desire to keep the ball in play for his teammates to score more. Haru exhaled deeply, he admits that Eijun is a far better defender than he is but his pride won't let him lose just yet.
'The ball is at its peak. Romero just passed it to Tobio-san. Based on his shaky start and the blockers already in place in front, he's going to hit… this position!'
Eijun positioned himself, and with his arms and legs in place, he steels himself. He licked his lips as Kageyama indeed spiked to where Eijun think he would, and he bumped it high and steady. Inunaki whistled, impressed by his anticipation of the attack. Hinata's eyes twinkled in approval as he set the ball to Meian.
After some time, both teams are finally toe-to-toe in the score. It's only a matter of time till one of the team will score the double-digit first.
It was finally the time for Sakusa's turn to serve, and, just like what Bokuto predicted earlier, he was the first one to take not just one but two service aces, and he looked at Atsumu in a cocky way, much to the amusement of Atsumu.
Schweiden Adlers 6 -MSBY Black Jackals 8
The Adlers called for a time-out. Eijun circled Sakusa and held his hand, and surprisingly, the curly-haired allowed him to be touched as he was too busy drinking his water bottle.
"It's the wrists!" Eijun gripped Sakusa's hand and started flailing it. "It's the wrists, I tell you. Hey, Omi-omi-san, have you ever tried pitching?"
"Nope, never tried baseball, to be honest," He shrugged. He watched as Eijun continued holding his wrists. "Is it really that fascinating?"
"Uh-uh!" Eijun nodded. "I already know that you're flexible, but it's refreshing to see someone who's the same as me. And I never knew how cool it looked until I see it from someone else's. It feels like we have something in common, right Omi-omi-san?"
"Perhaps," Sakusa chuckled and put down his water bottle. He then decided to show how flexible his wrists were to Eijun more, and in return, Eijun showed his flexible joints as well. Both were impressed by each other's flexibility. Behind them, the team is both cringing and at the same time in awe. They were pretty flexible themselves, but they couldn't do what Eijun and Sakusa could naturally do.
"It's like we're watching an animal documentary all over again," Bokuto said, wholly entranced.
"Doing the thing that Sawamura does with his elbows really hurts, though," Meian tried copying Eijun, and he winced a bit.
"Imagin' the kind of monster Eijun-kun would've been if he continued volleyball," Atsumu commented once again about Eijun not being a volleyball player as he watched his boyfriend and his 'little brother' bond over their quirk. "A southpaw like Wakatoshi-kun and flexible with his joints like Omi-kun. All mold into one. Ya wouldn't see that kind of player every day, I tell ya."
Hinata agreed. It's what he was thinking about since a long time ago. He remembered that one-time Washijo-sensei heard about Eijun being a southpaw, and he immediately came to visit the Karasuno gym, much to everyone's shock, and it was quite a mess back then. The look on his face when Eijun straight up rejected his offer to go to Shiratorizawa was hilarious that even Tsukishima laughed. Kageyama, however, wasn't a bit too happy.
It was that same day when Eijun told everyone his decision. Everyone already went home except for Kageyama and Hinata, who were both polishing their receives to one another.
"Why didn't you say anything about him quitting volleyball? It's such a waste for him to end it just like that." Kageyama, in their 2nd year, suddenly asked as he served the ball to Hinata.
"I said that sports are meant to be free, haven't I?" Hinata answered as he bumped the ball back to Kageyama. "Besides, it's his decision. Who am I to stop him from what he wants? I know that he's serious about baseball. He has that same look as when I decided to play volleyball, after all."
"But you forgot that he also has that same look when he plays volleyball. He has no experience in baseball or whatsoever. Only one person gets to hold the ball in baseball, and everyone else is just there waiting for it to come to them. It makes him more greedy than when he's in the court."
"You're just stingy about it, Crankyama. What good will it be if you force him not to do whatever he wants to be? Try to be in his shoes. What right do we have anyway?"
"It's because he reminds me of you, Hinata-boke! That same childish smile when he's going for a spike and that look of triumph when it went over the net. That instinct and athleticism. Not to mention he's flexible and a south-paw to boot. I know he's going to go beyond what he is right now. That's why I cannot accept the fact that he wants to be a pitcher. Such a waste of talent."
When Hinata saw the ball flying to him, he moved back a little to gather his run-up speed. Then he ran towards it and flew as he spiked the ball to Kageyama. It almost hit Kageyama in the face. Unlike in their first year, the 2nd year Hinata has gained more power in his spike.
"What was that for?" Kageyama glared at him as he held the ball in front of him.
"You might be right about the fact that he has that natural talent in volleyball. Heck, I admit it would be nice if he does continue volleyball even when he's in high school but saying that you cannot accept him being a pitcher is the same as saying you cannot accept Eijun as a person. Bakayama!"
Too pissed to even continue, Hinata stomped his feet as he exited the gym, leaving Kageyama stunned. After that little talk, Hinata and Kageyama had a bit of distance from one another, and the only time they interacted was during practice. It was so obvious that even the team and Eijun notices it. They finally made up when Eijun locked them up in the storage room and told them to talk, even though Eijun didn't know that the cause of their fight was because of him in the first place.
Hinata softly laughed at his recollection of his high school days. Who knew back when they were fighting at that time, Kageyama already had feelings for him. He quickly glanced at the Adlers and saw Kageyama already gazing at him.
"What?" He raised his eyebrow as he mouthed at the black-haired crow on the other side.
"Your tosses may be good, but it's still not as good as mine," Kageyama mouthed him back as he let out a snarky smirk. Hinata's eyes twitched, and they both had a telepathic argument.
"They're flirting again," Tsukishima rolled his eyes as he sighed. "It's so embarrassing just by watching the two of them."
"Then don't look at them, Tsukki," Yamaguchi playfully hit his childhood friend at the head.
"I still can't believe Hinata chose Kageyama of all people." Tanaka laughed as he watches them continuing their telepathic bickering.
"Uhuh, suuure," Ennoshita hummed as he stared at his friend and Kiyoko beside him.
"Why are you staring at me, Ennoshita? Is there some rice from the onigiri I ate a while ago?" Tanaka wiped his face with his hands all of a sudden.
Ennoshita let out a soft chuckle as he shook his head. He knows Tanaka would cause a fuss if he's going to mention Kiyoko choosing him. Even if Tanaka was their close friend, it is still a mystery how he and Kiyoko got together. He then turned his attention to Nishinoya, who was busy stealing Asahi's popcorn.
"What do you think of him as the libero, Nishinoya? It looks like he's still having a hard time receiving Ushijima-san's spike, though."
"Well, that guy's spin was already nasty even for me when I used to receive it, so I don't blame Eijun for having a tough time getting it up even though he's a lefty himself, too. His movements are a bit jumpy, as usual, and it seems like he can still read the ball and the players' movements as well. It makes me believe he didn't stop volleyball at all. Eijun is awesome, isn't he?" Nishinoya grinned.
"I'm still worried for him every time the ball hits him, though," Hitoka joined in. "The Adlers are known to have heavy hitters after all. I'm worried his head might get hit the next time he's not careful."
"Oh, he's going to be fine," Nishinoya reassured her. "I'm sure he met pitchers like that in baseball. It's better to be hit with a volleyball than that hardball in baseball, after all."
"I think it's better not to get hit by either of those," Daichi chimed in as he raised his eyebrow. Now a bit worried for his cousin's safety, but he doesn't show it.
The referee called the teams back again as they all went back to the court.
"Show them your nasty serve, Omi-omi-san!" Eijun and Jackasuke cheered simultaneously at the benches along with the others.
"Hey! How come ya never do that to me when it was my serve a while ago?" Atsumu, who was in the court with Hinata and the others, quickly turned to him with a face that looked like he got betrayed by ten-folds.
"That's because you didn't even let it inside the court," Eijun yelled back as he burst out his loud laughter once more. Atsumu twitched and dramatically clenched his chest as if he was hurting.
"Ya hurt me there, Eijun-kun!"
"Truth hurts, Atsu-san! Don't mind. Nyahaha!"
BAM
Sakusa served it hard. However, the Adlers managed to bump it up, and Romero tossed it to Hoshiumi, who proceeded to hit the ball on Atsumu's hands for a block out—earning them a score.
Schweiden Adlers 7 - MSBY Black Jackals 8
"I'll avenge you, Omi-omi-san." Eijun teared up as he and Sakusa high-fived.
"What are you even talking about?" Sakusa glared at him as Eijun strut back to the team.
Back in the court, it's Hoshiumi's turn to serve.
'Surely you haven't forgotten lil ol' me, have you Ei-chan?'
Eijun gave him a playful grin, accepting the challenge.
BAM
Eijun received it, but it was too low, and the ball was headed right at Atsumu.
"Atsu-san!"
"Yes, yes," Atsumu bent down and effortlessly dug it up for Meian to hit it between the blockers' hands. "There ya go."
Eijun then high-fived the two of them.
Sometime later, the Adlers scored again, but fortunately, the Black Jackals are still leading by one point. Finally, Ushijima's back in the front row, and it would've been great and all if it weren't for the person serving for the Adlers right now. Eijun gulped as he watched the person twirled the ball around his hands.
"This might be the first time Eijun's going to try and receive his serve after all these years, right?" Asahi glanced at Daichi, who nodded at him.
"Whenever Eijun wants to practice his receives, he'd always ask that guy to serve for him," Daichi said, recalling his cousin disturbing their practice one time in his high school days. "According to him, he needs a strong opponent to help him become better."
"And did Eijun managed to get it up every time?"
"One or twice," Daichi chuckled. "Not more than that."
Kageyama took a deep breath. And up the ball went in the air, and his eyes started to watch it go down as he jumped for it.
BAM
'Hmph. Even you won't show Eijun a hint of weakness, huh?' Hinata smirked as he watched Eijun run for the ball. He tumbled a bit and rolled his body, but overall, his receive just now impressed Kageyama. Eijun, however, couldn't believe the power in that serve and if he let himself be late even a little, that would've earned the Adlers another point. Haru clicked his tongue. Not even he could receive Kageyama's serve that well during his practice with the Adlers but there goes Eijun as if it was just a walk in the park for him.
"Shoyo-san!"
Hinata nodded and tossed the ball to Atsumu, but the Adlers managed to get it back up. Hoshiumi then passed the ball to Ushijima, and Eijun is waiting for it. He positioned himself diagonally from where Ushijima is.
Inunaki, Heiwajima, and Nishinoya were grinning.
BAM
Figuring out what was wrong in his earlier receive from Ushijima's spike, he tried to push his left shoulder forward. He can see the ball heading towards him. He made contact with it, but the impact was still too strong for him, and he winced. Ushijima flinched when he did.
'Damn it!'
The ball bounced on his arms once again.
Three.
Eijun examined his arm sleeves as he rubs them.
'Is it because of the arm sleeves? Hmm, I guess not. I've seen pros wear these and they had no worries in their digs and receives. Perhaps it's my position? Timing? There must be something wrong with how I placed my arms.'
"Are you hurt?"
Hinata suddenly appeared right in front of him.
"What are you talking about, Shoyo-san?"
"Why did you suddenly grabbed your arm sleeves as if you're in pain?" Hinata raised his voice, surprising both him and their teammates. Atsumu immediately rushed towards them.
"W-wait, Shoyo-san! I'm not hurt," Eijun frantically waved his hands in front of Hinata as he opened up his arm sleeves to him. "I was just analyzing what went wrong with my receives, that's all. I thought my arm sleeves might be the reason, and I was considering taking it off to see if the trajectory of the ball would be different and-"
"Don't take yer arm sleeves off," Atsumu cut him off as he stood beside Hinata. "I don't know what ya'lll were talkin' 'bout but don't ya ever take it off until this whole match is over."
'What is he talking about? Are they perhaps worried about me getting my arms hurt?' Eijun furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.
"I was just considering it but realized the arm sleeves have nothing to do with my receives," Eijun barked. "Besides, no way in hell will I let myself get injured. You and Omi-omi-san taught me how to take care of my body, Shoyo-san, and I would never forget that." Well, them and his beloved Chris-senpai but still.
Hinata and Atsumu eyed him suspiciously. Eijun rolled his eyes over and showed them how well his arms are by twisting his elbows inside.
"Argh, stop that. We believe ya, we believe ya." Atsumu shrank back. It was cool the first time and second time, but not the third time around when Eijun showed them his flexible joints again. Hinata sighed in relief.
"Never hesitate to tell us your condition. Just because you're good at taking care of your body doesn't mean you're not vulnerable to any form of injuries, okay?"
"Yes, Hinata Shoyo-sir!" Eijun saluted, and they both tapped each other's fists before Hinata went back to his position.
"Ya know, as much as I'd hate to say it, but it seems like yer a better libero than a setter, Eijun-kun," Atsumu admitted as he gave him a head pat.
"Oh, come on now, Atsu-san," Eijun beamed him a sunshine smile, and Atsumu feels like the angels are calling him to the heavens. "I think being a setter is cool, too!"
"Ugh, yer killin' me again." Atsumu held his chest dramatically as if he got shot in the heart.
Schweiden Adlers 9 - MSBY Black Jackals 9
Kageyama once again served, and it went between Eijun and Meian.
"Mine!"
Meian held his breath as the ball went out to their side of the court. Inunaki went to save it and bumped it up, but now their position is a mess. Hinata passed it over to the Adlers, giving them another free ball.
Hirugami passed the ball to Romero.
Eijun looked at the Adlers and noticed that they're all going for it.
'5-1?!' Eijun went cat-eyed.
It's cool if they are the ones doing it but if the opponents are doing it, it's difficult to read them. Eijun frustratingly waited and watched the ball.
'We have all hitters getting ready to hit; Korai might go for a back-row attack, and it's a possibility that Ushiwaka-san's going for a line shot again but then we have Tatsuto-san, Hirugami-san, and Tobio-san to consider too. C-quick? Slide attack?… ugh. This is why I love-hate the synchronized attack!' Eijun thought, gritting his teeth.
The players all went for it, but Romero quickly set for a setter dump instead.
Eijun's eyes twitched in annoyance and went to dive for it. Following his reflexes, Hinata tapped the ball. Now, the speed of their reflexes is working against them. Everyone gasped.
Time went slow for Eijun. He can feel every inch of muscles in his body. From the top of his head to the tips of his toes. His muscles, as they are now, felt like they could react in time. He recalled his practices in Seidou, how he threw the ball back to the baseman on instinct every fielding practice. Here in the court, it feels somehow similar to that. Electric waves pulsed all over his body.
Eijun watched as he raised his left leg and the ball bumped on his heel, and it went over the net. It went in an arc, and it landed on the backcourt of the Adlers.
The Karasuno team were grinning, the audience and the Inashiro bunch were in awe, the Seidou team were a mixture of being amazed, and in utter shock (Miyuki choked an onigiri. God bless him), the Schweiden Adlers and Haru opened their jaws, while the Black Jackals all came to huddle in celebration, though, Eijun himself couldn't believe what just happened. But when he finally did, he grinned widely, and a speck of blush was visible in his cheeks.
Schweiden Adlers 9 - MSBY Black Jackals 10
Kageyama switched to Haru.
The Black Jackals called for a pinch server, and Bokuto's face lit up, excited to go back in the court. His hair went down when Barnes was called instead, and he went to a little corner and crouched down.
Coach Samson stared at him deadpanned as he asked one of the players to go and grab the miserable owl.
"Barnes-san, let's go for a nice serve!" Eijun cheered in excitement.
The Seidou team was surprised by the pinch server for the Black Jackals. He was a foot taller than Eijun, and they've never seen anyone as tall as him.
"Imagine a pitcher with that height," Shirasu joked.
"I'll freaking send his pitches to the moon if I had to," Asou gritted his teeth and clenched his fist in the air.
"Oh! Now that's going to be interesting, see?" Seki exclaimed, hyping up Asou more and more.
The Seidou team was pondering about it, completely taking Shirasu's question seriously.
Back in the arena, Barnes served the ball. The power of his serve was nasty as Haru struggled to bump it. It was sloppy, but it went to Romero, who then set it to Hiragami to hit it in front, but the blockers touched the ball on the other side.
Inunaki managed to bump it for Atsumu to attempt a dink. However, Haru managed to read him and quickly dived for it. And another rally is in place.
Eijun watched again, and the ball was coming in his way while others managed to pick it up and spiked on the other side.
'As much as how being a libero is fun, nothing beats being a spiker,' Eijun thought.
Finally, he saw Romero setting the ball to Ushijima. His heart started to beat faster.
Eijun moved a bit forward, and before he could even extend his arms, Ushijima instantly spiked it.
'Oh crap, a quick!'
He wasn't fast enough to read the ball, and he bit his lip as he, again, couldn't receive Ushijima's spike.
Or did he?
There was a loud thud and he felt something heavy just now on his foot. When he blinked, the ball is up in the air and his face was all puzzled up together.
Everyone squinted for a second, and the referee and the coaches were surprised as well. The Karasuno team were the only ones laughing in the crowds. It looks like Eijun finally managed to receive Ushijima's spikes, though it wasn't what he had in mind.
'What the? It hit my foot?!' Eijun could feel himself blushing.
He shook his head when he saw the ball about to go out of the court. "Meian-san!"
Meian raced towards the falling ball as it went to the audience. He managed to dig the ball to the Adlers, another free ball for them.
The Black Jackals are in a mess, and the Adlers prepared for another attack. Romero set the ball to Ushijima but it was, in fact, for Hoshiumi, and the blockers were annoyed, just like how Tsukishima is in the audience.
'Back-pipe!'
Eijun pounced the ball and he managed to save it. The rally finally ended when Atsumu set the ball to Hinata for a spike.
Schweiden Adlers 9 - MSBY Black Jackals 11
Barnes went back to the bench after the Adlers scored back.
"I will avenge your fall, Barnes-san!" Eijun sniffled as Barnes, with tears on his eyes, nodded and gave him a thumbs up.
Some plays later, the Adlers caught up with the Black Jackals and are finally tied.
Schweiden Adlers 11 - MSBY Black Jackals 11
Hirugami at the back to serve, and the ball went to Meian. The ball went up and Hinata set the ball to Thomas. Haru managed to bump it up and Romero set the ball to Ushijima again.
"Is Sawamura a masochist or something?" Mei furrowed his eyebrows as he watches Eijun getting ready to receive Ushijima's attack once again. "Even if that fluke receive from a while ago helped them score a point earlier, he's still persistent in getting that southpaw's spikes."
"Miyuki must have rubbed off his overconfidence to his pitcher," Shirakawa scoffed.
Eijun couldn't hear anything but the sound of his feet and his heart beating loudly. It's been a while since he played volleyball, yet how come he still plays it as if he never stopped? And then a weird thought has occupied Eijun's mind: what if he never quit playing volleyball back in his middle school and continued it in his high school? Eijun chuckled at the thought.
He saw the three-man block in front of him, and he moved to the side.
The ball went to Eijun. Eijun held his breath, and it went up, finally a perfect pass. He tumbled back because of his body and the ball's momentum.
Heiwajiwa, who was on the bench, was smirking, Inunaki has this weird smug look on his face, and the Karasuno team was cheering for him. Suga seemed like a proud parent while Hitoka and Yamaguchi looked like they were… crying? Nishinoya held his hand in a fist and grinned. Eijun can hear everyone cheering for his pass.
"Nice receive, Eijun-kun!"
"Great bump, Sawamura!"
"Nice receive, Eijun!"
Hinata then set the ball to Thomas, but the Adlers deflected it, and the game continues.
'During a match, no matter how incredible the spike is, what excites and awes the crowd the most is when they see a super receive.'
Eijun breathed in and out as he watched the ceiling.
The feeling of a super receive .
He finally understood what Nishinoya meant by that, and he can't believe he was a fool for underestimating the libero then.
As much as he loved baseball, he'd lie to himself if the feeling in the court wasn't all that fun: the sweat, the sound of the whistle, the ball itself. Everything was fun when he's with everyone. He looked at the Adlers, and then he admirably looked at Romero. He still couldn't believe he's playing with a world-class ace. If the Seidou team heard this, they probably wouldn't believe it. Oh, if only Eijun knew.
Now that he thought about it, it's only been a day, but he misses his baseball team. Even if it's his day-off, he'd usually use the time for batting practices. Just watching how everyone play in the field was enough for Eijun to learn a lot. It would even give him an excuse to look at Miyuki more.
"Eijun!" Hinata yelled him back to reality.
When he did snap back from reality, the ball was already in his face.
"Gwaaah!"
He goes down like a tower of blocks as he collapsed on the floor. Hinata groaned. Now isn't this familiar?
Coach Samson ran towards the court.
"Sawamura! Are you okay?"
"Junei! Don't move your head!"
"I should've covered for you, Sawamura!"
"The heck were ya standin' there for? Yer were thinkin' about that one receive ya got from Wakatoshi-kun, aren't ya?"
"You are as reckless as you are distracted, Sawamura-kun."
Eijun blinked. He slowly stood up and touched his face. His face stings a little, but nothing was broken, fortunately. He shakes his head to clear out a bit of fuzziness in his head. Other than that, he was okay. The Black Jackals were scolding him after he told them that he was okay and ready to go back playing as he went out in his cackling laugh.
All of a sudden, Eijun gasped; Sensing danger right across the court. Even if they were far from each other, Eijun still backed away. Kageyama glared at him, and Eijun's danger sense was tingling. He shrieked when he saw Kageyama walking over to their court.
"Sh-sh-shoyo-san… Shoyo-san!" He called his precious friend, but Hinata ignored his cries. He then turned to the others for help, and, surprisingly, even Bokuto didn't come to save him.
"Barnes-san, help!" Eijun gave his infamous puppy-dog eyes to Barnes. The giant only smiled as he guides Kageyama to him.
'THE BETRAYAL!' Eijun felt like he was struck by lightning.
"Tobio-san? Uh, we're in the middle of the game," Eijun wobbled in his voice as Kageyama ignored him and continued walking towards him. When he finally reached him, Eijun closed his eyes and braced himself.
"You lost your concentration during the match," Kageyama muttered. "Don't tell me you were thinking about baseball?"
Bullseye.
"You lost your usual concentration in the middle of the game, and if it hit the wrong way, you could've injured yourself. I understand that you want to go back to your baseball," He spoke flatly. Eijun knows he's even too pissed to even shout at him. "but if you keep thinking about baseball in the court, then you might as well let yourselves lose so that you can go back to your baseball team right away. And don't think I didn't notice you holding your arm sleeves after your failed receive to Ushijima-san from a while ago. You were trying to hide an injury, aren't you? You're just as reckless as Hinata!"
Eijun stood still as he stared at Kageyama's agitated self. Other than that one time when he was a kid, this is the first time he saw Kageyama this upset.
Eijun bit his lip. He stared at his surroundings as the Black Jackals were around them and he could hear the crowd murmuring. And that's when he also realized that the Karasuno team might've seen him getting hit by the ball. How embarrassing.
Kageyama noticed him getting quiet and glanced at Hinata, who gestured to him that his arms are fine. Kageyama sighed in relief and went back to look at Eijun in front of him. He can't believe this guy used to be a small kid who used to cling to him and Hinata. Now he looked completely different than that scrawny little kid that he knew back then. Leaned muscles on his arms and legs, broad back, and his hands looked rough from what Kageyama assumed are from his batting practice.
'Since when did he grew up so fast?' Kageyama thought. He then decided to let him off the hook, for now. He patted Eijun on the head.
"Tobio-san?" Eijun looked at him with wet eyes, and Kageyama let out a low growl on his throat. Even if he did grew up, Eijun will always be a little kid in everyone's eyes.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" His tone changed to a softer one, and Eijun noticed it.
"No," Eijun shook his head. "My face stings a little, but I'm okay. And I'm not injured in my arms. I've already told it to Shoyo-san."
"I'm sorry for getting off like that. I'm just worried for you. Are you still good to play?"
"It's okay. I understand where you are coming from, Tobio-san. And, yes! I'm still good to go. And mind you, I never planned on losing just yet."
"Good," Kageyama sighed in relief. "But the next time I see you getting hit by the ball because you were zoning out, I will personally ask coach Samson to pull you out in the court. It doesn't matter if we're not on the same team. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes!" Eijun stood straight. "This young inexperienced individual is grateful for your wisdom."
Kageyama stared at him amusingly before heading back to his court. He nodded at Hinata as he passed by.
"JUNEI!" Bokuto came clinging to Eijun right away.
Eijun then reassured everyone that he's fine and insists that the game should continue. He looked at coach Samson with determined eyes, and the coach nodded. It was a stressful moment for Eijun and everyone else, but everything was finally settled, and the game continues. Haru sighed in relief, while Sokolov, who was the one who spiked, felt terrible.
"His precious face!" Sokolov was biting his fingers. "Are you sure he's fine, Kageyama?"
"Yeah. He's fine. He's like Hinata. Both heads are strong as a rock."
Schweiden Adlers 12 - MSBY Black Jackals 11
"It's his fault for zoning out there in the middle of the match," Tsukishima sighed.
"Birds of a feather," Yamaguchi snickered. "Seems like Kageyama even scolded him just like Hinata when we were in our freshmen years."
"And now Bokuto is hugging our Eijun," Suga rocked Daichi back and forth while the latter just let him be. Asahi tried stopping him.
"I mean, knowing Eijun-kun, he's bound to get hit in the face. And to think I was talking about it a while ago. Perhaps it's my fault he was hit?" Hitoka gasped.
"No, it's not, Hitoka-chan," Kiyoko smiled at her precious kohai. "Eijun is just unpredictable like Hinata, that's why."
They all gasped when they saw Eijun flying in the court a while ago, and it felt like time slowed down until he fell. Getting hit by the ball isn't an uncommon thing in a volleyball match, though. Yachi almost fainted when Eijun fell.
"Text his team that there's nothing to worry about, Chikara," Nishinoya said. "They might think he's seriously injured."
"I think they just did, Nishinoya," Kinoshita chuckled as he showed everyone the continuous rings in his phone. They all snickered.
The game was back and the announcer reassured the audience that everything is fine.
Sometime later, the Black Jackals have tied again with the Adlers, and Atsumu is back in serving.
"Aren't ya going to say somethin' to me, Eijun-kun?" Atsumu glanced at Eijun, who was on stand-by, as he gripped the ball tightly.
"Nope," Eijun gave him his mischievous grin as he and Jackasuke were dancing again with the cheerleaders.
"Ugh, ya cheeky boy." Atsumu shook his head as he motioned his hand again, and everything fell into silence.
"He sometimes likes to show-off, right?" Eijun rolled his eyes when he asked Jackasuke, who was just nodding as it stood still like how the music stopped.
BAM
Schweiden Adlers 13 - MSBY Black Jackals 13
Hinata went back to serve, and afterward, they have another long rally.
"Sugawara-san, I think it's about time you should give up calling him. Otherwise, the security will go here," Tsukishima flinched as his senpai continued yelling out for Eijun's attention. He has been like this ever since the Black Jackals were in their side of the court, but Eijun didn't notice them for some reason.
"Suga, come on now," Asahi patted his back. "You don't want Daichi to scold you again now, do you?"
Daichi, Kiyoko, and Ennoshita went out to buy beers and food for everyone, and apparently, Suga used their absence to be completely chaotic.
Nishinoya and Tanaka ended up joining him in gaining Eijun's attention, but the young lad didn't even twitch a hair.
For real, though. They are just a few meters behind him, yet he couldn't so much as to glance from the audience?
They watched as Eijun was going back and forth in the court. He was tumbling down, he was diving, and it was a spectacular thing to see.
"He's grown so much," Suga sniffled and held his hands together in front of him. "compared to when he was a kid, Eijun right now moves a lot better, and his reflexes look pretty sharp, eh? I supposed his baseball training helped. Just look at those thighs of his!"
The Karasuno team hummed in agreement. Every step he takes, the muscles in his legs were contracting, and some girls (and possibly guys, especially Miyuki) noticed it and were swooned by it.
'Tobio-san is going to spike it right after Haru bumped it up!'
Eijun licked his lips as Kageyama went to jump for the ball. The blockers jumped as well, and when Eijun saw Kageyama's hand moved, he back away a little.
But the Black Jackals and Eijun took the bait, and Kageyama immediately changed his form and went to set the ball instead. Sokolov spiked the ball where there were no blockers in sight.
Schweiden Adlers 14 - MSBY Black Jackals 13
"He got us," Sakusa glared at the other side of the court as he wiped his sweat with his jersey.
"Agreed," Eijun clicked his tongue. "Even took me by surprise. Damn it."
Eijun got frustrated by that fake spike, but that was freaking cool as heck.
The Adlers were the first to get the match point. However, Eijun was less than worried about it. The heavy the pressure, the better he focuses, after all.
He and the Black Jackals huddled before going back to their position.
"Let's go!" They all yelled, and the cheerleaders and Jackasuke raised their arms and cheered for them.
Eijun took a deep breath. It's the Adlers' match point, and to think he will be the one to serve now of all times.
'I got a feeling Yuu-san is grinning somewhere in the crowds right now.'
And just like he expected, Nishinoya is grinning and even looking forward to how well Eijun can manage now that Ushijima is back to serve.
"Talk about timing," Kuramochi groaned as he leaned over to his seat.
"He's going to do it this time. I'm sure of it." Miyuki gripped his shirt. He watched as the camera focuses on the Black Jackals' side and saw how focused Eijun is. The exact look when he's in the mound. Something tugged inside Miyuki's chest. He wants Eijun to quickly win the match and go back to Seidou right away. He wants to catch for him once again.
BAM
"Eijun!" Hinata yelled out as the ball immediately went to Eijun.
Knees bent and arms fully extended, Eijun finally bumped the ball up.
He fell once again, and he could hear everyone cheering for that pass just now. Eijun smirked.
That felt good.
The ball went back in forth in the court.
Kageyama spiked the ball hard onto Hinata, which earned him a deathly glare from the orange-haired, and it flew back in the court. Eijun chased right after it.
Faster, faster! I got to be fast.
Eijun gritted his teeth. It's going to be too late if he uses his arms to save the ball. He extended his leg to attempt to kick it back up.
The Karasuno team saw him heading their way and widened their eyes.
Meanwhile, the Seidou team stood up, mentally scolding their idiot for being that reckless again. His foot might get fractured. What's there in volleyball that he can't help but keep on chasing the ball? Why risk it?
Eijun saw the boundary between the court and the audience as the ball is going down.
He should better stop and just let the ball fall.
Yeah, right.
He jumped over and tried to kick the ball up, but it went further to the crowd. He closed his eyes for the impact.
He waited.
And waited.
But nothing.
He instead feels a pair of arms circling his body, saving him from getting himself injured. He opened one of his eyes, and he saw Suga smiling in front of him.
His face lit up.
"Kou-san!"
"Hey there, Eijun," Suga hummed back to his sweet voice. "Took you long enough."
Schweiden Adlers 15 - MSBY Black Adlers 13