Shape of the Heart – Four-leaf Clover
By Fox McCloude
Disclaimer: The Quintessential Quintuplets and all related characters belong to Haruba Negi. All rights reserved.
Chapter 25: Jump and Spike!
Asahiyama High, volleyball club…
Balls were flying back and forth all over the gym, as the players practiced the different formations in their playbook. During the last hour, Coach Kitano had put them to do a practice match between the current veterans and the freshmen.
Yotsuba was playing with the latter, and while they had a good level, they were still a bit lacking in coordination for defense, which led to their defeat. Matsui knew how to lead the team, as expected from the captain.
"Alright, we're done. Everyone, assemble now!" The coach blew her whistle to summon everyone. "I've been observing you girls, and I believe all of you have a good level to play. Now with our new additions, we can improve our offensive. However, the newcomers need some work on their defense. So I have a very important announcement to make.
"This Friday, we're all going to Honmoku Higashi High. We've arranged a practice match with their team, in order to decide the starters for the regional Inter-Highs."
"Honmoku Higashi… didn't they rank in the prefecture's Top 8 last year?" Rin asked.
"That's right. They were a good team, until they fell to the current champions," the coach continued. "Even though last year their offensive was barely above average, this year new talents have entered, so we must not get overconfident." She then turned to Matsui. "Minamino, I'll leave it to you to direct the team as captain inside the court."
"Yes, Coach." Matsui nodded firmly.
"As for the rest, even those who don't make it as starters, all the team will be counting on you, and you have to be ready to get in at a moment's notice. Remember, there's no 'I' in volleyball, and no player can stand on her own without her teammates' support."
Yotsuba internally agreed with that. While she'd previously been in a volley team before, that was a lesson that hadn't been drilled into her head. All she cared was to show off scoring points and getting acknowledgement for it. The same could be said of every other sports club she'd entered; she only thought of herself as the possible star, and not of what she could do for her teams.
It was the same with her studies; she thought she could handle it herself, and thus she didn't want to accept her sisters' help when she needed it the most, learning the lesson a bit too late and paying dearly for it. Now, she had no goals to become this team's ace, but if she did so, it would be thanks to having great teammates to watch her back, and thus she'd always keep in mind that she was there to serve the team, and not the other way around.
"That is all. Pick up the equipment and you may leave. Good work for today!"
"THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" everyone chorused as they bowed.
And breaking ranks, everyone went to pick up the balls, the net, poleLiberos and everything else to leave the gym neat and tidy. Yotsuba and Matsui were the last ones to get out, so they decided to walk together.
"Hmm, I'm beat," said Matsui stretching her arms. "Yotsuba, you were amazing today. You and the first years almost managed to beat us."
"Hehe, well, I did what I could," the Nakano replied modestly. "Wow, time surely flies, I can't believe we're about to have our first match."
"Even if it's just a practice one, Coach Kitano says we should treat it like an official one. That is, to give everything we have and not to spare anything," the brunette continued. "I know as team captain I must be impartial, but… I expect a lot of you in that match. I really want to play with you as a starter."
"Hehe, me too. Although the first years are good too; you should be careful not to get your slot snatched," Yotsuba giggled.
Matsui pouted slightly, but then laughed too. Indeed, the first years who'd entered were pretty good individually, so in case of needing substitutions they'd have a strong bench. Two in particular stood out: one of them, rather tall and with messy hair called Akira Mitsuyuki. Her height gave her an edge for blocking, although her size made her a bit slow to run, and when they used bait she'd often fall for the feints. The other was called Reiko Onoda, who played setter and demonstrated being almost as good as Matsui in that position. That was the reason why Yotsuba made that joke, although Matsui pointed out that every good team needed more than one setter, in case the main one wasn't available due to outside circumstances.
"This year we have a great team," said Matsui with determination. "I'm sure together we'll win in the regionals. And when we do… we have to make it even better in the nationals."
"Count on me. I'll do my best so we can achieve those goals," Yotsuba assured, high-fiving with her friend.
Shortly after they reached the corner to go separate ways. Yotsuba would go back home on foot, while Matsui would head for the bus stop.
"Okay, this is as far as we go together. I have to hurry, if I want to make it to today's study session in time," said Yotsuba.
"You better," replied Matsui. "I wouldn't like that my possible future ace player stays out of the competition due to bad grades."
"Haha, that's not going to happen. Not with Uesugi-san as my tutor."
"Remind me to thank him one day." Matsui smiled. "After all, it's partly thanks to him you're still in our school."
Yotsuba giggled again. Why deny it? Matsui was completely; it was because of Fuutarou she had decided not to transfer back to Kurobara.
"Well, see you tomorrow at school, bye!" Yotsuba waved Matsui goodbye before running off.
As she headed back home, Yotsuba pondered on Matsui's words. Indeed, if there was something tying her to her current school, it was Fuutarou. Spending those months with him, studying, going out to do exercise, and hanging out with him doing anything, all that turned into precious memories for her, and as the school year end approached, she was saddened to think she wouldn't see him on a daily basis anymore.
That was why she couldn't express how happy she was, when her sisters spoke to their father, and convinced him to let them transfer to Asahiyama so she wouldn't have to leave. Even though that had been their original plan last year, she'd stopped them, but she couldn't do it this time. When she asked why they did this, Ichika told her "It's not fair you have to part with your dear friend".
Yes, her dear friend. That was what Fuutarou meant to her. He was her most precious friend, and that was more than enough, right?
"Hmmm!" she suddenly exclaimed, violently shaking her head and slapping her cheeks. "Perish those thoughts, Yotsuba. He's now with Ichika, and you know that."
She'd better focus on other things. Like for example, what she needed to study, or her upcoming match. Maybe Fuutarou and the others would want to come and see it, if they had some time.
Meanwhile, at the Nakano apartment…
While Yotsuba was busy at the volley club, Fuutarou had already begun the study session for that day with the others. Despite one or two minor mishaps, they were doing pretty well, all things considered. He was grateful that they were such disciplined pupils.
"Uesugi-kun, I don't understand this problem, can you explain me again?" Itsuki asked.
"Let me check… ah, this one's easy to solve. First, turn it into a 2x2 system by eliminating one of the variables, and then you solve it as I taught you. Then substitute the values you get in the original equations."
"I see, thank you very much." Itsuki immediately started solving it.
"Oof, I'm done here," Nino then delivered her own homework. "If you don't mind, I'm gonna start preparing dinner here, look at the time. You can't study with an empty stomach."
"What are we having?" Fuutarou asked.
"It's a surprise," the second sister replied. "Rest easy, I won't put anything that may hurt you."
Despite knowing Nino was just trying to psych him out, Fuutarou couldn't help but shiver. Once or twice when they were studying she dropped a few not-so-subtle comments, suggesting she'd spiked his food or water with something, only to laugh at him for his reaction.
That aside, she'd lately been cooking more diligently, trying new recipes for some reason. Italian exotic dishes, probably it had to do with her defeat against those chef brothers after his birthday. Was she training for a rematch?
"I'm home!" Yotsuba's voice called out. "What did I miss?"
"The usual," said Fuutarou. "Your homework is on the table."
The ribbon girl grabbed it and immediately got to work. Fuutarou was pleased to see her so cheery during study hours, even after coming back from the volley team practices. She seemed to be finding the right balance her activities step by step.
"How was the practice?" Ichika asked. "Everything okay in the volley club?"
"Ah, yeah, everything's cool!" the fourth sister replied. "In fact, this Friday we're having our first practice match."
"This Friday?" Nino asked. "What about our plans?"
"What plans?" a confused Yotsuba asked back.
Nino facepalmed at her answer. "Have you forgotten the date? Hello?! May 5th, does it ring any bells?"
Yotsuba stared at her confused, and then after four or five seconds, her ribbon perked up like bunny ears, as her eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped.
"Ah, that's right! Our birthday party!" she exclaimed once she realized, hitting her head as she stuck out her tongue. "Silly me, how did I forget?"
"Yotsuba, you're really hopeless." Nino rolled her eyes, as the others laughed.
The argument immediately broke loose. Fuutarou stayed in the sidelines as the sisters gave their opinions about it: Nino was upset that one of her sisters had to miss out the birthday party they'd been setting up, Ichika and Itsuki tried to calm her down, and Miku just remained indifferent as ever.
Finally, when the boy couldn't hold it anymore, he cleared his throat, and when that didn't work, he slammed several times on the table, louder each time until they paid him attention.
"Ahem, if you allow me to give my opinion, there are some things to consider here," said Fuutarou. "Yotsuba, you said this match is to determine the starters in the volleyball team, correct?"
"Correct, Uesugi-san."
"Okay, so that means you can't skip it, or you may lose your spot by default," the boy continued. "Now, Nino, you're annoyed that Yotsuba may miss out the birthday party you're organizing, correct?"
"Well of course! We're supposed to celebrate our birthday all together! We're quintuplets!"
"Yes, but if the match was scheduled for that day, it was out of her control," intervened Itsuki."That couldn't be helped, right?"
"Exactly." Fuutarou nodded in agreement. "Now, Yotsuba, what time is the match scheduled for?"
"We'll be heading there after the lunch break," said Yotsuba. "We'll go to the Gym in Honmoku Higashi High."
"Honmoku Higashi?" asked Itsuki. "Where's that school?"
In response, Miku raised her tablet. She'd opened the GPS app to find the place, and they realized the aforementioned school wasn't too far from theirs. In fact, it was probably fifteen minutes away by bus.
Ichika was particularly thoughtful at the location.
"Hmm… you know what? How about we all go to that match to support Yotsuba?" the oldest sister proposed. "I don't think it'll take all the afternoon, and we could postpone our birthday party two or three hours."
"Well, yeah, but…" Nino looked like she wanted to protest something, but she found no arguments.
"Fuutarou-kun, you should come as well," said Ichika.
"I don't mind, but I'd have to take a detour for my home after," he said. "You know, so I can pick up Raiha, and your birthday presents."
"No problem," the eldest Nakano assured, raising a hand. "So then, everyone on favor here?"
One by one, the other sisters raised their hands, Nino being the last one to do so grudgingly. Fuutarou raised his, even if he was unsure his vote counted for something.
On the other hand, after seeing the ribbon girl at the basketball and track teams, he couldn't deny part of him wanted to see how good she was at volleyball. Always, when it came to physical activities she was in her element, and he knew her academic performance would improve the more motivated she felt.
Then again, there was also the fact he wanted to show support as a friend. After all, he was the one to suggest she should join a club full time, and he wanted to see with his own eyes how far she'd go in it.
On Friday…
When the classes were over for the day, and after the lunch break, Fuutarou and the quintuplets, barring Yotsuba, got ready to head for Honmoku Higashi High. Since Yotsuba would take the school bus with the rest of the team, Ichika decided to move a few strings and called Ebata to give them a ride, so they could save the bus money.
"Thank you so much, Ebata-san," the eldest sister said as they got off the car. "Sorry for the inconveniences."
"No need for worry, Miss Ichika. You know it's always a pleasure for me to take you wherever you need to go. As soon as you need me to pick you up, just give me a call."
Next, Ebata left, and the five took a look at their destination. Honmoku Higashi High was a little bigger Asahiyama, which made them wonder if they could get lost. Fortunately, the gym was quite accessible, and they didn't have to ask for directions. As the match would be open door, they could enter without much issue just by identifying themselves.
In fact, the students guarding the entry doors even were polite enough to take them to their 'assigned place', as apparently they weren't the only ones from Asahiyama coming to root for the visiting team. On the upper part of the gym, Fuutarou and the quintuplets were surprised to spot a couple of familiar faces from their classroom.
"Well, well. Fancy meeting you here, Uesugi-kun and Nakano sisters."
There were a few surprised mumbles from the sisters upon recognizing Maeda and Takeda. Fuutarou wasn't too shocked to find the former, as he knew his girlfriend was on the team, but what was the latter doing here? As they set up near the handrail, the blue-haired boy decided to strike conversation with his two male friends.
"So… coming to root for your girlfriend?" he said to Maeda, who smirked with pride.
"Ha, she'd never forgive me if I skipped off," Maeda replied. "Not that I complain; she's actually a very good player. For such a scaredy-cat in the courage test."
"Be sure that she doesn't hear that," Takeda commented as a suggestion, making turn his attention towards the pretty boy.
"What about you? You got a girlfriend in the team as well?"
The aforementioned just shrugged and smiled indifferently. "Not quite. Actually, it's my cousin Takiko who's going to play. She's the team's libero."
He pointed downwards, where both teams were warming up. Team Asahiyama wore sky blue uniforms with vertical yellow stripes on the side, and the one playing libero, with the jersey number 7, obviously wore inverted colors. Fuutarou noticed she had quite tanned skin, and bleached hair on the front in a clear Gal style. If he hadn't told they were relatives, he wouldn't have guessed it.
"Oi, Yuu-kun!" the aforementioned girl shouted, as she looked in their direction. "You better keep your eyes open, 'cause you're in for a big show! Hahahaha!"
She was laughing out loud with her hands on her hips and sticking out her chest, which made Takeda cover his face with his hand, trying to hide his embarrassment. Maeda started nudging him with the elbow, asking if that nickname had some hidden meaning, which the pretty boy denied vehemently, telling them not to get wrong ideas.
Meanwhile, the rest of the quintuplets leaned over the handrail to start rooting for their sister.
"Yotsuba, you can do this!" Ichika exclaimed.
"Wipe the floor with the other team fast, so we can go celebrate!" Nino added.
"Celebrate?" asked Maeda as he looked their way.
"Ah, today's our birthday," Ichika explained. "We had to push our party a few hours due to this match, though."
Fuutarou noted how Maeda gave him a suspicious glare, eyes squinted, and quickly morphed into a mischievous smirk, which he emphasized giving him an elbow on the ribs.
"You sneaky dog, you're gonna party with all of them after the match, aren't you?"
"So what's wrong with that?" he replied, ignoring the obvious implications. "Why don't you better focus on cheering for your girlfriend?"
"Ha, that's true. Oi, Matsui, win this match and I'll take you for dinner tomorrow!"
As Maeda began a cheer of "ASAHIYAMA, FIGHT!", followed by some clapping by Ichika, Nino and Itsuki, Fuutarou saw how Miku stood next to Takeda. Both of them exchanged what seemed like a brief silent greeting before turning their attention to the court below.
Fuutarou did the same, his eyes fixated on Yotsuba. Just like in basketball, he was not a volleyball aficionado, but maybe seeing her play would make the sport interesting. It'd been that way last year, after all.
…
Down below at the court, Yotsuba was almost done with her last stretching moves. She was excited when her sisters and Fuutarou showed up, which multiplied a hundredfold her spirits, making her even more eager to win this match, even if it was just practice. She could notice how Matsui too was happy to see Maeda, and no doubt that'd be good for the team's morale.
As they warmed up, Yotsuba saw one of the players in the opposing team approaching her. It was Honmoku's number 14, a girl with long, dark hair tied up in high ponytail with pale skin, giving her a rather intimidating appeal.
"We finally meet face to face on court, Nakano-san. It's been a while."
Yotsuba was a little surprised. This girl seemed to know her, but the Nakano didn't have a clue of who she was. Her jersey sported the surname Hasegawa, which somehow rang a few bells, but she wasn't sure from where or why.
"Er… sorry, do I know you?" she asked, scratching the back of her head.
"You don't remember me?" The opposing player smirked, folding her arms. "Not too surprising, I doubt you'd remember an opponent you crushed completely. Rather, I'm surprised I didn't see you on court in the last two years, with how good of a player you were."
Yotsuba gave her a closer look, squinting her eyes. There was something familiar about this girl, but she just couldn't pinpoint it. Until the words 'two years' echoed in her, and she finally understood.
"Ah! I remember now! You were on the other team during that match in junior high!"
"So you do remember that?" Number 14 replied, still smiling. "Well, since I know your name, I think it's fair that I properly introduce myself. Hiroko Hasegawa, Honmoku Higashi's Number 14 and Middle Blocker."
She reached out for a handshake, which Yotsuba accepted. She didn't try to crush her fingers or anything, so she seemed to genuinely want to be friendly. She liked that, as she didn't feel like starting her first match making an antagonistic rivalry.
"Nice to meet you. Yeah, now I remember. You were the one trying to block my spikes on the last set, right?"
"Haha, yeah of course, the key word being 'trying'," said Hasegawa. "Kinda ironic, both of us entered as substitutes, but unlike you I couldn't do anything for my team, and you gave us quite a beating."
Yotsuba giggled nervously. Although the weirdest part was that the other girl held no resentment or ill will in her voice; rather, she seemed amused. She did remember that junior high match, as she'd only subbed in for an emergency, as she was leaping from one sports club to another. The other team had been no match for them, so it wasn't that memorable, but it was the only official match she played, so it wasn't hard to remember.
"Truth is, I've trained very hard in the past two years, as I wanted to play against you again, and get even for the defeat. But I never saw you in court anymore, though I heard rumors of you playing tennis and softball, among other things."
"Hehe, well, I was in several clubs, to be honest," Yotsuba confessed. "In the end it was too much for me, so I had to leave them, for my studies.
"Oh, so this'll be a one-time thing?"
Yotsuba smiled. Suddenly, a competitive flame ignited inside her.
"No. This time I'm compromised, and I'll be a full-time member of the team. I may be a little rusty from inactivity, and it may be my only year, but I'll do my best."
"Oi, oi, Yotsuba," Matsui suddenly intervene. "What's this? Fraternizing with the enemy?"
"Oh, no, don't mind me." Hasegawa waved her hands around. "Just wanted to say hi to an old rival, that's all. No hard feelings or anything. I better go to my side, the match's about to start."
Hasegawa went to her teammates, leaving Yotsuba and Matsui alone. The latter asked what she meant, to which Yotsuba explained they'd played against each other in junior high, albeit only once. Matsui said it was a bit weird to consider her a 'rival' for a single match, until Yotsuba explained they won by an ample margin of points, in no small part thanks to herself. That was more understandable, and now she could see why she was eager for a rematch.
They sorted out by a coin toss to decide who'd serve first, and Matsui agreed to do so, to start offensively.
"Okay team, meeting time," the Asahiyama captain ordered, and everyone huddled together. "Now listen, we know our opponents were among the best eight last year, but don't let that intimidate you. I'll tell you this, though; be wary of the spikes of that number 12."
She looked towards the aforementioned player. She was a third year, short black hair and looking pretty intimidating. Her jersey showed the name Ikazuchi, and indeed she looked like the most physically built of the team. Matsui explained to them that they played as teammates back in junior high, but now that they were rivals, they had to be on the lookout.
"Keep the eye on the ball, stick to our plan, and aim for any hole you see to score. So long as the ball is still in play, we can't let it drop."
"Ha, if you need saves, leave it to me," said Takki.
"Set the ball for us, and we'll score," Kotomi added.
"Of course!" Iruka seconded.
Matsui nodded, and then looked at Yotsuba. "We've got the starting serve, so follow my lead. If we can get an early advantage, we can put pressure on them and capitalize on it. Can I count on you, Yotsuba?"
"No problem!" the ribbon girl assured, giving a thumbs up and a wink.
"Okay, hands to the center," the captain ordered and everyone obliged. "Asahiyama, fight!"
"FIGHT!"
Immediately, everyone went to their starting positions. Kotomi, Matsui and Akira were on the front row, with Iruka and Rin on the back, while Takki awaited to sub in when it was needed. During the first set, Yotsuba would stay on the defensive, leaving the attacks to Iruka and Kotomi. The match would be played up to five sets, alternating members, so that everyone would have a chance to play, and depending on performance, the regulars would be chosen.
Yotsuba had to deliver the first serve, so she couldn't mess it up. Matsui gave her a sign with her fingers: "Jump serve, aim for the right side". She took a deep breath and threw the ball upwards.
"Here goes!" she exclaimed, jumping high to hit it.
It was a quick and direct hit. So much that the Honmoku players couldn't react until the point was awarded, and they realized what just happened. They seemed surprised, but there was no time to be distracted. There was a match to play.
As soon as the ball was returned, Matsui gave her another sign, but this time telling her to aim for the center. Just like the first, it was too quick and the ball fell between two of the opposite defenders without them being able to react.
"What the hell was that?" Honmoku's Number 11 asked.
Two points in a row with ace serve just as they started. Seeing their faces, it became evident that they were getting a little unsettled, so they should take advantage of it and gain as much of a lead as they could. Matsui gave her another sign, the same serve as before, so she did.
This time, however, they managed to receive it properly, although the power behind it sent the receiver backwards when it hit her face. Luckily for them, it was enough to raise it and set it up for a spike.
"Here I come!"
"No you won't!"
Honmoku's Number 9 had jumped to spike, but Akira had anticipated and raised her hands for a block. The Number 7 player had dived to try and save the ball, but she didn't make it, so they scored for the third time in a row. Akira turned towards them and raised a thumbs up.
"Hah, they're not getting past me."
The game continued almost in the same manner. While the Honmoku players managed to get the timing on Yotsuba's serves to receive, they had issues to set up the ball to attack. Asahiyama was now six points ahead and they hadn't done rotation yet, until Honmoku's Number 11 finally feinted on Akira, who was blocking the wrong spiker, as she'd been acting as bait to clear the way for a spike headed for the right corner.
"Point for Honmoku Higashi, serve change!"
"Damn, she tricked me," Akira complained.
"Easy," said Matsui. "We're still five points ahead."
Immediately everyone stood in defensive position, as the opposing players prepared to serve. Just like Yotsuba, the server went for a jump serve, sending the ball flying straight at her.
The serve was strong, but not strong enough to knock her backwards, and she managed to bump it for Matsui. She in turn set it for Kotomi, who jumped to spike from the back line, but Honmoku's Number 11 had already anticipated. Yotsuba and Iruka leapt simultaneously to try and catch the ball, but neither made it in time, leaving the scoreboard 6-2.
Matsui gave a sign to the bench, so Takki started warming up. She needed to be ready to enter on the next rotation, as Akira would go to the back row. Even from where she was, Yotsuba took a glance at the opposing team, particularly towards Hasegawa, who was getting ready to serve. For a moment, and despite the distance separating her, she thought she caught a glimpse of a smirk, although it may have been her imagination.
This time they aimed for Iruka, but Yotsuba anticipated and received it first, bumping the ball above them. Matsui asked for it, but rather than set it up, she jumped to do a spike herself, taking the Honmoku players by surprise. The center defender dived to the ground when she realized, but the ball bounced off her hand, going to the back of the court, thus placing the scoreboard 7-2 on Asahiyama's favor.
"Libero entry!" Matsui declared.
"Aye aye, Captain!" the aforementioned replied.
Takki finally entered the court, not without high-fiving with Akira as she stepped out. Yotsuba was still in the back zone, so for now the best she could do was contribute with the defense, even though part of her couldn't wait to get to the front row and score a few points herself. Her old competitive fire was burning with more intensity as the match continued.
Thus, after the serve, and when Honmoku set up their attack, she dived in to receive it, sending it to Matsui. She in turn set it up for Iruka, who jumped to spike, but there was a wall waiting on the other side to stop her attack… and do a counter-offensive block.
"I got it!" Takki screamed, diving to bump the ball.
Fortunately, with Takki's save, Matsui could set the ball once more, this time for Kotomi, whose spike scored another point for them.
The starting strategy was working; Kotomi's spikes were increasing their lead, to the point Honmoku started to resort to double blocking just to have a chance to stop them. After rotation and when Kotomi went to the back, Matsui gave a sign so Yotsuba would start acting as bait to allow Iruka to score. From there on out, whenever they had the serve returned, they set up a decoy attack waiting for the block, with Takki ready to save the ball whenever it was necessary. Matsui then set it up backwards for Iruka doing a quick attack, but every one out of three times she'd send the ball to Yotsuba to feint them. Matsui did everything she could to keep the attack patterns bogus, so it was always a 50/50 of who'd do the spike.
However, the plan was that Yotsuba wouldn't spike at full strength during the first set. They could afford giving a few points if the Honmoku girls got confident on that and saw her as a weak factor. With Takki on the back row, they could save the stray balls and keep their defense, thus keeping their ample lead.
The first set ended with a 25-14 scoreboard on Asahiyama's favor, nothing to sneeze at, and all of them high-fived for a job well done. Now for the next set, Reiko, Michiru and the rest of the bench would take care of things. Honmoku's bench also rotated with the rest, thus the second set started.
"Stay attentive. Let's watch the game from outside, especially Ikazuchi's," said Matsui.
Yotsuba looked at Honmoku's Number 14, who seemed quite focused. Despite being good, almost all the players who entered on their side, except Michiru, were first years, but this was their first match against a real team outside club practices. It was a trial by fire, if Matsui spoke so reverently and cautiously of Ikazuchi.
Indeed, the second set went as expected. Although they began with a small lead like on the first, the match's pace began to change when Honmoku decided to take off the gloves, and deliver more aggressive spikes. While they still could count on Takki to help with a few saves and they managed to hold on, the scoreboard ended 20-25 on Honmoku's favor. Before the third set started, Coach Kitano called Matsui, and Yotsuba then saw her captain calling out for everyone, before they huddled around once more.
"The coach says it's time to pick up the pace. Yotsuba, it's time to attack at full strength. I'll stay put during this set, and we'll test how well you can combine with Reiko as your setter. Iruka, you'll serve as bait now. You two will carry on the attacks on this set."
Both of them nodded, and after putting their hands together one last time, they headed for their positions. Following Coach Kitano's instructions, they were trying different formations to determine who were more compatible amongst each other. During the trainings Reiko was almost as good of a setter as Matsui despite being just a first year, but Yotsuba felt she could synch better with the latter. However, that didn't matter now; they had to focus on winning.
Apparently emboldened for winning the previous set, Honmoku started playing offensively, taking a quick five-point lead. Using Iruka as bait wasn't working, as they focused their blocking on Yotsuba, so on the sixth play they inverted the tactic with a backside set to allow Iruka to score from the opposite side. While Yotsuba's spikes were stronger, Iruka had the advantage of being ambidextrous, which allowed her to spike effectively with either hand, and she'd been keeping this fact until this moment. Thus, she began alternating her attacks from different sides, switching directions brusquely to keep Honmoku on their toes. By doing this, Yotsuba could focus on attacking from the center and keep the blockers' attention whenever they tried to stop them.
Due to Ikazuchi's spikes, they were forced to get on a closer formation towards the center, where she focused most of her attacks. This obviously left the corners vulnerable, but that didn't matter, as despite her strength Ikazuchi lacked good control, almost always spiking straight downwards allowing Takki to save the balls once she predicted where she would hit.
Scoreboard was 11-14 on Honmoku's favor. Matsui from the bench called for a timeout and called the players for a meeting and discuss a strategy change. They had to turn it over, and fast.
"Time to change the attacks' pace," said Matsui. "Yotsuba, now the blockers have gotten used to your movements, try and use a jump feint before spiking, so you can dodge them."
"Just like in the practices?" asked Yotsuba.
"Just like in the practices," Matsui reiterated. "Reiko, watch the timing as you set the ball for Yotsuba, remember it has to be perfect."
"I don't know if I can make it as well as you, but I'll try," the first year setter said.
When the timeout was over, everyone returned to their positions. Honmoku served and Takki received the ball, sending it to Reiko. Iruka had already moved to the side to act as bait as the setter prepared the ball backwards for Yotsuba. The blockers already went ahead and jumped, and just like Matsui said, she delayed her own jump one second before spiking.
Unfortunately, she didn't gauge the ball's altitude, accidentally hitting with the wrist instead of the palm, making it bounce on the net and resulting on a point for Honmoku, leaving the scoreboard 11-15. The ribbon girl giggled nervously as she glanced at her teammates.
"Oops. Sorry."
"Don't worry," Reiko replied. "My bad for not raising it high enough."
During practices they did it well, but in a real match it was much harder, with all the pressure on them. Yotsuba took a deep breath and tried to calm down; they still hadn't lost the set. She got in position once more awaiting for Honmoku's serve. This time, Reiko received the ball trying to set it up for Iruka, doing a two-touch attack. While this caught Honmoku off-guard, their libero managed to anticipate and saved the ball on the corner.
This allowed them to set the ball for Ikazuchi, and Yotsuba instinctively jumped to confront her.
"No you don't!" the ribbon girl screamed.
Her hands stung when she intercepted the spike, but she succeeded in her goal; a defensive block to send the ball upwards where the defenders would be able to safely receive it. As soon as Iruka ran off to serve as bait, Reiko had her back turned at her, so the Honmoku players assumed she'd do backside set and went to intercept her, when the ball was instead sent for Yotsuba, whose path was completely clear.
"Now then!" the Nakano cried out as she jumped to spike.
But, her spike was too strong, and the ball hit outside the line, resulting in another point for Honmoku.
"Dang," she told herself, smacking her hand on her head for her blunder.
"Don't worry," said Reiko. "Third time's the charm."
She needed to calm down. One error or two wasn't bad, but each one she made would pile up and increase the point gap, which would only strengthen the pressure. If their opponents took the momentum, they'd increase their lead with each play.
"YOTSUBA!"
The shout from the stands grabbed the fourth Nakano's attention. There was Fuutarou with the rest of her sisters, all of them cheering her on, which meant a world to her. She's noticed they were there a while ago, but she hadn't been able to let them know because she was focused on the game.
"Don't rush your game!" said Fuutarou. "You need to be more focused, don't hurry to try and attack!"
"I know, Uesugi-san, thank you!" the fourth sister screamed back, before returning to her position on the court.
The rest of her teammates gave her a few looks, but she just shrugged and told them to focus back on the match. The referee's whistle put the game back on with another Honmoku serve, received by the defenders without any issue, before being sent to Reiko who in turn set it up for Iruka to spike.
Honmoku managed to receive it and they launched a two-touch attack of their own, trying to take them by surprise. Fortunately, Takki anticipated and dived in to save the ball, sending it back to Reiko for a set up. Yotsuba had gotten the sign that she and Iruka were to switch positions on the sides, and Iruka would serve as bait so she could attack.
Or so they thought: Honmoku's blockers were already in front of her, seemingly predicting their play.
'Don't rush your game,' she mentally repeated Fuutarou's words, so she delayed her jump one second as she raised her arm for the spike.
She wasn't ambidextrous like Iruka, so in order to spike from the right side she had to aim downwards in a straight line, smacking at full force. At the time, she just let her winning instincts take over, her eyes fixated on the exact spot she wanted to nail the ball, at the time completely in clear view.
And she did it: the spike was so strong the opposite libero, despite correctly predicting where it would go, couldn't jump in time to save it, and they scored for Asahiyama. The Honmoku players were stunned at the spike's power, and the Asahiyama players, for their part, celebrated it high-fiving with Yotsuba. They had regained the serve, so it was time to begin their counterattack.
From there on out, Yotsuba played much calmer. Honmoku had adapted so much to her movements, now by delaying her jump she could bypass their blocks, always nailing the ball right on the spot to score. One by one, they recovered the lost points, managing to turn it over until they were 19-16. They could notice that the Honmoku defenders were losing their focus, and their attackers no longer had the same momentum as they did at the start of the set. By the time they managed to do a defensive block, which was just a lucky blow as Iruka accidentally sent the ball outside, they were already 23-17, only two points away from winning the set.
"Come on, girls, you've almost made it! Two more points to go!" Matsui cried from the bench.
Yotsuba was burning in excitement. Even though they'd lost the serve, it did nothing to quell their momentum at all. When they rotated again Yotsuba would have to go to the back once more, so Iruka would be alone on the attack. Thus, she needed to score for sure in the next play, while they were still on the lead. Being at the set point would put even more pressure on Honmoku and make things easier for her, so they had to exploit it while they could.
The ball flew at them with a floating serve, pretty fast and almost slipping by, but Takki was already there to receive it. Reiko immediately set the ball, and Yotsuba had already jumped to spike. Unfortunately, they were there trying to block her, so she poured her full strength on the spike to make sure their hands would hurt, a lot.
While the block was successful and they scored back, they were still six points ahead, so they didn't have to rush things. Once more, Asahiyama got ready to receive, this time doing a two-touch attack between Reiko and Iruka, but the Honmoku girls anticipated and readied for a counterattack. When Yotsuba realized Ikazuchi was about to spike, her instincts took over and, with nobody telling her, she jumped to block that spike.
"Yotsuba, what are you doing?!" Matsui cried out from the bench.
But it was too late; the Nakano's body had already moved on its own. Her hands stung like never before when the ball hit them, but she succeeded; she could pay them back for the last play's block with one of her own, and in the process she scored, putting the scoreboard 24-18.
"Nice block, Yotsuba!" Iruka congratulated her.
"Hehe, thanks."
At the bench, both Matsui and Coach Kitano didn't seem quite happy at her reckless move, but the danger was over and everything went well. After rotating, Yotsuba went back for the serve. Now they were on the set point, and she could see the desperation in the eyes of the Honmoku players, as they began doing aggressive spikes trying to break through Asahiyama's defense.
The third set ended 25-20 on Asahiyama's favor, and they did another formation change. Matsui entered the court along with the rest of the bench, while Yotsuba left along with Iruka and the others. Once outside, Coach Kitano approached, giving her a very stern look.
"Nakano-kun, that block you did was very reckless," she scolded. "You've seen that player's spikes, what were you thinking?"
"Truth is… I didn't think, I just reacted," the ribbon girl confessed. "Something just urged me to stop her."
"*Sigh*, you're lucky the play went well and you could score. You're a very good player, but next time don't act on your own so rashly. Remember you must always act for the team, not for personal glory."
"Yes, Coach. Sorry about that, it won't happen again."
Next, she sat on the bench and watched the match. They just needed to win one more set to earn their victory, and she had to support her teammates.
As she did, though, she thought about Coach Kitano's words. It was just a brief moment, but when she jumped to block that spike from Ikazuchi, she felt that impulse of wanting to be the best, to win, same one she'd wanted to suppress for so many years.
It seemed like there were some vestiges of her old self inside her, which came back out when she let herself get too caught in the competition. She forced herself to remember that she was here to serve the team, not the other way around. Victory was not hers to take for herself, it was to be given to everyone.
'This is not about you. This is for everyone's sake.'
Having done that, she watched back at the court, following Matsui's advice to keep an eye on the opposing players, to see what they could do and know how to beat them.
…
Meanwhile above, the group of Fuutarou, the other Nakano sisters, and the boy's two male friends continued watching attentively, screaming, cheering and booing as necessary. Even those who weren't fans of the sports were deep into it.
"Ugh, why're they pulling Yotsuba out?" Nino protested. "She won them this set, they should let her in so she can continue scoring!"
"Calm down, Nino, it's just a practice match," Ichika intervened.
"This match's supposed to be to choose the starters, so all members have to play at least a bit and show what they can do," Fuutarou explained.
"Not to mention to test their most effective formations," Takeda added. "Although regardless of that, I doubt my cousin will have to worry much about that."
Indeed, Takeda's cousin was the only Asahiyama player who'd played on every set, fulfilling her role as the team's libero. From what he knew, a volley team allowed up to two liberos, but as there wasn't anybody else to take that position, she was the only one whose starting spot was not at risk.
On the other hand, Fuutarou thought Yotsuba's performance had been pretty good so far. While she'd shown off the most during the third set, when she started attacking and scoring over half the points that allowed them to turn the tide around when they were behind, there was no denying her role during the first. Those ace serves she'd done at the start had been a pretty good initial impulse for the team, allowing them to stay ahead until the end.
If he allowed himself to say it, she was playing even better than with the basketball team. She could have a bright future playing this sport professionally, or so he thought.
…
Despite putting up a good fight, Asahiyama lost the fourth set 18-25, to Honmoku's powerful attacks. Now they were tied 2-2 and the final set would decide the winner. Coach Kitano congratulated all players for their performance, but left in Matsui as captain to decide the formation for the final set.
Surprisingly, Matsui once more chose the formation they had on the first set, excluding herself and designating Reiko as the team's setter for the final. It goes without saying that the first year was surprised at this decision.
"You sure about this, Matsui-senpai?"
"I am," Matsui assured. "They've already adapted to the rhythm of my attacks, so you may be able to throw them off. Remember, the final set is played only to 15 points, so they'll have less room to adapt. Take advantage of that and attack with everything from the start."
She then turned to Yotsuba, who couldn't help but gulp at the expectation of what she'd say.
"Yotsuba, don't hold back. Hit that ball as hard as you can, like only you can do it."
"Gotcha," the ribbon girl said, pumping her fists eagerly.
"Hands to the center!" Matsui declared. "Asahiyama, fight!"
"FIGHT!"
After the final cheer, Matsui went back to the bench and let the others get back to the court. Everyone got in position: Yotsuba, Rin and Akira at the front, with Reiko, Iruka and Kotomi behind. The Honmoku girls still had the serve in their possession, and they opened with a floating serve that caught everyone off-guard by its speed, not giving them a second to react.
Yotsuba felt it was some kind of payback for the first set, but quickly recomposed herself. The others wouldn't let this repeat again.
Indeed, this time they were prepared. Iruka managed to catch the serve and bumped it for Reiko, who in turn set the ball for Kotomi backwards as Yotsuba ran to the opposite side to act as bait. Kotomi's back attack was successful and she scored, so they rotated once more. Takki entered to substitute Akira on the defense. The Nakano took a deep breath, feeling she was ready for anything.
At the moment they served, however, Honmoku replied with a quick, two-touch attack that allowed them to score again, and from there on out they started sending floating serves one after another, whose trajectories were too hard to predict. Also, they were trying to keep a counteroffensive block, trying to prevent them from scoring at any cost, and they quickly gained on them until the scoreboard was 1-8 on their favor. They were halfway through to the victory, and the Asahiyama girls were starting to get nervous, especially the first year setter.
Matsui called timeout and gathered them up again.
"Reiko, listen: you played very well during practice and the second set, what's the matter?" she asked.
"Those attacks are overwhelming, Captain," the first-year replied. "I don't think I can beat them."
"Why're you worried? You're not the one who needs to attack, we will!" said Iruka.
"That's right! If they hit hard, then we have to hit them twice as hard!" Yotsuba intervened. "You have to trust us! Right, Matsui!"
The captain nodded. "Listen, you're a very good setter, and you have great spikers by your side. As for the defense, Takki has your back. You're not alone; everyone's here to support you."
The encouragement words seemed to make effect on the first year setter, who slapped her cheeks to relax and adopted a determined look, pumping her fists. Right on time, since they were being called to go back to the game. Immediately, everyone returned to their positions, ready to continue and retake the match.
The serve was received by Kotomi, who sent it to Reiko so she'd set up for Iruka. The girl jumped as high as she could to spike, despite the Honmoku blockers already being there to intercept her. This time, though, the counteroffensive block went too high, a ball that'd be too easy to receive.
"Mine!" Takki shouted, but instead of sending it to Reiko, she sent it for Yotsuba.
And the Nakano knew exactly what to do: it was a two-touch attack. She ran and quickly spiked, catching for a split second a hole on the corner where she had to aim, and sent the ball right there.
"Point for Asahiyama!" the referee declared.
The Honmoku girls didn't seem worried, after all the scoreboard was still 2-8. However, that point Yotsuba scored gave the team the momentum they needed, and once they rotated again, they were determined to capitalize on it, from the moment of the serve.
Rin sent an underhand serve, sending it up to the ceiling. It seemed easy, and the Honmoku libero asked for it, but was quite surprised when the ball dropped faster than she expected, and she couldn't set it up as she wanted, resulting in another point for Asahiyama. They were quickly handed the ball back, and Rin prepared to serve again, doing it the same way as before.
"I got it!" two of the back defenders of Honmoku shouted at the same time, but neither could react when the ball dropped violently, between the two of them before they could move, much to their shock.
"Hah, don't underestimate us," Rin said defiantly. "That was for the first two points at the beginning."
The scoreboard was now 3-8. As if third time was the charm, this time Honmoku's libero managed to receive Rin's serve. Unfortunately, she didn't gauge the strength or the direction, so the ball went too high, straight for the net. Yotsuba saw a chance too good to be wasted, and before the defenders could rearrange, jumped to spike and score, leaving them 4-8.
Drop by drop, the gap was being closed, gaining more and more momentum with each scored point. They had to keep up this way, now the opposing team was losing their focus.
Honmoku took three more plays to get the hang to receive Rin's serves since, if they didn't let the ball drop, they couldn't properly set it up for a counterattack. As they continued to lose their advantage and being now only one point ahead, their attacks also began to lose their power. In turn, Asahiyama's became more unstoppable: they had no way to predict whether they'd attack with Iruka from the left side, or with Yotsuba from the right, making it a Russian roulette to guess which one they had to cover.
"Iruka!" Reiko called as the prepared what seemed like a back setup. Instinctively, Honmoku's players went to block the left side.
But it was a trick: she set it up for Yotsuba on the right side, and she immediately jumped and nailed the ball on the unprotected corner. The opposing libero dived to save it, but she couldn't make it, and now Asahiyama had tied the set.
"Keep it up!" Matsui called from the bench. "One more and we'll be ahead!"
They'd managed to even the score, and now they just had to get ahead and keep scoring until they'd won the match. Honmoku was against the ropes and Asahiyama needed to keep the pressure.
Rin continued to take advantage of her ceiling serve, hoping to psych them out, but they'd managed to get the hang enough to gauge the drop and receive it, and they set up an attack with Ikazuchi. Takki managed to anticipate it and received it, sending it back to Reiko while both Iruka and Yotsuba got in position to attack.
"Here goes!" the setter called, and immediately both spikers jumped at once.
The pass went for Iruka, as the Honmoku girls correctly guessed, managing to do an offensive block, but behind Iruka's back was Kotomi to send the ball back up again. Reiko once more set it up, sending it back for Kotomi for an attack from the back that they successfully received, once more setting it for Ikazuchi, who spiked so hard that Takki had to shield her face.
Even so, the ball bounced off of her and still alive, so they had to keep attacking. Yotsuba prepared to jump, but she then saw how they preemptively were getting ready to block. She had to gauge the timing right…
'One second…' she mentally told herself before she jumped up to spike. "GO!"
And she did it. It was a clean shot, and the scoreboard had finally turned, 9-8 on Asahiyama's favor.
"Nice spike, Yotsuba!" The others immediately came to high-five with her and congratulate her, while the Honmoku girls started giving each other encouraging words, as the match was still far from over.
Indeed, it'd just begun. They had overturned the score, but they still needed six more points to win. Without wasting the momentum, they proceeded to do exactly that; the Honmoku players, in their desperation, started relying heavily on their main spiker, Ikazuchi, which allowed Asahiyama to block or at least anticipate their attacks. Meanwhile, they had both Iruka and Yotsuba on the front row, and with Kotomi in the back it was even harder to predict the attacks.
Asahiyama quickly got away with five points, three of which were scored by Yotsuba, and only a miraculous and desperate block from Ikazuchi saved them from what looked like an imminent defeat, leaving the scoreboard 14-9.
"Sorry!" Yotsuba apologized at failing that last spike.
"Don't worry!" Matsui shouted back from the bench. "We just need one more point to win!"
The Honmoku girls rotated, and Yotsuba saw a familiar face in front of her. Hasegawa was now on the net in front of her, and she seemed quite eager.
"Once again we're face to face, Nakano-san," she said. "I've been waiting for a long time for this moment, to face you again."
"Hehe, it's been a good match," Yotsuba replied. "But we're this close to winning, and I'm not going to lose now."
"Hah, me neither. If you try to spike, I'll be here to stop you."
"Oh yeah? Well, right back at you."
The whistle blew, and Honmoku served. Ball went high to the center where Takki was, who raised it back for Yotsuba, clearly for a two-touch attack. However, when Yotsuba jumped to spike, Hasegawa was already there to block it. Much to Yotsuba's surprise, the ball struck the floor on her side, and when she turned to the net, her opponent was smirking.
"Your spikes are still strong… but not much stronger than they used to be back in junior high. I've been training very hard these past two years."
Yotsuba said nothing, but she caught the message. While she'd been skipping from one sports club to another, Hasegawa should have been dedicating full time to volleyball, to become a better player through hard work. Yotsuba had natural talent, yes, but there was a point where talent wasn't enough, and she had to start working on herself.
With that in mind, she got ready as she awaited Honmoku's serve, reminding herself that they were only one point away from winning, but they couldn't get over confident. Instead, they should do their best to score that point before Honmoku caught up to them.
However, stopping their streak just in time seemingly reignited Honmoku's strength, as they started attacking determined to retake the match. Now they were blocking Yotsuba and Iruka individually; with Hasegawa covering the former, they could go after the latter without trouble in case they attempted a feint attack. And so they did: when Iruka tried to spike from the left side, she was blocked by Ikazuchi, and Hasegawa followed suit with Yotsuba on the next play. The advantage they'd earned had just gone down two more points, and as Honmoku's players breathed again, Asahiyama's were starting to feel anxious.
On the next play, again Hasegawa blocked Yotsuba's spike, although fortunately this time the ball was saved by Takki. Since frontal attacks weren't working, Reiko set up the ball for Kotomi to do an attack from behind. Unfortunately, maybe due to the nerves, she didn't gauge the height and the ball bounced on the net, leaving the scoreboard 14-13 on Asahiyama's favor.
"Timeout!" Matsui requested from the bench. It was the final one they could take for the match, and the captain gathered everyone immediately. "Girls, what's wrong? We're just one point away from winning!"
"We're too nervous," Reiko said. "They stopped us dead on our tracks, and now they seem to be stronger on the last stretch."
"And they're blocking our spikes," Yotsuba added. "No matter how hard I hit the ball, Hasegawa stops it without issues."
"Then you have to stop doing spikes," Matsui suggested, to what everyone looked at her in shock.
"Stop doing spikes?" asked Iruka. "But then how're we supposed to…?"
"All we have to do is make the ball fall on their side of the court, right? The how we do it doesn't matter. It doesn't have to be by brute force, does it?"
Yotsuba gazed at her teammates' faces, realizing they all reached the same conclusion as her. They'd been so focused on the spikes, they'd forgotten it wasn't the only way to score, and evidently the Honmoku players had adapted to them. It was pointless to keep doing the same if they were getting the same results.
But Matsui was right: there was more than one way to score points. It didn't have to be by pure strength.
Once the timeout was over, everyone returned to their positions awaiting Honmoku's serve. It was the match point. Only one point ahead, so they had to score now or never to avoid going to Deuce. Upon looking across the net, she once more found herself in front of Hasegawa, who gave her a defiant smirk from the other side, as if saying "I'm not letting you score".
It'd always been her style to put all her effort in everything she did. But sometimes, she didn't realize that, instead of using everything she had, she just had to use a little the correct way. That was how things had been when studying with Fuutarou: rather than spend more hours studying, he put her to study more efficiently, even if she took a while to discipline herself and understand what he meant.
It was the same this time. If they wanted to win this match, she didn't have to spike the ball with all her strength. All she had to do was make it drop on the other side, and that was it.
Honmoku immediately served; a floating ball that went so strong that it almost looked it'd be an ace.
"Drat!" Takki exclaimed.
The dark-skinned blond rushed and managed to prevent the ball from touching the floor. Without missing a beat Reiko set up the ball for Iruka, who instinctively jumped to spike, and just like before she was blocked by Ikazuchi. Fortunately, Rin was attentive to keep the ball alive, sending it back to Reiko for a set up, this time for Yotsuba.
"No you won't!" she heard Hasegawa shout, as she was ready to block the spike.
When Yotsuba jumped, it was like time momentarily slowed down, giving her that glimpse of clarity of what she had to do. The zone around the line separating the forwards from the defenders was completely unprotected. It'd take only a soft touch to send the ball there.
And she did; she pretended she was about to spike, and she just gave the ball a gentle shove over Hasegawa's head. For a brief moment she caught the surprise in her opponent's eyes across the net, and only when the sound of the ball hitting the floor echoec across the stadium, sentencing the match, was that the entire Honmoku team understood what happened.
"Point! Game set and match for Asahiyama!"
"ALRIGHT!"
"YEAH, WELL DONE, YOTSUBA!"
"WE WON, WE WON, WE WON!"
All of the Asahiyama players, in and out of court, immediately ran to dogpile on her and congratulate her. It wasn't unexpected; she'd just scored the winning match point for them. In turn, her little cheering bar on the stands, with her sisters, Fuutarou and his friends, were also celebrating, some more cheerily than others, obviously.
But even at that distance, she could see the blue-haired boy smiling at her with pride. He was clearly proud of her, and that made this victory even sweeter.
…
The match had been long and tough, but they'd finally come out victorious. Yotsuba felt she could be satisfied with her performance, but she wouldn't have made it alone. It'd been a team effort.
"Thank you for your time, Professor Takamura," Coach Kitano said as she bowed before Honmoku's coach.
"You have a great team this year," the aforementioned replied, extending her hand. "I hope you win in the preliminaries, because I'd like to have a proper rematch."
"Same here." Kitano replied, accepting the handshake.
"Nakano-san." Hasegawa approached Yotsuba for a moment. "You beat me again. Despite the time you haven't lost your touch. That was a great match."
"Thank you. You girls were awesome as well," said Yotsuba.
"We lost today, but I assure you we'll win the preliminaries. I hope we can face each other again."
"Me too. It'll be fun to play against you again." The ribbon girl offered her opponent a handshake.
Although most of the Honmoku players accepted defeat with dignity, a few weren't as happy with the result. In fact, Yotsuba thought that, when Matsui went to shake hands with Ikazuchi, the latter did so grudgingly, and looked like she wanted to crush her fingers. She hoped it wouldn't escalate into a bad rivalry or something.
Once the thanks were over, Team Asahiyama was ready to leave back to the bus. Yotsuba for her part took her own way, as she had elsewhere to be.
"Yotsuba, where are you going? We're all going to celebrate our victory, aren't you coming?"
"I'd love to, but I have plans already," Yotsuba eplied. "My sisters and Uesugi-san are waiting for me, and we're gonna celebrate together."
"Ah, now I remember, today is your birthday, isn't it?" the brunette said. "Sheesh, and here I forgot to buy you a present."
"Haha, don't worry. With everything you had to do with the team, you couldn't have found time," the ribbon girl assured. "I'll be fine, Dad's chauffer is coming to pick us up any time now."
That seemed to calm Matsui, who allowed her to go on her own, thus she went to meet up with her sisters. All of them were smiling, some even clapping to congratulate her for that great match.
"Well done, that was a brilliant debut in your new team," said Ichika. "It means now we have twice the reason to celebrate today."
"To our birthday, and to Yotsuba's victory," added Nino. "Though you could have ended that last set a little sooner."
Yotsuba giggled nervously. Nino probably meant how she focused so much on spiking hard, that she didn't think of using fake spikes to throw her opponents off. Typical of her.
"Well, that's not important anymore," Itsuki intervened. "What matters is that you won. Sports are Yotsuba's element after all. You were amazing, truly."
"Good job," Miku concluded with a smile.
At that moment, the car that came to pick them up appeared, which they immediately boarded. Once they were fit in, Ichika approached the chauffer before heading off.
"Excuse me, Ebata-san. If you don't mind, think you could make a quick stop at Fuutarou-kun's home first?"
"I don't mind, but wasn't I supposed to take you home for your birthday party?"
"Yeah, but he still needs to go get our presents," Ichika added. "And his little sister, as she's invited too."
"Well, if the young sir has not inconveniences?"
"Nope, if none of you doesn't have any," the boy replied as he shrugged.
"Not at all, Uesugi-san. Not me, at least. Any objections?" Yotsuba asked, looking at everyone.
Nobody had any, except Nino who muttered "Wish Kintarou-kun had come", but as everyone agreed, the car started. It'd be a quick stop, since he'll just go get the presents and Raiha.
As the car moved forward, Fuutarou spoke to her.
"You played a great match. Well done."
"Hehe, thanks," she replied. "Though I wouldn't have done it alone. Everyone else supported me, it was a team effort."
"I'm not denying that, but even so you scored over half the points during the sets you played, not to mention the match point in the tiebreaker. If that doesn't secure you a regular spot. I don't know what will do it."
"Oi, oi, Fuutarou-kun," Ichika intervened. "Don't praise her too much, or it could get to her head? Right, little sis?"
"Haha, maybe," Yotsuba giggled. "Even so… thanks a lot."
Truth was, while she was certain that her performance would get her a starting spot, she didn't care much about that now. She couldn't deny she was happy for winning, but she was even happier for playing alongside her new teammates, and for facing an old rival. It wasn't about being the best anymore, but to bring out the best of herself and have fun.
After a match like that, Yotsuba was more excited than ever before to celebrate her birthday with her sisters, and with Fuutarou. That was the real prize for victory, to rejoice on it with the people who mattered the most to her.
To be continued…
Author's notes:
Morning, people. Oof, had my doubts on whether I'd make it in time, but I finally finished the chapter I was writing, and I could update before the month's end. As promised, here's another "sport-centric" chapter focused on Yotsuba (thanks Haikyuu! for the inspiration), this time around with her first match in the volley team, and you can be sure it won't be the last. I was looking to show that, while she's made a sincere effort to change, there are still some vestiges of her past self being a competitive girl, and maybe the adrenaline rush in the heat of the match, that remnant drive to be the best comes back up to the surface. Not that it's a bad thing per se, after all, anybody who practices sports knows athletes need to have a drive to win and thirst for glory, but you can't let it get to your head because, if they combine with a fear of defeat, you get the worst combination in personality traits (not just in sports, but also in anything you attempt in life). At the same time, and on the positive side, we can see Fuutarou's teachings are helping her outside academics, making her realize that, sometimes to do things right, you don't necessarily need to try harder, but just find the most efficient method, something she always seemed to struggle to understand, which is why she always goes to extremes with everything she does.
And so, that concludes this chapter. Thanks for the reviews to TheMist33, bobalon (sorry I didn't let you catch up XD) and TheMultiverseOne. Next time, the Nakanos will be celebrating their birthday party, and just like this one, most of it will be told from Yotsuba's perspective. See you soon, sayonara!