Haikyuu!
Higher
Chapter 16: Change

It was the right decision, even if it wasn't an easy one.

It definitely wasn't easy for Kageyama to accept.

"Coach, can Kageyama sit with me on the bench for a little?" Aika asked suddenly, looking towards Ukai.

The coach's eyes widened for a moment, and he looked towards the referee for permission. The referee nodded, allowing Kageyama a pass. Aika grinned and patted the spot on the right of her. Reluctantly, Kageyama sat, his entire body tense.

As soon as he did, Aika stood up, standing right in front of him, and dropped something on his head.

The towel she'd draped over his head was soaked. It was cold, but it felt nice. The sides of the towel fell around his shoulders, and he looked up at her in surprise, only to see that her smile had completely disappeared from her face. She looked… disappointed.

"What the hell are you even thinking?" she demanded dryly, frowning at him. "You're playing like no one else is there to back you up. I know I told you that you're the pillar, but dammit Kageyama! Do you even know what that means?!"

He didn't respond, and she sighed. She ran a hand through her hair, and she looked out to the court, to where Sugawara had already managed to worm his way back into where he needed to be, eliciting smiles from his teammates, except for Tsukishima. But even the blonde beanpole looked marginally more comfortable with Sugawara smiling kindly at him.

"Sugawara senpai isn't a genius like you are. Neither is Oikawa. But, thanks to how much experience they have, they both know how to do something that you haven't quite learned yet." Kageyama chanced a look up at her, only to see that she no longer looked upset, but resigned, almost calm. "I know that you know that you're a good setter, but talent and skill aren't the only things that matter. Sometimes, you have to know to adjust to other people." She looked back at him. "It's okay to be upset. But you need to know that if you aren't on your game, it doesn't matter if the rest of them are. It's your job to make them bloom, and support them as they do."

Kageyama's eyes widened, and he looked out to the court.

Sugawara had just gotten onto the court, but something already felt different among the team. They seemed more relaxed. It showed in their posture. Every single person was less tense, their shoulders managing to relax and the pressure dropping from their faces.

Maybe it was the way that Sugawara just radiated positivity.

The first-year couldn't help but feel the same as when he'd been benched during his last game with Kitagawa Daiichi. It was the same feeling of loss and disappointment. He hated not being able to play the game he loved so much, and he hated that it was his own fault.

He'd been the one to lose his composure, and everyone else on his side of the court noticed. They had seen how much pressure he'd taken on, and they'd tried to take on the same amount, but it only threw each person off more and more as Kageyama began to misplay.

"I understand."

Aika smiled softly, looking at him. "Just watch your senpai for a little bit. He's been their starter for a while, and they all trust him. Watch what happens when your spikers trust you completely," she murmured, taking her place next to him. After a moment, she placed her hand on his arm. "And, just so you know, it's okay to cry if you're feeling upset."

Sugawara felt at home once more.

The court was where he belonged.

He put his smile on once more, knowing that it was exactly what his team needed at this point in time. He knew that not all of them had complete faith in Kageyama's tosses, and he'd been their starting setter for the past two months.

But Sugawara had been tossing to most of them for at least a year.

There were some things that never changed, no matter what kinds of roster switches happened. One of those happened to be the bond between each spiker and their setter.

Maybe the point gap was too much to save during this game, but he wasn't worried about it. After all, even Aika had told him that she had faith in his ability. He could take those words to heart, and help raise the team's morale and skill, just by being on the court.

There were still things that he could do.

"Tsukishima, they're going to spike at me, 'cause my block isn't as tall as yours. When the toss goes up, switch places with me, then jump."

"Hinata, they're going to have their center do a quick. Don't panic, just wait a moment, then jump even higher than you usually do."

The small first years, who still had a lot to learn, were eager to become even better than they already were. Tsukishima was tall and fierce, with an air of intimidation around him that caused a lot of people to be afraid of messing with him. Hinata was as energetic as anyone possibly could be, and even though he wasn't as scary as Tsukishima, he was also capable of intimidating his opponent with his energy. Both of them could go far as middle blockers.

Sugawara knew these things better than he thought he would. He knew them from being able to observe his team grow and change over the past two months. Being on the bench for so long allowed him clarity. He saw the weaknesses, and now, it was his job to be the pillar of support for his fledgling team, and for the baby birds who were really just learning how to fly.

And sometimes, a little praise went far, especially when something went well.

21-13.

The score wasn't really turning around, but just earning a few more points was more than enough to swing the game for Karasuno. It wasn't the score that mattered, but how the players on their side of the court felt during a match.

While Sugawara knew that it was his job to raise morale for the team, even if they ended up losing the set, he also wanted to prove himself. He wanted to be able to turn the score around entirely and end up winning the set for Karasuno, since that would prove he was still capable.

Maybe people pitied him when he was subbed in, since he was a third-year who'd been benched because a genius first-year came onto the team. Maybe they thought that Karasuno was bound to lose either way, so they let their third-year setter have a go on the court one last time. Maybe they thought he would never be able to stand up to the sheer skill of Kageyama.

And maybe they were right, but at the same time, they weren't.

He knew that he'd been benched because of Kageyama's entrance. He knew that Karasuno was struggling, and that this may very well have been his last game in high school. He knew that he wasn't as technically skilled as Kageyama.

But none of that mattered.

Karasuno was still his team. He knew them better than the back of his hand.

They had absolute trust in him, something that was even harder to break than their team's spirit. Whether it be one point or the entire set, Sugawara knew that a point earned was a job well done. He knew that he could rely on them, even if he wasn't as talented as Kageyama.

More and more points went in Karasuno's favor, and Sugawara felt the pride stemming in his chest. He wondered if he was allowed to feel this way, even if it was just five measly points that he'd helped earn, and not the entire set.

But then he reminded himself that, yes, he was allowed to feel that way.

This was his team, after all.

He was allowed to have pride in his team.

Oikawa was sick of this point streak that Karasuno had gotten.

They'd taken five points in a row, demoralizing some of Aoba Josai. He couldn't let that happen all because some "Mister Refreshing" stepped in for the King of the Court. It was still important that the spirit of Karasuno was shattered as he took his victory.

Only then would he feel as if he'd won completely over Tobio.

His jump serves were fierce. He'd won games with them, and he knew that if he could take this game away from their all-important-substitute, it would hurt Karasuno, who seemed much more relaxed with their Mister Refreshing as their setter.

Glaring at the other side of the net, he tossed the ball and followed it with a powerful jump, serving right down the middle.

23-15.

A jump float serve.

24-15.

It was Aoba Josai's game to win now.

Kageyama couldn't help but see the difference in how Karasuno played with him on the court and how Karasuno played with Sugawara on the court. It was such a stark difference that he almost felt himself choking.

He held tightly onto the towel that was draped around his neck, the one Aika had dropped onto him when he came off the court.

With Sugawara, the Karasuno players were all more comfortable. They all reacted far better, and for the life of him, Kageyama couldn't pinpoint what exactly everyone was doing differently. They were all doing pretty basic things, but they were just playing better for some reason. It confused the hell out of him, especially since he wanted them to play just as well when they were on the court with him.

"You're wondering what you could do differently, aren't you?" Aika asked from his side as the Karasuno players walked off the court, preparing to switch sides for the next set.

He nodded. "Yeah. I don't get it."

"You were watching Sugawara senpai, weren't you?" She looked up at him, then glanced to Sugawara, who was gladly taking a water from Shimizu. "You should talk to him. Tell him what you noticed about Aoba Josai, and pick up how he thinks. You're not going to get it immediately, but try to figure it out on your own, okay?"

With that, she sauntered over to Hinata, giving him a rough pat on the back for his missed block. Even though he looked abashed at her first words, that expression quickly turned into a smile as he beamed proudly at her.

Kageyama allowed himself to wander right over to Sugawara, his mind wondering exactly what Aika meant when she said to understand how Sugawara thought. He couldn't think of anything to really talk about with his upperclassmen.

"Sugawara senpai," he blurted. The silver-haired setter turned to him, a kind, but shocked look on his face. For a moment, Kageyama was lost for words, but he managed to get a few out with much difficulty. "Is Kindaichi… I mean, radish-head… I mean… Is 12's quick a bit slower than the others'?"

It was the only thing he'd really noticed from that entire match, at least from the side of Aoba Josai. He'd been too busy watching Sugawara and the rest of Karasuno play, easily taking point after point with Sugawara's guidance.

Almost immediately, the senior lit up, immediately going on about how Kindaichi seemed to be building up his jumps a little more, which made him slower. His tone was open and kind, although he seemed a bit unconfident in some of his observations. Kageyama simply listened, nodding along, while the entire time, trying to understand Sugawara a little bit more. He found that the other setter really was very smart and very observant, and he wondered if that's why Aika and Sugawara got along so well.

"Even though we're rivals for the setter position, we're both on the same team." Sugawara smiled up at him. "After all, the points that either of us get while we're on the court are points that Karasuno has earned. That's all that really matters in the end."

Kageyama's eyes widened as he suddenly began to realize exactly what the difference between the two was.

Sugawara was better at communicating with others and adapting to what his spikers wanted. He was better at praising them and understanding how they were doing on the court. He was more of a team player than Kageyama ever had been, even as he was adjusting to really being part of a team.

There was still a lot Kageyama had to learn.

Aika watched the sidelines, where Shoyo and Kageyama stood, watching as the first point of the set went to Tsukishima, who seemed slightly more confident in his spikes.

She watched as Ennoshita, the second-year who'd been benched when Azumane had rejoined the team, approached the two first years. He had a calm smile on his face as he addressed Kageyama, who was clearly beginning to see Sugawara's real strengths for the first time.

It was also clear that Ennoshita, who really faded into the background throughout most of the two months the team had been together, was pushing him to see it, too.

A smirk settled on her face as she flipped open her notebook, right to the page labeled "Chikara Ennoshita, wing spiker" at the very top. She grinned as she added a note to his profile, the data she'd collected from watching them practice their very hardest.

-potential future captain

That was all she had to scribble down before she turned her attention back to the game at hand.

Sugawara couldn't help but flinch as Oikawa was rotated back into the serving position. He took a deep breath, looking towards Noya and Daichi. They were the two on Karasuno who were best at receiving, and they were the two who had stopped Oikawa's crazy serves to begin with.

He had to have faith in their abilities.

Looking back towards Oikawa, he watched as the serve hurdled towards Daichi. He couldn't help but call for Daichi to get it, which, of course, the proud captain did with ease. Although it looked painful to lunge so far just to return a serve, he could see how proud Daichi was to feel it hit his arms. It bounced into the air, right towards Sugawara. It was his turn to make a decision.

All three of his spikers were in place, but he needed to decide who would make the most noise if the point went through.

There was no doubt in his mind as soon as he remembered who was on the court.

Let's get your revenge from that first set, okay?

Tanaka easily leapt into the air, spiking past all the blockers and earning yet another point for Karasuno as the ball fell weakly to Aoba Josai's side of the court.

They'd broken Oikawa's serving streak before it even started.

Kageyama's eyes widened as he was truly able to see where Sugawara stood as a part of Karasuno.

He'd never have been able to break through Oikawa's streak that easily, let alone end it before he could start to perform service aces.

It was just another bit of proof that Sugawara was clearly so loved and trusted by his team.

The only other thing Kageyama needed to see was the scoreboard, seeing how closely the score really was between the two. It was closer than it'd been when Kageyama had been the panicked setter on Karasuno's side.

Kageyama felt his hands curling into fists as all of the words he'd heard, all of the things he'd seen since he was subbed out ran through his head. He knew that there was something he had to fix, and he was beginning to understand just what that thing was.

He wanted to go back on the court and make it right, prove that he could stand among the rest of them.

Not as a setter who selfishly stuck to his own comfortable tosses, but one who played alongside the team.

He wanted to prove that he was able to be part of Karasuno.