Four out of Six

~Chapter 3~

On the day of their first Inter-High match, Suga, Daichi, and Asahi somehow met at the crossroads.

"Ah!"

It was rare the three of them would meet in the morning like this. Usually Daichi would already be unlocking the gym by the time Asahi and Suga were heading to school. They exchanged good mornings before walking to school together in silence.

Asahi was the first to break it as they neared the school.

"You know, this is going to be our last—"

"Don't say it."

Asahi blanched. "What?"'

Daichi and Suga fixed him with identical looks of annoyance.

"You were going to say something sentimental, weren't you?" asked Daichi.

"Something like, 'This is going to be our last Inter-High,' or something, right?" Suga added.

They both smirked at Asahi's shock. No doubt he was going through the very dialogue in his head.

"You can't say things like that. It's not like we're going to die," Suga said firmly.

Daichi and Asahi paused for a moment. Suga noticed they weren't following him after a couple of seconds and turned around.

"What?" he asked. "Did I say something weird?"

Asahi just shook his head, obviously relieved. Daichi was smiling.

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed. "No one's dying. Not this year at any rate. Right now all we have to do is think of the games ahead of us."

After Karasuno's elimination during the Inter-High tournament marked the beginning of the bulk of Suga's chemotherapy treatment. Once every other week he would go to the hospital for chemotherapy, every day was filled with pills.

Suga's birthday came and went without a hitch. The team had a small celebration for him before their afternoon practice began.

It wasn't until four weeks in, just a couple of days before the Tokyo camp, that there was any major change. That morning Suga came in sporting a new look.

"You're wearing a bandana," said Daichi, surprised.

Suga laughed sheepishly. "Yeah. My mom bought some the other day. Because of, you know..." He swept generally at his head. "It started coming out in clumps the other day. It's...weird."

"Is that normal?"

"The doctors said it was a possibility. And that most of it would happen within a few weeks." Suga laughed dryly. "Looks like I can't keep hiding it forever."

Asahi walked in as well. He was surprised at first, but didn't say anything past complimenting its blue color.

"Will you wear it during the training camp?" he asked.

Suga's mouth pinched into a tight line. "I'll think of something."

And that he did.

"A wig?" asked Asahi, incredulous.

"Yeah! It'll last the weekend, hopefully." Suga adjusted it a bit before turning around. "Well? How does it look?"

The color was a bit off, lighter than his naturally hue, but it wasn't bad.

Asahi nodded. "Passable."

"Good. The team knows, but I don't want it to be the forefront of all conversation among other teams at the training camp."

Daichi nodded. "Then you're coming."

Suga beamed. "Great!"

"How is the wig though? Honestly."

"Itchy."

"And how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Daichi. Now stop. I'm only playing for the morning. After that, Kageyama will be in and I can rest." When the captain didn't look convinced, Suga sighed. "Listen, I'm well and good. Okay? So don't worry so much."On the day of their first Inter-High match, Suga, Daichi, and Asahi somehow met at the crossroads.