𝐌𝐘 𝐈𝐍-𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 [Kozume Kenma]

27. HAVING A HEART

~ KENMA ~

I dived to the ground with a painful thud, extending my arm as far as it could go. But I was too late. The ball dropped right in front of me, an inch from my fingertips. You're kidding.

The sound of the referee's whistle pierced through the noisiness of the gym, signalling the end of the first set. I grimaced as I pathetically crawled to my feet, processing the loss my team and I had just been slapped with.

If only I was faster. Or if I had longer arms. Or quicker reflexes. In short, if only I was better.

I guess I can't do better.

As soon as the thought came, I physically hit myself in the head, wanting to get rid of it. Shut the fuck up. No, I couldn't afford to think that way. Not now.

"We only lost by three points," Kuroo said encouragingly. "Next set is ours, boys."

I smiled. This was one of those rare occasions where I was immensely grateful for the scheming captain and his ability to keep the team together.

"All blockers, watch out for the owl's line shot. It's oddly effective today, so no doubt he's going to keep using it." The black-haired boy noted, making specific eye-contact with Lev, the amateur middle blocker. "As for the other hitters, they've got more working brain cells than their captain, therefore, their shots will be more varied."

From the bench, Coach Nekomata nodded approvingly at Kuroo with a closed-eyed smile. His leadership was pulling through.

"Fukurodani, especially their ace, has incredible attacking power. But as usual, we will keep our defenses up. We will receive every spike, chase every ball and slowly, but surely, stack up points like we always do." He concluded, turning towards me. "That's it from me about the defense. Kenma, your turn. The offensive strategy, please and thank you."

It was always like this. The team relied on me to come up with a plan, and every time, I was able to calmly state my observations and provide them with a viable strategy. We didn't always win but at the very least, my strategies have maximised performance.

But this time, it was different. It wasn't just a game. For once, there was something at stake, something too important for me to lose. Maximising performance wasn't enough anymore. We had to win. I had to win.

Stay calm. Observe, analyse and calculate. Facts only, no opinion.

"For the next set, the chances of us winning are 40%." I stated indifferently, keeping my emotions out of this. "This is based on our current performance, with the assumption that the opponent maintains their standard."