Monochromatic: Haikyuu Fanfic

Chapter 12: Endgame

The whistle blew and Oikawa performs his serve, hurling the ball up in the air, he sprinted in time with each spin of the ball. Time seems to slow down each time he does, and Fukui still can't believe that he's the same boy who hits her with a volleyball by a poor receive as a child. Her ears are filled with squeals beside her, and she just stood there in awed silence.

The ball curves unpredictably, they probably going to going to miss -

Thump!

"Cover! Cover!"

The captain yelled. Everyone on the Karasuno team scrambles back to their position in a haste, and they managed to receive it to the scary boy - he tossed it to the ace. Iwaizumi and Matsukawa along with the others, frozen in amazement, failed to react to the ace of Karasuno spiking the ball to their side. The whistle blew and Karasuno earned another point.

"Eh?!" The girls gaped.

Fukui grins and is clearly impressed. "I guess Karasuno's strategist isn't so easily moved by pressure. Smart girl."

"Speaking of which..." The girl beside her says, pointing at the benches. "I see love is blooming in the air."

"Eh...?"

Fukui, turns her head to see where she pointed, and can't even fathom what she just witnesses before her. A player on Karasuno, number eleven, blondie with glasses is talking to the Ayame - well, more than just talk. He is leaning down, his expression unreadably blank, face inches away from her.

His lips began to move - Fukui can't hear with all the noises - and then she sees Ayame's cheeks flush into a dark shade of red. It is the first time she sees her show any strong signs of emotion, and the first of it to be like this, face so red with a definite sign of irritation or perhaps annoyance. Fukui watches Ayame's lips tremble as if to make any coherent words - and then...

Grabbing him by the collar, she kisses him, and Fukui just stood there in speechless awe as everyone around her began to roar and cheer.

Their lips part, and Ayame is finally audible to Fukui's ears.

"Just go out there and kick their ass."

"As you wish." The other said.

***

"Hmph... That girl has a lot of guts to kiss someone in front of Oikawa-kun..." Fukui overhears one of the girls said in irritation, "she already got asked out on a date and she still kisses someone else? Unbelievable."

"She sounds really needy and gross... I'm glad she goes to another school." One said, "am I right, Enjel-sempai?"

Fukui's eyes are still focused on the Ayame, eyes dazed and deep in thought. Someone snaps a finger centimeters from her eyes and she flinches.

"Huh? Oh. Well..." She rubs the back of her neck unsurely. "...I can't really say much about her. Other than it's obvious that... she's definitely the tsundere type. I initally thought of kuudere, but I'm pretty sure it's a mixture of two... Ah!"

She shakes the girl's shoulders before her excitedly, eyes sparkling, "it's a love triangle! Ayame is definitely the tsundere protagist, and Oikawa is the love interest - the classic school prince type falls for the tsundere trope! And to add some spice, they added another boy as a potential love rival! "

"Oikawa and Ayame is definitely endgame - I can feel it Aiko-chan, I can feel it - ! Ack! Stop - you're hurting my ear!"

Aiko sighs, hand yanking down Fukui's ear down at her eye level. Fukui is hunched over and clearly in pain. "You're jumping to conclusions again."

Fukui is grimacing and her eyes are closed at the pain, but then the pinch on her right ear loosens its usual power and Fukui slowly turns to see Aiko with a serious expression on, lips pressed to a thin line and focused on what's on the court. Fukui looks back at the game.

"They're switching the tallest guy out..."

It is true, number eleven, the blonde with glasses, is switched out with number twelve. He held up the sign shakily, his nervousness apparent to even as far as Fukui. He clumsily dribbles the ball, similarly to Oikawa, but his posture is definitely stiff, his expression looked as if a part of him died.

One of the girls asked Fukui, "he's serving...?"

"I think so...The team's pinch-server, I guess..." Fukui spares the strategists a glance, and sure enough, Ayame looks unsure, looking sideways at the coach in disbelief - perhaps he was the one behind this move.

Fukui can't see that well, but she can tell that the boy is visibly shaking from head to toe, his eyes only focuses on the floor. It feels as if time slows down and the whole gym darkens - except on a spotlight, bright on him. All eyes are on him. He gulps nervously.

Silence. There is only silence. Yamaguchi exhales and quips at the ball and tosses it up - and Fukui leans forward in anticipation, his movements scrambled and definitely not as skillful as Oikawa. He jumps in time with the ball to meet his palm.

Ah... How unfortunate.

He hits it too late.

In fact, he hits it a fraction of a second late, because the ball reaches its highest before he was able to hit it, sending it straight to the net. The ball spins in as if trying to break free from it, then drops down on the floor. The libero missed it by a split second as well.

The whistle blew yet again. Karasuno called for their last time out.