Birds of a Feather

8: Aoba Johsai! Aoba Johsai!

"Sorry! I'm so sorry, Tanaka-San!"
I say as we stop at Aoba Johsai

"I told you not to worry about it. Forget me, are you all right?"
Tanaka asks

"Yeah. Lying down helped. I feel fine now that I'm off the bus."

"Is that so, good. Our match today rests on your shoulders, after all. Let me smile freely like you did in the three-on-three."

"I'll... I'll do my..."
My stomach growls

"I-i need to use the bathroom."
I say as I wobble off.

★★★

We arrive in the gym and see don't of players practicing. The gym was huge!

"Aoba Johasi is a team whose players are all extremely good at both offense and defense. It's full of guys who would be the star player in any other team."
Daichi says

"Plus they're famous for being great blockers."
Sugawara says

"What's gotten into you two? We've got Hinata here to throw a spanner in their works! Right!"
Tanaka says but I tense up.

"But we know you suck, so we've got your back. Oh, but you'll be on your own while serving. Don't you dare screw up."
Tanaka says

I run off to the bathroom.

I wasn't scared from the fact that I might mess up, at least not completely. I'm scared they will hurt me if I mess up, just like my...father...

What if they kick me off the team for playing poorly. This team means everything to me and I can't and won't lose it.

I walk out of the bathroom and hear people talking.

"What the hell is Karasuno's problem. Acting like they're hot shit."

This guy...he was the one standing next to Kageyama in junior high.

I remember his onion head.

"Are you a first year at Karasuno?"
Onion head asks

He was standing next to a shorter gut who had light brown hair.

"Y-yeah. What about it...?"
I ask

"How do you like playing with Kageyama, our King? He still seems to be on his high horse."
Onion head says

"You've gotta be kidding me! It goes way beyond that! Under the iron-fisted rule of Kageyama the Great, plebeians like me a currently oppressed, our lives filled with suffering!"
I say exaggerating all of it

"He acts like he's God's gift to humanity just because he happens to be kinda good!"
I exclaim

"See."
Onion head says to the light-haired boy

"He sure does hate the guy."
The boy with light-brown hair says

"He is pretty good a receiving, blocking, and serving."
Onion says

"And he's amazing at setting"

"But he's awful at setting."

We both said it at the same time.

"At setting?"
He asks

"He's amazing"
I reply

"Oh, I know. You've never spiked his sets in an actual match before, have you? They're awful. Difficult to spike is an understatement."

"Really?"
I ask

"He's called the egocentric king for a reason. He was to go the most obvious thing that's expected of him as a setter: helping the spikers hit the ball. What he finds essential is pawns that'll move according to his will. He throws away anything he doesn't need to win."
Onion head says but I raise one eyebrow