Tsuki-Dayo

Seventeen | 十七

Seventeen

Iwaizumi sighed as he shifted his weight onto his other leg, resting his chin on his palm. He watched as the girls chased after the ball; sliding, jumping, stretching to prevent the ball from touching the floor. He glanced to his side, where the captain of Aoba Jousei's Boys' Volleyball Team stood. A group of his fangirls stood in a distance but Oikawa didn't seem to pay them any attention anymore.

"What's wrong with you? Just moments ago you were having your fan services and all. Now you're having the quietest moment of your life." Iwaizumi asked as he turned his attention back to the game. The referee blew the whistle and Karasuno scored another point. Receiving only silence as a reply, he turned to the brunette setter once again, nudging him gently with his elbow. "Oi, Kusokawa."

Oikawa's brown eyes were fixated upon the game before him. He was deeply engrossed in the intense match, no aware of his surroundings. His brows knitted together and an uneasy feeling settled in his chest. He bit onto his lower lips and tightened his grips on the railings. A bad omen...

In the corner of Sugawara's eyes, he noticed Tsukishima walking towards Karasuno's bench, pulling down his headphones to rest them around his neck. "Tsukishima, where have you been?" Sugawara asked as the tall blond approached the team.

"Just walking around..." Tsukishima replied in monotone, sliding his hands into the pockets of his black trousers. He took his place next to Yamaguchi who looked up to him.

"Tsuki, you're back. Where did you suddenly disappear to?"

"Nowhere, really. How's the game?" He asked uninterestedly, trying to avoid questions he didn't felt like answering.

"It's almost like the previous set... The score's 11 - 9 right now but it seems like Aoba Jousei will tie it up again soon." Yamaguchi replied, turning to back to the game. His brows knitted in concern as his gaze landed on [Name]. "[Name] looks like she's struggling..." Tsukishima froze for a moment as he took a good look at the said girl who was in the game.

Playing full time in all the sets had really taken its toll on the [Hair Color]. Her skin was glistering under the lights due to her sweat. Her eyes were screaming to be shut tight and she was panting for air. Her hands were bright red from all the ball she had received and her legs were starting to have bruise patches in a dark blue and purple color.

His jaw tightened, Tsukishima felt a lump in his throat and he tried to push it down. Clenching his fists, he could feel unwanted emotions stirring inside of himself. "Damn." He cursed silently.

Just then, Aoba Jousei's coach called for a time out. The girls left the court to their respective benches, surrounding their coach in a semi-circle. Sugawara, Yamaguchi as well as Ennotshita handed out towels and water bottles to the girls swiftly, just like they always do. "[Name], are you alright?" Yamaguchi asked worriedly as he handed [Name] her bottle of water.

She nodded as she took a big gulp of water. She put on a forced smile to convince the freckled male, even though it did the exact opposite. She glanced to the side and it was then that she made eye contact with the blond Middle Blocker.

They both froze in that gaze for a moment and their surroundings disappeared once again. [Name]'s lips parted as if she was about to say something but nothing came out of her mouth. Tsukishima's brows furrowed and he clicked his tongue, visibly upset. He turned away from her harshly, walking away once again. [Name] nearly lost her grip on her bottle as her eyes followed his disappearing figure. Just why is he acting like this?

"Hana," Akari put a hand on the vice captain's shoulder. "Do you think you can do it? That serve?"

Hana lowered her towel from her face and stared at Akari. "Akari, you know that's risky, don't you?"