Imagination

21. Inside the Court

Miya

The anticipation riding on this game was definitely filling the atmosphere, making almost everyone around the area nervous. My situation was no better, since for most of the match, I wasn't even in my seat. My hands braced on the railing ahead of me for support, and I watched with wide eyes as the ball was pressed down directly through two people's fingers.

The speed, the agility, the entire flow of the game. It was unlike anything I'd ever watched before, and was completely different from the practice game these two schools had way back in April.

It was as if the people on the court were not the same at all.

No. I knew for a fact that these were different. There was no way in hell that you could say Karasuno was the school that played against Seijoh in a practice match and won. There was no way you could say this was the Seijoh that lost to Karasuno during their practice match. There was an indecipherable difference.

And just a few minutes later, Seijoh had hit the terminus, with a two point gap.

I was ecstatic for them, but couldn't help thinking if Karasuno could somehow make a comeback. It was the second set after all. If they screwed this up, Seijoh would win without them even taking a set and claiming it as theirs.

I squeezed my eyes shut and then took a deep breath. My fingernails dug into the railing as I watched in fear, swallowing lightly. Torn between two sides, I evidently had to choose Seijoh, and focused all my attention on Oikawa. He was definitely exhausted, but still held his head up high with a sweaty face, a determined look glued onto his complexion.

I couldn't help but feel motivated, and clenched my hand into a fist. I believed in him.

Until the second Asahi spiked down a point with ease, avoiding Kindaichi's block with precision timing. That was until Tanaka served the ball over the net with a heavy force, his anger riding on it.

Luckily for Seijoh, our Libero Watari easily received it, restoring my hope in a wide smile.

The ball was tossed with such accuracy right above Oikawa's head, and he prepared his hands as Kindaichi went up to send it down to their court.

"You've got this!" I yelled from my stand, crossing my fingers that Kindaichi would make it.

And just like that, Oikawa sent the ball to the pinpoint location for him to hit it, and my grin just got even wider. His hand connected with the ball like a magnet, and he spiked it as hard as he could towards the floor.

And as soon as I was about to burst into applause, the tables turned so rapidly that my mind went blank for a split second.

Instead of the ball hitting the floor with the satisfying sound like it always did, Tanaka managed to get under it. But not with his hands, rather, with his shoulder.

My jaw hung open as the ball slowly made its way right above the net, and descended at a rapid pace. Oikawa was already there, his hands prepared to set it onto his side.

But it wasn't over.

For as I finally thought he had done it, Kageyama came out of nowhere, his hand going just behind the ball as it drifted over to Oikawa's fingertips. It was like something out of a fictional book, where the most meticulous play came in at the very last second.

And to top it off, Kageyama didn't even set with both hands. It was a complete one-handed push with his right hand, and boosted the ball just the right height for their final attack.

Oikawa had leaped off the floor to retrieve the ball, but his timing was way off when he noticed just what was about to happen. Right behind Kageyama was none other than Hinata, who was already in the air.