The Conniving Crow

Chapter 5: Morning Practice

The tension in the air was palpable as Kageyama continued to lecture Hinata with a harsh tone, emphasizing how useless he thought the smaller boy was on the court. Hinata, fueled by his unrelenting determination, bounced around energetically, trying to make a point. But it seemed that Kageyama's words were like a sharp blade, cutting him down with each sentence.

Just as the argument was escalating, a sudden hush fell over the group as they all turned their heads to see an unexpected arrival. Tanaka walked into the gym, his eyes drooping with a far-away expression on his face. His calm demeanor was in stark contrast to the heated exchange happening in front of him.

Sugawara couldn't resist asking, "Hey, what's up with Tanaka? He's never this quiet." Daichi nodded in agreement, equally concerned.

Nishinoya, unable to handle the silence, charged forward, shouting at Tanaka to snap out of it. But his friend's response caught them all off guard.

"Oh, it turns me on when she looks at me like that!" Tanaka exclaimed, causing everyone to freeze.

"What are you talking about?" Hinata asked, curious about his senpai's sudden change in behavior.

As Tanaka explained what had happened that morning with (y/n), Nishinoya couldn't contain his tears of envy and happiness, patting his friend on the back for such incredible progress. Hinata looked over at his senpai with amazement, his eyes sparkling with admiration. But the rest of the team had mixed reactions. Some grumbled over the news, feeling a bit jealous of Tanaka's luck, while others blushed at the image of (y/n) falling onto them.

The door of the gymnasium suddenly opened, revealing (y/n) along with Kiyoko and Keishin; signaling it was time for practice to start.

Smiling, (y/n) made her way over to Hinata and Tsukishima, ready to work with them on their receives again. A light tap on her shoulder caught her attention. Turning around, (y/n) was met with Sugawara smiling sweetly at her, offering to help her since he had already helped Hinata a little with his receives before. Nodding her head enthusiastically, (y/n) scurried off with the three, leaving everyone else to continue their grumbling.

All through morning practice, (y/n) worked with the three, making sure the two first years got their stance right and worked on getting their reflexes right.  Sugawara was an excellent mentor, offering gentle guidance and encouragement every step of the way.

Hinata was like a ball of energy, bouncing around the court and soaking up every correction that (y/n) gave him. His enthusiasm was infectious, and (y/n) couldn't help but smile as she watched him improve. Tsukishima, on the other hand, was less enthusiastic. He followed along with the drills, but he was quick to make snarky comments whenever (y/n) came over to correct his stance.

Despite Tsukishima's teasing, (y/n) didn't let it get to her. She knew that he was just trying to get a rise out of her, and she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. Instead, she focused on her training and tried to ignore his comments as best she could.

As the practice continued, (y/n) found herself growing more comfortable with Sugawara. He was easy to talk to, and he had a way of making her feel at ease. When he complimented her on her teaching skills, she couldn't help but blush. The way he smiled at her made her heart race, and she found herself wanting to get to know him better.

"Th-thanks, Sugawara-senpai," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Call me Suga," he replied with a grin. "Everyone else does."

(Y/n) let out a small squeak at his words, causing Hinata and Tsukishima to shoot her a curious look. She tried to play it cool, but she couldn't shake the feeling that they were watching her every move. For once the two boys agreed on something, they did not like how their senpai was getting so close to (y/n).