"So cute..."
Tadashi Yamaguchi stares slack-jawed at the trembling girl who has introduced herself as Hitoka Yachi. A bundle of nerves, she seems to be frightened by the slightest sound or movement. Her stuttering makes Yamaguchi wonder why such a person would want to try being their team's manager. The rambunctious nature of the Karasuno Boys Volleyball Club doesn't exactly line up with the levels of Yachi's nervousness.
But there's something about her that makes Yamaguchi feel off. Maybe it's her single side ponytail. Or maybe it's her failing attempt at hiding her obvious fear. Whatever it is, Yamaguchi feels a desperate urge to figure it out.
"Hey, what are you smiling about?"
Kei Tsukishima, Yamaguchi's closest friend, has an eyebrow raised. But just as Yamaguchi begins to answer him, Yachi closes the gym door and leaves almost as quickly as she had come. Yamaguchi's smile quickly follows suit.
"Nothing."
"What do you think of Yachi-san, Tsukki?"
After evening practices, the Karasuno team sometimes walked to the Sakanoshita Market to get snacks. Since everyone had gone their separate ways after today's practice, the pair headed straight home.
"What do you mean, what do I think of her?" Tsukishima asks. "I barely know her." He slides an ear cup of his headphones off the side closest to Yamaguchi. "But she said she's in Class 1-5. That's a college prep class like ours, so she's sure to be studious, at the very least. And Shimizu-san isn't stupid -- she must see something in that manager candidate that other people don't."
"Something that other people don't see..." Yamaguchi repeats. He wonders if that's what he was sensing earlier when Yachi first walked into the gym. She kept standing behind Kiyoko Shimizu, their current manager. The look on Yachi's face was nothing but pure fright the entire time. "Why don't we go see her during lunch tomorrow? She seemed really nice, but really nervous. We should introduce ourselves and help her feel more welcome!"
"No way, I don't wanna." Tsukishima swats at the air, as if the discussion has materialized into a persistent fly.
"Huh? How come?"
"I'm not gonna waste my time getting to know someone who might not even end up being part of the team. But that's beside the point," he says. "After what happened last Sunday, should you really be worried about socializing right now? If I were you, I'd be thinking about practicing some more."
"Oh... I guess so..." Yamaguchi muttered.
About a week ago, at the Summer Interhigh Tournament, Karasuno played against Aoba Johsai -- a powerhouse school with a well-known, strong volleyball team. Aoba Johsai, or Seijoh, had pulled ahead in points and backed Karasuno into a corner. In response, Yamaguchi was called onto the court to be a pinch server. It was his first serve at his first official high school volleyball game. With his jump float serve as his only weapon, Yamaguchi gave it his all, but he still botched his only opportunity. Despite Karasuno's overall best efforts, they lost the match.
Tsukishima's words were blunt -- to anyone else, they would've been considered hurtful, but that's just who he was. Yamaguchi has been friends with him long enough to know that Tsukishima has Yamaguchi's best interests in mind, and that there's no intentional malice. They've never talked about it, but Tsukishima most likely knows that Yamaguchi is still brooding over his fatal mistake.
"Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right, Tsukki!"
YOU ARE READING
On Your Own ( a Haikyuu fanfiction )
FanfictionYamaguchi has never needed anything more than Tsukishima's friendship. Yachi has never known a life without nervousness and fear. But during their first year at Karasuno High School, they quickly learn that things can't stay as they've always been...
