Behind a strong man [Ushiwaka /Oc]

Chapter 9 - A preparation

Behind every strong man

stands a woman with a devilish smile

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On the same day, Tamiko drove to the Academy. Since the finals were going to be between Shiratorizawa and Karasuno she wanted to hear what coach Washijo had to say about the fallen powerhouse. The team members were standing in a line while the advisor spoke with them.

"Well done for making it into the finals. The team we will be facing is one we have never faced before." he started and while he talked, the coach spotted her.

"Kageyama!" Washijo shouted.

Tamiko flinched but then obeyed. Quietly she walked over to the old man.

"Yes, coach?" she said when she reached him.

"You are the older sister of Karasuno's first year setter, correct?" he asked her, quietly so that the others didn't hear.

"Yes, I am." she nodded.

"Do the boys know this?" he asked.

"Ushijima knows. If he has told the others, I don't know." she told him.

The old man nodded and waited for Saitou to finish his speech. Then he walked over to them.

"Listen up, boys." he said. "Karasuno is a team with many different types of players. They may be called 'fallen powerhouse' but those days are over. Oikawa's junior is the setter of that team and many others who have some exceptional skill. There is a reason why they beat Seijoh."

"Oikawa has a junior?" Tendou asked.

"His name is Kageyama Tobio. He is a first year."

"Hold on." Semi paused them. "Kageyama Tobio?"

"Is he related to our Kageyama?" Kawanishi asked.

"He's my little brother." she confirmed.

"If I see any of you guys not giving their 100%, I'll have some intense extra training waiting for them."

"Don't worry coach, they will give their 100%. After all," she started before giving a sweet yet threatening smile. "if they go easy on my brother, I will kill them."

The boys all flinched back in fear. They respected her, loved her and feared her, all the same. After all, she was older than all of them.

"And to get you more motivated, I'll bake you guys something nice if you win." she said, this time with a genuine smile.

The boys grinned and she stepped back to let the coach talk to them again. This time they looked more excited than before. She smiled to herself when Saitou walked over to her.

"Will you be coming to the game tomorrow?" Saitou asked.

"Of course."

"You should stand with us on the court. Since you are partially holding the manager position, it is allowed."

"Thank you for the offer, Saitou-sensei. But it would be unfair. If my brother sees me on the opposite team, it might shake him a little. I want him to compete without me interfering in any way." she explained and the teacher nodded.

"That is understandable. It's a shame that you are not the manager though."

"I have had enough time for my studies. Besides, I did a lot for the team already." she grinned.

"Indeed you did." he laughed.

While the coach was still talking with the boys, Ushijima glanced over to Tamiko every now and again. He watched her laugh as she talked with Saitou. It made him feel strange inside. Especially when she left. He felt a little empty, if this was a way to describe a feeling. Coach Washijo made do a few more labs around the gym before telling them to rest and get a good night's sleep. He had dinner with the others in the cafeteria and went for a bath as well. The warm water was very refreshing and he lay down on his bed when he was done. His room was outfitted with the standard furniture that the other student also had. A bed, a table with an office chair, a cupboard. He had added a few more shelves and a few small potted plants decorated the window sill. His calendar marked the important dates of the tournament and a small photoframe on the desk showed the current team. The others had managed to persuade Tamiko to be on the image as well, but since it was a simple team photo, nobody smiled. He picked up the image to look at it for a moment. Compare to the others, she was short, about the same height as the coach himself. While the others were in their official jerseys, she proudly wore the school uniform. She also stood on the other side as he was sitting, since they were ordered by their number. Yunohama and Yamagata were next to her and he was the furthest away. Why did that annoy him right now? His eyebrows slightly grew together as he laid the picture onto its face. He didn't want to see it anymore. Instead, he grabbed a book out of his shelf.

"Wakatoshi-kun, can I have my shounen jump back?" Tendou asked as he burst into the ace's room.

"It's on my desk." he said as he turned another page of his book.

Tendou picked up the shounen jump and then looked at Ushijima as he sat on his bed, reading.

"Say, Wakatoshi-kun." he started. "What gives you the idea that you like Tamiko-chan?"

The ace dropped his book a little and thought for a moment. Tendou had already seated himself on the office chair and patiently waited for an answer. He knew Ushijima long enough to know that he usually had some difficulty to describe reasons for his feelings, especially those he cannot control.

"She is on my mind a lot." he said after a while.

"In what way?" Tendou asked and changed the question slightly so Ushijima understood. "What are you thinking about her?"

"I wonder what she is doing right now. If she is happy."

"I think it is safe to say that you do like her." Tendou grinned.

"That is what I said."

"I know. I know." Tendou nodded. "But are you going to do something about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Usually when you like someone, you will try to get that person to like you back." Tendou explained but he could still see the question marks in Ushijima's eyes.

"How does this benefit anyone?"

"Let's see." Tendou thought for a moment. "How do I explain it?"

He thought about all the possible ways to explain to his friend why love was beneficial when his eyes fell on the book that Ushijima was holding. It was a book about the vegetation of japan. That's when it got to him.

"I know. After the match is over, we will go to the library and get you some books." Tendou announced and stood.

"What kind of books?" Ushijima asked.

"The kind that will explain the benefits of love to you. Fictional books!" he grinned before closing the door. "I'm a genius." he grinned to himself.