Strategize: Haikyuu Fanfic

Chapter 4: Attack Patterns

Ayame's POV:

        School came to an end and I was packing my stuff, getting ready to leave, everyone already left the classroom, and I was the one on classroom duty.

        "Hmm... If I buy two dozen eggs and each one is 20% off then I should save..." I mumbled, calculating prices for this week's expenses. My trail of thoughts got interrupted when Yamaguchi and Tsukishima caught my attention.

        "Hi Ayame-san." The shorter of the two greeted.

        "Yamaguchi, what brings you here?" I tilted my head.

        "We want to ask you a question," he replied, "were you the one give Daichi that piece of paper yesterday?"

        "Well yeah," I confirmed, while continuing to pack my stuff, "why?" I usually come up with attack patterns whenever I'm bored, and those were some pretty old ideas of mine too. Hopefully they'll be put to use.

        "Our coach wants to see you." Tsukishima said nonchalantly. What could he want from me? I probably messed up on a sketch or want to clarify something.

        "Uh... yeah. Sure I guess." I finished packing my stuff and followed the two outside, leading me to the gym. Even from a couple yards away you can hear the squeaking of their shoes and the sound of the volleyball getting hit. Tsukishima creaked the door open and entered, I followed along. The sound of the squeaking noises immediately stopped and the all of them shifted their attention to me. Crap... What did I do?

        "You're the genius that came up with these?" A man in his mid 20's asked, holding up my sketches. He had blonde hair that was held back with a black head-band - wait a second - isn't he the one that works at the Foothill Store? I'm assuming he took the job of a coach.

        "I'm far from genius really," I said still looking at him in the eye, "but yeah, I'm came up with them."

        "And may I ask what your name is?"

        "Ayame Yamamoto." The whole gymnasium stayed silent for a few seconds. Everyone was in awe except for Tsukishima and Yamaguchi.

        "L-like the Ayame Yamamoto?!" The man sputtered. I nodded my head. His face got pale and then quickly backed away.

        "You guys don't have to treat me differently from the others just because of something as trivial as my family background you know." I stated bluntly, "Just treat me how you would treat a normal student."

        "But your dad is the owner of that famous company right?" A light gray-haired boy asked. Even the subject of my dad is brought up at school.

        "That only shows the success of my father, that doesn't mean I'm gonna be great myself." I shrugged. The Coach's face slowly regained color and started laughing.

        "You're pretty modest for a rich person." He grinned, holding out his hand for a handshake. "I'm the Coach, Coach Ukai." I reached out my hand and he shook it vigorously.

        "Thank you...?"

        "You're probably wondering why I asked for you." I nodded."We're about to pull off one of these, and since you're the one who came up with them, I thought you should watch." To think that my ideas are finally gonna be useful to others made me feel all happy inside.

        "Sure. Just give me a sec to call someone." He nodded before I pulled out my phone. I dialed a series of numbers and held it up on my ear.

        "AYAME-CHAN!! WHAT MADE YOU CALL ME?" The speakers blasted out, making me flinch. The sudden loud voice tortured my eardrums.

        "Tachibana-san, I called to to tell you that I won't be able to do my shift for today..." I muttered, my mind still not functioning properly.

        "BUT I ALREADY GOT THE - " I tapped the 'end call' button before she finished.

        "Why do you need to work when you're rich?" Coach Ukai asked. Ahh here I go... how do I explain this without making it sound pitiful...

        "To put it simply," I started, rubbing the back of my head, "my dad and I aren't on good terms at the moment, so I moved away until things start to cool down." Everyone fell silent once again, and I can see everyone's faces that screams pity. Mission failed.

        "Is that so..." The gray haired boy trailed off, not knowing how to respond.

        "Anyways, about the attack patterns?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

        "Ah yes," Coach Ukai pointed at one of the sketches. "This one caught my attention." I examined it for a while until I look back up at him.

        "I was thinking maybe using the wing spiker to do this part, and your tallest player to do this..." I stated, pointing at the circles inside the squares. He nodded. "But that's just my idea though, you know the players' capability more than I do so..." Suddenly, Coach Ukai faced the rest of the team and wore a determined look.

        "Yosh!" He shouted, clapping his hands to get their attention.

        "Let's get started."