Strategize: Haikyuu Fanfic

Chapter 12: Selfishness

Third person POV:

        "Oi. Wake up." Ayame felt someone tapping her shoulder. She lifted my eyelids to see a blurry Kageyama.

        "Ah. Good morning." She greeted as she groggily pulled herself up. Lazily, she rubbed her eyes and put her glasses on. The two teens headed to the living room where everybody else are.

        "You're finally awake. Eat up, we have a long day today. " Suga handed her a plate with a pancake. She bowed and said her thanks, heading to the other first years, only to be stopped by the Tanaka and Nishinoya.

        "I didn't know you have green eyes, Ayame~ It suits you very well!" Tanaka complimented.

        "Those glasses looks cute on you too~!" Nishinoya added. They swooned as she ignored the two.

        She sat down with the other first years and took a bite of the pancake, letting the warm, buttery goodness melt in her mouth. Periodically, she would check her phone from time to time, furrowing her eyebrows and placing it back down. On the umpteenth time she grabbed her phone again, finally she spoke up.

        "Are you sure this place doesn't have wifi?" She asked to no one in particular.

        "I don't think it does," Yamaguchi said. Tsukishima whipped out his phone and checked it himself.

        "No connection. Why do you want it so badly anyways?"

        "I wanted to check the weather."

        "Just look up at the sky." Ayame glanced out at the window, studying the clouds. The majority of the sky was covered by light gray clouds. For a fraction of a second, Tsukishima noticed her eyes reflected a hint of worry, but he brushed it off to the side.

        Suga overheard the conversation and spoke, "Oh, I checked the weather for the week before we left, there's going to be heavy rain today, but we'll be finished with practice before then."

        "Ah. I see. I'll go and get ready for today, if you'll excuse me." Her tone was monotonous. She stood up and left the living room, leaving her half eaten pancake behind.

Ayame's POV:

        Their practice at receiving starts again. I climbed up the stepladder and took the volleyball from Shimizu senpai. I nodded my thanks, and she proceeded to hand a ball at the coach too.

        "Back!" I yelled at Hinata, smashing the ball with all my might. After a while, the line reached it's end, and it was time for them to start running. As the rest of them I pulled out my notebook again and started to sketch.

        "Have any ideas for the match in mind, Ayame?" Coach Ukai asked me. I handed him my notebook and said, "here's the ones that I have in mind, but I'm not sure if they can pull it off." As he scanned the pages, he would say 'ohh' so and 'mmhmm' s he handed the notebook back to me with a grin on his face.

        "We try them out tomorrow." He said while patting my head. I nodded and took my leave. I decided to take a walk on the same route the others are running in.

        I heard a faint voice coming from behind, "Ayame-san!" I looked back to see who it is. Squinting my eyes, I was able to make out a gray haired boy that is jogging in my direction.

        "Ah. Suga-senpai. How many laps have you done?" I asked.

        "Seven." He he managed to wheeze it out as he caught his breath. We continued to walk in silence. He seems to be deep in thought, so I sneak a glance to him, and I noticed that he wasn't wearing his usual jubilant smile, but rather an uneasy expression.

        "What's troubling you, senpai?" I asked in concern. He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at me.

        "Ah, well it sounds really dumb and selfish," He feigned a smile as he scratched the back of his head. I quirked an eyebrow at him, knowing that I won't fall for his fake smile. He sighed and gave in. He stared back at the sky as he spoke.

        "I was thinking about how Kageyama will be a regular setter for InterHigh and the Nekoma match, and how much I wanted to be the setter for the team too, but..." He trailed off. There was no use to finishing his explanation, since I knew what he was trying to say.

        "Since when was the desire to fight alongside your friends is considered selfish?" He stopped walking and stared at me due to my sudden response.

        "Senpai, you need to understand that rivalry is inevitable in every sport. Even your teammates are fighting for positions, and I'm sure that Coach Ukai is having a difficult time in making a decision in picking between you and Kageyama." I paused.

        "You don't have some aspects that Kageyama has, but then again Kageyama doesn't have some skills that you possess either. That's just how it works. It's all in the matter of what's best for the team, but that doesn't mean you should give up fighting either."

        "Besides, even if you don't get picked, there will be a time when Kageyama gets injured or loses his composure, you will be there to turn the tides and lead us to victory." I reassured him, smiling brightly in hopes to comfort him. A blush crept up his cheeks as he beamed back.

        "Thanks, Ayame, that really cleared up my thoughts." He thanked as he patted my head.

        "Oi! Sugawara! Stop flirting a get to running!" Coach Ukai yelled from the distance, reddening the cheeks of the setter.

        "H-hai!" He stuttered before dashing away. I continued to take a stroll without him.

        Sighing, I look back up at the sky, and the view was still the same, it was all light gray, with small patches of blue scattered around.

        This is gonna be a long night. I muttered to myself.