𝚃𝙾𝙱𝙸𝙾'𝚂 𝙱𝚁𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁

Chapter 17*

With arms full of drinks, Suga and Tobio made their way back into the gym. Inside, a couple of people in the stands were shouting. Very loudly, to be precise. Nekoma's captain grinned widely as he watched the game. 

"Give 'em hell, Captain!!"

The current score was:

Wakutani South    |    Matsubara

     12                              16

WakuNan's captain looked annoyed. "That bastard..."

It's not like I haven't heard the stories about him. He's supposedly some kind of prodigy that rose from the 'underground'. Everyone says there's no doubt he'll become a pro player for one of the top Universities. But... if I were to let this game against him slip away from me... Even if it is just a practice match...

"We'll play against you with all we've got. Even if it's just a practice match, we'll go all out."

"Tch..."

It just pisses me off!

"Nakashima!"

He immediately reacted, jumping up. The area was clear of blockers, seeing as they had "fallen" for the decoy attack. He glanced in Y/N's direction, making eye contact for a second before looking back at the ball.

I'm gonna show you exactly who you're messing with!

His hand flew down, spiking the ball. Just as he thought it was going to go through, he looked to see the one person he thought was too far to make contact: Y/N. The (h/c)-ette dove down, saving the ball. It bounced off his cupped hands and back up into the air. 

"F/N!" Y/N yelled as he rolled to a stop before quickly getting back up.

"I got it!"

In that second, every player on Matsubara's side began moving.

A synchronized attack?!

F/N focused entirely on what was going on inside the court, thinking of various possibilities and what had the highest chances of succeeding. He briefly made eye contact with Y/N's figure. 

Everything about the way he was positioned and the quick look he sent him was telling him: "Give it here!"

A toss that takes into consideration what the spiker wants... That's my job...

He watched as the ball curved in the air, heading down towards him. His hands were right above his head, ready to make contact with the ball. Y/N jumped first, two others following suit. Futoshi made it seem like he was indeed going to get the ball, throwing off WakuNan. 

Nakashima kept his eyes on Y/N, jumping up in the air, his hands up and ready to block. As Y/N lost his momentum, he used the tip of his foot to push himself in a different direction. He jumped up just as fast.

As the setter!!

The ball dove down, brushing the palms of F/N's hands as he pushed it up, launching it with precise accuracy. Just as fast as the ball was set, it quickly made contact with Y/N's hand, putting as much force into it as possible. The ball shot down, the sound of it hitting the floor echoing inside the gym. 

The others stood in shock. The whistle blew, calling a time-out.

Wakutani South | Matsubara

             12                          17

"Tsk..."

WakuNan made their way over to the bench. Hattori, Futoshi, Fujiwara, and Futoshi smacked both F/N and Y/N's backs. "Nice one, Captain!"

"That was a good set, Yamaguchi!"

"Thanks!" F/N responded, rubbing the back of his neck at the compliment.

Matsubara's coach smirked as he watched the six-man team walk over to where he, Natsume, and the faculty advisor were sitting. 

"Good job, boys. You really had them fooled. They even called a time-out!" he shouted, laughing. "In a practice match!"

"We should stay on alert. It won't be long before they're onto us. It might not be an official match...but it'll be good practice."

"Right."

"You got it."

WakuNan's coach looked over at Matsubara, a tick mark on his head. "They're clearly mocking us."

"Matsubara's definitely up to something," Nakashima said. "I was wondering why their captain had jumped first during that synchronized attack."

His teammates agreed, adding their own thoughts. "I was thinking the same thing."

"He clearly had this planned out from the beginning."

"Did you also notice how they didn't put up any blockers when I went to spike?"

"What's up with that?"

Nakashima thought back to their plays. "It was like they were trying to make it seem like that totally caught them off guard. But then..."

"Their captain dove in like nothing."

"Exactly. He's seeing through us," the captain said. "But, we also just caught onto them."

"I don't know, Captain. We've caught on, but I think that, by now, they know that and will try something else."

"I don't think we'll take this set."

"Sure we will! Just have more confidence! We'll get those points back! You'll see! Trust me!"

I know that! This set...is as good as theirs. But...if this were an official match for the Spring tournament... I see... I get it now.

"Even if it's just a practice match, we'll go all out."

"Why do those guys take this so seriously?"

They take it seriously because... it doesn't make a difference to them whether it's official or not. To them, it's all or nothing. That's the kind of team Matsubara is. If you make the most out of every opportunity... In the end, you get the benefit, whether you win or lose. That's their way of thinking. But even so...

Nakashima's fist tightened.

I don't want to lose to them.

The whistle blew once more. "Make the most of this."

"Yes, sir!"

Coach Nekomata's grin remained as he watched the Matsubara players head back onto the court.

"I'm impressed. I had heard the tales long before that boy joined Matsubara and frankly... I didn't expect much. After all, rumors are just rumors. But...he's even more impressive when you see him with your own eyes."

"Heh... That kid is going places."