Silver Hearts | Sakusa Kiyoomi

24 | perfect time

They say the third day was the worst. People who made it that far have to play two matches in one day; that is if they make it past round three.

As Itachiyama made their grand entrance, (Y/N) noticed the increase of cameras stationed around the arena. Only 16 teams were left for round three, and if they made it past that, they would be the top 8 in the country.

Itachiyama was against an unknown school from the Niigata prefecture. They were Senami High School. Not much was known about them except that they relied heavily on their ace, just like Shiratorizawa. An unknown school like them made Sakusa feel unprepared, but if they were only a weaker version of Shiratorizawa, they had nothing to worry about.

It was now up to the number of times Itachiyama practiced just for that moment.

When Senami entered, (Y/N) had to try her best not to laugh out loud. They looked exactly like a counterfeit Shiratorizawa. The hairstyles, everything about them seemed so unoriginal. Were they a giant fan of Shiratorizawa?

The 'Tendou' of the school also had long, spiky hair, except it was hazel instead of red. A total opposite of Tendou's personality too, he seemed less cheerful and quieter, unlike the actual Tendou.

The 'Ushijima' of the school had a completely different look from the original one but shared the same stoic face. He was much shorter than the Ushijima, standing around 182 cm in contrast to the original 189.5 cm giant. His hair was slicked back and had red streaks going through his raven black hair.

It was the less cheerful version of Shiratorizawa.

A keening whistle filled the air around them as the match commenced. This was only a step to their goal. If they passed through round three, they would reach the quarter-finals and become top 8. But they weren't going to just stay in the top 8. They were going to travel farther than that.

They were going to win, maybe not immediately, but definitely.

They channelled their focus throughout their body as they got ready for Senami's serve. If the rumours were accurate and they were just like Shiratorizawa, Itachiyama was made for that moment.

The game between Itachiyama Academy and Senami High School was short-lived. Since Senami based their playstyles on only the ace, it was easy to counter and predict. Matsushima was able to flawlessly shut down their ace with his blocks. Sakusa scored at least 24 points that match since Senami wasn't strong in the defence aspect, so they had a hard time receiving his spikes.

Both sets went to Itachiyama, but they were far from completing the day. Now that they moved onto the quarter-finals, it was just going to be harder. Though, they did have one advantage: the other team was also going to be tired out. Their opponent wasn't decided yet, but when it came to stamina, they might just be on par with Itachiyama.

As (Y/N) walked back with the freshly refilled water bottles, she found herself staring at the whole team while they dozed off. Even Sakusa, who hated sleeping anywhere unknown, was snoozing. His head bobbed and lolled to the side as he tried his best to stay awake.

(Y/N) quietly giggled at the sight, careful not to wake them up as she puts the water bottles back into the carrier. They were fortunate enough to have a two-game break before their next match began.

• • •

When the team woke up from their nap, they felt fresh and ready to take on their next opponent, which happened to be Kyozen Tech. Sadly, Kyozen Tech was less fortunate enough to have a nice long break like Itachiyama and instead only had 10 minutes to rest before their next game. It was really unlucky.