𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠

01: madman

sorashi hung his head low. he has been standing in the rain for two hours now. the piercing cold rain droplets really helping him wash the guilt away.

six hours ago, he failed his service, making karasuno lost again.

five hours ago, he starts to blaming himself. he head straight to practice after his loss.

four hours ago, he starts to feel numb.

three hours ago, the rain tried to wash away his guilt.

two hours ago, his brother, tenma was back and was asking him about the tournament. tenma laughed when he told him that he failed his jump serve. sorashi didn't like it when tenma start to tell him his story when he was in karasuno. so he decided to go out and just sit in the rain.

sorashi fully aware that he will catch cold and miss practice if he caught fever. but he doesn't give a fuck about it right now.

maybe it is true that he is nothing compared to his brother. maybe it is true that he is just a worthless player, a just another gap filler in the court. maybe it is true that because of his height he could join the team.

should he just gives up on volleyball? like what his brother did (even though he still told him his story when he was an ace over and over again.)

wait-

that's not sorashi everyone know. sorashi everyone know is a perfectionist hardheaded volleyball idiot who doesn't know where to stop practising. what is this stupid nonsense?

sorashi slowly stood up and faced the dark clouds. he pointed at the gloomy sky with a grin.

"such a dramatic ass. guess that's the udai genes taking over me."

and let the madness begin.

;

as what he said a few weeks ago. sorashi began to practice like a madman. who is even oikawa tooru? this man right here is more insane than oikawa. serve after serve. trying to perfect everything.

he really did it in the end though, but with what cost? his legs are now sore. he could barely jump for a week. but his serve is now brutal. even daichi is having a hard time to receive it.

daichi and sugawara have warned sorashi to tone down his practice a bit. it's not like if he didn't perfect his serve the world would end. but in sorashi's eyes, everything would be the end if he didn't perfect his serve.

"your blocks are insane, sora, you don't need to practice to serve this hard," sugawara said to him.

"but look what happen to us, we lost the match and we lost asahi and noya. and they are one of the reasons why i need to hone my skill further with practicing until i can't anymore," sorashi answered with sadness hinted behind his intense eyes. sugawara and daichi could only gaped. did he just-- utter a complete sentence? this quiet boy right here?

(meanwhile, not so far away in aoba johsai, a certain pretty setter sneezed.)

the next following days, sorashi still practicing like a madman. jump serve after jump serve, it's like never enough for him. daichi and sugawara, along with the first years and third years have officially done reminding him to rest and tone down his practice schedule.

this bullheaded man won't listen to anyone but himself.

"sorashi, nice serve!" ennoshita shouted.

the whistle was blown. sorashi threw the ball up and before anyone could move, the ball has reached the back line.

"no-touch ace!" everyone cheered.

"ara ara, it's only 70% of my strength, i need to practice more." sorashi shrugged their compliments and went to service again. everyone is shocked. did he just talking? he usually mumbled words if he wanted to say something.

(everyone is proud lmao. not only his skill is getting good but also his communication skill is better now.)

this went for 6 times before they won the practice game. and sorashi, like a madman himself, proceeds to practice his serve right straight after.

hiroki watched the young man with his expressionless eyes. he sighed and talked. "he should have joined shiratorizawa if we looked at his potential."

daichi snapped his head to his senior's way and sent him a questioning look.

"apparently he is just a volleyball idiot who wasn't aware of his own potentials, if he went to that powerhouse, i am sure he is now one of the top players in japan." hiroki continues.

tanaka laughed as he drank his drink. "well, hiroki-san, this volleyball idiot could defeat aoba johsai and shiratorizawa by himself if he wanted but─"

tanaka put his water bottle down and put his hand on his sides. "─he chose to fight alongside us! he said to me that he doesn't care what the world says to him. he is not his brother, he is his own person with undiscovered potentials!"

"damn tanaka, i didn't know you could speak like that, even though just quoting sorashi." sugawara laughed.

"eh suga-san, i have a lot of potential too! like my words are a mental strength for this team!"

"ah yes, yes." sugawara responded still laughing.

they all fell into silence.

"uh hey," sorashi walked towards them.

"what is it?"

"i will try to play beach volleyball next summer." sorashi scratched his nape and sighed.

"so i won't be in any next matches, i need to know some way to perfect my skills and apparently beach volleyball is the only way to make me more stable."

"are- are you sure?" daichi asked with wide eyes.

"yes, i'll go to brazil and train under one of shiratorizawa's alumnus." sorashi nodded his head as an affirmation.

"you can speak brazil?!" tanaka asked rather loudly, making the others to crowd them.

"i- it's portuguese not brazil, tanaka. and yes i can speak portugese even it's not that fluent."

"good luck then," hiroki said with a little smile.

"osu! thank you senpai." sorashi bowed.

sorashi then bid the others farewell since he need to do some things before his departure to brazil in summer. he waved at them and walked out.

"maybe you are right, sorashi is, indeed, a madman."

maybe, this is will be the point where the flightless crows began to fly again.

.
.
.
.