Meeting the Ace pt.2

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"What?" He turns his head to look over his shoulder back to Sugawara. Hinata looks close to fainting as he takes the huge guy in that is apparently Asahi and slowly starts to creep behind Kageyama and Zayd. Yumi squints her eyes, taking the tall guy in. Wait.... I have seen him before.
Finally noticing the little group standing there, Sugawara turns to them. "Huh? What are you guys doing here?" Both Kageyama and Hinata freeze up like they were caught sticking their hands in a cookie jar while Zayd and Yumi are at lost for words.
"Oh, uhm....."

Third p.o.v
"Let me introduce our new members, Hinata and Kageyama. And our first-year assistant-manager, Andou Zayd." Sugawara gestures to each boys as he mentions their names, but stops when he ends up at Yumi. She smiles and introduces herself quickly.
"Sorry, my name is Takahashi Yumi, I am a first-year at the volleyball team!" Suguwara nods at her in understanding, Asahi shows the group a warm, welcoming smile.
"So you're the first-years."
Kageyama and Hinata simultaneously bow towards Asahi, greeting him. "Hello!" As Asahi turns back to Sugawara and addresses him while Zayd stares at him in interest. Now I know who Asahi is again, how could I have been so stupid? It makes the white-haired smack himself on the back of his head on why he didn't remember the young man before. Asahi Azumane, the most powerful attacker in Karasuno. He is the most well-known for his delayed spike! Excitement wells up inside him. The Ace would extend the time he stays in midair to throw off the blocker's timing! And then he would spike when the blocker's were starting to fall back down! It is a crushing, powerful spike!
Zayd is snapped from his thoughts when all of the sudden a hand pats his shoulder and he can't help but stare at the hand on his shoulder.
"Do your best." The hand pats his shoulder. Huh?
"Aren't you going to play, too?" The other looks taken aback, but stays quiet, so Hinata clenches his hands and leans a bit forward, "I want to become the Ace, so I want to watch an Ace play in person." Yumi smiles down at Hinata.
"Then we share the same dream." This time the smile that Asahi offers has an apologetic tone to it, and for a moment he looks like he wants to say something, but it is interrupted by a classmate of him.
"Azumane. Sensei's waiting." He waves slightly as he already turns around, the apologetic (it makes Hinata scream inside) smile stays there.
"Sorry, but I'm no Ace." And follows his classmate, steadfastly ignoring Sugawara, so he doesn't need to see the other's disappointed expression. They all stare at Asahi's disappearing figure before Kageyama addresses Sugawara,
"Is he injured or something?"
"Is he alright?" Asks Zayd.
"He seems like he doesn't have any ounce of self-confidence in himself." (and the team). Comments Yumi bluntly. Sugawara winches slightly at her statement, even though she hits closer to home than she probably is thinking. He sighs.
"No, it's not like that.... I think he doesn't like volleyball anymore. That's the problem." Hinata jerks back in surprise.
"What? He's so tall and he's an Ace! Why?!"
"Just because he's tall and an Ace, doesn't mean he is supposed to continue to like volleyball, things change." Yumi crosses her arms and frowns. Hinata snaps his mouth shut at Yumi's answer.
"Asahi was...the tallest in Karasuno. He had power." Sugawara recounts the match in his head, his heart heavy. "He rescued us when things got rough and managed difficult balls. Everyone acknowledged that he was the ace. We trusted him. But...." The memory darkens as Suguwara thinks about what happened next and stays silent, his tongue feels thick in his mouth.
"Was he defeated?" There's a barely visible nod from Sugawara.
"There was a match in which all of his spikes where blocked." He squeezes his lips together into a thin line, but continues, "He's the type to shoulder all the blame." The small group watches as Suguwara plasters on a smile and looks at them. "You all should head back, lunch is almost over. See you later."
As Suguwara waves at them and disappears inside his classroom, the question is already out of Hinata's mouth before they even start walking.
"Would something like that made you dislike volleyball?" Zayd frowns while Yumi just shrugs.
"There must've been other reasons." Hinata throws her a confused face.
"Like what?"
"I don't know. But personally, I think it's a stupid reason." Kageyama and Hinata look at her, surprised by her blunt admission.
"What? Why?" She throws them a frown that just screams that she thinks they're idiots. Zayd whacks her arm and she shrugs again.
"Suguwara said Asahi-san is someone who shoulders all the blame and that's stupid. They're a team." She crosses her arms as they continue to walk, she scowls. "You win as a team or you lose as a team, there's no in between." Kageyama winches at her words while Hinata shoots him a shit-eating grin. "It's selfish and idiotic to think you have to shoulder all the blame because the guilt and shouldering the blame will only hinder you and your team in the long run." Zayd hums.
"That is true." Hinata falters slightly.
"So-"
"But we don't know for sure that he dislikes it."
"What could it be, Takahashi-san?" Asks Kageyama and she waves her hand around.
"Call me Yumi, Takahashi makes me sound like a stuck-up, self-righteous person." She shakes her head at his question, "I have no idea, we have to found out for ourselves. But we should do that another time, let's go back to class." The group waves each other goodbye before splitting their ways.

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