His Coronation [King Of The Court] (Haikyuu One-shot)

Chapter 4

Credit: @ui536 (Twitter)

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Soft sunlight peeks through the window. Wind still blowing on the curtains, but it's a lot warmer than the chills from last night.

Tobio's no longer on the floor, but safely tucked in his warm bed, covered by a blanket like a comfy burrito. It's schooling days but he didn't set his alarm last night.

Guess he's being excused from school for today.

Tobio snuggles under his warm blanket. His parents found him on he floor after returning from late night work. Witnessing their son laying unconsciously on the floor in a pile of mess triggers their parental instinct. They picked him up nervously, assuming he might have fell over and knocked out cold, or maybe he fainted from hunger. His dinner, which his mother told him to heat up from last night, was still on the table, cold and untouched.

They noticed the traces of wet stream rolling down Tobio's face when they picked him up. His hair wet soaked and wrapped in his dirty laundry. His hands were still holding on to that volleyball.

Perhaps that was the moment when his parent begun to realise how absent they were in their children's childhood. They had left their kids under Ji-chan's care the whole time as they pursue their goals in society. Now that Ji-chan is gone, their elder daughter busy with university. Tobio is the only family member with them now.

Perhaps that's why, they shifted to a new goal, one where they finally decided to cut down their work, to make themselves more available for Tobio.

Tobio gradually notices it, how he's seeing his parents around much more often now. At first the simpleton thought his parents were losing their jobs, and he actually confronted his parents with his doubts. His parents had a good laugh.

Now Tobio gets to see his parents almost everyday, especially on Friday nights. If he's lucky, his mom would pack him more food for his volleyball practice.
Tobio misses his mom's onigiri a lot.

For months, Tobio has struggled with loneliness and grief on his own. This was perhaps the turning point of something new.

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Volleyball practice has ended, Tobio stays back a little longer, to make up for the few times he missed practice for the past weeks. His teammates notice the couple of times their King had missed school and training sessions, and honestly it's unusual that the King would disappear from his beloved training and position without a reason.

No one botter to ask further about it though. Even the coach assumes that the prodigy just needs a break.

Tobio stands at the end of the court, ball in his hand, gently tossing it up in air. He moves forward step by step, gradually lifting himself up as he pulls back his arms. He swings his arms, aligning his palms on the ball and smashes it down.

The ball shoots forward, but the acceleration stops when it got caught in the net.

Tobio tsks, the dissatisfication clearly paste on his face. The ball didn't even make it over the net. Tobio pictures Oikawa's serve in his mind as he walks over to the basket to take another ball. There are times where Tobio wishes he could sneak over to Aoba Johsai, just to take a peak at Oikawa and Iwaizumi, and maybe he'll spot some other good volleyball players. He needs to refresh himself on Oikawa's serves.

Oikawa had taught a few other Kouhai his serving techniques, but not Tobio.

Tobio doesn't complain about it though. Oikawa was, and still is, a worthy senpai and rival to him. The idea of playing against Oikawa someday in the future both excites and triggers Tobio.