Strategize: Haikyuu Fanfic

Chapter 80: Impulse

They say some people were just born evil. I'm not so certain about that, but I can tell you this:

Her father is not one of them.

He stood from a safe distance, seeing his daughter grin widely and goofily like a child. Ah yes... This sure flashed some pleasant memories, back when the company was merely a local business. A macromolecule of stress. No need for liquor to aid it. It was quite a surprise for him to see her be capable of that strong warm emotion - all coming from an interesting lot of teenagers. A troublesome group, he observed, yet they can put such a blissful smile on his daughter's face.

It wasn't until the business gained fame that he began to rely on liquor bottles and intoxication... or even smashing them on someone...

Ah yes... He loathed that little girl from head to toe. Ryuuji too. They serve as a reminder of his past: of how much he fucked up in his life. His wife -whom he loved with all his heart (still do)- left him soon after, bringing Ryuuji with him. Good, he thought at first. That's one less person to worry about. He hated how he grew so attached. He had it all, really. A nice, loving family... Now it's gone.

Ayame possessed similar features of his wife - that's probably why he came to loathe her so much. The way she furrowed her eyebrows in fear, or the way her lips would quiver...it was all too familliar to him. It angered him. It angered him that he still loved her, even until now. He hated that girl, but...

He hated himself the most.

That smile of hers, perhaps it sparked him of the time when he was still young. He would take out his wife on these cute romantic dates, her lips curving to a smile similar to Ayame's... that same warmth he loathed yet longed for. It warms his heart - yet shrivels it up at the same time.

He found himself walking towards her direction, wearing a displeased exterior - but there was a hint softness flickering in his eyes. Tsukishima kept a firm grip in her hand as he noticed his figure get larger - nearer. Immediately, Ryuuji held up an arm protectively behind the couple, (arms trembling slightly as he did) and to his surprise, Yoshida did the same. Ah... The last person to stay by his side is now gone.

"Ayame, who are these people?" He asked in a business-like tone.

She swallowed her fear, narrowing her eyes dangerously at him, "my friends. Are you making them leave?" She asked firmly.

This night has definitely been full of surprises for him - to see her talk back with such a poisonous sting in her tone...that threw him back a bit, blinking before replying.

"I don't intend on it." He said cooly. "Although I don't see the point in point in paying her a visit at this point."

The girl looked around her, all members giving her encouraging nods.

Tsukishima gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I want to go back."

Her father scrunched up his nose."You are back."

"Back to Japan." She clarified assertively, though her voice shook slightly. The blond sensed the trembling of her hands along with the sweaty palms. He gave her a sense of security by stroking the pad of his thumb on the back of her hand as he held her - a habit he picked up.

"I know... I have to follow the Japanese tradition, but I'm... I'm tired. I don't want to blindly follow other's beliefs anymore." She paused to take a deep inhale in hopes to stabilize her shaky voice.

"Give me... Give me five more years to prepare myself for this job... I'll provide my own college tuition, food, apartment expenses - everything. I'll be prepared to run this, and do it independently without any assistance of others - much more efficient that way. I want to earn my position so..."