The Devil Who Can Stop Time: Haikyuu x Reader

Ch 17: I Have to Win

Kenma eyed you suspiciously as Kuroo rotated back to the front.  If there was ever a time to test whether you were actually reading him, it was now.  So, he sent a quick to the captain, who was able to spike it down with ease past the barely set up block by Tsukishima. He watched you carefully as you spoke to your teammates before the next point, a cheerful grin on your face. You certainly didn't look threatening, but he knew better than to trust a simple smile.

Ok, this was it.  They were ahead right now, and they even had a bit of wiggle room in the point gap.  The ball came back over the net, and he set up the delayed spike.  He turned, expecting to see already falling blockers, but instead found a massive wall in front of the net.  The spike didn't stand a chance and was completely shut down.

Kenma immediately snapped his head over to look at you, which you almost seemed to be waiting for, a wide smirk on your face as you stared right back at him.  He was right.  You were reading him.  And accurately, at that.  No one had ever done that before.  It was kind of scary.

You strolled up to the net, grinning mischievously up at Nekoma's captain.  "I thought I told you I was looking for a challenge, but you simply aren't what I was hoping you'd be, captain.  I'd thought that read blocking of yours would be able to shut me out at least a few times, but I don't think you've killed a single one of my spikes.  It really is quite disappointing," you pouted.  Kuroo bristled completely at your words, but before he'd had a chance to open his mouth, you had already turned away.

You grabbed Hinata by the jersey and dragged him away from the net a bit.  "I want you to pay close attention," you muttered softly so they wouldn't hear you.  "Volleyball isn't always about raw power.  Sometimes, you need to use your brain."  Hinata nodded, and you all returned to your positions, where you caught Kageyama's eye and sent him a meaningful look to bring the next ball to you.  You'd been wanting to pay back their captain for his little comment earlier for a while now, and this would be the perfect opportunity.

Kageyama set the ball to you, and you jumped up.  Immediately, you were faced with two blockers.  Your sharp eyes caught sight of the blockers' arms and the large, open space left between the two players, almost begging for you to hit it there.

Way too easy.

Kuroo quickly moved his arms to his left as you started to bring your arm down, excited to completely shut you down with the little trick he liked to pull.  The only thing he got, though, was the feeling of air rushing past his arm as the ball sailed by him -- right where he had previously set up the block.

Kuroo stared at you wide-eyed as you touched back down to the ground.  What the hell had just happened?  Had you really sent a spike straight into where there should have been a block?  Were you insane, or were you just not looking?

Nekoma called a timeout, and he walked over to the team huddle, still in a bit of a daze.

"Anybody gettin' scared yet?" Nekomata asked.

"No!" The rest of the team immediately called out, though Kuroo hesitated slightly.  He knew what the coach was implying -- that the team might be scared of that little orange ball of energy and his brand new move -- but he was feeling nervous for an entirely different reason.  He hadn't gone up against you much during the game, as you'd been in conflicting positions on the court, but facing you head on was far more terrifying than anything that number 10 could do.

"Kuroo," Kenma called calmly.  The captain glanced up at his childhood friend.  "He read you like a book."

"W-what?" Kuroo frowned.

"Karasuno's number 13 has been reading our team this entire time," Kenma responded calmly, glancing over at you for a moment as he spoke.  "From the end of the first set and all throughout the second — probably longer, since that's just when I noticed it — he's been predicting our next plays and giving counter-strategies to his team in between points.  And from what I've seen so far, I don't think he's been wrong once."