There are Many Ways to Win (HAIKYUU!)//discontinued

Chapter Ten

Hamiko put her arm under my arm letting me lean on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry guys for ruining this." Ushijima shook his head at me.

"You have nothing to apologize for now eat your cake." I nodded and started to eat my cake with a childish smile.

My right leg kicked back and forth in joy. I offered my slice around to see if anyone wanted a bite and Tendō refused to take a bite of my cake saying he preferred other types of cake. Hamiko didn't like the red velvet cake they had at the cafe and I understood.

Finally I turned to Ushijima with a smile holding the small porcelain plate to him. He had a slight smile on his face but it was barely noticeable. He took his fork and took a nice size piece of it and eating it. I laughed and went back to eating my cake.

"So Kari, there's a festival this weekend and I wanted to know it you wanted to join me, Ushijima, and Tendō?" I nodded at her my smile becoming wider.

"I haven't gone to a festival since I was... since I was 8." My voice trailed off remembering why I hadn't been to a festival in so long.

Tendō must have noticed my face since he jumped into starting a conversation.

"So Hikari, do you play sports?" I put my fork down nodding at him.

"Well, kind of. I played Volleyball for as long as I can remember." Tendō smiled and Ushijima looked at me studying me.

"What do you mean played?" I let out a sigh hoping I wouldn't have to talk about the accident.

"I played Ace on the same team as Hamiko, but four years ago I was playing in a tournament and I had got the winning point. I landed full force on my knee and a couple weeks before I had fractured my knee." I could feel Mazuko put his head on my thigh and I began petting his cooper fur.

"It was a pretty bad fracture, I shouldn't have even been playing but it was the last game of the season. It would have been the teams first national win." I smiled at the moment we found out we made it to nationals.

The moment was shortly enjoyed when the following events came back.

"When I landed my knee shattered, I was lucky the surgeon could put it back together." I could feel myself break and tears were welling up in my eyes.

"I did three years of physical therapy and I can just barely play a full set of volleyball. I shouldn't be spiking anymore and I can't play a full game. I breathed volleyball, I didn't know what I could do without it." I felt a rough hand on my back and it lightly rubbed smooth circles.

I knew it wasn't Hamiko since she knew I hated pity so she wouldn't try and comfort me.

"Sorry, I'm not good at this." I wiped my eyes and gave Ushijima a weak smile.

"It's fine, if it helps any, I'm bad at emotions." Hamiko laughed at this before Tendō asked what I meant.

"When this guy she liked asked her out she told him that if he went near her she would personally make sure he ate a puffer fish worth of tetrodotoxin. He never went near her again, in fact, he transferred out of all her classes." Tendō burst out laughing well I drank my vanilla smoothie completely flushed.

When I went back to my cake out of the corner of my eyes I was Ushijima steal a couple sips of my smoothie. The lighting made his slightly tan skin glow and his hair's olive colour poured brightly. I stopped and looked over at him as he listened intently to Hamiko.

I grabbed my phone and opened my camera, I snapped a quick picture smiling as he quickly looked over at me.

"What?" He creeped closer to me and looked at my phone.

"Did you take a picture of me?" I shook my head and exited my camera.

I opened my contacts and dialled Tōru's number.

"Hey Pancake, what's up are you leaving the Cafe?" I rubbed my neck and stared at my throbbing knee.

"About that, there was an accident and I need you to come pick me up." I could hear him panic on the other side of the phone as he rushed to grab his stuff.

"What happened are you okay?!" His voice raised in unusual pattern and I could tell he was extremely concerned.

"I just fell and I don't think I can walk the whole way home." I didn't really need an answer from him knowing he'd be there the second I needed him.

"Yeah I'll be there in 5 minutes at least." Not too long after just as he said Tōru was there in five minutes and was verbally harassed by Ushijima telling him that he should have gone to Shiratorizawa.

I got Ushijima and Tendō's Numbers before I was lectured on my way home by Tōru. I also got asked about the large red velvet cake I carried out with me.