The Great King -「大王様」

Chapter 20

"行こうか？(Shall we go?)" Shiro straightened up. Her vibe changed a little. Yui instantly asked to where, but the only answer Shiro gave us was a smirk.

--

We ended up in a volleyball court. The place was just right for practice, but, didn't expect to be here.

"やるぞ！(Let's do it!)" Shiro yelled, stripping her black shirt off, exposing just her sports bra.

Oddly enough, without needing any sorting, we all knew that there were already two teams. The Tokyo team, and the Miyagi team.

While I was still frozen from the surprise, Yui stripped as well and took on the challenge. Hino was nervously trying to do the same as well, but stopped unbuttoning her blouse midway because of her shyness. Meanwhile, Suzuki removed her shirt, revealing her black sports top. She tied her hair as she got into position.

Are we serious now?!

No one showed the slightest humor on their face. Crap. We are serious.

I took off my school coat, placing it properly to the side of the gym. I walked back to the court, folding my sleeves up to three-fourths.

Without any more delay, we were all in position, ready to play.

"こい！(Come!)"

--

Damn.

I'm bathing in my own sweat. Volleyball looks easy until you finally play it. We had a score of 18-23 at the moment, in favor of the Tokyo team. We have to get it back somehow. Our pride as students from powerhouse schools can't handle a loss, even if we're not exactly on the team.

Jumping as high as I could, I spiked the ball Hino tossed to me, only to be blocked by Shiro's large hands. Things happen so fast on the court, and yet Yui had the reflexes to save the ball from hitting the ground. Hino took the chance to dump the ball onto the other side of the net.

19-23

There's no point in the game we're playing. Shiro called us out to get her mind off Kuroo, but instead, she dragged us into a game of volleyball. I'm pretty sure she remembers Kuroo from how pissed off her face looked whenever she blocks the ball.

"ワンタッチ！(One touch!)" Hino shouted.

I ran to the back of the court and received the ball, aiming it to Yui's direction. Shiro and Suzuki prepared to block, but failed to do so when Yui did a feint.

20-23

Using my shoulders, I wiped the sweat off the side of my face. Suzuki is a service ace. I could tell with just a few times she served in this game. Yui and I were positioned at the back. When the ball came flying, Yui shouted, "アウット！(Out!)"

21-23

Suzuki didn't look disappointed by her serve. She looked more like she succeeded in letting us catch up to them.

Let me make this clear.

Losing is annoying. But having your opponent go easy on you is infuriating.

It was my turn to serve. I took a deep breath as I recalled Tooru's brief and useless tutorial on jump serves. That idiot. That idiot.. Oh dear Tooru, possess my body, just for this one serve.

Without further ado, I tossed the ball up. Dashing forward and jumping just before my feet touched the line. There. The ball positioned perfectly onto my hand. With all the force stored in my body, I hit the ball across the net. And failed. Instead, I hit the back of Hino's head.

22-24

"御免なさい！(I'm terribly sorry!)" I kept repeating, bowing my head continuously. She looked terribly hurt, yet she toughened up and declared that she could still play. As expected. I almost forgot she goes to Shiratorizawa. From how she played on this game, I could see Shirabu Kenjiro in her. But it's scary when she shows this much determination.

Back to the game, Suzuki tossed the ball for Shiro. Luckily, Hino saved us. Yui spiked the ball across the net and got Shiro to hit the ball out of the court.

23-24

Crap! We actually have a chance to win this!

"絶対に負けたくない！(I absolutely won't lose!)" Shiro yelled as she spiked the ball. Somehow, her tone made it sound like she meant to say that to someone else.

Hino saved the ball with her foot, and Yui and I struggled to get the ball back to the other side of the net.

24-24

It all happened too fast for me to find out how it happened.

Deuce.

I inhaled slowly. This is how Karasuno dragged their game with Aoba Johsai. Their last game showcased how strong they've gotten. It was complete despair for us, but a match is a match.

Our game continued till we reached 26-27, in favor of the Tokyo team. It continued to go smoothly until,

"夕暉！(Sekki!)" The ball hit my head then outside the court.

Fuck—

The gym was silent. No one moved. And Tooru seemed to understand what had just happened.

"徹。。(Tooru..)" I walked up to him. With the fear on his face, I'm gonna guess I looked like a demon with how frustrated I was. "殺すだ！(I'll kill you!)"

A hand held my waist. "まーまー。。落ち着くて夕暉 (My.. My.. Calm down Sekki)," Shirabu said. His hand moved behind me.

Immediately, Tooru slapped his hand away and pulled me into his chest. "俺の恋人を触らないでください (Please don't touch my lover)," Tooru declared.

An electrifying gaze exchanged between the two. But I didn't care. I was concerned for Hino. Her expression showed defeat. That's hurtful. Tsk. I turned my attention to Shirabu, and the pain went away. Somehow, somewhere in his face, made me think that there was no need to worry for Hino.

"歩美さん！(Ayumi-san!)" Shirabu yelled, turning his body to her direction. Her whole body shook from the volume of his voice. Hino shut her eyes, preparjng herself from a lecture. "ご苦労さま。いいな試合だ (Good play. It was a good match.)"

Hino stayed still. Although in my head, her heart already jumped out of her chest from the feels.

Shirabu should stop it with Tooru already. He clearly sees Hino in a better light now. And we definitely act as friends. Is he that childish to continue this war with Tooru over me?

"もう一回！(One more time!)" Shiro yelled after drinking from her water battle.

Oh wait, is that water?

This woman!