Here We Are

Chapter 40: Monster's Banquet

「 Spring Interhigh National Tournament 」
Day 2 – Second Round

Round 2: Inarizaki – Karasuno Match – Second Set
Inarizaki [22 – 15] Karasuno

"Gin."

Ginjima flinches as Kita stares at him, mentally preparing himself for a lecture.

"Why'dja try to force that shot?" Kita asks as Ginjima starts to sweat even more.

"...I uh, I felt like I had to put a stop to the momentum Karasuno had gained so-"

"And you thought you could accomplish that by getting caught out by their blockers?"

'EEEEEEEK!' Ginjima, Atsumu and Osamu internally scream at Kita's statement, suddenly rigid with fear.

"Everyone seems so on edge whenever Shinsuke steps onto the court..." Coach Oomi sweat drops as Coach Kurosu laughs.

"You bet! He ain't afraid to tell it like it is and they don't like gettin' socked by the truth~"

"NICE SERVE!"

Tossing the ball into the air, Kita sends his serve over and aims for the gap in between Sawamura and Tanaka.

"The receive has broken formation! The serve appears to have been aimed with the intent of interrupting the back line setter's path!"

"Azumane-san!"

Jumping up, Azumane smashes the spike through Inarizaki's blockers.

'Yuss!' He mentally cheers, until Kita gracefully dives for the ball and manages to connect, sending it back to his teammates as they bump it over the net to Karasuno.

Instantly, the Karasuno members start running up for a synchronised attack as Kageyama sets the ball.

'Man, I hate this one.' Atsumu thinks to himself as Sawamura spikes the ball.

Diving for the ball, Kita manages to bump it up, surprising Karasuno as Atsumu sets the ball.

"Gin!"

BAM!

Inarizaki [23 – 15] Karasuno

"YUSS!" Ginjima cheers as the crowd goes wild.

"And that's a break for Inarizaki! And one whole point of pain for Karasuno!"

"Kita-senpai... is really amazing." Y/N says as Coach Kurosu smiles.

"You'll find guys like Shinsuke every once in a while. He ain't a star and won't ever be, but he's the kind of guy whose presence whips a team into shape." Coach Kurosu says as Y/N glances at him.

'He showed signs of that even back in middle school.' Coach Kurosu thinks to himself. 'He was efficient in everything he did, and precise with everything he said. His technical plays were still lacking in experience, but he was always diligent and put care into doing them right. Now that he's a high school third year...'

'Shinsuke is brimming with confidence. Not that he's better than everyone else, but the confidence that he will do precisely the right thing and not make mistakes.'

"Kita-san sure is good at coming in and makin' the necessary plays right off the bat..." Riseki trails off as Kyoku, their first year libero, laughs and nudges him.

"Well to be fair, your level of experience and his are worlds apart, y'know?"

"I heard that the first time Kita-san even saw the court in an official match was after he became a third year." Suna interrupts as the two first years look at him, surprised.