♚ CHAPTER THIRTEEN ♚
YANAGI SHOULD BE HAPPY THAT he gets to play volleyball again. It's also the first time he's playing in a match since his hiatus. With different teams and opponents from other schools.
So, why did this happiness last only for a short time? Why is he now engulfed in a cloud of perplexity that he wants to clear up right away? As if it were a mystery that he desperately wants to solve?
Yanagi hid his face behind the towel Kiyoko had given him, allowing it to cover his vision. He used it as an opportunity to think about it. Even though it was pointless because he couldn't find the answer no matter how many times he tried.
Except for one thing.
The man raised his head, took off his towel, watching the gym get empty as the other school's players had already left, leaving Karasuno's team inside.
"For the first years, you can leave the gym and come back in 45 minutes," he ordered, despite the fact that he seemed to give them a choice, all of the first years left the gym with confused expressions clear on their faces.
"Em, something wrong, Naoto-kun?" Suga carefully asked. Something is clearly wrong.
Yanagi didn't respond as he still staring at the first years who had vanished from his sight before shifting his gaze to the others. "Sit down, there's something I want to talk about."
Everyone fell silent. The large room, which they were the only ones in, felt cold and empty. Everything was silent except for the sound of their hearts racing and the ticking of the clock on the wall, which added to the tension. They were nervous, scared, and unsure of what he was going to say.
No one dared to ask. Let alone open their mouth.
Yanagi felt like an Emperor looking at his subordinates as he sat on the bench and stared at them with a cold gaze. He let out a sigh. "Calm down. Don't be so tense." I just want to discuss something that has been puzzling me for quite some time."
Even though he said that everyone is still tense.
"I just wanted to ask: what's happened with your play?" He inquired, looking at each of them one by one, waiting for a response.
"What... do you mean, Yanagi-san?" asked Ennoshita slowly.
"It doesn't bother me if you lose at inter-high. But, this match... No, your play from the beginning when I returned... really sucks." Their breath hitches, hands trembling and gaze is always on the ground. Didn't dare to look at him in the eyes.
Then Yanagi continued. "What's happened with your play? What's happened with you?"
Still, no one responded, and the man waited while counting in his mind.
"Tha-that's because..." Suga trailed off, eyes darting back and forth frantically.
"Hm?"
"I-it's just different!!" Tanaka blurted out.
Yanagi raised an eyebrow. "Different? What do you mean different?"
"It's just different playing without you..." Noya continued, looking down. "We're used to playing with you so..."
"Ha?" The young man leaned down, resting his chin with his elbow. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze was cold. "So, in conclusion, you don't trust your underclassmen who have put their faith in you?"
"No... Tha-that's not it... We just feel different... It isn't like that..." Asahi trailed off in a panic.
A dark chuckle sent a shiver through the room. Chilling everyone's bones. And it made their hearts race with fear. Ah, so it was actually me who was at fault. No wonder your play improved immediately after I joined."
"What? No!" Daichi shouted. "It's not your fault. It's our fault..."
"No. It was clearly my fault. I made you think you could always rely and depend on me," Yanagi let out a sigh. Silked back his bangs as a way for him to calm down. "After this, I'll be focusing on you guys."
Then he looked at them one by one. "I understand how you feel. We've come this far to the National, so if someone leaves and someone comes in, you feel... odd," he said as they bowed in shame. "However, you must understand that not everything will always be the same. Because we don't know what will happen next, we can't expect everything to go smoothly. For example, no one expected my injury, but it happened."
Yanagi paused for a moment. "There comes a time for us third years to leave so that a first year can come in; this is called a cycle. We third years also feel it when our upperclassmen leave and you guys come in. We can't avoid that. Therefore, we are required to adapt. Trying to trust and synchronize with one another in order to form a superior team. And to make it all happen, the first one to act is an upperclassman. You."
Slowly, one by one they began to look at him. With a slightly softened expression, Yanagi continued. "Go apologize to them."
"Yes!"
○ ♚ ○
"Is it just me or does Karasuno's aura look different?" Yamamoto's question made all the Nekoma members turn towards the Karasuno team not far from them.
Kuroo narrowed his eyes. "I'm surprised you noticed, Yamamoto," he said, but his attention was still on the crows. Karasuno's aura did appear to be different, as he had asked. It wasn't the cold, eerie aura when Karasuno was playing with Fukurodani yesterday, but rather a luxurious, majestic aura that seemed like they were royalty.
And today, Kuroo realized that Yanagi wasn't playing again. He thought he'd play again after yesterday's game, but he doesn't. How disappointing...
But there was something he needed to be aware of today, as Karasuno's team appeared to be frightening. Even though there was no freak quick since almost all of them get blocked, he shouldn't underestimate Daichi, Tanaka, and Asahi's spikes, which are becoming increasingly sharp. Even if it isn't as sharp as it was when Yanagi joined.
Is this the powerhouse real power?
After several hours and several matches, Nekoma finally fought Karasuno. A battle between a team that relies on defense and an offense team.
Yanagi was once again didn't play. After yesterday afternoon, he really focused on training -- specifically re-sharpening their dull blades. Even if their skills are still different from what they were before, they have made progress.
ｂｏｏｍ！
A loud and fast sound echoed throughout the gym and all eyes were on the first year member Karasuno. Hinata and Kageyama.
"That was― " Suga's eyes widened in surprise when he saw his two underclassmen.
"Oh my god..."
"The new quick... worked??" asked Ennoshita in amazement.
Meanwhile, the two first year stared at each other with wide eyes and jaw dropped. Kageyama's hands trembled in shock, while Hinata joyfully jumped up and down.
They were much more surprised than us...
"Hinata-kun, Kageyama-kun you did it!!" Yachi shouted in amazement.
Both of them looked at her, fists raised, and a trump smile on their faces.
Daichi grinned proudly, pleased with his underclassman's accomplishments. The fact that they were given extra time to train with Yanagi was not in vain. Speaking of Yanagi...
The man slowly turned to face him, and he froze as he noticed Yanagi's sinister eyes and a small smirk that would have gone unnoticed with all of their attention had been drawn to the duo.
Two down. Two more to go.