Haruka POV
(Match ~ Fukurodani vs Itachiyama ~ Set 3)
I glance over to the scoreboard to see the current score.
Set 3 - Current score: 22-22
My eyes dilate as I look at the score and then look back at my old team, Itachiyama.
Just how much has my old team changed ever since I last played with them...?
They have gotten stronger in both offense and defense. It's to the point that it can be anyone's game now. The chance of us making it to the Inter-high Tournament is slimming down as time passes.
I glance over to the two new first year girls that I don't recognize. There's a girl with short blond hair that's a libero, and a girl with brown curly pigtails who is a wing spiker. Chiemi told me that a first year wanted to be the ace like me, so I'm guessing it's the girl with the brown curly pigtails.
The brown curly pigtails girl looks at me and grins proudly.
I slightly frown. Those two first years definitely are boosting our opposing team's stats since one specializes in offense while the other one specializes in defense. Just with those two, it makes it so much more difficult to score a point and keep the ball in play.
I bite my lip. It doesn't matter how much my old team has improved. I need our team to win so we can head to the Inter-high Tournament and the third years can stay longer on the team. That's my responsibility as captain of this team, to bring success.
My old captain, Yukiyo, serves the volleyball and Mai receives it. Chika immediately goes into position and tosses the volleyball to Kata.
Kata spikes it, but the first year libero is already there ready to receive the volleyball. Kata clicks her tongue in annoyance.
Itachiyama's setter, Chiemi, immediately goes into position and our blockers watch her. Chiemi puts her hands out ready to toss to the first year spiker at the right and all eyes follow that direction of the volleyball until she changes the direction last minute and tosses it to the left.
The wing spiker at the left spikes the toss and it goes through, but I receive the volleyball in time.
"I know you all too well Chiemi!" I shout, knowing her playing style having played with her so many times in the past.
Chiemi smirks. "Same."
After I receive the volleyball, Chika gets into position to toss the volleyball to Emiko. Emiko spikes the volleyball and they block it. It comes back to our side and Mai receives it. Chika goes into position and I survey for an open spot and start to sprint to the net as a decoy. The blockers follow me taking the bait.
I jump up and the blockers jump, but the volleyball is tossed to Minako.
Minako spikes the volleyball down hard and scores us the next point.
Current score 23-22
"A point ahead, huh? I can change that!" The girl with the brown curly pigtails declares.
"Stop yapping, you're so loud Yumi," the blond short haired girl complains.
"Stop acting like a know-it-all Nino!" Yumi cries out.
The two of them start to argue and their captain cuts them off.
"Nino, Yumi, focus!" Yukiyo scolds.
"Sorry captain..." they apologize and Chiemi snickers.
I sweatdrop. So annoying.
I turn to the first years on my team. "Emiko, Chika, Airi. Thanks for being good first years," I tell them and they tilt their heads confused.
Chiemi serves the volleyball and Minako receives it. Chika goes into position to toss the volleyball and I notice her signal.
I immediately sprint to the net and Chika passes the volleyball to me. I powerfully spike the ball to the open space.
The tips of Nino's lips turn up and my eyes widen.
Nino dives for the volleyball in a split second with a perfect receive. "It's up!" she shouts.
Chiemi goes in position to toss the volleyball and tosses it to a wing spiker.
"!" I rush over and try to block the volleyball with Airi and Kata, but the volleyball passes through.
Mai dives for the volleyball but fails to put the volleyball back into the air.
I watch the score change to 23-23.
"For a senpai, you're pretty obvious," Nino says with a smile and I grit my teeth.
The match continues with the volleyball going from one side of the court to the other constantly.
The volleyball goes to our side and Airi receives it. Chika goes into position to toss the ball.
The ball is tossed to Minako who spikes it down.
Yukiyo receives the volleyball and Chiemi tosses the ball straight to Yumi. All three blockers immediately cover Yumi and the tips of Yumi's lips turn up.
Yumi spikes the volleyball at the block. The volleyball then rebounds back to her side.
Yumi changed the course of the spike. My eyes widen. A distraction for---
They knew that everyone was going to focus on blocking her, so they brought the volleyball back to their side for someone else to spike it. I quickly look at Chiemi and immediately know who she's going to pass it to.
At a time like this...The captain!
I sprint to Yukiyo and jump right in front of her ready to block her as she jumps up for the spike.
"A little too late Haruka," Yukiyo says and spikes to the left brushing the volleyball past my fingertips. From behind me, Mai receives it but the volleyball hits the net.
The score changes to 23-24
Just one more point and--I grit my teeth but remember my job as captain. I look around and see everyone's worried looks. I force a smile.
"Don't mind, don't mind!" I shout trying to bring the team together. "It's only a one point difference, we have to keep fighting hard no matter the score!"
My team's eyes widen and they nod their heads. "Right!"
Yumi serves the volleyball and Mai receives it. Chika tosses the ball and Kata spikes through the other side, but Nino, their libero, receives it.
Chiemi gets the ball and tosses it to a wing spiker. The spiker spikes it, but Airi receives the volleyball. Chika positions herself and Minako spikes the volleyball down right at Chiemi.
Chiemi receives the ball and the two first years' lips turn up.
"Show time," The two of them say.
Nino does a quick libero toss and it goes straight to Yumi who spikes it down, surprising my teammates but I sprint to the volleyball and receive it. "It's up!" I shout, and roll over hitting the nearby benches after receiving the volleyball.
"Woah, she's definitely an ace!" Yumi awes in amazement seeing the turn of events.
"So much devotion," Nino mumbles.
Chiemi chuckles. "Haruka isn't one to give up easily."
Chika tosses the volleyball to Airi and she spikes it down, but Nino receives the volleyball.
"We aren't giving up easily either," Nino smirks. Chiemi tosses the volleyball to the wing spiker and Mai receives it.
Chika signals the volleyball to me and I start to sprint to the net. Their blockers come directly at me but I don't falter. I analyze the court and find a spot open. I directly spike down with everything I have.
I WON'T LOSE!
Our opponents eyes widen as I spike the volleyball down on the line of the court.
"Shit!" Nino dives for the volleyball but doesn't reach it.
I wipe the sweat off my face. Now--
The whistle blows. "Out!" The referee calls out.
....
....
"W-What...?" My eyes dilate as I watch the score change.
"Third set goes to Itachiyama! Game goes to Itachiyama!" The referee calls out.
I choke on my breath.
We...We lost?
We lost because my spike was out.
I stand there frozen. Completely speechless.
"Itachiyama! Itachiyama!" The crowd cheers but all I hear are muffled voices.
"...Just like that it's game over huh?" Mai mutters in disappointment.
"T-That's it..." Airi says, tearing up.
"It is. But it was a close match wasn't it?" Minako forces a smile to comfort the first years.
We lost the match. We won't be going to finals.
We lost...My heart drops.
WE LOST BECAUSE OF ME!
I stand in complete shock and Kata pats me on the back. "Haruka are you okay? We need to line up."
I snap out of her thoughts. "Right..." I mumble and notice everyone's worried looks. "It's fine you guys, it was a close match. Sorry for being the one to end the game by spiking it out." I force a smile.
"Haruka it wasn't--" Kata was about to say something but the referee blows his whistle calling our team to line up.
We walk to the front of the net face to face with Itachiyama.
"Thank you for the match," We bow our heads down to our opponents then walk back to our side.
Third Person POV
(Itachiyama's girls' locker room)
"We won~!" Yumi cheers.
"Of course we did," Nino says proudly while the rest of the team is silent.
"What's with the silence, everyone? We won!" Yumi questions and Yukiyo shakes her head.
"No...We were lucky," Yukiyo states. "Nino, if you brought that volleyball up...It could have been their game."
"Huh? Well, it does matter, the volleyball was out," Nino claims.
"By the referee's eyes, yes, but...The volleyball could have been called in from where we were looking," Yukiyo explains. "Sports are like that. It's not always fair. Something in can be out and vice versa. It helped us, but it could have been her point and it might have been game over for us after."
"Haruka...She has gotten stronger and always gets stronger the more she plays," Chiemi says with a sigh. "You two. Remember your libero toss that you perfected recently was already received by her. She's an ace for a reason that we shouldn't underestimate."
The two first years go silent.
"You two, why do you have to be so negative?" Their vice captain shrugs and pats the first years' heads. "Even though it could have been that way, we were lucky that it was our game today, so let's eat!"
Everyone smiles. "Yay!"
Haruka POV
(Meanwhile...)
I finish changing in the girls volleyball locker room and immediately leave once I finish. The locker room was tense and silent after the loss. I couldn't handle being in the locker room and decided to watch Keiji's match to clear my head.
They were playing against Itachiyama for the finals with each team having won two sets and the fifth set being Itachiyama - 28, Fukurodani - 29
I watch Komi receive the volleyball. Keiji goes into position to toss the ball to Konoha. Konoha spikes the volleyball and their opponents block his spike. It comes back to their side and Onaga receives it. Keiji goes into position and takes a quick glance at his teammates. From the corner of my eye, I watch Bokuto sprint to the net and all the blockers on him, yet he doesn't let it stop him and he spikes the volleyball down hard scoring them the win.
The crowd cheers. "Fukurodani! Clap clap clap ~ clap clap. Fukurodani! Clap clap clap ~ clap clap."
"YOOSH!!!!!" I watch the boys' volleyball team widely smile winning the Preliminaries.
My eyes widen. I've never seen Keiji so happy, but I can't blame him. Their team won the Preliminaries and will be heading to Nationals.
Keiji notices me from the crowd and smiles. A small smile forms on my face. "Congratulations," I tell him, knowing that he probably won't be able to hear me with the crowd cheering him on.
The crowd cheers as they line up and a bitter smile forms on my face as I see their team happy and reflect back to my team's loss.
I tighten my hands in a fist. I walk over to the back of the pillar and lean on it so no one could see the face I was making. I cover my eyes with my arm and take a deep breath.
We lost and the people around me won. Keiji's team, Kotori's team, my old team and even Sakusa's team will be heading to Nationals. But not my team. The team lost because of my careless spike that cost the match.
I grit my teeth and exhale out. Everyone else will be heading to Nationals...Except me.
I put my hands in my pocket and walk back to my team, not shedding a single tear.