"This is your idea of coed volleyball?" the captain looks at you awkwardly.
Emma's team had 4 boys and 2 girls inside the court. And you stood there with 5 other players from Ushijima's team, including the man himself. The opponents were the school's best players that were going pro. So it looked evenly matched. But the entire thing didn't looked like a normal coed volleyball match anyway. It just looked like an attempt to settle your dispute with each other but nobody was complaining. It was just a demo anyway.
"I don't remember your names so I'll just call your number." You say shamelessly and the others looked at you disappointingly but not surprised. "Ain't that nice. I'm finally able to play a match in volleyball." You say to Ushijima as you elbow him.
He bows down slightly. "Let's have a good match then." You wanted to punch him. "Shouldn't you be telling that to the other team?" You mused but he looks like he has a different priority. But it would be a lie to say that you weren't the same.
"I want to call the shots." You suddenly declared and the others looked at you in surprise. They look at the coach but the latter only nods with a grin on his face.
"So what's the plan?" the setter asks you and you grin. "Do everything like you usually do." you said without a care and they looked at you as if you were insane.
You played as the outside hitter. You debated for this position. It was reckless to be a middle blocker at your height and gender. And this was the best possible position for you. Emma Jones was playing the same position. She looked like she was confident in her skills and in her team. She had watched the exhibition match a few months back when Ushijima's team first came to this school. The japanese team had a close fight with the school's team and her team now has the assortment of players they all had trouble with back then.
You knew and you remember. But that didn't matter. Since they weren't aware of some things. "Nice serve!" You say and Ushijima starts up the ball. He does a jump serve, sending the ball to your 'rival', the nasty speed and rotation throwing the ball from Emma's arms. You hear the whistle confirming a point from your team and you nod at Ushijima to follow your plan. He does the same again and the same thing happens. For the third time, the ball targets the libero instead and it went up. You considered this the official start of the match.
And as according to what you said, the Japanese team really did act like they usually do. And you blended right in, acting like the usual guy they have for their setup. Except for one thing.
The rally was almost never ending. You kept the ball up as long as it entered your domain. What could be considered as miraculous saves, you did too often. And you executed it with ease. It looks like you didn't even considered it a big deal.
"Shouldn't she just be the libero then?" The other team complains. Your team heard it. It wasn't that they disagreed. But it was easy to tell when you were even better than the actual libero himself. And as if you were sneering at the comment you just received, you suddenly wheezed after you slammed an inner cross right at their faces.
"Yey." You say as you raised your arms for a high-five and Ushijima gives you one.
"Isn't this a little intense for a demo?" You overheard and some of your teammates agreed with a sigh. "That's true."
"What? It's only a demo and you're okay with losing?"
You spat out and the mood suddenly drops. You told them the facts. But the tone of you voice says it. It was an insult. You consider losing on "just a demo" an insult. But it wasn't a lie. Because It was an insult. Your team suddenly changed their stance. Ushijima looks at the aura you were leaking. It felt like you were oozing bloodlust. But he understood you.
Whether it was a demo or an official match, those things didn't matter.
Every match was an official match for you.
—
"How was it?" the coach temporarily asks as they took a timeout. "She said we should just do everything like we usually do." The setter answers. "But it's strange." "What is?"the former asks.
"She seems like she's already a part of the team. The response and the course of action she does make it appear as if she really was a part of the team. It's so natural it's scary." But it wasn't an exaggeration.
"It would be strange if she didn't..." the coach sighs. "With the way she had been looking at your matches like a hawk. It isn't impossible for her to do it."
"Isn't she only training Ushijima? Why does she need to watch us?" the setter asks and the coach remains silent. He knew the answer. But the reason will sound absurd. Claire Romero takes into account a player's environment— the players around him, his team, everything, when she design a training menu. If a strong player isn't suited for the growth of the player himself and a team, his strength becomes meaningless.
—
"So you're really just all talk." You say to Emma Jones as you face her once again in the court. She was taken aback but her silent glares only confirmed the truth in your words. You didn't need to sugarcoat what she was doing on her team. "You're dead weight." Her eyes widened and the match resumed.
Emma Jones towered at you with her 5'7" height. But it was useless. Especially since she didn't knew how to use it. And how she was so easily provoked.
As if the gods was trying to give her a chance, the ball stops at the top of the net and either side had to push it down for a point. It was impossible for you to win at a contest of height and pushing down.
You see her smirk in the corner as the ball falls at the side of the net on your side. It was impossible for you to contest a ball with physical strength. But that doesn't mean you were helpless against it. And with only a few inches off, your feet brought it back up. You received it using your feet and their eyes widened.
A player from your side follows it up, giving Ushijima the last ball. "Wakatoshi!" the player shouted at him and three players from the opposing side prepares to block his spike. Ushijima didn't need to be told what to be done. The intensity of the look you were giving him says it all. You'll kill him if he didn't break that 'wall'. But he didn't really need to be threatened. He just have to do it.
The wall breaks open and the whistle confirms the point. You only needed a point to win set anyway.
But from the corner of you eyes, you see a man in a varsity t-shirt as he entered the gym. His large steps echoed on the gym as the crowd parts to give him way. "This looks fun." the huge guy suddenly says and he enters the court, substituting a player or more like forcing a player out. "What is this? We're actually losing?" He says in ridicule as he looks at his team and how his eyes landed into you. "Oh?" His eyes lit up, piqued with interest.
You didn't realize how all the female players had been substituted out. "Oi." the players on the bench wanted to call it out. Emma knew it was unfair but her ego didn't want her to lose. You glared at the players, telling them to stay out of this. You'll be fine. It didn't matter.
An opponent is an opponent. You'll just have to defeat them all anyway. And the aura leaking from you demanded no mercy.
Right now, your eyes were focused on the new player entering the court. Your eyes squint as you keep looking at him. You know him. Andrei Williams was the ace of the university's volleyball club. And you had known him since you started studying in this school. He boasted to be the top pick for the country's top professional teams.
And worse, he had the same plethora of skills as Ushijima Wakatoshi. All the natural elements of being a talent was there. But they were two different players. He was ahead of Ushijima in terms of prowess and technique, simply because he was older.
He had been substituted as a pinch server. His arrogance was leaking and even more so as the ball he served failed to be received by the libero. "Tch." You say as you glared at him.
You couldn't blame the libero. "What the hell was that?" You hear in the background as they look at the opponent's pinch server. You couldn't blame the libero... especially when the ball Williams served had more power than Ushijima's.