Haikyu: Nah, I'd Adapt!

Phew...

I had fun last night! Despite the terrible sleep afterward, I strongly believe it was all worth the pain.

Thank you guys for the kind words! I truly appreciate it!

But still, I have one question...

Just how in the world are we still climbing the rank when I didn't even post a chapter? What!?

---

The gentle night breeze carried the chirping of crickets in the darkness.

The moonlight peered through the windows of Karasuno High and brightened the school grounds.

However...

Inside the gymnasium, the night was anything but quiet. The sound of sneakers squeaking against the polished floor echoed with the steady thud of the volleyball.

Lights illuminated the gymnasium, creating a stark contrast to the dark buildings outside.

The janitor had already come knocking earlier, reminding them that it was well past school hours. But Takeda-sensei managed to convince him to let them stay, promising to take full responsibility for locking up afterward.

The practice game was in full swing. Despite the alumni team having four alumni, the match was surprisingly close.

Asahi's return and his apparent progress in moving on from his trauma against Date Tech had a ripple effect.

Everyone now understood that Nishinoya was also officially returning to the club following Asahi's return.

The interaction between Kageyama and Hinata a while ago also further lifted the team's spirits as the game went on.

'I want more of this...'

Tsuna thought, fully absorbing Keishin's advice on receiving from earlier.

Now, mid-game, he could feel the difference.

There were still moments when the ball escaped him, but something had shifted. The knot he always felt—the subtle sense that something was off whenever he tried to receive—was gone.

For the first time, it felt like the path forward wasn't as foggy anymore!

"..."

Tsuna couldn't stop himself from giggling, the sound bubbling out of him unconsciously.

His twisted expression made him look almost possessed as he darted across the court, chasing every ball as if his life depended on it.

"..."

Everyone could only watch Tsuna with a wry smile.

Sometimes, he even overtook his teammates' positions, diving to save balls that weren't meant for him.

"...Is he always like this?"

Keishin scratched his head speechlessly.

Sometimes, Tsuna took over Hinata's position and brought the ball back to life, which was good for the team.

But considering it was a practice game, Hinata's own growth was necessary too.

"Hmm... I guess I should take note of this..."

The sweaty game finally came to an end.

The players collapsed onto the floor. Heavy breaths filled the gym as the exhaustion of three grueling sets finally caught up with them.

'I guess I need to work on their stamina too,' Keishin thought while quietly scanning the players.

Looking at their expressions, most of them looked completely drained. However, he noticed exceptions as his eyes fell on Hinata.

'Quite unexpected...'

The little guy still had the energy to chatter loudly despite the sweat dripping from his forehead.

'And him...'

Keishin's gaze shifted to Tsuna, who still stood tall with his breath relatively steadier than the others.

He nodded in understanding. 'He runs every day, so I'm not even surprised...'

The coach rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he processed what he had observed throughout the game.

"They're not bad as a team..."

Their synergy was promising.

Despite their different personalities, they were surprisingly compatible. They played off each other's strengths and covered each other's weaknesses.

But...

Keishin concluded aloud, "Their receive is awful!" 

He then turned his attention to Takeda and the other members who hadn't participated in the practice game.

They were busy handing out drinks to the exhausted players.

"Alright," Keishin crossed his arms while raising his voice to gather their attention. "I've got a rough idea of what needs work from that practice game."

The players, still sprawled out or leaning against the walls, perked up at his words.

"Your receive is definitely going to need a lot of work!"

"..."

Everyone flinched.

Guilt and embarrassment were written all over their faces.

'Well, it's not like we can exactly refute him,' Daichi scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

As the team captain, he couldn't help but take Keishin's words personally. He considered it partly his fault that such a thing happened.

"Don't mind, Daichi," a voice broke through his thoughts.

Daichi turned to see Suga patting him on the shoulder with a reassuring smile while giving him a thumbs up.

"Suga-san is right, Captain!"

Tanaka chimed in, "Besides, I'm sure our coach already has a plan to fix this!"

Their words made Daichi's chest feel lighter. He nodded at Suga gratefully, then glanced at Tanaka, who was grinning broadly.

A small smile tugged at Daichi's lips. Closing his eyes, he let out a sigh.

"But Tanaka," he said, "your receive sucks too."

"...W-why do you have to mention that?"

"You're a second year," Daichi continued, "You've been polishing your spikes constantly, but you've been neglecting your receive. So, why don't we talk about that?"

"...!"

Tanaka flinched like he'd been struck. His gaze darted away as he muttered under his breath, "Y-you're getting personal, Captain..."

The rest of the team couldn't hold back their laughter.

"Bro thinks he's slick..."

Snickers and muffled chuckles echoed around the gym, and Tanaka's face turned red with embarrassment.

"Alright, alright!"

Tanaka shouted, glaring at the group. "If we're pointing fingers, let's talk about who else has bad receive!"

He began calling out his teammates one by one.

"Enough! Listen to me, you brats!"

Keishin shouted angrily which shut them up before they all sheepishly turned to him as the chatter died down. 

He nodded noticing everyone looking at him before announcing, "Until we face Nekoma High in a few days, we're going to focus on your receive. It's going to take time, and a few days definitely won't be enough to fix everything. But until then, practice, practice, and practice some more. Every single day!"

"Whoa!"

Their eyes lit up in response to that.

Although Keishin could see there were other issues since these guys still made basic mistakes sometimes, receiving was the foundation that needed to be perfected before moving on to the advanced skills they needed to develop.

Once Takeda wrapped up the session with a quick but heartfelt motivational speech, the players began to disperse.

They stretched their sore muscles, packed up their things, and cleaned up the gymnasium before slowly walking out in group.

Off to the side, the alumni stood together, chatting quietly.

"Well... the energy of these young men is electrifying," Shimada said, watching the players with a smile, "I'm so jealous of them."

The others nodded in agreement.

Though they no longer had the stamina to keep up with their energy, the sight of the team's youthful vigor brought a nostalgic smile to their faces.

They might not have been doing chores along with the team since they were alumni, but they hung out with Keishin and Takeda and eventually left the gymnasium together with everyone else.

"I want to grow too!"

"...!"

Asahi flinched at the shout and sharply turned to see Takinoue mimicking his exact words with a slightly exaggerated pose.

The sight made Shimada and Mori burst into laughter, their expressions brightening at the impression.

"That's it! And also..."

"Everyone's shining like a star. But with me here..." Mori paused before pointing at Shimada and shouted, "...you'll shine the brightest!"

"..."

Uchizawa just shook his head at the sight of his friends, who were much older than the students, clearly enjoying themselves as they teased the team.

He could see Kageyama's cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.

"..."

Tsuna secretly curled his lips, watching the two cringe badly at their own words. He somewhat enjoyed their misery, "That's exactly how I felt when someone used the words I wrote in my novel in real life..."

Although he didn't usually care much, Tsuna was relieved that Karasuno was finally taking shape again.

And with a coach in place, things are starting to fall into how they were supposed to go.

'Hmmm...'

Even so, his face twisted into a grimace as another thought surfaced. He mumbled under his breath, "I hope she comes to school tomorrow..."

He was determined to make things right again with Shimizu!

However...

The next morning, as he ran into the school gate, he couldn't help but furrow his brow as the usual sight of Shimizu was missing.

"Huh? Is she not coming to school again?"

Disappointment pricked at him, but what could he do? He pushed the thought aside and carried on with his day.

Except...

"...?"

Tsuna froze mid-step as he walked into the gymnasium, his eyes locking on someone just ahead.

Shimizu was here!

"What?"

He blinked in confusion before disbelief washed over him.

Shimizu... at school? 

Tsuna felt his heart raced as he tried to process what he was seeing. His mind reeled as he mentally sifted through the details he'd memorized about her daily routine.

Tsuna had been following his father's advice, after all, and knew nearly every detail—from the time she usually arrived at school to small things, like how many pens she carried.

"She didn't arrive at 7:46 and 38 seconds today..." he muttered to himself.

His eyes widened as the realization struck, "Does that mean...?"

A wave of unease crashed over him.

She'd changed her routine. Completely.

To avoid him!

He might not have been as observant today because he thought she wasn't coming to school, but he needed to make sure.

Shimizu was standing near the teacher's desk, her notebook in hand, diligently recording attendance as usual.

Glancing at her, Tsuna took a deep breath and walked over.

"Yo, umm, Kiyoko... How are you doing? I noticed you didn't come to school yeste—"

"Takeda-sensei, I've taken everyone's attendance for today," Shimizu said, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Ah, thank you, Shimizu-san!"

Takeda replied warmly, taking the notebook from her.

He scanned it quickly before murmuring, "Hmm, everyone seems to be here... uh...? Tsuna-kun didn't come...?"

"But... he's here, isn't he?"

Takeda blinked in confusion, looking up from the notebook to glance at Tsuna, who stood rooted in place.

'...'

Tsuna felt the sound of the others' chatter completely dissipated. He realized Shimizu had been completely ignoring him.

Not even acknowledging his presence anymore.

'This is quite a problem.'

Tsuna had been ignored before, but this... this was on a whole new level!