Haikyuu: Nah, I'd Adapt!

"Uwahh, this is hard to watch."

"...Yeah, did he really get injured?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's secretly left-handed..."

Kinoshita and Enoshita whispered to each other from the sidelines, their eyes glued to the court.

Everyone knew Tsuna had injured his right hand. It was obvious. The crazy serves and spikes that could break through any block hadn't made an appearance today.

Not like it even made appearance in practice in the past.

But even with his left hand, Tsuna's spikes were sharp and powerful, enough to keep scoring consistently against these three.

"His block..."

Daichi mumbled in disbelief. His gaze was fixed on the court as the match rolled into the second set.

The quick attack from Hinata and Kageyama was completely out of his expectations. It was beyond a normal quick attack. Faster, sharper, and more precise than anything he'd seen before.

It was terrifying.

"Hmm..."

But Daichi's brows furrowed as he watched Tsuna once again block the freshmen duo's lightning-fast play and wondered aloud, "Did he ever block like that before?"

"I mean, he did start taking receiving seriously, so..."

Suga's voice was quiet, almost as if he was talking to himself. He stood beside Daichi with his eyes also fixed on the game.

Even when they failed, and they failed often, they kept trying. After their successful attempt in the first set, they were slowly getting used to the rhythm.

Suga's chest tightened as he watched them. Their talent was undeniable, and the way they improved with every attempt was frightening.

He felt the weight of his own limitations as he stared at Kageyama and whispered under his breath, "He's on a different level than me..."

"And yet..."

Suga's gaze lingered on Tsuna. Somehow, he always seemed to sense exactly when Hinata and Kageyama would connect and execute their quick attack.

Suga couldn't deny it—Hinata had incredible agility, and if there was anyone fast enough to match that and block it, it had to be Tsuna.

Still, one question burned in everyone's minds.

"How did he even know these two freshmen could pull it off?"

Suga scratched his head in confusion, glancing at Daichi.

Daichi sighed, shaking his head. "...I don't know. Maybe we should just ask him later."

BAM!

The sound of the ball being slammed reverberated through the gym.

The game was relentless, and it was beginning to take its toll. Kageyama and the others were visibly struggling to catch their breath.

On the court, Tsukishima blocked another spike from Tanaka. The ball rebounded sharply, landing on Karasuno's side.

Disbelief was etched on their faces.

However, Tsukishima showed no hint of excitement. He landed gracefully before adjusting his glasses with a finger as the ball rolled mockingly to the other side of the net.

He let out a low sigh. Those words from Tsuna earlier rang in Tsukishima's mind.

"Four Eyes, focus on blocking Tanaka. I'll handle the duo."

Thinking of those words made him stare at Tsuna, who had blasted his glasses off earlier in the game. He unconsciously fixed them with his finger, remembering the missed serve.

"Well," Tsukishima muttered with a smirk, his eyes narrowing at the duo. "Not that I mind watching them get blocked again and again like this."

He directed a mocking look toward Hinata and Kageyama.

But something was off.

"Uh...?"

They didn't react to his taunt this time, which made Tsukishima feel disappointed.

Their focus was solely on Tsuna.

Hinata and Kageyama stood side by side, chests heaving as they gasped for air. Sweat dripped from their brows, pooling on the court beneath them.

Meanwhile, Tsuna stood tall on the other side of the net, looking in better shape than both of them combined. He hadn't even turned to look at them.

His back faced the duo as if to say, You're not worth my attention yet.

At least, that's what they thought.

"..."

Kageyama felt a strange, unfamiliar weight in his chest. It was something he had never felt before. He pressed a trembling hand against his chest, his brows furrowed in confusion, 'Why... do I feel this way?'

He thought back to his time at Kitagawa Daiichi, a strong team that losing badly wasn't part of their reality. This was the first time he'd experienced such a crushing defeat.

Kageyama's gaze shifted to the scoreboard for the second set.

"Five," he mumbled, his voice barely audible. "We only got five points...?"

Their opponents were on the verge of closing the game, and yet they were still struggling to even reach double digits.

'It's suffocating...'

Beside him, Hinata wore a similar expression. The feelings reminded him too much of his past.

He thought back to the middle school tournament when he'd been crushed by Kitagawa Daiichi.

But then, his eyes locked on Tsuna.

"As expected..."

The figure across the net seemed untouchable.

"Huh?"

Kageyama turned to him, startled by the words. But what he saw left him even more confused.

Hinata was grinning. Wide and toothy.

"...Volleyball is so much fun!"

The words struck Kageyama like lightning. His eyes widened as a jolt shot through his entire body. His heartbeat quickened, pounding in his chest so hard it felt like it might burst.

Hinata's grin was contagious as Kageyama's lips curled into a similar expression—wide and feral.

'Hinata's right. This feeling... is excitement!'

"...?"

Tsuna felt their gaze burning into his back. He turned slightly, just enough to see the two of them.

Both Hinata and Kageyama were staring at him, their faces twisted into grins that were, quite frankly, a little unnerving.

He shook his head, exhaling softly, 'Indeed, these two are weirdo...'

And yet, he couldn't stop the grin spreading across his own face.

He was glad...

'I guess they haven't given up yet...'

... that they hadn't broken yet!

As the game dragged on, the second set finally came to an end. Shimizu's whistle echoed through the gym, long and sharp, signaling the end of the match. Everyone on the court was drenched in sweat, their shoulders heaving as they struggled to catch their breath.

Shimizu glanced up at the scoreboard and blinked in surprise.

'25-7?'

Her long lashes fluttered as she turned to Tsuna. He was sweating but still breathing steadily.

'He seems to be enjoying this.'

It was... unexpected.

Shimizu had watched countless games and practices before, but she had never seen Tsuna push himself like this. The Tsuna she knew was skilled but often held back, never overexerting himself.

'He's changing...'

Her eyes drifted to his soaked training shirt. The fabric clung to his skin, outlining defined muscles that hadn't been there before.

'Has he been building muscle?'

His frame looked broader now, his body stronger—clear evidence of the extra work he'd been putting in over the past year.

She hadn't noticed it until now and her gaze lingered a little too long, tracing the way his chest rose and fell. Then, as if he could sense her eyes on him, Tsuna suddenly turned in her direction.

"...!"

Shimizu's heart skipped a beat.

Her cheeks flushed, heat rushing to her face as she immediately looked away, pretending to focus on her clipboard.

"Ah..."

Meanwhile, Tsuna stood frozen for a moment, watching her hurriedly avert her gaze. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "...She's definitely mad at me, isn't she?"

"Tsuna!"

Voices echoed from every corner of the court as his teammates rushed toward him.

Startled, Tsuna took a step back, his brows furrowing. They were suddenly too close, their faces brimming with a mix of disbelief and frustration.

"What's going on?" he asked, blinking at the swarm surrounding him.

"You...!"

Suga's voice trembled as he pointed at Tsuna. He seemed to struggle to put his emotions into words.

But Tanaka wasn't as hesitant. He jabbed a finger at Tsuna and shouted, "You monstrous bastard! How the hell did you block that crazy quick!?"

"What do you mean how?"

Tsuna tilted his head, confused by the question. He then shook his head as if it were obvious. "I just did."

"You just what...?"

"You bastard!"

Suga stormed forward, grabbing Tsuna by the collar. His grip was firm, and his eyes blazed with irritation.

Tsuna stared down at him, unamused.

"Explain it in words we normies can actually understand, you monster!"

"..."

Daichi sighed deeply. He knew he should intervene and calm Suga down. But honestly, he was just as curious.

Suga finally released Tsuna's collar, but his frustration didn't ease, "How are we supposed to know how when you just go..."

He took a dramatic step back, raising his hands in exaggerated gestures as he mimicked Tsuna's voice and stiff posture.

"I just fucking did it," Suga said with a stone face.

He squinted, trying to match Tsuna's expression. Then, with mock indifference, he added, "Why? You got a complaint?"

The entire team froze for a moment, staring at Suga.

Then, as one, they all nodded in agreement.

Enoshita said, "Yeah, that's exactly what he's like."

"Totally nailed it," Kinoshita added.

"Well?" Suga pressed, crossing his arms. "We're waiting."

"..."

Tsuna sighed. He glanced at each of them, his lips twitching speechlessly at them being so dramatic.

"..."

Kageyama and Hinata sprawled out on the floor and completely exhausted. Though too tired to move, their eyes locked onto the scene. They were just as curious as everyone else.

On the sideline, Yamaguchi glanced at Tsukishima, who was rifling through his bag for a towel.

"Tsukki," Yamaguchi called out, "don't you want to come over and hear the answer too?"

"Huh? No, thank you," Tsukishima's voice was flat, but as he wiped the sweat from his face, his ears twitched slightly.

Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow, smirking knowingly. "Sure..."

"..."

Tsukishima just pretended Yamaguchi hadn't said anything as he fixed his glasses.

Back to Tsuna, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully before answering, "I mean, who else would he pass that quick toss to but the little guy, right?"

"What about me then?"

Tanaka scratched his head at this.

"The four eyes will take care of you just fine."

"That's...a compliment, right?"

Suga ignored Tanaka's question and crossed his arms, "But, Tsuna, how did you know to block that crazy quick they pulled off in the first set? They hadn't succeeded with it even once before, and yet when they finally got it right, you were ready."

"That... uhh... I can feel when something fun is about to happen...?"

Tsuna seemed unsure how to explain it as he scratched his head and added, "I just have a feeling about it, I guess."

"...??"

Suga's forehead twitched. The veins on his temple were visible, and he wasn't alone.

Everyone around Tsuna wore identical expressions, their eyes narrowing at his completely unhelpful response.

"What kind of answer is that?!"

A collective shout erupted as the group lunged at Tsuna, yelling profanities as they swarmed him.

"Hey, wait! I was being serious!"

Tsuna protested as he skillfully dodged their attack as if he was used to it, he annoyedly grumbled, "What's wrong with you guys?!"

From the sidelines, seeing the rowdy crowd, Tsukishima clicked his tongue, "Idiots..."

Yamaguchi just laughed, watching the ridiculous scene unfold.

------------------------

Advanced chapters can be found here:

patreon(.)com/mythoast