Haikyuu: Nah, I'd Adapt!

"Whooaa! Damn it, is he even a human being!?"

"Karasuno #9 is crazy good! Holy crap!"

The crowd's cheers turned into amazement as whispers spread across the stadium. A team they thought had fallen actually had such a talent carrying them—it was a bizzare thing.

The atmosphere that had once lifted Aoba Johsai now turned against them. The players felt tremendous pressure from the cheers surrounding the game as Iwaizumi gritted his teeth.

"...Shit, I don't know what to do now," he cursed under his breath.

Iwaizumi felt completely powerless as he watched Karasuno celebrating the serve ace, hyping up Tsuna for another.

He shook his head, trying to push away unnecessary thoughts, and walked up to Oikawa, who stood in silence.

"Get back on, Oikawa—"

"...I moved a bit."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Iwa-chan, I moved my feet a little bit this time..."

Oikawa stared down at his feet, which seemed slightly off balance. It was clear he had indeed moved just a little.

Iwaizumi furrowed his eyebrows, confused by what he saw. He thought the serve had shaken Oikawa again, as it had before. He patted Oikawa on the shoulder and said, "Don't mind it, Oika...wa?"

His voice cracked slightly before fading away when he noticed Oikawa's face.

"...!"

There was no frustration at all.

Iwaizumi's eyes slowly widened as he heard Oikawa mumbled out, "Next... the next one..."

Their situation was probably the worst. Hearing Oikawa mumble like he'd lost his mind should have been concerning.

But Iwaizumi could only gape as he looked into Oikawa's eyes. Eyes that sparkled with calmness—so different from the frustration he saw earlier—sent chills down his spine and froze him on the spot.

"I can do it on the next one."

'This guy...' Iwaizumi stared at Oikawa, who walked a little farther from his position. His thoughts continued in disbelief, '...he's completely immersed in the game.'

'Fuck, what the hell am I doing!'

Iwaizumi clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned white. But then, he took a deep breath. His shoulders fell as he exhaled slowly, forcing himself to relax. 'Let's get back into the game and throw away any useless thoughts...'

His wavering eyes steadied as he focused straight ahead at Karasuno. The noise from the crowd completely faded away as he prepared himself for the next serve.

The rest of Aoba Johsai felt the shift.

They felt a jolt in their bodies as they felt the unwavering focus of two of their players. It was contagious as they immediately swallowed their frustrations. One by one, they straightened their backs and nodded silently to each other.

From across the court, Karasuno could feel it too.

Aoba Johsai was still in this fight!

"So this is Seijoh," Daichi mumbled.

Despite the cheers surrounding them, he could feel a strange calm. It was the same for the others in Karasuno.

Tanaka and Nishinoya stared at their opponents. Their eyes gleamed with admiration, practically sparkling as both of them whispered out loud, "So cool..."

"...They're truly strong."

Asahi looked at them and felt nothing but respect.

"To think they'd still be able to focus like that," Suga mumbled.

Just imagining being on the receiving end of such a serve sent chills down their spines. All of them thought the same thing...

If we were in their place, would we be able to do the same?

"...Commendable," Tsuna mumbled.

His gaze fell on Oikawa, who seemed to bear the most pressure among the Aoba Johsai players. 'Toru Oikawa, is it? I'll remember your name...'

A smile crept onto his face as he twirled the ball in his hand. Tsuna had expected this to be boring, like always.

Back in Tokyo, though he barely played in tournaments since his school wasn't exactly the type to commit to it since all their students were heirs of powerful groups. It was quite an elitist school but whenever he played and completely crushed his opponents, they would give up and stop trying.

It was fun at first, but once they gave up, it became dull.

Tsuna chuckled. "...This is so much fun!"

Whistle!

"I'm glad..."

Tsuna tossed the ball into the air once again.

The ball floated above him. The crowd's cheers roared around the stadium. Sweat dripped down his body as he moved closer and closer to the line.

"...I'm glad that you let me have so much fun, Oikawa!"

With a powerful jump and a shout, Tsuna swung his arm and spiked the ball across.

Bang!

The sound, sharp and explosive like a gunshot, echoed through the court. It sent a wave of unease through Aoba Johsai. Their focus wavered as all eyes turned toward Oikawa, who braced himself to receive the ball.

'His serve... It's insane...'

The thought flickered in Oikawa's mind as he caught the faint blur of the ball hurtling toward him. It was fast—far too fast for his body to react properly.

The crowd's cheers completely gone away as his pupils followed the blur, it felt like time slowed down in his perspective.

He clearly saw the ball veering toward his right side. But when he looked at his hands, they were barely raised to receive it.

'I'm... I'm not going to make it...'

However...

'...Ah, it's gonna be painful.'

Something inside him roared back.

Oikawa felt himself edging closer and closer to the ball. He could sense all eyes on him, wide with shock.

But he didn't care.

"...!"

The sharp pain ripped through his side the moment the ball slammed into him.

He felt the air leave his lungs in a rush, his vision blurring from the force of impact. His face contorted in agony, but he still managed to shout, "Cover!"

The ball bounced off his chest the impact slam him down to the ground. A loud thud echoed through the court as his body met the floor.

For a moment, the entire gym fell silent. Everyone watched as Oikawa landed on the ground, sitting awkwardly on his butt.

The players of Aoba Johsai couldn't tell if the sound came from the ball slamming into Oikawa's chest or the force of his fall.

But all their attention was fixed on the ball as they shouted out of their lungs, "Cover!"

Their eyes locked on the ball, bouncing uncontrollably high in the air, drifting out of bounds.

"...Shit, who'd use their body to receive a serve like that."

Suga winced at the thought of the pain Oikawa must have felt. He looked up at the ball soaring high into the air. Just from the height, everyone on Karasuno could tell...

"Be ready to block!"

Daichi's shout made everyone tense.

Their bodies tightened as they focused on the ball, sweat rolling down their foreheads. It was a high ball, but still receivable—if someone ran fast enough, even if it went out of bounds.

"...He's crazier than I thought," Tsuna muttered, genuinely surprised.

He glanced at Oikawa, who was flinching from the pain but already getting back up. His sharp, focused eyes made Tsuna widen his own slightly as he mumbled, "Damn, he's also better than I thought."

Meanwhile, Iwaizumi, the closest to the ball, immediately sprinted toward it, cursing under his breath, "Fuck, at least warn me if you're gonna pull something insane, you idiot!"

"I'm a wing spiker, goddammit!"

Iwaizumi cursed again, catching a glimpse of Oikawa moving backward behind him for a spike. "How the hell am I supposed to set the ball for you, dumbass?! You're the setter!"

"..."

Oikawa didn't respond. His eyes stayed locked on the ball behind Iwaizumi, adding even more pressure.

"He doesn't even listen, doesn't he?"

Iwaizumi gritted his teeth, jumping up to reach the ball. He received it with both hands and cursed once more, "Fuck, you crazy motherfucker. I can't promise a good set, alright!"

As Iwaizumi spoke, the ball arced in a parabola toward the right side of the net.

It was a high ball—not exactly a good one, as it gave Karasuno time to prepare.

However, Oikawa just smiled at the ball and shouted, "Nice receive, Iwa-chan!"

Daichi called out, "Asahi, support Tanaka!"

"I know!"

Asahi immediately moved to Tanaka's side. Both of them were sweating profusely as they kept their eyes on the ball. They didn't know if Oikawa could spike, but since it was Aoba Johsai, they had to be ready.

Aoba Johsai was undeniably still one of the top teams in the prefecture after all.

That was why they were determined to give their all to block it.

"Asahi-san..." Tanaka mumbled, glancing at Oikawa, who leaped from the back row, shouting, "...Now!"

"..."

The tension in the stadium was unbearable. Everyone in the crowd held their breath as Oikawa soared toward the ball, with Karasuno's blockers jumping to meet him.

'...Can he spike as well as he sets?'

The question echoed in the minds of everyone on Karasuno as they focused intently on the ball. Even Tsuna, stationed in the far corner on the right side, couldn't help but watch.

Then, it happened.

As Oikawa's body twisted mid-air, his gaze sharply locked onto Tsuna.

Tsuna felt a jolt of surprise as Oikawa's arm swung, making a sharp, explosive sound when it connected with the ball.

The ball sliced cleanly past Karasuno's block, avoiding the outstretched hands of Tanaka and Asahi.

Straight toward him as as Tsuna mumbled, "Shit..."

His eyes was looking at the ball that came for him...

"...Seems like his spike is indeed as good as his set."