Haikyuu: Nah, I'd Adapt!

It was... not easy for Aoba Johsai.

'My chest... feels so heavy it's suffocating...'

Oikawa's determined gaze was nowhere to be seen. All that was left was an empty shell as the light had gone away... completely.

He looked around at the crowd's faces, lit up as they cheered for this one-sided domination. Yet, strangely enough, he couldn't hear a thing as he couldn't help but think out loud, "Is this... a dream?"

His breath was ragged as he stood still. The game raged on, but all he could see were his teammates' hollow expressions.

The sight made his throat tightened. They weren't even desperate anymore.

They're all lost.

"Are the talented and the ordinary really that far apart?"

Sweat dripped as he felt his vision closing in. Darkness surrounded him completely, and though he swore not to lose himself, he couldn't stop it.

Slowly, his blurry vision began to clear.

In his pupils, Karasuno's #9 was reflected.

"He wasn't even smiling anymore..."

Oikawa noticed that Tsuna's smile was gone. His calm eyes now felt so cold that Oikawa's breathing grew even more ragged.

"Does he not find us even a tiny bit challenging anymore?"

This feeling was familiar.

He knew this feeling... not this well... but something similar. He had felt it before, back at Kitagawa Daiichi. A junior setter of his, ridiculously talented, who picked things up so quickly that Oikawa had almost drowned in doubt.

"I wonder if Tobio had fully matured... would I feel the same way as now?"

Oikawa had more experience. Back then, even with that little monster's rapid improvement, he was confident he could crush him.

No. He had to pretend to be confident, or he might have lost himself...

"That time... I almost lost myself too. But I managed to hold on."

From the corner of his eye, he saw the referee blow the whistle. The sound barely registered as he watched Karasuno's #9 leap to serve.

That form—it was beautiful... and perfect...

As Tsuna swung his arm, everything blurred. Oikawa turned his head just in time to see the ball slam into the floor beside him with a deafening impact.

He mumbled, "...How am I supposed to hold on this time?"

He was sure of it now. Between that little junior of his and this monster wearing human skin before him.

Whistle!

"Whoooooaaa!"

The stadium erupted in the loudest cheers yet, snapping everyone in Aoba Johsai back to reality. They all stared at the scoreboard in disbelief.

Karasuno had already reached 25 points—beside the last spike that crushed their last hope, every single one came from that serve.

Oikawa tightened his grip, his teeth clenched so hard that his gums almost bled. He stared at Tsuna, surrounded by the other Karasuno players celebrating their victory.

"How... what should I do..."

Tears began to pour from Oikawa's eyes as his chest tightened, choking his words. "I just can't think of a way to hold on when that guy is levels apart..."

"Oikawa..."

A familiar voice called from behind, and Oikawa felt a hand pat his shoulder. Embarrassed, he quickly wiped away his tears, which kept falling, as he spoke. "Iwa-chan, you can't make fun of me for this, alright? That guy is just... uh...?"

"I know, and it's fine..."

"...!"

Oikawa's voice trailed off as he noticed Iwaizumi's eyes were red, tears streaming down his face. Biting his lip, Oikawa nodded, and the two wordlessly moved toward the net to congratulate the winners.

"Tsuna! Fuck, how should we call your serve? Lightning Strike!?"

"Hmm, no, I think we should go with Thor's Hammer! Like, umm, Mjolnijour... uh, what's its name again?"

"Oh, you mean Jonathan?"

"Who the hell is even Jonathan?"

"These guys..." Daichi sighed, choosing to ignore the loudmouth duo, Tanaka and Nishinoya, as he turned to Tsuna, "Good job, Tsuna. Sorry that you ended up carrying us again..."

"Yeah, if only my spike was as good as yours, maybe I'd contribute more," Asahi added, looking similarly embarrassed as he scratched his head awkwardly.

"It's light work, don't worry about it..."

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders as he wordlessly cut through the crowd around him, leaving both Daichi and Asahi looking at each other in confusion.

Tanaka was just as baffled. "Where are you going?"

"Well..."

Tsuna kept walking until he stopped in front of Suga, who seemed to have passed out. Without a word, he bent down and grabbed him, clearly intending to carry their setter.

He then turned to the team and said, "I worked him to death. I gotta at least bury him properly..."

"Ah... you're right..."

"...Suga's dead?"

"I don't know, but somehow, I was expecting that already."

"I mean, considering how much work he got..."

The team exchanged glances before collectively sighing in regret. Then, as one, they clasped their hands together in prayer. "He's in a better place..."

'I can hear y'all, you heartless motherfuckers!'

Suga's eyelids twitched slightly. He wasn't unconscious—just so exhausted that lying down felt like the only option. He had closed his eyes because keeping them open was too much effort.

Still, a part of him was touched that Tsuna was willing to carry him, unlike the rest of his heartless teammates.

Despite being worked to the bone by the very same person, Suga couldn't help but think, 'You're such an annoyingly kind bastard, aren't you, Tsuna? No homo, but I fucking love you.'

But then, as they headed to the net to shake hands with Aoba Johsai, Suga heard Tsuna mumble under his breath, "...He needs to work more. This is the least I could do."

"...!"

Suga's eyes shot open as if he'd been hit by lightning.

He stood straighter than Andrew Tate, his exhaustion vanishing in an instant. Leaping away from Tsuna, his face twisted in anger as he pointed a trembling finger at him and cursed, "You sadistic bastard! I should've fucking known, you son of a bitch! I fucking hate you!"

"Oh? I thought you were out cold... senpai," Tsuna replied with a bit of pause as his lips curling into a smirk.

"You...!"

Suga's whole body trembled with frustration.

"Eh? He's back? Suga-san respawned, I guess," Tanaka said, blinking in surprise.

"I don't know. Maybe Tsuna used resurrection on him," 

Nishinoya added after carefully thinking about it.

"Resurrection?"

Daichi frowned, glancing between the two before turning to Suga who seemed to have regained his energy back and mumbed out loud, "Is that really the case?"

"Hmm... maybe that's true," Asahi muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

This seemed to offend Suga even more.

His voice rose in a furious shout, "Y'all are heartless fuckers! You think this is a fucking video game?! Goddammit, please just be normal for a day!"

Suga clenched his fists, feeling both anger and anguish.

Tears started forming on the corner of his eyes as for a moment, he thought he might actually cry.

"...Alright, enough of it, guys," Nishinoya suddenly said, breaking the tension.

His words earned a look from Tsuna.

'When this guy's the most mature in the group…' Tsuna thought, turning his head toward the net where Aoba Johsai's players had lined up. '...we're cooked.'

Suga swallowed his anger and sighed in resignation.

There was nothing he could do at this point.

The others turned their attention to Aoba Johsai's players, falling silent. The defeated look on their opponents' faces was reason enough.

'They're a strong team,' Daichi thought. It was undeniable.

Without Tsuna, he was certain they would be the ones wearing those same expressions.

He stepped forward to initiate a handshake with the other team's captain. "It was a tough... It was a great game. We tried our best."

"..."

Oikawa's face was twisted, his dried tears and shaky eyes making him look miserable. To some, it might have seemed funny, but not a single mockery was heard.

He weakly shook Daichi's hand, and the rest followed, each team quietly exchanging handshakes.

"..."

Tsuna didn't say much, just shook their hands as a formality. But when he stopped before Oikawa, his eyes met the other's miserable gaze.

"I had fun," Tsuna said calmly.

Oikawa's eyes trembled at his words. The hand he'd raised for a handshake shook as well.

Tsuna didn't mind it as he continued, "It's usually boring, but you made it fun. I'm thankful for that."

"..."

Silence followed. Everyone turned their attention to the two.

"Though..."

Tsuna's voice lingered as he clasped Oikawa's hand. Then he started walking away with his team toward their bench before finishing, "...it got a bit boring in the last few rounds."

"...!"

The words cut deep. Karasuno's players froze, their faces full of surprise.

'He's not the type to taunt his opponent… not when they've already lost,' Suga thought, eyeing Tsuna suspiciously.

Despite the awkwardness in the air, Tsuna didn't seem to care. He glanced back briefly at Oikawa and noticed the Aoba Johsai setter clenching his fist tightly.

Seeing this, Tsuna's lips suddenly curled into a subtle smile.

"Good," He muttered under his breath. "Don't break yet... Give me more fun."

Tsuna's voice was quiet, but Suga, already watching him closely, seemed to catch it.

'...I knew it,' Suga rolled his eyes, 'This guy's definitely playing tricks!'