Haikyu: Nah, I'd Adapt!

Just a quick heads up, I may post the bonus really late today.

I have so many things to do today.

One of them is getting rid of most of the stuff I bought since I need to move out.

Honestly, I'm not going to carry everything since I only bought these for convenience while staying at this place. The problem is there's too much of it.

Some are quite small and easy to get rid of, while others are big, like my desk and chair.

I'm thinking of donating the useful but difficult-to-sell items and selling the rest that are easy to sell and still in pristine condition.

I don't know—I need to figure it out today.

Anyway, enjoy the read! Cheers!

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"Whoa..."

Tanaka let out a quiet gasp in amazement as his fingers curled into a fist while watching the play unfold.

There seemed to be a wave of energy surging forward and came crashing against the Nekoma players as Karasuno's players moved toward the net.

Among them was Tsuna, who had made a stunning receive just moments ago.

Hinata also darted across the court, avoiding the blockers, and was quickly followed by Inuoka, leaving only two people to deal with the one coming at them.

'No, Kageyama won't toss it to Hinata this time...'

Tanaka's eyes narrowed. He could sense it—just like the others on the court. The way Tsuna moved and his decisiveness made it obvious.

'He wants the toss.'

Even from the bench, Tanaka could feel it vividly, the invisible pull that drew everyone's focus to Tsuna. If he could sense it, then Nekoma's blockers definitely could, too.

His eyes flicked to Nekoma's side, watching as their blockers quickly adjusted their positions, forming a tight wall in front of Tsuna.

'He also wants it...'

Kageyama glanced at Hinata, who was glancing at him while leaping forward.

However...

The setter chose to toss the ball high into the air, toward Tsuna!

"..."

Tsuna's leap was immediate, his body coiling midair like a bow. Nekoma's blockers followed, their hands shooting up in unison to create an impenetrable wall.

But Tsuna didn't even glance at them.

'He was going to aim it at their best, huh?'

Tanaka noticed it immediately.

Tsuna's gaze wasn't fixed on the blockers at all—it was locked on Yaku. The libero was crouched low, his body tensed and ready, sweat glistening on his forehead as he prepared for what was coming.

CRACK!

The sound of impact echoed through the gym as the ball rocketed off Tsuna's hand with incredible force.

The blockers barely had time to react as the ball broke through their wall, a blur of motion streaking toward Nekoma's libero.

"...!"

Yaku dove with precision, his arms outstretched to meet the ball. The impact made him wince, his expression tightening as the force jolted through his hands.

But it wasn't enough.

The ball veered off his arms and hit the floor with a loud, resounding thud.

The room fell silent for a moment, the sound of the ball echoing as Yaku looked at Tsuna in with his eyes wide open.

'That spike... it was definitely stronger than before.'

Sweat trickled down Yaku's forehead as he glanced at his reddened hands, still tingling from the force of the receive. His fingers curled slightly as he murmured under his breath, "I thought I'd gotten used to it already..."

But now, it seemed he'd need to adjust all over again.

"..."

Yaku's expression quickly melted into determination as a small gleam sparked in his eyes.

Karasuno's #9 had surprised him, but instead of frustration, Yaku felt a surge of excitement. His teammates rushed to his side, offering quick pats and murmurs of, "Don't mind!"

"Yeah..."

He waved them off, already resetting his stance as the game pressed on.

As the match continued, Nekoma found it slightly easier to manage whenever Tsuna was rotated to the front row—so long as they kept the ball away from Nishinoya.

On the other hand, Karasuno struggled to score as quickly to keep up.

Their attempts to execute Kageyama and Hinata's new combination were still falling short. But despite the widening gap in their scores...

"...!"

Tanaka's breath hitched as he watched the scene unfold, his chest tightening with a mix of awe and longing.

Without thinking, he muttered under his breath, "I want to play too..."

Tanaka's gaze shifted to Asahi, who stood at the court while sweating bullets. As much as Tanaka took pride in his own spike, he knew the truth.

Among Karasuno, Asahi was currently the pinnacle of strength in their offense.

But even then...

Tanaka watched as the team finally got another chance to attack.

Kageyama's hands moved with precision, setting the ball high into the air as Asahi leaped to spike it.

CRACK!

The loud, resounding impact of Asahi's spike echoed through the gym as the ball tore through the blockers.

Nekoma's vice-captain, Kai, dove to the side in response as his hands made contact. Even though the receive was far from perfect, unfortunately for Karasuno, the ball stayed in play.

Tanaka couldn't help but mumbled at the sigh, "They received it again..."

"Huh, you're right," Suga suddenly chimed in, making Tanaka blink in surprise.

"Ah, Suga-san..."

Tanaka asked, scratching the back of his head, "Did I say that out loud?"

"It's fine," Suga replied with a small laugh. "I was thinking the same thing."

Tanaka nodded, his brow furrowed. "In terms of raw power, Asahi should have an edge over Tsuna. Yet his spikes keep getting saved..."

"It's strange, isn't it?"

Suga nodded in agreement as he glanced at the court, "I wonder why—"

"That's because Tsuna's a lefty," Keishin's voice interrupted, cutting through their conversation.

Both Tanaka and Suga looked at each other before turning to their coach with confusion. Tanaka immediately asked, "Eh? Does being left-handed really matter?" 

"It does," Keishin said with a nod.

"It changes the rotation of the ball when you spike it."

Suga leaned in, "The rotation?"

"Yup! When receiving Asahi's spikes, the main concern is power. You just brace for the impact and absorb the force."

Keishin folded his arms as he explained. "But with Tsuna's spikes, you've got an extra challenge. The spin is reversed because he's left-handed, and that makes it harder to predict and control."

"Oh, I see!" Suga's eyes lit up. "So with Asahi, it's all about strength. But with Tsuna, you also need to adjust to the spin."

Tanaka nodded slowly, his expression serious, "Ah, that makes sense..."

He didn't understand at all.

"That's right," Keishin nodded, scratching the back of his head as he glanced at the scoreboard.

The gap between the teams was widening as he sighed, "Although... Tsuna isn't scoring as much as he should be."

"Eh?"

This time, even the rest of the team on the bench turned toward him confusedly. Takeda was sitting beside Keishin as he voiced out everyone's confusion, "What do you mean, Ukai-kun?"

"Don't you guys notice it?"

Keishin shrugged his shoulder and gestured toward the court. 

They followed his gaze.

"...?"

On the court, Kageyama tossed the ball to Tsuna once again, who was now positioned in the front row.

Tsuna leaped high, and with a strong swing, he sent the ball hurtling straight toward Nekoma's libero, Yaku.

Thud!

Yaku managed to receive it, but the ball flew wildly out of bounds.

"That guy's mostly aiming his spikes at their libero," Keishin pointed out.

"HUH!?"

Everyone snapped their heads toward Tsuna, who stood wiping sweat off his face with his jersey, looking utterly unbothered.

What... was he thinking?

Keishin grumbled under his breath, "Is that psycho always like this?"

"..."

The players exchanged awkward glances, offering wry smiles that were all the answers Keishin needed.

"Urghh, I guess..."

Keishin groaned, shaking his head.

Tanaka couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "…That's crazy."

Comparing himself to Asahi wasn't exactly possible. And when compared to Tsuna—well, as much as he was confident he could stand toe to toe with him in terms of strength now that Tsuna had switched to his left hand.

Tsuna's talent was undeniable, and his ability to adapt and grow mid-match was something Tanaka couldn't hope to keep up with.

Even if Tsuna's antics sometimes bordered on recklessness, Tanaka knew the truth.

A talent like that couldn't be benched.

No coach in their right mind would dare.

'Well… honestly, even if he were benched, he'd probably grow just as fast anyway,' Tanaka thought, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all.

Still...

He couldn't help but look at the ongoing game longingly as he thought, 'It must've been nice... to be playing there against them...'

Unbeknownst to Tanaka, there was someone else on the bench who could understand exactly what he was going through.

'I know how you feel, Tanaka…'

Suga sat silently, his eyes shifting toward Tanaka, who was glued to the game.

Tanaka's head moved as he followed the ball's every motion with such an intense passion. It was as if he were imagining himself out there, playing among them.

Suga watched as Tanaka clenched his fists, his knuckles white.

His chest tightened as he knew what it was like to feel that yearning, that ache to be on the court.

'I know… I truly do…'

He had never been the most talented.

That's why Suga understood better than anyone else. If there was someone with more natural skill, someone who could perform better, he'd be replaced.

'Kageyama is the better option,' Suga admitted silently.

Even though he had more experience with the team, even though he had shared countless moments with them, he knew Kageyama would catch up—and surpass him.

Suga had seen it happening today. He sat quietly, his fingers curled loosely against his knees. He could only silently watch the game, following the ball, and scanning Karasuno's players...

"..."

...while imagining himself playing as their setter.

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