Haikyuu! Reaching New heights

Score: 10-11

The entire gym was silent.

Everyone knew it.

This was the final rally.

One more point for them, and the game was over.

One more point for us, and we'd push it to deuce.

Across the net, Mayu adjusted her wristbands. Her eyes were sharp—focused.

I exhaled slowly.

'This is it. The moment everything leads up to.'

The ref blew the whistle.

Game on.

Mayu tossed the ball high.

Jumped. Swung.

The ball shot forward—fast, controlled, perfectly placed.

It was coming straight toward me.

I braced my arms, adjusting my angle at the last second.

BAM!

The ball smacked against my forearms and spun into the air. A little shaky, but playable.

Kenji rushed in. "I got it!"

He set the ball high.

I sprinted forward. This was it. My chance to tie the score.

I jumped—as high as I could.

But Mayu's blockers jumped with me.

'Damn… I'm trapped!'

At the last second, I twisted my wrist—tipping the ball backward instead of spiking.

A soft shot—just past the blockers.

But—

Their libero dived and saved it.

The ball floated up.

Yuka, their setter, reacted instantly.

She set it to Mayu.

Mayu sprinted. Jumped.

And swung with everything she had.

BOOM!

The ball rocketed toward our court.

Izumi and Kōji jumped to block.

They touched it—just barely.

The ball deflected upward.

I dived, reaching with my fingertips—

DUG IT UP.

Kenji scrambled to the ball. "Hinata!"

I pushed off the ground, forcing my tired legs to move.

One step.

Two steps.

JUMP.

I saw the blockers rise—but I had a plan.

At the last second, I angled my shot cross-court.

BAM!

The ball slammed down… but Mayu was already there.

She received it cleanly, sending it back to Yuka.

The rally continued.

Both teams were breathing hard now.

Sweat dripped down my forehead. My legs burned.

But I refused to stop.

'Just one more point. One more.'

Seinan's team launched another attack.

Mayu spiked with full power.

Izumi barely got his hands up—the ball slowed, but still flew past him.

I sprinted, dived—

AND SAVED IT.

Kenji adjusted. "One more, one more!"

The ball floated.

I jumped.

Mayu jumped.

For one moment, time froze.

Both captains, face to face in the air.

And then—

I swung.

BOOM!

The ball blasted past Mayu's fingertips—

And hit the floor.

Point: Us.

Score: 11-11.

The gym erupted.

Kenji yelled, "HELL YEAH!"

Izumi and Kōji tackled me to the floor.

Mayu landed, staring at the ball with wide eyes.

And then—she smiled.

She looked at me.

"…Damn. You really don't give up, huh?"

I grinned.

"Never."

Matsuda-sensei blew his whistle.

"Alright, that's enough. Time's up."

We all turned, blinking in confusion.

Sensei crossed his arms. "It's late. We're stopping here."

I froze.

"…Wait. Does that mean—"

Kenji groaned. "A tie?!"

Mayu sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "Tch. I wanted a clear winner."

I laughed. "Guess we'll have to settle it next time."

She smirked. "Yeah. I'm looking forward to it."

We met at the net, shaking hands.

It wasn't the result I wanted.

But still—we had proved ourselves.

And next time?

I was going to win.

...

The gym was still buzzing with energy even after Matsuda-sensei called the match.

Both teams stood on opposite sides of the net, drenched in sweat, breathing hard but grinning.

Final Score: 11-11.

A tie.

Not the result I wanted.

But still—we had fought to the very end.

Izumi collapsed onto the floor. "I can't… feel my legs…"

Kōji flopped beside him. "I think… I saw my life flash before my eyes."

Kenji wiped his forehead. "Tch. We should've won."

I grinned. "We will. Next time."

Across the net, Mayu smirked.

"You guys actually kept up," she admitted. "I didn't think you'd adapt so fast."

I walked up and offered my hand.

"We're just getting started."

She eyed me for a second—then shook my hand firmly.

"Good. Because I don't like losing, either."

After cooling down, Matsuda-sensei gathered us around.

"Well," he said, scratching his head. "That was… better than I expected."

Kenji scoffed. "We almost won."

Matsuda-sensei raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Almost. But what did you learn?"

Silence.

Then—Izumi spoke first.

"Our defense still sucks."

Kenji nodded. "Yeah. We got better at reading the game, but we're still missing a real system."

I clenched my fists. "And I need to stop relying on speed alone. Mayu read me too easily."

Mayu smirked. "Took you long enough to figure that out."

I shot her a look. "Tch."

Matsuda-sensei sighed. "At least you're learning. So what's the plan?"

Kenji groaned. "Ugh. More training, obviously."

I grinned.

"Yeah. But smarter training."

New goals:

✔ Defense improvement – Reads, blocks, and better positioning.

✔ Smarter attacks – Timing, fake-outs, and deceptive plays.

✔ Team coordination – No more relying on individual talent.

Kenji muttered, "Great. That means more hell."

I smirked. "Oh, definitely."

Izumi groaned. "Why did I sign up for this?"

Kōji sighed. "Because we're idiots."

We all laughed.

Even Mayu chuckled. "You guys are weird. But not bad."

I grinned. "That's the highest compliment we've gotten so far."

As the girls' team packed up, Mayu stopped beside me.

"We'll have a rematch soon," she said.

I smirked. "Yeah. And next time, we're winning."

She raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

I grinned wider.

"No doubt."

She chuckled. "Good. Try to keep up."

As she walked away, Kenji nudged me.

"Oi, oi, oi. Was that flirting?"

I punched his arm. "Shut up."

Izumi wiggled his eyebrows. "Ooooh, we saw that."

I groaned. "Ugh. Let's just go train already."

Kenji smirked. "Yeah, yeah, Captain."

I sighed. 'This team is gonna be the death of me.'

But at the same time—

I wouldn't trade it for anything.