This is a bonus chapter in advance for the 500 PS!
I posted this early so Chapter 50 could complement Chapter 49.
Cheers!
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The game continued at a considerably normal pace, with Karasuno staying aggressive in their attacks while Nekoma remained passive and focused on defense.
This was reflected on the scoreboard, where Karasuno was still in the lead.
"Hm, Tsuna-kun seems quite calm today, doesn't he?"
Takeda mumbled as he observed the match. His eyes lingered on Tsuna, who appeared composed.
The stark contrast to the intense expression Tsuna had displayed during their game against Aoba Johsai left Takeda puzzled.
"Does he, though?"
Keishin raised an eyebrow, glancing at Tsuna, who had just received another serve from Nekoma with precision.
He had seen him during the practice game a while ago, and although Tsuna was currently playing quite calmly.
To him, it seemed normal.
"Ah, Takeda-sensei, I think you're comparing this to when you first saw him during our practice with Aoba Johsai, right?"
When Suga heard Takeda's remark, he smiled, drawing the attention of both Takeda and Keishin.
The third-year setter shifted his gaze back to the court as he explained, "This is how Tsuna usually plays in a match. Actually, he's doing more than his usual play style compared to a year ago."
"More than usual?"
Keishin raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Yeah." Suga nodded. "Before we faced Aoba Johsai, as amazing as Tsuna's spikes and serves were, he never pushed himself too hard."
Tsuna had always been quite passive and never tired himself too much because then he wouldn't be able to stalk—try his luck with Shimizu.
"So, when he went into overdrive during the Aoba Johsai game, we were all completely stunned. We never realized just how much he'd been holding back until that moment," Suga finished with a fond smile.
"Ah, shit, cover!"
Tsuna's shouts were heard from the court as he seemed to fail at his receive this time.
Suga shook his head as he quietly watched from the bench how the ball awkwardly bounced off Tsuna's arms.
Compared to the Tsuna of the past—who wouldn't even bother to call out during a game, let alone attempt a proper receive—this version of him was almost unrecognizable.
"Eh? Really? That was... surprising," Takeda muttered, adjusting his glasses.
He recalled Tsuna's twisted expression from a while ago and how he didn't even bother to wipe his drool, as if he were totally immersed in the game.
"Hmm… I've never seen him like that either." Keishin crossed his arms with a thoughtful expression, "But it's still early in the game. Who knows? We might see more of that side of him later."
Whistle!
The sudden blow of a whistle broke the conversation. Both men turned their attention to the court as Nekoma's Coach Nekomata called a timeout. Keishin's brows furrowed as he leaned forward, his gaze locking onto the opposing bench.
"I don't like this…"
"Eh?"
Takeda blinked, puzzled. His eyes flicked to the scoreboard, which displayed Karasuno's solid lead at 11-7.
From his perspective, the game seemed well in their favor.
"Don't we have the advantage right now?"
"The way they've been playing so passively is what worries me," Keishin muttered.
He narrowed his eyes on Coach Nekomata, who stood in the middle of his players. The elderly coach's eyes were closed, a serene smile on his face as he addressed the team.
Keishin shook his head, "It feels like they've just been feeling us out this whole time…"
Meanwhile...
"They've got a great spiker and libero," Nekomata spoke after a thoughtful silence.
The Nekoma players gathered around, quietly passing water bottles to one another to stay hydrated.
Their coach continued, "And their setter is quite a talent himself."
"The ability to speed toss the ball to his spiker's most optimum striking point is undeniably deadly."
Nekomata's tone dropped slightly as his eyes shifted to another player, Tsuna. "Hmm, it seems they have more than just one talented player."
"A few?"
Inuoka tilted his head before glancing across the court to look closely at their opponents and said, "I thought their setter was the most dangerous…"
Kuroo looked at Tsuna, who grabbed his own drink while his teammates received theirs from the beautiful manager.
He asked, "Coach, are you talking about the Shooting Star?"
"The Shooting Star?"
Yaku and Kai exchanged puzzled looks.
Yamamoto furrowed his brows while scratching the back of his head, "I know his spike is impressive, but is he actually that talented…?"
They were impressed by his spike, but their other wing spiker, Asahi, was also similarly impressive.
So, they couldn't quite grasp why he'd be compared to someone who was literally supporting the whole team with his ridiculously accurate sets, like Kageyama.
"He's certainly a talent," Nekomata said with a chuckle.
He knew quite a bit about Tsuna being injured and now switching his dominant hand. As Nekoma's coach, Nekomata had always believed in the importance of strong rivals.
After all, nothing pushed a team to improve more than the looming presence of a worthy opponent.
That's why he had been closely following Karasuno's progress since the news broke last year.
"Although," Nekomata continued, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "he's not quite a problem we need to solve just yet."
Nekomata turned his gaze to Kenma, who quickly averted his eyes before explaining, "We need to stop Shoyo first."
"Right now, he's the axis of their attack. If we can cut off their momentum through him, the rest will follow. As for their spiker, Yaku should be able to adapt soon enough."
Kenma continued as the team tilted their heads in confusion, unfamiliar with the name.
"Shoyo?"
"It's that shorty with the freaky quick attack," Kuroo clarified, leaning back with a smirk.
Nekomata nodded. "Both of them—Shoyo and the setter—are like a pair. You could call them a demon and his iron club."
"Well, they do have another demon among them…"
Nekomata's voice trailed off as he mumbled something under his breath.
"...?"
The players exchanged puzzled glances.
"Hmm..."
Nekomata tapped his chin thoughtfully, his sharp eyes narrowing as he searched for the perfect description.
Finally, he nodded to himself and declared, "Right. He's a perverted demon."
"Ah..."
The players froze for a moment, processing the words.
If the Shooting Star was truly a demon, as their coach had said, everyone couldn't help but think the description was quite fitting after seeing him chasing after a beauty like that.
They couldn't help but exchange awkward gazes with each other before quietly glancing at Tsuna with strange expressions.
"What a fitting name..."
The same thought passed through their minds.
"So, first, we need to steal the iron club."
Nekomata clapped his hands to recapture their attention.
With their plan set, the sharp blow of a whistle echoed through the gym. And both teams started heading back to the court.
As the game went on, Nekomata quietly looked at Tsuna and couldn't help but smile.
"Ukai..." he murmured, almost to himself.
This perverted demon. With decades of experience under his belt, Nekomata understood exactly what kind of player this young man was.
"It seems like Karasuno is in good hands," Nekomata said softly.
He could tell that the demon was quietly observing them before sighing as he thought, 'He's probably wondering if it'll be fun to eat us or not...'
Truly...
"A perverted demon brat," Nekomata muttered with a chuckle. He watched as the game continued, the momentum slowly shifting.
Inuoka was now focusing on Hinata. With each play, he seemed to close the gap between them, adapting with every move.
The shift was immediate, and everyone on Karasuno's side noticed.
"He might not be a problem for us right now..."
Nekomata's gaze lingered on Tsuna, catching the flicker of excitement in the boy's eyes as the ball sailed over the net toward Karasuno.
The short player nearly missed the receive as the ball veering dangerously close to going out of bounds.
"Hmmm..."
But Nekomata could see Kageyama was quick to react.
"Focus, Hinata!"
Kageyama barked, scooping the ball up just in time and sending it soaring toward the net. His voice rang out, "Tsuna-san!"
From the backline, a shadow darted forward.
Tsuna.
He surged toward the net with perfect timing. His body coiled like a spring as Nekoma's blockers leaped in unison to block him.
A loud crack echoed through the gym.
The ball tore through their defense, sharp and fast, crashing into the court with thunderous force. The sound reverberated, drawing gasps from the crowd.
"It'll be different..."
Nekomata's eyes shifted toward Yaku, who had somehow reacted in time.
The libero lunged, cupping his hands as the ball rocketed toward him. A loud plop followed as he managed to deflect it, the ball skimming just above the floor and sailing back toward Karasuno's side.
"...!"
For a moment, silence hung in the air. Even Karasuno seemed caught off guard by the successful save.
"...if he decides it'll be fun to eat us," Nekomata muttered under his breath as he finished his sentence.
He watched Tsuna land, the boy's chest heaving, his expression twisted into something feral.
It wasn't frustration.
It was a delight!
The look of a kid who had just found a toy to play with.
With a resigned sigh, Nekomata leaned back slightly, "Hm... seems like he's done deciding..."
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About the romance, I understand that everyone hates a simp.
Sure.
Tsuna is just a kid with a very different upbringing, considering how I've portrayed his background. Yes, not a fully grown-ass man who got reincarnated or whatsoever.
Despite him making fun of his father a lot, I'm sure everyone knows it's just his love language.
That's why, when his dad said to stalk—Ahem, follow her around and make his presence known, Tsuna took it literally and did as he was told.
Well, since it's been working so far, he kept doing that.
Besides, joke's on you! 😈
His father is playing chess while everyone else here is playing checkers.
Once the love-bombing phase was done and Shimizu had grown used to his persistent presence, Ichiro would then tell him to ignore her completely and give her the silent treatment.
The sun that always shone on her suddenly disappeared.
What would happen?
She'd start doing everything she could to bring that warmth back.
So…
Know that Ichiro is always two steps ahead. He's actually a genius—a twisted one. *Insert evil laugh
Anyway, jokes aside, I HEAR YOUR CONCERN! 🫡
The simp mode is over and is about to transition into alpha mode.
As for the slow development—My lingling, I can't just have them figure everything out at the beginning and already be raising kids by the end of the story which then Tsuna went out to buy milk and never came back. What… 😭😭😭
I've said it before, it's a long ass story.
Please be a little patient.
We haven't even started the tournament yet. 💀
Either way, I hope you enjoy the chapter today.
Thank you for all the feedback so far! I'm always open to discussion, so please speak do your mind!
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