'He did it again...'
Shimizu's gaze lingered on Tsuna, her eyes catching the spark of child-like happiness spread across his face.
She couldn't help but clench her fist at the sight.
He had been smiling more often lately, a stark contrast to his usual bored demeanor. It was a change she welcomed, one that brought a strange warmth to her chest. Seeing him like this made her glad.
'But then he ignores everything else when he gets like that...'
Her lips twitched, almost forming a pout, as she watched the ball sharply fly back toward Karasuno's side.
"Chance!
The gym filled with shouts as the team prepared for another attack. Daichi saw the trajectory would go to the back line where Asahi was standing as he shouted, "Asahi!"
"I got it!"
Asahi shouted back.
Shimizu looked at all of it in silence as she glanced back at Tsuna before frowning once again and thought, 'What a jerk...'
If Tsuna could hear her thoughts, he'd probably grumble about how she'd been ignoring him lately while expecting him to act otherwise.
'Woman, what?' he might have muttered under his breath.
But Tsuna wasn't thinking about anything else at that moment. His focus locked onto the ball flying through the air.
The grin on his face widened as his feet touched the ground, only for him to take a single step forward as he got closer toward the ball's trajectory.
"Tsuna-san...?"
Kageyama was already back in position to set. But seeing this made him blink in confusion as Tsuna suddenly moved closer to him.
"Huh?"
"Hold on..."
"Tsuna...?"
The rest of the team faltered as well, caught off guard by the unexpected shift.
Everyone had been ready to pounce on the opportunity the ball presented—except for Tsuna, who seemed to have other plans as he interrupted the ball's flew amidst its trajectory.
"Hehe..."
A low chuckle escaped his lips as Tsuna's body coiled, his muscles tightening in anticipation. Without hesitation, he leaped toward the ball.
"...!"
Everyone from Nekoma High looked at the sudden play in stunned silence as they could only widen their eyes in disbelief as Tsuna swung his arm in a powerful arc, the crack of impact reverberating through the gym.
The ball shot across the court like a bullet, slamming into Nekoma's side before anyone could even react.
For a moment, there was only silence.
"He did a direct hit on that ball?"
Even Keishin couldn't stay seated. He shot up from his spot on the bench, his eyes fixed on Tsuna's figure at the court, disbelief etched across his face.
He turned toward Suga, who looked equally stunned. "Is this... what you meant earlier?"
Suga nodded slowly, still processing what he'd just seen.
Keishin ran a hand through his hair in frustration as the whistle blew, breaking the stunned silence. He looked at Naoi who was serving as the referee as he muttered, "Of course, it's an illegal play..."
"That idiot. He's too caught up in the game to even remember the basics."
Keishin sighed, plopping back onto the bench.
Naoi raised one arm straight up before slicing it downward diagonally.
"...?"
On the court, Tsuna froze, confusion flickering across his face.
His position had been at the back middle.
Even after the rotation, he was still a back-row player. Unless he had been in the serving position and initiated the attack from there, his direct hit was against the rules since he hit it when he was at the front line.
"Back Row Attack!"
The announcement rang through the gym, and the scoreboard updated, awarding the point to Nekoma.
The joy that had lit up Tsuna's face a moment ago vanished, replaced by the realization of his mistake.
He turned slowly, meeting the wide-eyed stares of his teammates.
"...I got a bit too excited, huh?"
With a shrug, he moved back toward the back line, his usual grin creeping onto his face as if nothing had happened.
"Alright, don't mind it!"
Daichi's voice broke the tension and pulled Karasuno back into focus. He clapped his hands, rallying his teammates to shake off the mistake.
On the sideline, Tsukishima scoffed, adjusting his glasses with a slight twitch of his lips and mumbled, "Still unapologetic as always, huh?"
Meanwhile, on Nekoma's side, Kuroo stood frozen for a moment, his eyes locked on Tsuna.
He murmured under his breath, "What a ridiculous direct hit..."
Even though the play had been illegal, the instant reaction Tsuna displayed—the split-second decision to spike the ball was nothing short of breathtaking.
"So this is the Shooting Star..."
Kuroo could feel the sweat forming on his brow.
If Tsuna attempted the same move on his next rotation, with the proper positioning, it wouldn't just be a spectacle.
It would be a point for Karasuno.
He glanced at Nekomata at the bench. Their coach seemed to be amused by the spectacle as he chuckled heartily.
"A perverted demon, truly," Kuroo muttered, echoing his coach's sentiment.
"Whoa... he's awesome," Yaku mumbled, his eyes glued to Tsuna as the game rolled on.
The ball flew over to Karasuno's side once again, the players already moving to set up their next attack.
A small smile played on Yaku's lips as he muttered to himself, "I can't lose to him..."
His gaze flicked to Karasuno's players as they adjusted their formation, preparing for the receive. Yaku adjusted his position as he took deliberate steps toward what he predicted to be the attack's landing zone.
"...!"
But then, he felt it.
A gaze.
Turning slightly, his eyes locked onto Tsuna, who was already in motion.
Kageyama's toss was already arcing toward Tsuna with deadly accuracy as Yaku frowned, 'Is it just my imagination...?'
"..."
Meanwhile...
As Tsuna leaped into the air, the memory of Yaku's movements from a moment ago replayed in his mind.
His arm swung with practiced precision, and a sharp crack echoed through the gym as the ball rocketed past Nekoma's blockers.
But his eyes weren't on the ball.
They stayed fixed on Yaku, who darted forward, dropping into a low cross split to meet the spike. His cupped hands absorbed the impact, sending the ball bouncing high into the air.
"Sorry, cover!"
Nekoma's libero shouted after the receive.
Tsuna landed lightly, his gaze lingering on Yaku.
"He's... not bad," Tsuna mumbled, already moving to reposition.
His eyes scanned the court. He was immediately tracking Nishinoya's movement as the Karasuno libero adjusted before Nekoma's setter could even toss the ball.
Something flickered in Tsuna's gaze, 'They're alike.'
"Ha! I can spike just as hard, Karasuno!"
Nekoma's loudmouthed ace shouted as he launched himself into the air.
The ball was set perfectly, and he slammed it down with all his might.
The ball hurtled toward Karasuno's side, but Nishinoya was ready.
He extended his reach with astonishing flexibility, his legs splitting low to the ground as his hand made solid contact with the ball.
Whack!
The ball ricocheted off Nishinoya's hand but veered sharply, heading out of bounds.
'They both have crazy flexibility...' Tsuna's eyes narrowed, his mind turning over what he'd just seen.
'Something that I don't have...'
His thoughts quieted as the game reset and the ball was brought back into play.
Karasuno quickly moved into formation, and Kageyama set a high toss toward Asahi at the front line.
Tsuna's eyes locked on Yaku, he quitely watching him reposition yet again.
BAM!
The sharp spike came crashing down, but Yaku was there, absorbing the impact and sending the ball flying high into Nekoma's court.
Suddenly, Keishin's words echoed in Tsuna's mind.
'Right... I can't just copy what others do...'
He took a deep breath, loosening the tension in his muscles.
His focus was entirely on his footwork while scanning their court as he moved to cover an open space Nishinoya hadn't reached.
'This is a lot of work...'
His eyes stayed locked onto the ball as he did all that.
Tsuna then shook away all the unnecessary thoughts as he muttered under his breath, "I don't have the flexibility..."
'But I'm taller. And my reaction speed isn't bad.'
The loudmouth from Nekoma, Yamamoto, was already mid-shout, launching himself into the air for another powerful spike. Tsuna's gaze tracked the ball's trajectory, a sharp grin spreading across his face.
This time, he was ready, too.
"...!"
Both Keishin and Nekomata sat bolt upright, their eyes widening in disbelief at how Tsuna dived forward while cupping his hands together as the ball met his palms.
"...He might totally devour us today, Ukai."
Nekomata's lips twitched into a small smile, his eyes glinting with surprise.
Plop!
The ball bounced off Tsuna's hands at a sharp angle, clipping the top of the net.
"...!"
Kageyama gritted his teeth as he lunged for it, fingers stretching, but the ball dropped to the floor on their side.
The whistle blew.
For a moment, silence filled the gym.
Different than Nekoma's players, who know nothing of Tsuna's receive beforehand. Karasuno's players stood frozen in their spot as their eyes were fixed on Tsuna, who was sprawled flat on the court floor.
'What... was that receive...?'
The shock was etched on every face.
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