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♚ CHAPTER SEVENTEEN ♚
HINATA SAT ON A BENCH WITH a view of the koi pond. His breathing became heavier, and he let go and tightened his fists several times. His enraged temper was getting the best of him, and his gaze was sharpening as he stared at the innocent koi that were still swimming freely as if they were unaware of the danger.
"Here," Yanagi's deep voice shattered his trance, followed by the sound of a soda can being placed next to him. Hinata only gave a reluctant glance before returning his gaze to the koi.
"He sat next to him as he opened his can of soda and said, "Drink up and cool your head."
With an exasperated sigh, his hand finally took the soda can. He stared at it for a while before opening it and drinking it.
For several minutes no one uttered a sound and Hinata finally break it with a huff. "What do you want? Otherwise, I'd better go to the gym and practice."
Yanagi gave him a quick glance and noted that his brows were no longer furrowed before speaking. "You're not going there while you're still acting like that."
Hinata's jaw hardened. "I just had a bad day. We all have those."
"So one of the traits of your bad day is always looking at me as if you want me to die?" Yanagi inquired casually, but that made the orange-haired teen tense up. He quickly turned his gaze to the side, reluctant to look at him.
"How do you know?"
"It's not something you're attempting to conceal. Kageyama has also realized this," he placed his soda can on the wooden chair slowly before continuing. "If you hold a grudge against me and want to fight me, don't do it when we play volleyball or involve other people in your problems."
Hinata gritted his teeth, turned to him with rising rage. "But that isn't the point!! Ever since Yanagi-san came, you made me feel like an extra!! You're so good at spiking, blocking... AAAH all positions and it pisses me off!! You make it so easy for the team to win when it's with me, we lose!! Because of that, my position in the team was threatened!! I wanted to always be on the court, spiking... And in the end, I wanted to beat Kageyama!! But Yanagi-san came and ruined everything!!"
He paused as he panted. He looked up to his upperclassmen who are still looking at him unaffected. "You... You already know..."
"I just predicted it," somehow that answer thicked him off.
"There must be someone who surpasses you, no matter how strong or great you are. For example, even though I was given the title of No. 1 Ace, there are still many people who are superior to me. Everyone in the national team is filled with people who have been hand-picked for their exceptional talents and abilities. And they're still fighting for holding their spot on the team. It applies for us too," Yanagi remarked. "What I'm trying to say is that it's natural to feel greedy. It's natural to desire more and to triumph over others. However, I am not tolerant of your earlier behavior."
