EXCEPTIONAL ༉ haikyū!! [RV/OG]

32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
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reminder: in a flashback scene, an ellipsis (...) would serve as the borders and the entire flashback scene is written in italic.

"kageyama, this is unfair! why do you get to have a pretty girl come to your match and support you?" nishinoya whined from behind, frowning as he stared back and forth from his kōhai and kiiro standing by the audience.

kageyama didn't bother to glance at nishinoya, but briefly glanced at his best friend. "i don't even have her contact still," he mumbled to himself, yet tsukishima heard him clearly, which brought a sly smirk to his lips.

the second set went on intensely, barely making progress as neither side was willing to let the other lead. atsumu sets the ball towards the middle as suna rushes forward for a quick attack. with that, tsukishima stepped right in front of suna with kageyama by his side in order to block off suna's attempt at the cross-shot, yet suna spiked the ball the other way, which daichi couldn't receive. as the ball flew off daichi which gained a point for inarizaki, kiiro couldn't help but grimace at what happened.

"such a manipulation, taro," kiiro thought, smirking to herself as she eyed the brown-haired boy.

the match went on with inarizaki still leading the second set and karasuno following behind. services after services. hits after hits. blocks after blocks. it was a continuous cycle within the court, and only the team with unwavering perseverance would reign as the victor. however, being able to watch karasuno vs. inarizaki match hits a nostalgic spot for kiiro. a memory she buried deep in her heart in her determination to forget about it.

...

"kitagawa daiichi in their five-point streak with their goddess ace-ing! with a score of 20-10, would shiratorizawa academy catch up?"

the loud cheering in the entire venue fired up a certain raven-haired girl. everyone was chanting her name, yet she didn't spare any attention to any of it. the volleyball rolls onto her side, as it is her service now. she could feel multiple pairs of eyes staring at her, even if her gaze was down on the ball she was hitting against the floorboard. the whistle was blown, and immediately after, she served the ball with a jump float, and the opposing team wasn't able to receive it, gaining another point for her team.

21-10

her golden hues glancing at the scoreboard, and they are just four points away from earning the second set and being the champion, yet she heard something from her teammates that she has been hearing almost every day.

"of course she'll ace it again and then be the center of attention by the end. why are we even here anyway if she could play the entire team by herself?"

"s-she might h-hear you, kana senpai!"

kiiro was indeed hearing them from her spot, despite the two of her teammates being way upfront. it wasn't like they were being discreet about badmouthing her. the way her gaze shifted from the scoreboard and remained on her older teammate brought chills down the latter's spine. the whistle blows again, signaling kiiro to serve; however, the ball didn't make it to the other side of the court; instead, it hit kana's head, making the entire court silent.

"gomen, that slipped my hand."

the way kiiro stated that nonchalantly not only caused some to sweatdrop and stare at her in disbelief but also irked her upperclassman teammate even more. kana turned to the younger girl and stomped her way towards her, snatching a fitful of her sleeveless top in anger."dare to say that again, kozume?" kana gritted her teeth, staring down at kiiro due to their significant height differences.

"wow, nice scene," kiiro thought, also staring right back at the latter and ignoring everyone's attempts to dismiss the growing dispute. her head tilting before speaking up again with a sly smirk on her lips.

"didn't know you also have bad hearing aside from your skills."

...

the cheering of the audience brought kiiro back to reality. her golden eyes immediately gaze over the scoreboard with inarizaki leading by nine points, then towards suna, who has been looking at her every chance he gets, and kiiro isn't oblivious to this because the brunet has that specific habit whenever he is on the court, as if seeing her is reassuring enough for him.

"does your neck ever get hurt?" tsukishima snickered at suna, earning his attention. the brunet turned his head towards tsukishima with a stoic expression before facing his head back in the direction where kiiro was without breaking eye contact with the blond.

suna scrunched his eyebrows together and retorted in monotone. "do ya' always stick ya'self in someone else's business?"

at that point, the ambiance entirely shifted within the court. everyone surely felt that. eyes peering over the two in an attempt to figure out what is going on, and before anything could even happen, osamu broke the ice, draping his arm across suna's shoulder while blankly staring at tsukishima.

"i don' know what's goin' on, but we're in ta' middle of a game here," osamu stated before turning away and going back to his designated place, likewise with the other two.

and so, the game continues with inarizaki's captain substituting aran. the rhythm of the gameplay changed with kita present on the court, as his high level of attentiveness and defense made it possible for inarizaki to reach their breaking point with karasuno eight points behind, which later on inarizaki claimed in the second set.

meanwhile, kiiro has been intently observing each of them like a hawk. it would be surprising if she wasn't taking note of their movements and improvements; however, at the same time, she is there to show her support for both teams, even if one has to go home in tears. the inarizaki team has been her close friends for some years now and was also one of the reasons why her passion for volleyball never diminished completely, while the karasuno team has had a soft spot in her heart ever since she met them at the summer camp months ago.

as the players went back on the benches, suna and tsukishima shared brief yet intense eye contact before following their teammates. with a single thought running through their minds, they are determined to win...

"for her."

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hello, darlings! it has been a long time ik ik. i apologize for this short and vv late update bc things have been pretty complicated wt my life, but still i'm determined to finish this book within this year. wt "exceptional" nearing its end, i hope everyone will be patient and supportive until the end. also, thank u to everyone who has been reading this. love lots xoxo!