Unpolished Gems

Chapter 41

"Go! Go! Let's go, let's go Date Tech!" Cheers erupted from the stand that supported the enemy team once more causing [Name] to let out a small annoyed sigh. His ears were ringing from how loud they were screeching their little chants.

"It'll be hard work," Asahi mumbled suddenly from beside him causing the genius to turn towards the ace with a hand placed on the back of his neck. "You'll have to face number seven more than you did last set."

At the mention of the player, [Name] craned his head towards the other side of the court only to see a pair of narrowed eyes already locked onto his figure. Both white-haired players took a moment to stare each other down before turning away with a disgruntled expression.

If one were to describe how they looked right now, they could compare it to two cats prepping for a hissy fight.

"I've faced much more annoying players compared to him." [Name] mumbled as he lowered his hands down to his waist, his stance looking a bit more slacked compared to his earlier one. "While he's a bit tough, he's practically nothing to me right now."

Call him arrogant but it was true. With all the challenges he's faced in Blue Lock, someone with fast reflexes and height didn't seem all that impressive.

Asahi wanted to protest a bit more and mention the difficulties he's had when facing Aone before remembering that [Name] wasn't just any normal player. He's been through extensive training in an official facility made for producing the best of the best players, not to mention how he's already worked with more than one professional team in the volleyball industry.

"Just be careful, alright?" Asahi settled for this response instead as he let out a small breath. A tiny smile was present on his face as he tried to be as reassuring and encouraging as possible.

Turning to look at his senior, [Name] tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy at the words. He didn't exactly know what all the worry was for but he could at least appreciate the worry the other held for him.

"Thanks." A simple reply quickly left his mouth before readying his stance for the first round of the second set.

The first few rallies were quite fast-paced as both teams played with the thought of winning this match. Date Tech did their best to take the lead with their usual blocking but when it came to [Name]'s technique and Hinata's speed, they fell a bit short.

"Kageyama!" [Name] heard Daichi call out to their setter but he didn't bother to turn and look at them. He kept a steady gaze on the net in front of him for a few seconds before running up and jumping along with a few of his other teammates.

The ball was immediately sent his way, a phenomenon that's been happening a lot more in this set, causing him to deliver another hit that Date Tech couldn't deflect in time. A whistle was blown signalling another point for Karasuno causing a wave of murmurs to spread in the stands.

The score was 11-15 in Karasuno's favor and while it wasn't uncommon for Date Tech to sometimes be behind, it was mostly surprising because it was a fallen powerhouse such as Karasuno that was dominating them.

"Nice, [Name]!" Hinata cheered while Daichi gave the genius a proud pat on the back. Kageyama was quick to bounce off in his direction too in order to gather feedback on his set for the umpteenth time. It was getting tiring to come up with new answers to give at this point.

From the back, Asahi couldn't help but stare at the first years with a look akin to relief in his eyes. The worry he had with Date Tech crushing their resolves with their Iron Wall seemed to dissolve when he saw how well they were doing.

He really was worried for nothing, huh? Their past of losing to Date Tech is nothing but the past now because the Karasuno of today is a lot different from before. They've changed a lot so he should really stop worrying about stuff that happened before and start focusing on what's happening now.