Pterodactyl - Tsukishima Kei x OC

Chapter 34: What If

Chapter 34:

One month later

Day 1 of the Prefectural Qualifiers: October 25th

The Prefectural Qualifiers for the Spring Tournament had officially begun. The boys were competing first in the morning whereas the girls had their game against Hakusuikan High in the afternoon at that same gym.

Kei and the rest of his teammates stood outside of the gym, anxious to play their first and only game of the day against Johzenji High. While Hinata and Kageyama annoyingly shouted about how they were going to defeat all the schools, he noticed a familiar presence in front of him - it was Terushima, the guy who was hitting on Mizuki when they were skating. Kei remembered him very vividly because he was so irritated by him that he pretended to be her boyfriend. Terushima waved at Shimizu, which prompted Tanaka and Nishinoya to sprint towards him in outrage. Luckily, Johzenji's manager diffused the situation.

"Let's go!" Their captain exclaimed confidently.

As their team walked inside the gym, Kei received a text from Mizuki.

Mizuki: GOOD LUCK! I'll be there soon so try not to lose until I get there ;)

Kei smirked and replied back instantly.

Kei: I'll try my hardest but it'll be difficult because my good luck charm isn't here yet.

Ever since their joint birthday party and their interrupted kiss, the two recognized that their playful, friendly bantering had transformed into sly flirting. Every little text, conversation, and hangout became like a competition for who could make the other more flustered. They speculated that they may both feel the same way, however, there was an aggravating question that lingered in their minds, preventing them from admitting how they truly felt toward one another.

What if I'm wrong?

Kei pushed the thoughts of Mizuki out of his head and tried his best to focus on the game in front of him. He even got new glasses from his older brother so that he could play volleyball more comfortably. After their warm-up, they were finally playing against Johzenji.

"Wait a minute..." Terushima smirked from across the net, "I recognize you!"

He pointed at Kei, who had an indifferent expression on his face.

"You're Toma Mizuki-chan's boyfriend!" He exclaimed, causing Kei's teammates to stare at him curiously.

"That's right. It's nice to see you again," Kei commented sarcastically, "Let's have a good game."

"Oh yeah! You bet!" He grinned mischievously.

The game started with the Karasuno boys struggling against Johzenji's erratic and random plays. Eventually, they gained momentum and won the first set, with a score of 25-21. Kei drank water from his water bottle and scanned the stands for Mizuki - it didn't seem like she was there yet. He understood though - the girls' team was probably having a last-minute practice before their game in the afternoon.

As the second set began, Hinata and Kageyama continued to surprise Johzenji's team. In particular, they were impressed by their captain, Sawamura, the most because of his calm and collected receives. He was the true backbone of Karasuno, along with their libero, Nishinoya.

Mizuki and her teammates sprinted as fast as they could inside the gym and up the stands. Their practice ran late so they missed the boys' first set but there wasn't a doubt in her mind that the boys were going to win. She leaned against the railing and watched Kei block a spike from Johzenji. She and her teammates cheered supportively, prompting him to gaze up at the stands to find her. She gave him a quick thumbs-up, and he instantly felt relieved that she was finally there. In the end, Karasuno won (with a final score of 25-20) because Terushima messed up his serve. They were moving onto the quarter-finals!