one step further // haikyuu x OC

inter-high: game one // 19

Rarely did I feel like I had a solid bond with my teammates up to that point, however on that bus ride to the gymnasium the rest of my team was being unusually interactive with me. At least to my standards. I made jokes to make them all laugh and loosen some nerves. My hopes were rising, it felt like I was creating a stronger bond with them. The bus ride chaperoned by Takeda had high anticipation as we grew closer to the tournament. 10 minutes or so out, I excused myself from the group and listened to music. Creating a focused energy and visualizing plays helped me to perform better. It was also a good distraction from growing nerves.

xxx

As every minute crawled by, I became more and more restless; bouncing on the balls of my feet while waiting to hear the score of the current game, walking with everyone who had to find the bathroom, pacing as we stretched in a group. I never sat down, I couldn't sit still. I wanted to play.

"You're especially tense today, Toshiko. Are you alright?" Surprised, I looked at Takeda standing at the edge of our group. The other girls on my team nodded in agreement.

"Eh? Tense? No... just restless." I responded shyly, giggling at myself.

"Ah, the anticipation before a game!" Yui chimed in. "Can't sit still because you want to play so bad, huh?" I nodded fervently at her.

"A lot more energy than usual still. What's got you so fired up?" Sudou questioned while tucking her short black hair behind her ear.

Did they all... notice? They could tell I was a little off kilter? I had no idea they were keeping track of me like that...

"It's... it's my dad." I answered honestly. I was hesitant about opening up, but these were my teammates. The people who were supposed to be my closest comrades, and they all looked curious to know. I didn't care who knew about my dad anyway. My hands ruffled my hair in frustration as I spoke. "He made me so mad today! I'm channeling that energy to play hard... URG!!! I'm getting fired up just thinking about it again!!!" I shouted as I jumped up and down, not being able to contain the energy that had been building up inside me since lunch.

I have to give credit to Shouyou's mom too, her food has given me the energy I need! Godly woman!

The girls laughed as I moved around, it made me laugh too. When I first arrived, things seemed tense. Like there was an opposing magnet between the team and myself, but now I could feel the magnet giving in and I was being pulled closer to them. Slowly. It was enough of a difference for me to feel relief. It seemed like they were closer to me than I thought.

We all paused and looked to the gym entrance when we heard the final whistle blow. I ran over and watched the other teams line up and thank each other for the match. I whipped my head around and smiled brightly at my teammates, face alight with joy.

"It's game time, girls! Let's fight hard!"

xxx

The babble of the crowd was making me antsy. We stood on the end line and bowed wishing for a good game with our opponents , those moments right as the match was about to begin is what really made me feel like I was going to burst. My spine tingled in excitement as we lined up in our starting positions and prepared for the match; captain assigned me in the opposite position because both her and Ahira were already the wing spikers in the starting line up. But I didn't mind being an opposite hitter. I still got to slam the ball down, and block the other team's ace. My plans included stopping any and every ball I could... as soon as I rotated into the front row that is. First I had to receive the serve.

"Let's do this!" I said to Nozomi Watabe - our libero - gesturing for a high five with a smile. She nodded and collided hands before I turned my attention back to the opposing court. Back to their server warming up behind the serving line. I began to hyper-focus my sense and mind. Deep breath in, closed eyes, then slowly empty my lungs. This effectively shut out the crowd in the gym. It was just my club, the opposing team, and the volleyball court on which we stood that I could see and hear.