Chapter 20 - Cats VS Crows

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(Y/N) kept her eyes on the court as the players got into position, a notebook and pen in her hand. The pudding-head, whose name she learned was Kenma, was serving first. The whistle blew and he served into the back corner of the court, it was a weak serve, but had a good arc to it. Asahi moved over, receiving the ball horridly making (Y/N) shake her head in exasperation.

"Sorry! It's a bit short!" Asahi yelled as Kageyama ran to cover the ball.

"That's what you get 'cuz you skipped out for a month!" Noya shouted at the ace making him shiver.

"I'm sorry!" he cried.

"Kageyama cover it!" "Right."

As Kageyama ran for the ball, Hinata crossed paths with him. Speeding by, Kageyama jumps up, barely looking over his shoulder as his body turns to set the ball to Hinata who was already in the air, eyes closed. Hinata's hand makes contact with the ball and before anyone realizes what happened the ball landed past Kenma. Everyone stood there, shocked.

"What the?!" Inuoka blurted out in shock. "So fast!"

"A quick from a place like that...?!" Yaku, who was behind him continued.

"What the heck was that?!" Coach Nekomata said, shocked and confused. (Y/N) smirked along with Ukai and Takeda who were grinning evilly. Kiyoko smiled as she wrote in her notebook.

"Nice job Hinata! Kageyama!" "Nice!"

"Tanaka it's your serve!"

"...Amazing, that surprised me," Kenma said to Hinata and the ginger cutely laughed, a slight blush on his face. Kenma narrowed his eyes as he stood there in silence, his cat like orbs dilating. (Y/N) carefully and discreetly glanced at the Nekoma setter, she was getting a bad feeling from him.

Tanaka served, sending a normal serve towards the back corner with a nice arc. "Ooh, Nice arc!" Suga praised, but his thoughts were opposite from his positive words. Knowing Tanaka, it's probably a fluke though, he thought, a smile still on his face. Fukunaga moved over to position himself for the receive, sending it up to Kenma who stood still. The ball went up and Suga frowned. It's been perfectly returned to him!

Using little movement, Kenma sent the ball to Yamamoto who spiked past Hinata's and Kageyama's block. Noya dove slightly, stretching his upper body to receive the spike. "Nice receive!" Kageyama called out and ran towards the ball. Hinata ran up, throwing his arms back before jumping into the air.

Another quick! Inuoka thought to himself only to be tricked by Kageyama who sent the ball to Asahi. With no blockers on him, Asahi spiked the ball and it landed on the court with a lot of force. Karasuno gained another point causing Noya and Hinata to cheer for their ace.

"Hahaha... Incredible... Even though they shouldn't have been able to return the ball just now, we couldn't do a thing to stop it," Coach Nekomata said and crossed his arms. Is he really a high school student? He's got to be an adult right? He questioned, before shaking his head in dismissal. "You've got a good libero and spiker Karasuno! But what's most unexpected is..." His eyes moved to Kageyama. "Probably he setter?"

"Tanaka nice one!" "One more" "Nice Serve!"

Kenma continued to watch the team and (Y/N) kept her eyes glued to him. She nodded, finally deciding. Nekoma's setter would be the most troublesome to deal with. "Something doesn't feel right," Ukai blurted out making both (Y/N) and Tadeka look at him, his face frowning and arms crossed.

"What's the matter?" Takeda questioned and Ukai sighed.

"They could be waiting to see how it'll go... Like they're observing us or somethin'..." He put his hands on his knees, leaning back slightly.

"Oh? You think so?" Takeda mumbled and glanced at (Y/N) who was surprisingly quiet ever since the game started. Is this how she usually is when watching a game? He wondered.

With the score at 3-1 and Noya finally switching off the court, Suga walked over to Takeda. "Sensei," Suga said and Takeda turned towards him. "Our libero's switching out now, so it's a perfect time to explain how that works."

Takeda beamed and leaned forward excitedly towards the third year setter. "Ah please do!"

"The libero doesn't adhere to the normal rules of player substitution. He goes on and off the court multiple times during a match. Though I say that, they can go on and off the court at all times except a rally. During a rally from the time the serve is hit until the ball touches the ground, he cannot switch in or out. The libero changes places with one of the middle blockers. When our middle blockers Hinata and Tsukishima rotate into the rear guard, they can be switched with Nishinoya. Since Hinata was in the vanguard when the game began, Tsukishima who was in the rear guard, became the player with whom Nishinoya switches." Suga explained and Takeda nodded.

(Y/N) butted into the conversation, finishing Suga's explanation. "And now that Shoyo has rotated to the read guard and it's his serve, at the same time Kei moves up to the vanguard and switches with Yu-senpai." Their eyes looked at Noya who was walking onto the court, slapping Tsukishima's back. "Once Shoyo has hit this serve and one rally has been completed, he'll switch out with Yu-senpai."

"Then, after three more rotations, when it's Tsukishima's turn to serve, Hinata returns to the court and Tsukishima switches with Nishinoya after serving... Well, that's the gist of it," Suga continued, finishing it off.

"Oooh... so that's how it works... " Takeda mumbled and put a hand to his chin. "It's like Nishinoya-kun switches with Hinata-kun and Tsukishima-kun to handle defense, which is their weak point!"

Suga wryly smiled. "Well, it ends up that way... But..." His smiling face then changed into a darker and stiffer expression. "Once they've served, they need to defend from the rear guard, and since they'll always have to deal with receives even in the vanguard, it's imperative that they improve."

"O-Oohhh," Takeda blurted out, less enthusiastic than before due to Suga's cold tone and expression. The corner of (Y/N)'s lips twitched into a smile at that.

The sound of sneakers hitting against the court and squeaking continued. "Tsukishima!" Tsukishima jumped up into the air, his palm reaching for the ball. Fukunaga jumped to block him, but Tsukishima did a feint causing Yamamoto to have a delayed receive, making him dive for the ball. Yamamoto clicked his tongue as the ball hit against the ground, giving Karasuno another point.

"Nice feint Tsukishima!" Kenma's eyes observed the players more, narrowing even more which caused (Y/N) to jot something down in her notes. Noya ran out of the court, switching with Hinata as it was Tsukishima's turn to serve.

(Y/N) who was quietly watching, writing notes on each of the Nekoma players squinted her eyes. Now she was starting to understand why Nekoma was a defensive team. Their receives and flexibility were amazing, much better than Karasuno's and Seijoh's defense. Although the game was still in the beginning and both team's engines were not fully going, (Y/N) could tell that they were going to have trouble winning this game. She snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Hinata stop in front of Inuoka to side jump for a freak quick.

Kageyama set the ball to Hinata and he spiked it down, giving Inuoka no time to reach for it nor move out of his spot. Coach Nekomata grimaced. "How many points has number ten scored so far?" He asked and the assistant coach looked through his notes.

"Of their eleven points, he scored four. Also, thanks to him being a decoy, the other wing spiker has a high success rate."

"Who would've thought..." he mumbled and put his hands up for a timeout. The empire noticed and blew the whistle, letting Nekoma use one of their timeouts. Both teams went to their respective benches and Coach Nekomata sighed. "...The way you've been playing... Ain't gonna work."

"Eh?" Yamamoto blurted out, confused.

Coach Nekomata fronwed. "That guy is a real monster."

"Their number ten, huh?" Yaku questioned and the old man shrugged his shoulders.

"His movements are a bit crazy too, but I'm talking about their setter. He has an incredibly fast toss sent to the highest point of the spikers swing... That level of control is so precise it's like threading a needle. But, it's not a toss that can go to anyone. It only works with a spiker who jumps with absolute trust in it." Yaku seemed dumbstruck at Coach Nekomata's words. "Nothing we can do about it. Geniuses are beyond our control... but a genius cannot win at all if he has that rapport with only one person." His gaze then moved to Kenma who was fidgeting with his fingers.

Kenma's gaze hardened. "...Shoyo is the pivot point of attack... So, we just have to stop him..."

"Shoyo? Is that somebody's name?" Yamamoto quested and Fukunaga looked at him, nodding slightly.

"That quick moving number ten," Kuroo said, deadpanning at Yamamoto's stupidity.

"OHH!"

"If we let him move around freely, we won't be able to catch him, so we should narrow his range of movement. After that it's all a matter of chasing after him..." Kenma then turned towards his fellow teammate. "Inuoka."

"Yes!" he shouted, standing up as straight as a soldier.

"You're the most agile person we have right?" Kenma questioned.

"Thank you, I am!"

"I think that anyone would be surprised the first time they saw an attack like that. I was too..." Kenma looked over his shoulder, glancing at Hinata. He flinched slightly when he saw that (Y/N) was looking at him with a calculating gaze, he quickly looked away and towards his teammates. "But, even if a game doesn't seem clearable at first, after playing it over and over again. You can conquer it."

Inuoka went quiet and Coach Nekomata smirked. "Their number ten and number nine are just like oni and the kanabo. First of all we will take away the oni's 'kanabo'" He then looked at (Y/N) who was frowning slightly as she gazed at them. "We should also watch out for the thieving golden snake as well."

"Thieving golden snake?" the Nekoma team questioned in unison and imaginary question marks appeared above their heads.

"Are you perhaps talking about (Y/N)?" Naoi questioned the old man and he nodded, a proud smile on his face.

"That girl is someone everyone should be wary about."

"Uh coach," Kuroo said and they glanced at him. "What do you mean we should be wary of (Y/N)?"

"Like Kenma, (Y/N) is very observant and will pick up on the smallest of things." Their gazes went onto the girl who was talking to Daichi. "Not only will she notice our mistakes, but her own team's and will point them out. She's a professional when it comes to sports."

Yamamoto spoke up. "What's your relationship to her? And how do you know that much?"

Coach Nekomata smiled. "She's my granddaughter."

"WHAT?!" the entire team of Nekoma shouted and their shouts made the Karasuno team flinch, glancing over to look at them in confusion. (Y/N) sneezed, glaring at her grandpa, knowing that he was talking about her.

"Old man..." she cursed under her breath and Daichi gave her a questioning look.

"To think that (Y/N) and coach would be related..." Kuroo muttered, slightly shocked at the new information he casually dropped onto them.

"Anyways, let's not lose focus boys." The team nodded. "Let's go kill some crows."

"Osu!"

"What was that about?" Yamaguchi questioned as they looked away from the Nekoma team. The boys shrugged their shoulders while Ukai and Takeda looked at (Y/N) who whistled innocently.

"No clue, but remember to keep it up," Ukai said, clapping his hands. "Keep surprising them with our attacks and we will get points in. Let's go!"


Hinata spiked the ball once again, Inuoka jumping to block him. The ball grazed against the top of his fingertips, blowing past the block and onto the ground next to Yaku. "AAARGH! Dammit!" Inuoka cried out with a frustrated expression. As the score changed to 14-11, (Y/N) frowned, her eyebrows twitching. She tugged on Ukai's sleeve in silence, her gaze not leaving Inuoka.

Ukai raised an eyebrow at her and she let go of his sleeve. "Ukai this isn't going to go well."

"What do you mean?" His question was left with silence, (Y/N) still frowning at the number seven. He followed her gaze, eyes narrowing.

That player seven, isn't he following Hinata more closely now? Kageyama questioned as he looked at the second year. He then looked at (Y/N) who was frowning. She must be thinking the same thing also.

"Since the end of Nekoma's time out, their blockers have gathered to one side... A dedicated shift?" (Y/N) mumbled under her breath as she glanced at the three blockers who were bunched up on the left side.

This blocking style... I thought it was in order to completely mark our ace, but maybe it's... A way to force Hinata's movements...? Ukai and Kageyama thought to themselves .

Nekomata leaned back, arms crossing. "--Even so, I don't think there are many people who could keep pace with number ten over there." He laughed.

"Inuoka-kun is tall, but he's really quick!" Shibayama replied, putting his arms behind his back.

"A play that uses his head would be utterly impossible though. But, if he can do this one thing thoroughly..."

Chase after number ten, chase after number ten, Inuoka thought to himself, licking his lips as he ran after Hinata who did a side jump, Kageyama tossing the ball to him.

"--It would be a display of great strength."

The ball hit against Inuoka's fingertips which caused Kageyama to scowl. He touched it again! "Yaku-san nice receive!" Yaku moved and the ball hit against his forearms, floating towards Kenma.

"I won't lose when it comes to attacks!" Inuoka shouted. "And I won't lose in blocking either!"

Kenma jumped up into the air and Hinata watched him closely. As the ball hit against his fingertips, he dumped the ball over Hnata's head. "Huh?" Noya dived for the ball, unable to reach it. "Dammit!!"

"Ooh...! That just now was what's called a 'two attack' right?! And I thought he was definitely going to toss it up!" Takeda commented while Ukai and (Y/N) thought to themselves. Cold sweat rolled down Ukai's cheek as he seemed to think of something.

"Oi! Don't strain yourself too much. They'll be able to even see the tiniest of openings," Kageyama said to Hinata and (Y/N) nodded in agreement to his words.

"Eh? Right." Hinata blurted out, before both of their gazes locked onto Kenma.

"It's a feint coming your way!" "In front!"

Tanaka dove for the ball, barely getting it up into the air. "Sorry Noya-san! I'm counting on you to cover!"

"Leave it to me!" Noya shouted as he ran under the ball bumping it to Kageyama who shouted, "Right!"

"Eh?! Kageyama called for the toss?!" Hinata questioned, his expression confused and Suga who was beside him opened his eyes wide.

"Kageyama last hit's yours!" Noya shouted and Kageyama jumped into the air, hitting the ball past Kenma and Kuroo for a straight. Asashi, Tanaka, and Hinata all stood there in shock. (Y/N) whistled, his spikes had gotten better and more precise since the tournament they played in.

The black haired setter turned and pointed at Hinata. "Oi! It's because that was a 'straight' just now! You become able to properly 'choose' the ball's path!"

"Urghh!"

"That guy's high specs really piss me off..." Tanaka growled and Suga nodded with a grave expression, agreeing.

"Wow Karasuno High School's setter is amazing!" Nekoma's first year libero's eyes sparkled.

"Yup." Coach Nekomata nodded.

"Still, Kozume-san is amazing too! Even if he's not showy like that!"

The coach hummed. "Since he's bad with people, he worries over other's opinions, and so he watches them closely. Kozume is skilled at reading others. He predicts things like 'so-and-so is such a type, so he'll definitely move like this.' But that is not the core of our strength."

Tsukishima who was now in the front looked down at Kenma, the setter looking at him as well. Their eyes clashed, coldly observing each other. This guy's a sharp one, Kenma thought to himself as he looked away. The kind who calmly watches and thinks over. Shoyo's exact opposite.

"Nice receive!" "Yamamoto!" "Gotcha!"

"Man, Nekoma's receives are amazing," (Y/N) commented. "The setter hardly needs to move at all and since he has such little motion before tossing the ball, there's no way to know where the toss will go until the last second." Ukai nodded and Takeda looked at the blond haired girl, awed at how closely she was observing the team. It was a good idea to recruit her, he thought as he turned back to look at the court.

Kenma looked to the right and Tsukishima moved towards the direction and only got Kenma to toss to the left. Tsukishima's eyes widened as he realized he was tricked. So he really was watching me closely. He reacts quickly too, Kenma thought to himself and (Y/N)'s hands continued to move, writing down everything. Kiyoko's eyes widened when she realized that (Y/N) had two notebooks on her lap, using both her left and right hand to write in both. Just now... was a feint...! Kageyama and (Y/N) thought to themselves.

"He really doesn't stand out at all," Takeda pointed out and Ukai looked at him with confusion. "When novices look at our Kageyama-kun, they're mercilessly overwhelmed with the feeling that he is incredible... But while you can't really tell by looking, Nekoma's setter might be capable of some amazing things."

"That's due to the stability of Nekoma's receives. What's most important in setting up a variety of attacks is a receive like theirs, which is cleaning returned high above the setter's head. I'd say that their setter can show his real skill because of those receives. Even though our receives are a bit disorderly, Kageyama uses everything he has to make up for it, but... If Karauno is a rough around the edges team that is connected by Kageyama's overwhelming talent as a setter, then Nekoma is a team where Kozume the setter, is supported by the strength of everyone's receives," Ukai explained and (Y/N) hummed.

"While I do think that is true, I believe that Kenma-senpai is an amazing setter. He lacks stamina and his team makes sure that everything is set up perfectly for him, but he is a smart setter which uses minimal movement and tricks which make him hard to read for the other team," (Y/N) said as the two adults looked at her. Her golden eyes followed his form. "If he were to improve his stamina and truly go all out in a game, then Nekoma would be even more frightening than they already are. Kenma-senpai is truly scary with how observant and tricky he is."

Spike after spike, Nekoma kept getting the ball up. The ball was then sent above Kenma who jumped into the air, lightly setting the ball to Kuroo who spiked it down in between Daichi and Noya. "They've got up with us! Even though we've had the lead all along," Yamaguchi said and the score turned 18-18.

"Even without an impressive offence, it feels as if Nekoma has the upper hand in overall power..."

Hinata spiked the ball, hitting it against Inuoka's hand. (Y/N) clicked her tongue as Yaku dove to receive the ball, getting it up before it hit against the court.

"I have a feeling that the number of points Karasuno will gain with that shorty at the center of attack is going to decrease."

"Nice recovery Yaku-san!" "Cover!"

"It looks like the opposing blocker is starting to get a feel for

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