Kageyama set the ball to Hinata who spiked it down, the other team player just missing for a one touch. The ball hit against the libero's forearms and directed towards the back. Number four started to run, diving as he tried to get the ball back, only to hit the floor and miss the ball.

"Guh!" The whistle blew.

"Damn, so close! Don't worry about it Ikejiri!"

"Keep fighting!"

"Nice one Hinata, Kageyama!"

(Y/N) hummed and looked over at the score which was now 17-8. We are crushing them, she thought to herself as she wrote down notes in her notebook.

"Karasuno, isn't using it." Mizoguchi observed.

"That quick where the spiker doesn't see the toss. On the other hand... They seem to have added a normal quick strike to their repertoire, though it's still a work in process... An even clumsier selection of the ball's course than before... Could they have had a significant enough practice match to warrant it in this short span of time...?" Irihata spoke aloud, a nervous look on his face. "Understanding the weapons at their disposal, adding to them, and attacking with the best one for each game..." The two coaches glanced at a man wearing a Date Tech jacket. "The wisdom gained by an unsteady team that has relied on brute strength in all manner of situations, huh... That's bound to be troublesome." He laughed.

Ukai and (Y/N) carefully glanced at Irihata, both having a calculated look on their faces. "He's probably figured it out, huh," Ukai whispered and the blond looked over at her coach.

"We need to be wary of him." (Y/N) nodded. She then looked over at the score, 21-12 and blinked. "Tokonami High School just took their second time out."

"Haaah... Karasuno's nothing like the rumors."

"How the heck are they Fallen Champions? They're not fallen at all."

"They're on a completely different level." They went silent in thought.

"When you stand on either side of the net, things like rank, grade, and class become irrelevant!" "-If you don't go into it intending to win, you'll never be able to." Ikejiri looked up to see his team curiously glancing at him. "Ahh! Err- that's... Just now was...-"

"You really said something good, Ikejiri. How unusual."

"Volleyball doesn't have any time limit, so if we can hang in there, maybe we'll have a chance to win."

"The other side had some great misses too."

"Alright! Weaklings or no, this is the time to stand strong!"

"Once more, let's go out there to win!" "YEAH!"

(Y/N) glanced over at the other team, raising a curious eyebrow. Kiyoko, who noticed, tapped the girl's shoulder. "Is something wrong (Y/N)?"

"Well... I was just wondering why they are so determined now even though they know they are going to lose?" (Y/N) explained, now looking at the black haired beauty. "What's the point of trying now?" She smiled.

Kiyoko blinked, looking shocked at what (Y/N) just said. 'She's acting like a different person,' she thought to herself when she saw (Y/N)'s expressionless eyes. "...They are determined to keep trying since they don't want to give up until the very end."

"So it's like... they don't want to lose too badly? Or they are hoping that they can turn this set around?" (Y/N) tilted her head to the side, her hair falling over her shoulder. "Sorry Kiyoko." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't really understand their drive to win even though it is clear that they are going to lose."

"You don't understand (Y/N)... It's because you've never been in the true shoes of a losing player... A weak player who doesn't want to give up! You'll never understand our thoughts and feelings because you can't!"

(Y/N) shook her head, it was pounding and her smile twitched as she remembered something she wished to forget. Kiyoko continued to look at her kohai, her mouth slightly agape with wide eyes of concern. She really did not know what went through (Y/N)'s head, and that expression. 'Even though she was smiling, her eyes were not. It's like she is wearing a smiling mask 24/7.'

The game continued, the ball staying up in play. A player from the other team spiked it down, the ball passing Nishinoya. "Alright!!" They pumped their fists.

"Wait, aren't we getting too happy over a single point?!"

"What's wrong with it! Torrents start from just a drop of water, y'know!" Karasuno has more than enough of a lead for a match point, Ikejiri thought. From their perspective our one point isn't of any importance.

"DAMMIT!" Noya shouted. "Next time! I'll definitely! Keep it in!" (Y/N) blinked. But it's just one point? She wondered with wide eyes. 'Are... they taking this team seriously even though we have such a big lead?'

"One point!" Daichi shouted. "We're taking it back!"

"Right!"

'Ah... These guys are serious. We have never been on anyone's radar... They are probably the only ones in this hall.'

A player served the ball and Nishinoya received it. Kageyama jumped, setting it up to Daichi.

'...Who would seriously play against us.'

(Y/N)'s eyes widened, her hands clenched against her pen and notebook. "I don't understand..."

Daichi spiked the ball down, hitting the corner of the court. The whistle blew and Karasuno took the second set, 25-14, winning the game.

"Thank you very much!" The boys bowed down to the other team and their coach.

"The next teams are heading onto the court, so get off already!" Ukai shouted.

Kageyama looked at Hinata who was standing still. "...Oi quit spacing out, you space case! Hurry up and-"

"We won." Hinata stated and Kageyama stood up.

".......Yeah." he deadpanned.

"...Do we have another match to play... after this?" Hinata asked him.

"Yeah. We won, after all," Kageyama answered like he was stating the obvious.

"We won... We won... " Hinata clenched his fists in front of him and looked up at the ceiling with a cheerful expression. "We won! We can... keep playing!" Kageyama's mouth twitched and the two of them looked out at the court. "We can stand on the court again."

(Y/N) looked at the two, mainly Hinata as she quietly observed them. 'There it is... That same feeling from before.' "...The small beast starved for victory, tasted it for the first time," (Y/N) whispered under her breath. 'He's going to change and evolve faster now.' (Y/N) turned away from the two and adjusted her bag. '...But this time, I have a good feeling about this evolving for some reason.'

The Karasuno team started to walk away, but were stopped by a shout. "Sawamura!" they looked back to see Ikejiri.

"Ikejiri?" Daichi blurted out.

"Win! Win a ton of games!" Ikjiri exclaimed and grabbed Daichi's shoulders. "Win...! In our stead!!"

Daichi went silent before grabbing his hand, the others had determined looks on their faces. "You got it. We'll carry your will." The boy gave a bright smile as the team walked away.

(Y/N) looked back before following her teammates. 'Really... I don't understand... Tetsu, someone...' She placed a hand over her tight beating heart. 'Please explain this feeling to me.'

'Tens of thousands of people across the country whose "club activities" have ended all too soon like this. Win all preliminary matches and advance to the Nationals. If this were fiction, those going to nationals would be the main characters and the rest of us would be like extras. But even so, we did it too. We played volleyball.'

"FINAL WORDS!" "THANK YOU FOR THE GAME!"

(Y/N) POV

I looked up at the spreadsheet, Kageyama and Hinata looking up at it from behind me. "About half of these... Twenty-three of these fifty-five teams ended their journey in the first round," I mumbled and we turned around.

"We're going to win the next one, too." Daichi declared and the boys nodded.

"OSU!"

"Mah, anyways," I spoke, making a few heads turn towards me. "I'm going to get something to drink from the vending machine."

Suga smiled as I walked off. "Don't get lost!"

"Pfft-! Don't worry, I won't get lost in a place like this!"

"I'm lost." I deadpanned with a drink in hand. I found the vending machine, but I lost my way back to where my team was.

"Karasuno's #10 player was amazing, wasn't he? Scoring so many times with quick strikes..."

"I know, right? Even though he's so short!"

I casually smirked when she heard those boys passing by. I was walking back from the vending machine with a chocolate milk and already whispers of Hinata were spreading. Best part yet is that Date Tech is standing right there hearing all of this, I thought to myself, stifling my laughter at how serious the three players looked.

"That number 10 wasn't around back in March, so he must be a first year," Futakuchi analyzed and the black haired captain next to him nodded.

"Probably, yeah. We should keep a close eye on him." He agreed.

I walked past them nodding in agreement to the captain's statement like I was a part of the team. "Yeah you should." The three players blinked and I casually drank my chocolate milk.

"Oi (Y/N) don't butt in our conversation!" Futakuchi yelled, pointing an accusing finger at me with a pissed off face.

"It's everyone's conversation if you talk out loud like that in the open~!" 

"Get over here!"

I responded by running away when I saw him about to chase after me. Thankfully, the white haired male grabbed him by the back of his collar to stop him. Thank you good sir, I thought to myself while running. I shall be in your debt and forever remember you. A playful yet sad smile made it onto my face as I wiped away a nonexistent tear.

Ah, I found them! I ran towards them and waved my hand. "Tobio, Sho- Why does Shoyo's face look like that?" Hinata had a blush on his face and his smile was twitching while he had swirly, bright eyes.

Kageyama and I deadpanned at him and he seemed to snap back into reality. "Wh-what?! There's nothing wrong about being happy about it, okay!" Hinata said, trying to defend himself from our judging gazes. "Nobody's ever said that sorta stuff about me before!"

Kageyama then smirked and I coughed, laughing at how it reminded me of the grinch while Hinata flinched. "I didn't say anything. It's good that you're getting noticed after all. Opponents will keep their eyes on you and the more wary they are." He grinned, putting his hands on his hips. "The more you'll come into your own."

"Oooh...! I don't really get it, but either way, your smile is scary," Hinata replied and Kageyama froze. I started to laugh even more, slapping Kageyama's back.

"S-Scary!! Hahaha!" I wiped a tear. "Don't worry Tobio, you have your moments where you have a nice smile." This seemed to anger him even more as he yanked Hinata's fluffy orange hair, taking all his anger out on the ginger instead of getting angry at me as well.

"O-ow!"

"Yup, you got it." Ukai nodded. "For now, we will create an atmosphere of, "That short number ten is amazing." The greater it gets, the more Hinata shines, and the more it will blind the opposing blockers." Hinata's jaw dropped and Kageyama smirked.

Ukai then gestured towards me and I nodded, opening my notebook. "As for the starting lineup for the second round, we'll go with the same used in the first." I glanced over to Suga who had a neutral expression. Koshi-senpai will be fine, I thought to myself. He's a strong mental pillar of support.

"The next match starts at 1:30, so don't relax just yet!" Daichi said with a smile.

"In the meantime eat lightly. Don't go filling your stomachs alright," Ukai added and everyone went their separate ways.

"Asahi-senpai." He turned around to look at me and I placed my hands in my pocket. "Mind if I come with?"

"Sure (Y/N)," he responded and I trailed next to him in silence. After a while of walking, we sat down on a bench.

"..."

"..."

"How are you feeling?" I suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"Are you nervous? Excited? Feeling the urge to get your revenge on Date Tech?" I clarified and Asahi's expression became grim.

"Honestly I'm scared (Y/N)," Asahi answered. "I'm worried that I will keep getting shut down and fail to do my job as the ace." He sighed. "I want to break through that wall."

I hummed, leaning back against the bench. "The ace doesn't have to do all the work himself."

"I don't need help, everyone is too weak. The only one who can beat me is me."

My left eye twitched. Don't think of that idiot now, he's not Asahi-senpai. They're different.

"Although the ace opens the way for his teammates, it doesn't mean that he is by himself. He has his allies by his side which will always help him." I looked over at him, smiling and patted his shoulder. "It's alright to be afraid at first, but just remember we got your back, so it's okay to fail as many times until you breakthrough."

"(Y/N)..." Asahi muttered, a thoughtful look on his face. I smiled, standing up and stretching my arms above my head.

"Nmnn!" I groaned and smiled at him one last time. "Well I'm going to find Koshi-senpai." I patted his shoulder again. "Take your time and think over what I said Asahi-senpai." I let go and started to walk away.

I walked around outside trying to find a certain grey haired setter. I brightened when I saw him talking to Kageyama and Hinata. "Ko-

"I'm counting on you." He bowed his head down and I stopped myself from speaking as I heard Suga's words. The wind seemed to blow, making the leaves and his grey hair flow to the side. I stayed quiet. "Datekougyou is a formidable enemy. Three months ago, we were defeated by their iron wall of blockers." He then stood up straight. "But now, we have the strongest decoy... Just as you clear the wall in front of Hinata. Please... clear the one in front of Asahi - in front of the ace as well...!"

I hid behind a tree, leaning against the bark with my fists clenched. I didn't notice, but my lip was bleeding from how hard I was biting against it. Using my hand, I wiped the blood away, looking down at the ground.

"...Really Koshi-senpai... you are really cool." I looked up at the blue sky, watching the birds fly overhead. "...I wish I had someone like that by my side those years ago... Someone who trusted me no matter what."

"Just leave already... We don't want you here."

"Accept it (N/N)... They won't count on you anymore because you don't count on us. So please... before I start crying. Just get out of my face."

"(Y/N), I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I can't help you."

Stop thinking. Stop thinking about that. It's in the past. I'm fine, I'm fine... I'm not fine. I bit my lip even harder. I don't need them and they don't need me. I'm no longer on their teams. I'm on a new team and they count on me, they think of me as a friend and not a monster.

"Listen (Y/N)." Akashi smiled, gently caressing my cheek. "Your so called teammates will always leave you because they aren't like you, a prodigy, a monster like us. They counted on you, but once they realized what you were, they decided to leave you." He looked into my eyes. "Don't worry, I won't leave you alone, you don't have to be afraid of being left alone anymore."

I let out a gasp and placed my hands over my mouth as I took in deep breaths. "Dammit..." I ran a hand through my hair, pushing it back as I continued to calm myself. "...I should go back inside now." 

Fixing my mask, I let a smile appear on my face.

"Nice! Nice!" "Fight on!" "Okay!"

"Alright! We're going to win the second round toooo! Ooooo...?!" Hinata shouted and the Date Tech players passed by him at the same time, looking intimidating.

The white haired middle blocker glared down at Hinata and he shrieked, hiding behind Tanaka. I looked over at him, shaking my head with a sigh.

"Hey." I turned around to see Tsukishima looking down at me. "What's wrong with you?"

I smiled, tilting my head. "What do you mean?"

He clicked his tongue. "Your smiles seemed forced."

My eyes widened before I let out a small chuckle, patting his arm. "Don't worry about it, you're just seeing things." I smirked. "Maybe it's because you're already half blind~ But thanks for worrying about me Kei."

"Tch, forget it shorty."

He walked away and I grimaced, looking down at the floor. To think he saw through my mask... Well Kei is really observant... No one noticed before, so it's probably off since I remembered some shit things. I got to fix it before anyone else notices. I looked up, slapping my cheeks. "Alright!" I smiled, ignoring how Ennoshita and Narita weirdly stared at me.

"Go! Go! Let's go! Let's go Datekyou!"

"GO! GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO DATEKYOU!"

"Oh, that's pretty catchy," I commented from besides Ukai who hit me upside the head. "...Was that supposed to hurt...?" We deadpanned at each other. "Then...Ouch." He sighed.

"UOOOH!?" Hinata blurted out, afraid.

"You're sure active even though you're scared," Tanaka said. "Having a lot of members sure makes a team seem strong. ("Let's go Datekou!") All those people lined up like that and cheering honestly makes me jealous."

"Datekou... FIGHT!" "YEAHH!"

Hinata and Tanaka flinched at the group huddle and how intimidating they looked.

"Time for laps! One! Two!" "One! Two! Keep it up!" "I can't hear you!"

"Man, Datekou is scary... You really get overwhelmed being on the same court as them. ("Datekou!")Those spikers on the team they faced in the first round really had my sympathy. Datekou literally didn't ("Datekou!") allow them to do anything and you could feel it."

"CAPTAINS!" "Datekou!"

Takeda spoke up. "It feels like... ("Datekou!") The entire court is filled with a Datekou atmosphere."

"Datekou!" "Datekou!"

"We will be receiving first, and we're on this side of the court," Daichi said, breaking Ukai and I out of our thoughts.

"We're doing receives!" "Osu!"

Ukai handed me the ball as I spiked it down on the players. "Even though the team has definitely evolved, the second and this years are probably still carrying the image of losing in their minds," Ukai spoke aloud to me and I nodded, spiking a ball down at Asahi. "Anyway, we've gotta ("Datekou!") do something or we'll be swallowed ("Datekou!") by the atmosphere."

He passed me another ball and I spiked it down. "Hrmm Rolling Thunderrrrrrr Agaaaaaain!" Noya shouted as he rolled down for the ball, successful receiving it and landing on his feat.

Everyone went quiet and looked at him in shock, even the Date Tech players. I blinked, covering my mouth with a hand to cover my laughter.

"Noya-san nice receive! Ya gotta admit that's amazing, except for the name." Tanaka laughed.

"The name's amazing too dammit!" Noya shouted back.

"PFFT-!" Tsukishima and Yamaguchi laughed behind him.

"Teach me that again tooooo!" Hinata screamed, reaching his hands out to grab Noya.

Kageyama put a hand under his chin as he had a thoughtful look on his face. "Was that any different from the last time?"

"It's Nishinoya again... That was a regular dig just now, wasn't it!" Daichi and Suga said in unison.

"Hey wait, hold on, Nishinoya! You'll make Daichi angry again...!" Asahi worriedly said.

I chuckled. "It's like a mix of complimenting and digging at Yu-senpai... Well everyone seems less