（𝐕𝐈𝐈.）𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓

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KARASUNO LOST IN THE MATCH BETWEEN THEM AND NEKOMA. And it was not a close match either.

"18-25," F/n muttered.

She's seen things. She has. The way Kageyama and Hinata conversed. It was just like training back home. Between Midoriya and Bakugou.

'Midoriya and Katsuki had the same tension as Hinata and Kageyama,' she silently noted, 'Hinata and Midoriya being more inspirable and Katsuki and Kageyama being stubborn and yet they're on the same team. One pair being Karasuno while the other being heroes.'

"It looks like our team is weaker than all the teams here," Takeda bluntly said with a close-eyed smile, "At this point, no matter which team we play against, it will be a struggle."

"Should we treat our opponents as our enemy or as teachers whom we can learn from?" he continued, "Being weak means you have room for improvement. There is nothing better to look forward to."

"We understand!" the team said, all with shocked expressions.

F/n looked at the teacher, back at the team and at the teacher again. 'He is just like... Aizawa-sensei? All except for how he never carried a sleeping bag with him.'

An idea struck in her working mind. Her back straightened and her breath hitched. She looked at Ukai to think twice before speaking up.

"Can I play?"

The team, teachers and managers all looked at her with shocked expressions. She was new to this... volleyball they call but she wanted to play?

"It's okay if you don't let me," she said, "I just want to experience so maybe I can help."

They blinked at her, not one person saying a single word.

"When I watched you play," she turned to the boys, "against Nekoma, I realized that it was just like how we had to face villains in our place."

She looked at the ground. "I'm not implying that we should treat them as villains. I'm saying that we should watch them. Observe and gather information to find their weak points to defeat them."

"No one's perfect and I think it would be the best time to make use of that famed, notable quote we hear every day."

They stared at her silently before a smirk grew on Ukai's face.

"Let's do it then," he said, "We're a team after all, aren't we?"

Light gleamed upon F/n's face as the team cheered happily. Things were set and F/n soon found herself standing on the court against people with a mix of red, black and white coloured shirts on.

She took a deep breath and exhaled. 'Just like facing villains. Just like sparring.'

The sound of the high-pitched whistle blow bounced through the walls of the gym and the players got their minds concentrated on the ball.

"Nice receive!" Nishinoya received the ball and it went flying up. F/n turned her head to face the Nekoma team, not minding the shouts from her team as they focused on the ball.

Everyone else seemed to also be concentrating on the ball. All except one. Kozume Kenma.

'He's trying to read me,' she thought as they locked eyes. The narrowing golden eyes reached the piercing crimson, sending a slight shiver down the other's spine.

He looked away, eyes catching the ball and she did the same. Kageyama was about to set the ball when F/n shouted at him.

"Kageyama!"

The eyes of different beings looked at her and Kageyama tossed to her. F/n's eyes locked on the corner of the line that forms a square and she jumped. High. Really high.

Her hand reached the ball and with immense force, she hit the ball as it landed on the wooden gym floor.

The wind from the force blew the Nekoma team members' hair and their eyes stared at the position where the girl jumped.

The ball bounced from the floor to the wall behind them, snapping them back to their trance.

"What was that?" Murmurs filled the gym. Not only from Nekoma and Karasuno but also from other school teams that managed to halt their match to watch theirs.

Kiyoko fixed her spectacles that managed to tilt slightly in surprise and Yachi shivered with her mouth wide open.

F/n was still on the ground, kneeling on one knee and with a hand on the floor to support her.

She exhaled and a smile reached her lips. In the corner of her eyes, she could sense Kenma's piercing gaze laying on her.

And now, she knew.

Now, she knew how exciting this sport they call volleyball, actually is.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

"F/n-chan!"

"Hinata," the said girl smiled.

"What are you doing here all alone?" Hinata asked, sitting beside her.

"Just thinking," she said.

"What are you thinking about?"

F/n sighed, taking a moment to contemplate whether to tell him or not. They were friends, all of them were and yet she had the wish to leave.

"F/n?" Hinata called the zoned-out girl.

"How to get back home," she blurted out.

There was a moment of silence before Hinata let out a small 'oh'. A long period of silence followed close, awkwardness filled the tense atmosphere.

"I didn't mean it that way," she said, breaking the silence between the two, "What I meant was that I just want to get back home. Not because I hate it here but because I miss home. My home."

"I get it," he said, "You miss your family don't you?"

She nodded to his guess before deciding to change the subject. "What made you like volleyball so much?"

Hinata gleamed, oblivious to the change of topic as he was distracted with the word volleyball.

"The Little Giant!" he excitedly exclaimed, "He's so cool! I saw him on the tv and he was the ace of the Karasuno volleyball team and he can jump really high!"

He let out a content sigh. "I wish I can be an ace in the future. I want to be just like him."

She followed his gaze up at the sky, mind still filled with the information she had been given not even a minute ago.

She thought about what he had said again. He sounded really inspired by this Little Giant he told her about.

It was like having All Might as an inspiration to her and everyone else in her world. Her world. Her heart clenched at the thought of home. Oh, how she missed her mother's cooking and her brother's shouts and her father's calming voice.

She sighed, now knowing what had been in their minds after hearing the orange-headed boy had said. It was like wanting to be a hero for her and her friends.

It all made sense.

[ e d i t e d ]

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