XXVIII

March 5th, 2021

So... let's just discuss that picture for a sec. Minus the hairstyle (even tho it looks so amazing on him,) I like to think that's how he looks later on during the winter break arc, assuming I do what I'm planning to do. 

Also, this chapter is heavily influenced by my friend, who loves angst a little too much to be considered a... normal person. I promise nothing terrible happens (at least in this chapter,) but just for future reference, all angst-scenes are because she's been rubbing off me, and I've only known her for like a little over 5 months.

When Inarizaki hit the 20-point mark, Kamino Academy was still six points behind. But... they weren't panicking. Isuma admired their mental stability and ability to stay calm... but, considering Tamiko's personality- at least what she'd seen- was surprising. Tamiko didn't seem like the type of person to stay calm like this. 'You amaze me, Tamiko-kun.'

Atsumu seemed to be getting more and more hyped as the game came closer to an end. And, to Kamino's disadvantage, it was his serve. Isuma watched as Atsumu threw the volleyball into the air, and then, to all their surprise, did a jump float serve.

'What the heck? Now?!' Tamiko managed to dive to the right and receive it, although he crashed into the barriers there. Hinosa didn't have time to check on him and hastily set the volleyball to Yoshi, who had been caught off-guard. Osamu blocked him, but Yoshi's spike was so powerful it broke through it. Hinosa looked over at Yoshi. "Sorry, that was my bad. You weren't expecting that."

"It's fine. Do whatever you have to, Senpai." Yoshi and the others all looked at him. "We're right behind you and Altan."

Hinosa flashed a smile. "I know you are. Thank you. Tami-chan, are you fine?"

"I'm okay." His leg seriously hurt, but he couldn't tell anyone, least of all Hinosa. They'd force him to sit out, and he couldn't leave them when things were this close. 'C'mon... just hold out a few more minutes.' Tamiko took a deep breath and straightened. "Let's do this."

Isuma could immediately tell that Kamino's setter was injured, but she didn't say anything. 'I hate it but... it's his choice. I couldn't stop him if I tried.'

She was more worried about Ginjima. Nothing had changed since he'd refused to be taken out, and Kurosu Sensei hadn't switched him out either. He seemed fine to Isuma, yet she was still worried. 'He doesn't want me to be concerned. He'll be fine... he has to be.'

She was focusing on dozens of different things at the same time. Her mind kept rotating her brothers, Kamino Academy, Ginjima's injury, Kita...

Isuma's hand went to her forehead and she murmured, "Not again..."

She couldn't think clearly and all the sounds around her dulled. Her eyes closed briefly as all her senses faded. "Nii-chan..."

(Note: when Isuma says "Nii-chan," she's referring to either one of her brothers, or sometimes both.)

"Miya? Are you fine?" Kurosu Sensei looked over at her. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. "I'm okay-"

Suddenly, everyone in the bleachers jumped to their feet, cheering. Inarizaki was at match point, with Kamino four points behind. Tamiko was breathing hard and he had sweat tracing his face. 'I won't let this game end like this. Even if we don't win... I have to make sure Hino-nii's last game in high school was worth it. This is my last chance to play with him. I have to prove myself to Hino-nii.'

"Hino-san," Tamiko said, not turning around. "I need your best right now. Do you trust me?"

"Of course," Hinosa replied. "But... they're at set point."

"If we have to go down, then we're going down my way." His voice lowered as he hastily explained something to him and Yoshi.

Atsumu was watching them talk curiously. "We're at match point. Aren't they worried?"

"They're just good at hiding it," Aran replied. Atsumu glanced back at his brother. "Come on, 'Samu, nice serve!!!"

Osamu's serve flew towards Tamiko, who was forced to receive it. 'Dang it!'

His eyes flicked over to Hinosa, who nodded slightly. Yoshi yelled, "Hinosa-san!!!"

Yoshi's spike was perfect, but Akagi managed to receive it just in time. "Atsumu!!"

Atsumu quickly raced through his possible play options. 'Don't fail me now, 'Samu!!'

Osamu ran up to spike, but all three blockers had predicted it and were ready. At the last second, he lightly tapped it so the volleyball flew back. "One touch!!!"

"I have it!!" Ginjima exclaimed, managing an overhand receive. "Atsumu!"

"Aran Senpai!!" Atsumu's fingers slipped off the volleyball, which was slick and slippery with sweat. He was so stunned that he'd messed up that he couldn't move. No one seemed to breathe as the volleyball fell. Isuma and the coaches had stood up... and then Akagi dived forward, his hand sliding between the ball and floor just in time. After a second, all the spectators screamed from the bleachers in excitement as Osamu managed to set the ball. "Tsumu!!!"

Atsumu had snapped out of his shock and jumped up, spiking the volleyball. It was a few feet away from Tamiko... but he couldn't react. His legs were suddenly throbbing with pain, and they wouldn't move. Time seemed to slow down as the ball came closer and closer. It was moving incredibly slow in his mind, and yet he still couldn't do anything. "Hino-nii..." he whispered. "I'm sorry."

Everyone watched as the volleyball slammed against the floor; a split-second later, Tamiko dropped to his knees as well. "Tamiko!!!" "Altan!!!"

The referee blew his whistle to end the game, but everyone in the gym was watching Hinosa help Tamiko up. "I'm fine..."

"Come on. To the bench- Yoshi, help me!!" They both threw their arms around him. Tamiko couldn't believe that they weren't even thinking about the fact that they had lost. "I'm sorry! I couldn't move and-"

"That doesn't matter right now!!" Hinosa snapped, almost angry that Tamiko was blaming himself. Their coach made Tamiko sit down so he could check on his leg. "How long were you playing like this?!"

Tamiko's shoulders were shaking as tears streaked his face. "I'm sorry-"

Hinosa cut him off. "Sensei, how's his leg?"

"I'm not sure; we need an actual doctor for this." Their coach grimly answered. They were talking loud enough that the Inarizaki players could hear them. None of them were relishing their victory; they were all watching Tamiko in concern. Isuma looked at Kurosu Sensei. "Sensei, I can help him. May I go?"

He briefly glanced at the referee, who was going to check on Tamiko himself. "...go."

Isuma ran to the other team's side, and the small crowd of players there parted like the Red Sea to let her through. "Excuse me, Sensei!"

Kamino's coach looked up at her. 'Inarizaki's manager...?'

"The muscle fibers in his left leg are almost torn. He stretched his leg too much when he crashed into the barriers." No one replied; most of the people seemed stunned that they were within a foot of her. Finally, their coach said, "Are you sure? Does he need a doctor?"

"I'm sure. He needs to get to a doctor, fast. But if he moves at all with his leg in that condition, then it'll just get worse. If you trust me, I can tell you what to do." Isuma didn't seem at all fazed by the dozen teenage boys around her. Most of the Inarizaki team had come over too. Tamiko murmured, "It's fine... I can just go to a doctor-"

"No." Isuma stopped him. "You've already strained your leg too much. It can't hold on much longer. We don't have time for even the medics here to come before it gets worse."

Kamino's coach hesitated. How could he trust a second-year girl with this? He glanced at the Inarizaki coaches and Kita. "Can she do it?"

Kita answered before either of the coaches. "She can. I trust her completely. She's one of the most intelligent people I know."

Everyone was gaping at him, and Isuma's cheeks were suddenly a warm shade of pink. Hinosa looked at her. "Do it. Please. I trust you."

Atsumu said, "Suma..."

"It's fine." She told him. Hinosa knelt in front of Tamiko with a medical kit open. Together, he and the coach followed Isuma's words carefully. Deep down, she was scared. 'I could be wrong... I may have studied common injuries in volleyball to be a manager, but this is serious. This is just so his leg's condition won't worsen in the time it takes to get to the hospital.'

Tamiko had been gripping the bench's edges the whole time. Isuma looked over his bandages. "It looks fine. But you need to get him to the hospital, Sensei. Now."

Hinosa looked at her. "Thank you... Miya-san."

<<Skip to them on their way back to that room>>

"How did you know what to do back then?" Osamu asked as they walked back to the locker room. Isuma tugged at the strap of her bag anxiously. "I might be wrong... that was just to stall until he can get to a hospital. But to become a manager, I had to study common injuries and things like that."

She looked more exhausted and mentally drained than the rest of them put together. Atsumu asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm just really tired for some reason." She stopped outside of their locker room as they all walked in. Kurosu Sensei paused in front of her. "Can you take this to the front office?"

He handed her a folder. "Sure. Do I just give it to them?"

"You'll have to fill out a form; just some basic stuff." He answered. "Got it. I'll meet you at the bus."

"Thanks." She walked past him, still thinking about the past half hour. Kamino Academy's head coach and libero had taken Tamiko to the hospital right afterward, and the rest of their team had reluctantly gone to change out. 'I hope he's okay... it would be terrible if he can't play again because of this. What if I messed up earlier? What if his leg got worse?'

She leaned against the wall to calm herself, briefly closing her eyes. 'He'll be fine. He has to.'

Isuma shook her head and straightening, resuming walking. The hallways were significantly less crowded than earlier, as many of the matches had wrapped up. The front office was nearly empty, and one of the women waved Isuma over right away. She bowed slightly. "My coach told me to give this to you and there's a form I have to fill out."

The woman flipped through the folder. "Oh, of course. Give me a minute."

Isuma waited while she rummaged through the drawers in her desk, finally pulling out a sheet of paper. "What school are you from?"

"Inarizaki High," Isuma answered. The woman raised her eyebrows. "Them? I didn't know they had a manager."

"I'm new." Isuma began filling out the form, occasionally pausing to glance at the woman, who was scanning the papers from the folder. "I'm done."

"Give this to your coach." The woman scribbled something on another paper and handed it to her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She waved as Isuma went back towards the locker room. After a minute, she heard someone running behind her. Isuma turned just as Yoshi stopped in front of her, panting. "Miya-san! Um, Hinosa Senpai asked for me to tell you that Tamiko's okay. He says if it weren't for you it would've been a lot worse. Thanks."

Isuma was relieved. "He's fine, then?"

"I think he's asleep. Hinosa Senpai told me to give you this." He held out a folded piece of paper. "Thanks again, Miya-san."

"You can call me Isuma." She slipped the paper into her pocket. "I was really worried; I'm glad he's okay. How long will it take to heal?"

"Only a week or so. It wasn't as bad as we thought... he arrived at the hospital before things got too serious." Yoshi rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome. I'll see you soon." She turned to leave when Yoshi hastily exclaimed, "'Hold on! Um... how did you know what was wrong with Tamiko?"

Isuma paused. "I just saw. It's something I can do."

"Hinosa-san was just wondering. And," Yoshi added. "He says to not ignore his message, because it'll mean a lot to Tamiko."

"Okay." Isuma nodded. Yoshi waved, turning around. "I should go. See you."

<<Skip to when she gets back>>

"What took you so long?" Osamu asked. Most of the team had already changed out and were waiting outside of the locker room. "I met Yoshi-kun on the way back."

"...the #5?" Suna blinked. Isuma nodded. "Yeah. He said that their setter was okay."

"See?" Atsumu smiled slightly. "And you were worried you were wrong."

"It was a valid concern," Isuma murmured. "I can't always be right."

"No. But you usually are." Akagi replied. Ginjima didn't say anything; he couldn't bring himself to look at Isuma. Kosaku elbowed him. "Say something."

"Now?" he whispered back. "Not around everyone else."

"We're going." Kita and the other third-years came out, hoisting their bags on their shoulders. Atsumu asked, "Where's Coach?"

"He said he'd meet us at the bus." Kita glanced around to make sure everyone was there. "Let's go."

As they started walking, Atsumu asked under his breath, "Who're we playing tomorrow?"

"Kato High," Isuma replied. "They usually fall out during the second or third round."

"I think we played them during the last Inter-high," Suna spoke up. Isuma glanced at him. "You think? You don't remember?"

"They must've not been a powerful team..." Kosaku fell silent as he tried to remember. Ginjima snapped his fingers. "I got it. Are they the ones in the light yellow jerseys? With blue stripes?"

"Wait, yeah, I remember them!" Osamu exclaimed. "They're that one team with the female coach. I thought she was a manager-"

"Speaking of managers, you didn't tell me I'd be introduced at our matches." Isuma watched as they all immediately looked away and fell silent. The third-years, who'd been listening, stopped and turned around. Kita asked, "Would you have taken it as calmly if we'd told you beforehand?"Isuma didn't say anything for a second. "...no. Probably not." Kita raised his eyebrows, tilting his head. "Then? Your brothers wanted to tell you, but I convinced them not to. Should I have not?"

Atsumu almost said something, but he decided against it. No one made any attempt to intervene- not that Kita and Isuma would've noticed. Isuma suddenly remembered what he'd told her before their matches... and how he said he'd trusted her in front of 30 people. "...no. You're right."

She walked past him, her shoulder lightly brushing his arm. Everyone looked after her as she walked farther and farther away. "Man, she's different." Akagi shook his head. Kita laughed slightly. "She is, isn't she? Come on."

<<Skip to them in the bus; almost at the school>>

Even though they'd slept in between their matches, everyone fell asleep on the bus... except Isuma. Her head still hurt, and she couldn't think straight. At some point, she remembered the piece of paper Yoshi had given her. She pulled it out of her jacket pocket and unfolded it:

'Thanks for your help, Miya-san. If it weren't for you, Tamiko probably couldn't have played volleyball again. Good luck with the rest of your matches. Visit the hospital sometime. Tamiko would probably want to thank you himself. My number's at the bottom. Hinosa.'

Isuma smiled and slipped the paper back into her jacket pocket, making a mental note to text him. "Isuma-san."

She looked up; Kurosu Sensei was looking back at her. "Go ahead and wake up the others; we'll be there in a few minutes. They shouldn't be too tired during our meeting."

"Sure." Isuma stood up and went to her brothers' seat, shaking them by the shoulders. "Atsumu, Osamu."

Everyone had woken up by the time they arrived at the school. "Come on. We'll talk for about a half-hour, then you should head home. Remember, the next few matches are afterschool, so you'll be more tired. Rest tonight while you can."

They walked into the gym and sat down on the floor, while the coaches pulled out a board. "You played Kato High during the last Inter-high. They don't usually make it very far, but their line-up may have changed this time around. Don't underestimate them." Kurosu Sensei explained everything he knew about Kato High, with Isuma offering her input occasionally. Kato was one of the schools she'd watched play, but she didn't seem too worried about them. Neither were their coaches or captains. Finally, Kurosu Sensei said, "That's all. You know their style. You all got this."

Kita looked over at the Miyas. "Atsumu, Osamu, don't stay too late."

Atsumu sat up. "What makes you think we'll stay?"

"I know you," Kita answered simply, getting to his feet. Kurosu Sensei sighed. "Assuming you're all staying, clean up afterward."

"Yes, sir!" They all got to their feet one by one. Kurosu Sensei glanced at Kita. "Make sure they get home. You all need rest."

"I will. Don't worry." Kita nodded as the coaches walked out of the gym. He turned towards the others. "Hurry up. The faster you set up, the longer you can practice."

They all split up, hastily setting up the net and bringing out the volleyball cart. Atsumu walked over to Isuma after a minute. "Just sit down, okay? You don't look so great."

"It's my head." She murmured. Atsumu placed his hand on her forehead. "You don't have a fever or anything... you want to go home? We'll go with you."

"I'll stay." Isuma shook her head. "Don't worry."

She sat down against the wall, not wanting to ask them to bring out the chairs. A few minutes after the familiar sound of volleyballs and squeaking shoes began, someone came up to her. "...Isuma-chan."

Isuma looked up: Ginjima was standing next to her, wringing his hands anxiously. "...something wrong?"

"I- just wanted to apologize. I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that." He sat down next to her. Isuma was gripping her jacket tightly. "Hitoshi... do I worry too much for you? Do I care too much?"

"No!" he shook his head. "I appreciate all that you do for me- for us. You're like the sister I never had. I was just frustrated earlier... I didn't mean it."

"Then let me care for you." Isuma's voice was slightly pleading. "Even if you don't want to believe it, your foot isn't okay, Hitoshi! You need to let it rest! You've been straining it too much recently- if you keep this up, what happened to Tamiko-kun could happen to you too. I- I don't want that."

Ginjima didn't know whether to be grateful or exasperated for her concern for him. "How long do I need to rest it?"

"Even a day is fine. Just let it relax for more than a few hours. Please?" Isuma asked. Ginjima sighed slightly. "Fine. I'll ask Coach if I can sit out tomorrow. Happy?"

To her relief, he smiled. Isuma nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

"You care more about me than I do," Ginjima said, standing up. "I should be the one thanking you."

Before she had a chance to answer, he walked over to the other second-years and began talking with them.

Isuma looked down at her jacket, which she'd been holding so tightly her fingers had turned white. It meant a lot to her- her jacket resembled her connection to the volleyball team. They hadn't given it to her out of pity- it had been the first time she'd accepted that they actually appreciated and valued her. Sometimes, she still didn't believe it. It seemed impossible that someone like her could ever be of any importance. But they give her every reason to think otherwise- "Isuma-chan?"

Akagi's voice broke her train of thought. She stood up. "Yes, Senpai?"

"Can I see the notes you took for today's matches?" he asked. Isuma flipped to the right page in her notebook and handed it to him. "Those two are your sections."

"Thanks..." he trailed off, falling silent for a few moments. "I didn't screw up as many receives as during the last Inter-high. That's good; thanks for your help that one time."

"You want me to help now?" Isuma asked, half-rising. Akagi stopped her. "It's fine. You shouldn't be overexerting yourself."

"I'm not the one who played two matches today," Isuma replied, tilting her head. Akagi answered, "But you ARE the one who had a fever a few hours ago."

"...just go practice, Senpai." She shook her head, slightly exasperated. As soon as Akagi was a few feet away, she closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. He was right. She definitely wasn't okay. But what if... what if she turned out to be right? None of them would ever let her set foot near a volleyball court ever again, much less help.

She wanted to talk to someone- anyone. But she couldn't. Isuma really only knew the people on the volleyball team, and that was it. And all of them would immediately grow protective and try to push her away from volleyball. 'I can't. The only thing I'm good at is helping my brothers. If I can't even do that... then what's the point?'

It's a little early, but I couldn't wait any longer :p Thanks for 45K