XXXIX

June 5th, 2021

There's a chapter after this one!! Don't forget about it!!

<<Flashback, 8 months ago>>

Ginjima was attempting to do his complicated homework during their break when a girl called, "Ginjima-kun, a second-year's looking for you!"

"Coming!" Relieved to have an excuse to stop, he stood up and walked to the door- until he saw Kita. "Oh... Senpai. What're you doing here?"

"Have you seen Isuma-san?" Kita asked him. Ginjima hesitated- Isuma really wouldn't appreciate him telling Kita where she was- but neither would Kita if he didn't. "Um... why?"

"I need to give her something for her brothers." Kita held up the sheaf of paper in his hand. Ginjima hopefully suggested, "Maybe you could just give it to them? Directly?"

"You know them better than I do. I don't trust them not to rip it up and have a full-on war with each other between now and tonight."

"...good point," Ginjima admitted. "Um... she's meeting with our homeroom teacher. In the staff room."

"Thanks. See you at practice." Ginjima started to panic as Kita retraced his steps, getting further and further away. 'Oh, god, what am I going to do-'

"Hey. What happened?"

Ginjima jumped; Suna was standing beside him, waving a hand in front of his face. "You good?"

"...Kita Senpai just came to ask me where Isuma is," he said quickly, hoping his words blurred together so Suna wouldn't understand.

He seemed to have heard clearly. "And? Did you tell him?"

"...yeah. What could I've done; not tell him?" He added defensively, seeing Suna's expression. "Yes. Very easy to do."

"Not when it's Kita-san." Ginjima retorted.

<<Skip to Kita>>

Kita waited outside the staff room for Isuma, glancing at his watch every few moments. Ten minutes before break ended, she came out and promptly crashed into him. His papers scattered across the floor as Isuma recognized him. "Kita-san!! I'm so sorry; are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He gently steadied both of them; Isuma dropped to the ground and started to gather the sheets of paper. "I'm sorry; I was distracted and-"

"It's okay, relax!" He knelt down in front of her to help her. Her cheeks were flushed pink as she determinedly avoided eye contact with him; Kita stifled a smile. 'She's so cute.'

"...what are these for?" Isuma asked, still not looking at him. "Could you give them to your brothers for me- at home, so they don't lose them before then?"

They stood up at the same time. She flashed a small smile and said, "I will."

"Thanks... you look really cute when you smile like that, you know?"

Isuma was so startled she backed into the wall. Kita hastily said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's alright." Isuma murmured. "Also... Atsumu told me you were made captain for next year."

"Yeah. I was." Kita looked at her curiously. "What about it?"

"...I just wanted to say... congratulations, Senpai." She looked at him- finally- her eyes wavering and her face a warm shade of pink. Part of her was scolding herself- she hadn't even meant to congratulate him- where had that come from? The other part was in disbelief that she'd worked up the courage to.

As usual, the first thought that crossed Kita's mind was how cute she looked while blushing. But for the first time, he could suddenly acknowledge her beauty. He'd always known she was pretty, but right now, he felt as if he was seeing her through someone else's eyes. Her eyes definitely hadn't been that vibrant 30 seconds ago- nor had her hair been so silky, and her skin so soft and smooth. "...thanks, Isuma."

She didn't seem to notice the sudden effect she'd had on him. "I'll see you later, Senpai."

Isuma bowed before walking off, not breathing until she was sure she was out of his sight. The second she'd turned a corner, she sighed in relief and closed her eyes. 'God, I thought I'd collapse back there. Why'd he have to say that?! He probably didn't even mean it-'

"Isuma-chan!!"

She looked up just in time to see Suna running through the hallway, stopping abruptly before her. "Did Kita-san come to talk to you?"

"-yeah, he did. How did you know?"

"Gin told me. Well?!" Suna asked. Isuma answered, "It was... fine. I think."

"You sure?" Suna questioned. "Yes, I'm sure. You worry too much."

"Hey! I'm just asking," Suna replied. "And you can't talk; you spend half your time worrying about your brothers."

"I do not!"

"You totally do."

<<End of Flashback>>

Several things immediately became clear to Isuma before the match had even started.Firstly, Akagi's statement that Mailo wasn't too bitter about their continuous losses to Inarizaki wasn't true anymore- quite the contrary. Their smiles were more pained, their handshakes more stiff. Unlike Kato High, though, they seemed desperate- desperate to take just even one set from Inarizaki, desperate to WIN.

"Do you think they can win?"

Isuma looked over at their coach, startled by his voice. "-what?"

"They're possibly the third or fourth best team in Hyogo. But right now, their passion for volleyball is gone. Their only goal is to defeat us." he explained plainly. "So? Do you think they can win?"

"...you mean if WE can?"

"Oh, I know we can. My question is about them. Do you think their passion to beat us can help them win?" Kurosu Sensei asked.

"Not really, no." Isuma answered. "That's not something that's meant to be achieved on it's own- their goal should be to get to finals BY defeating us. We should just be an obstacle in their path, not a destination to destroy."

She noticed Coach's expression. "Oh, sorry! That was a weird way to explain it."

"No. No, you're right."

Before she could reply, the others walked over, falling silent for their usual pre-game talk. "Right... just like Kato High, you know Mailo very well, if not better. We've had dozens of practice matches with them. You know their style. You know their plays. You've got this."

Everyone looked reassured for a split-second, but then he added, "Oh, but if you lose, you're going to be practicing so hard over winter break your thighs will split."

"Yes, sir!" Internally, they all flinched, praying they wouldn't screw up. Automatically, their coach looked over at Isuma. "Anything to say?"

"I can't really help you on this one- you know them better than I do. Good luck!!" She flashed a beautiful smile. "I believe in all of you!"

Isuma really pulled an Oikawa there. 

This one is short. There's two parts this week; don't forget about the next chapter! :>

Oh, and ty for 86.7K! :>