XLIV

July 10th, 2021

That's a scene from the first k-drama I watched (Descendants of the Sun) I love the couple so muchhh.

My friend while I was uploading this: foreshadowing much?

Me: Possibly

Isuma couldn't bring herself to watch most of the match.

Mailo had been determined to defeat them, but Taji North was on a whole other level of determination. To make things worse, Soorin glanced at her every few moments, flashing a small smirk. But something seemed off... Taji North played aggressively from the first second, unlike everything Isuma had heard about them. Kita had described them as a team that always played as if they didn't care, then suddenly lashed out in explosions. 'Why are they so different? They've given it their all from the very first moment. This isn't at all what Kita Senpai said they were like...'

Kita was silently wondering the same thing. 'Most people might not notice, but they're really trying right now. It's strange... we played them only a few months ago. What changed?'As he said it, the answer came to him. 'We both... oh, no way. They wouldn't do this over something so petty... would they?'

He looked over at Isuma, wondering if she'd come to the same conclusion. 'If she finds out... she'll never forgive herself.'

It took her a little longer to figure it out. Inarizaki took the first set with ease, but Atsumu, Osamu, and the others who had played had noticed the difference. "It's strange... they don't seem used to it either. They're accustomed to taking it easy and slowly revealing their strength."

Isuma asked, "Do you think their new style is helping them? Does it make things more difficult for you?"

The seven of them exchanged glances, wanting to know what the others thought. "No, not really. It was a little confusing at first, but if anything, their unease is making it easier for us."

Isuma didn't say anything, trying to narrow down the possible reasons. Akagi leaned over to Kita. "You know what's going on, right?"

He lowered his voice. "I think so. If I'm right... we should never tell Isuma."

"Can I trust you all to handle it?" Kurosu Sensei asked. "Yes!"

A minute before they had to return to the court, Suna pulled Isuma aside. He looked anxious, as if unsure of what he was about to say. "Rintaro?"

"Listen, Isuma-chan..." he hesitated, then said, "Earlier... when I was blocking Tsubara, he tried to spike at me."

"He what?" Isuma repeated. "I noticed and avoided it, but they've never tried to do something like this against us. Against other schools, yes, but never us."

"...I don't know. It doesn't make sense, especially since it's hurting their chances..." Isuma pushed that matter aside. "For now, be careful, Rintaro. If you get hurt..."

"I'll be fine, Isuma-chan. I just wanted to let you know; don't worry. We've got this."

She watched him join the others on the court silently. Kita asked her, "What's wrong?"

"Rin told me that Tsubara aimed for him while spiking. Why..." Isuma's mind was racing, trying to put the pieces together. Kita asked, "He did?"

He couldn't believe they would go that far- especially for something like this. "...don't try too hard to find out. It doesn't matter."

She looked at him in disbelief: Kita was telling her something like this wasn't important? "Senpai, how-"

"Trust me. It's just better..." He didn't finish his sentence. "Keep an eye on Suna. If Tsubara tries something again, it'll probably be with him."

"I will."

"Also, how's your... problem?" He asked, for lack of a better word. "Fine."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really?""Well... no. It's hard to not see, something I used to do automatically. It's like trying not to breathe constantly."

"After this match, promise me you'll try and find out what's wrong. This isn't worth your problem growing worse." He motioned towards the court.

"I will." She looked strangely resolute; Kita suppressed a smile. 'She's so cute.' He placed his hand on the top of her head, tousling her hair for the briefest second. Isuma was so startled she ceased to breathe for a moment. "Thank you."

The referee blew his whistle, signaling the server. Kita joined the others, and Isuma sat down on the bench, her heart racing as if she'd just run a marathon. Their coach asked, "Miya-san, are you alright? You look ill."

"-I'm fine, Sensei!" She touched her face as if willing her skin to go back to normal.

Taji North didn't return to their usual style at all during the second set, giving Isuma more time to ponder their sudden change. 'Think... why would they purposefully weaken themselves? Their other strategy was much better... they have to know that.'

<<Flashback to Before the Match>>

"Tsubara-kun, I have a favor to ask."

He looked up. "What is it, Soorin?"

She sat down next to him. "You've never done anything... wrong in a match against Inarizaki."

"What of it?"

"I'm asking you to today."

Tsubara looked at her. "What?"

"Inarizaki is incredibly strong, Tsubara-kun. You've played them yourself five times. You can't win unless you utilize all your strength." Soorin pressed. He asked, "What do you mean?"

"You tend to carelessly play during the first set. Today, go all out from the very beginning." She explained. Tsubara paused. "Our team isn't used to that. We might lose."

"That's why you're going to take out one of their players early on," Soorin said. Tsubara stared at her for a few moments before sighing and giving in. "Fine. Why, exactly?"

"...I want to hurt Miya-chan. I want her to feel the pain I felt back in middle school. Speaking of which... it has to be Suna."

"Suna? I thought you just said you wanted to hurt her. Doesn't it make more sense if we target one of her brothers?" Tsubara asked. "Suna's not her family. Miya-chan might not like seeing her brothers getting hurt because of her, but she can stand it. Suna's different. He's her best friend. It'll hurt her much more."

Tsubara shrugged. "Whatever."

<<Back to Present>>

Inarizaki took the second set without a problem- it did nothing to quench Isuma's uneasiness. Soorin waited patiently until halfway through the third set; she locked eyes with Tsubara and gave him a slight nod. 'Now, Tsubara-kun.'

He sighed and signaled to their setter, who gave him a thumbs-up.

Isuma noticed their brief communication. 'What're they planning... don't tell me- they wouldn't- not now-'

And then it finally- finally- dawned on her. The pen she had been holding clattered to the ground, and the world around her faded into the background. The only thing she could see was Soorin, on the other side of the court. 'What's different from last time... Soorin and I weren't here last time!! There's no way... she wouldn't go that far, would she? This is happening because of us- of me?'

Isuma wanted to scream at Soorin- kicking her in the shin or slapping her seemed like good options too. With a sudden flash of understanding, she realized what Kita had meant earlier. 'He knew... he was trying to warn me.'

They had just reached the twenty-point mark; it was Ginjima's turn to serve. As the volleyball flew over the net, Isuma clasped her hands in a silent player. 'They're going to hurt Rintaro because of me. Please... Soorin, leave him out of this!'

Suna was in the back row and wasn't prepared to block. Taji North's setter spiked the volleyball so powerfully it broke through Atsumu and Omimi's block; at a new angle, it swerved dangerously at an alarming speed... and hit an unsuspecting Suna in the face. Powerfully. Too powerfully.

It didn't hurt at first, but barely a second later, his entire head exploded in pain- not just his face- overwhelming him so fast everything went dark.

His eyes flew open- a few seconds later? How long had it been?- to see that he was on the floor, surrounded by people. Both coaches were kneeling in front of him. Kurosu Sensei helped him sit up and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Where are you right now?!"

Suna's head was pounding with pain, but he managed to say, "We're playing Taji North."

The coach sighed in relief. "Isuma, take him to the medical bay and get him checked out."Suna didn't bother arguing; he knew it was pointless. Atsumu and Ginjima helped him up, and when he could stand, they let go. He immediately stumbled; Isuma caught his arm. "I'll take him, Sensei."

Her voice and hands were shaking, and she wouldn't meet his eyes. Suna's head and face hurt too much to consider it. The moment they left the noisy gym and the door closed behind them, Suna felt slightly better- slightly.

'Soorin hurt Rintaro because of me.' Isuma placed her hand over her mouth, feeling sick about the fact. 'What if-'

"Isuma-chan."

She looked at Suna, breaking out of her trance. "We're here. You can let go now."

"Oh, right... sorry." Isuma released his arm and he sat down on the chair in the medical bay, his head stinging more than ever. The woman there walked over. "What happened?"

"He got hit in the face with a volleyball and blacked out for a bit."

Suna blinked. "I blacked out?"

"Only for a few seconds," Isuma replied, not looking at him. What was going on with her? She was refusing to even glance at him, and her lip was trembling as if she might cry. The woman handed Suna an ice pack. "Keep that on there for a few minutes."

He watched Isuma as they waited. She was staring at the ground, not moving. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're a terrible liar." No response. Suna placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey. Tell me. If it's because I got hurt, I'm fine-"

"It's not that. Just... the match." It was an obvious lie, but Suna didn't question it. She looked like she was about to break down already. 'The second set's probably over... if we didn't take it, we'll have to play a fourth set. Why'd I have to get injured...?'

He straightened. 'Come to think of it, why did they target me? As Kita-san said, they're not playing their usual style, right? It makes much more sense to get Aran Senpai or Atsumu or Osamu out. I'm not as valuable as them. Why me...'

Suna's eyes flicked over to Isuma. '...Soorin still hates Isuma-chan. Could she have asked Tsubara to do this as payback? No way, not over something like... right?'

Mostly to break the silence, he said, "Sensei told you to go back; you should go."

"I can't!" Isuma suddenly raised her voice, causing the woman to look over at her. "If I go, Soorin will ask Tsubara to do something else! She won't do anything if I'm not there-"

She stopped herself, but everything had clicked into place for Suna. "Isuma-chan, she's the one having this done, not you. You have no control over her actions. Don't blame yourself."

"You're hurt because of me. If I weren't here-"

"If you weren't here, our team wouldn't have nearly as much life as it does now. You make me want to be a better person, Isuma-chan. Atsumu and Osamu try their hardest every day to impress you. Your praise means as much as Kita-san's does to them. And speaking of him... you've affected Kita Senpai mentally and emotionally more than any of us.

"And that all comes with consequences. Soorin's just happens to be one of them. I don't care. It's worth it." Suna raised his voice slightly- for she showed every sign of wanting to contradict- and continued, "So don't blame yourself. As incredible as you are, Isuma-chan, you can't control Soorin's actions. If she's really doing this just because of what happened with you two, then she's just a sore brat."

A small smile flickered across Isuma's face at his insult. She didn't reply, but Suna got the sense that his message had gotten through to her.

His face was still stinging with pain, but she didn't need to know that. She seemed to guess anyhow. "How hard did the volleyball hit you?"

"I don't know. That was an incredible shot though... it hit me after bouncing off the blockers' hands. Do you think he could've predicted that?"

"And adjust his angle just in time?" Isuma's tone was uneasy. "The setter must've been able to calculate that instantly for it to have work. That has to be impossible... right?""Not necessarily. After all, most people would think what you can do is impossible, Isuma-chan." Suna leaned back, closing his eyes briefly. They sat in silence for a few minutes, during which the woman had Suna remove his ice pack and examined his injury for a few moments. She assured him that it wasn't permanent and the pain would most likely go away in less than an hour, but that he ought to stay there a little longer.

After she returned to her task, Suna- very randomly- asked, "How come you don't cut your hair, Isuma-chan?"

"-why? You don't like it?" She tugged at one of her long locks, glancing at him. "No, I do. I've just never got the impression that you liked caring for your hair."

In the year and a half he'd known her, he'd never seen her hair more than hastily brushed or merely pulled back. It was always neat, but he knew she didn't put much effort into her hair- if any at all. Isuma pushed a strand out of her face as she thought about how to reply. "My mother always kept my hair long when I was a child. My aunt and she used to tell me how my looks were the only good thing about me. I don't know why I still keep it long. Part of me still wants to win my mother's approval in some way."

"That's stupid. You'd look even prettier with short hair." Suna didn't even bat an eye while saying it. "Isuma, if they're not offering their approval, then there's nothing for you to win, right?"

"...yeah. Just hypothetically, if I were to cut my hair, how much should I cut?" Isuma asked him. Suna gave her a sidelong glance. "Just hypothetically, huh? I dunno. Maybe a little past your shoulders or something?"

At the moment, her hair reached her waist, and just thinking of cutting off almost two feet felt too daring. "That much?"

"You're the one who asked. I'm just saying what I think." Suna shrugged. "We should get back to the match. They're probably already done."

"But your-"

"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt anymore." It was a lie, but there didn't seem to be any point in telling Isuma. "Well, if you're really okay..."

However, the woman refused to let Suna leave and insisted he stay under her watch for a little longer. Suna told Isuma to go on without him, and she did so reluctantly.

The hallways were eerily silent, considering the intensity of their match. Isuma's pace quickened as she approached their gym. People were obviously still inside, but she couldn't hear the usual excitement and yells. 'The match must be over...'

Someone suddenly grabbed by the arm and pulled her through a door on the right. Isuma recognized her immediately. "Soorin, what the-"

Tsubara was right on their heels, disgruntled. "Hey, Soorin!! Stop it!!"

She pulled Isuma outside to a small pavilion; Isuma barely had time to take in her surroundings before Soorin twisted her arm, slamming her against the wall; for good measure, Soorin kicked her in the shin. Twice. Isuma rubbed her leg and looked up. Soorin was in front of her, with Tsubara a few feet behind. No one else was around. The area would've been very pleasant under different circumstances; it was extremely calm and quiet, and trees blocked them from the street. The leaves spread out on the grass like one massive, colorful blanket. Isuma touched her head, wincing slightly. "What the heck are you doing?"

"There's no way Inarizaki should've been able to win. We took out your best middle blocker-"

"We won?!" Before she could even give it a thought, Soorin snapped, "I know, it's such a shocker. How did you do it? How did you research us so well?!"

Isuma almost laughed. "How do you know it was me?"

"We're not idiots. Inarizaki may have defeated us before, but they've had always had trouble. Not this time. What did you do, Miya-san?" Soorin asked. Isuma's eyes flicked towards Tsubara; his expression was casual and relaxed as if he found their interaction amusing.

When Isuma didn't reply, Soorin raised her voice. "Tell us!!" She wasn't at all her normal, calm self. Her eyes were wild with rage and anger. Isuma's eyes narrowed. "I can't believe you turned like this. You and I were so alike back in middle school. What happened to you?"

"Nothing happened!!" Soorin snapped. "You don't understand! This is the only way!! Tsubara-kun didn't tell anyone I'm Korean- and I just failed him! Do you realize what's going to happen now?! This is all your fault, Miya-chan!!"

Isuma stepped to the side so she wasn't against the wall. Tsubara raised his eyebrows, wondering if he should break up their argument. He hadn't really wanted to come, but Soorin had insisted. He didn't harbor any grudge against the Miyas' sister- if anything, he had a small crush on her. She was attractive in a cute way- but then, half their team liked her. None of them said anything, though, in fear of spiting Soorin. Tsubara had accidentally referred to her as 'cute' to Soorin, who had delivered him an entire lecture then and there.

Hesitantly, Isuma said, "For the record... I never told anyone either. You were the one who broke off, not me."

"I liked being your friend. I'm not the one who ruined everything!!!" Soorin took a step closer, actually raising her hand. "So tell me what you did-"

"Soorin. Don't." Tsubara grabbed her arm before she could take another step (mostly so Isuma would notice him). Isuma glanced at him. "You willingly hurt Rintaro. Don't try to be nice to me. In fact..."

She walked over and kicked him in the shin- hard. Tsubara didn't complain but ruefully rubbed his leg.

"And you." Isuma looked at Soorin, her anger bubbling to the surface. "He only did it because YOU told him to. You're much more to blame than he is. I won't ever forget this."

Soorin raised her arm, but before she could do anything else, Isuma grabbed her wrist... and so did someone else.

Isuma looked up; Kita was standing behind her, his left hand holding Soorin's arm and his right on Isuma's right shoulder. He was looking at Soorin, an all-too-familiar spark in his eyes. Kita then turned his gaze to Tsubara, who didn't break eye contact. "My kouhai will defeat yours next year. Fairly."

"We'll see. Isuma, let go before you're tempted to punch her." Isuma reluctantly released Soorin's wrist, who whipped around and pushed through the door. Isuma was sure she was sniffling, but she didn't feel an ounce of pity or regret to her surprise. Tsubara nodded to them. "Good luck, you two."

Neither of them replied. Kita waited until he left before saying anything. "That's the second time today I've interrupted you talking with her."

"How did you know we were here?" Isuma looked at him. Kita answered, "I saw you just before she found you. I was going to interrupt... but it looked like you were handling yourself fine."

Isuma didn't know whether to be grateful or annoyed. She settled on 'grateful.' "How did it end? The match?"

"Well. I thought it might discourage them, but they were playing out of anger if anything at the very end. It was almost alarming." Kita looked lost in his thoughts for a moment before he quickly collected himself. "How's Suna?"

"He's fine. He said he'd come to the awards ceremony himself." She looked considerably better than she had when Suna has gotten injured. Kita had realized she'd pieced things together, but there hadn't been any time to talk to her. "I'm sorry."

"...for what?"

"For not telling you what I thought about Taji North. I thought you'd never forgive yourself."

"You're not wrong... but Rintaro can be very persuasive." She smiled briefly. Kita watched her for a second. "Do you like Suna?"

He knew the answer, but he wanted to know how she'd respond. Isuma's cheeks colored and she took a step back. "What? No!"

"You sure?" He asked as if he didn't believe her. Isuma nodded hastily. "Yes! I don't like Rintaro. I..."

She trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought. Kita laughed. "I'm just messing with you. Do you like anyone, then?"

Obviously. She didn't reply- not that she had to. Kita knew the answer anyway- in the back of his mind he realized what would have to happen at the end of this year, but he didn't want to think about it. 'Not yet. We have time.'

"What about you, Senpai?" Isuma asked.

He laughed again. "Me?"

Kita paused as if he were considering the question. He couldn't tell her the entire truth... so he fudged it a little. "I don't know. What does it mean to like someone, Isuma-chan? I don't completely understand. How is caring for your family different from caring for someone that's not your family?"

She didn't reply for a few moments. "I don't know either. It's not as simple as 'wanting to be with them,' you know? They complete you in some way. Does that make sense?"

 "Yeah, it does. Speaking of which..." Kita hesitated. "Thank you. For yesterday."

Isuma had been trying really hard not to think about it. "...you're welcome."

Both of them looked away at the same time. Kita forced himself to focus. "Let's go; the awards ceremony will be starting soon."

He rubbed the top of her head before pushing open the door and walking into the building. When she didn't follow, he looked back. "Isuma?"

"-I'm coming!"

And with that, the Spring Tournament came to an end...

But of course, their winter break was even more complicated of a story. 

I'm taking a break for a month. My next update will be on August 7th. Sorry. A lot's happening rn and I really don't think I can write. My head's been hurting a lot a lot lately. It's very painful. I think the universe is getting revenge on me for what I did to Isuma

 Plus I have to get things ready for the winter break arc, and that's going to take a while. Oh, remember the very first chapter? Where Kita and Isuma (or possibly her brothers) got into a car accident? That all happens during the winter break arc... ugh I really don't like angst. I need to figure all that out too.

TY for 98.7K :>