Haikyu: Nah, I'd Adapt!

Kenma stood on the court, sweat rolling down his forehead as the game continued. He tossed the ball into the air toward Yamamoto.

He wasn't nervous—he was just tired. The constant tension throughout the match was taking a toll on his body.

His stamina had always been an issue, and today was no exception.

"Yosha!"

Nekoma's ace surged forward, his powerful swing connecting with the ball.

BAM!

It rocketed past Karasuno's blockers and whistled through the air toward their court.

"..."

Kenma's golden eyes tracked the ball, then shifted to the player their coach had nicknamed the perverted demon.

The demon darted toward the ball, arms outstretched to receive. But his attempt fell short as the ball ricocheted awkwardly off his arm, hitting the floor with a loud thud.

Kenma watched as the demon straightened, brushing off the miss without a hint of frustration.

This player had been egoistically owning the back side of Karasuno's court. Sometimes, he even took a bit of their libero's space just to receive.

'They just let him do it too,' Kenma thought.

Was it trust?

He didn't know such a twisted trust existed.

"Nice toss, Kenma!"

Yamamoto's voice jolted him back to reality, followed by a hard slap on his back. Kenma winced, his shoulders tensing as pain radiated from the spot.

He rubbed the sore area, shooting Yamamoto a tired glare, but the ace was already off, celebrating with the others before returning to position.

Kenma sighed. Complaining would be pointless.

He wasn't good with people—he never had been. Even as a child, he preferred video games or light novels over hanging out with others.

Even with his team, where he'd been for quite some time, Kenma still chose to be alone. He didn't hate them, but he didn't exactly like being around them either.

He didn't hate his teammates, but he didn't particularly like being surrounded by them either. He tolerated their presence because Kuroo was there.

'Now that I think about it, Shoyo is quite an oddball…'

Kenma remembered the first time they met. He had been slightly nervous when Hinata suddenly started a conversation with him out of nowhere. 

His introverted self could never initiate something like that. 

Yet...

After just a few moments of conversation, Kenma found something surprising.

He didn't mind Hinata's presence.

It had never happened before.

Even so, Kenma knew he wouldn't hold back. He might find Hinata's presence tolerable, but he didn't exactly like him.

On the court, he would play the way he always did as the brain for the team.

The whistle blew, and Inuoka served the ball as Kenma's mind flickered back to something he'd told Hinata earlier.

'Everyone in Nekoma is what makes the team strong…'

He quickly glanced at Hinata, who sharply repositioned after the successful receive. Hinata scanned where the blockers were before quickly pivoting and running to where he thought was free.

And again, Inuoka was right there, matching him step for step.

Against most teams—Fukurodani excluded—Kenma had seen his opponents grow visibly frustrated after being read and countered over and over.

Patterns became predictable.

'But Shoyo...'

Kenma's eyes widened slightly. His pupils dilated as he took in Hinata's expression.

Joy. Pure, unrestrained joy.

Hinata grinned even as Inuoka's block slammed his spike back onto Karasuno's side.

"Yoshaa!"

Inuoka's shout echoed through the gym, but Kenma barely noticed. His gaze lingered on Hinata, who seemed completely unaffected by the failed attempt as he quietly added in his mind, 'He's... truly an oddball...'

"No," he mumbled, his eyes shifting toward someone else who wore a similarly excited expression.

Tsunayoshi Matsumoto!

Kenma could tell this was the guy who had somehow influenced Hinata. He muttered, "They're oddballs..." 

He didn't understand why. And he probably never would.

Whistle!

Naoi blew the whistle as Keishin requested a timeout for Karasuno. Both teams quickly went to their benches to take a quick break.

'The demon and his iron club...'

It was Nekomata's evaluation of both Kageyama and Hinata.

As impressive as it was for Hinata to spike, the key role was played by Kageyama. Without him, Hinata wouldn't be much of a force to be reckoned with.

'I might have mistaken it,' he thought, glancing at Hinata on the other side, who wasn't fazed by the way he'd been blocked repeatedly.

Most people would have felt frustration or even despair at this point. But not this short guy, and certainly not that perverted demon.

Nekomata shook his head, "Seems like our rival could be quite a problem in the future..."

"They certainly have the potential," Kuroo nodded.

Both of them only mentioned the future because, right now, they still had the upper hand. Nekomata continued discussing a few points that needed to be watched, which, in reality, he was sure Kenma could handle in his stead.

Meanwhile, on Karasuno's bench, Keishin stood in front of his players with his arms crossed thinking over the next step.

"Kageyama," he finally said, breaking the silence, "could you slow down your passes a bit?"

"Slow down?"

Kageyama blinked in confusion.

"Yeah," Keishin nodded. "Instead of your usual fast toss, try an indirect toss to Hinata next time. Give it a little more loft before it reaches him."

Kageyama rubbed his chin, "But wouldn't that—"

"—give Hinata more time to react," Keishin interrupted, gesturing toward the short spiker. "He's been opening his eyes to spike your toss. Clearly won't happen anytime soon. That's why, it might give him just enough time to aim and adjust."

"Ah, I've noticed that too. Hinata's been trying to read the blocks and react instead of just blindly swinging his arm..."

Suga chimed in, his eyes lighting up with understanding. 

"Exactly." Keishin nodded. "We can't rely on the freak quick forever. If Hinata can adapt to a slightly slower toss, he might be able to get past their blocker..."

This was it.

A chance to try something new.

"Can you do it?"

"Understood, I'll try to do it!"

Kageyama nodded as Keishin, satisfied, noted, "Alright, that's all I wanted to say for the timeout. Do what you can and make sure to get the most out of this practice game!"

The timeout time had run out.

"Yes, Coach!"

Karasuno's players shouted in unison before they hurried into position.

Among them, Tsuna trailed slightly behind, his mind busy replaying everything he had observed about Nekoma's players.

'Each one of them is good. But not a single one of them is extraordinary,' Tsuna thought, narrowing his eyes as the game resumed.

The ball was set into motion almost immediately, and Tsuna's gaze flicked to Asahi, who launched a powerful spike toward Nekoma's side. The ball zipped through the air, brimming with force.

Nekoma's #2 player, Nobuyuki Kai, dove sharply to his left, his arms extending just in time to intercept the spike. It wasn't a perfect receive—the ball wobbled in the air—but it stayed in play.

Kenma reacted instantly, moving with precision to get under the ball.

'Each one of them has mastered the receive...'

Tsuna's amber eyes glinted with intrigue as he watched the ball rise in an almost mesmerizing arc. He realized something crucial: no matter how hard Karasuno spiked or how overwhelming their attacks seemed, as long as Nekoma kept the ball alive...

'They won't lose.'

The thought sent a thrill through him.

Tsuna relaxed his upper body while keeping tension on his toes as he mumbled, "They've given me so much..."

So much fun!

"Ready to block!"

Daichi's sharp command rang out.

Tsukishima shifted into position immediately. Kageyama followed suit, his gaze locked on Kenma's hands.

But Nekoma wasn't making things easy.

Their movements were chaotic, almost deliberately so. The players jumbled together, darting in different directions and making it impossible to predict who would receive the set.

Three of them darted their eyes around before sharply focusing on Kuroo. They all shouted at once, "This side!"

"..."

Kenma seemed to notice this.

With a flick of his wrists, he adjusted his aim and tossed the ball higher—far higher than the blockers had anticipated.

"...!"

Karasuno's front line froze in disbelief. Among them, Kageyama muttered, "Is it... a back attack?" 

"Nice toss, Kenma!"

Kai's voice rang out confidently as he charged from the backline.

With perfect timing, he launched himself into the air.

His arm swung forward in a powerful arc, connecting with the ball with a thunderous crack. The sharp, clean sound echoed through the gym, followed by the high-pitched whistle of the ball slicing through the air.

It streaked across the net, heading straight for Karasuno's gap—a weak point in their formation.

However...

'This is surprising...'

Tsuna was there.

Standing firm, he crouched even lower than usual, his body coiled like a spring. His eyes were locked on the ball, and he tracked its every movement.

'This is surprising...'

The ball barreled toward him, but Tsuna didn't flinch. His hands cupped together, ready to absorb the impact.

Plop!

The ball made contact with his hands. The sound was satisfying, silencing the gym for a heartbeat.

It bounced upward in a graceful arc, flying accurately toward Kageyama's position.

"...!"

The Nekoma players froze momentarily. Even Kuroo's cracked in surprise for a second. But he recovered quickly and shouted, "Get your ass up and ready to block!"

His voice jolted the team into action as Nekoma scrambled to reposition.

Tsuna didn't care much about Nekoma's reaction as his eyes stayed locked on the ball.

The satisfaction of receiving such a strong spike made him chuckle as he thought,'...I didn't know receiving could be this much fun.'

On the sidelines, Keishin couldn't contain his excitement.

"Hahaha yes! That's it, Tsuna!"

He laughed heartily, clapping his hands together in approval.

"He's done it..."

Keishin proudly crossed his arms before grinning and adding, "...he's done evolving his receive!"

It was a milestone no one could have expected just weeks ago.

Tsuna Matsumoto—the player who had once struggled to receive even the simplest spikes—had just flawlessly handled one of Nekoma's strongest attacks!

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