Haikyuu: Nah, I'd Adapt!

I don't know how it happened or why, but somehow this particular fanfiction managed to reach the top 2 on the leaderboards, which is insane.

I had planned to post two chapters today to commemorate this moment, but unfortunately, I didn't have much time to write more.

The next chapter is only halfway done and hasn't been edited yet.

So, tomorrow, I'll start the week with two chapters since it's Sunday, and I'm about to visit my favorite coffee shop.

So, you can expect more than one chapter tomorrow!

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

---

"Ah, hello, students. You must be Tsuna-kun's friends, right?"

Machida swallowed her embarrassment and suddenly put on a warm smile as she greeted the group beside Tsuna.

The three of them immediately went stiff at her words. Still caught off guard by the sudden appearance of what they thought might be Tsuna's 'secret affair', they scrambled to bow nervously, their voices a bit too loud as they shouted, "Yes, Onee-chan!"

"Oh my, you're all so energetic! Totally like Tsuna-kun..."

"...!"

The word energetic sent their imaginations spiraling in the wrong direction. Their faces flushed a deep red, and it almost seemed like smoke might puff out of their ears.

Tsuna sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead in exasperation. "Stop phrasing things like that, Machida-san."

"Fufu..."

She only giggled mischievously.

Tsuna asked, "So, why are you here?" 

"Why? I can't come here?"

Machida pouted in response. However, realizing Tsuna just looked her dead in the eye, she shrugged her shoulder before answering it properly, "Fine, fine. I came to remind you about the meeting on Friday."

"...You already told me on the phone," Tsuna was totally unimpressed by this, "And it's only Tuesday. Even if you're planning to pick me up, shouldn't you come on Thursday at the earliest?"

The company would offer him a nice hotel to stay in whenever he went to Tokyo. So he was sure this time around would be the same, too. 

He knew the company would likely book him a nice hotel for his Tokyo trip, as they always did. Machida showing up here, at this time, felt way too out of place.

Tsuna's eyes narrowed as he studied her, watching as she nervously glanced away, whistling under her breath.

"You just wanted to skip work, didn't you?" he added flatly.

Machida flinched, her feigned innocence cracking. "Wha—Of course not! I'm just being thorough!"

"Sure you are," Tsuna muttered, shaking his head.

"I'm not!"

Machida exclaimed, crossing her arms with an exaggerated pout, "How low is your opinion of me, Tsuna-kun? I'm genuinely hurt by this..."

Tsuna didn't even flinch at her being 'hurt'

But Machida didn't mind at all as she quickly added, "Listen, I'm looking after you because you're the brilliant author of the Harry Poggers series—our golden goo—"

"H-Hold on!"

Before she could finish, Tsuna rushed toward her and immediately put a hand over her mouth in a rush, "You don't get to say that out loud!"

"Mhhmm!!!"

Ignoring Machida who was throwing tantrums in his hand, Tsuna turned to his teammates, who were frozen like statues.

"Uh..."

Their jaws hung so low they looked ready to hit the ground. Tsuna also spotted Daichi standing a few steps away.

Plop!

His hand had gone slack, dropping his bag of mochis onto the pavement. The treats rolled across the ground as Daichi's expression twisted into one of complete shock.

Tsuna's lips twitched, trying to suppress a groan. He hesitantly asked, "...did you guys hear that?"

Hinata broke the silence, his voice trembling. "T-Tsuna-senpai, you're actually a light novel writer?"

"Umm..."

Before Tsuna could finish, Kageyama shoved Hinata's face away, stepping forward with an incredulous expression. "S-Senpai, y-your work...!"

Suga, Tanaka, and Daichi exchanged glances, their excitement building like a storm. Then, all five of them burst out in unison, their eyes practically glowing.

"You're the Rizz God!?"

"...!"

Tsuna froze, his whole body cringing at the name. 'Aww fuck...'

It had seemed like a good idea at the time—a unique kind of pen name. But now, hearing it shouted by his teammates, Tsuna felt like his soul was being crushed under the weight of secondhand embarrassment.

Before he could process the situation, all five of them held out pristine copies of Harry Poggers and the Rizzlerz Stone, his debut light novel.

"Please..." Their hands trembled slightly as they bowed low, shouting in unison, "Sign our books, Rizz God-sama!"

It was all too late.

"Urghh..."

Tsuna groaned, covering his face with one hand.

The colorful covers of his light novels dangled in front of him like an ominous reminder of why he had tried so hard to keep his identity a secret.

'Why did I have to choose 'Rizz God' as my pen name?'

This was exactly what he'd feared.

Tsuna's eyes flicked toward Machida, the root of the problem. She stood off to the side, arms crossed and a smug smile on her face, as if she had done him the greatest favor in the world.

He could practically hear her thinking, 'Aren't you glad your friends know about your fame now?'

'I'm going to make her pay for this soon,' he vowed silently, gritting his teeth.

"Stop shouting, you little bastards!"

A sharp voice broke through the chaotic moment.

Everyone immediately flinched at this. The yelling made the team immediately turn toward the source as they bowed their heads in unison, "Sorry, sir!" 

'Ah, the unemployed blonde guy my dad hangs out with...'

It was the dagashiya store owner, Keshin Ukai. Tsuna had briefly met him this morning as he quietly stared at the unemployed blonde guy before noticing something was off.

Ukai had his mouth wide open as if he was about to scold them but seemed to have frozen still. He wasn't even looking at them anymore as Tsuna followed his gaze before realizing Ukai was looking at Machida as he mumbled, "Well..."

Who would've thought?

It... appeared to be a love at first sight.

After the whole RIzz God experience, Tsuna had quite a foul mood for the rest of the day as he went to sleep early and tried to be positive about it.

Still, it was hard to ignore the nagging fact that his secret identity as an author had been exposed—by none other than his editor, Machida.

However, he knew he had to move on since he had a more pressing matter at hand.

The next morning...

"Dad, what should I do?"

Tsuna's voice was serious as he sat across from his father at the breakfast table. They were halfway through their meal when he finally brought up the concern that had been eating away at him—Shimizu.

She'd been ignoring him lately, and it was driving him crazy.

Ichiro paused mid-bite, his chopsticks hovering in the air.

"Son," Slowly, he placed them down on the table, his expression unusually grave, "this is a good sign."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Tsuna blinked, confused. "Dad, she totally ignored me though..."

"I'm serious, Son. It means," Ichiro said, his tone deepening, "you're just one step closer to winning her heart."

"Really?"

Tsuna scratched his head, skeptical but somewhat relieved.

Ichiro was actually quite credible when it came to this—his advice, though sometimes eccentric, had surprisingly gotten him good results so far.

If what his dad said was true, then Shimizu ignoring him wasn't rejection.

It was progress.

"Alright," Tsuna said, leaning forward. "Then what should I do next?"

Ichiro's eyes gleamed, "What you need to do next is simple..."

Tsuna leaned in closer, eager to hear the master plan.

"Follow her around. Make sure she sees you often at school. Arrange 'coincidences' where you bump into her. Keep yourself in her line of sight as much as possible."

"...?"

There was a pause.

"Dad..." Tsuna pulled back, frowning in disbelief, "...Are you seriously telling me to be a professional stalker?"

"It's not stalking if it's for love, son," Ichiro didn't even flinch, his confidence unshaken as his expression turned stony.

"Haa..." Tsuna let out a long sigh as he buried his face in his hands and muttered under his breath, "Pretty sure that is stalking..."

"Aniki!"

A loud yell, followed by rapid knocking, echoed through the house, pulling Tsuna out of his thoughts.

He glanced up, already guessing who it was as his dad, Ichiro, stood up and walked to the door to greet the noisy visitor.

"Whatever..." Tsuna sighed, deciding to leave the matter alone for now. He finished his breakfast, placed his dishes in the sink, and grabbed his school bag.

"Dad, I'm heading out," Tsuna called as he stepped toward the door.

"Oh, sure! Take care!"

Ichiro shouted back, waving him off.

Tsuna started jogging toward school, his bag slung casually over one shoulder. Ichiro watched his son disappear down the street before turning back to Ukai, ready to resume their conversation.

But instead of speaking, Ukai was staring at Tsuna's retreating figure with a complicated look on his face.

Ichiro raised an eyebrow, "Something on your mind, Keshin? Did you want to say something to my son?"

"Ah, Aniki..."

Ukai hesitated, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Finally, he blurted, "...Could you ask your son to do me a favor?"

He wanted Tsuna to introduce him to someone.

Meanwhile...

Tsuna jogged along the narrow path winding through the rice fields. The morning sun casting a golden glow over the lush green with the hills in the distance stood like a completely beautiful painting.

Lost in thought, he almost didn't notice how close he was to school until the familiar silhouette of the old buildings came into view.

Near the school gate, he saw someone familiar walking toward the school as he blinked his eyes in surprise, "Huh? Kiyoko?"

Tsuna froze mid-jog, his father's ridiculous advice suddenly echoing in his mind.

"Seriously, Dad?"

His lips twitched as he fought the urge to groan. 

For a moment, he considered pretending he hadn't seen her. But then, he decided to have a go at it as he muttered under his breath, "Screw it. Let's do this."

It's time to be a crimi—uh... a man!

------------------------

Advanced chapters can be found here:

patreon(.)com/mythoast