Haikyuu: Nah, I'd Adapt!

'That serve...'

Suga's gaze followed the ball as it rolled back to Oikawa on the other side of the net. His brows knitted together, and his heart clenched as he added silently, '...was deadly.'

Boom!

Another serve was made followed by the thunderclap of Oikawa's jump serve reverberating across the court as Tsuna could not return it once again, which made Karasuno feel the towering pressure crushing them.

'The Great King's serve...!'

Hinata's hands clenched into fists at his sides. He felt nervous since he could tell even Kageyama had no idea Oikawa could do something quite like this. 

'He's gotten stronger. So much stronger...'

Knowing the very person he looked up to when starting to be a setter back in Kitagawa Daiichi had improved considerably quite a lot made Kageyama feel pressure like no other.

Especially since he was a setter too as he gritted his teeth, 'I... won't lose!'

But no matter how much resolve burned within him, Karasuno couldn't catch a break.

Oikawa kept aiming at Tsuna.

Contrary to Karasuno's tensed expression, Aoba Johsai's players were all beamed up in awe. They felt lucky to be on the same side of the net, spared from having to face their captain's jump serves.

'It's paying off… All the sweat, blood, and tears he put into this…'

Iwaizumi's gaze lingered on Oikawa as the setter went for another serve. The gym was alive with tension, but Iwaizumi remained calm.

His teammates couldn't see it, but he could.

He remembered it all.

The rain.

That day was etched into his mind as vividly as if it had just happened.

The sun was hidden behind thick gray clouds, the school grounds drenched in a pouring rain. The usual hustle and bustle had been silenced, leaving the area eerily quiet.

Even the gym was supposed to be empty.

"Is that bastard really still at the gym? At this hour?" he muttered, "We were supposed to leave hours ago. Damn idiot…"

Water soaked into his shoes as Iwaizumi made his way to the gym. The sound of rain pounding against the pavement was soon joined by something else—faint but steady.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

The unmistakable echo of a ball slamming against the floor reached his ears.

Iwaizumi frowned, quickening his pace.

Sliding open the gym door, he shouted, "Hey, Oikawa, you idio—!"

BAM!

His words were cut off as a volleyball rocketed toward him, slamming into the wall just inches from his head.

"...!"

He froze.

The ball dropped to the floor and bounced once, twice, before rolling to a stop. Iwaizumi glanced at it, feeling a bead of sweat slide down his forehead.

'That was way too close…'

He turned toward the culprit.

There, under the dim light, Oikawa stood alone.

"Bast—!"

Iwaizumi's anger faltered the moment he saw him.

Oikawa was drenched in sweat as he had just been outside, taking on the rain without an umbrella. His shoulders slumped, and his chest rose and fell heavily as if he'd been running a marathon.

His unfocused eyes made Iwaizumi widen his eyes in shock as he turned to the captain's hand. Oikawa's hands were trembling now, and his body was crying out for rest.

"You son of a—" Iwaizumi's voice cracked as he stormed toward him. "Oikawa, you're pushing yourself way too much!"

Oikawa didn't respond.

Iwaizumi sighed heavily, slamming the door shut behind him as he walked closer. He was about to scold Oikawa right away but the words died on his lips when Oikawa turned, flashing him a weak, tired smile.

"Ah, Iwa-chan," Oikawa rasped, "Just in time… Could you help me gather all the balls?"

"Uh…?"

Iwaizumi frowned, confused, before his eyes wandered across the gym.

That's when he saw them.

Dozens of volleyballs scattered across the court, some piled in corners, others rolling aimlessly on the floor.

"Y-you…!"

Iwaizumi stammered, his annoyance quickly turned to horror. He couldn't look away.

Oikawa had been at this for hours. Maybe longer.

That loss had shattered the team, but no one had felt its weight more than their captain. They had all struggled to pick themselves up again, yet Oikawa…

'He never stopped.'

"Oikawa."

Iwaizumi clenched his fists, his voice trembling. 

The setter didn't respond. He had already turned his back, staggering toward another ball as if Iwaizumi's presence barely registered.

Iwaizumi muttered, "You're going to get yourself injured…"

But Oikawa didn't hear him—or chose not to.

He bent down, picking up a ball with trembling hands, then straightened with visible effort. His movements were sluggish.

"..."

The sight of his captain trying to grab these balls back to start all over again seemed desperate and it just pained him deeply.

That loss had carved a hole in him, and now…

'He's trying to fill it with every drop of effort he has left.'

Iwaizumi knew Oikawa better than anyone else.

To the outside world, Oikawa was a genius—he was definitely one clever motherfucker, but he was no genius. The blood sweat tears Oikawa had put himself through was something only a few of them knew about this 'genius'.

Iwaizumi sighed deeply. He didn't have the heart to yell anymore.

Instead, he walked forward. Quietly. Wordlessly. He bent down, picking up a ball of his own.

That night, the gym remained silent except for the steady rhythm of serves.

Whistle!

The sharp sound pierced through the air, snapping Iwaizumi back to reality.

'All those days… countless hours… He even got himself injured sometimes.'

Iwaizumi turned back and saw Oikawa throwing the ball up in the air with an intense focus.

He then looked forward. And then—bam!

The sound of his hand striking the ball echoed like a gunshot.

It sliced through the air, curving sharply toward the other side of the court, aimed at the one person responsible for the anguish Oikawa had carried for an entire year.

The one who had haunted their memories.

The monster.

However...

"...!"

Iwaizumi's teeth ground together as his frustration bubbled to the surface.

Oikawa's serves should have been enough.

They should have been enough to force that monster—Tsunayoshi Matsumoto—to feel even a sliver of the agony Aoba Johsai had endured that day.

And yet…

'Why? Just why?'

His gaze locked onto Tsuna, who stood at the receiving end.

And what he saw made his stomach churn.

The ball rocketed toward Tsuna with terrifying speed. It was the kind of serve that could leave anyone else struggling to react, let alone return it.

But Tsuna...

Tsuna was there, standing tall in the receiving line, his eyes glinting with something that sent a chill down Iwaizumi's spine.

His usual calm, almost indifferent expression was nowhere to be found.

Instead, his face was contorted into a wild grin, so wide and unsettling that it made Iwaizumi feel his heart sink.

"Why..."

Iwaizumi could only stare, trembling as a wave of disbelief crashed over him, "Why are you enjoying this!?"

The ball slammed into Tsuna's hands with a sharp thud.

The force bent both his arms backward as the impact reverberated through his body. The ball ricocheted off, soaring out of bounds.

Another failed to receive.

How many times had it been now?

"Shit," Daichi muttered under his breath, his eyes flickering to the scoreboard.

It read 24 - 22.

Oikawa's serve had brought them seven consecutive points. Seven!

He tensed up as he glanced at Oikawa, whose eyes stayed locked onto Tsuna. They had to stop this somehow. Now!

He strode toward Tsuna and said, "Tsuna, we need to change up our positioni—"

"Huh?"

Daichi's words froze mid-sentence as Tsuna slowly turned to face him.

Those eyes.

It blazed with an intensity so fierce that it felt almost tangible. They brimmed with something that made Daichi feel terrified.

Daichi's breath hitched, his body stiffening. He couldn't look away, even as a cold chill crept down his spine.

"Tsuna—"

"Piss off, Daichi..."

"What...?"

And then, as if Daichi no longer existed, Tsuna's head turned back toward Oikawa. A grin crept across his face, "This is getting fun."

"...!"

Daichi stood frozen, his legs unwilling to move.

His heart pounded against his ribs as he watched Tsuna, unable to shake the overwhelming feeling creeping at him.

Everyone on the court seemed to have heard the exchange. Their eyes couldn't tear away from Tsuna.

But it was Aoba Johsai who felt the weight of the moment the most.

"That bastard..."

Kindaichi's jaw clenched as his nails dug into his palms. He almost bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, his anger barely contained.

The scene unfolding in front of him struck a nerve, dragging up memories he'd rather forget. It reminded him too much of him.

Kageyama.

Kindaichi's gaze shifted to Tsuna. His anger simmered, but behind it was a flicker of something he hated to admit.

Fear.

This guy...

No, this monster...

'He's playing all by himself!'

Back in Kitagawa Daiichi, they'd never allowed Kageyama to play this way. They had their pride. They'd refused to be pawns, ordered around like servants by someone so cold, so indifferent to teamwork.

But now...

Looking at Karasuno, Kindaichi realized something that made his stomach churn.

They weren't resisting Tsuna. No one seemed to be holding him back. The entire team was letting him take control.

"..."

He gritted his teeth, his mind racing with frustration and disbelief.

'Fuck that, King of the court? That was something we made up, just a fucking ridiculous name...'

Kindaichi couldn't deny it. Somewhere deep inside, a horrifying thought began to bloom. Maybe somewhere out there.

There really was—

"...Goddammit," he muttered under his breath.

A true king.

And the proof was right in front of his very eyes!