Haikyuu: Zero to Almighty

"—Woof."

The puppy's soft bark broke the tense silence between the two boys. Shigeru Yahaba's attention was immediately drawn to a cardboard box not far away.

"Is that dog….a stray?" he asked.

Kentarō Kyōtani scowled and gave a curt nod, using his foot to nudge the curious little pup away from him.

Shigeru's expression shifted unpredictably. He couldn't quite reconcile this scene with the usually hot-headed Kyōtani. The idea of him being soft-hearted felt absurd.

"…Don't tell me you're planning to take in this stray dog! What is this, some shoujo manga cliché?" Shigeru raised his voice, sounding like he was trying to convince himself. "Seriously, cut it out. There's no way I'm going to start thinking you're secretly a good person because of this!"

"I didn't pick it up! It followed me here on its own!" Kyōtani shot back, clearly irritated. Among their classmates, it seemed Shigeru was the only one who dared to openly defy him.

Shigeru sneered, looking utterly unimpressed. "Oh, so now you're bragging about being popular with animals, huh?"

Kyōtani's temple twitched. "What the hell are you even talking about?!"

As the two bickered, their back-and-forth cutting through the air like verbal fencing, the puppy curled up beside Kyōtani's sneakers and promptly fell asleep.

"Hey," Shigeru said suddenly, his tone quieter than before. "Don't even think about dumping the dog somewhere just because it's inconvenient."

"Hah?" Kyōtani raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't glare at me like that. As if I'd trust someone as reckless as you. Honestly, if you told me you were planning to eat the dog raw, I wouldn't even be surprised!" Shigeru quipped with exaggerated disdain.

Before Kyōtani could fire back, Shigeru bent down, gently scooping up the sleeping puppy from where it lay against Kyōtani's shoe. He placed it back into the cardboard box, then hoisted the box into his arms.

"Come on, let's go."

"Huh? Go where?" Kyōtani asked, a flicker of uncertainty breaking through his usual bravado.

"You said you're not taking it home, right? So, we'll just have to find someone else who will," Shigeru replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Though his confidence wavered slightly, he kept moving forward.

"Oh."

With Kyōtani finally falling silent, Shigeru didn't bother to push the conversation further. Hugging the box tightly, he led the way toward a nearby convenience store.

"Let's get it something to eat first."

Inside the store, Shigeru grabbed a small pack of sausages while Kyōtani, for some reason, picked out fried chicken.

"You really love fried chicken, don't you…" Shigeru muttered, recalling that Kyōtani was rarely seen eating anything else.

"Isn't this for the dog?" Kyōtani retorted, brushing off the comment.

With their purchases in hand, the two of them found a small outdoor table near the store and sat down. Shigeru watched as Kyōtani tore off a piece of fried chicken and dropped it in front of the puppy.

"...I don't even know where to start scolding you," Shigeru muttered under his breath.

Perhaps smelling the food, the puppy woke up, tail wagging as it sniffed eagerly at the offerings. Unsurprisingly, it showed a clear preference for the fried chicken over the sausages.

Shigeru frowned. "This dog's got weird taste."

After eating its fill, the puppy quickly dozed off again, its tiny body rising and falling with rapid, rhythmic breaths. Both boys watched it in silence, captivated despite themselves.

Their gazes accidentally met, and in an instant, they turned their heads away, equally annoyed.

"Anyway, let's ask Iwaizumi-senpai what to do." Having a reliable senior to consult always brought a sense of relief.

"Yeah." Even Kentarō Kyōtani seemed to agree when it came to Iwaizumi Hajime.

Beep...beep...beep...

"Hello~?"

Unexpectedly, the voice on the other end of the call was light and teasing, almost playful.

"Oikawa-senpai? Isn't this supposed to be Iwaizumi-senpai's phone?" Shigeru Yahaba asked, puzzled.

"I'm at Iwa-chan's place watching game footage. Why? What's up?"

Even on their club's day off, those two were hanging out together. Shigeru sighed inwardly before explaining the situation to Oikawa Tōru.

"Huh? Why'd you call Iwa-chan first instead of me? I'm the captain, aren't I?"

That's not the point here! Besides, this is exactly why we didn't call you first, Oikawa-senpai!

Shigeru screamed inwardly, his lips twitching as he struggled for a response.

"Give me the phone, you Gomikawa…"

The sound of a brief scuffle came through the line, and soon, Iwaizumi's voice replaced Oikawa's.

"Neither Oikawa's place nor mine is suitable for keeping a pet. Here's what we'll do—ask the second-years if anyone can take it in. Oikawa and I will check with the first-years and third-years to see if anyone's interested."

"'Oikawa' is fine, but what's with the nickname? Don't just call me trash, Iwa-chan—!" Oikawa's protest was cut short, followed by a suspicious thud.

"If no one agrees, contact someone at the school tomorrow or check with the police about what to do," Iwaizumi continued calmly, as if nothing had happened.

Shigeru nodded repeatedly as he listened, impressed. As expected of Iwaizumi-senpai, everything was quickly planned and organized. Even Kyōtani, who had bristled at the sound of Oikawa's voice earlier, seemed to settle down after hearing Iwaizumi's proposal.

Shigeru diligently called the second-year teammates one by one, but everyone politely declined. Just as he expected, anyone willing to keep a pet likely already had one.

Not long after, Iwaizumi called back with similar results—none of the other club members were willing to adopt the puppy either.

Dejected, Shigeru slumped over the table, his frustration laced with a faint sense of disappointment.

"Huh? Is that a puppy? Ohmygosh, it's so cute! Look, look!"

A group of high school girls in uniforms suddenly appeared at their table, their voices bubbling with excitement.

"What's this? It's alive? Why's it in a box? Wait, are you filming something?"

"What breed is it? It's so fluffy!"

"Could it be a Shiba Inu? It looks like one, doesn't it? Am I right? Kawaii~" Their cheerful chatter and youthful energy filled the air.

Shigeru quickly ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it back. Flashing a charming smile he rarely displayed, he said enthusiastically, "Hi there! So, what do you think? Would you like to play with the puppy? You can even adopt it!"

"Really? Are you serious?" One of the girls seemed genuinely interested, her eyes lighting up.

"...Eek!" Another girl suddenly yelped, her face going pale as she froze. Her gaze was locked on something beside Shigeru.

Confused, Shigeru turned his head and saw Kyōtani glaring at the girls, his expression brimming with hostility.

"What the—?! What are you doing?!"

But it was already too late. The girls screamed and bolted, their shrill voices echoing as they fled the scene.

Shigeru stared after them in shock, his mouth agape, before his confusion morphed into fury.

"Why were you glaring at them?! One of them might've actually adopted the puppy!"

Kyōtani snatched the box—puppy and all—straight out of Shigeru's hands and snapped back, "Are you out of your mind? How could you trust random strangers we just met?"

"...!"

"And you just met the puppy too!" Shigeru yelled, his frustration boiling over. "Fine! Do whatever you want!"

Kyōtani's face darkened. Without saying another word, he shoved the curious puppy's head back into the box, picked it up roughly, and stomped off without looking back.

_________

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