Haikyu: Nah, I'd Adapt!

I couldn't post yesterday because of unforeseen circumstances, so there will be two chapters today!

This is the first chapter for the day. I'm going to step out to grab something to eat—uh, is it breakfast? Maybe lunch; I'm not sure. Time-wise, it's midnight, but I slept the whole day today.

I tried to catch up on the sleep I lost over the last two weeks, but I suppose it's not a great idea because tomorrow I might mess up my sleep schedule. But for now...

...I'm hungry.

So, I'm going to eat and then work on the next chapter!

Enjoy the chapter!

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"God..."

Keishin sat up, holding his head with both hands. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. Tsuna had casually done something completely unexpected, throwing their carefully planned strategies out the window.

It was hard to watch as their coach since Keishin had given the team clear instructions on what to do in two scenarios: if Date Tech's Iron Wall lived up to its reputation, and if it didn't.

But Tsuna?

He had created his own scenario.

"He's still doing things his own way even when he's still thinking?"

Keishin muttered, his voice a mix of frustration and disbelief.

Still, he was relieved it had worked. The sudden change in Tsuna's positioning hadn't thrown the team into chaos.

Somehow, Tsuna had managed to communicate his plan to Kageyama in that split second.

"It's good that Kageyama played along. Otherwise, it could've ended terribly," Keishin said, massaging his temples tiredly.

He let out a long sigh, "Ha...."

"Ah... haha..."

Takeda's nervous laughter filled the air. The advisor tried to calm Keishin down, though his own voice trembled slightly. "I-It's fine, Ukai-kun. It seems to have worked perfectly this time..."

"..."

Keishin rolled his eyes. Takeda was trying to reassure him, but the advisor looked even more nervous than himself.

He then sat down with a plop, crossing his arms as he rubbed his chin in thought. "I guess he likes to do this whether he's sane or crazy..."

When Tsuna was fully immersed in the game, he rarely communicated. His teammates had to constantly be aware of his position and adapt on the fly.

To his surprise, Tsuna was doing something similar now—though on a milder level. Instead of forcing his team to adapt to him, he was guiding them to follow along.

It was chaotic, but somehow, it worked.

"Still..."

Keishin's eyes narrowed as he watched Tsuna on the court. He couldn't help but be impressed by how smart that play had been.

Meanwhile...

"What a reckless play..."

Mizoguchi scratched his head awkwardly, his voice filled with disbelief. The crowd around them buzzed with murmurs, still processing what they had just seen.

"It is, but it's actually quite clever," Irihata commented, his tone thoughtful. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, clearly impressed by that.

Tsuna had quickly understood how Date Tech would attack and had come up with a decision that perfectly supported his play.

Irihata could tell it was still a team play, which surprised him. It wasn't something he expected from a player like Tsuna.

But then he realized there were two sides to this player.

"It's either you play with me, or I'll use you for my own pleasure..." Irihata mumbled, his voice trailing off.

Both approaches were egotistical in their own way, leaving him both impressed and speechless as he finally said with a shake of his head, "What a unique player..." 

Back on the court...

"That was disappointing..."

Tsuna's voice cut through the air as veins bulged on Futakuchi's temple. He couldn't help but force a polite smile as his tone was strained, "Yes...?" 

But Tsuna didn't seem to care about their response. His eyes were locked on Aone, who frowned even deeper, and asked, "I thought you said you were going to block every single one of my spikes, yeah?"

"But losing your focus mid-game like that..."

He shook his head, his disappointment evident. Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked back to his position.

And as the ball was rolled back to Kageyama, Tsuna added, "...I expected too much, I guess."

"..."

The rest of Karasuno could only watch the exchange, cold sweat rolling down their foreheads. The tension was palpable.

'I know Tsuna-san was genuinely upset they weren't focused...'

Hinata thought, his eyes sparkling with admiration as he stared at Tsuna.

Meanwhile, the others exchanged wry smiles as Daichi sighed inwardly, 'He really has to say that, huh?'

On the side...

"That bastard," Tanaka muttered under his breath while Suga just shook his head with a wry smile on his face.

He then sighed as he looked at Date Tech players on the other side before mumbling out, "Tsuna riled them up... perfectly..."

"..."

Even Futakuchi, who had been ready to fire back a retort, clenched his fist silently. He couldn't deny it—Tsuna was right.

They had lost their focus during that unexpected play, and it had cost them a point.

Without a word, he quietly returned to his position, his expression grim.

"..."

Whether Tsuna realized it or not, his words had struck a nerve, and the pressure from Date Tech's players intensified as their focus sharpened.

Meanwhile...

"And he just had to say that. Damn it. You're gonna be the death of me, Tsuna!"

On Karasuno's bench, Keishin Ukai let out a sigh while rubbing his temples. But instead of frustration, a smirk crept onto his face, "Well, whatever. That actually works for me."

"Eh..?"

Takeda was still adjusting his glasses from the shock of the last play, and hearing Keishin's words made him turn to their coach in confusion, "R-Really?"

"Yeah," Keishin nodded.

"Whether he meant to or not, Tsuna just made our plan even more effective."

"I-is that so?"

Takeda blinked, still trying to keep up.

"That kind of flashy play?" Keishin explained, "Of course, it's going to stick in their heads. Now, they're more conscious of him."

This was where Date Tech differed from normal teams.

Most teams committed to a block based on a prediction—reading the setter's body language, positioning, and timing their jump. But if they hesitated, they risked being too slow.

Date Tech was the opposite.

They were a team that was completely hard-core on read blocking. They wouldn't commit unless they were sure where the ball was going.

That was why decoy usually wouldn't work against them which was why having them conscious of him was perfect as Keishin added, "They're already wary of Hinata. Now, Tsuna's caught their attention, too."

"Ah…"

Takeda's eyes widened in realization.

It all made sense now.

"...Then, I can be at ease."

The tension in Takeda's shoulders eased as he exhaled, feeling reassured for the first time.

TWEET!

The referee's whistle blew, and Kageyama served the ball.

It flew sharply toward the back side of Date Tech's court. This time, it didn't head straight for their libero, Sakunami.

Instead, Kamasaki stepped in as he was deep in focus thanks to Tsuna's earlier "encouragement." With a loud plop, he received the ball, sending it toward the front of the court.

Seeing Kamasaki receive the ball successfully, both Futakuchi and Sasaya shout, "Moniwa/Captain!" 

Moniwa scanned the court quickly. He noticed how Karasuno's blockers were positioned and decided to toss the ball to Sasaya once again.

"...!"

Tsukishima frowned, realizing he was too far away to form a solid block.

"Yosha!"

Sasaya shouted, his eyes lighting up as he saw his chance. He swung his arm with full force, aiming to smash the ball through Karasuno's defense.

But then—

"...!"

His eyes widened as Daichi lunged forward as the ball, which had been heading straight for the floor, was saved at the last second.

"Oh! They saved it again!"

"Is #9 going to do it again?"

The crowd erupted into cheers.

The ball floated back toward Kageyama, who was already in position. Tsuna took a small step as Kageyama seemed to understand and immediately tossed the ball to him.

Seeing the ball coming to him, Tsuna leaped into the air, his body coiled like a spring, ready to unleash another spike.

However...

This time...

"...!"

Tsuna felt a looming presence.

The loud, thunderous steps of Date Tech's blockers echoed in his ears, their movements synchronized perfectly as a wall of hands suddenly appeared above the net, blocking his path.

As Tsuna swung his arm, a sharp crack echoed through the gym and the ball shot forward.

However, in its path was Date Tech's Iron Wall as the ball was slammed into it with such an impact that left the crowd breathless.

Feeling the pang of pain in his hand, Futakuchi shouted, "Not again, Shooting Star!"

He tensed the muscles in his hands making sure it wouldn't get through with his everything as the ball sharply bounced off their block, whistling past Tsuna's cheek before landing with a loud thud on Karasuno's side of the court.

"...!"

Everyone in Karasuno widened their eyes at the block as for the first time in their entire career...

...they saw Tsuna's spike perfectly blocked!

Someone in the crowd immediately shouted, "They blocked it this time!"

"As expected of the Iron Wall!"

"Let's go, Let's go, Date Tech!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, especially Date Tech's supporters. Their chants filled the gymnasium, the noise overwhelming as the players landed back on the ground.

"Keke... We blocked that this time, Shooting Star," Futakuchi said, his lips curling into a mocking smile.

He didn't hold back as his voice dripped with sarcasm, "What is this? Don't tell me you're losing focus already... hmm...?"

However...

Futakuchi's mocking smile faltered. Instead of frustration, Tsuna's lips curled into a wide grin. His expression was twisted—not in anger or disappointment, but in pure satisfaction.

His expression couldn't help but turn into confusion as he mumbled, "What...?"

Instead of feeling frustration like Futakuchi expected, Tsuna seemed to have felt otherwise as he said, "This is it..."

Out of all the blockers he had faced, Tsuna felt Date Tech's blocks were the hardest. His heart raced, not from frustration, but from exhilaration.

For the first time in a long while, he felt truly challenged.

"Very good, Date Tech. You're not disappointing!"

...and he loved it!

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