Haikyuu: Nah, I'd Adapt!

The atmosphere around the stadium was quite lively with people who had come to watch the game earlier.

Tsuna didn't think much of it as he rode his bicycle toward the wide roads outside before settling into the bike lane.

Feeling the breeze brushing past his hair, Tsuna rode through the road, noticing modern buildings and quaint shops lining the way. There were many people around, but it wasn't too crowded.

He silently thought, 'Tokyo could never...'

Miyagi prefecture was so much better in this regard. For someone who used to live there, Tsuna understood just how packed Tokyo could get. 

"Hmm... this smell..."

He sniffed the air, catching a familiar scent. He looked over to the other side of the road and saw a bustling shop and mumbled, "Ramen, huh?"

Just from the size of the crowd—although not as large as the ones he had seen in Tokyo, where people would line up for hours—he knew the ramen shop was legit. By Miyagi Prefecture standards, this shop was extremely busy.

"I bet they make better ramen," he muttered, recalling his dad's not-so-successful ramen shop back home.

Before long, Tsuna realized he had left the city center. The wheels of his bicycle spun steadily as he pedaled through the outskirts of Miyagi Prefecture. He began to see neat rows of suburban houses and the occasional shrine tucked between them.

The red torii gates gleamed in the soft orange light as the sun set.

Maybe it was because he was in a good mood, but Tsuna found himself enjoying the scenery more than usual. He smiled as he breathed in the fresh air of the countryside.

It was a peaceful ride...

...until it wasn't.

A small car, cherry red and glaringly polished, suddenly veered out of a driveway ahead of him.

Tsuna's expression changed immediately as he shouted, "Hey!"

His voice cracked with panic as he yanked the handlebars to the right, swerving violently out of the bike lane.

"Motherfucker..."

Tsuna cursed loudly, glancing over to see the driver—a distracted woman in oversized sunglasses. She didn't seem to notice him at all.

"That stupid woman!" he shouted in frustration.

"Shit..."

His tires skidded, scraping against the road with a high-pitched screech as his momentum carried him toward the main road.

His heart pounded against his chest like a war drum.

He barely managed to stabilize his bike when—

HONKK!!!

"...!"

Out of nowhere, a loud honk pierced the air. Tsuna's eyes widened as he saw it—a truck, hulking and metallic, barreling straight toward him.

For a moment, everything slowed.

His pupils dilated, his brown irises catching the blinding reflection of sunlight on the truck's chrome grille. The roar of its engine, deafening seconds before, faded into silence.

Tsuna could only hear his own breath—ragged, shallow, desperate. Time seemed to stretch as he locked eyes with the driver, whose face was frozen in panic. The truck kept coming, closer and closer.

"Not here... not like this..."

The thought raced through his mind as fragmented bursts of memory flashed before him. His childhood.

The long nights spent studying, writing, and jerkin—crying.

Countless faces of people he'd met swirled in his mind, some blurry, others painfully vivid. His mom's face stood out the most, smiling warmly as if already waving him over, beckoning him to join her but then...

...his dad stupid smile made his unfocused eyes regained its clarity as he roared silently, 'Not today! Goddammit!'

Instinct roared louder than his thoughts.

He wrenched his handlebars to the left, the bike tilting precariously as his legs burned with the effort of forcing it off the truck's path. Gravel scattered beneath his tires, and the world blurred as he felt his body pitch forward.

The impact was immediate and brutal. The truck's side clipped the back wheel of his bike, sending him spinning like a ragdoll.

Tsuna's vision narrowed into a tunnel, the edges darkening as his body hit the ground with bone-rattling force. His head snapped back against the asphalt, and the last thing he registered was a sharp, metallic tang filling his mouth as he mumbled out loud, "That's why..."

"...women shouldn't fucking drive."

Then, nothing.

Just a soft, echoing blip in the void as his consciousness faded.

...

...

...

Everything was dark. He was barely conscious as a loud ringing filled his ears, shaking his mind. His eyelashes fluttered weakly.

'...Where... am I?'

Tsuna felt a strange numbness spread through his body, making his thoughts sluggish.

'Is this... a hospital?'

A blurry vision of dim light through a corridor greeted him.

Suddenly, a head bobbed into his field of view—a stranger's face, a woman wearing a nurse's uniform. She seemed to be talking, but her words didn't reach him. The ceiling passed overhead as he blinked slowly.

Blip!

Somehow, with that blink, his vision changed. Now, a large circular light loomed above him, its brightness making his pupils dilate.

This time, a different woman appeared, her body almost entirely covered in protective gear. She leaned over him, holding a massive syringe.

He barely felt the sharp prick as she injected something into his arm.

His consciousness started to fade again, pulling him into the void.

...

...

...

...

Tsuna didn't know how long he had been drifting in his mind. Everything felt slow, like he was floating in a strange, empty void. It was such a weird feeling, as if he couldn't think of anything at all.

A strange sensation crept in, like pieces of a puzzle clicking into place. His thoughts were becoming clearer and clearer.

'...Am I... dying--Keuhp!'

However...

A sharp pain shot through him. His mind snapped back as his eyes flew open.

"Urgh..."

Tsuna groaned in pain, trying to endure the sudden, overwhelming ache.

His vision was blurry, but gradually everything started to register into his mind. He was in a white room—a hospital room.

'...!'

He blinked, shocked to see so many familiar faces gathered around him.

'Everyone from Karasuno is here? Uh...'

His eyes shifted to his father, who stood by his side. His father's face was etched with worry as he said something, but Tsuna somehow couldn't hear it.

His head was spinning too badly.

'Fuck, my head!'

Instinctively, he tried to lift his hand to his temple, but the sharp pain made him gasp. His eyes widened in alarm as he looked down at his right hand.

"...!"

It was wrapped in layers of bandages, completely mummified. Even though his whole body was covered in bandages, his right hand stood out, and the sight sent a chill down his spine.

"My... hand...?"

"...una... Tsuna... Tsuna, can you hear me?"

His father's voice finally registered, snapping him back to reality. Tsuna turned toward his father, his eyes still wide with shock.

His father, Ichiro, looked visibly relieved to see him awake.

"...Yeah."

Tsuna nodded slowly in response.

"Thank God!"

Ichiro let out a long breath, his shoulders sagging as he sank into the chair beside the bed. The tension that had gripped him seemed to drain away.

"..."

The room was silent. No one seemed to know what to say. Tsuna noticed the uneasy glances his teammates gave his right hand, their expressions complicated.

Their gazes made him uncomfortable, but he understood what happened. He looked at his hand again, and mumbled, "Seems like I broke my hand..."

Ichiro sighed, "You totally did."

"How long was I out?"

"...Almost a day."

Ichiro explained that after the crash yesterday, on Tuesday, Tsuna was immediately brought to the hospital. Ichiro had rushed there as quickly as he could.

Now it was Wednesday morning, and the Karasuno team had come rushing in after hearing about the accident.

"I see..." Tsuna fell silent for a moment before turning to his team and saying, "I guess I won't be able to play today, guys."

Daichi hesitated before replying, "It's... fine..."

It was unfortunate that their ace couldn't play.

"Don't worry about the game."

"Yeah, we've got this, Tsuna!"

Tanaka and Nishinoya gave him a thumbs up, their usual loud energy returning as they tried to reassure him.

"We've got a little backup from some former members who... uh, took a hiatus for a while," Suga added.

He explained that a few players who had quit in the past because they didn't find it fun anymore, after losing so often, had been convinced by Daichi to return for this game.

After all, they had defeated Aoba Johsai yesterday. While that victory was largely thanks to Tsuna, the team had also improved a lot from their former selves.

"My spike might not be as good as yours," Asahi scratched his head lightly, "but I'll try my best to get us through."

Tsuna forced a smile, "I'll leave it to you then, Asahi."

"..."

The others could tell he wasn't really in the mood but didn't say anything.

They silently clenched their fists in determination, especially Asahi, who would now be the main spiker for the team.

"And by the way..." Tsuna looked around, still unable to find her, and asked, "Did she not come along?"

Before anyone could reply, the door suddenly burst open.

Tsuna saw Shimizu enter, her face filled with concern. She looked at him briefly before glancing back at the people following her—a group that included a man in a white coat and several nurses.

"He really has woken up already..."

The man in the doctor's coat mumbled in surprise, staring at Tsuna.

Tsuna frowned as he looked at the doctor.

The man's hair was so thick and long that it completely covered his eyes. Tsuna couldn't help but wonder if he could even see through all that hair.

And then there were the nurses behind him.

"...?"

Tsuna was slightly taken aback; all of them seemed unusually attractive.

And he could instinctively tell that there was something strange about the vibe they gave off as he thought to himself, 'Who the hell is this guy?'

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

Advanced chapters can be found here:

patreon(.)com/mythoast