Haikyuu: Nah, I'd Adapt!

We hit the last milestone last week, so here's a bonus chapter to start the week!

Thank you all for the support and enjoy the chap!

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Time seemed to slip by like grains of sand, and the sun that had hung high in the sky was now gone.

The steady chirping of crickets filled the night as the lamps of Karasuno High flickered on, casting light over a campus now cloaked in darkness.

Through the dimly lit corridor, Asahi walked alone his school bag slung over one shoulder. 

"Sigh... should I try to refuse it next time?"

He let out a sigh while scratching the back of his neck in exhaustion.

Asahi had always been asked by his homeroom teacher to do extra chores, knowing full well he struggled to say no, especially so from a teacher.

At first, it was manageable—just the occasional favor. But lately, it seemed like he'd become the go-to for every little task.

As he kept walking, his footsteps rang through the corridor since there was hardly anyone but the janitor at the front gate.

However, Asahi suddenly stopped as he turned his head over. He noticed the familiar building he had been avoiding was still lit up.

"That's strange," he murmured, "Did Daichi forget to turn them off?"

He considered ignoring it and walking away, but the idea of leaving the lights on bothered him. Letting out a resigned sigh, he adjusted his grip on his bag and began heading toward the gym.

As he approached, the sound of something he knew reached his ears.

Thump... thump...

Asahi stopped in his tracks.

It was definitely the sound of a ball bouncing against the gym floor. Knowing he was right, his stomach twisted as an all-too-familiar urge rose in him—to turn around and walk away.

'Someone... still in there?'

Asahi noticed the squeak of sneakers against the polished floor was that of one person.

Curiosity tugged at him, the urge to peek inside growing stronger. But just as quickly, doubt flickered through his mind.

'No... I don't belong there anymore.'

He took a shaky step back, turning to leave.

BAM!

The sharp clack of the gym door being thrown open echoed through the empty school.

The sound was deafening in the silence, sending Asahi stumbling against the wall in panic. His breath hitched as he flattened himself against the cold surface with sweat trickling down his temple.

His heart pounded in his chest as familiar voices drifted out from the gym.

"Kiyoko?"

It was Tsuna.

A second voice followed, this time, it was soft, "Why are you still here? Do you realize what time it is?"

It was Shimizu.

Her voice had a mix of concern and disbelief, as though even she couldn't fathom why someone would still be in the gym at this hour.

Asahi could clearly recall how Tsuna would avoid extra practice, even before crucial matches like the one against Aoba Johsai last year.

But Tsuna's response to Shimizu's question was quite odd to him.

"Don't worry about it," Tsuna said. "I got the key from Daichi. I'll lock up when I'm done."

'He's still training? At this hour?'

That made him stand still as Asahi unconsciously stayed there to listen.

In the gym, Shimizu stood near the doorway while watching Tsuna as he hunched over, catching his breath.

She noticed how his shirt clung to his back, completely soaked through.

Her gaze swept the gym. Volleyballs were scattered around showing her how hard he'd been training as she sighed softly, "You're still... training your receive?"

'As expected... he must've been frustrated somewhat...'

It was after the practice game against Aoba Johsai that Shimizu started to feel Tsuna had somehow changed. He'd been quieter, more distant.

Unintentionally, perhaps, but enough for her to feel a pang of complicated emotions swirling through her chest every time she saw him.

Now, as she saw those eyes that seemed to be completely frustrated, her chest tightened in response as she quietly bit her lips.

'Tsuna...'

She wished she knew how to help him. But she just didn't know how, as she could only look at him with complex emotions swirling through her eyes. 

It was rare for Shimizu to show such concern, but Tsuna, caught in his own world, didn't seem to notice.

"Anyway, you came at the perfect time, Kiyoko..."

Tsuna's voice was tired.

His chest rose and fell as he exhaled deeply. He walked to the side of the court, grabbed a plyo box, and placed it beneath the net.

"Could you help me with my practice a bit...?"

"…Un."

Shimizu nodded silently.

Without another word, she quietly followed his instructions.

Tsuna gathered the scattered volleyballs, stacking them beside the plyo box. Then, they continued their training as the rhythmic sound of the ball bouncing echoed through the quiet gym.

Just the two of them.

Tsuna didn't know how long they had been at it.

Time blurred as he focused solely on his training. After their usual drill, Tsuna had stayed behind—something clicked in his mind after a chat with Nishinoya, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed more practice.

He didn't care how long it took.

The janitor would come eventually and drag him out of the gym, but until then, he needed to push himself.

But as the minutes wore on, his body began to feel heavier.

'Shit...'

His movements grew sluggish, and when he tried to receive a weak ball that Shimizu sent over, he missed it terribly as the ball bounced awkwardly and rolled out of bounds. 

"..."

Frustration surged through him.

Tsuna had always found it easy to learn things—math, physics, biology. Those subjects bored him. He could just skim through a textbook and understand everything.

But this...

This was different.

The way his hands felt slightly off, the dissonance between them—it was frustrating. He knew it would take time, just like when he had trained his left hand.

It had been awkward at first, but it had eventually become natural.

'It shouldn't take long...'

Deep down, he knew it was just a matter of time.

But the lack of results, even in the short term, gnawed at him. He had tried his hardest—a rare thing for him—and yet it felt like he was getting nowhere.

It stung.

'The answers I needed...'

The Interhigh was right around the corner, and he couldn't afford to fail. This time, he needed to get it right.

Why couldn't he just walk away? Was it because he didn't want to admit defeat?

"...!"

His mind raced, and suddenly, his vision wavered. His hand fumbled, the ball slipping through his fingers.

Before he knew it, he was on his knees, staring at his trembling legs and hands.

'Am I… reaching my limit?'

"Tsuna!"

The voice broke through his thoughts.

Shimizu was there, moving quickly from the box to kneel beside him. Her hands were gentle as she helped him sit, her worried gaze fixed on him.

"You've been too hard on yourself today," she said softly.

"No… just a bit more…"

Tsuna's voice was weak, his body swaying as he tried to push himself up.

Shimizu's face tightened with concern, and she couldn't stop herself from grimacing. The sight of Tsuna pushing past his limits, ignoring his exhaustion, was painful to watch.

Her hands trembled as she reached out, her voice catching in her throat.

"Why… Why do you have to train so hard?"

 Tsuna's words were strained, "Because I suck at receiving…"

"No! You don't!"

Shimizu's voice cracked, rising higher than she meant.

She could see how much Tsuna had improved—how far he had come compared to where he was. But despite that, he was still pushing himself as if nothing had changed.

It didn't make sense to her!

She stared at him, the confusion and concern deep in her eyes.

"Kiyoko," Tsuna's jaw tightened as he shook his head. "I really suck at receiving."

"But you're good at other things!"

"Yeah, but not with my left!"

"...!"

Shimizu's eyes widened, and her voice cracked, "Even then, you can try again tomorrow!"

The gym seemed to freeze in the silence that followed their heated words. For some reason, her concerned voice that, normally, he would die for was especially annoying to Tsuna right now as his temper flared.

"Oh, shut up! There is no tomorrow!"

And in a sharp motion, he slapped her hand away.

He staggered to his feet, his voice filled with desperation. "Today… it has to be today…"

But as he spoke, he looked at Shimizu.

Her face was pale, her lips trembling as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. She clenched her hands, as if holding back everything she wanted to say.

"...!"

Tsuna froze, his chest tightening. His heart stopped when he saw the pain in her eyes.

'I hurt her...'

He choked, "Kiyo--!"

"..."

Before he could say anything else, Shimizu had already turned and ran out of the gym. Tsuna swore he could see the tears streaking down her face as she left.

He clenched his fists, biting his lip in frustration, and cursed loudly, "Argh, fuuuuck!!!"

The anger burned in him, but when it finally left, all that was left was emptiness. Tsuna dropped to the floor with a loud thud, letting his body go limp.

He stared at the ceiling, his expression twisted in regret and frustration.

He mumbled to himself, "I totally yelled at her, didn't I?"

"Sigh... fuck... how pathetic..."

"..."

On the outside, Asahi sat quietly against the wall as he clenched his fists, staring up at the night sky. He had heard everything.

He even watched Shimizu run past him, not even realizing he was hiding behind the wall...

...like a rat.

His expression twisted as he felt his own tears welling up.

"Tsuna's right. How pathetic, indeed..."

Asahi hated how weak he felt, and how much of a loser he was in this situation.

It stung to be reminded of how cowardly he had been. Tsuna had faced his problems head-on, training relentlessly until his body couldn't take it.

But what hurt even more was that he could have stopped that from happening. He could have stepped in and stopped his friends from hurting each other.

"Fuck." 

Instead, he had done nothing.

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