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Slamming his hands down onto the table, Kamasaki announces with his entire chest, “We’re going!”
Moniwa and Sasaya’s heads snap up, each wearing a scowl and a grimace.
A voice calls through the bookcases, carrying eerily in how soft but heavy it is, “Kamasaki-kun, if you don’t keep it down-”
He freezes, half turning to call gently over his shoulder, “Yes. Sorry.”
Looking back at his fellow third years, his eyebrows shoot up. His voice is low now, but still insistent, “Well? What’re you waiting for? We don’t have all day!”
“What are you talking about, Kamasaki?” Moniwa insists, expression still tight, unhappy with his volume and urgency.
“I went home and got my car. We’re going to watch the match.”
“You skipped out on us without saying anything to go get your car to…” Sasaya squints a little, “ Where are we going?”
“Karasuno. Let’s go.” He pats the table again, lighter this time.
Moniwa and Sasaya glance at each other, confused, and then it clicks. It dawns on both of them and spreads into smiles.
The club has a practice match with Karasuno today! They left a little while ago. If they hurry, they’ll be able to make it with enough time to see the match. It’s not typical to oversee practice matches, especially when they should be studying, and especially an away game, but the three of them don’t really want to be studying.
It’s not a particularly nice day, but it’s better than being cooped up in the library.
The three exchange looks and then scramble to pick up books and pens and papers, shoveling them into bags before they’re walking quickly out of the library. Kamasaki puts a book up beside his face so he doesn’t have to look at the piercing gaze of the librarian he always manages to piss off.
As soon as they’re outside, they break into a run, across the crispy, frosted grass, laughing loud and free.
Moniwa, Sasaya, and Kamasaki had all decided before Interhigh that they’d be quitting the team after the tournament, no matter their win or loss, because they needed to focus on their studies going into the secondary technical education. None of them really wanted to , of course. They wanted to play. They wanted to get to Nationals with their team. All across Japan, third years in clubs were making the hard decision of whether to live out the last chance at seeing the grand stage, or focusing on their studies, and thus, their futures.
It had taken a lot of long talks for the three of them to decide. Cleaning up after practice, leaning on mops in the supply closet, wrapped up in hushed whispers. Walking to and from school to their meeting spot while they shared snacks before splitting up to go their separate ways. Daydreaming during breaks between classes as they watched the birds and trees outside.
Date Tech being a kōsen meant that the students enrolled past the age of fifteen were learning skills required to join the workforce immediately after graduation, depending on the demand of each industry. There was always the encouragement to go on to university, but with the skills they were taught in high school, and the option for two extra years of schooling to prepare them for industry jobs and apprenticeships, most students enrolled had a goal in mind even from their first year.
Kamasaki and Moniwa had known from early they would be taking advantage of the extra two years of secondary technical education. Moniwa was already a fairly proficient welder in their third year, and Kamasaki was in talks to become an apprentice under a local upholsterer.
Sasaya, despite being the one who’d first spoken up about quitting the team to focus on their prospective futures, had cold feet.
All three would much rather be playing with their kohai, standing strong as the Iron Wall. But their time with the team was over, and they’d given it over to their underclassmen. Futakuchi was the new captain, even if he could be a bit of a brat. They had to accept that.
Yearning for the past, even just yesterday, was going to keep them from their tomorrows.
But, maybe one day off to support their team and breathe some fresh air wouldn’t be the end of their work.
Rushing back to the gym, they tossed their bags into Kamasaki’s car. Sasaya stepped up to the door, peering over his shoulder at Moniwa and Kamasaki opening the back of his car. He tried the door and barked a laugh when it slid open.
“Futakuchi-kun forgot to lock the doors again!”
Moniwa sighs a long suffering sound before coming to help Sasaya.
It felt wrong to be here, now, without the team, and after they’d already quit. But they were already here, so they pulled the banner out of the storage closet, hefting it up onto their shoulders as they carried it back out to the car.
“They’re not gonna know what hit ‘em,” Kamasaki grins. “If they don’t win with us cheering them on, they’re doomed.”
“Don’t say that, Kamasaki, this team is going to be something great!” Sasaya chides.
“They already are!” Moniwa adds.
Kamasaki only grins, and Sasaya and Moniwa realize his plan. He was just riling them up to get them even more pumped to cheer their kohai on, and they’d fallen for it. They heft the rolled up banner into the car before giving each other a high five, shutting the back and climbing into the car.
“Alright, we’re already behind, so let’s hit it !”
It’s not a terribly long trip, though they do get caught up in traffic once, and Kamasaki yelling out his window doesn’t really help move things along any, but maybe it makes him feel better. He ends up loosening his tie after telling some other drivers off.
They sing along poorly to what’s on the radio.
Pulling into the parking lot, Sasaya is first out, peeking around the car to make sure they’re not spotted. They shouldn’t actually be here, but they parked on the other side of the Date Tech bus, so maybe it’ll take longer for them to spot the infiltrators.
“I can already hear ‘em, hurry it up,” Kamasaki urges.
“You could help, you know,” Moniwa snaps back at him, and Kamasaki laughs at him.
“But you and Take-chan look like you got it, Kacchan!”
Moniwa grumbles something under his breath, and goes so far as to kick him in the ankle when they step up to the door. He squawks a little offended noise, half turning to look at him. Moniwa looks pointedly at the door while there seems to be a lull of gameplay inside.
Kamasaki throws it open and the three shout from the doorway with their whole hearts, “Go, go, let’s go! Let’s go, Dateko!!”
The whole gym turns to look at them and their entrance and they grin wild and happy and excited .
It’s only a practice day- not a match, because they play eight separate sets- but they go 4 and 4, which is impressive as hell. Sure, they’d have liked to see them win out, but the smiles on the team’s faces when they’re finally done for the day, that bone deep tired feeling so tightly woven with satisfaction, really makes the trip out to support them worth it.
There will be other days to study, and there will be other days to practice, and while the third years aren’t done with the wisdom and fun they can share at home, in their own gym, being able to support their team otherwise really helps all of them, current and past, stay connected.
A solid, united, Iron Wall.