Chapter 40: A Promise

I'll be counting on you then, Asahi.

That might not be Tsuna's exact words. But Asahi felt it was what he meant as he confidently took Tsuna's role in bringing the team victory. 

It was a promise.

"Date Tech is a strong defensive team," Daichi spoke as everyone gathered in the locker room provided by the tournament organizers.

The muffled sounds of the crowd outside seeped through the door, which made some of them feel a bit nervous.

It was a few moments before their game against Date Tech High. 

"It won't be easy," Daichi continued. "Tsuna isn't here with us today, and we know how hard it'd be without him. But we've trained for this moment. We've worked hard for it."

"So let's give it everything we've got and make sure we can go back to the hospital tomorrow with a victory."

He looked at each one of the teams before declaring, "Let's tell him Karasuno won this match for him!"

"Yosha! I'm all fired up now!"

Tanaka and Nishinoya responded loudly, and Suga just shook his head. He turned toward Asahi with a smile, "Well, looks like you're stepping into the ace's shoes for now, Asahi. You've got this."

"N-no, that's a bit too much for me," Asahi stammered, a nervous smile on his lips.

Even as he spoke, he lowered his gaze as his hand curling into a fist. His nerves burned away as determination filled him.

'But I promised. That's why...'

He looked up, "Tsuna is still our ace. Always. But I'll do my best to break through their Iron Wall for us!"

He wasn't just saying it for the team. He was saying it for himself and for Tsuna, who was counting on him.

'I'll bring the good news when we go visit you at the hospital, Tsuna!'

After gathering the necessary gear and heading toward the court, the team stood together, a shared determination reflected in their eyes.

"Let's go."

'Right, let's go!'

Asahi repeated the words silently as his lips curled into a faint smile. For the first time in a while, he felt it might be his moment to shine.

Tsuna's incredible performance against Aoba Johsai had cast a long shadow over the rest of the team, and while Asahi admired him deeply, he also had his own pride to uphold as Karasuno's powerhouse spiker.

'Date Tech, we'll see what you've got!'

He was confident in upholding his promise to Tsuna. 

But what came next wasn't what Asahi had expected.

In truth, none of them had.

The tension in their eyes said it all. Asahi felt sweat roll down his temple, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Asahi!"

Suga's sharp voice yanked him back to the moment. He spotted a high toss arching toward the net.

Despite the weight in his mind, Asahi stepped forward, his feet digging into the court, and leaped.

The ball hung in the air as if the world had slowed down.

'The view of the other side...'

Asahi gritted his teeth as he looked past the net. He wanted to see it—wanted to feel the satisfaction of his spike breaking through the defense.

But then, as if materializing out of nowhere, a shadow loomed above the net.

'It's blocked!'

The realization hit like a punch to the gut.

But he still swung his arm anyway. His muscles tensed up as he threw everything he had into the spike.

BANG!

The sound of the ball meeting his hand echoed like a gunshot in the crowded stadium.

'Then, I'll break it apart to pieces!'

He resolved himself to breakthrough as he could feel it...

...it was the hardest he'd ever hit in this game, and for a split second, he believed it might work.

But then...

Plop!

The ball ricocheted back faster than he could react, whistling past his head, just inches from his cheek.

"Huh?"

Asahi spun on his heel, his breath caught in his throat as his wide eyes tracked the ball hitting the floor on their side of the court.

Shock froze him in place as he turned back toward the net.

Standing there, unmoving and unshaken, were Date Tech's blockers. Their cold eyes met his, and Asahi's chest tightened further.

"...!"

Asahi could feel his heart sink into despair.

'No matter how hard I try, no matter how strong I hit it...'

Even his best spike—his strongest, most desperate attempt—had been stopped as if it were nothing more than a weak tap.

Along the whistle Asahi turned his head to see Nishinoya on his knees, his teeth gritted in frustration. The libero's fingertips had been just inches away from saving the ball, but it had already hit the floor.

The ball rolled lazily across the court as his gaze followed it, and an unfamiliar heaviness filled his chest.

'Would Tsuna... have broken through those walls?'

Asahi could almost see it in his mind...

He could even hear the crack of the ball as it slammed past the blockers, shattering their defense into pieces.

But the reality was harsh.

Unlike Tsuna, Asahi was the one who had shattered—into countless pieces, scattered across the court.

He looked at the frustration etched deeply across his teammates as he felt he was to blame for this.

"What is this? I thought they'd be tough when I heard they defeated Aoba Johsai..."

"Maybe Aoba Johsai was just having a bad day. I don't get how they lost to these players."

These words echoed through his head over and over throughout the game as Asahi found himself losing his confidence. 

'I'll try my best to get us through, Tsuna.'

The memory of his own words rang hollow now, overlapping with the crushing reality of the game.

Asahi's lips pressed into a tight line, his expression twisted with frustration and guilt as he saw the game continue as the ball went back toward Suga once again. 

"..."

He didn't say a word. He only looked in silence this time. 

The memory of his spikes—blocked over and over—flashed vividly in his mind. He couldn't bear to ask for another toss.

Not when he'd let them down so many times already. His legs had been completely frozen.

"..."

Asahi could feel the gaze, but he could only stand still while feeling powerless. 

Suga's eyes flicked to him for a moment, then shifted to Tanaka.

Tanaka leaped for the spike, his body brimming with determination, but Asahi already knew how it would end.

Thud.

The blockers met Tanaka head-on. The ball ricocheted back onto Karasuno's side of the court.

The whistle blew.

Asahi's heart sank further as he watched the ball roll lifelessly across the floor. His teammates were silent, their faces falling into despair.

The energy they had when the game started was nowhere to be found.

He felt so powerless.

Powerlessly pathetic.

Asahi's trembling gaze shifted to the scoreboard, the harsh numbers staring back at him: 8 - 25.

'Why...'

His head dropped, and his vision blurred slightly as frustration and shame swirled inside him.

'...am I so weak?'

He had made a promise—to break through the Iron Wall of Date Tech. To lead the team in Tsuna's absence.

And yet...

It wasn't Date Tech's wall that had crumbled.

It was him.

'I'm too weak to be on this team.'

It was his fault they had lost.

If only he were stronger. If only he hadn't grown complacent. Maybe then he could've kept his promise.

'No... even if I tried harder... I might not have been able to do it.'

The confidence he'd carried before the game had vanished, replaced by a swirling storm of doubt and self-loathing.

Maybe if Tsuna were here...

...maybe they'd have won.

No, not maybe. Surely, they would have won.

"...Fuck."

The word slipped out, barely a whisper, as Asahi leaned back against the cold wall. He hadn't even realized tears were streaming down his face until the chill bit into his skin, snapping him out of the nightmare looping endlessly in his head.

"Huh? Asahi?"

A familiar voice jolted him upright. Asahi's head whipped around, and his heart sank further as he saw Tsuna standing there. He then realized the gym lights had already been turned off.

How long had he been sitting there?

Tsuna's eyes widened slightly in surprise, "Yo, Asahi... What's—"

The guilt Asahi felt whenever he saw Tsuna was overwhelming, suffocating even. His heart pounded in his chest.

Once again...

'I did it again.'

...he ran away.

"What the fuck?"

Tsuna could've sworn he'd heard sobbing just moments before.

Seeing Asahi like that was a sight Tsuna would've preferred not to see. He sighed as a pang of guilt tugged at his chest.

"Well... shit."

Shaking his head, Tsuna turned and made his way up to the clubroom. He still needed to return the key before heading home.

Rather than focusing on Asahi, Tsuna's mind was still occupied by Shimizu. He had made progress with her—or at least, he thought he had.

Yet, in one moment, he had shattered it. And now, that progress felt like it was slipping through his fingers.

However...

"Huh? She's not coming today?"

The next day, Tsuna didn't see Shimizu anywhere at the gym.

"I don't think she came to school today. I dunno. Didn't she tell you anything?"

Suga's words just made Tsuna remember what he did last night. He shook his head. 'Telling me? If only that'd be the case...'

Everyone was back at the gym, even Nishinoya, although the guy seemed a bit pissed that Asahi had yet to come back, even when Tsuna had done so despite his situation.

"Hmm, what an easy guy to fool..."

Tsuna mumbled while watching Nishinoya grow happier each time Hinata called him "senpai." He shook his head and joined the rest to do the drills.

"Guys... I did it again!"

The door slid open with a slam, and the clacking sound echoed through the gym. Everyone stopped in their tracks, only to see Takeda.

He clutched a stack of papers to his chest like they were treasure as he announced the news, "I got our rival to agree to a practice game during their training camp!"

"Whoaa!"

The gym erupted with surprised cheers. Excitement buzzed through the team as they huddled around Takeda, asking questions all at once.

Although...

'Our rival? Who?'

Tsuna was clueless as to who this rival Takeda was talking about.

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

Advanced chapters can be found here:

patreon(.)com/mythoast