Yamaguchi couldn't stop sighing as he entered the gym. Earlier, during breakfast, he is once again being swarmed by Tsukishima, Sugawara and Yaku. Once the three are together, they are unstoppable.

Add that Lev's been staring at him the whole morning, which he pretended not to notice.

"What's wrong, Tadashi-kun?" Ayame stood next to him as she worriedly looked up "Did Tsukishima-kun, Sugawara-san and Yaku-san bully you again?"

*Meanwhile*

Tsukishima, Sugawara, and Yaku simultaneously sneezed at the same time inside the hallway going towards the gym.

"Damn, I must be cold..." they thought as they rubbed their nose.

***

"I couldn't call it bullying but...it is making me tired..." he thought "No, they just talked to me. It is nothing to worry about"

"But they tire you out, right?"

He was surprised she picked up on that "Yeah...at least, it's much better than before..."

She looked up to think, until a light bulb appeared on her head "You can hug me if you like"

"Eh?!" His face looked like he heard something scandalous, which is kinda laughable, considering she gave him consent to hug. Then again, the freckled teen is easily embarrassed when they're being romantic in public.

"I heard that when couples hug, it will be like an energy booster since it's like they're sharing their energy to each other because of the intimate contact" she explained "I was thinking that you look a little tired so..."

The blush on her cheek is so cute that he squeezed her in a hug to hide it from others, to the point he didn't even care if they're out in the open.

The players stared at them as if they are live characters from a shojo manga "Damn it...why are they so adorable..."

Shimizu and Yachi were smiling by the corner when they saw the two as they secretly cheered for them.

The guys tend to be jealous when a fellow player has a girlfriend with him, since most of them are pretty much hardcore to volleyball that they don't have time for romance, which kinda depresses them.

Though they can't bring themselves to hate them because of the aura they emit.

The whistle was blown, indicating that warm-ups are over and they are given ten minutes to prepare before they start playing.

"Shinzen's our opponent this time, huh?" Ayame said as she tapped her chin with her pencil. The players gathered around her and the coach for instructions. She gave a quick glance to Shinzen then back to her team "We'll be okay"

They tilted their heads in confusion.

"First" she started "Compared to the rest of them, their #7 is fast on catching up the combo quick. Not a total block but he can touch the ball a bit and slightly lose its momentum. Keep that in mind, Kageyama-kun and Shoyo-kun"

"Osu" the two nodded.

"#11 and #3 are good at line shots so watch out for them. Their setter always sets their ball to #1 everytime the receive is off and about their combination attack..." she looked at the players who use a jump float serve and jump serve "Break their formation with your serves. That's all"

"OSU!!"

"I have nothing more to say but play out there with all you got. Don't be afraid to show your strength" Coach Ukai added.

"OSU!!"

***

Score: 20 (Karasuno) – 08 (Shinzen)

"Uwaa!!"

Kageyama's toss was too long and Hinata wasn't able to spike it in time, which resulted a point to Shinzen.

"It seems that the quick's success rate is still about 70%" Mr. Takeda noted.

"Nothing's going to fix that except more practice" Coach Ukai nodded.

"Yeah. I think we have to remind Kageyama-kun not to think too much about his toss. His habits are showing up again" Ayame said, and the said setter flinched when he heard her.

Kageyama bowed to her "Sorry! I'll visualize it next time"

She smiled "It's fine. Mistakes happen from time to time. Besides, old habits die hard"

"Osu"

Despite that, they won against them and were now preparing for their next practice match.

"Who is our next opponent again?" Hinata asked.

"Nekoma" she replied.

"Geh" the males said. It's only natural they would react like that since they haven't won a set from them and the thought is kinda depressing.

"Let's just use this to improve yourselves, okay?" she told them in an optimistic tone "You guys can do it!"

"Angel~" Tanaka and Nishinoya were weeping from joy.

"She's taken already, remember that" Ennoshita reminded them, which ultimately ruined their happiness.

"Ennoshita's savage..." Kinoshita and Narita sweat dropped.

"Nekoma's not the only team we haven't won a set from" Ayame thought as she watched Bokuto talking to his team "There is also Fukurodani. But our true goal is not to win every match, it is to improve and find room for improvements before the prefectural finals"

She recalled Oikawa's ability to bring out a player's full strength and the shivers she felt when Kyotani Kentaro passed her. She bit her lower lip and tightly gripped her pen.

"What's wrong? Is there something bugging you?"

She looked up and saw the freckled teen looking at her worriedly. She smiled and waved it off "A bit. But it's not much of a big deal, Tadashi-kun"

"If you say so..." he said "Ano...Ayame, I've been thinking that-"

"Karasuno's #12!"

Yamaguchi flinched when he heard his number being called by a familiar voice. They all looked at the owner and saw Haiba Lev looking at him seriously.

"I challenge you!"

"Eh? Me? Eh?" he blinked as he looked around to make sure if he's referring to him.

"A challenge?" Ayame tilted her head in confusion. Everyone inside the gym whispered to each other, wondering what is going on.

Lev looked like he's in a verge of crying comically (again) as he pointed a finger to him when he saw them together "I-I still can't believe that you are Ayame-san's boyfriend! I challenge you to have a match with me to prove if you really are her boyfriend!"

"What's the point of using volleyball, though?" the players thought.

"Uwa! What's going on here?" Bokuto was intrigued "A challenge? Count me in too!"

"That's not possible, Bokuto-san" Akaashi told him "This is a battle between rivals. We shouldn't interefere"

"Nekoma's our rival, too!!"

The setter sighed after the ace did not understand his point "That's not what I mean"

Sugawara grinned as he placed a hand on his chin "This is getting more and more interesting"

"Ah, but..." Yamaguchi scratched his cheek "I...I'm not a regular, you know?"

"Eh?!" the half-Russian was taken back "I-I thought you're a regular that's why I challenged you..."

Haiba Lev's pumped up energy suddenly dropped to zero after just realizing it.

"Is he an idiot?" Ennoshita asked.

"Since when Haiba's never an idiot?" Tsukishima replied.

"Damn, Tsukishima...no sugarcoating that at all..." Kinoshita sweat dropped.

Lev slumped "It can't be...how can I challenge you if you're not a regular...?"

"How about we shouldn't continue this...?" Yamaguchi suggested, not wanting to drag this out longer.

The tall first year's energy returned as he looked up and resisted the urge to cry "No! I challenge you!"

"But, I'm not a regular..."

"Fight me!"

"Eh?!"

***

In the end, he sort of agreed to Lev's challenge since Karasuno and Nekoma will be playing next. Also, to make him stop from pestering him to accept his challenge. However, since Yamaguchi's not a regular player, he challenged the freckled teen that he'll receive his serves with an air of confidence around him.

You could pretty much imagine Nekoma's reaction when they heard him.

"He can't do it" Kuroo said.

"It's impossible" Kenma muttered.

Their other members just silently agreed. Yaku didn't know if he should reprimand and yell at the first year's face or laugh and tell him to go for it knowing full well he sucks at receiving for now.

"Well, like what you guys heard, Lev-kun challenged Tadashi-kun in receiving his serves" Ayame stated "But, it's not like the flow of the match changed"

"Looks like a rival challenged you, Yamaguchi" Sugawara nudged at him with a grin on his face.

"He's got guts challenging you to receive your serves, even though his receives are worse than Hinata" Tsukishima noted.

Hinata was deeply offended and he balled his fist to the megane "Am I the guideline for what's bad or not, Tsukishima?!"

He ignored the shorter teen.

"The problem is if my serve will actually go to him..." the freckled teen said with a gloomy aura "My precision and accuracy is still pretty bad and my serves sometimes doesn't end up as a float serve..."

"Consider that as training, then" Daichi smiled and patted his shoulder "You'll do fine, Yamaguchi"

"A-Ah, osu!"

"Should we use our usual rotation?" Coach Ukai asked her.

"No, in this match, we'll shift the players a bit" she said "In this rotation, Shoyo-kun will be directly up against Lev-kun a few times compared to our previous rotation but once he's serving..."

"I see. Yamaguchi will sub him for the serves" the man nodded in understanding "He'll be pit against Haiba"

"However, how can he aim his serve to Haiba Lev in the backline when Haiba'll be switched out after his serve?" Sugawara asked.

She lightly scratched her cheek with her finger "Actually, I kinda overheard Lev-kun begging Yaku-san that he wanted to play receives even after his serve is over. That's why, I have a feeling that he'll be playing receives"

On Nekoma's side...

"Eh? Lev isn't switched out after his serves?" Kenma asked and looked at the half-Russian "Why? I thought we're going to our usual strategy..."

"But, isn't fun to see it this way? Take it as a challenge" Kuroo grinned.

"Well...I hate doing tiring things but...I like a little challenge once in a while..." he muttered before facing the libero "Even so, I didn't expect Yaku to agree when Lev begged at him"

Yaku was grinning and suppressing his evil laugh "Let's just consider is as training for Lev's receives~"

"You just want Yamaguchi and Lev have a face off. It's obvious" the setter internally sighed "Ah well, I'd like to see how this goes, too"

The match started. Like what Ayame said, the flow of that match hasn't changed and they are playing toe-on-toe with Nekoma, even though their rotation was slightly shifted.

Score: 16 (Karasuno) – 17 (Nekoma)

When it was Hinata's turn to serve with Lev at the backline, Yamaguchi switched the shorter teen out.

"Nice serve, Yamaguchi!"

"Thanks, Hinata" he smiled, though it seemed a bit forced due to nervousness.

When the freckled teen's on the service area, he kept thinking if his serve can actually go to the half-Russian.

"Bring it on!!" Lev yelled while preparing his stance. Nekoma sweat dropped and didn't give him a second glance.

"His level of confidence is unbelievable..."

"Nice serve, Yamaguchi!!" Sugawara cheered along with a couple of bench players "Beat your rival!!"

"Be a man for Ayame-chan!" Nishinoya yelled.

"Protect our angel!!" Tanaka turned his head to tell him.

Tsukishima didn't say anything but his glasses were glinting evilly.

Yamaguchi sweat dropped "You guys are are making me embarrassed..."

"Nice serve, Tadashi-kun!" Ayame cheered for him.

He's face shows light surprised but he's actually internally elated right now "Uwaaaaa...Ayame...!"

The whistle was blown to signal that he can now serve. He threw the ball in the air and started his approach to his jump float serve. The moment his hand hit the ball, he could tell it didn't hit his hand properly.

"It's not changing direction!" he mentally cringed as the serve sailed towards Lev's direction.

The half-Russian's face was serious as he took a step back and received it using an underhand receive, but he didn't managed to receive it. Nekoma stared at the ball that fell on the floor.

"Eh?" the first year blinked.

"As expected..." Kenma sighed.

"Lev!! I told you that you don't use an underhand receive when receiving jump float serves! Use overhand receives!! One step back!!" Yaku was giving gestures at the side while yelling at him with his usual angry face, even though he's the one who allowed him to receive serves.

"I guess Yaku-san can't help but still scold and be mad at Lev since he's the one who is giving him the receiving drills..." Inouka said, to which Shibayama nodded.

"You lost to Yamaguchi now~" Kuroo told him with his usual smirk.

"Not yet!!" he shook his head and pointed a finger to Yamaguchi "I was just warming up!!"

"We're screwed..." Naoi face palmed "Why did Yaku, of all people, allow him to participate receives in the back line..."

"It didn't change direction like a jump float serve but at least, it went to Haiba..." Yamaguchi thought "I'll do better in my next serve!"

He prepared his next serve. He took a deep breath and did his jump float serve.

"It's long!" he internally panicked.

Lev was too focused on the ball that he took a step back.

"I-Idiot! Lev, don't-" Yamamoto was about to warn him not to receive it.

"All right!" he grinned and tried to use an overhand receive, but the ball slipped from his hand and no one was able to cover it. He looked at the ball behind him as it fell on the floor "...Eh?"

Kenma sighed yet again.

Yamamoto face palmed.

Another one of Yaku's vein popped in his head "Lev, you brat!! Why did you receive it?!"

"Eh?! But, Yaku-san, didn't you just say that I should use the overhand receive in jump float serves?!" he replied, but it only added fuel to his fire.

"But the ball is obviously an out!! Why did you receive it?!"

"Because I want to receive no. 12's serves!!"

"He's still intent on that...even if it meant losing some points..." they all thought.

Yamaguchi looked like he was about to faint from shock and relief "Lucky...I was really sure it was an out..."

"I feel like this match's gonna take a while" Ennoshita noted.

"At least, Yamaguchi's scoring us some points" Sugawara nodded.

Nekoma's libero ran his hand on his hair in frustration.

"Just give up already! Just accept the fact that Ayame has a boyfriend!!" Yaku told him "Why can't you just be like Yamamoto?! He's already over that!!"

"Eh? Me?" the second year pointed his self. Actually, if it weren't for Tanaka's "pep" talk to his fellow second year, Yamamoto would've sunken to despair and quit volleyball after knowing that one of the Karasuno girls is taken.

"No! I can't give up just yet!" the first year countered.

"Why drag this any longer?!"

"Because you don't easily give up the person you like!!" he yelled and everyone stared at him "Isn't that what drives most people to do their best?! Well, Ayame-san inspires me to do my best! Even though I suck at the basics of volleyball!! Even though we're in different teams!! I know that she has a boyfriend now but at least, let me put up a good fight!! I want to know what kind of guy #12 is!! That's why..." he took a deep breath "One more time!!"

Yamaguchi was taken aback from his words and he realized what he actually lacked compared to Lev. He looked down before breathing deeply and steadying his focus and nerves.

After the whistle was blown, he performed his serve. It wasn't perfect but his serve is what a jump float serve should be like.

"Lev!" Yamamoto said.

"Osu!!" he prepared his hands for an overhand receive. Lev managed to receive it but Yamamoto have to cover for it and gave the last ball to Fukunaga.

"Fukunaga!!"

The second year jumped and spiked past Karasuno's blockers, earning a point to Nekoma.

"All right!!"

Yamaguchi is now switched out by Hinata after his role was over.

"Those were great serves!" Mr. Takeda complimented him with a smile.

"Thank you, Takeda-sensei" he bowed "But...my first two serves were quite bad"

"Well, nothing can fix that except more practice" Coach Ukai smiled.

"Hai" he nodded before facing Ayame. He bowed to her, much to her surprise "Thank you for letting me play"

"Eh? Y-You don't have to thank me, Tadashi-kun!"

He faced her eye level and smiled "I realized something in this match. Thank you"

His expression right now made her feel flustered and embarrassed "Y-You don't have to!"

In the end, Nekoma still wins the match and Karasuno once again did their diving receives as the given penalty. They were pretty much used to it right now.

Yamaguchi approached Haiba Lev after the penalty, who is sitting on the floor while cooling off. Before he could open his mouth to speak, Lev beat him to it as soon as he saw him.

"You don't have to tell me. I get it already. She's your girlfriend. You won this challenge" he looked away while pouting a bit.

"No, I didn't win this challenge" he admitted "My first two serves were a mess and my last serve was the proper one. But, you managed to receive it"

"That wasn't a proper receive, according to Yaku-san" he said "My goal was to receive your jump float serve properly and return it to the setter. And I wasn't able to do it since Yamamoto-san covered for me"