37 Volleyball Tournament Part 3 (1/2)

Walking into the gym, Axel was about to walk over and relax with Ann, Makoto and Shiho when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Turning around, Axel gave Mishima a confused gaze and said, ”What's up?”

Mishima turned left and right, making sure no one could hear him, then whispered, ”Come with me. We need to talk.”

Axel's confusion only grew as he quickly followed Mishima to a deserted part of school.

Checking the surroundings one last time, Mishima turned to Axel with an extremely serious expression and said, ”Can I trust you?”

Seeing the current expression on Mishima's face, Axel quickly realised the seriousness of the talk they were about to have.

Axel gave Mishima a small nod while his face showed an equally serious look.

Mishima stared at Axel for a couple seconds as if he was trying to discern if he was lying or not.

Suddenly, Mishima's expression eased up as he muttered, ”I dragged you here because of some… issues.”

”Issues?” Muttered Axel, confused but still quiet so Mishima could continue.

Seeing Axel waiting for the rest, Mishima began recounting everything that has been happening lately. About how Kamoshida has been verbally abusing Shiho, even to the point of swearing. How he's been extremely tough on her during training, bruising and injuring her. Finally, Mishima even talked about how he's been harassing not only Shiho but Ann as well.

By the end of Mishima's explanation, a pressure suddenly erupted from Axel as a dangerous light danced in his eyes. Cracks appeared on the concrete as Axel clenched his hands into a fist and grit his teeth.

Mishima backed up in fear and awe, watching as the new kid who was usually all smiles and kindness looked ready to kill someone.

It took a couple seconds for Axel to realise that he was starting to lose control. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths and managed to calm down.

Axel stared at Mishima, who was still staring at him with a mix between fear and awe, and said, ”Thank you for telling me this, Mishima. I just don't understand why you had to be so secretive about it.”

Mishima shook his head to regain focus again and muttered, ”This school… doesn't care. Kamoshida has been abusing his power for years and everyone just ignores it. The teachers, the principle and even the parents. Nothing matters because Kamoshida's gold medal brings prestige to this rotten school. We can't just talk about this openly unless your prepared to be expelled.”

The pain and disappointment in Mishima's voice allowed Axel to see just how much he was risking. Taken back, Axel just stared and said, ”Then why risk it?”

Mishima only sighed and said, ”I don't know. I'm just… tired. Tired of keeping secrets.” Pausing, Mishima released a self-deprecating laugh and continued, ”Plus, I feel like I can trust you. Even though we've only known each other for what? A couple hours?”

Axel felt touched by the faith Mishima had in him. A stupidly large grin appeared on his face as he held out his fist toward Mishima and said, ”Thanks bro!”

Taken back by Axel's sudden change, it took a couple seconds before Mishima responded by pounding Axel's fist with his own while wearing a similar grin on his face.

”Anytime!”

---

Quarter of an hour later, the games resumed as everyone got into their teams. A teacher holding a megaphone waited for the students to become quiet before saying, ”Ok everyone! Please listen carefully! The first 'Teachers vs Students' game will be starting shortly! Can we please have the team lead by Axel come down and get ready?”

Releasing a sigh, Axel lightly slapped his cheeks and said, ”Let's do this.” Before walking towards the court with his team in tow.

Everybody present stared at the team in surprise as each and everyone of them looked extremely serious and focused. Even Kawakami was tense because of the vibe the team was giving off.

On the court, everyone got into position while ignoring the murmuring from the students.

Suddenly, a roar of laughter rang out in the gym.

Axel glared at the figure coming towards them and muttered, ”Kamoshida…”

Kamoshida didn't even glance at Axel as he kept his focus on Ann and smiled.

Secretly glancing at his team, Axel saw Ann, Shiho and Mishima slightly tremble before resolving themselves to stand and fight.

The referee looked at both teams a couple times before raising his arm and yelling, ”Begin!”

With the ball still in hand, Kamoshida looked over at Ann and said, ”Don't worry, I'll take it easy!”

Before anyone could react, Kamoshida effortlessly served a fastball, quickly earning the first point for his team.