his mother’s words catches him off — guard  ,  he stares dumbfounded at the woman  .  the words of encouragement spoken with such conviction  ,  confidence  ,  and belief . . . it takes a moment before he recovers  ,  a smile takes to his lips  ,  laughter bubbling forth  .             “  thanks  ,  mom  ,  ”  he replies  ,  his body LIGHT and filled with happiness . . . something about hearing his mother’s support  ,  he’s always had her support  ,  but just HEARING it . . . the affirmation that she believed in him . . . it felt GOOD  .

❝ what was that for ? can i have another one ?! ❞

“Oh, Seto,” Hara sighs, “you’ll never get anywhere with such limited thinking.” He shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders, expressing a level of condescension that rivals Hanamiya’s. After making sure that his teammates are preoccupied, Hara grabs Furuhashi and Hanamiya’s water bottles. They really should know better than to leave their belongings unattended, so really he’s just teaching them a valuable lesson. He hands Seto the bottles, flashing him a bright smile. “Here. Hit ‘em both.”

❝ you’re not too shabby yourself ! ❞

            brows raising at the sentimental comment  ,  “  for the better or worse  ,  furihata — kun  ??  ”  riko asks  ,  she hopes it’s the former . . . she loves watching athletes transform  ,  when they realize their true potential after her nudges  .  there’s a sense of SATISFACTION when she watches players  ——  who were deemed talentless or worthless   ——  blossom into a game’s MVP  (  be it just within the team or recognized by the association  )  .             “  change is what i strive for . . . i want you and everyone else to be a BETTER version of yourself . . . so you can hold your head high when you leave the court  ,  ”  riko’s fingers lace together  ,  a small smile tugging on her lips  ,  “  thinking  ‘  i did my best and played to my heart’s content  ’  ,  ”  she said  .             “  i want my players to feel ACCOMPLISHED  ,  changed . . . or else  ,  i’d be a failure of a coach if i can’t get my team to recognize their potential  ,  big or small  ,  ”  riko hums  ,  propping her head up with her intertwined hands  .             “  you were a rough coal but i know . . . you’re gonna be a shining diamond one day  ,  just gotta wrack up those court experiences  ,  ”  riko states  ,  “  so  ??  did i change you for the better or for the worst  ??  ”  she tilts her head  ,  wanting to hear the player’s answer  .

❝ do you have a fever ? if you feel sick you didn’t have to come to practice y’know. ❞

kuroo scoffs at yaku’s threat, though he still keeps his guard up all the same. for all his big talk, he knows yaku’s not one to mess with. a younger and dumber kuroo would’ve written yaku off completely, but an older ( and slightly less dumb ) kuroo knows that while yaku was tiny he was still mighty. plus kuroo was all legs and that typically didn’t bode well in fights.