Osamu is much less hesitant to trade plates with Kita, likely because he's been trading and splitting things with Atsumu all his life. When he's offered some of the yakitori, he plucks a piece off of the skewer and pops it into his mouth. The contrast between this chicken and the yuzu-chili one is immediate, as this is warm and sweet in its flavor profile, but the taste is just as immaculate. Osamu moans happily, though this time he manages to swallow before he speaks.
"Oh god, that's so good." He says, voice full of awe and glee. "Comin' here was the best idea. I love when the internet's right."
Not the food. It's incredible, of course. But the look on Osamu's face beats anything else. Something curls in Kita's stomach. Very close to pride. He gets to be here, part of this, and not many people can say the same. In fact - Only him.
Osamu snort-laughs. "Definitely better than getting our asses kicked by a team no one's heard of," he agrees. "Honestly, even if we'd won? I still might like this more."
Being with Kita, eating delicious food, getting a first hand experience of something so different? Osamu's won plenty of games before, but he's never had anything like this. This is different, and special.
"Oh yeah, there's more." He agrees with a grin. "Wanna pivot?"
It boggles Osamu's mind a little to hear Kita speak so casually, what some might even call crass. Enough to distract him from his food, and that's quite the feat all things considered.
"We lost," he remarks bluntly, pausing in the middle of unfurling the plastic from around his onigiri. The rice is super fluffy and warm; he eats a stray grain off of his thumb. "That's all that matters."
Osamu purses his lips. "That's not what I meant. I didn't mean it's what matters as like, the reason we play volleyball. I meant it like, you only get to keep goin' if you win. And we didn't. So it's basically an ass kickin' that way."
The bitterness of the subject matter is slightly ruining the good vibe of the meal, until Osamu bites into his own onigiri and oh, it's so good his bad mood is immediately erased.
"Winnin' would be great," Kita agrees. Wiping his mouth. "But I ain't tradin' with Karasuno. Not a single second. My team threw themselves to the limit, monsters against monsters. And I got to be there. Standin' with you. That sort of feelin' is special. If it only comes once in my life, that would be okay.
"So. I just can't let our match get insulted like that."
Kita takes a breath. Realizes how much space he's just monopolized.
The way that Kita talks about them, his teammates, makes Osamu's chest feel so tight. Not a bad kind of tightness, but an overwhelming rush of emotion all the same.
"I wasn't ready for it to be the last time," he confesses, speaking past a lump in his throat that has nothing to do with the food. "I wanna keep playin' with you, Kita-san. I don't know how we're gonna be a team without you."
Oh, the frustration, the want. Hadn't Kita felt the exact same thing, walking down the stairs? Stopping the Twins' apology?
"I did too," he admits.
"I wanted to keep playin'. But my turn's done. It wouldn't be fair, fallin' apart because one person's gone. I want the next Captain to take ya even further. Whoever it is. That would make me really happy."
Because it would mean Kita did his last job correctly. Building Inarizaki stronger than ever.
Osamu wants to argue. They didn't lose just one person, but all of their third years. One game, one come-out-of-nowhere team, and suddenly Inarizaki's losing more than just incredible players; they're losing the foundation of their team, the upperclassmen who kept them focused and sane and who taught them reliability and strength.
But Kita matters more to Osamu. It would be a lie to say this isn't about losing him, specifically.
"We won't let you down," he promises, deadly serious. "We'll be the team you deserve."
Kita meant it. Every day, every word, he was proud to be Captain. Through the endless mopping and peace-keeping and and diving to cover for missed plays - he would do it all again. But he can't.
"I know. You monsters will have to keep yourselves accountable."
Kita nods. Holds his plate still as he remembers another handshake. Before, it was a vow to about Nationals. To pull Osamu out of his slump, get Kita all the way. Enjoy every bit of the time.
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"Oh god, that's so good." He says, voice full of awe and glee. "Comin' here was the best idea. I love when the internet's right."
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Not the food. It's incredible, of course. But the look on Osamu's face beats anything else. Something curls in Kita's stomach. Very close to pride. He gets to be here, part of this, and not many people can say the same. In fact - Only him.
Lucky, lucky him.
"Oh, the onigiri!"
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Being with Kita, eating delicious food, getting a first hand experience of something so different? Osamu's won plenty of games before, but he's never had anything like this. This is different, and special.
"Oh yeah, there's more." He agrees with a grin. "Wanna pivot?"
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"It wasn't an ass-kickin'," he remarks. Sipping green tea. With all the new flavors, even this turns novel. Bitter-bright against the spice.
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"We lost," he remarks bluntly, pausing in the middle of unfurling the plastic from around his onigiri. The rice is super fluffy and warm; he eats a stray grain off of his thumb. "That's all that matters."
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"Only one team goes all the way. That's the deal. Even a little kid understands. If that's all that matters, we'd never even step on the court."
He bites into the onigiri.
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The bitterness of the subject matter is slightly ruining the good vibe of the meal, until Osamu bites into his own onigiri and oh, it's so good his bad mood is immediately erased.
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"Winnin' would be great," Kita agrees. Wiping his mouth. "But I ain't tradin' with Karasuno. Not a single second. My team threw themselves to the limit, monsters against monsters. And I got to be there. Standin' with you. That sort of feelin' is special. If it only comes once in my life, that would be okay.
"So. I just can't let our match get insulted like that."
Kita takes a breath. Realizes how much space he's just monopolized.
"Sorry for goin' on."
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"I wasn't ready for it to be the last time," he confesses, speaking past a lump in his throat that has nothing to do with the food. "I wanna keep playin' with you, Kita-san. I don't know how we're gonna be a team without you."
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"I did too," he admits.
"I wanted to keep playin'. But my turn's done. It wouldn't be fair, fallin' apart because one person's gone. I want the next Captain to take ya even further. Whoever it is. That would make me really happy."
Because it would mean Kita did his last job correctly. Building Inarizaki stronger than ever.
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But Kita matters more to Osamu. It would be a lie to say this isn't about losing him, specifically.
"We won't let you down," he promises, deadly serious. "We'll be the team you deserve."
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Kita meant it. Every day, every word, he was proud to be Captain. Through the endless mopping and peace-keeping and and diving to cover for missed plays - he would do it all again. But he can't.
"I know. You monsters will have to keep yourselves accountable."
He holds out his hand to Osamu.
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"We should finish our food before it get cold," he points out once they handshake moment passes. "Do you wanna share these noodles?"
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Funny.
It doesn't feel cold at all.
"Thanks for bringin' me."
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"Thank you for agreein' to come with me. The food's amazin', but the company's even better."