Tokyo - Yakiniku Restaurant "Stamina Taro".
The smell of grilling meat filled the air, thick and greasy and wonderful.
"MORE MEAT!"
Ryuu Gojou sat at the end of the long table, a pair of tongs in each hand, flipping beef slices with the speed and precision of a hibachi chef.
"Ryuu-senpai," Lev stared, horrified. "You're not even chewing. You're just inhaling."
"Chewing is inefficient," Ryuu mumbled around a mouthful of kalbi. "I am at 2% battery. I need protein. I need carbs. I need the souls of cows."
"Don't eat the grill," Yaku warned, slapping Ryuu's hand away from the metal grate. "We have to pay for that."
Coach Nekomata sat at the adults' table, sipping beer with a satisfied smile.
"Eat up," Nekomata laughed. "You earned it. The Tokyo Representatives. First Seed."
"FIRST SEED!" Yamamoto roared, holding a piece of pork belly like a trophy. "WE BEAT THE OWL! WE BEAT THE WEASEL!"
"We beat everyone," Kuroo corrected, stealing meat from Kenma's plate. "Specifically, he beat everyone."
He pointed a chopstick at Ryuu.
Ryuu swallowed. He looked surprisingly dignified for a man with sauce on his cheek.
"I didn't beat them alone," Ryuu said magnanimously. "Yaku-san cleaned up my messy receives. Kenma tossed the ball even when he looked like he was dying. And Lev..."
Ryuu paused.
"Lev existed. That was moral support."
"HEY!" Lev protested. "I scored three points!"
"You touched the net four times," Ryuu countered. "You were a hazard to both teams."
Kenma was scrolling through his phone, ignoring the chaos.
"Ryuu," Kenma said softly.
"Hm?"
"You're trending."
The table went quiet. Ryuu dropped a piece of beef. "I'm what?"
Kenma turned his phone around. It was a Twitter (X) thread.
#TokyoInterhigh #RedGiant #Nekoma
@VolleyFan99:"Did anyone see the Nekoma vs Itachiyama match? Who is the Number 10? He blocked Sakusa with ONE HAND."
@OwlLover:"He made Bokuto miss a spike out of fear. He's a demon."
@TokyoSports:"The New King of Tokyo? Gojou Ryuu dominates the court with raw power and a terrifying stare."
There was a video clip attached. It was the moment from the quarterfinals against Nohebi where Ryuu told Daishou: "I'm just the guy who sees what you're trying to hide."
Wait. How did they get audio of that?
"Lip readers," Kenma explained. "People are analyzing your trash talk."
Ryuu took the phone. He scrolled. He saw fan art. Someone had drawn him as a literal dragon breathing fire on a crying snake (Daishou).
"Oh," Ryuu whispered. A slow, delighted grin spread across his face.
"I look cool."
"You look like a bully," Yaku said.
"I look like a Final Boss," Ryuu corrected. "Look at this comment. 'He walks like he owns the gym.' Correct. I do."
"Great," Kuroo sighed. "His ego just leveled up. He's going to be unbearable at practice."
Ryuu handed the phone back to Kenma.
"This is good," Ryuu nodded, returning to his meat. "If they think I'm a monster, they'll be scared before the game starts. Fear is a debuff. I stack debuffs."
"You're such a nerd," Yamamoto laughed.
The Next Morning - Nekoma High.
Ryuu walked through the school gates. He expected a red carpet. He expected rose petals.
Instead, he got stares.
"That's him," a girl whispered. "The guy from the volleyball team."
"Is he really a first year? He looks like a teacher."
"I heard he ate a whole cow yesterday."
Ryuu adjusted his sunglasses (yes, he was wearing them again).
'The rumor mill is working. Good. Let the legend grow.'
He walked into Class 1-3.
"Gojou!" Lev shouted from across the room. "Did you see the news? We're famous! My sister said you looked scary on TV!"
"I have a resting villain face, Lev. It's part of the brand."
Ryuu sat in his window seat—the Protagonist Seat. He looked out at the courtyard.
Life felt... normal. Too normal.
He had just conquered Tokyo. He had defeated the best Ace in the region. And now he had to sit through Math class?
'The pacing of this arc is weird,' Ryuu thought, spinning his pen. 'Where is the mysterious transfer student? Where is the sudden rival invasion?'
Buzz.
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
He checked it under the desk. A text from an unknown number.
[Unknown]:Hey Dragon-kun! Akaashi gave me your number! You cheated yesterday! My finger didn't slip! Next time I'm going to hit a super-ultra-straight! - Bokuto
Ryuu snorted.
[Ryuu]:New phone. Who dis?
[Unknown]:IT'S BOKUTO!!!
Ryuu smiled. At least the rivals were keeping things interesting.
____________________________
While Ryuu was suffering through Math class, news traveled fast in the volleyball world.
Inarizaki High School.
The gym was loud with the sound of squeaking shoes and the rhythmic thud-thud-thud of a jump serve.
Miya Atsumu, the High School Number 1 Setter, caught the ball. He wiped sweat from his dyed blonde hair.
"Samu," Atsumu called out to his twin.
"What?" Osamu replied, eating a rice ball on the bench.
"Sakusa lost."
Osamu stopped chewing. "To who? Fukurodani?"
"Nekoma."
Osamu blinked. "The cats? They're a defensive team. They don't have the firepower to beat Itachiyama."
"Apparently, they do now," Atsumu walked over to his bag and pulled out a tablet. "Coach showed me the tape. They have a new toy."
He played the video. It was Ryuu's jump serve—the one with the nasty wrist snap that looked like a spike until the last second.
"He's big," Osamu noted. "Clumsy, though. Look at his feet."
"He's raw," Atsumu agreed, his eyes narrowing. "But he learns fast. In the first set, he was just hitting hard. By the third set, he was hitting spin shots and targeting the libero."
Atsumu smiled. It was a fox-like grin, sharp and hungry.
"I want to set to him," Atsumu said suddenly.
"Hah?" Osamu looked disgusted. "You traitor."
"Imagine that height," Atsumu mused. "If I gave him a perfect toss... he could hit over anything. But..."
Atsumu's grin turned darker.
"...it would be even more fun to shut him down. He looks arrogant. I hate arrogant spikers."
"You're an arrogant setter," Osamu pointed out.
"Shut up, scrub."
Atsumu looked at the screen, freezing the video on Ryuu's face as he pointed at Sakusa.
"Gojou Ryuu," Atsumu memorized the name. "Welcome to the Nationals. Try not to cry when the crowd turns against you."
Back at Nekoma - Afternoon Practice.
"Alright!" Coach Nekomata clapped his hands.
The team lined up. They were still sore, still tired, but the atmosphere was electric. They were Champions.
"We have one month until Nationals," Nekomata announced.
"One month to rest?" Lev asked hopefully.
"One month to rebuild," Nekomata corrected, his eyes gleaming like a demon's.
He pointed at Ryuu.
"Gojou. Your wrist snap is good. But your receiving is still tragic. In Nationals, teams like Inarizaki and Shiratorizawa will target you relentlessly. If you can't dig, you come off the court."
Ryuu sighed. "I thought being the Ace meant I didn't have to do the peasant work."
"In Nekoma," Yaku kicked Ryuu's shin, "everyone is a peasant. Even the King."
"Fine," Ryuu cracked his neck. "What's the menu, Coach?"
Nekomata smiled.
"100 serves. 100 receives. And then... we watch tape. We need to study the monsters you just woke up."
Ryuu picked up a ball. He looked at the banner hanging in the gym: Connect.
He wasn't just a solo player anymore. He was part of the system. A very large, very violent part of the system.
"Let's get to work," Ryuu said, spinning the ball. "I have a feeling the next boss fight is going to be a double battle."
(The Miya Twins are waiting.)