[12 years later - Miyagi Prefecture]
"Iwa-chan, Ren-chan, hurry up! Otherwise, we'll miss the start of the match!"
Cried a dark-brown-haired child, rushing off at top speed. That child was Oikawa Toru.
Iwaizumi: "Stop running, Oikawa!" he said, following him.
Oikawa: "I'm not running, I'm just walking faster, and you should do the same."
"You're really too excited," sighed Renji, a lollipop in his mouth, standing next to Iwaizumi.
The three friends finally arrived at Sendai Stadium and quickly settled into their seats, as the match between Japan and Argentina was about to begin.
The match began, and despite a strong start from Japan, Argentina ultimately prevailed thanks to Hector, the team's rising star and ace, and veteran setter José Blanco. At the end of the match, Oikawa was ecstatic.
Oikawa (excitedly): "Ren-chan, pass me the notebook we bought earlier, José Blanco, pass!"
Oikawa [ in english] : "Mr. Blanco, Mr. Blanco! Could I have your signature?"
J. Blanco turned around, surprised, and saw Oikawa.
J. Blanco: "Of course? What's your name?"
Oikawa: "Oikawa... Oikawa Toru, and I want to become a setter too."
José Blanco looked at Oikawa and, with a slight smile, said: "Ga... Gan... Ganbari..."
This made Oikawa and Iwaizumi's eyes light up. José suddenly felt a heavy gaze and, turning around, saw a young boy, a lollipop in his mouth, staring intently at him. Intrigued, José spoke to the boy.
J. Blanco: "And you! Are you also interested in volleyball?
What position do you want to play?"
Renji calmly replied (with a confident smile): "Right wing, and I'm going to become the best volleyball player in the world!"
Renji's determination surprised José, who replied with a smile: "Good luck to you too," before turning and leaving.
Oikawa (with a wide smile): "Wow! I told you he was cool, didn't I?"
Iwaizumi: "YES, of course, more than 100 times!"
Renji: "I'd say 1000 times!"
Oikawa (rolling his eyes): "You're exaggerating."
Renji (amused): "If only... But if you want to become a good setter, you'll have to practice even more."
Oikawa: "Yeah, and that's why we're going to play volleyball right now," he said, walking away.
Iwaizumi (surprised): "What about our trip to Gamedev...? There are new games that came out!"
Oikawa replied without turning around: "Next time!! We have to become legends! Hahaha!"
Renji (to Oikawa): "There's a court not far from my house," he said, offering Iwaizumi a lollipop to console him. Then the three walked forward, continuing to tease each other.
[Volleyball court]
Renji (turning to Oikawa): "Now that we're here, do you have a schedule planned?"
Oikawa (surprised): "A program? We play until we're exhausted, is that it?"
Iwaizumi: "Idiot!" he said, slapping him on the head. "Weren't you the one who said we needed to train seriously?"
Oikawa (with a tear in his eye): "Ouch!"
Renji: "Give me a few minutes." He took out a sheet of paper and began to write quickly.
Oikawa (intrigued): "What are you doing, Ren-chan?"
But Renji didn't answer and continued writing. A few minutes later…
Renji: "Here's your training program. I prepared it especially for you, based on your positions. It consists of a few exercises to help you improve. I saw it on YouTube."
He said, handing a sheet of paper to Iwaizumi and one to Oikawa.
Oikawa: "Ren-chan! I'll never forget this!" he exclaimed, wiping away his tears and trying to hug Renji.
Renji (dodged Oikawa's attempts): "Never mind, go train."
Iwaizumi (looking at the sheet): "Is this what you call practice? Are you trying to kill us?"
Renji: "This is how we get stronger."
While Renji was preparing the exercises, Oikawa turned to Iwaizumi and whispered, "Hey, Iwa-chan... don't you think Ren-chan is a little tsundere? He adores us, but then he's cold."
Renji: "Heh! I can hear you. Go back to training."
Oikawa (with a smirk): "You sound like a strict coach at a training camp." Speaking of training camps, I heard a volleyball camp is opening during the holidays. Would you be interested in signing up?
Renji: "Yeah, why not?"
Iwaizumi: "It doesn't hurt to try."
Oikawa: "It's decided, we're signing up. Don't forget to ask your parents for permission," he said with a smile.
In the following days, the three friends met regularly to play and train according to the schedule, which allowed them to improve quickly and forge new bonds. One evening, on their way home, Oikawa asked Renji:
"Do you think there will be any tough opponents at the camp?"
Renji: "I should hope so... It'll spice things up."
"Grrr, grrr..."
Oikawa's stomach rumbled, which amused Renji. "Come on, let's go home, it's on me."
Oikawa: "Rennn-chan, I knew we could count on you."
--------------
Renji: "Mom, I'm home. I brought Oikawa and Iwaizumi."
Renji's mother: "Okay, honey. Go wash your hands, dinner's ready."
They entered the kitchen where a stunningly beautiful woman stood, with the same blond hair and features as Renji. At the same moment, Renji's father, an imposing man with wavy black hair, came downstairs.
Renji's father: "Hi boys, are you done with practice?"
Iwaizumi: "Yes, Mr. Sakamoto."
Renji's father: "Hahaha! Don't hesitate to call me Uncle Sakamoto Iwaizumi. By the way, camp starts tomorrow, right? Are you ready?"
Oikawa: "Yes, we've prepared well and we'll be unbeatable!"
Father: "Hahaha! It's good to be confident. Take good care of our little Renji," he said, pretending to cry. "We'll miss him."
Iwaizumi (with a mocking smile): "Yes, we'll take good care of our little Renji, won't we, Oikawa?"
Oikawa (with the same smile): "Of course, we absolutely mustn't let our little Ren-chan get hurt."
Renji (looking at his father): "Traitor!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
The mother: "Honey, stop bothering our little Renji, he's going to cry, just like the first day we left him at school."
Renji: "MOM!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
The others continued to laugh while Renji sulked in his corner.