Not long after, Reon returned with the others in tow. Each of them looked wilted and dispirited, like a mother hen herding a flock of chicks.
They stood obediently together, clearly having just been "dealt with." Reon's head started to ache the moment he looked at them, so he simply stopped looking.
Tendo and Yamagata were still whispering to each other, and for a moment, the atmosphere turned quiet.
After a short while, Coach Washijō arrived with the advisor. He had already seen Reon running all over the arena looking for people earlier—no doubt this bunch had been stirring up trouble again.
Coach Washijō didn't say much. He just waved them inside.
Only then did everyone finally let out a sigh of relief and file out one by one.
Entering through the back door and turning left led straight to the court where they would soon be playing. Tsutomu Goshiki stretched his head out for a look. Both sides of the stands were already packed. Shiratorizawa's supporters had hung up banners and were holding cheer sticks and streamers, waiting eagerly.
Surrounded by ribbons and thunderous cheers, the court looked like a stage. In Tsutomu Goshiki's eyes, it seemed to spin endlessly—this was his first appearance in front of such a massive crowd since joining Shiratorizawa.
He was thrilled. But after watching Karasuno's match against Aobajosai, his head had cooled a little.
He was still thinking about the game in the other venue and quietly asked Ryosuke, "Do you think we can still catch the final set over there?"
Before Ryosuke could answer, Yunohama cut in sharply, "Are you stupid? Even if we finish fast, there's no way we'd make it in time."
Tsutomu Goshiki snorted and turned away in a huff. Ryosuke sighed inwardly. Sure enough, distance makes things look better—once you share a dorm room, conflicts start popping up everywhere.
Ryosuke had also been thinking about that match. He reached over and patted Tsutomu Goshiki on the head.
"It's fine. Even if it's over, we can watch it later. With how strong those two schools are, no matter who loses, we'll definitely face them again."
"What are you guys talking about?"
Yamagata noticed the three huddled together and tried to join their little private channel.
Yunohama answered succinctly, "The match just now."
The moment he said that, Yamagata's expression turned resentful. Kawanishi had bothered him so much last night that he hadn't slept well. When he missed part of today's match, he'd accidentally dozed off for a bit.
He had woken up groggily on the bench just in time to see Yunohama dragging two people away at full speed. He hadn't even had time to shout before glancing at the clock—cold sweat instantly ran down his back.
Yunohama also remembered leaving Yamagata behind in the stands and awkwardly looked away, pretending he had no idea what anyone was talking about.
"What are you all crowding around for? Get inside!"
Coach Washijō glared at the group blocking the doorway, his head starting to throb again. To outsiders, Shiratorizawa carried the aura of kings. But those inside the volleyball club knew the truth—this was just a bunch of blockheads. More than a dozen people, and every last bit of their brainpower had gone into volleyball.
"Hey, don't shove me, Semi!"
"Ow! Who stepped on my foot?!"
"Ah—sorry, Kawanishi-senpai!"
Coach Washijō: ......
"Move it!" He kicked at them one by one like he was herding chicks.
If Shiratorizawa's diehard fans saw this, their majestic image would shatter beyond repair.
Luckily, the back entrance was partially blocked by the stands. Otherwise, their reputation would've been completely ruined.
Coach Washijō: What a bunch of embarrassments.
The audience had sharp eyes. The moment they spotted Shiratorizawa in their white-and-purple uniforms walking out from beneath the stands, the arena exploded.
"Boom boom boom! Shiratorizawa! Shiratorizawa!"
Amid the deafening cheers, Ryosuke even heard drumbeats. He looked up in surprise and immediately saw a large drum placed at the very front of the stands.
Reon, standing behind him, reached out to turn his head back—but it was already too late. The girls in the stands erupted into screams.
"Ahhhh! He's so cute!" One girl covered her face and stomped wildly, completely flustered.
"Holy crap, that's the guy who scored four or five points in a row with his serve yesterday!"
"Ahhhh! Shiratorizawa!"
"Ryosuke! Ryosuke!"
"Ahhhh! Shiratorizawa!"
Ryosuke hadn't expected that single glance to have such impact. He even heard someone calling his name. It hadn't felt like much before, but once he heard his name being shouted, he suddenly felt like everyone was staring at him.
That string of serves yesterday had made him famous in one go. He himself hadn't realized it, but the audience certainly had.
The cat immediately grew sensitive, glancing around nervously. Seeing Ushijima-senpai walking at the very front, he slowly shuffled backward and hid behind Reon's broad back.
Reon glanced at him with amusement, gloating, "Serves you right for looking around."
"Tch." Ryosuke shot back. He could banter with the seniors easily now—nothing like when he had first joined Shiratorizawa and could barely squeeze out a sentence all day.
Wakutani entered as well. Watching Shiratorizawa bathed in cheers, they couldn't help but feel uneasy.
The setter muttered gloomily, "They really are the kings… We don't stand a chance."
The captain, wearing the jersey marked with a horizontal stripe, gave him a reassuring pat on the back.
"Relax. This is something we have to go through. Look—those are our supporters over there."
The setter looked up and heard the Wakutani stands cheering.
"Wakutani! Wakutani! Go! Go!"
That made him feel a little better. Of course he knew most people were here for Shiratorizawa. He also knew Wakutani had come this far largely because their captain had carried them.
But…
Looking at the center of the roaring crowd—
He still wanted to win.
Shaking off his thoughts, they began warming up.
Ryosuke and Tsutomu Goshiki squatted together, whispering about something. Reon quietly walked over and caught what they were saying.
"That's Pineapple Head, right? So cool! I want that hairstyle too!"
Ryosuke nodded guiltily. "Yeah… it's… pretty cool."
"Then let's get it cut after the match! My hair's grown out anyway!"
Reon's mouth twitched. Only then did he notice the player across the court with a braided hairstyle that had puffed out wildly—it really did resemble a pineapple.
But that wasn't the point.
He truly couldn't imagine Tsutomu Goshiki's delicate face paired with such a ferocious hairstyle.
He lightly kicked Tsutomu Goshiki. "Go warm up. And stop entertaining dangerous ideas. If you actually get a pineapple head, Coach Washijō will shave you bald the next day."
Tsutomu Goshiki clutched his head in horror, eyes wide with disbelief. Urged along by Reon, the two of them headed onto the court.
Across the net, Wakutani's two middle blockers were warming up while sneaking glances at Shiratorizawa.
"Hey, Narita, do you think we'll win today?"
Narita caught the ball and replied, "No idea… but it really doesn't seem possible."
Todo sighed without saying anything. Wakutani's run might very well end here.
Captain Takeru Nakajima strode over and gave each of them a solid smack on the back—the sound alone made it seem painful.
"Enough! You're backing down before we've even started. If we lose, we lose. Being able to face Shiratorizawa is already an honor!"
Takeru Nakajima's gaze passed through the net and landed on Shiratorizawa as they warmed up. The urge to compete burned in his chest.
Tsutomu Goshiki would be playing this match. Reon still felt uneasy, afraid he might crumble under pressure. He followed behind him, nagging nonstop.
Yamagata glanced over and teased, "You really are like a mom."
Kawanishi nodded. "+1."
As if he had eyes on the back of his head, Reon suddenly turned and glared at them.
Yamagata instantly wiped the grin off his face and began bouncing the ball seriously.
Kawanishi's usual expressionless face saved him.
Tsutomu Goshiki tossed the volleyball up and slammed it down like in practice.
"Bang!"
Watching Karasuno's match earlier had made him think. In the past, he might not have taken Wakutani seriously. But after seeing that game, he understood—
Every school, every team, deserved respect. They all loved volleyball. No one was inferior.
It had to be said—Ryosuke's little scheme had worked perfectly.
Before the match even began, Tsutomu Goshiki's lingering pride had already been reined in.
On the other side, Watari watched him warily. That last spike had been no joke. Shiratorizawa's freshmen were fierce, one after another.
Fifteen minutes of warm-up passed quickly. The two teams bowed and took their positions.
The arena roared again.
Ryosuke sat in a row with Semi and Kawanishi to watch. He actually wanted to go check on the match next door, but their team was still playing—there was no way he could sneak off. If Coach Washijō found out, he'd be done for.
He wondered if he'd get to play in the third set.
If there was a third set, he probably would.
Ushijima's luck at the toss was, as always, hopeless. On the other side, Takeru Nakajima held the ball and walked to the service line.
"Let's go, Takeru! Let's go!"
"Go, Wakutani!"
In the stands, an elderly man with a megaphone led his whole family in cheering. A young mother even held a child while shouting encouragement.
Kawanishi let out a small "Wow."
"Are those all Takeru's family?"
"Probably," Semi replied casually.
One hand quietly slipped into Kawanishi's backpack, rummaging around.
Ryosuke turned and saw it, just about to speak—when Semi stuffed an entire chocolate bar into his hand.
Ryosuke blinked and decided to keep quiet. He knew Semi would only take snacks anyway. And besides, aside from Coach Washijō, Semi was the only person in Shiratorizawa who knew he loved chocolate.
When he was seven or eight and losing his baby teeth, Ryosuke had become obsessed with chocolate, to the point that his cavities were severe. Since then, Coach Washijō had stopped indulging him. Even now, eating chocolate required stealth.
Ryosuke lowered his head to look at the chocolate, then quietly shifted his gaze to the court, pretending he'd seen nothing.
For the sake of the chocolate, he'd let it slide.
He let the chocolate melt in his mouth. The rich cocoa flavor spread across his tongue, and he narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.
"Hm?"
Watching Takeru Nakajima serve, Ryosuke felt a strange sense of familiarity and looked more closely.
That style…
Takeru struck the ball with a "bang." It wasn't particularly fast, but it flew high and deep.
Ryosuke suddenly realized—wasn't this regular serve almost the same as Udai-senpai's?
Without noticing, his attention became fully fixed on the court.
For Yamagata, the serve wasn't hard to receive, though tilting his neck back was a bit uncomfortable. It wasn't as high as a powerful jump serve, but it definitely wasn't low.
He adjusted with quick steps.
"Bang!"
A perfect first pass.
Recently, Yamagata had been training to deliver a flawless first pass no matter what kind of ball came his way—like Ryosuke. That way, no one in the back row would need to constantly split their attention worrying about him.
Shirabu ran to the right side of the net and set to Ushijima.
In yesterday's match, Ushijima hadn't spiked much—Kawanishi had taken the spotlight.
Ushijima spread his arms and leapt, arching in midair like a crescent moon. His arm cut down through the air.
"Bang!"
Narita and Todo rushed to block. They could clearly see the direction of Ushijima's swing.
Both tightened their arms and jumped. Watari, the pineapple-haired wing spiker, joined in—a triple block.
But compared to Date Tech's iron wall, it still fell short.
Ushijima's left-handed spikes were defined by sheer power and heavy spin. Unless it was Date Tech's iron wall or Mujinazaka's twin towers, ordinary blocks would be blown apart by his attacks.
Of course, Ryosuke and Tendo—who could block Ushijima—were anomalies. Most people simply didn't have that kind of gift.
"Bang!"
The ball smashed straight between Watari and Narita's arms.
Narita felt a sharp sting shoot through his arm, his expression twisting.
The ball forced its way through the gap and slammed onto the court.
"Bang!"
"Wow… Ushijima-senpai is incredible." Watching from afar, Ryosuke couldn't help but marvel at the raw power.
Kawanishi rolled his eyes inelegantly. "Didn't you and Tendo shut him down before?"
He grabbed his backpack, searching for the jelly and rice balls he'd packed for lunch.
"Huh? Where'd they go?"
He turned the bag upside down. Nothing.
Semi hurriedly swallowed the rice ball in his mouth, choking so hard his eyes rolled back. Ryosuke watched in alarm. Was it really worth risking your life over one bite?
Kawanishi stared at his empty bag, full of question marks.
After Ushijima scored the first point, the momentum on the court picked up.
After being blown apart several times, Wakutani gave up on directly blocking Ushijima and cleverly switched to using their block to limit his hitting angles instead.
Another pass rose to Shirabu. He glanced to the right and saw Tsutomu Goshiki waiting under the net, practically vibrating with anticipation.
If he set it there… it would be easy to overlook.
Shirabu pressed his lips together in a faint smile.
"Tsutomu Goshiki!"
Hearing his name, Tsutomu Goshiki's eyes lit up and he sprinted forward. He knew exactly what that call meant.
Shirabu was telling him—
You can hit.
"Woo!"
Two months of waiting. Two months of training. The restlessness that had churned in his chest day and night—
All of it poured into this single spike.
"Bang!"
The ball hit the floor.
Takeru hadn't made it in time. He had seen it clearly—the setter had blatantly set to that bob-haired kid.
Which meant the setter wasn't worried in the slightest about the ball being blocked.
Even the two middle blockers, himself, and the libero in the back row hadn't been able to react to Tsutomu Goshiki's speed.
Seeing the ball land, Tsutomu Goshiki trembled as he bent forward, fists clenched tight. Then he suddenly snapped upright and roared—
"AHHH! That felt amazing!!"
This was a young player who had held himself back for far too long, desperate to prove himself on the big stage.
For Tsutomu Goshiki, this was a new beginning.
"Nice one, Goshiki!" Tendo draped himself over his neck with a grin.
"Nice! Goshiki!" Reon laughed, ruffling his hair. "That was a hell of a shot!"
Tsutomu Goshiki was still lost in the thrill of that spike, unable to calm down for a long while.
...
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