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The long, resounding final whistle signaled the end of Sengoku Junior High’s participation in the fourth round of the Prefectural Athletic Meet.
There were no surprises.
And no miracle occurred.
Relying solely on their serve, the opponents took the final, decisive point from them. Akashi Asuto placed his hands on his hips, stood up straight, and looked up at the lights above.
‘How should he put it?’
Actually, even before the match began, he had prepared himself for defeat. After all, the strength gap between them and Kitagawa Daiichi was huge.
So losing… was only natural.
But still… There was just a tiny bit of unwillingness in his heart.
“Line up!”
After a brief moment of silence, Asuto quickly composed himself, wiped the sweat from his face, and spoke.
But no one responded.
When he turned around, he saw that every member of Sengoku Junior High looked vacant and dazed behind him; it was as if they still couldn’t believe the match had ended so suddenly.
After quite a while, Omae Masato was the first to come to his senses. Putting on a show of energy, he clapped his hands and said: “Alright, alright! What kind of expressions are those? We tied the club’s record this year; we made it into the top 16 in the prefecture! Cheer up a little, will you?”
“Hehe… hehe, you’re right, Omae. This result is the outcome of our hard work. Wouldn’t it be nice to end the match with a smile like before?”
“Besides, Kitagawa Daiichi is one of the top teams in the prefecture. Losing to them is completely normal!”
Mishita Ryuhei also clapped his hands and forced a smile.
“All right, all right. Kazama, Kuramae, Oda, fix your expressions. It’s time to line up.”
…
“Both teams, line up!”
“Bow!”
“Thank you for the match!”
After bowing and shaking hands, the two teams went their separate ways.
Before leaving, Kitagawa Daiichi’s coach glanced at the retreating backs of the Sengoku Junior High team, then looked at his own team. He saw that Kageyama Tobio was already being faintly isolated by the others.
He sighed quietly to himself as his worries had ultimately come true.
Originally, the Kitagawa Daiichi coach had hoped that Sengoku Junior High would defeat Kageyama Tobio in the second set so he could realize his problems and make changes.
Unfortunately…
Perhaps Kageyama Tobio’s talent was simply too overwhelming, or perhaps Sengoku Junior High still had a slight strength disadvantage against Kitagawa Daiichi.
In the end… Even relying on himself alone, Kageyama Tobio crushed Sengoku Junior High.
“If you’re not strong enough, even if a miracle happens, you won’t be able to handle it.”
…
……
After leaving the prefectural gymnasium, Coach Shimokawa kept his promise and treated everyone to a meal.
However, despite the feast laid out before them, not a single member of Sengoku Junior High could bring themselves to eat it. They all looked somewhat absent-minded, and the atmosphere fell silent.
Everyone… except Asuto.
The functions that helped improve Asuto, whether it was the ‘Involution Grind Value’ or the system’s auxiliary protection mechanisms, did not draw energy out of thin air.
Instead, they maximized the efficient use of the energy that already existed within him.
In a sense… This could also be considered a different kind of ‘equivalent exchange.’
Therefore, the more intense Asuto’s training was, the more energy he needed to replenish. Otherwise, it would be very easy for his body to fail to recover in time for the next day.
This has resulted in Asuto’s appetite increasing day by day recently.
“Another bowl of rice!” Asuto called over a server.
Coach Shimokawa’s teeth ached just watching Asuto’s almost frightening level of appetite.
At the same time, however, it also brought him some relief.
The fact that he was able to eat meant that Asuto hadn’t been completely crushed by Kitagawa Daiichi that day. Compared to improving physical ability and technique, training a person’s mentality was often much more difficult.
“All right, everyone, eat up! Only when you’re full will you have the strength to keep moving forward!” Shimokawa Mitsuto called out to the team.
Mishita Ryuhei, Omae Masato, and the others exchanged glances before slowly starting to eat.
As they ate, a faint sound of sobbing began to emerge from somewhere.
Everyone turned towards the source of the sound.
To their surprise, it wasn’t any of the main players crying, but…
Nishison Tomohiko.
Everyone: (O_O)?
“Hey, Nishison! Why are you crying? You didn’t even play today!”
Tomohiko wiped his tears away and said, “I know, but I just can’t accept it. The seniors worked so hard in the run-up to this. If we hadn’t been drawn against Kitagawa Daiichi this time, we definitely could have gone further!”
“…”
The group fell silent.
Meanwhile, Shimokawa Mitsuto wore an awkward expression.
Good grief!
‘I’ve already treated you all to a meal, and now I’m still being dragged out and ‘whipped’ for it?’
“We worked hard, but our opponents worked even harder, so they won. What’s already decided won’t change. What we can do is ‘take revenge’ in the future. We haven’t graduated yet. Starting in October, in the second half of the year, there’s another chance: the Nationals.”
“If you’re unwilling to accept this, then eat well, rest, and train hard. That’s what we should be doing next. As long as we become strong enough, sooner or later we’ll meet Kitagawa Daiichi again.”
“That’s all.”
After finishing the last of his rice, Asuto slowly put down his bowl and spoke each word clearly.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Coach, may I leave first?”
Shimokawa Mitsuto looked surprised. “Asuto, aren’t you coming back with us?”
Asuto nodded. “Yeah, I need to buy a few things, so I’ll head home on my own.”
“All right then. Be careful on the way.”
“I will. Thank you, Coach.”
…
After the meal—
As usual, Shimokawa Mitsuto drove the remaining members home.
Once home, Oda Miki immediately dropped her bag, picked up a volleyball, and headed to a nearby court.
Nishison Tomohiko, with tears still clinging to his lashes, continued his physical training as usual.
Meanwhile, Omae Masato lay on his bed with slightly unfocused eyes, his mind uncontrollably replaying scenes from today’s match.
Mishita Ryuhei punched the bathroom wall hard.
Kurata Mao held a game controller, but couldn’t focus on the monsters on the screen.
Kazama Jūjirō tossed and turned on the sofa as if his whole body was restless.
They had lost today’s match.
Although no one shed tears on the court unwillingly, they also didn’t walk off smiling like before.
The seed that had once been planted had already begun to sprout.
But whether it would wither… or grow strong,
Only they could decide that.
……
(End of Chapter)
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