“Oda Senpai, was that guy your friend just now?”
Having left the restroom, Hinata’s nerves had eased slightly, and he couldn’t help but ask curiously.
“Yeah, he was my teammate back in junior high.”
“OHHHHHH~” Hinata instantly perked up, his eyes sparkling brightly. “Then doesn’t that mean he’s just as strong as you?”
Oda Miki thought for a moment before replying.
“To be accurate, he’s probably a bit stronger than me. When we were at junior high, I used to slack off during practice quite often, but he never really had the chance to.”
“Oh, so strong! Then what position does he play?”
“Setter.”
“A setter? Isn’t that the same as Kageyama? Is he playing in today’s match?”
Oda Miki was left speechless.
Lowering his head to look at Hinata, who was staring at him in awe, he said helplessly:
“Are you some kind of curiosity baby? Why are you curious about everything?”
“But the chances of Mishita playing today aren’t very high. Aoba Johsai definitely has stronger third-year seniors, and he’s not a genius like Kageyama.”
· · · · ·
The Karasuno group entered Aoba Johsai’s volleyball gym.
The moment Hinata saw the massive gymnasium and felt the intense volleyball atmosphere inside, his stomach began churning again.
However, nobody was there to accompany him this time, so Hinata could only head to the restroom alone.
And then… he ran into them again.
Specifically, he bumped into Yūtarō Kindaichi and Asuto, who had just come to wash their hands and use the toilet.
Seeing Hinata again, Kindaichi froze for a moment.
Meanwhile, Asuto looked amused.
After all, it was the first time he had come to the volleyball gym restroom today, yet he had coincidentally bumped into Hinata Shoyo there.
‘Did this guy seriously have some kind of ‘Fated Restroom Encounter’ buff?’
Asuto wasn’t particularly interested in Hinata.
Or rather…
He wasn’t interested in the current Hinata Shoyo.
After all, Hinata had only been formally practicing volleyball for less than a month. Although he was physically talented, if he lost Kageyama Tobio’s support at this stage, he might not even be as good as an average first-year player.
Nevertheless, Asuto didn’t immediately leave.
This was mainly because, after Kindaichi and Hinata met, the atmosphere became charged with emotion.
Asuto might not necessarily excel at volleyball, but when it came to enjoying drama and gossip, there were probably fewer than five high school students in the entire country who could surpass him right now.
Finding a suitable spot…
Asuto immediately began watching the brilliant sparks generated by the clash between Kageyama Tobio’s ‘ex-girlfriend’ and ‘current girlfriend’ with enthusiasm.
Two minutes later, the argument ended.
Kageyama’s two girlfriends parted on bad terms.
Only then did Asuto hurry into the restroom to relieve himself. He had nearly peed himself in order not to miss the show.
After finishing and returning to the gym, Asuto discovered that the practice match between Aoba Johsai High School and Karasuno High School had already begun.
Yes, that’s right.
Asuto would not be participating in today’s practice match.
It wasn’t because he didn’t want to.
Rather, Coach Nobuteru Irihata had refused to let him play.
And the cause of this whole matter could be traced back to last Friday afternoon…
That afternoon…
The weather was beautiful, with clear skies and gentle winds.
After finishing the regular training session with the volleyball club, Asuto stayed behind in the gym as usual to practice serves.
This scene was unfortunately witnessed by a certain Setter who constantly claimed that he was ‘not a genius.’
The moment he saw it, he immediately lost his composure.
‘What a joke.’
As a senior, it was one thing if his talent wasn’t as good as yours, but if his training intensity wasn’t as good as yours either, then what on earth was he playing volleyball for anymore?
And so, despite his body being exhausted, this particular Setter stubbornly forced himself to compete with Asuto.
If Asuto served one ball, he would Serve two.
If Asuto served two balls, he would Serve four.
And then…
This exceptionally skilled Setter ended up twisting his ankle.
Although the injury wasn’t serious, it still served as a wake-up call for Coach Nobuteru Irihata.
And so…
Asuto was forbidden from participating in today’s practice match.
This was because they had another practice match scheduled against Shiratorizawa Academy the following day.
As Asuto was the secret weapon reserved for that match, and to prevent him from making the same mistake as the aforementioned Setter, Irihata forced him to rest for the entire day.
He even banned Asuto from doing any extra training.
……
The first set of the practice match between Aoba Johsai High School and Karasuno High School progressed almost exactly as it had in the original story.
Hinata was too nervous, and Karasuno kept making mistake after mistake throughout the entire set. In less than twenty minutes, Aoba Johsai had already reached set point.
Then Karasuno rotated positions… and it became Hinata’s turn to serve.
Bang!
Hinata smacked the volleyball into the air… only for it to fly straight into the back of Kageyama’s head.
The instant everyone witnessed that scene,
The entire court fell silent.
Asuto, watching from the sidelines, completely lost it on the spot.
Although he had anticipated this moment, when it actually unfolded before his eyes, he simply couldn’t suppress the urge to laugh.
However, once the second set began…
The moment Karasuno’s “Freak Duo” started displaying the miraculous offensive technique known as the Freak Quick Attack, Aoba Johsai immediately fell into a disadvantageous position.
There was no way around it.
Although the Freak Quick Attack had many flaws at this stage, it was still a technique that far surpassed the level of ordinary high school volleyball.
Coincidentally, every player on Aoba Johsai’s court was still just an ordinary high school player.
Very quickly, the second set ended, and Karasuno tied the score by winning one set.
As the second set concluded, Kageyama repeatedly shot provocative looks at Asuto from across the court, clearly wanting him to enter the game so he could avenge his junior high defeat.
Unfortunately, Asuto remained unmoved.
In fact, he was more tempted to sneak back and continue his physical training.
After all, he wasn’t like Oikawa.
That guy was already a third-year high school student, yet mentally he was still as childish as an elementary schooler, always obsessively fixating on competing against one or two specific people…
Hm?
Speak of the devil and the devil appears.
Suddenly, a wave of girls’ screams erupted from the second-floor hallway of the gymnasium.
Asuto didn’t even need to look up to know who had arrived, hearing those voices.
After all, only two people in the volleyball club were capable of causing such a commotion.
Since he was already sitting there, the identity of the other person was obvious.
“Oh, Oikawa, you’re here? How’s the injury?” Irihata Nobuteru asked.
Oikawa Tooru smiled brightly, greeted the surrounding girls, and flashed an OK gesture.
“No problems at all. It was only a minor injury to begin with. I’ve fully recovered.”
······
(End of Chapter)