“…”
The atmosphere inside the hotel room was unusually quiet. Every member of Aoba Johsai wore a serious expression.
The match between Nohebi and Fukurodani had already ended, with Fukurodani Academy emerging victorious in a clean 2–0 sweep. After watching that game, the joy Aoba Josei had felt from winning their own first-round match completely vanished.
“Fukurodani’s ace is just too strong,” Someone finally said after a long silence. “Against a defense as tight as Nohebi’s, he still found openings and created that kind of point gap. No wonder he’s one of the top five aces in the country.”
During the match earlier that day, once Fukurodani’s ace recovered from his slump, Nohebi’s read blocks stopped working entirely. Fukurodani practically steamrolled their way to victory.
But that wasn’t what worried everyone the most. What truly unsettled them was that, aside from his incredible skill, Fukurodani’s ace possessed a strange ability to inspire everyone around him.
Everyone from Aoba Johsai had seen that spike. Even as opponents watching from the stands, when they saw him hammer that ball down, their blood started pumping, and their own spirits rose. They were all experienced players; they knew exactly how terrifying an ace could be when he was capable of lifting an entire team’s morale at crucial moments.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
“Alright, that’s enough. Stop hyping up the enemy and crushing your own confidence!” Seeing everyone’s morale sinking before the match had even begun, Iwaizumi stood up and clapped his hands. “Fukurodani is strong, sure. But we’re not weak either. Don’t forget, we got to Nationals by beating a top-three ace in the country. If it comes down to it, we’ll just play another match like that tomorrow.”
His words worked. When they thought about it, he was right. They had earned their ticket to Nationals by defeating Ushijima Wakatoshi. There was no reason they should be scared of a top-five ace.
“Alright, everyone, get some sleep. Rest up and be ready to give one hundred percent against Fukurodani tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
After saying that, Iwaizumi turned to leave. But halfway out the door, he suddenly remembered something and stopped, looking back at a certain someone.
“Hey, idiot Oikawa. Don’t stay up too late tonight. If something goes wrong during tomorrow’s match because you didn’t sleep, I’ll beat you up.”
“…Iwa-chan, you could really stand to be a little gentler with me,” Oikawa muttered.
“Huh?” Iwaizumi glared, a dangerous expression crossing his face.
“N-Never mind! Don’t worry, Iwa-chan! I’ll be full of energy when I step onto the court tomorrow!” Oikawa squeaked, instantly backing down.
Iwaizumi snorted and walked away, leaving Oikawa alone to let out a deep sigh. Turning back to his desk, Oikawa pulled up the recording of today’s Fukurodani vs. Nohebi match and began studying it intently.
…
“I’ve got to ask, Mishita. You didn’t even play today, so what exactly are you sighing about?”
Inside the first-years’ room at the hotel, Asuto was sitting with a textbook in hand, reviewing schoolwork. But the constant stream of sighs coming from beside him was making it impossible to concentrate and a vein practically popped on his forehead.
Mishita went completely silent. That statement hit harder than a critical strike. He clenched his fists, his expression shifting several times, before he squeezed them even tighter.
‘Damn it. I can’t even argue with that.’
After a while, he finally spoke again. “Hey, Asuto. You have to win tomorrow, okay? Don’t let what happened in junior high happen again.”
Asuto paused for a moment, his hand stopping on the page. Then he answered calmly, “Don’t worry.”
…
[Good morning to everyone here in the arena and everyone watching at home.]
[I’m today’s commentator, Oda.]
[And I’m Ota.]
[Welcome back to our broadcast from Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Up next is the second round of the National High School Inter-High Boys’ Volleyball Tournament!]
[After yesterday’s eliminations, only thirty-two representative teams remain in the competition.]
[And the match about to begin is Tokyo’s Second Representative, Fukurodani Academy, versus the Miyagi Prefecture Representative, Aoba Johsai Private High School!]
[First, let’s introduce the starting players for both teams.]
[On the left side of the court, wearing black uniforms, is Fukurodani Academy. The first player to enter is the volleyball club captain, Number 4 outside hitter: Bokuto Kotaro!]
As soon as the announcer finished speaking, Bokuto Kotaro stepped onto the court. The arena immediately erupted into cheers.
“Woooooo!”
“Let’s go, Owl Guy!”
“Bo-ku-to! Bo-ku-to! Bo-ku-to!”
Hearing the enthusiastic support, Bokuto’s already sparkling eyes lit up even more.
[Oh! It looks like Bokuto is incredibly popular!]
[Of course! After all, he’s one of the nation’s top five aces!]
[Alright, let’s continue introducing the rest of the players. Following Bokuto is Fukurodani Academy’s Number 5 setter: Akaashi Keiji.]
[Number 7 outside hitter: Konoha Akinori.]
[Number 2 middle blocker: Washio Tatsuo.]
[Number 12 middle blocker: Onaga Wataru.]
[Number 11 libero: Komi Haruki.]
[And on the right side of the court, wearing blue and white uniforms, is Aoba Johsai Private High School. Their first player is the volleyball club captain, Number 1 setter: Oikawa Tooru!]
[…]
[And finally, Number 8 outside hitter: Akashi Asuto!]
“Go! Go! Go! Go! Aoba Johsai!”
“Push forward! Push forward! Aoba Johsai!”
“Let’s go, Aoba Josei!”
In the stands, Aoba Johsai’s cheering squad played the school song, doing their absolute best to rally the team.
…
“Heh~ Heh~ Heh~ So I heard you guys beat Ushiwaka, right?”
Just as Aoba Josei’s players were about to start warming up, Fukurodani’s ace suddenly walked over.
Facing such a powerful opponent, the rest of Aoba Johsai instinctively became cautious. They assumed he was coming to issue a challenge or throw out some trash talk.
Only Asuto knew the truth. Bokuto is probably having one of his episodes again.
So he walked straight over and said calmly, “You heard wrong. We didn’t actually beat Ushiwaka-senpai. During the qualifiers, Ushiwaka-senpai got sick and couldn’t play. We just got lucky.”
“Huh?! Really?!” Bokuto’s eyes widened in shock.
‘And then… he believed it immediately.’
“I-I see…” His shoulders slumped, and his arms hung limply at his sides. He looked exactly like a dejected owl. “I thought you beat Ushiwaka… Because if you had beaten him, then after I beat you, wouldn’t that mean I’m stronger than Ushiwaka? But now… even if I beat you guys, it doesn’t mean anything anymore…”
In an instant, it was as though Bokuto had lost all purpose in life. He looked like a soulless shell, and even his spiked hair seemed to droop.
The players from both Aoba Johsai and Fukurodani stared at him in silence.
‘…Is this guy an idiot?’
Then they turned to look at Asuto, who had just lied with a completely straight face.
‘…And this guy is out here bullying idiots. That’s honestly worse.’
…
(End of Chapter)