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In order to forge an even stronger weapon for Akashi Asuto, Mishita Ryuhei was enlisted, and for the sake of getting a closer look at his admired senior, there was Nishison Tomohiko.
When the two of them came together, the result was bound to be chaos… except that was impossible.
Only children make choices.
Adults, of course, want everything.
Besides, with Asuto’s current stamina, one Setter simply couldn’t satisfy his needs. It was only when they worked together that they could barely keep up with Asuto’s ‘monster-like’ energy.
Until the Nationals officially began, Asuto’s training schedule differed from that of the rest of the Volleyball Club.
During this period, the others mainly focused on practice matches, using the shortest possible time to peak physically.
Asuto, however, had continued training throughout the summer and had played in numerous matches, so he did not need to make any adjustments.
His primary goal during this time was to further strengthen his strengths, especially attributes such as strength, spike and serve.
In particular, he focused on strength training.
Currently, Asuto’s arm strength is close to reaching 80. If he could surpass that threshold, the power of his spikes would undoubtedly increase significantly.
······
Three weeks were neither long nor short.
As every member of the Sengoku Junior High School Volleyball Club trained tirelessly, time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
The National Junior High Comprehensive Sports Tournament Boys’ Volleyball Qualifiers were approaching.
On the day of the event, the Sengoku Junior High School team boarded the school bus in their uniforms, exuding an imposing presence.
Compared to the Prefectural Athletic Meet, the team now exuded far more composure and confidence than curiosity and excitement.
At the same time, inside the noisy competition arena, a boy with curly orange hair and the build of an elementary school student stepped into the venue for the first time in his life, overflowing with seemingly limitless energy.
“Whoa! There are so many people! The gym is huge! And it smells like Salonpas spray!”
The boy looked around at the bustling volleyball courts and exclaimed excitedly.
However, his excitement was short-lived as a team with the oppressive discipline of a military unit slowly entered through the main gate, and at the very front of the group was Kageyama Tobio.
Compared to a few months ago, he seemed to have an even heavier and more composed presence, but his expression had grown gloomier, as though he constantly emitted an aura warning strangers to stay away.
It was none other than Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High’s team.
As one of the prefecture’s absolute powerhouse schools, every appearance by Kitagawa Daiichi stirred up noise and discussion all around them.
After a series of events…
Finally…
In the place filled with the power of miracles… the restroom…
…the orange-haired boy and Kageyama Tobio had their very first encounter.
…
Meanwhile, the Sengoku Junior High School bus slowly pulled into the arena car park.
One by one, the volleyball club members stepped off the bus. Their transformed spirits and disciplined aura immediately drew the attention of nearby spectators.
“Whoa! What an intimidating presence!”
“That team is definitely not ordinary.”
“Yeah, yeah, but do any of you know who they are?”
“Umm… not at all.”
Sengoku Junior High School’s reputation in the world of volleyball was obviously nowhere near that of Kitagawa Daiichi. Despite tying the club’s historical record at the Prefectural Athletic Meet, they had only managed to reach the top 16.
The moment he heard the outsiders’ comments, Omae Masato became irritated.
But before he could react, Kazama Jujirō, who understood his body language better than he understood himself, grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back.
“Don’t cause trouble, Omae. Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High’s match is about to begin. Let’s watch the game first, get a sense of our opponents’ current strength, and then warm up,” Shimokawa Mitsuto quietly reprimanded him.
The moment he heard the words ‘Kitagawa Daiichi,’ Omae Masato’s spirits lifted and he stopped messing around.
Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High was not a seeded team in the National qualifiers.
This was because, during last year’s Nationals, Kitagawa Daiichi had been in the midst of a generational transition. Their previous ‘Ace Setter’ had just graduated, and the new ‘Ace Setter’ was still developing.
Consequently, Kitagawa Daiichi only managed to reach the top eight in last year’s Nationals qualifiers.
Because of that, Kitagawa Daiichi had to play in the first round of this year’s qualifiers.
Upon entering the arena, the Sengoku Junior High School members discovered that Kitagawa Daiichi’s match had already begun.
Only five minutes into the game, the score between Kitagawa Daiichi and their opponents was already 10–3.
“Whoa! That’s a pretty tragic score already!”
The Sengoku Junior High members had just arrived at the spectator stands when the scoreboard startled them.
“Has Kitagawa Daiichi really become this strong now?”
“No way, idiot. Even if they are strong, there’s no way they’d create such a huge gap right from the start. Their opponents are just too weak.”
“Although Kitagawa Daiichi didn’t get a seeded spot this year, their strength is undeniable. The organizers obviously wouldn’t arrange for them to face a powerful opponent in the opening round.”
Shimokawa Mitsuto explained calmly.
Everyone focused on the match for a while, but before long, they started to feel sleepy.
They had originally come to watch the game in order to assess Kitagawa Daiichi’s current strength. Unfortunately, their opponents in this round were simply too weak, which made it impossible to judge Kitagawa Daiichi’s true level.
In only ten minutes, the first set ended with a crushing score of 25:8.
“Aside from that tiny orange-haired kid, it feels like nobody on the Yukigaoka Junior High team even knows how to play volleyball,” Omae Masato lazily said while yawning.
“Yeah! Even that little guy’s technique is pretty rough. A team like this joining the tournament is basically just here to make up the numbers.”
“By the way, Asuto, you seem pretty interested in that Yukigaoka Junior High team. I noticed you’ve been watching them really intently.”
Asuto replied with a smile on his face:
“Of course. Watching anime live in person feels completely different from watching it on TV.”
Omae Masato: “???”
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Don’t tell me you’ve got a fever?”
Resting his chin against the seat back in front of him, Asuto lightly shook his head and said:
“It’s nothing. But don’t underestimate that short kid from Yukigaoka Junior High. He’s extremely talented. In fact, if we’re only talking about vertical jump height, he might have already surpassed me.”
Asuto’s impressive spike reach was partly due to his height. If we’re only talking about pure vertical jumping ability, the current Hinata Shoyo might indeed be above him.
Omae Masato curled his lips.
“Yeah, right. Even if that kid really is talented, I still don’t think he could be stronger than a “monster” like you.”
Asuto: “······”
At that point, he truly had no comeback.
(End of Chapter)
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