After finishing a match in the morning, everyone was still fired up—especially the ones who hadn't even gotten to touch the ball. Coach Washijō had banned practice before the game, and all the spotlight that morning had gone to Kawanishi.
Ushijima, feeling a bit stifled, stayed in the dorm tossing a book into the air and catching it, entertaining himself.
Ryosuke didn't go home at noon. He followed Ushijima back to the dorm instead.
The volleyball club dorms were all four-person rooms. Since Ryosuke hadn't officially moved in, there was an extra bed available for a midday nap.
Ushijima, Reon, and Tendo shared a room.
Ryosuke sat cross-legged on the bed, phone in hand, still watching match footage. Tendo leaned over for a glance.
"That's from last year."
Lying on his stomach, Ryosuke nodded. "I've never really watched Miyagi Prefecture matches before."
Reon walked over and ruffled his soft, flattened hair. "Don't watch too long. You can still get a quick nap in."
Ryosuke nodded obediently, like a kid being managed by the head of the household. Reon-senpai really did feel like a dad.
Under the "threat" (not really) of the dorm's patriarch, the restless trio quieted down and reluctantly lay down for a nap.
Even someone as energetic as Ushijima didn't make a sound.
Bang!
"Ryosuke, get up! Let's go watch the game!"
Ryosuke had just fallen asleep when it suddenly felt like a massive weight had crashed down on him, nearly suffocating him in his dream.
Struggling to open his eyes, he saw Tsutomu Goshiki pressing down on him. For a split second, he thought he was still dreaming—a nightmare, at that.
Reon, abruptly woken, grabbed Tsutomu Goshiki by the collar and dragged him off the bed, rubbing his temples with a dark expression.
"How many times have I told you? Knock before you open the door! Who taught you to kick it open like that?!"
"Yamagata, probably," Tendo mumbled sleepily as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.
Reon: "...I was just trying to scold him. So it really was Yamagata?"
Now fully awake—and having woken Ushijima too—Tendo didn't hesitate to sell Yamagata out.
"Yeah. Last time at the gym, I heard Yamagata teaching Tsutomu Goshiki how to open a door with more 'presence.'"
Reon instantly remembered how Yamagata used to open doors the exact same way during his first year. He and Ushijima had worked hard to fix that habit.
The more he thought about it, the worse his headache became. Looking at Tsutomu Goshiki's posture and that unmistakable air about him—it had Yamagata written all over it.
Letting go of Tsutomu Goshiki, Reon gritted his teeth and stormed off to find Yamagata.
Tendo snickered to himself.
"Yamagata… good luck."
Ryosuke, still groggy, sat on the bed in a daze, not entirely sure what had just happened.
Seeing Ryosuke like that—his sleep-mussed ahoge sticking up wildly, emerald catlike eyes misted with sleep, cheeks flushed red from being buried under the blanket—Tendo's heart melted.
He pounced and clung to Ryosuke like an oversized accessory.
Ryosuke let out a small yawn, then effortlessly peeled Tendo off and went to splash cold water on his face.
When he came back fully awake, the four of them just sat there staring at one another until a message from Coach Washijō came through, telling them to gather at the gym.
That finally got them moving.
At the gymnasium, Ryosuke immediately spotted Yamagata in the crowd—with a huge bump on his head.
He looked again.
Yeah… he'd definitely been "disciplined" by Reon-senpai.
Coach Washijō stood as usual on the small platform at the front.
"I won't go into detail about this morning's match. This afternoon—get your heads in the game.
We'll be playing Wakutani, the winner of Group Five. Wakutani doesn't have any glaring strengths, nor obvious weaknesses. Their overall level is steady. Their offensive and defensive systems are both well-structured. As for how to break through—you'll figure that out yourselves."
Coach Washijō always introduced the opponent's characteristics before a match, but he never told them outright how to win. Shiratorizawa's strength came in large part from the players thinking for themselves—and only going to the coach when they truly couldn't solve something.
After he finished speaking, the advisor stepped up with a small notebook.
"This afternoon's starters are:
Ushijima, Tendo, Tsutomu Goshiki
Reon, Yamagata, Shirabu
Best of luck this afternoon!"
"Yes!!"
Hearing that he'd be on court, Tsutomu Goshiki practically sparkled with excitement. He looked like he might run laps around the gym just to burn off the joy.
Tsutomu Goshiki was the impulsive, hot-blooded, single-cell type. Pre-game nerves simply didn't exist in his world.
From the look of him, everyone knew he was already running on adrenaline. What he'd be like once he actually stepped on court… who knew.
Ryosuke and Yunohama were genuinely happy for him. Even though Yunohama couldn't hide a trace of regret at not being selected, seeing his teammates shine made the pain feel insignificant.
If he couldn't fight on court, then he'd fight in his own way off it.
Semi watched Tsutomu Goshiki bouncing around and couldn't quite hide the flicker of envy in his eyes.
If even Kawanishi's wild style had been acknowledged, then maybe his own chance to play wasn't far off…
They packed up and walked together toward the arena. Shiratorizawa's match wouldn't start until three, so they had time to observe other schools' games first.
Along the way, Yunohama kept a firm grip on the overexcited Tsutomu Goshiki, afraid he'd bolt off and disappear at any moment.
Watching the overly responsible Yunohama, Ryosuke fell into thought.
He really does look like Reon-senpai…
Then he compared Tsutomu Goshiki—being restrained—to how Yamagata behaved in front of Reon.
The resemblance was uncanny.
Coach Washijō set a meeting time and place at the arena entrance, then slung his bag over his shoulder and leisurely went off to exchange insights with other coaches.
The players glanced at each other before splitting up.
Ryosuke had messaged Hinata at noon and learned that Karasuno had won their group yesterday. This afternoon, they'd be facing Aobajosai.
Now that got him excited.
A showdown between the Freak Quick and the genius conductor—what kind of sparks would that create?
He could barely contain the anticipation in his eyes.
Without hesitation, he dragged Tsutomu Goshiki to go watch. Tsutomu Goshiki looked distinctly reluctant—he had wanted to sneak off for some extra practice before their own match.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ryosuke noticed his distraction and started chatting with Yunohama.
"Yunohama, Karasuno has a middle blocker who's incredible. He jumps so high—and his spikes are really cool."
Yunohama froze for a second, then caught Ryosuke's look and immediately played along, raising his voice deliberately.
"Really? That good? Better than Tsutomu Goshiki?"
One of Tsutomu Goshiki's ears perked up.
"I'm not sure," Ryosuke said casually, "but he looks a little better than Tsutomu Goshiki."
"Better than Tsutomu Goshiki…"
"…better…"
"…a little…"
The words echoed in Tsutomu Goshiki's head.
What? Better than me??
A tiny flame flared in his eyes.
Let me see just who it is that Ryosuke thinks is better than me! I'm going to be the ace someday!
His strange competitive spirit successfully derailed his secret-practice plan. Puffing up with determination, he followed Ryosuke to the match.
Watching the whole thing, Shirabu didn't know whether to complain about Tsutomu Goshiki being too gullible—or Ryosuke being too good at manipulating a fellow single-cell organism.
Having successfully baited him, the two showed zero guilt as they happily headed toward the Karasuno vs. Aobajosai court.
They arrived just as the match was about to begin.
Ryosuke had originally thought Karasuno might end up facing Wakutani. He hadn't expected them to run straight into Aobajosai.
Even though he believed in Karasuno, going up against Oikawa and Iwaizumi this early… that was hard to call.
The three found seats in the stands. Aobajosai's cheering squad had already gathered—at a glance, it was practically all pretty girls.
Ryosuke sighed dramatically.
Oikawa-senpai really has accumulated quite the following.
He texted Hinata, who hadn't taken the court yet.
Cat Hero: I'm here to watch.
There was no reply for a while—probably busy.
The next second, he spotted an orange head below the stands looking around frantically.
After seeing the message, Hinata had popped his head out to search for him. Kageyama watched Hinata spin around several times and asked,
"Idiot. What are you doing?"
Without turning around, Hinata replied absentmindedly, "I'm looking for Ryosuke."
"Hmph!" Kageyama stalked off with a dark expression.
Hinata thought Kageyama's temper really was getting worse lately. Then his eyes lit up—he saw Ryosuke smiling brightly in the stands.
Ryosuke waved and shouted, "Good luck in the match!!"
"Okay!!"
One in the stands, one on the court—they yelled back and forth at full volume.
Tsutomu Goshiki immediately leaned over to see who it was. By the time he looked, Hinata had already run back.
He sat down again, annoyed.
Yunohama glanced at his phone. "Our match is at three. We need to assemble at two-thirty. We probably won't see the end of this one."
Ryosuke shook his head. "It's fine. Just watching part of it is worth it."
Tsutomu Goshiki slumped back in his seat, bored, waiting for the start.
After a while, both teams came out to warm up. Tsutomu Goshiki finally sat up straighter, muttering,
"They don't look that strong."
He still didn't know which player Ryosuke had meant—and Ryosuke clearly had no intention of telling him.
Fine. I'll find him myself.
Across the net, Oikawa spotted the genius junior who used to make his teeth itch with frustration back in middle school. Smiling, he stepped forward.
"Long time no see, Tobio-chan. Shorty."
Hinata, walking ahead, snapped his head around.
"Ah! The Great King!"
Kageyama nodded seriously. "Oikawa-senpai, I'll defeat you."
Then he grabbed Hinata by the collar and dragged him off, radiating a distinct "Let's go, let's go" urgency.
"Hey, Kageyama, let go!!"
"Daichi-senpai's calling us to warm up."
"Eh? Really? Let's go, let's go!"
A teasing glint flashed in Oikawa's peach-blossom eyes.
So tense, Tobio-chan?
Iwaizumi took one look at Oikawa's expression and knew he was up to no good. He smacked him on the head.
"What are you thinking? Don't entertain rude thoughts."
Oikawa turned in disbelief. "Iwa-chan, are you a mind reader?!"
Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, deciding not to argue with this childish captain.
From the stands, Tsutomu Goshiki had already figured out who Ryosuke was watching during Karasuno's warm-up.
He stole a glance at Ryosuke, then looked back at the court.
There—a short orange-haired guy wearing number 10. He moved like a spring during warm-ups, and even his standing vertical was impressive.
It instantly reminded Tsutomu Goshiki of Kōrai Hoshiumi—and of Ryosuke's particular appreciation for shorter players.
He figured it out right away.
Why did he think Ryosuke favored shorter players?
Because during their last training camp, when Ryosuke talked about players from each school, he'd clearly spent more time discussing Kōrai Hoshiumi.
Sometimes, Tsutomu Goshiki really was sharp.
Ryosuke noticed him sneaking glances and simply smiled.
He had to make Tsutomu Goshiki watch a match like this at least once.
Tsutomu Goshiki carried a trace of pride—it was understandable. He'd been called a prodigy since childhood.
But that pride, combined with Shiratorizawa's title as a powerhouse, had made him a little careless. A little too confident.
Since school started, he'd been surrounded by top IH-level players. He'd learned from them—but he hadn't necessarily noticed everything.
Ryosuke and Yunohama, who trained with him every day, definitely had.
Dragging him here to watch was meant to let him see how the players he might subconsciously underestimate could shine on the court—and to serve as a warning before their own match.
Beeeeep—
The whistle blew.
Karasuno vs. Aobajosai officially began.
First set lineups:
Aobajosai
Iwaizumi, Oikawa, Matsukawa
Kindaichi, Watari, Hanamaki
Karasuno
Daichi, Hinata, Tsukishima
Nishinoya, Kageyama, Asahi
Aobajosai ran a 4–2 formation. Ryosuke glanced at Tsutomu Goshiki, about to explain—
But Tsutomu Goshiki beat him to it.
"I know! Karasuno's using the 5–1 you mentioned before!"
Yunohama gave a quiet "Mm."
"Aobajosai and Karasuno have different styles. Karasuno tends to give more opportunities to their first-years. Aobajosai focuses more on stability."
Karasuno had won the serve.
Asahi stepped up to the service line, exhaling slowly.
He tossed the ball high, leapt, and swung—his arm driving through with force.
Bang!
"Whoa, that had to be over 100 km/h. Karasuno really hides some monsters."
Yamagata had appeared behind them at some point and suddenly spoke, making all three jump.
"Yamagata-senpai!" ×3
He sat down sheepishly.
Watari stared at the incoming rocket in shock.
They'd just played a practice match not long ago. How had Karasuno improved this much? Last time, that bearded ace's serve hadn't been nearly this fierce.
Watari shuffled quickly into position and dove, the ball slamming heavily into his arms before popping up.
"I've got it!"
Hanamaki, closest to the ball, hurried to adjust it and sent it to Oikawa.
Without hesitation, Oikawa went for a setter dump, trying to establish dominance right away.
Tsukishima shot forward, and Daichi covered behind him, sealing the space.
Thud!
Tsukishima was a split second late, but Daichi, who had rushed in, received the second touch cleanly.
"Nice!"
If you're wondering why Karasuno reacted so quickly to a setter dump—even predicting the landing spot—that was entirely thanks to Kageyama.
When your own setter loves pulling that move during practice matches, you learn to defend against it fast.
In some ways, Kageyama's style really did resemble Oikawa's.
No wonder they came from the same school.
...
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