Over at Shiratorizawa, Ryosuke stared blankly at Nishinoya on the screen, the envy in his eyes almost overflowing.
Nishinoya-senpai won Best Libero at this year's prefectural tournament… that's amazing…
If only I could too…
Beside him, Ushijima watched Ryosuke's expression thoughtfully, lost in his own thoughts.
...
Nishinoya stepped out and happened to run into Ukai, who had just finished smoking.
"Heading back?" Ukai asked casually.
Nishinoya wrinkled his nose and sniffed the air, immediately catching the strong smell of smoke. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he held back.
The smoke around Ukai was really suffocating.
But Nishinoya didn't dare say anything. Better leave that kind of thing to Takeda-sensei and Daichi-senpai.
Inside the lounge, Kuiya and Takeda-sensei were still discussing who to interview next.
Ukai slipped back to his seat quietly, almost like a thief, without drawing attention. Only Takeda-sensei subtly sniffed the air.
After all, no one else there smoked. It was obvious where the smell came from.
Soon, Kuiya and Takeda-sensei made their decision.
Next up was Tanaka.
The "next ace" Azumane had mentioned.
...
Nishinoya hummed to himself as he bounced along, quickly forgetting what he had originally gone there for.
As he walked, he felt the medicated patches on his back again and headed to the locker room to tear them off.
For a libero, having anything stuck to your body felt like a restriction.
And Nishinoya hated that feeling.
"Yo, Ryu, you're here too!"
Spotting Tanaka, Nishinoya jumped straight onto his back.
Tanaka, already used to it, calmly peeled him off.
"Hey, Nishinoya, do you still have any patches left?"
He twisted his shoulder around, revealing a large bruise. It looked painful.
"Nope… but I've got two on my back. I was just about to take them off!"
"Oh! Then take them off and give them to me!"
Tanaka grabbed Nishinoya and started shaking him excitedly.
"Hey, hey, stop shaking me first!"
After finally calming Tanaka down, Nishinoya took off his shirt in front of the mirror.
His lean but well-defined back came into view, with two neatly placed patches on his lower back.
He hesitated.
He might be a tough guy, but no one could casually rip those things off.
No one.
Not even Nishinoya.
He noticed Tanaka watching him from behind.
No way he could lose face now.
Closing his eyes, Nishinoya steeled himself. When he opened them again, he looked like he was about to march into battle.
He gritted his teeth, glanced casually at Tanaka, then reached back and ripped the patch off.
Rip!
Tanaka flinched just from the sound.
That alone sounded painful.
"...!"
The skin on Nishinoya's back stuck to the patch as it came off, instantly turning red.
His lips trembled slightly, but he forced himself to stay composed.
"You okay, Nishinoya?"
"I'm… fine."
It hurts like hell!
"You're awesome!" Tanaka gave him a thumbs-up.
Nishinoya screamed internally.
Since Nishinoya said it didn't hurt, Tanaka believed him.
Seeing there was still another patch, he quietly reached over…
Rip!
A sudden sharp pain exploded across Nishinoya's back.
His eyes shot wide open.
Who… who ripped it off?!
By the time he realized what happened, his brain had already gone blank from the pain.
He turned and saw Tanaka holding the patch, looking confused.
Nishinoya's lips trembled. His face drained of color.
Tanaka panicked immediately.
"Hey! Nishinoya! You okay?! Don't scare me!"
He grabbed him, shaking him frantically.
The situation spiraled instantly.
Daichi, hearing the commotion, burst into the room.
What he saw froze him for a second.
Nishinoya lying on the ground, face peaceful.
Tanaka panicking beside him.
It looked like a crime scene.
"Nishinoya?!"
Daichi rushed over, grabbed him, and checked him thoroughly. After confirming he was fine, he finally relaxed.
Nishinoya was spun around like a doll, getting dizzy.
Daichi set him down, confused.
"You're fine… so what was all that yelling about?"
Nishinoya quickly slipped out of his grasp, sniffed, and puffed out his chest.
"Nothing! Just had a stomachache!"
Obviously a lie.
There was no way he'd admit he almost cried from pain.
Too embarrassing.
Tanaka nodded along, grateful for the cover.
Otherwise, he would've definitely gotten scolded.
At that moment, Takeda-sensei poked his head in and waved at Tanaka.
Tanaka pointed at himself.
Takeda-sensei nodded.
He walked over, not noticing the thoughtful looks from Daichi and Nishinoya.
Takeda-sensei calling him could only mean one thing.
Interview.
For some reason, everyone who had already been interviewed had kept quiet about it.
A strange kind of unspoken agreement.
...
Tanaka followed Takeda-sensei all the way to the lounge.
Only when he saw all the staff and cameras did it hit him.
Then he immediately started complaining.
"Takeda-sensei—!"
He dragged out the last syllable dramatically.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? At least let me change! It's my first time on TV! I need everyone to remember the handsome Tanaka Ryuunosuke! So many girls are going to see this, and I look like this…"
Takeda-sensei almost laughed.
He patted Tanaka's shoulder.
"It's fine. The others didn't change either. And honestly, you look great after training. I'm sure lots of girls will like it."
"Really?!"
"Really."
Tanaka rubbed his shaved head, deep in thought.
So girls like hardworking guys now?
Would that work on Shimizu-senpai…
While Tanaka was lost in his thoughts, Takeda-sensei gently pushed him inside.
The moment he came back to his senses, he was staring straight into a wall of cameras.
For once, Tanaka felt nervous.
"Hello! I'm Tanaka Ryuunosuke!"
He stood straight, bowed, and greeted respectfully.
Ukai nearly burst out laughing.
Where did this kid even learn that?
But surprisingly, it worked.
Kuiya also laughed, quickly helping him up.
"No need to be so formal. I'm Kuiya, your interviewer."
After introductions, everything went smoothly.
Tanaka sat down.
The interview began.
Kuiya recalled Azumane's description.
A guy with little talent, but bright and resilient.
And at first glance…
"A delinquent-looking monk head."
Yeah.
That fit perfectly.
Even when he behaved, that vibe was still there.
Kuiya cleared his throat and shifted tone completely.
"So, Tanaka. From what I've seen, you're the most ordinary player on Karasuno. Why have you been able to keep going?"
Tanaka shot to his feet.
The room froze.
Ukai stood up immediately.
Kuiya stayed seated, calm on the outside, panicking inside.
Wait. Is he actually going to hit me?
Am I about to become the first reporter in Miyagi history to get punched on camera?
Tanaka's chest rose and fell sharply.
Then he sat back down with a heavy snort.
"I know."
His voice carried a hint of frustration.
"I've always known I'm just ordinary. I can't match my genius juniors. I can't match my dependable seniors. And I can't compare to Nishinoya either."
Kuiya felt a bit guilty seeing him like that.
Maybe that question had been too harsh.
Tanaka lowered his head.
"I've been working hard too. My training isn't less than Nishinoya's. I even practice extra sometimes. But I just don't improve. I almost thought… I was just that kind of player."
"Almost?" Kuiya caught it immediately.
Tanaka lifted his chin again.
"During that match, Aobajosai targeted me hard. I was close to breaking."
"But when I came off the court, Nishinoya and Hinata ran up and high-fived me."
He remembered clearly.
Nishinoya was angrily complaining about Oikawa.
Hinata was staring at him with sparkling eyes.
"Tanaka-senpai, that was so cool! You still scored like that! That's amazing!"
"At first, I thought he was just comforting me. But when I saw his eyes… I knew he meant it."
"Later I asked him why he said that, and he looked at me like I was dumb."
"'Tanaka-senpai, you didn't give up even then. That's amazing. If it were me, I might've cried.'"
Tanaka scratched his head, embarrassed.
"I've been thinking about it. Why I almost broke back then. I realized… I cared too much about pride."
Then he continued.
"I know I'm ordinary. But there are so many ordinary people in this world."
"All I can do is keep moving forward. Step by step. Never stopping."
"Because one day, I want to be like Daichi-senpai. To create a place where my juniors can breathe."
Kuiya nodded.
He understood.
Tanaka wasn't lacking.
He just demanded too much from himself.
And that same stubborn drive was exactly why he stood here now.
"Sorry. That question earlier was rude."
"It's fine. It's true anyway."
Kuiya laughed.
Talking to someone this straightforward was refreshing.
"So even if you've reached your limit, will you keep playing?"
"I will. But not professionally."
Tanaka grinned.
"I love volleyball too much to quit. But I know I won't shine forever."
"I'll probably stay in the sport somehow. Maybe as a coach. Maybe open a shop."
"There are lots of ways to stay connected."
"As long as I love it, I won't forget it."
What Tanaka didn't know…
Was that years later, those words would become his reality.
A small shop.
A life with someone he loved.
Still chasing the same dream.
That, however, was a story for the future.