In just ten minutes, every school in the venue had lined up. Each school's uniform was different, making them easy to distinguish at a glance, and the sight was overwhelming.
Everyone took off their jackets, revealing the numbered sports uniforms underneath. Every number represented an athlete who would fight with everything they had on the court.
Coach Washijō stood at the very front. Ushijima stood behind him, carrying Shiratorizawa's flag.
Ryosuke walked at the very back. From far ahead, he could still see the flag waving, with Shiratorizawa's cheer slogan written across it.
"The Lion Rages."
For a moment, Ryosuke felt dazed. At the same time, he felt grateful. This was wonderful. He had finally made it here.
The passionate music began to play, and countless athletes marched in step into the main arena of Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
The familiar Coach Hosho and Hibarida sat in the coaches' seats. The stands all around were filled with people holding streamers and light boards, wearing cheer uniforms as they came to support their favorite teams.
Screams and applause echoed through the entire gymnasium, and everyone's faces were filled with joyful, excited smiles.
"Welcome, everyone, to the 34th National High School Boys' Volleyball League. Here, we pour out our sweat and youth, our hard work and our struggle. You are all the future pillars of this country. Today, let us welcome all participating athletes with the warmest applause!"
"Aaaah! I waited so long to finally see it live!"
"Go, go, go!"
"You have to win!"
All kinds of voices wove together, forming a match-day march that stirred everyone's urge to step onto the court.
The Shiratorizawa first years looked up and saw only a dense sea of heads.
Tsutomu Goshiki's eyes were filled with excitement. As he stared up at the ceiling, the longing in them nearly overflowed.
The organizer's representative stood onstage and kept speaking, talking for more than half an hour.
Ryosuke had woken up too early today and had not slept well to begin with. The organizer's speech was also rather sleep-inducing, so he rested his head against Tsutomu Goshiki's back, closed his eyes, and secretly dozed for a while. After all, he was standing at the very back, with Tsutomu Goshiki blocking him from the front. No one could see him, so he closed his eyes with a perfectly clear conscience.
The moment Tsutomu Goshiki noticed Ryosuke's little movement, he instantly snapped out of his excitement and straightened his back sharply. He did not know what Ryosuke was doing, but if he did not stand up straighter, Ryosuke would definitely be seen.
And so, Tsutomu Goshiki stood in a posture like military training for another half hour.
"...Let us move forward hand in hand. Friendship first, competition second. Now, I hereby declare the National High School Boys' Volleyball League officially open!"
No one had listened to the organizer after more than an hour of talking, but the moment those final words came out, everyone instantly came back to themselves, straightened up, and applauded.
Most people were probably thinking the same thing. Thank goodness, he was finally done. If he kept talking, they really would have fallen asleep. Some people were even secretly yawning. Were leaders' speeches all this hypnotic nowadays?
After they were dismissed, the schools with matches stayed behind. Some went to the auxiliary venues, while others remained in the main arena. The spectators also followed the teams they supported, and in an instant, the gymnasium became much emptier.
Ryosuke had woken up when the speaker said the final sentence. After dozing off for a little while, he felt much more energetic. He had originally planned to go back and sleep for a bit after the ceremony, but now that he had napped briefly, he was not that sleepy anymore.
Everyone was still standing where they were. Ryosuke rubbed his eyes and leaned over to Ushijima's side to ask,
"Are we watching matches, or are we going back?"
Reon waved his hand.
"Do whatever you want. As long as everyone is there for lunch, you can go wherever. I'm going back to sleep now. Don't come to me for small things. Don't come to me for big things either, because I won't be useful. Even if the sky falls, don't bother me."
Reon was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open. Last night, he had spent the whole night handling the information on teams that had called the school, and he had also made time to check everyone's luggage. He had not gone to sleep until three in the morning. Reon felt like he was unbelievably impressive.
Ushijima nodded seriously, indicating that he understood. He would definitely keep an eye on everyone. He was already a mature captain now.
Then he gave a suggestion to Ryosuke, who was still hesitating.
"Nekoma has a match this morning. Do you want to watch?"
Ryosuke's little curls perked up at once.
"Hm?"
They had a match? Why did he not know? Thinking carefully, Kenma did seem to have mentioned that they had a match on the first day. But he had said it so casually that it was no wonder Ryosuke had not remembered.
"Then I'll go watch the match. Goshiki, do you want to come too?"
Tsutomu Goshiki shook his head wildly, then grinned.
"I'm going to buy clothes with Semi-senpai! I want to buy an Ace's Mindset T-shirt! It's super cool!"
Everyone's gazes turned toward Eita Semi at the same time. It was understandable that Tsutomu Goshiki liked that kind of thing, but what was going on with Eita Semi?
Eita Semi's face flushed red and white under their stares. Without saying a word, he dragged Tsutomu Goshiki away. Yamagata could even see that the tips of Eita Semi's ears had turned red, and he held back his laughter with great effort.
Ryosuke nodded, then sent a message to Kenma. After waving goodbye to everyone, he went off alone to watch the match.
Sakusa had just finished listening to the coaches' meeting and quickly came over to look for Ryosuke. They did not have a match on the first day either, but he was one step too late. Ryosuke had already left.
Sakusa stood not far from Ushijima, frowning to show his displeasure.
"Kiyoomi, let's go eat breakfast."
Komori caught up and said that they had not eaten breakfast that morning. Araki had insisted the food here was good, so one by one, none of them had eaten yet.
Sakusa hesitated for a moment, then decided to eat breakfast first. After breakfast, he could call Ryosuke and ask.
The two of them walked away again, both with their hands in their pockets.
Ryosuke walked and stopped along the way, and at last, he found the training hall. It really was not that he did not know the way. There were just too many spectators! He had only managed to find the place by following the signs. He had to admit, the signs at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium were extremely considerate. They were posted right on the walls, so convenient.
"Phew..."
Ryosuke leaned against the wall and sighed. There really were so many people.
After straightening out his clothes, which had been rumpled by the crowd, Ryosuke went through the small door beneath the stairs and entered the athletes' lounge.
Kenma had just told him that the match had not started yet and that everyone was still in the lounge.
Ryosuke was still holding the rice balls Kita Shinsuke had given him. He planned to bring one to Kenma, since Yaku-senpai had just messaged him saying Kenma had not eaten.
Ryosuke was still wondering why everyone skipped breakfast on match days.
"Kenma, I'm coming in!"
Ryosuke called from outside the door, then pushed it open and went in.
Hearing Ryosuke's voice, Kuroo said without turning around,
"Sit wherever you want."
When Kenma saw Ryosuke, he silently moved over.
Ryosuke reached out and stuffed a rice ball into his hands. Kenma looked a little puzzled, but still accepted it. He sniffed it first, making sure it was not something he disliked, then began eating in small bites.
After changing into his uniform, Yaku saw that Kenma was eating and finally let out a breath of relief. Kenma had not eaten much last night, and now he had skipped breakfast too. If he ran out of strength during the match, that would be a huge problem.
"Thanks, Ryosuke. Kenma never eats properly, and it worries us to death. Good thing you're not as picky as Kenma. Otherwise, Ushijima would be worked to death."
Kenma looked at Yaku, then glanced at the guilty-looking Ryosuke. He lowered his head and chose not to say anything. Others might not know, but he knew very well just how picky Ryosuke was. During training camp, Kenma had once had the honor of eating with Ryosuke, and he had watched Ryosuke take more than half an hour to finish a meal, only to eat a few bites.
At the time, Kenma had thought Ryosuke was even more ridiculous than he was when it came to eating.
After Kuroo changed, he turned around and vigorously ruffled both Kenma's and Ryosuke's hair before sitting down.
"Here to watch our match?"
Ryosuke nodded. Nekoma had qualified as Tokyo's third representative. Third-place teams were usually not seeded, so they did not have the right to skip the first round. They had a match on the very first day.
Last time, Ryosuke had heard Yaku say that they had nearly failed to grab even third place. It seemed Tokyo's competition was fierce too. But having three spots was actually not bad. Just look at Miyagi, which only ever had one spot. Miyagi volleyball was like a gladiator arena. There was no helping it. If they wanted to stand on a bigger stage, they first had to fight their way out of Miyagi. The teams that could never break through were the truly miserable ones.
"Who are you playing in the first match?"
Ryosuke asked. Just then, a few more people came out from the changing room.
Fukunaga tugged at the pants he was wearing and said in a muffled voice,
"Kiyokawa."
Ryosuke: ?
Then he dug through the depths of his memory for information about this team and thought for a while.
"You'll win."
Ryosuke looked up and said it with certainty. He had compared them in his mind. Kiyokawa was not a famous school, but they still had some strength. No team that made it to Nationals was easy to deal with. But compared to Nekoma, they were still lacking. After all, Nekoma was the "defensive cats." They were extremely troublesome, and their chances of winning were higher.
Inuoka gave him a thumbs-up.
"Then we'll take that blessing!"
Everyone chatted in the lounge for a while before Coach Nekomata walked in with a smile, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Children, it's time to go warm up."
The old man, who was usually so kind, now had a firm determination in his eyes. For the sake of the IH, Coach Nekomata must have been waiting for this for a long time too.
"Yes!"
The previously relaxed group instantly seemed to become different people. The cats that had lain low through the cold winter had finally welcomed their first battle.
"Young one from Shiratorizawa, stay here and watch the match with this old man."
Ryosuke, who had been about to go sit in the stands, was suddenly called out. He looked at Coach Nekomata a little awkwardly, then glanced at Kenma, seeking his opinion.
Kenma lowered his head and tugged at his knee pads, then looked up at Ryosuke and said,
"Ryosuke, wait for me here. After the match, I'll take you to eat apple pie."
Kuroo raised an eyebrow in surprise. Apple pie?
For Kenma to actually treat someone to apple pie one day, that was truly a rare sight. It seemed this kid held quite a high place in Kenma's heart.
Hearing that, Ryosuke nodded seriously. Kenma's tone sounded very relaxed, but Ryosuke knew exactly what Kenma's stamina was like. He hoped this match would not be too exhausting.
Taketora Yamamoto slung an arm around Kenma's shoulders and gave Ryosuke a thumbs-up.
"Wait for our good news."
"Mm!"
Under Ryosuke's gaze, the Nekoma players walked onto the court in their red uniforms. Nekoma was usually so quiet and composed, yet their uniforms were such a bright, passionate red. Strangely, it did not look out of place at all.
"Let's go."
Coach Nekomata watched the children's backs as they walked away, then smiled and said to Ryosuke.
Ryosuke nodded very obediently. The remaining players who were not going onto the court also followed Coach Nekomata to the bench.
The view from the bench and coaching area was very clear. After the Nekoma group reached the bench, they quietly began observing Kiyokawa's players.
Both sides were warming up on their courts.
Kiyokawa's number six looked at Lev in amazement.
"That guy is so tall."
"He's not even playing."
Number nine pursed his lips, took a volleyball, and spiked it over.
Bang!
The sound was fairly loud, drawing Nekoma's attention. After glancing over, they turned back and focused on their own warm-up. To Nekoma, a spike at that level was nothing unusual. After all, they were a team that could go back and forth even with seeded teams.
The fifteen-minute warm-up ended quickly. The preparatory whistle sounded, reminding them it was time to get ready to take the court.
Kuroo and the others returned to the bench. Everyone formed a circle with Kenma surrounded in the middle. Ryosuke swore he saw an expression of utter despair on Kenma's face.
Kuroo spoke their cheer.
"We are blood, flowing without pause, carrying oxygen! So the brain can function normally!"
"Let's go!"
Kenma's face collapsed. Honestly, losing the match would not make him feel as miserable as he did right now.
A person could die, but they could not die socially.
Kiyokawa's side was secretly looking over at Nekoma.
Ryosuke could somewhat understand how Kenma felt right now. This cheer sounded like the recruitment speech of some strange organization. What was this? The Blood Cult?
Ryosuke made himself laugh with his own thought.
The commentators also began introducing the match.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Oda Shinjirō."
"And I'm Oda Kijirō."
The commentators for today's match were a pair of brothers. The Oda family name was very widespread, but with names this similar, they were most likely from the same household.
Oda Shinjirō continued,
"Welcome, everyone, to today's match. The two teams facing each other are Kiyokawa and Nekoma. Kiyokawa High is known for its fast offense, while their opponent today, Nekoma, is called the defensive Nekoma by a certain group of fans. What kind of collision will this match bring? Let's wait and see."
"Now, walking toward us are Nekoma's starting players for this match. Number one, Tetsurō Kuroo, wing spiker. Number five, Kenma Kozume, setter. Number four, Taketora Yamamoto, middle blocker. Number three, Morisuke Yaku, libero...
Let's welcome them with a round of applause."
Sitting below, Ryosuke clapped enthusiastically.
After Nekoma's introduction came Kiyokawa's. Ryosuke did not listen closely, but Kiyokawa's captain did look rather strong. Nekoma's starting lineup for the first set was Kuroo, Nobuyuki Kai, Kenma, Yaku, Fukunaga, and Taketora.
Originally, aside from Kuroo, they had planned to let Inuoka take the court as a wing spiker, giving the first year a chance to show himself. But Inuoka himself had refused. He felt it was not appropriate for him to take the lead in the first set, and there were still many things he had not learned properly. Inuoka had joined the volleyball club only a month or two earlier than Lev, and now he was suddenly stepping into a national tournament. Naturally, he was worried that he would not perform well enough and drag the team down.
In the end, after everyone discussed it, Inuoka sat on the bench, and vice-captain Nobuyuki Kai took the court.
When Nobuyuki Kai stepped onto the court, he said to Inuoka,
"Inuoka, watch this match carefully. In the future, this position will be yours. You'll need to clear every obstacle for our setter."
Inuoka clenched his fists. Although he was not on the court yet, he was already nervous.
...
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