"Is it all really over? Somehow, it doesn't feel real."
Hank glanced around. When he saw the spectators in every direction heading toward the exits, it finally began to sink in.
The Spring High preliminaries were completely over.
What awaited him next was the real Spring High.
Only after entering Spring High would the true matches begin. For anyone who wanted to gain an opportunity to step onto the world stage through competition, Spring High was a path that had to be taken.
"It's over."
Hank looked at Yui Michimiya as she rushed toward him, and in his heart, he confirmed that fact once again.
The Spring High preliminaries that he and Aoba Johsai had prepared for all this time had completely ended at this moment.
What they would face next was Spring High.
A true national tournament.
At that time, it would not only be Miyagi Prefecture's representative team participating. Every region of Japan would select its strongest team to take part. Then, from among those strongest teams, the final strongest would be chosen to become Japan's representative team!
It could be said that this was the dream of any volleyball player. Although Hank might not necessarily compete for Japan in the end, he had to win this Spring High.
Only then would his existence in this volleyball world truly have meaning.
...
After the news spread that Aoba Johsai had successfully defeated Shiratorizawa Academy, the clubs throughout Miyagi Prefecture immediately became restless.
No one had expected Shiratorizawa's rule to be shattered just like that. Aoba Johsai, which had always been treated as the perennial runner-up, had completed a perfect comeback.
This news shocked everyone in Miyagi Prefecture who was interested in volleyball.
And because Aoba Johsai had already obtained their ticket to Spring High, every media outlet in Miyagi Prefecture was rushing to report on it.
"Did you hear!? This year, Aoba Johsai actually defeated Shiratorizawa, Miyagi Prefecture's reigning powerhouse!"
"Seriously? Even Wakatoshi Ushijima could be defeated!?"
"I heard that this year's Aoba Johsai is their strongest lineup in years, and even the strongest lineup since the club was founded. And the reason for all of that is the ace who just joined them!"
"That's terrifying. Looks like Miyagi Prefecture is going to produce an even stronger ace in the future."
The fans in Miyagi Prefecture who heard the news were all shocked that Aoba Johsai had managed to defeat Shiratorizawa.
But the even more shocking news was the record of Aoba Johsai's newly joined ace, Hank.
Almost immediately after making his first appearance in the junior high tournament, he had charged forward without stopping. With his addition, they had even defeated the old reigning powerhouse, Shiratorizawa.
It was simply unbelievable.
From this alone, one could see just how terrifying his strength was.
...
At that very moment, the Karasuno members who were training in the Karasuno volleyball club were suddenly stopped by Kiyoko, who had rushed into the club. There was an extremely important piece of news that she was about to announce.
"What is it, Kiyoko? Is there something you need to tell us!?"
After Tanaka and Nishinoya saw Kiyoko, they practically floated over to her, their faces full of excitement.
The other Karasuno members also stopped the training they had been doing and walked toward Kiyoko.
It was clear that the news she had brought this time had to be rather important. Otherwise, she would not have stopped them from training in advance.
"What happened to that guy?"
To them, Hank was absolutely a nightmare they could not shake off. Because of that, they were extremely focused on any news related to him.
Other than him, Toru Oikawa from Aoba Johsai was also one of the people they were paying close attention to.
"That guy definitely got beaten by Shiratorizawa. Shiratorizawa is the strongest team in the prefecture, you know. Aoba Johsai has always been suppressed by them before."
Tanaka spoke irritably. He was not exactly convinced by Hank.
"Don't talk about Hank like that. You won't learn anything with that attitude."
"Shiratorizawa was defeated by Aoba Johsai… The final score was 3–1!"
"Although the match was extremely brutal, there is no doubt about this championship!"
When Kiyoko first learned this news, her face had also been full of shock.
After all, Shiratorizawa was a powerful team within the prefecture. Although Aoba Johsai was strong compared to the other teams in Miyagi Prefecture, when compared with Shiratorizawa…
They were on a completely different level.
In every overall aspect, there was simply no way to compare them.
Because of that, after everyone heard this news, they were all somewhat stunned.
"How is that possible!?"
Tanaka originally wanted to express doubt, but after seeing that everyone around him had fallen silent, he could only begin muttering unwillingly.
He found this result somewhat impossible to accept.
"There's one more piece of news. This time, one player from Aoba Johsai's team has been selected to train with the National Youth Team."
"His name is Hank."
At that moment, Keishin Ukai also walked out and announced this news.
The previously silent court instantly became restless.
(End of Chapter)
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