[I admit your novel is really good, but I'm not going easy on you in tomorrow's match.]
Late at night, Akashi Asuka was in his room, buried in study materials for Tokyo University's third-year entrance exam. While everyone else was starting to wind down, he was still grinding, fully embracing the ruthless spirit of academic competition.
Suddenly, his phone lit up.
He glanced at it, and the message on the screen caught his eye.
It was from Sakusa Kiyoomi of Itachiyama.
Earlier today, right after Aoba Johsai defeated Nekoma, Itachiyama had secured their own spot in the semifinals by beating Inubushi Higashi.
In the original timeline, Itachiyama would have been upset in the final set due to an injury to their ace.
But now, thanks to the subtle flap of the butterfly that was Akashi Asuka, that injury never occurred. As a result, Itachiyama cruised to a 2–0 victory.
By the way, the other two teams in the top four were Fukurodani, Tokyo's second representative, and Kamomedai High from Nagano.
[No need.]
After replying with that short message, Akashi turned back to his study materials.
As last year's national champions, and the very team that had knocked Aoba Johsai out of the qualifiers, Itachiyama's strength was unquestionable. Even now, they remain a formidable opponent for Seijoh.
However, despite the high stakes, Seijoh's strategy meeting today was surprisingly brief, shorter than the one they'd had for Nekoma.
That didn't mean they were underestimating Itachiyama.
Quite the opposite.
The reason the meeting was short was because, thanks to their joint training sessions over the summer, both teams already knew each other inside and out. There wasn't much point in over-preparing with elaborate tactics.
Tomorrow's match would be a pure test of strength and adaptability.
And Itachiyama knew this too, otherwise, Sakusa wouldn't have had the leisure to be texting Akashi at this hour.
[What are you doing?]
The phone lit up again. This time, Akashi paused slightly before tapping it open.
Something about the tone… felt oddly off.
[Studying.]
[Studying? For finals? I thought your grades were already great?]
[No, I'm reviewing material for the third-year entrance exams.]
The moment Akashi sent that message, there was an obvious delay in Sakusa's response.
About ten seconds passed before the next ping.
[No wonder you can write such incredible novels. You're even more 'cautious' than I thought. So you're not planning to rely on a sports recommendation to get into college?]
[Yup. I want to try getting into Tokyo University through academics.]
Silence fell again.
On the other end, Sakusa Kiyoomi sat half-buried in his futon, staring at the screen in deep thought.
This was the second time Akashi had floored him in a non-volleyball context.
Truth be told, Sakusa's grades weren't bad either. He was the type to keep his weaknesses covered, so he made sure his academics were solid.
But that just meant he could consistently pass tests, not get into Japan's top university on sheer academic merit. That was a whole different league.
"…Don't tell me volleyball's just a hobby for this guy?"
The thought hit Sakusa like a punch to the gut. At first it sounded ridiculous, but the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
"Hey, are you texting Akashi again?"
Futons side-by-side, Motoya Komori noticed Sakusa's odd expression and asked casually.
"…Motoya, do you think it's possible that Akashi only plays volleyball to have some club activity in high school?"
"Huh? Are you sick or something? Come on, no way! If it were just for fun, there's no way a lunatic like him would train that hard during summer camp."
Komori stared at him like he'd gone insane. "You remember how intense he was, right? That wasn't casual. That was obsessed."
"And besides, with his current level, I bet even though he's just a first-year, pro teams will start reaching out after this Spring High ends."
"What kind of university acceptance letter could possibly make him turn down a pro offer? Tokyo U?"
Sakusa didn't respond. But his silence said everything. Komori's expression slowly twisted in disbelief.
"…No way."
Sakusa silently raised his phone, showing Komori the message thread.
Komori read it, and fell quiet too.
"…He's actually serious?"
"Looks that way. Hard to imagine someone cracking books during nationals as a joke."
Komori inhaled deeply, unsure how to even process this.
What the hell was wrong with this guy?
This was volleyball! Was it really necessary to overachieve this hard?!
You're a nationally ranked ace and a bestselling novelist, and now you're aiming for Tokyo University too?!
For a long moment, Komori just sat there, trying to calm his breathing.
When he finally exhaled, he muttered:
"We absolutely cannot lose tomorrow's match."
His tone was deadly serious. Sakusa understood what he meant without needing to ask.
If they couldn't even beat Akashi in volleyball, then what could they beat him at?
"Don't worry. Tomorrow, we're going to give that overachieving freak a lesson he won't forget."
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Elsewhere.
With the texts finally quiet, Akashi could return to studying in peace.
In the first-year dorm of Aoba Johsai, Kanji Kindaichi was playing on his PSP. Beside him, Kunimi Akira was reading a novel.
To their left, Akashi sat at his desk under a lamp, reviewing third-year entrance materials.
To their right, Ryuhei Sanashita flipped through his textbook, quietly memorizing facts for the upcoming final exams.
The sound of pens scribbling and pages turning filled the silent room.
At first, Kindaichi and Kunimi tried to ignore it. But over time, their games and books started to lose their appeal.
Suddenly, continuing to play or read felt… almost criminal.
"…Guess I'll crack open some books too."
Sharing a look of quiet resignation, both boys put their PSP and novel away and pulled out their schoolbooks.
Ironically, they'd only packed them by accident. Who'd have thought they'd actually use them during nationals?
With all four of them studying, the room fell into a deep, focused silence.
The wall clock's hands ticked slowly.
The oddly peaceful, and competitive, atmosphere lasted until someone suddenly pushed open the door.
"Hey, first-years! Wanna come grab some late-night snacks, …HUH???"
Oikawa Tooru froze in the doorway.
What… what am I seeing?
The first-years… were studying?!
"Oi, dumbass Oikawa, what's taking you so long? Didn't I tell you to get Akashi and the others for snacks?!"
Hajime Iwaizumi stomped over, looking ready to smack Oikawa, until he peeked inside the room.
Then he stopped dead.
No way. These first-years were seriously studying during nationals?
"…You guys okay?"
Iwaizumi coughed awkwardly. "Need a snack break? Replenish some energy?"
Sanashita rubbed his stomach. "Actually, I am a little hungry. Do you guys want anything?"
Akashi replied, "You go ahead."
Kunimi shook his head. "I'm not really hungry."
Kindaichi thought for a second, then said, "I'll go with you."
Just as the two of them stood up, Iwaizumi raised a hand to stop them.
"No, it's fine. Stay here. We'll bring the snacks to you."
"Huh? But, "
Before they could protest, Iwaizumi shut the door and dragged Oikawa away.
"Oi! Bring extra snacks to the first-years' room later, got it?"
"Wha, why me?! I'm the senpai here! Shouldn't they be bringing me snacks?!"
Oikawa grumbled, but Iwaizumi shot him a disgusted glare.
"Senpai? Really? You sure? Ask yourself that again. Did you see what they're doing? And what about you, huh?"
"I-I'm saving my strength for tomorrow's match against Itachiyama!"
"Right. That's why you ate three chicken legs at dinner?"
As the two bickered their way to the cafeteria, they found the rest of Seijoh's second- and third-years, plus the coach, already gathered and enjoying their midnight meal.
"Eh? Just you two? The first-years not hungry?" Hanamaki asked.
"They're still studying," Iwaizumi said calmly. "Seemed really focused, so I figured we'd just bring some food up to them later."
"…Studying?"
Everyone, including Coach Irihata, turned to look at him in disbelief.
Iwaizumi nodded. "Yeah. Probably because of Akashi. This year's rookies have way better grades than usual."
Trust the real team captain to put the pieces together so easily.
Remembering Akashi's test scores, the others could only silently agree.
Then…
Everyone looked down at their half-eaten rice bowls.
Suddenly, their midnight snacks didn't taste so good anymore.
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The next day.
Seijoh and Itachiyama faced off once again in the nationals.
But something was… off.
Many players from both teams looked like they hadn't slept. Their expressions were grim, like someone owed them money.
For example: Sakusa Kiyoomi and Motoya Komori.
And nearly every second- and third-year on Seijoh's side.
"Yo, Sakusa, Komori… You guys okay?"
A few teammates checked in during warm-ups, concerned.
Both responded with the same firm answer:
"I'm fine. But we have to win this match."
Their tone was unshakable.
Normally, such determination would be a good sign.
But somehow… their teammates couldn't shake the feeling that this was personal.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria