"Ah... I'm so tired!"
"We didn't even train much today, so why do I feel this exhausted?"
"I'm starving. I'm definitely eating three bowls of rice when I get home tonight."
...
As the sky gradually darkened, the Seijoh Volleyball Club players left the gym. Many second team members were complaining bitterly, wondering why the training intensity felt particularly heavy today.
The main roster players were slumped on the gym floor, too tired to even speak.
Sweat soaked their clothes, leaving large damp patches on the ground.
"Did I lose my mind? Why did I get competitive with those two maniacs?"
Several main players felt they were questioning their life choices. In truth, the training only escalated slightly at the very beginning, when Iwaizumi tried to compete with Akashi, increasing the spike rhythm.
But as they continued, the atmosphere gradually became warped.
Initially, they were only comparing the spiking rhythm, but later, no one knew who initiated it, but the power of the two players' spikes also began to slowly climb. Before anyone realized it, the training intensity of everyone else was further heightened...
"Wait, is that guy still going to practice?"
Someone noticed Akashi pushing a cart full of balls alone toward the court's baseline and spoke up in alarm.
"No way! No matter how strong his stamina is, he can't possibly..."
BAM!
Before Matsukawa could finish his sentence, a dull BAM echoed from the front of the court. It was the sound of Akashi practicing his serves.
Matsukawa's voice caught in his throat, and he felt his mouth go dry: "Seriously, is this guy really a 'monster'?"
...
Akashi was very tired.
And he was both tired and hungry.
But he had no choice; the Seijoh players were simply too competitive.
In today's training, even though Akashi tried very hard, his average training intensity was only 10 to 20\% more than the others. It was still a huge gap from the most basic [Low-Level Grinding] requirement.
In other words, his haul of [Grind King Points] for the day was 0.
Akashi was always very self-aware. He didn't deny his effort, but his current skill level clearly relied on the System's help.
The System's evaluation standard is the unilateral strongest among the teammates.
During middle school, since everyone was a third-year, the physical gap between them was not huge, even without relying on the System.
But in high school, although Hanamaki, Matsukawa, and others might not have strong natural talent, they had practiced for two more years than Akashi. Therefore, trying to compete with them in terms of training efficiency was clearly very difficult.
The only way to grind was probably to win by focusing on training duration.
The strongest server at Seijoh is Oikawa, but he had just been called away by the coach. So, Akashi had to practice as many serves as possible during this time.
...
Choosing Practice Matches
"Iwaizumi, Oikawa, next week I plan to play a few practice matches against other schools. This will also allow the rookies to quickly adapt to the high school match environment and prepare for the upcoming league. Do you have any suggestions?" Irihata Nobuteru asked.
"Coach, have any schools contacted us yet?" Iwaizumi thought for a moment and asked.
"Yes, quite a few schools want to schedule practice matches with us recently..." Irihata Nobuteru searched through his office desk and pulled out a list.
"This includes powerhouses like Izumiseki, Dewa Ichi, and Shinyama Kogyo, who are all preparing for the upcoming high school league. Also... Shiratorizawa has invited us to their school next week for a practice match."
The moment the name Shiratorizawa was spoken, Oikawa's and Iwaizumi's expressions simultaneously sharpened.
After all, historically, Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa were old rivals.
Although Aoba Johsai is nominally one of the prefecture's top four, to be precise, the reason they failed to advance in the past two years was entirely because of Shiratorizawa.
This led to a state where just hearing the name 'Shiratorizawa' caused an uncontrollable surge of emotion in all Seijoh players.
"First, we should accept Shiratorizawa's invitation."
Iwaizumi spoke first, and his statement was met with the unanimous agreement of Oikawa and Irihata Nobuteru.
It wasn't just the players.
As a coach who had been suppressed by Shiratorizawa for two whole years, it was impossible for Irihata Nobuteru to harbor no resentment whatsoever.
"We can also accept the invitations from Izumiseki and Dewa Ichi. Their schedules are quite flexible and won't disrupt our daily training too much. Playing more matches will also help the rookies adapt quickly to the high school match environment." Oikawa rubbed his nose and offered his suggestion, thoughtfully.
Irihata Nobuteru nodded, accepting the advice.
"And then..."
Oikawa was about to say something else, but just then, he suddenly spotted a name on the list that was both familiar and unexpected.
"Coach, can we schedule a match with Karasuno next?"
"Karasuno?"
Irihata Nobuteru paused slightly.
It wasn't that he hadn't heard the name. Although Karasuno had been called the 'Fallen Powerhouse, the Flightless Crows' in recent years, that was mainly among students.
In reality, for coaches like Irihata Nobuteru, a few years passed in the blink of an eye, so he still clearly remembered Karasuno's glorious past era.
"Karasuno's strength was indeed very high a few years ago, but I recall this school's record in the past two years has only been average. Why do you suddenly want to play against them?"
"Well, I have a very interesting junior who seems to have joined Karasuno this year."
"Oh~ Are you talking about Kageyama?"
Irihata Nobuteru's memory of Kageyama Tobio was also vivid, as Seijoh had also tried to recruit Kageyama after he graduated from middle school. However, like Akashi, he had also refused the special invitation.
"Exactly. I'm curious now: how strong will my 'King' junior be after joining Karasuno?" Oikawa said, a slight curve appearing on his lips.
Irihata Nobuteru pondered for a moment, then said: "In that case, let's add Karasuno to the list of potential schools as well!"
This wasn't a major issue. After all, although Karasuno wasn't strong, their record in recent years wasn't too weak either. As a practice match opponent, they were more than sufficient.
Afterward, Irihata Nobuteru discussed the assignment of players for the upcoming practice matches with Iwaizumi and Oikawa before allowing the two to leave.
Returning to the gym, Akashi had finished his extra hundred serves and was tidying up with Mishita Ryuhei, preparing to leave the facility...