"Oda, was that your friend just now?" Hinata Shouyou asked curiously after his nervousness had slightly subsided outside the restroom.
"Yes, that was my teammate from middle school."
"Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh~~" Hinata Shouyou's spirits lifted immediately, his eyes shining: "Does that mean he's as strong as you?"
Oda Miki pondered for a moment: "To be accurate, he's probably a little stronger than me. After all, I often slacked off during practice in middle school, but he didn't have the chance to slack off."
"Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh~~ So strong! What position does he play?"
"Setter."
"Setter? Isn't that the same as Kageyama? Will he play in the match today?"
Oda Miki was slightly exasperated. He looked down at the wide-eyed Hinata Shouyou and said, rather helplessly: "Are you a curious baby? Why are you curious about everything?"
"However, it's unlikely that Mishita will play today. Seijoh will certainly have stronger third-year upperclassmen, and he's not a genius like Kageyama."
...
The 'Fate' Toilet
The Karasuno team entered the Seijoh gym.
When Hinata Shouyou saw the massive gym and the enthusiastic volleyball atmosphere inside, his stomach immediately started churning again.
But this time, no one accompanied him. Hinata Shouyou had to head to the restroom alone.
And then he encountered them again.
He ran into Kindaichi and Akashi, who just happened to be washing their hands and using the toilet, respectively.
Seeing Hinata Shouyou again, Kindaichi was momentarily stunned.
Akashi's eyes also held a hint of strangeness. This was the first time he had used the restroom in the gym today, and yet, by such a coincidence, he ran right into Hinata Shouyou.
Does this guy truly have some kind of 'Fate Toilet' buff on him?
Akashi wasn't very interested in Hinata Shouyou.
Or rather, he wasn't interested in the current Hinata Shouyou. After all, Hinata Shouyou had only been formally practicing volleyball for less than a month. Although he possessed some physical talent, overall, without Kageyama Tobio's help, he was arguably worse than an average first-year player.
However, Akashi did not leave immediately.
Mainly because when Kindaichi and Hinata Shouyou met, a subtle 'shura field' atmosphere inexplicably permeated the air.
Akashi might not be the best at playing volleyball.
But when it came to observing drama, there were certainly no more than a handful of people in all of Japan's high school leagues who could surpass him.
Finding a suitable spot, Akashi began to seriously watch the fascinating sparks generated by the collision of Kageyama Tobio's 'ex-girlfriend' and 'current girlfriend.'
Two minutes later, the argument ended.
Kageyama Tobio's 'two girlfriends' parted ways unhappily.
Akashi then hastily rushed into the restroom to relieve himself. He had almost wet his pants just now, trying not to miss the exciting scene.
After he was done and returned to the court, Akashi saw that the match between Seijoh and Karasuno had already begun.
Yes, that's right.
Akashi would not be participating in today's practice match.
It wasn't that he didn't want to, but Irihata Nobuteru had forbidden him from playing.
The reason for this traced back to last Friday afternoon...
That afternoon, the weather was mild and sunny.
After finishing the Volleyball Club's regular training, Akashi continued to stay in the gym to practice his serves, as was his custom.
And this scene was 'unluckily' witnessed by a certain setter who claimed to be 'not a genius.'
At that moment, the setter couldn't tolerate it.
Are you kidding me?
As an upperclassman, it's bad enough that my talent isn't as good as yours, but if my training intensity is also lower, what's the point of me even playing volleyball?
So, despite his body being extremely fatigued, the setter stubbornly forced himself to compete with Akashi.
If Akashi served one ball, he served two...
If Akashi served two balls, he served four...
And then!
This setter, who was extremely adept at grinding, twisted his ankle.
Although the injury was not severe, this unexpected incident served as a wake-up call for Coach Irihata Nobuteru. Therefore... Akashi was banned from participating in today's practice match.
This was because they had a practice match against Shiratorizawa scheduled for tomorrow.
As a potential trump card for tomorrow's match, and to prevent Akashi from making the same stupid mistake as a certain setter, Irihata Nobuteru simply ordered Akashi to rest for the day.
Even Akashi's extra practice for the day was forbidden by Irihata Nobuteru.
...
The Match Unfolds
The first set of the Seijoh vs. Karasuno practice match unfolded largely as it did in the original story.
Due to Hinata Shouyou's excessive nervousness, Karasuno made constant mistakes throughout the entire set. In less than twenty minutes, the first set reached Seijoh's set point.
Then, the rotation brought Hinata Shouyou to the service position.
With a BAM, the volleyball was served by Hinata Shouyou, and it struck Kageyama Tobio squarely on the back of the head.
Seeing this moment, the entire gym instantly fell silent.
Akashi, on the sidelines, couldn't hold back his amusement.
Although he had anticipated this scene, the desire to laugh was simply overwhelming when the moment truly played out before him.
However, by the second set, when the 'Luminous Shadow Duo' of Karasuno began to display the miraculous [Monster Quick Attack], Seijoh suddenly found itself at a disadvantage.
There was no helping it.
Even with its inevitable flaws at the time, the [Monster Quick Attack] was an offensive technique that completely surpassed the level of ordinary high school volleyball.
And the Seijoh players currently on the court were all ordinary high school players.
Soon, the second set ended, and Karasuno tied the score at one set all.
As the second set concluded, Kageyama Tobio repeatedly shot challenging glances at Akashi, clearly wanting him to take the court to avenge the loss from their middle school match.
But unfortunately, Akashi was internally unmoved, and he was even considering sneaking back to train his stamina.
After all, he wasn't like that Oikawa guy, who, despite being a third-year student, had the childish mentality of a grade-schooler and always liked to relentlessly target one or two people...
Hmm?
Speak of the devil. Suddenly, a wave of girls' screams erupted from the corridor on the second floor of the gym. Even without looking up, Akashi knew exactly who had arrived.
After all, only two people in the Volleyball Club could generate that kind of commotion right now.
He was sitting right there, so the other person was clearly obvious.
"Oh? Oikawa, you're here! How is your injury?" Irihata Nobuteru asked.
Oikawa smiled, waved to the girls around him, and gave an 'OK' sign, saying: "It's completely fine. It was just a minor injury to begin with, and now I've fully recovered."