Two figures peered through the gymnasium window.
One of them watched Akashi silently training inside, remaining quiet for a long time.
"Coach, have you really made your decision?"
"I'm still hesitant. Iwaizumi is indeed excellent, but you should also be clear that merely being excellent is far from enough if we want to defeat Shiratorizawa..."
"But they are already third-years."
"That is exactly why I hesitate. I used to never believe in anything 'innate,' but now, I am starting to believe it. Some people may simply be born suited for certain roles, and better suited to bear certain responsibilities."
...
The two figures that appeared silently outside the window did not draw anyone's attention.
Akashi continued to practice basic serving and spiking with Mishita Ryuhei. Although Akashi was not confused by the match loss, the issues Mishita Ryuhei pointed out did exist.
His serving power is immense, but it was ultimately successful in middle school. Now, having moved up to high school, unless he is in absolutely peak condition, Akashi's serve is already struggling to be a decisive weapon.
Especially when facing opponents at the national level, they often only need one or two serves to adapt to his serving rhythm.
Therefore, Akashi must now strengthen his serving power.
Although learning a new type of serve is an option, time is insufficient. The High School Inter-High is rapidly approaching, and even with Akashi's system, he cannot learn and master a new serving technique in such a short time.
Secondly, there is still significant potential to be tapped, and there is no urgent need to learn a new serve.
After all, a [Powerful Jump Serve] at 100\text{ km/h} and a [Powerful Jump Serve] at 130\text{ km/h} are two completely different concepts.
While the Powerful Jump Serve is the most fundamental of all power serves, precisely because it is fundamental, its potential ceiling is extremely high. Theoretically, as long as one's power is great enough, this serve can break all techniques with sheer force.
Akashi and Mishita Ryuhei weren't the only ones left training in the volleyball gym.
Typically, the coaches would not entrust the gym keys to first-years. However, while Akashi and Mishita Ryuhei were training seriously, the others' training looked more like a venting session.
Iwaizumi Hajime spiked the balls set by Oikawa, and with every hit, he couldn't help but curse:
"Damn it!"
"Bastard!"
"Bastard Oikawa!"
Oikawa: "!!!∑(Дノ)ノ"
...
The Karasuno Narrative
The next day, when all the Seijoh players returned to the volleyball club, the negative emotions from the previous day's loss had all disappeared.
Since the core players were mostly third-years, they all had ample experience in self-regulating their mental state, so Irihata Nobuteru didn't need to remind them much.
This is why, after the loss yesterday, Irihata Nobuteru did nothing but dismiss the team.
With their mental state restored, Seijoh's training returned to its daily rhythm.
Every afternoon maintained a strict routine training schedule. Afterwards, Akashi, Oikawa, and the others would secretly do extra training. On weekends, Akashi would continue to train alone in secret.
The volleyball club takes a break every Thursday. This gives Akashi another excellent opportunity for secret improvement.
Every now and then, they would play practice matches against other schools, mostly the top-seeded teams within the prefecture. However, when Seijoh faced them, it was similar to when Shiratorizawa faced Seijoh.
Time passed in this manner...
...
Meanwhile, Karasuno, through various efforts, had finally brought back their 'Ace' and 'Guardian Deity,' and also found a new coach.
After another day of training ended, the Karasuno group, having received a few snack bars for free from the new coach Ukai Keishin's store, walked out the front door.
Hinata Shoyo, chewing on a snack bar, spoke unclearly: "Speaking of which, what kind of team is Nekoma?"
Just recently, Karasuno's volleyball club advisor had somehow managed to arrange a match against a new opponent for Karasuno: Nekoma High School.
"Ah! I heard the coach mention this before. Nekoma seems to be an old rival of Karasuno. When old coach Ukai was still around, Karasuno used to play matches with Nekoma frequently. And later, when they met at the Nationals, they even earned a title... I think it was called... 'The Battle at the Garbage Dump'!" Sugawara Koushi explained.
"The Battle at the Garbage Dump, that sounds incredible!" Hearing this, Hinata Shoyo's eyes immediately shone.
As first-years, Hinata Shoyo, Kageyama Tobio, and the others found it difficult to grasp the significance of a rivalry dating back years. But when they heard the word 'Nationals,' their spirits instantly lifted.
"Nationals! I'm so jealous!"
Hinata Shoyo murmured: "Speaking of which, what is the National Tournament actually like?"
"Uh~~~"
At this, the atmosphere among the group suddenly became momentarily stiff.
This was hitting a blind spot for them.
Finally, everyone's gaze settled on Oda Miki. Facing several pairs of hungry wolf-like eyes, Oda Miki instinctively hugged his chest.
"Gulp~ What are you guys planning to do?"
"Hehehe..." Tanaka Ryuunosuke chuckled, slinging an arm around Oda Miki's shoulder: "Oda! You're the only one among us who's been to the National Tournament. Tell us about it!"
"Huh? Is that all?"
Oda Miki dismissively brushed aside Tanaka Ryuunosuke's arm: I thought you guys were up to something! You got me all fired up.
"There's actually not much to say. The National Tournament isn't much different from regular matches. The only difference is probably... the pressure."
"Pressure?"
Oda Miki nodded: "I'm not afraid to tell you this, but in the very first round of the National Tournament, our entire team was practically paralyzed by the atmosphere on the court. That match was basically won by Akashi alone."
"Akashi? Who is that?" Hinata Shoyo asked, confused.
"That's the guy who was sitting on the bench during the match against Seijoh last time," Oda Miki reminded him.
"Eh???"
Hinata Shoyo's eyes widened instantly: "So, he was your team's former 'Ace'? Why didn't he play in the last match?"
Oda Miki rolled his eyes helplessly: "If he had played in that match last time, do you think we would have won that match?"