"Say, Oda, is it really okay for you to do this?"
"What are you referring to?"
"Um, you know... the thing is, weren't you and Akashi-kun teammates before? Is it really alright for you to just hand over all his information to us?" Hinata Shōyō asked, visibly conflicted and struggling.
Oda Miki's expression immediately changed upon hearing this. He said seriously, "Of course it's not alright! If Akashi ever finds out about this, he'll definitely kill me."
Hinata Shōyō: "Σ(дlll)!!!"
Oda Miki: "Hahahahaha... How could that happen? Akashi isn't that petty. Besides, even though he and I were teammates before, I've joined Karasuno now, so during the match, the team must be the first priority."
"Kageyama was right about one thing: in a match, giving your absolute best effort is the greatest respect you can show your opponent."
"And information is just information. If information alone could defeat Akashi, we wouldn't have made it to the National Tournament in Junior High, right, Kageyama?"
Kageyama Tobio: "... Mm."
Hearing this, a sparkling look returned to Hinata Shōyō's eyes: "That's great! I can't wait for the match tomorrow..."
The Atmosphere
And so, the next day, the match between Seijoh and Karasuno officially began.
As the Karasuno players walked into the arena, they heard fierce cheering from the stands:
"Go, go, go, Seijoh! Win, win, win, Seijoh!"
"Go, go, go, Seijoh! Win, win, win, Seijoh!"
...
"Oh? What incredible energy!" Sugawara Kōshi exclaimed instinctively upon hearing the sounds from the audience.
"Alright!! Let's officially start our warm-up! ... Everyone, shout it out!" Sawamura Daichi clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention, then called out loudly.
The team responded with equally high spirits: "Ooh, ooh, ooh~~ Karasuno!"
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
...
On the other side.
Mishita Ryuhei was helping Akashi Asuka stretch, and hearing the commotion from across the net, he instinctively glanced back: "Eh!!! Karasuno is full of energy! It looks like Oda joined a pretty good team!"
Akashi nodded: "The team is definitely good, but whether it's the kind he likes is debatable."
Hearing this, Mishita Ryuhei turned and scanned the Karasuno side. Soon enough, he spotted a yawning, teary-eyed Oda Miki in a corner.
Mishita Ryuhei: "... Uh! It seems that's the case. ... By the way, as the 'Ace,' shouldn't you be warming up with Oikawa-senpai?"
Akashi stood up, jumped a few times, and said: "There's no need for that. Oikawa-senpai is currently focusing on assessing the status of the other players. If I join him, I might disrupt his feel for the team."
Akashi looked in Oikawa Tōru's direction. Oikawa Tōru was currently using passes and verbal communication to gauge and adjust every player's condition.
During this process, the synchronization between Oikawa and the others deepens, and the entire team's atmosphere gradually improves.
But this requires Akashi's absence.
Perhaps due to his rapid "evolution," Akashi's condition has never been particularly stable, as his strength changes almost daily.
It is also for this reason that Oikawa Tōru can now generally draw out 100\% of the other team members' abilities during a match, but with Akashi, the two are still working on their synergy.
After all, if even Akashi himself finds his match condition difficult to control, let alone someone else.
So, to prevent Akashi's daily fluctuating match condition from adversely affecting Oikawa Tōru, before every match, the two specifically take time beforehand to understand each other.
Once the formal warm-up begins, they separate.
...
Oikawa Tōru: "... Iwaizumi-chan, are you too nervous today? There's no need to intentionally show off your cool side! No girls are going to pay attention to you, you know!"
Iwaizumi Hajime: "({▼皿▼\})"
Iwaizumi Hajime rolled up his sleeves, veins bulging on his forehead, determined to punch this idiot to death today.
To Akashi's disappointment, Yahaba Shigeru rushed in at the crucial moment and held Iwaizumi Hajime back, preventing Iwaizumi Hajime's fist from landing on Oikawa Tōru's head.
"Calm down! Iwaizumi-senpai. The match is about to start. You can beat him to a pulp after the match is over!"
The Seijoh players watched the daily antics of this contentious pair, internally feeling indifferent, yet slightly wanting to hand Iwaizumi Hajime a hammer.
However, when they heard what Yahaba Shigeru said, they realized it made sense. The match was about to start, and Oikawa Tōru was needed now. Killing him could wait until after the match.
So, everyone stepped in, temporarily soothing the murderous intent blazing from Iwaizumi Hajime's eyes.
Soon!
The warm-ups finished!
The members of both teams lined up simultaneously and bowed to each other.
"Please take care of us!! (x2)"
...
Oikawa Tōru: "Yo! Little Tobio, I'm really looking forward to officially defeating you, the [Genius Setter], in today's match! Don't disappoint me!"
Kageyama Tobio: "We will win..."
"We won't lose!"
Before Kageyama Tobio could finish, a small figure suddenly jumped out and shouted loudly at Oikawa Tōru.
Oikawa Tōru was momentarily startled.
"Idiot Hinata, stop copying what I say..." Kageyama Tobio scolded him, then turned his head to look in Akashi Asuka's direction and said earnestly, "And you, Akashi, I will definitely defeat you today."
"Me too! Me too! Me too!"
Hinata Shōyō popped out again, darting around in front of Kageyama Tobio like a monkey.
Kageyama Tobio: "..... I told you, you idiot, stop interrupting me!"
BAM!
An angry symbol bulged on Kageyama Tobio's temple, and he slammed a fist onto Hinata Shōyō's forehead.
Akashi Asuka across the net: "... Uh! You two seem to have a very good relationship!"
"Huh? Who has a good relationship with him? (x2)"
Two voices rang out simultaneously, and then... Hinata Shōyō received another bump from Kageyama Tobio.
At last, the world quieted down a bit.
"We will win today!" Kageyama Tobio stated.
"Mm! Then I look forward to your performance!" Akashi was stunned for a moment, then replied with a smile.
...