At the exact moment Hinata Shoyo executed his spike, Oikawa's pupils constricted, as if he were watching someone play with an irresistible toy.
Though the impact of the "Monster Quick Attack" was shocking, for a top-tier setter like Oikawa, such a pass was undeniably enticing.
Yet, Kageyama Tobio's absurdly precise long set still pressured Oikawa considerably.
"Hiyuu-chan, your variations are… fascinating," Oikawa thought.
His plan to force Karasuno into high-ball attacks had failed, and the most crucial element of this play was Kageyama's unusually accurate long-range quick set.
Oikawa's expression revealed a mix of admiration and frustration. He disliked Kageyama's innate ball sense yet was drawn to this style of quick attack.
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After breaking Oikawa's serve streak, Karasuno, riding the momentum, launched a relentless offensive, bombarding Aoba Johsai's court. After scoring four consecutive points, Oikawa was substituted by his coach to rest.
The coach, considering the match, realized that even though he hadn't known Ichinose Guren was on Karasuno, the decision to hold him back implied that Karasuno was hiding something. Naturally, he didn't expose all of Aoba Johsai's trump cards either.
With both sides keeping some strategies in reserve, Karasuno ultimately won the match 2–0.
After the match, following a few words from Coach Kobu, Karasuno concluded this practice match session.
These words captured the central theme of Haikyuu!!:
When people meet, chemistry occurs. At that very moment, somewhere in the world, encounters are changing destinies, maybe in a distant country, on the other side of the Earth, in a small island nation to the east, or a regular high school with an ordinary volleyball team. Even here, at Karasuno, such encounters exist. Though unproven, one must believe that they will grow stronger from it.
On the way to the team bus, Sawamura Daichi continued speaking to his teammates. "Our receiving has to improve if we want to face Aoba Johsai with Oikawa again."
"Of course, Captain. You're so clear-headed about the situation."
Oikawa was already waiting on their path.
After delivering some cutting words, he was ready to leave. He hadn't expected his words to pressure Karasuno, this wasn't a psychological tactic. It was simply his personality.
Meanwhile, Kageyama, using every ounce of his emotional intelligence, tried to mediate between his captain and the senior he had once admired.
Sawamura didn't argue or get angry. He simply left the team with one statement:
"Karasuno's Guardian Deity is coming back."
Back at school, Sawamura instructed the team to clean up the court and then head home. Coach Kobu noted that there was already a coach assigned.
Ichinose Guren, who earlier had barely been noticed due to Nishinoya Yuu's presence, still remained silent, quietly observing everything.
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In the equipment room, Yamaguchi Tadashi pointed at a broken mop.
"This is dangerous. Should we throw it away?"
Sugawara Koushi replied,
"No, no need to throw it away. If we fix it, it can still be used, right?"
Seeing Sugawara's slightly nostalgic expression, Yamaguchi looked puzzled. "What is Senpai talking about?"
"If we have a brand-new set of equipment, why not use it?"
At that moment, Ichinose Guren finally spoke after a long silence, bringing in a brand-new all-in-one floor-cleaning machine for wooden courts.
Seeing Guren's meaningful gesture, usually gentle and cheerful Sugawara unusually objected:
"Hahaha, no matter how good the new equipment is, you still need time to learn it, right? And it's not necessarily better than the old trusty mop. High-tech stuff always has quirks. A mop that's been passed down for thousands of years has its own strengths."
"That's from my experience, by the way," Sugawara added firmly, looking directly at Guren.
Guren touched the back of his head. "Hahaha… true."
Sugawara breathed a sigh of relief. Even if he didn't know whether Guren was hinting at something else, he wasn't going to back down.
Then Guren continued:
"Or… should we just compete?"
"After all, it wasn't easy bringing this new cleaning equipment here. If we don't at least compare once, just using the mop… I'd be left unsatisfied too."
Sugawara paused, then looked up, smiling.
"Alright."
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria