Lunch break passed quickly, relaxed and pleasant as it was.
The Karasuno volleyball team, well-fed and well-rested, stepped off the bus one after another, already dressed in their black stand-collar uniforms.
They began making their way toward the arena for the afternoon match.
There was still plenty of time before the game started. After allowing enough time for warm-ups, Coach Ukai gathered everyone together.
Holding a tactics board with his brows knitted tightly, he began arranging the lineup and explaining the key points of the match.
"Alright. We've already played a practice match against Aoba Johsai before."
"What do you think about them?"
To cultivate the players' ability to read matches and think independently, Coach Ukai asked for their thoughts instead of directly giving instructions.
Shoyo Hinata, unsurprisingly, raised his hand first, and without waiting to be called on, simply started speaking.
To him, raising a hand was the permission to talk.
"They're really strong!"
A line full of energy, and absolute nonsense, came straight out of Hinata's mouth. No one in Karasuno reacted.
They were used to this.
"Yeah."
Hoshino Katsuri actually nodded, agreeing with Hinata.
"Coach, analysis complete. Hinata is speaking nonsense."
"Hey!! Fish-eyes! Don't say it like that!!"
"Oh? And what could you possibly do about it? Little tangerine boy~"
The comedic duo (similar to a Japanese manzai act, where one is the fool and the other the straight man) started their usual bickering. Everyone else simply ignored them. Honestly, if they didn't do this before a match, it would feel strange.
Kageyama Tobio finally began his analysis.
"Although the Aoba Johsai we played before didn't have their ace setter, Oikawa-senpai, we could still see that each of their players has extremely solid fundamentals and tactical awareness."
"Even without him, they were a team at the level of a top-four contender in Miyagi."
"They are a strong team that plays true team volleyball."
"And if Oikawa-senpai is included… each of their players' performances will improve dramatically."
"Correct."
Coach Ukai nodded, satisfied.
Sugawara added at the right moment:
"This time their captain will definitely be starting. We need to be prepared to deal with that terrifying serve right from the beginning."
A proud smile appeared on Ukai's bronzed face.
"Very good."
"You've correctly identified the two core focuses of this match."
"First is Oikawa Tooru. His personal offensive ability, attacking, blocking, serving, places him among the highest skilled athletes in Miyagi."
"When a team as balanced as Aoba Johsai adds an overwhelmingly strong offensive setter like Oikawa, their teamwork spikes to another level."
"So, "
Ukai tapped his marker strongly against the whiteboard, circling two written words.
"Oikawa, Teamwork."
"As a team, I have complete confidence in you. You will not lose to any team in Miyagi."
"As for serve reception: Hyakuzawa, Tsukishima, Hinata. One of you must be positioned in the middle to avoid leaving double gaps in the back row."
"Hyakuzawa can participate in reception when needed."
"Hinata and Tsukishima, you two will not participate in back-row serve reception. Nishinoya will handle coverage."
"Therefore, our starting lineup is, "
Shoyo Hinata, Ichinose Guren, Tsukishima Kei
Kageyama Tobio, Yudai Hyakuzawa (with Nishinoya Yuu rotating in), Sawamura Daichi
After finishing the lineup, Karasuno and the newly-arrived Aoba Johsai began warm-ups.
During stretching, Hoshino, Hyakuzawa, and Ichinose grouped together as usual. While they got along well with the whole team, the three of them walked to and from school together, making their bond naturally closer.
Hyakuzawa and Hoshino stretched calmly, their expressions completely relaxed, almost like this was just another in-house scrimmage.
Not a hint of nervousness.
Ichinose Guren, however, was too excited. His heart beat faster at the thought of facing someone as strong as Oikawa Tooru.
My heartbeat… is speeding up.
He glanced curiously at his two close friends.
"How are you two… not nervous at all? The opponent is the traditional runner-up of Miyagi. They're really strong, you know."
"You're not afraid we're going to lose?"
The 1.7 meter tall Hoshino and the more than 2 meter tall Hyakuzawa exchanged glances over the thirty-something centimeter height difference.
They didn't really get what Ichinose was worried about.
But Hoshino answered anyway, he never left a question hanging.
"Why would we be nervous or scared?"
"As long as Hyakuzawa and I just do what we're supposed to do, that's enough. Besides, I might not even get court time. What's there to be nervous about?"
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria