After singling out a few players for criticism, Washijō turned his gaze to Ryosuke and Ushijima. A flicker of satisfaction passed through his eyes, but he didn't praise them. Instead, he added a few pointed remarks.
"Don't get full of yourselves just because you won awards! Ryosuke, you too. You still need to work on your stamina. No need for extra training, but keep following the training plan I gave you."
Ryosuke nodded drowsily. He was sleepy again… he really wanted to sleep.
Washijō shot him an annoyed look, then turned to Ushijima.
"Just keep it up. But an ace doesn't get to slack off behind everyone's back. Got it?"
Ushijima straightened immediately.
"Yes!"
…So he'd been caught.
But he'd thought he'd hidden it well. A rare look of confusion crossed Ushijima's face.
Those who didn't know any better—like Tsutomu Goshiki and Yamagata—just assumed the coach had nothing better to say. But Reon and Shirabu had seen everything clearly. Ushijima had barely exerted himself in the earlier sets.
Shirabu didn't even bother commenting. He was their ace, after all—he'd be indulged.
Washijō waved his hand and snorted.
"That's enough. Anyone assigned extra training stays. The rest of you, get going."
Seeing Ryosuke struggling to keep his eyes open, Washijō felt both irritated and amused and quickly ended the meeting.
Ryosuke's eyes lit up. He looked at Washijō and broke into a goofy grin. Washijō pretended to glare at him, only to get an even brighter smile in return.
That kind of subtle double standard worked surprisingly well on Ryosuke.
The match had ended at noon, and everyone still had classes in the afternoon.
After Washijō left, the team returned to the dorms. Kawanishi was still miserably cleaning the gym, while Tendo had been ordered to stay for extra practice under the direct supervision of the advisor.
There was no way he could sneak off now.
Ryosuke was exhausted. Growing boys were always short on sleep, and now every muscle in his body ached.
Standing at the school gate, he chose to take a taxi. He really didn't want to move—not even a step.
Once inside, he leaned his head against the window. Only then did the happiness finally catch up with him.
The prefectural tournament over the past two days had been his first official competition.
Next—
he'd be stepping onto the national stage.
When he got home, Ryosuke yawned and greeted Terano Washijō.
"Grandma, we made it to nationals today."
Terano Washijō was preparing lunch. Hearing that, she poked her head out, still wearing her apron, and gently stroked his hair.
"I know already. I watched the live broadcast at home. Our little Ryosuke did so well."
Ryosuke grinned, showing a row of small white teeth, his eyes curving into crescents. He looked completely different from his usual shy, reserved self outside.
"I'm going upstairs to sleep. Call me when it's time to eat."
He dashed upstairs.
"Hey! You haven't showered yet! You're covered in sweat!"
Terano Washijō fumed helplessly from behind, then shook her head. He was already this old, and still acted like a little kid.
Ryosuke was far too tired. He pushed open his door, didn't even bother changing, and collapsed onto the bed like a log.
He buried his face into the soft pillow. It still carried his scent, mixed with the warmth of sunlight from being aired out that morning.
He took a deep breath, rubbing his face against it contentedly.
Before long, he was fast asleep—smiling even in his dreams.
By the time Terano Washijō went upstairs to wake him, Washijō had also returned home. They were just waiting for Ryosuke to get up so they could eat.
When Ryosuke woke, he was completely refreshed. The exhaustion on his face had vanished, replaced with youthful vitality.
Washijō couldn't help thinking—young people really were different. One hour of sleep, and he was good for the whole day.
"What are you rushing around for? Get down here and eat!"
Ryosuke, completely unfazed by the stern tone, walked to the table with a grin.
Terano Washijō shot Washijō an annoyed look.
"Can't you speak properly? Why are you snapping at the child?"
Washijō choked on his words. How was that snapping? He just told him to come eat.
Seeing her increasingly dangerous expression, he wisely stayed silent.
Instead, he shot a glare at the culprit—Ryosuke—who was happily eating, and bit into his lobster with unnecessary force, feeling a little wronged. He didn't usually get lobster like this…
As the meal wound down, Washijō set his chopsticks aside and watched Ryosuke rub his stomach.
This wasn't so bad.
The matches were tiring, sure—but Ryosuke's appetite had grown, and he wasn't as picky anymore. Maybe exhaustion had its benefits.
Shaking off the thought, Washijō spoke again.
"This afternoon, there will be interviews. Quite a few—magazines, TV stations, and Volleyball Monthly."
Ryosuke straightened up.
"What?! Interviews?!"
Tsutomu Goshiki stared at him wide-eyed, excitement practically shining in his eyes.
Ryosuke nodded helplessly. He'd told him earlier when he got back to school. Maybe it was instinct—he'd just felt like Tsutomu Goshiki would be interested.
The two of them were now on their way to the gym. Washijō had told them to head there and reminded them to be careful with what they said.
"Really? Really?!"
Tsutomu Goshiki started circling around Ryosuke. Getting dizzy, Ryosuke reached out and stopped him.
"What's going on?"
Reon walked over, having spotted Tsutomu Goshiki spinning around like a puppy from afar.
"Ryosuke said there are interviews later!"
"Yeah," Yunohama said as he passed by with his bag, tone flat. He'd already heard the news, but he didn't expect Tsutomu Goshiki to be this excited.
What a fool. The reporters were obviously here for Ryosuke and Ushijima. Everyone else was just incidental.
What was there to be so excited about?
"Ooooooh!"
Tsutomu Goshiki got even louder.
Reon pressed his temple and gave him a light punch, finally shutting him up.
Ushijima and Tendo followed behind at an unhurried pace. Shirabu and the others, along with Yamagata, were already waiting in the gym.
Ryosuke glanced around and saw that everyone was dressed normally. He quietly let out a breath—he'd thought they might need formal wear.
"Stop standing there. Get over here."
The advisor waved them in. Seeing that everyone looked normal, he also relaxed a little.
There had been a time when a group got so excited for an interview that they all showed up in formal suits—only to find out the reporters just wanted footage of daily training. It had been painfully awkward.
Once everyone gathered, the advisor cleared his throat.
"The TV station will be here first. Just train like normal—they'll film some footage and leave. Then Volleyball Monthly will come, followed by local magazines from Miyagi, and then…"
Everyone felt dizzy just listening.
Reon couldn't help interrupting.
"Coach, this isn't how it used to be."
The advisor sighed.
Back when Ushijima and the others were second-years, there had been plenty of reporters. But the team had been full of difficult personalities—each one harder to deal with than the last.
Reporters would leave after a few questions, completely shaken.
The third-years back then had been just as troublesome—bad tempers, sharp tongues, intimidating faces…
No one wanted to deal with them.
This year, Shiratorizawa finally had some students who seemed a bit more "normal," so the reporters had swarmed in like flies to blood.
After a brief explanation, the advisor left.
Reon rubbed his chin.
Were they really that bad back then…?
Blunt Ushijima who could drive the coach crazy, Shirabu and Semi constantly at each other's throats, and Tendo deep in his chuunibyou phase…
…Yeah, that did sound about right.
He waved it off. If it was just normal training, there was nothing to worry about.
Everyone headed to the locker room to change. Ryosuke followed behind, noticing how everyone had brought their gear.
No matter where they went, they always carried their uniforms and shoes.
It was like a sense of security.
Tsutomu Goshiki muttered beside Yunohama, complaining about something.
Yamagata tilted his head.
"What's wrong with him?"
Yunohama adjusted his glasses and quietly explained how he'd tormented Tsutomu Goshiki earlier.
Using his precious Romero-signed volleyball as leverage, he'd forced him to clean the entire dorm—and even made him deal with all the random junk he'd hidden away.
No wonder he was full of resentment.
Just seeing Yunohama now made him uneasy.
If he tried to slack off, Yunohama would pull out a lighter and smile at his volleyball.
Tsutomu Goshiki wanted to explode—but didn't dare.
So he could only obediently clean like a wronged housewife.
After hearing everything, Yamagata nearly burst out laughing—but held it in for Tsutomu Goshiki's sake.
Thinking about it, Kawanishi treated him pretty well.
Never made him clean.
Never made him do laundry.
Never even scolded him for being messy.
…Mostly because Kawanishi had given up.
Yamagata reflected for a moment.
Maybe he'd gone a bit too far in their fight earlier.
Just a little guilty.
Not much.
Kawanishi suddenly glanced over, then quickly looked away, pretending nothing happened.
By the time everyone changed, the TV crew had already arrived, carrying cameras and equipment.
Their faces were full of excitement.
After all—
this was Shiratorizawa.
A middle-aged man with a mustache approached Ushijima, smiling brightly, practically glowing with excitement.
He grabbed Ushijima's hand.
"Hello, I've heard so much about you, Ushijima Wakatoshi. I'm the head of Miyagi TV's interview team. My name is Anrikuiya—just call me Anri or Kuiya."
Behind Ushijima, Ryosuke peeked out curiously. Tsutomu Goshiki followed, doing the same.
From Anrikuiya's perspective, they looked like little cubs peeking out from behind a tiger.
Ushijima paused.
"Understood, Mr. Anri. But could you let go of my hand?"
Anrikuiya quickly let go.
"Oh! Sorry about that."
He said it—but didn't look sorry at all.
Ushijima frowned slightly.
This guy… doesn't seem trustworthy.
…Kind of like a creep.
Better tell Ryosuke and the others to be careful.
Meanwhile, Anrikuiya had no idea he'd already been labeled as suspicious in Ushijima's mind.
In reality, he just loved volleyball deeply. He hadn't been able to pursue it when he was young due to poverty, so now he worked in volleyball media.
His own child had just started playing.
He just wanted to borrow a bit of Ushijima's "champion aura" for luck.
After briefly explaining the filming plan, he noticed Ushijima wasn't really listening.
Ryosuke sighed and slipped over to Reon, whispering a few words.
Reon looked over at Ushijima, already exasperated.
This captain… useful only during matches and ceremonies.
He walked over and smiled at Anrikuiya.
"Mr. Anri, you can explain the filming plan to me."
Anrikuiya blinked, confused.
But seeing Ushijima looking noticeably more relaxed, he gave in.
"…Alright."
As Ushijima walked away, even his back seemed lighter—almost… happy.
...
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