"Toru Oikawa is seriously awful."
Yamagata curled his lip in disdain as he watched the program. It had just reached the part where Mad Dog was evaluating Oikawa, and to Yamagata, it sounded like Oikawa was doing it on purpose.
Kawanishi nodded along in agreement, while Goshiki sat there looking confused, not quite following.
Ryosuke, sitting in front, heard Yamagata's comment and couldn't help but laugh. Oikawa-senpai wasn't that bad. It was probably just some harmless pranks. But coming from someone like Mad Dog, it somehow sounded very convincing.
"No volleyball player is born alone. You're no exception…"
On the big screen, Kyotani, with his sharp, three-white eyes, spoke those words with complete seriousness, leaving Shiratorizawa in brief silence.
"Ah… that Kyotani does feel a bit like how Tendo used to be."
Reon suddenly said, stroking his chin.
"Hm?" Tendo, who had been leaning back in his chair, was suddenly brought up. He narrowed his red eyes with a grin.
"Similar, but not quite."
Ryosuke tilted his head curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"I know, I know!" Yamagata jumped up excitedly from the back, eager to answer.
"When Tendo first came to Shiratorizawa, he acted like he looked down on everyone equally. He didn't care about anyone. As long as he could play properly, winning or losing didn't matter. But this Mad Dog joined the team to win matches.
Tendo was invited to join, and he didn't care about teammates at all. Kyotani is like that too."
"So what's different?" Ryosuke leaned over the back of his chair, looking at Yamagata with interest.
Tendo watched Ryosuke twist halfway around and helplessly helped turn him back before speaking himself.
"The difference is that I have a good temper. No matter what people say, I don't take it to heart. But Kyotani clearly isn't like that. He's more sensitive. If I had taken what others said seriously back then, I might've ended up like him."
Ryosuke stared at Tendo, who was explaining so seriously, and once again felt just how gentle he was. Having someone so gentle and strong as a senior really was something to be grateful for.
Tendo raised an eyebrow at the dazed Ryosuke and smiled even wider. Had little Ryosuke fallen for him?
Then Kawanishi's voice cut in and completely ruined the mood.
"Back then, Tendo was sarcastic to us every single day. He was cunning and annoying. Even Ushijima got mocked."
Kawanishi bit down hard on a potato chip.
Crunch.
The sound made Reon turn around and glare at him, and Kawanishi awkwardly shut up.
Back then, Tendo had been sharp and flamboyant, always carrying a strange edge in the way he spoke. Kawanishi had suffered the most from it.
Well, no need to bring up the past.
Tendo shot Kawanishi a smiling look, his eyes full of warning.
Tendo: Watch it in front of the first-years.
Kawanishi: Crunch, crunch…
Tendo: …
Kawanishi stopped talking, and Tendo didn't bother saying anything more. He pulled Ryosuke back and continued watching the interview.
...
The interview continued playing.
Matsukawa pushed open the lounge door and froze for a couple of seconds when he saw a room full of staff. Then he remembered that Oikawa had mentioned earlier that morning there would be interviews.
Without much thought, he walked over and calmly sat down.
Kuiya looked at him with a strange expression. For some reason, Matsukawa reminded him a lot of that first-year, Kindaichi.
Before Matsukawa even spoke, Kuiya could already sense a strong aura of "simple-mindedness" from him.
The resemblance felt oddly strong, though judging by Aobajosai's style, that didn't quite make sense.
After a brief greeting and introduction, Kuiya began asking questions. He noticed that Matsukawa was extremely steady. No surprise, no nervousness, no embarrassment.
That was rare.
"Matsukawa, how do you usually get along with your teammates?"
Matsukawa looked at Kuiya suspiciously and immediately became a bit guarded. Then he remembered this was just an interview and relaxed again. It was an interview, after all. Nothing strange should happen.
Kuiya noticed the shift in his expression and smiled slightly.
Just enough caution. Not too much.
"We all get along well. Everyone treats me well. Oikawa-senpai is childish, but when it comes to training and matches, he's more serious than anyone. Iwaizumi-senpai is great too, just too strict.
Hanamaki brings me good food every day, and he's got a good temper."
Matsukawa stopped there, clearly thinking he was done.
Kuiya asked with a smile,
"What about the others?"
Matsukawa and Kyotani were strangely alike in this regard. If it was something they didn't want to talk about, they would just skip it entirely.
Matsukawa choked a little, realizing Kuiya's intention, but still reluctantly continued.
"The others are good too. Kunimi is lazy, but he listens when I complain. Kindaichi just feels kind of dumb."
At the mention of Kindaichi, Matsukawa's face was full of disdain. Irihata couldn't help covering his face. Where did he get the confidence to call someone else dumb?
Kuiya almost laughed out loud. Aobajosai really was something else. Still, Matsukawa stubbornly refused to mention Mad Dog.
"So what about Kyotani?"
Matsukawa's expression darkened as he realized he had been led right into it.
"Kyotani… he's fine. Sometimes he steals the ball, but we get along pretty well."
In the end, he didn't mention their fight. He had his pride.
But Kuiya didn't let it go.
"But I heard you two fought before?"
Matsukawa's eyes widened in disbelief that Kuiya knew. His neck quickly flushed red, a mix of embarrassment and irritation.
"That wasn't… a fight. That was just… how we communicate. That's how good friends are."
Some staff members who knew the story were shaking with suppressed laughter.
"Good friends."
To be fair, Matsukawa was smart. He knew not to embarrass Aobajosai in front of outsiders.
Kuiya didn't push further.
"Alright, then what do you think about Aobajosai's loss this time?"
The topic shifted sharply, and Matsukawa almost didn't keep up.
"Uh… Shiratorizawa is strong, but we're not weak either. One day we'll beat them. If not today, then tomorrow. If not this year, then next year.
If our generation can't do it, the next one will. One day, Aobajosai will stand on the national stage."
When it came to this, Matsukawa was full of passion. It was clear that everyone in Aobajosai shared the same goal, to defeat Shiratorizawa and reach nationals.
It was that shared dream that had allowed Aobajosai to grow into what it was now.
Irihata sat below, nodding slightly, his eyes full of satisfaction. No matter their personalities, their goal had never changed.
As long as they kept that pure determination, their future would not be bleak.
Kuiya smiled and nodded, clearly satisfied.
After the interview, he politely saw Matsukawa out and immediately told Mizoguchi to bring Hanamaki.
They had already spent too much time at Aobajosai. If they delayed any longer, they would miss their trip to Karasuno.
Kuiya was getting anxious.
Mizoguchi hurried to the library and found Hanamaki, bringing him over while thinking to himself what a good kid he was, making time to study even with such a busy schedule.
If Hanamaki knew what he was thinking, he would probably feel guilty. He had only gone to the library to read the latest manga.
Kuiya was already seated, waiting. The staff had started packing up, ready to leave as soon as the interview ended.
Irihata sighed. No job was easy these days.
Hanamaki sat down naturally. Judging from how rushed Mizoguchi had been, Kuiya must be very busy. That was good. Hopefully he wouldn't ask anything strange.
After a brief greeting, they went straight to the point.
Kuiya opened with a heavy question.
"Hanamaki, what do you think about Coach Irihata intending for you to become the next captain of Aobajosai?"
Hanamaki froze.
Captain? Since when?
But his composure quickly returned.
"To be honest, I only found out about that today. Whether I become captain or not isn't that important to me. As long as I can keep playing volleyball with everyone at Aobajosai, I'm satisfied."
Kuiya couldn't help but admire his composure.
A flawless answer.
But he wasn't done.
"How do you compare yourself to the current captain, Oikawa?"
Hanamaki frowned slightly.
"I'm still far behind Oikawa-senpai. He's the one who leads the team, our conductor. I respect him a lot."
"If you become captain in the future, how would you differ from him? What plans do you have for Aobajosai?"
Another sharp question.
Hanamaki remained calm.
"That's something for the future. But if I had to say, I would carry on Oikawa-senpai's goals and lead Aobajosai to nationals. I believe every captain thinks that way."
"And if you still fail to lead them to nationals?"
That question was pushing it.
Hanamaki answered calmly.
"Even without me, there will be someone else. Aobajosai's leaders have always come one after another. As long as everyone is working toward the same goal, no difficulty is impossible to overcome."
Kuiya finally eased up.
"Then what would you like to say to your future self?"
Hanamaki's expression softened.
"I hope I can always stay true to myself, keep moving forward in volleyball, and remain humble in victory and resilient in defeat."
Kuiya nodded and stood up to shake his hand.
"Thank you for your cooperation. I hope you don't mind my questions earlier."
"Not at all."
Hanamaki smiled gently.
Kuiya quickly gathered his staff.
"Hurry, hurry, or we'll miss the ride!"
"Mr. Anri! The logistics team already left!"
Kuiya panicked and rushed everyone out to find a taxi.
Hearing this, Hanamaki smiled slightly and offered,
"If you're in a hurry, you can try near the school auditorium. There's a school bus there."
Kuiya looked at him with gratitude. What a good person.
They quickly left.
"Hanamaki, you're really a great guy. Looking forward to seeing you again."
Hanamaki kept smiling, not a hint of annoyance on his face.
Irihata stood behind him and said lightly,
"You've got quite a mischievous streak."
He didn't scold him. After all, Kuiya had been a bit rude.
The school bus driver usually rushed off at this time to pick up his kid and had a terrible temper. Last time, he had scolded a visiting teacher harshly.
And despite his temper, he drove painfully slowly. A thirty-minute trip could take nearly an hour.
If Kuiya really went there, he would have a hard time.
Hanamaki blinked slyly.
"I was just making a suggestion."
Irihata let out a vague hum and walked off.
Hanamaki followed with a grin.
At Aobajosai, aside from Matsukawa and Kindaichi, no one was truly harmless. Even Mad Dog had started to pick up bad habits.
Hanamaki, in particular, was like a fox. He had inherited Oikawa's cunning, but never went too far. As long as you didn't cross a line, he would always be smiling.
Hopefully, Kuiya would make it to Karasuno safely.
...
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