The bus carrying the members of Karasuno High rolled to a stop in front of the Miyagi Prefectural Gymnasium, and one by one, the team disembarked.
Their arrival immediately drew attention from the surrounding crowd.
"Wooooah! Black uniforms…"
"That's Karasuno!!"
"Wait—is that the team that won the Inter-High championship?"
"Yes! National champions, right from our prefecture! That's them!"
"Ugh! Talk about bad luck drawing this tournament…"
"We already had Shiratorizawa to worry about, and now Karasuno's here too? How are we supposed to survive?!"
"Exactly! Even if you win your early matches, the moment you face one of those two, it's over!"
"Seriously! How can one prefecture have two monster teams at the same time?! It's not fair!"
…
Whispers and murmurs buzzed through the crowd nonstop.
Karasuno, just stepping off the bus, instantly became the center of attention.
After all, in the last prefectural qualifiers, they had defeated the reigning kings, Shiratorizawa Academy, with a stunning 3–0 victory.
And they didn't just win—they dominated.
To the crowd, Karasuno had become the defending champions of the tournament.
Unless something unexpected happened, most believed they would take the championship again.
Karasuno's players didn't let the noise faze them. Without a single glance sideways, they walked straight toward the entrance of the gymnasium.
Everywhere they passed, the crowd instinctively parted to let them through.
But when they reached about halfway to the doors, a woman dressed in a reporter's outfit stepped into their path.
Two cameramen followed behind her.
"Hey, isn't that…?"
Ryūnosuke Tanaka narrowed his eyes, trying to place her.
Across from them, Yumi Kuwabata's face lit up the moment she spotted Karasuno.
She had arrived early this morning, intent on interviewing the tournament's favorites.
And Karasuno was her number one target.
After winning the Inter-High Tournament, they'd proven themselves to be among the strongest in the country.
...
What kind of sparks would fly during the prefectural qualifiers this year?
"Hello! Akira!"
"We meet again!!"
"Hello, Miss Kuwabata!" Akira smiled and gave her a small wave.
He immediately recognized the reporter as the one who had interviewed him the day after their qualifier match.
"Ah! I can't believe you still remember me!" Kuwabata beamed at his response, eyes glowing with excitement.
But now wasn't the time for small talk. She quickly turned and began discussing the interview arrangements with Ittetsu Takeda and Coach Keishin Ukai.
Neither of them objected—quite the opposite. They were more than happy to support it.
And with plenty of time left before warm-ups, there was no rush.
So the team agreed to the interview.
…
"It's really them."
"And of course they're being interviewed already, right in the middle of the plaza."
Just as Karasuno was occupied with the interview, Aoba Johsai High arrived at the gymnasium.
Iwaizumi Hajime observed the scene unfolding across the square and gave a knowing nod.
"Everyone better be on their game today."
"We have to face them again in this tournament—no matter what!"
"Hmph. So that's the Inter-High champion team, Karasuno?"
From within Aoba Johsai's group, a sharp-eyed player with short blond hair cast a cold glance in Karasuno's direction.
"Oh! That's right! Our little MAD DOG hasn't faced them yet!"
Oikawa smacked his forehead, suddenly remembering.
Turning his head a bit abruptly, he spoke to the player in question.
But Kyōtani Kentarō—nicknamed "Mad Dog"—just snorted and said nothing.
The rest of Aoba Johsai instinctively shifted a bit farther away from him.
It was clear he wasn't popular among his teammates.
Not that he cared.
He didn't think much of them either.
"Alright!" Coach Mizoguchi Sadayuki appeared behind them and clapped once.
"Let's stop standing around. Let's go in."
"And Kyōtani—don't stir up any drama this time."
"Play it clean."
"Yeah, yeah," Kyōtani muttered, his voice low. He turned and walked toward the gym entrance.
"Hmph." Yahaba Shigeru scowled at Kyōtani's retreating back.
"He shows up just to act all high and mighty?"
"If you've got that much attitude, maybe don't bother coming at all."
"Alright, enough, enough," Iwaizumi said, waving it off.
"Don't let it get to you."
"We're here to win."
"Yeah!" the others nodded firmly in agreement.
When victory's on the line, a little tolerance goes a long way.
"So… let's do this together!"
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1st Bonus Chapter - 400 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 800 Power Stones
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