3:30 PM.
The bell marking the end of class rang out across Sengoku Junior High. Akashi Asuka arrived early at the volleyball club and began his warm-up routine.
Before long, the rest of the team began trickling in. Soon after, the coach gathered everyone and laid out the day's training schedule.
But just as practice was about to begin, the coach suddenly called out.
"Hold on, Akashi. Starting today, your training regimen is changing."
Then he turned and shouted again, "Nishimori! Get over here. From now on, you're Akashi's setter. Until the tournament begins, you'll be his exclusive setter during all drills, except practice matches."
Nishimori Tomohiko blinked in confusion, then blurted out in panic, "Huh? Me? I'm going to be Akashi-senpai's setter? But what about Sanashita-senpai—"
"It's fine," the coach interrupted. "For the time being, Sanashita and Akashi will train separately. They can work on coordination right before the tournament."
The abrupt decision caught not only Nishimori off guard but also the rest of the team's key players. The only one who wasn't surprised was Akashi Asuka himself.
If his guess was right, the coach was thinking exactly what he was.
Sure enough—
While the rest of the team worked through fundamental drills and scrimmages, Akashi focused on only one thing: spiking.
With less than two weeks until the prefectural tournament, trying to patch up Akashi's numerous weaknesses would be a waste of time. Instead, the coach had chosen to sharpen his strengths, his attack power.
Core strength, spiking technique, vertical leap.
Those were the three areas Akashi would drill relentlessly in the coming days.
And so—
No matter what the rest of the team was doing, whether practicing or scrimmaging, the same thunderous bang! like firecrackers exploding echoed across the gym, again and again.
[Ding…]
"Pushing yourself is just a baseline requirement for a true King of the Grind."
"Congratulations, Host. You exceeded your planned spiking reps by 100%. You've completed a Basic Self-Grind."
"Spiking · Grind Points +0.1"
Because his training had diverged from the rest of the team, Akashi could no longer farm Grind Points by outworking his teammates. Their regimens were completely different now.
But if he couldn't outdo others, he'd outdo himself.
In his previous life, sneaking in extra reps was nothing new for Akashi. Back then, he had to be cautious about his body's limits, so he never pushed more than 30% beyond the scheduled amount. But now, with the system's support and protection, he could go all out.
After all, aside from earning Grind Points, intense training also improved his real-life performance.
Having grown up with the mantra "waste nothing," Akashi wasn't about to squander a single bonus rep.
Within one hour, he slammed nearly 300 spikes.
His hands were going numb.
The consequence? Nishimori Tomohiko got chewed out by the coach.
Setting 300 spikes in a row was no small feat, even for a seasoned setter, it was exhausting.
Akashi was dead tired, too. But thanks to years of practice, he was a master at hiding it. His poker face was practically bulletproof.
Nishimori, however, had no such skill.
Sorry, bro. This one's on you, Akashi thought as he glanced over at Nishimori, who was being lectured by the coach. I'll make it up to you with a meal next time.
Not that he was afraid of scolding himself, he just didn't want the coach to find out he'd been sneaking in extra training. If he did, he'd probably ban it entirely.
Because—
Unauthorized extra training isn't always a good thing.
Professional coaches design their training schedules based on careful calculations to bring athletes right up to their limit. Pushing beyond that can lead to injury rather than improvement.
Soon, a thoroughly drained Nishimori returned.
"Sorry about that, Nishimori—"
Akashi started to apologize, but before he could finish, Nishimori looked up, eyes sparkling.
"Akashi-senpai, you're amazing!"
"…Huh?"
"Your stamina is incredible!"
"…What?"
What's with this guy? Something's definitely off…
…
Training is a monotonous process.
Though athletes seem full of passion and fire on the court, behind the scenes, it's an endless repetition of the same motions, over and over again.
Spiking.
Jumping.
Strength work.
Every single day, Akashi drilled these three things with laser-focused discipline. His unwavering dedication even drew curious glances from the coach.
In his mind, the Akashi from before had never slacked off, but this level of seriousness was something new.
As for the rest of the team, they didn't fully grasp what had changed.
Because Akashi had been training separately, all they noticed was that, match after match, his spikes were getting more and more powerful.
And before anyone knew it—
The day of the Prefectural Sports Festival had arrived.
…
The moment the coach led the team into Miyagi Prefectural Gymnasium, a wave of noise surged from all directions. The screech of sneakers on the polished court, the roar of the crowd's cheers, it all hit at once, making everyone's scalp tingle.
Even Akashi felt a rush of excitement.
He had competed in big tournaments before, but none had ever drawn this many spectators.
Junior High volleyball didn't normally attract much attention, especially compared to the high school level.
But today was different, this was the opening ceremony of the entire tournament. Nearly half the seats were already filled.
Like most opening ceremonies, it followed a standard format:
Line up. Group photo.
Then someone stepped up to the mic to give a "brief speech."
Two hours later—
The ceremony finally ended, and the tournament officially began.
According to the draw, Sengoku Junior High's first match was against Haneishi Junior High.
Just like Sengoku, Haneishi was a low-profile team with no particular reputation in Miyagi.
In the waiting area, the players changed into their uniforms.
When the staff came to notify them, the team walked toward the court; nervous, jittery, and brimming with tension.
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