Chapter 49: Kosen, Nationals, Summer Break
After the handshake tribute, this veteran coach with countless major tournament experiences had anticipated his team might battle Shiratorizawa for several sets, or fight Kitagawa Daiichi's "king" team to a bloody finish.
But he had never imagined that his strong and well-equipped Kosen Academy volleyball team would be swept 3:0 in the prefectural tournament finals by a team he'd never heard of before.
He had thought they might be swept by some super team from a developed big city after advancing to nationals, but the script shouldn't have been written for the prefectural tournament.
Looking at his players, each one silently shedding tears, his usually straightforward captain was desperately trying to suppress any sound, but after being patted on the back by a teammate of the same height but completely different personality, he broke down and cried.
He looked up at the LED lights on the ceiling.
Nothing to be depressed about, competitive sports were about winners and losers.
His team had played at absolutely national-level offensive and defensive standards. Everyone had done everything they could and couldn't do to the extreme, yet still couldn't shake the opponents ahead of them.
Could only say their skills weren't good enough.
....
At this moment, Ichise Guren, whose hair was completely soaked with sweat and whose bangs hung down messily, was sitting on their team bus with his right shoulder and connected chest muscles, waist and abdomen all wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap filled with ice for post-game care.
Both knees were also wrapped with small ice packs, and both feet were soaking in ice water. This was just temporary treatment, afterward, Ichise Guren would enter a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for short-term sleep to recover his physical condition.
Following his example, other Yukigaoka players were also being comfortably cared for by Ayasaki, with ice applied to various parts of their bodies.
After the finals, the captain had assigned the task of resting well, going home to sleep deeply, then waking up the next day for a review meeting. All team members agreed with the captain's arrangement and expressed their determination to execute it faithfully.
Hinata Shoyo, currently being iced, was already drowsy. In this match, the little sun had used his superior athletic ability and combination of real and feint spiking motions to successfully rack up an excellent average of 4 points per set, totaling 12 points for the match.
He was indeed exhausted. In the later tug-of-war when both teams' stamina was depleted, Hinata Shoyo's countless frantic positioning runs and spiking motions, whether they scored or not, all played a crucial role in stretching the defensive line.
Mori's steady setting and defensive line insight, Hoshino Masaru's ground defense and digs, Hyakuzawa Yudai's blocking and spiking, Suzuki and Kawashima's touch and receiving combination, were important factors in Yukigaoka's victory over Kosen Academy, accounting for at least 50% of the importance in these three sets.
Ichise Guren was the other 50% truly living up to his role as team core. From unstoppable spikes in offense, to emergency setting after the setter was forced to handle first touches, to frantic help blocking and several crucial digs.
Ichise Guren once again defined that volleyball was a six-person game, while truly powerful players could motivate teammates to perfectly utilize each of their abilities, then coordinate and adjust everything himself.
...
A guy with a bowl cut was sleeping soundly at his desk but was awakened by his companion.
"Hey! Did you see the latest Volleyball Monthly?"
Goshiki Tsutomu looked sleepily at his extremely excited teammate and classmate, rubbed his eyes, and asked in confusion:
"What's wrong? Did Yukigaoka Middle School from Miyagi Prefecture reach the semifinals on their first nationals appearance?"
"Then get beaten 2:1 by Nishi Middle from Nagano Prefecture?"
"Wasn't that already known? What's so interesting about that? I'm going back to sleep, don't bother me unless it's important."
Just as Goshiki was about to lie back down to continue his nap, he was startled by the sound of his companion slapping Volleyball Monthly onto the desk.
"What the heck, hitting so hard, you scared away my sleepiness."
Goshiki frowned, about to complain about his friend's rough behavior, when he was drawn to the magazine cover.
It was a shot of Yukigaoka's setter Mori after a long-distance dig, fallen to the ground but still struggling with all his might to get back up, captured by the photographer in a half-kneeling signature pose.
Behind him on the court, Ichise Guren was leaping high, facing a three-person block in mid-air, spiking down the high ball that Mori had passed back purely on instinct.
It had to be said, as a first-class sports magazine with a long history, the photographer's skill was truly top-tier, and the editor's selection was extremely clever.
This photograph captured the instant when Mori was half-kneeling, not yet risen, his gaze just having moved from the floor. A sense of unwillingness and intense fighting spirit were vividly highlighted.
Behind him, Ichise Guren flying in mid-air with his beautifully artistic spiking form was frantically drawing attention. With the three-person blocking line across from him, would Ichise Guren's spike actually succeed in scoring?
Instantly, it hooked passersby's curiosity. Whether or not they were volleyball fans, seeing this cover would probably make them want to pick it up and flip through it.
Unfortunately, Goshiki was one of those defeated on Yukigaoka's path to the national semifinals. Seeing this cover, he had only one feeling:
"This guy really knows how to steal the spotlight!"
A wave of gritted-teeth jealousy hit him.
"He's obviously just a background character, yet he's jumping is so cool. So annoying!"
"He's definitely going to post this photo on Instagram right away! Then use this magazine cover photo to attract girls' attention. Damn handsome guy!"
Although extremely envious and hateful that Ichise Guren could be on the cover of Volleyball Monthly, Goshiki still opened the magazine, wanting to see how this publication he often read described that Ichise Guren guy.
**[Hibari Tanuki: I still firmly believe that volleyball is a six-person sport. But regarding Ichise Guren at this year's national middle school tournament, you cannot discuss him as a loser. His teammates were also excellent, but I still want to say, Ichise Guren's scoring was the greatest individual performance I've ever witnessed.]**
"Emmmmmm!!!"
Goshiki's face showed an extremely complex expression.
"Don't make constipated sounds, Tsutomu."
"Although I know you're unwilling to accept being beaten by him, you don't need to make that 'although what you're saying is right, I just don't want to admit it, but I can't say you're wrong either' expression."
"Worthy of being a volleyball maniac, even showing such seriousness toward a single evaluation."
His teammate praised Goshiki's dedication to volleyball, but unexpectedly, after pondering for a while, Goshiki suddenly pointed at the magazine and said:
"Do you think if I could also perform like this and get in a magazine, then when chasing girls I could put the clipped magazine page in front of them, would my dating success rate greatly improve?"
Teammate: 'This kid definitely has brain problems.'
***
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