Chapter 90: Facing Nekoma
Inside the Karasuno gymnasium.
All the volleyball club members were seriously engaged in their training when suddenly the sound of dress shoes clicking on the floor came from the entrance.
Hinata Shoyo was the first to turn his head, curiously looking toward the door. He wanted to see whether the owner of those footsteps was a man in dress shoes or a woman in heels.
A pair of polished, non-perforated Oxford shoes stepped through the doorway, followed by shoulders with strong padding, a well-tailored waist, and a peak lapel double-breasted 6-button-2 suit with lines like armor.
Ayasaki Hayate, with his hair combed to perfection, walked to the entrance, closely followed by Karasuno's manager, Shimizu Kiyoko. Besides these two, there were also three burly men who worked exclusively for Ayasaki Hayate, each carrying several boxes.
Leading them, Ayasaki Hayate politely nodded to everyone who was training. The confused Karasuno members hurriedly returned the greeting, and except for those who came from Yukigaoka Middle School, everyone was wondering if this might be a school administrator coming for an inspection.
"Oh! Ayasaki-san!"
It wasn't until Hinata Shoyo familiarly greeted Ayasaki Hayate that the others learned from Hoshino Masaru that this stylishly dressed man was the butler of Ichise Guren's family.
The boxes those burly men were carrying were all jerseys, two sets per box. They were all custom-made by Ichise Clothing for the Karasuno volleyball team athletes, based on Karasuno's original jerseys.
Only then did everyone remember that sudden body measurement session from a while back—it had been for custom jersey making.
After the men placed the jersey boxes on the ground, everyone hurriedly began searching for boxes with their names on them, then eagerly opened them.
"So cool!"
Hinata Shoyo held up Karasuno's main color jersey with both hands, unable to hide his excitement as he looked at the uniform before him.
"This is the jersey the Little Giant wore at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium!!"
The jersey numbers were assigned as follows:
Number 1, Sawamura Daichi. Number 1 is basically always worn by the team captain.
Number 2, Sugawara Koshi.
Number 3, Azumane Asahi. Although he didn't make it into the first starting lineup, jersey numbers were assigned by grade level after all.
Number 4, Nishinoya Yuu. The number 4 jersey, on most teams, is prepared for the ace spiker—those naturally gifted guys who can force their way through opposing blocks and defenses.
But Karasuno's tradition has always been to use number 4 as the starting libero's jersey number, and this time was no exception.
Number 5, Tanaka Ryunosuke.
Number 6, Ennoshita Chikara.
Number 7, Kimura Hisashi.
Number 8, Narita Kazuhito.
Number 9—honestly, when Sawamura Daichi was considering this jersey, he thought for a long time about which first-year should get the last single-digit jersey.
Kageyama Tobio, the genius setter. With him there, Karasuno's attacks could reach their full potential. Without needing stable first touches, even with just a messy high ball, Kageyama Tobio could deliver perfect quick attacks for various tactics.
Ichise Guren, the supreme outside hitter. The guy with arguably the highest attack point in high school, with tremendous physical ability, coordination, and reaction speed, who could be the team's strongest firefighter. The ace player who could single-handedly elevate the team's offense, blocking, and receiving by a full level.
After privately communicating with both underclassmen, Kageyama Tobio said he didn't care about this issue—as long as he could get a jersey and play as a starter, that was enough for him.
Ichise Guren also looked at Sawamura Daichi with a strange expression, then complained:
"Daichi-senpai, you don't think I'm like that wild monkey Hinata Shoyo, do you?"
"I don't care about jersey numbers at all."
"Besides, it's just a single-digit jersey."
So Sawamura Daichi, relieved of his psychological burden, decisively gave the last spot to the man who could cover for the entire team, Ichise Guren.
Number 9, Kageyama Tobio.
Number 10, Hinata Shoyo.
"Why does Kageyama get a single-digit jersey number?!"
"Number 10 is the jersey the Little Giant wore."
"Ohh! Ahaha, Kageyama, don't be jealous of me~"
Number 11, Tsukishima Kei.
Number 12, Yamaguchi Tadashi.
Number 13, Hyakuzawa Yudai.
Number 14, Hoshino Masaru.
Number 15, Ichise Guren.
...
Karasuno Comprehensive Sports Park, Ball Game Arena
"Whoa!"
"Karasuno has a really tall guy!"
"That height must be two meters, right?"
Inuoka Sou and Shibayama Yuuki looked at the giant on the opposing Karasuno volleyball team, Hyakuzawa Yudai, and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
On Karasuno's side, Hinata Shoyo looked at the gaming boy setter who had greeted him before, surprised to discover he was actually a Nekoma player.
There was also a scene where two hot-blooded men looked at each other with displeasure, but fortunately, both sides had seniors who could control the situation, preventing any embarrassing incidents.
After both team captains smiled and shook hands, finishing their greetings, both Kuroo Tetsuro and Sawamura Daichi had the same thought:
This guy won't be easy to deal with
Not to mention the small talk between those two eternal bench players who hadn't seen each other for eight years, Naoi Manabu and Ukai Keishin, and the mutual respect between fellow "idiots."
The Nekoma players had already finished their warm-up and formed a circle.
"We are blood! To keep the 'brain' functioning normally, we must flow ceaselessly, delivering oxygen! Let's go!"
Kuroo Tetsuro began rallying Nekoma's morale.
Karasuno wasn't to be outdone, with Sawamura Daichi delivering the speech about "the day we hit the wall being the day we overcome it." Even in pre-game speeches, both captains were going head-to-head, neither willing to give an inch.
"Old Kuroo is chanting doctrine again."
Ichise Guren watched Kuroo Tetsuro and muttered to himself, though his voice was too quiet. Even Hinata Shoyo, who had vaguely heard something and ran over with his ears perked up to eavesdrop, couldn't make out what Ichise Guren had said.
Ignoring the wild monkey behind him who, even in his excitement, maintained such strong curiosity, Ichise Guren quickly turned to look at his own setter.
"Kageyama!"
Hearing Ichise Guren's call, Kageyama Tobio also turned his head. After making eye contact with Ichise Guren, Kageyama Tobio suddenly remembered what Ichise Guren had told him before the match.
So he nodded seriously, indicating he hadn't forgotten.
'Good. Shoyo, this time I won't be holding back against you guys.'
After getting Kageyama Tobio's response, Ichise Guren felt an eagerness to fight filling his bloodstream.
'Nekoma, this kind of super-durable punching bag, is an opponent I never encountered in middle school.'
'Don't disappoint me, your team with everyone at Sawamura Daichi's receiving level.'
***
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