The mischievous Shoyo Hinata grabbed two wet wipes from Victory's bag, squeezing the water forcefully into his hands.
With the water in hand, Hinata leapt high into the air and, mid-jump, delivered a surprise slicked-back hairstyle to Ichinose Guren, who had been quietly watching his little brother's antics.
Landing with his hands drenched and a mischievous grin plastered on his face, Hinata looked utterly pleased with himself.
Ichinose Guren could only press his lips together in resignation, his expression saying "Alright, alright, you win this time."
Meanwhile, Date Tech's senior, Kaname, tried to push down Takanobu Aone's hand but failed. At the strong insistence of his senior, Futakuchi Kenji had to help, pressing down Aone's hand as well.
Facing Kaname's apology, Ichinose Guren spoke casually.
"No worries, it's nothing."
"But I heard your third-years from Date Tech are retiring after the Interhigh?"
Hearing Ichinose Guren's seemingly curious remark, an oblivious Kaname apologized while pushing Aone and explained.
"Yes, after this tournament, we'll be retiring."
"I see. Then make sure you enjoy your first match."
"Eh?"
Kaname didn't fully understand what Ichinose Guren meant, but Futakuchi had already caught on. He stopped, turned, and stared straight at Ichinose Guren.
As expected, this kid's expression isn't just idle chatter.
Just as Futakuchi guessed, Ichinose Guren's brow carried a teasing expression. Futakuchi could almost predict what he was about to say.
He's implying that meeting them is all it takes to end the match.
"Because if you face us in the second round, you might only get to play two matches."
"Well, it's not impossible to let you win one."
"In the second match, I'll be the one spiking the ball. If you manage to block me, I'll give you that win."
Hearing Ichinose Guren's trash talk, senior Kamasaki Yasushi felt his anger rise.
"What do you mean? We'll fall to you? Huh?"
"Don't you remember being beaten 2-0 by us last year?"
"Need me to remind you during the match?"
Kaname stopped pushing Aone but didn't turn around. After the other Date Tech players quieted, he finally spoke.
"I apologize for this pre-match disturbance. But we will not lose."
With that, he ignored any further conversation from Karasuno and pushed Aone down the corridor.
Ichinose Guren, however, paid no attention to Kamasaki's words. Instead, he noted Kaname's apology mentally. This senior, coming up and apologizing so fervently, left a good impression.
Not a bad guy. But if you provoke me, I won't let it slide.
Ignoring Kamasaki entirely, Ichinose Guren returned to the end of his team. Karasuno quietly followed, as Hyakuzawa and Victory stepped back into line. Only second-year Tanaka still made a mocking face toward Kamasaki.
After a brief friendly encounter with the Date Tech players, Karasuno officially entered the gym through the player passage.
The vast, open space left Hinata wide-eyed in amazement.
"Whoa! So spacious! So big!"
But what happened next reminded him of the tension he felt after the last national junior high tournament.
"Ah! Karasuno is over there!"
A reporter holding a microphone spotted Karasuno's pitch-black uniforms and immediately signaled the cameramen to focus.
Almost instantly, reporters from various media outlets surrounded Karasuno, cameras and microphones aimed at them.
"Are you the captain?!"
"What's your opinion on Ichinose Guren?"
"What kind of person is Ichinose Guren on the team?"
"I…"
Daichi Sawamura, wearing jersey number one, was instantly bombarded by questions. As captain, he was naturally the first to be interviewed about Ichinose Guren.
Once reporters realized both Ichinose Guren and the captain were surrounded, the remaining journalists swarmed toward the coaches.
Each Karasuno player was assigned a few reporters. The second-years felt a bit like "Mom, I'm on TV!"
During the chaos of blinding flashes and microphones jostling for space, Ichinose Guren quickly pulled out his phone and sent a blind text to Ayasaki Hayato.
"Help, Mr. Ayasaki! It's exactly as you said! I was wrong, send someone!", Ichinose Guren
"Got it!", Ayasaki Hayato
With professional security and PR staff arriving in a whirlwind, each Karasuno member now had a PR agent handling questions and controlling responses.
The interview frenzy surrounding last year's volleyball MVP was quickly organized by Ayasaki Hayato.
Meanwhile, Aoba Johsai's players in the stands grew annoyed.
"Why isn't anyone interviewing me?"
"Why should they interview you?"
"But I'm strong too!"
"Have you ever even beaten Ushijima Wakatoshi?!"
"Hmm!"
"I don't care if you can beat Ushijima. As long as we beat Shiratorizawa, that's what matters!"
Among these complaints, the conversation between Tetsurou Iwashimizu and Hajime Iwaizumi stood out.
After all, even just thinking about defeating Shiratorizawa makes everything feel bigger.
Although Aoba Johsai's seed players didn't have to play the first match, they still arrived early.
First, to warm up and familiarize themselves with the gym.
Second, their coach and main players wanted to carefully study Karasuno's fast attack.
And according to reliable sources, Ichinose Guren didn't go to Shiratorizawa. He chose the underdog Karasuno, determined to defeat every strong team in Miyagi Prefecture himself.
This so-called "next prodigy like Ushiwaka" was enough reason for Aoba Johsai to arrive early.
=============
Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria