Ding!
Ichinose Guren heard a clear ringing sound echo inside his head.
For a moment, he thought the tournament organizers had switched from whistles to bells to signal the start of the match.
He turned to the left, then the right, asking his teammates if they heard it too.
But all of them just looked confused, none of them heard anything.
In fact, seeing him go around asking about the sound only made their expressions even stranger.
Everyone crowded around him, suggesting that maybe the training load was too heavy and he should sit out a set to rest.
Under their concern-filled stares, Ichinose quickly came up with a very appropriate excuse.
"No worries, no worries. I just heard a buzzing noise, that's all."
The moment he said that, the Karasuno team collectively relaxed.
They said they sometimes heard that too, it was normal, nothing to worry about.
It would fade in a while.
Ichinose nodded along obediently, letting them calm down.
Once he had reassured his overly concerned teammates, he finally focused inward, sinking his awareness into his mind.
[Win the Championship]
[Special Perk Acquired: Stunt Performer Badge]
[Stunt Performer Perk (Available for This Tournament Only)]
[Stunt Performer: Enhances reaction speed, strength, and precision while performing actions in midair.]
When those four simple lines appeared boldly in his mind, Ichinose realized that the system he had nearly forgotten about, this system that had been lying dormant like a corpse, had suddenly flipped over and issued him a mission.
===========
I mean, I was already planning to win the championship.
But isn't this a little too much like trying to take credit for my work?
I've already been training these past few days and have practically mastered controlling my body midair.
Are you just popping out to remind me I have you?
Ichinose silently complained at the system that almost faded from memory.
But hey, a free badge is a free badge.
He wasn't going to not be happy about it.
Perfect timing.
He opened his eyes.
His deep gaze fell on the Tokonami players across the court, already sweating heavily during warm-ups.
Let's test the new badge.
===========
Tokonami's players were already under pressure due to Karasuno's height advantage.
Now, things have gotten even worse.
First, a group of reporters surrounded Karasuno, and clearly, the attention was all on that nearly 190 cm tall No. 15.
The reporters were saying he was last year's strongest junior high player in Miyagi, that he led his team to incredible results.
That alone made Tokonami realize:
The opponent has a monster-level ace.
Then, Shiratorizawa, the King of Miyagi high school volleyball, arrived to spectate.
Their presence brought pressure to every team.
No one even dared speak too loudly.
And then,
the player the reporters focused on,
the player Shiratorizawa came to see,
last year's junior high MVP,
standing just a single net away,
He unleashed that earth-shattering spike moments ago.
A 3.5 meter attack point, even Tokonami's calm and steady captain Komaki felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Before the match even began, Ikegiri Hayato realized the atmosphere felt exactly like their final junior high match.
We can't win. We can't win this.
What's the point in struggling?
Just let them win. If we don't fight too hard, others might even say we "just didn't play seriously."
It's just one match. Losing won't end the world. No volcanoes will erupt, no zombie apocalypse.
Losing is normal. They're just too strong.
As he looked at his teammates, faces clearly displaying defeat, Ikegiri couldn't help slipping into the same mindset.
Whatever. It's not like this is the first time we lose.
Beep!
The match began.
And just like they expected, Karasuno swept through them like a raging tide.
In only about ten minutes, the scoreboard hit 25.
The starting offensive trio, Ichinose Guren, Shoyo Hinata, and Azumane Asahi, rotated attack after attack, tearing Tokonami's defense apart.
From the bench, Karasuno's shouts echoed loudly.
Especially Tanaka Ryūnosuke, unable to play, yet cheering harder than anyone, as though he were scoring each point.
Coach Ukai, intent on adjusting player conditions, did not field Karasuno's full iron-wall block.
Instead, he substituted Asahi over the towering Hyakuzawa.
He was preparing ahead, readying Asahi to face Date Tech in future matches, to overcome his psychological shadow and revive his confidence.
And while Tokonami did regain their fighting spirit later, their willpower alone could not overcome the gap in strength.
Even if Karasuno made mistakes, they had something Tokonami did not:
A firefighter, a player who could stabilize everything alone.
Ichinose Guren's level alone was enough to lead a team like Tokonami into the Miyagi top four.
But now, he only needed to ensure Karasuno never fell below a certain level.
The moment that truly made Shiratorizawa and Aoba Johsai pay attention wasn't the weird quick set, which they already expected and understood.
It was Ichinose's spike in set two.
He rose again, high, fast, explosive.
Everyone braced for another devastating power spike.
But in midair, he controlled his body effortlessly.
With his left hand, previously unused, he gently tapped the ball.
Not a spike a feather-light tip.
The ball traced a graceful arc over the blockers' fingertips,
plop,
and landed.
Players from Tokonami were sprawled on the floor, desperate to save it.
Ichinose just looked down at them.
He wanted to say:
Now you want to fight? Where was that before?
But he didn't speak.
Didn't even spare them an extra glance.
Ignoring them was his greatest kindness.
===========
The audience reacted differently:
"Oho? Showing off your body control, huh, brat.", Oikawa Tooru
"He stole MY move!", Kyotani Kentarou
"Strong aerial control. He is powerful.", Ushijima Wakatoshi
"I want to block him… The way he looked at Tokonami? I want him to look at me like that.", Tendo Satori
Aoba Johsai packed up to prepare for their next match.
Shiratorizawa now fully understood why their head coach remembered this name.
But their belief did not waver.
They were the lions of Miyagi, the snow eagles of the sky, five-year rulers of the prefecture.
Their confidence remained unbroken.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria