While they were eating, everyone was still discussing the afternoon matches.
They did not know about the other matches, but Shiratorizawa and Itachiyama both had games. Since the two matches were not at the same time, everyone was talking about whether they should go as a group to cheer for Itachiyama after their own match ended.
Ryosuke was the first to respond enthusiastically. Usually, when someone asked Ryosuke if he wanted to go watch a match together, he would always say,
"Anything's fine. If you're going, I'll go too."
At times like this, the difference was obvious.
Ushijima was completely speechless at Ryosuke's Sakusa-obsessed brain. It was like no matter how much he tried to get in the way of those two, they would still think of each other first. Ushijima had actually started feeling a little guilty before.
Maybe he should not be making things difficult for them.
But seeing Ryosuke like this, Ushijima's resolve hardened again. Ryosuke was still a child. If he ran into that old fox Sakusa, he would definitely be eaten clean, not even crumbs left.
Ushijima withdrew his thoughts and continued eating. Then, as if sensing something, he looked up at Tendo.
Ushijima was a little puzzled. What had been going on with Tendo lately? He felt like Tendo had not been in very high spirits.
Tendo noticed Ushijima's gaze, tilted his head slightly, then went back to stirring the rice in his bowl with complete focus.
Tendo had made up his mind. Once the IH was over, he would lay everything out with Ryosuke. He was already a third-year. There were not many days left when he could stay at school and watch over Ryosuke. Seeing Ryosuke's gaze get pulled toward Sakusa again and again left him helpless and a little angry.
He just did not know whether Ryosuke would be frightened when the time came.
Tendo thought that with a self-mocking edge.
The usually playful Tendo had actually gone quiet. It really felt strange.
The atmosphere at the table was a little odd, but that did not stop this group of big-hearted people from eating.
As Reon was eating, his phone suddenly buzzed.
He picked it up, glanced at it, and quickly typed out a reply.
Then he looked up and said to everyone,
"Coach says we should gather at his place after we finish eating. Don't go running off anywhere."
Some people were focused on shoveling food into their mouths, some were distracted, and some were listening seriously. For the moment, everyone agreed out loud.
Reon looked around once and did not say anything else.
After they finished eating, everyone consciously stayed where they were. They watched Ryosuke, who was still eating, waiting for him to finish so they could go to Coach Washijō together.
Ryosuke had originally been eating slowly. He had always eaten like that. But as he ate, he started receiving everyone's stares, one pair of eyes after another all watching him.
At a table where everyone ate like they were fighting a war, Ryosuke, who kept dragging out his meal, stood out especially clearly.
In the end, Ryosuke could not take everyone's stares anymore. He quickly stuffed down a few more bites, then looked at everyone to show that he was done.
Ushijima saw the food left in his bowl and felt a little worried. This child was eating like he used to again. He would have to discuss it with Coach Washijō later.
Everyone got up and went to find Coach Washijō.
Reon walked at the front and led them to a small training area beside the auxiliary gym. From the second-floor stands, there was a door down below.
Ryosuke looked back in confusion. Had that door been there the last time they came?
After entering, they found a small training area, about the size of two volleyball courts.
With Coach Washijō standing there, the place looked empty.
But once everyone from Shiratorizawa squeezed inside, it immediately felt crowded. Even the air seemed to grow lively.
Coach Washijō stood on the platform and felt a shadow fall over his head. He looked up and realized that Ushijima and Reon were standing in front of him. For a moment, his expression turned rather ugly.
It was not because they were blocking his light.
It was because he actually had to look up. A proud old man like him could not bear such an indignity.
Furious, he thought that this training area in the Tokyo Gymnasium had been terribly designed. It did not even have a proper little platform for a coach to speak from. He also expressed deep displeasure at Reon and Ushijima's complete lack of awareness.
Ryosuke glanced at Coach Washijō's expression. It really could not be called pleasant. Then he silently stepped forward and pulled Ushijima to the back.
Sorry, Reon-senpai. You can face Coach Washijō's storm alone.
Coach Washijō looked around once, then took a deep breath and unleashed a roar.
"What are you all doing?! Look at the way you're standing! You have a match this afternoon. Look at yourselves!"
Standing at the very front, Reon was caught off guard by Coach Washijō's furious shout. His ears were ringing.
Everyone who had still been slowly finding a place to stand immediately snapped into position the moment they heard Coach Washijō explode.
The sight only made Coach Washijō angrier. It seemed he had been too kind to them recently. Now they even dared to act this careless?
Trying hard to calm himself down, Coach Washijō silently recited in his heart.
Don't get angry, don't get angry. If anger ruins your health, no one else can suffer for you.
"This afternoon is your match against Mujinazaka! What do you all look like, lazing around like this one by one? Get yourselves together! Failure is not allowed in this afternoon's match. And of course, this is a major stage. Don't make a joke of yourselves here. If you embarrass yourselves here, you'll be nailed to the pillar of shame for the rest of your lives!"
Coach Washijō's gaze swept over everyone present like a hawk.
Not understanding, Tsutomu Goshiki asked Kawanishi,
"Kawanishi-senpai, what kind of joke would get someone nailed to the pillar of shame?"
Kawanishi rubbed his nose.
"Making some kind of ridiculous mistake during the match. Like a wing spiker doing the setter's job, or serving the ball straight into the referee's or coach's head..."
Tsutomu Goshiki imagined himself in the middle of a match, under everyone's eyes, spiking the ball right onto Coach Washijō's head...
Tsutomu Goshiki instantly shuddered.
No. Absolutely not. He did not even dare to think about it. If he really hit Coach Washijō on the head, he might genuinely not live to see tomorrow's sun.
Kawanishi knew exactly what Tsutomu Goshiki was imagining just from the look on his face. After all, he had gone through the same thing back then.
Coach Washijō rambled on about a few more things, most of them aimed at the two first-years, Tsutomu Goshiki and Ryosuke. Yunohama was not playing this year and was watching from the side, so letting him see it for himself might be more useful than simply telling him about it.
Besides, Yunohama had a very cautious personality. Even if Coach Washijō said nothing, he would not act recklessly.
Compared to him, Tsutomu Goshiki and Ryosuke were the ones who probably needed a little more worrying over.
After giving everyone his instructions, Coach Washijō waved them off and let them disperse, telling them to train here for a little while and find their rhythm.
It was true that they could not train much in the days before a match, but with the match about to start, getting a feel for the ball was still necessary. Otherwise, once they went on court, every single one of them might feel rusty.
The Shiratorizawa players trained in the small, stuffy gym. Before long, they were drenched in sweat.
Coach Washijō covered his nose in disgust and fled. He certainly valued the children's training, but making him endure this smell of sweat every day would undoubtedly be a form of torture.
By the time everyone came out dripping with sweat, it was already past two in the afternoon.
Reon stretched, his joints cracking loudly.
"Sure enough, going a day without training makes my whole body feel uncomfortable."
Tendo grinned with his rabbit-like mouth as he said that.
Hearing it, everyone looked at him in shock. Those words had actually come out of Tendo's mouth? Had Tendo gone insane?
Everyone's eyes were full of uncertainty.
Tendo did not care. He genuinely felt that after two or three days without training, the bones all over his body were about to rust. Now he was actually starting to miss the feeling of being worked half to death. People really were strange.
Everyone hurried back to the dormitory and changed into their team uniforms. As a group, they looked incredibly impressive.
Tsutomu Goshiki and Ryosuke secretly crept over to Yunohama's dorm room. They quietly opened the door and poked their heads in. Yunohama was sitting at his desk, looking inexplicably lonely.
Regarding the fact that he could not participate in the match this year, Yunohama was not accepting it as well as he seemed on the surface. He was even a little upset. He had always been rational, but this matter had him caught between reason and emotion.
What made Yunohama feel even worse was that during team practice some time ago, his uniform had accidentally been torn. In that moment, when Yunohama looked at his ruined uniform, it felt as if rain had started falling in his heart. He looked at it a few more times, then silently put it away.
He did not tell the coach to replace it. Yunohama felt that since he was not going to play, there was no need to trouble the coach over him.
At that time, it happened to coincide with the Golden Training Camp, and everyone was busy, so Reon did not notice it for a while.
But one day, that hidden uniform was discovered by Tsutomu Goshiki, who had suddenly decided to clean the room. The first thing he did was go discuss it with Ryosuke.
But what good plan could two simple-minded people come up with? All they knew was that Yunohama had indeed been in a bad mood lately.
In the end, Ryosuke took the uniform to Coach Washijō and had Coach Washijō find someone to make a new one.
Not many people knew about this. Even Ushijima and Reon did not know. Right now, it was completely a little secret shared by the three of them.
Ryosuke knocked on the door from outside.
Only then did Yunohama come back to himself. He saw the two of them grinning, looking obviously up to no good, with their hands hidden behind their backs, who knew what they were hiding.
"What are you two doing here?"
Yunohama pushed up his glasses and stood.
Everyone had just gone to change into their uniforms. His own uniform had been accidentally torn last time, but it did not matter, right? He was not going on court today anyway. No one would notice such a small thing...
"Ta-da!"
Tsutomu Goshiki pulled the brand-new uniform out from behind his back, even making a little singing noise as he did.
Yunohama's eyes widened all at once, and for a long while, he could not react.
"You..."
Yunohama had thought no one would know. He had thought no one would care about this small mood of his.
Ryosuke stared at Yunohama for a few seconds and found his flustered expression very interesting. Yunohama had always been calm and rational, so an expression like this was rare.
Then Ryosuke explained to Yunohama in a soft voice,
"Tsutomu Goshiki found it last time while cleaning the room. Why didn't you say anything when your uniform got torn? We don't know exactly why you've been in a bad mood lately, but everyone hopes you can be a little happier."
Tsutomu Goshiki nodded repeatedly beside him, adding,
"Yeah, yeah."
Yunohama truly did not know what expression to use in front of them. He had thought he had hidden his feelings very well. It was only that he could not go on court this year. There was still next year.
But what if even stronger first-years came next year? Would he be forgotten? Would he still have a chance to play?
Smart people always thought too much. This was what people meant when they said intelligence could hurt you.
Yunohama's eyes reddened slightly, and he accepted the uniform from Tsutomu Goshiki.
A large number 7 was printed on it.
That was his number.
Seeing Yunohama still staring blankly at the uniform, Tsutomu Goshiki started urging him.
"Hurry up and change! If you don't change soon, we'll be late for the gathering!"
At Tsutomu Goshiki's urging, Yunohama got up to change. The moment he stood, Yunohama decided to put down that little bit of sadness and unease in his heart. It was fine. Everyone was still here with him.
Perhaps Tsutomu Goshiki and Ryosuke's actions had comforted Yunohama, because when he came out after changing, he clearly looked much better.
Everyone from Shiratorizawa was now gathered in the waiting area by the main stadium. They walked in from the back entrance, and through the small windows, they could see the dense crowd of spectators outside, as well as fans holding up Shiratorizawa signs.
Some were even wearing Shiratorizawa school uniforms they had bought from who knew where. Beneath the railing hung Shiratorizawa's "The Strong Are Swift" banner.
Aside from Tsutomu Goshiki, none of the first-years had seen this kind of scene before. Tsutomu Goshiki was the only one who had reached the National Tournament back in junior high, but even he looked excited now.
By the second day of the IH, the number of people at the Tokyo Gymnasium had clearly increased.
Most of the spectators had specifically chosen to come watch over these two days. After all, they were seasoned viewers. They knew how boring some of the first day's group preliminaries could be.
There were plenty of spectators in the main stadium on this side, but the auxiliary stadium where Itachiyama was playing was also quite crowded.
Both schools were favorites to win the championship, so naturally, many people were paying attention.
In the waiting room, Ryosuke took out his phone and sent Sakusa a "good luck with your match" message. Only then did he raise his head.
This was one of Ryosuke's little habits. Back when he and Sakusa were not in the same place, Sakusa would always tell Ryosuke whenever he had a match, and in return, he would receive a "good luck with your match."
By now, this had already become a small habit between the two of them.
Ryosuke believed that if they kept walking forward like this, sooner or later, he and Sakusa would meet on the biggest stage.
Everyone was currently focused on their own matters. The starting lineup had not been decided yet. Before the referee announced the starting list, no one knew whose names were written on the little slip of paper Coach Washijō had handed to the referee.
During this time, Shiratorizawa's waiting area was incredibly lively. Every so often, a team would come knock on the door to cheer them on.
"Hey hey hey! Everyone, make sure your match goes smoothly! I'm really rooting for you, but I also don't want Little Eight to lose here. Aaaah, this is so hard!"
Bokuto rubbed his hair into a mess in distress. Keiji Akaashi was very helpless. Did Bokuto-senpai's words mean he had already decided Mujinazaka would lose?
Bokuto was usually very unreliable, but his intuition was absolutely first-rate. Besides, judging by his own way of thinking, Mujinazaka's overall strength was indeed weaker than Shiratorizawa's.
Keiji Akaashi was now beginning to feel grateful that they had come to Shiratorizawa's side. If they had gone to Mujinazaka's side instead, then after Bokuto said all this, Keiji Akaashi could already imagine how awkward the scene would have become.
...
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