Ushijima nodded calmly at Bokuto, as if he did not think Bokuto's words had offended anyone at all.
"I'll take that as a good omen."
Meanwhile, Ryosuke and Tsutomu Goshiki were whispering back and forth, discussing who would end up in the starting lineup.
Kamomedai's match had ended that morning, but since their match time was close to Fukurōdani's, the schedule had been a little tight, so not many people had gone to watch. But as soon as everyone heard Shiratorizawa had a match that afternoon, they all came running over to visit.
"You have to win!"
Hoshiumi stood beside Hirugami, waving his fists and yelling.
Hirugami helplessly tugged at Hoshiumi's collar to keep him from crowding right up into Ushijima's face.
For some reason, these people seemed to especially like Shiratorizawa. Although Mujinazaka was also one of the favorites to win the championship, compared to Shiratorizawa, it somehow felt like they were missing something. And none of these people were afraid of Shiratorizawa's uniformly sour expressions. One after another, they all wanted to crowd closer.
The waiting area, which was already narrow and cramped, now looked even more packed.
When Coach Washijō finished handling the matters on his end and said he would come over to check on them, he was stunned to find that the doorway was blocked and he could not get in. He looked up, but he could not see the Shiratorizawa players at all. They had all been blocked inside.
Staring at the uniform closest to him, Coach Washijō looked it over a few times, then lifted his head and saw that familiar owl-like hairstyle.
Confirmed. It was that noisy owl from Fukurōdani.
Gathering his breath deep in his stomach, Coach Washijō opened his mouth from the doorway.
"What are you all crowding around here for!"
In an instant, everyone froze as if someone had pressed pause.
Bokuto stiffly turned his head and saw Coach Washijō's stern face. His expression turned panicked as he looked around, found Keiji Akaashi in the crowd, grabbed his hand, and ran.
Bokuto's voice drifted back through the air.
"Sorry, Coach Washijō! Good luck with your match!"
Bokuto ran off with Keiji Akaashi so fast he almost left afterimages behind. Konoha was left standing there in a daze, watching Bokuto disappear into the distance, completely disheveled in the wind.
Then he noticed Coach Washijō staring at him. He cursed under his breath and ran off too. Damn Bokuto. If he was going to sneak away, he could have taken him along!
The Kamomedai players had long since slipped away amid the chaos. For a moment, only the Shiratorizawa players were left in the waiting area, staring at one another.
Coach Washijō glared at them irritably, but with the match about to begin, he did not say anything more.
"There are fifteen minutes left before you go out to warm up. Are you all prepared?"
Coach Washijō's routine question made everyone pull themselves together.
"We're prepared!"
Their voices rang out so loudly they nearly lifted the ceiling.
Coach Washijō was very satisfied with their mental state and nodded approvingly.
"The starting lineup for this match has been decided."
Coach Washijō took the small slip of paper he had just gotten back from the referee out of his pocket. Under everyone's expectant gazes, he slowly read out each name.
"Ushijima, Reon, Tendo, Shirabu, Yamagata, Ryosuke."
"This is the starting formation. Reon, be ready to switch with Tsutomu Goshiki at any time. Tsutomu Goshiki, you had better not drop the ball today!"
Tsutomu Goshiki listened as Coach Washijō read out name after name, and even by the end, his own name had not been called. In that moment, it would be a lie to say he did not feel disappointed.
But just when things seemed to have gone dark, a new path opened up. Tsutomu Goshiki truly had not expected Coach Washijō to plan on making him Reon's substitute. After all, Reon was one of the team's top wing spikers. Forget being allowed to serve as Reon's substitute, even if he were told to replace Reon for an entire match, he would do it gladly.
Coach Washijō's arrangement vaguely showed that he was already planning for Tsutomu Goshiki and Ryosuke to take over positions on the team. After all, once the third-years left, the team would ultimately belong to these younger players.
Coach Washijō was about to say a little more when the broadcast sounded.
"Both teams, please enter the court to warm up. Both teams, please enter the court to warm up..."
Everyone raised their heads and looked toward the broadcast.
Coach Washijō looked at them one by one, then straightened his back.
"I won't say much more. But you all know very well what will happen if you lose this match."
Everyone nodded with solemn expressions.
Then they looked at one another. Ushijima stood at the very front and signaled for everyone to line up and enter the court.
Ryosuke also stood at the very back. He looked back at everyone on the bench. Tsutomu Goshiki was smiling as he waved, shouting,
"Good luck with the match!"
Yunohama pushed up his glasses and nodded. Kawanishi and Eita Semi were also standing behind him, smiling as they looked at everyone...
At that moment, Ryosuke understood how reassuring it was to have teammates by his side.
Walking out from the waiting area led straight to the competition venue. From here, they could see the spectators in the stands, the staff running around, and the group from Mujinazaka walking out from the opposite passage.
Ryosuke's heart began pounding hard.
There was no expression on his face, but his intense heartbeat still betrayed the fact that Ryosuke was not as calm as he looked.
The commentator also began seriously commentating on this match.
The seeded teams' matches drew far more attention than the previous day's games, and even the commentators' lines had changed.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Tokyo Gymnasium for the National High School Boys' Volleyball League. I'm today's commentator, Oda Shinjurō."
"And I'm Oda Kijirō."
"Today's match begins under the gaze of countless spectators. The two sides are Shiratorizawa, representing Miyagi, and Mujinazaka, representing Oita Prefecture."
"That's right. These two schools have always been in a king-versus-king situation at the IH, and both sides have held onto IH honors for many years. What kind of spectacular match will they bring us this year? Let's look forward to it!"
As the commentators' voices faded, the crowd's noise rose in their place.
"Shiratorizawa! Shiratorizawa! Shiratorizawa!"
"Mujinazaka! Mujinazaka! Mujinazaka!"
"Shiratorizawa!"
"Mujinazaka!"
The match had not even started yet, but the spectators on both sides had already begun competing, shouting at the tops of their lungs.
Ryosuke listened with sweat practically forming on his face. Their voices were seriously loud.
Even the commentators were startled by the audience's enthusiasm. The broadcast nearly could not overpower the passionate shouting from the stands.
"Now, let's welcome the players onto the court!"
The players from both teams began entering the court along with the commentator's voice. It was at that moment that Ryosuke saw Wakatsu Kiryū, whom he had not seen in a long time.
Wakatsu Kiryū stood not far from Shiratorizawa with a group of people, grinning honestly as he waved and greeted them.
Under the commentators' introductions, the players from both teams appeared one by one.
When it was Ryosuke's turn, the audience's curiosity visibly rose.
Most of the spectators who came to watch Shiratorizawa's matches were regulars. With an unfamiliar face suddenly appearing, everyone naturally noticed that something was different.
Under the spotlight, the boy was wearing Shiratorizawa's uniform. His figure was tall and slender, and on his back was the number six, a number none of them had seen before.
Ryosuke sensed the camera and raised his head slightly. The light happened to fall across his eyes, and that pair of clear, lake-like eyes was projected sharply onto the big screen, instantly making a group of girls scream wildly.
It had to be admitted, Ryosuke really was a child favored by the creator.
Not quite used to it, Ryosuke tilted his head slightly, then quickly walked into the lineup.
Tendo watched Ryosuke's little movement in amusement. Ryosuke really was as unused to everyone's attention as ever.
Led by their coaches, both sides began warming up. When Wakatsu Kiryū passed by Ushijima, he said,
"Long time no see. I hope we can catch up during the match later."
Ushijima nodded calmly, completely unmoved, then led the group past him.
For the first time, Ryosuke felt a captain's presence from Ushijima.
After that came the fifteen-minute warm-up. The spectators were also watching Shiratorizawa, trying to figure out what was special about that new student who had become a regular as a first-year and had even been chosen for the starting lineup.
While everyone was warming up, Inarizaki and Fukurōdani ran into each other in the stands.
Shinsuke Kita greeted Keiji Akaashi and Bokuto warmly. Atsumu Miya and Osamu Miya stood on either side of Shinsuke Kita like guardian statues, completely blocking off the area around him.
"Atsu-Atsu, long time no see!"
Bokuto happily pounded Atsumu Miya on the shoulder.
Osamu Miya looked at Atsumu Miya curiously, repeating under his breath,
"Atsu-Atsu?"
How rare. Atsumu Miya had never let him call him that before.
Ren Ōmimi, who was following behind them, naturally heard what Bokuto had called him too. He looked at Atsumu Miya with the exact same strange gaze as Osamu Miya.
Atsumu Miya immediately bristled under their stares.
"What are you all looking at me for?! It's not like I told him to call me that!"
Shinsuke Kita swept a threatening gaze around at the people behind him, then said to Atsumu Miya,
"Atsumu, you can't be that rude. Bokuto is in the same year as me. You should call him Bokuto-senpai."
Atsumu Miya froze completely.
What was Kita-senpai saying? He wanted him to call this guy "senpai"?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
"Bokuto... senpai."
Reality always slapped fast. Under Shinsuke Kita's threatening gaze, Atsumu Miya reluctantly called Bokuto "senpai."
Bokuto's eyes widened. Being called senpai by someone else felt completely different from when Keiji Akaashi called him that. How strange. What was going on?
Seeing that everyone was still blocking the way, Haruki Komi could not stand it anymore and urged them along.
"All right, save the talking for later. Hurry up and find seats, or the match is going to start."
Haruki Komi was really looking forward to this match. There were simply too many points worth watching.
A middle blocker who could be used as a libero, the combination of instinctive blocking and a left-handed cannon, not to mention that libero, Yamagata.
And Mujinazaka on the other side was not weak either. There was Wakatsu Kiryū, the specialist in killing bad sets, and the two middle blockers known as the "Mujinazaka Twin Towers." What interested Haruki Komi even more was their libero, Haruma Bishin, who could stop Bokuto's spikes all by himself. It was just too interesting.
Haruma Bishin, who was warming up, felt uncomfortable all over. He kept feeling as if someone was secretly watching him...
Haruki Komi's words reminded everyone, and the group quickly started taking their seats, preparing to watch the match.
Not long after they sat down, the fifteen-minute warm-up ended, and the whistle to start the match sounded.
"Beeeeeeep!"
Players from both teams stepped onto the court and bowed.
Across the net, their gazes met.
Ushijima and Wakatsu Kiryū shook hands.
"Please take care of me."
"Please take care of me."
Both of their eyes held the same unquestionable belief that their own side would win this match.
Both teams found their positions, and Mujinazaka started with the serve.
As for Ushijima's luck in the draw, it had never been reliable anyway.
Standing in position one happened to be Wakatsu Kiryū. Right from the start, it was the captain's serve.
That alone caught everyone's attention.
Wakatsu Kiryū took the volleyball handed over by the ball boy. At the referee's serving whistle, he tossed the ball high into the air.
Then his whole body leaped up after it. Everyone's eyes were drawn to Kiryū as he jumped.
The moment Kiryū tossed the ball, Yamagata had already started moving into position. That was a libero's physical reflex.
"Bang!"
Kiryū struck the volleyball heavily, and Yamagata's position was still a little off from the ball.
Yamagata shifted with small steps, measuring out the most suitable distance, then stretched out both arms to receive the ball.
"Bang!"
The tremendous force numbed Yamagata's arms. It was not as if he had never received Kiryū's balls before. He had a sense of roughly how powerful Kiryū's hits were, but this ball had far exceeded what Yamagata had expected.
Gritting his teeth, he got the ball up.
After receiving that ball, he had a rough idea of Kiryū's current level.
He had improved too quickly. Compared to the practice matches at the training camp before, he was at a completely different level now.
"Kiryū serves! A powerful jump serve, received by Shiratorizawa's Yamagata!"
After Yamagata received the ball, the volleyball flew above Shirabu.
Ryosuke and Tendo ran to the net, and Mujinazaka's two middle blockers followed them up.
Usuri and Mami quickly reached the net, forming a two-on-two against Tendo and Ryosuke.
After all, they had played many practice matches together. They understood each other too well. With just one glance, they could tell what the other side would do next.
Shirabu moved while setting. Ushijima was on the far left, and Reon was also near Shirabu in a position that was easy to attack from, making it convenient for Shirabu to set.
Following both his own habit and the team's habit, Shirabu had to give the first ball to Ushijima.
There were only two body lengths between them. Shirabu set a short, fast ball.
Ushijima sensed that the ball had reached above his head, then naturally jumped. From about a meter away from the net, he spiked directly.
Mami, who had just been watching Tendo and the others, had somehow already run to the spot where Ushijima was about to hit.
Usuri followed over as well. Everyone had gone over, and Ryosuke followed too. If this ball was blocked, he could at least try to save it right under his nose.
Facing a double block was something Ushijima had long since grown used to. In fact, he had plenty of experience with it. There was nothing he could do about it. Because he was so strong, he was always targeted this way.
Ushijima's gaze locked onto the fingertips of the two blockers. Following the flow of the hit, he prepared to tool the block. If tooling the block did not work, hitting over the block would be fine too.
Mami immediately sensed Ushijima's intention. That gaze landed on his fingertips, focused to an extreme degree. He pulled his hand back slightly, avoiding the block-out attempt.
Ushijima frowned. He had not originally planned to hit over the block.
Then he swung his left hand and drove the ball through with absolute height and power.
...
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