At a volleyball venue in a small Japanese town, a sharp whistle rang out.
The referee on the sideline signaled for play to stop, his gaze flicking toward the North River player collapsed on the floor, clutching his ankle with a twisted, agonized expression. He motioned for the medical staff to hurry and carry him off the court.
"North River Middle School really is weak. Now even their wing spiker has sprained his ankle."
"We've definitely won this."
One of the boys on Kitagawa Daiichi's team looked completely at ease. In his eyes, drawing a weak team like North River already meant they were halfway to victory.
And now the other side's wing spiker had messed up his jump and twisted his ankle on the landing. At this point, no one could save North River anymore.
"Don't slack off!"
"The match is still far from over. Do you really think you've won just like that!?"
When Tobio Kageyama heard his teammate's careless words from behind him, his face immediately darkened.
That harsh roar left even the surrounding spectators stunned.
They looked toward the court in surprise, while the boy who had just been scolded could only laugh awkwardly and keep his mouth shut.
At that moment, North River's coach off the court could only shake his head helplessly.
"Kitagawa Daiichi really is strong. Even if our wing spiker hadn't been injured..."
"North River still wouldn't have had any chance of winning."
At that moment, a boy in North River Middle School's volleyball uniform let out a faint sigh. His neat short hair only added to his vigorous, masculine appearance, and he looked full of life from head to toe.
His name was Hank, and he was a transmigrator. In his previous life, he had been an outside hitter on a school volleyball team, and he had loved volleyball deeply.
But after arriving in this world three years ago, he had unexpectedly discovered that this was actually the world of Haikyu!!, where volleyball was wildly popular. On top of that, he had awakened a system called the King of Volleyball System.
Hank had originally thought that he would finally be able to break past the limits of his natural talent and devote himself to the sport he loved.
But then he discovered that his system could only pop up an information page. Other than that, it offered no help at all.
Although he had been a little discouraged for a while, he never gave up on volleyball. Relying on his own talent, he entered North River Middle School's school team in a very short time
and took part in this junior high volleyball tournament.
"North River Middle School really has it rough. Not only did they run into Kitagawa Daiichi in the very first round, but now their wing spiker messed up his takeoff and sprained his ankle on the landing."
"They were already dead last among all the school teams in terms of strength. Now the outcome is even more set in stone."
"They're seriously unlucky. Their team has ranked near the bottom every year. Last year they even made it to the third round because of that wing spiker, but this year they ran into championship favorite Kitagawa Daiichi right from the start!"
"It was already going to be a complete stomp, and now their wing spiker has hurt his ankle too!"
"That genius setter they call the King of the Court is on the court too, right? Tobio Kageyama!"
"There's no doubt about it, that team is aiming straight for the championship. With North River's wing spiker gone, even if they weren't facing a powerhouse like Kitagawa Daiichi, they still wouldn't be able to beat anyone else."
"The match is already over. There's no hope left."
"This game is already finished. There's no turning it around. After all, who would care whether North River Middle School lives or dies!?"
And just as the medical staff arrived, the spectator stands were filled not only with negative comments about North River Middle School's strength, but also with one person who was watching the outcome especially closely.
"Shoyo, the match is already over."
"There's no point in staying here to watch anymore."
Koji looked helplessly at Shoyo, who was lingering in the stands and refusing to leave.
This morning, Yukigaoka Junior High, the school they represented, had lost to Kitagawa Daiichi in the first round, exactly as expected.
And it had been a straight 2–0 shutout.
A gap in strength that huge was hard for anyone to accept, let alone his friend Shoyo, who had always loved volleyball so much.
Ever since he was little, Shoyo had admired the Little Giant he had seen on television.
He had dreamed of staying on the volleyball court forever, but Yukigaoka's volleyball program simply couldn't get off the ground, and volleyball was a sport that demanded strong teamwork.
Losing was normal.
"I want to see just how big the gap is between me and that King."
Shoyo looked somewhat dejected. Right now, all he wanted was to see exactly where he fell short compared to a true powerhouse.
Seeing the usually bright, energetic Shoyo like this, Koji couldn't bring himself to refuse. After going outside to buy two bottles of soda, he came back and watched the next match with him.
The match just happened to be North River vs. Kitagawa Daiichi. Although the two schools' names differed by only one character, their strength was worlds apart.
North River couldn't even hold out for a single round against Kitagawa Daiichi.
After the medical staff hurried onto the court and carried North River Middle School's wing spiker away, North River's coach used one of his time-outs.
He began discussing who should be sent onto the court next, as well as what tactics they should use from here on.
But just from the team's morale, it was obvious that no one believed they could still defeat the so-called championship favorite, Kitagawa Daiichi, after losing their wing spiker.
They were simply too strong. Every single player on the court had outstanding all-around ability.
(End of Chapter)
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