---
Daichi said faintly:
"If you don't manage your break properly at noon and it affects your performance in the afternoon match…"
"You're getting subbed out!!"
"Subbed out…"
Kageyama and Hinata flinched together.
"We know!"
"We'll be right back!"
Under Daichi's sharp gaze, the two suddenly felt uncomfortable and hurriedly ran off.
...
This afternoon's matches include Kamomedai vs. Mujinazaka and Inarizaki vs. Ichibayashi !
This venue only hosts one match.
The Kamomedai vs. Mujinazaka match is being held at another venue.
It's a place just as large as this one!
The other two afternoon matches—Itachiyama vs. Fukurodani and Karasuno vs. Inubushi —will also take place, but only Karasuno's match is held at this venue.
Fukurōdani's match is also happening at another site.
This year's Inter-High tournament is getting massive attention!
The tournament organizers decided to spread matches across venues due to the overwhelming demand for seats.
The teams that win this afternoon…
Their semifinals tomorrow will be held somewhere entirely different from the current venues.
That's right—the biggest and most dazzling location of them all: Centre Court!!
Far larger than this place!
It's a separate stadium located right in the heart of the gym complex!
It's every team's dream to set foot there and compete!
...
While the players squeezed every minute of their break to rest, outside the stadium, more spectators began to gather.
"Phew, it's really not easy to get here just to watch a match!"
A man with long hair squeezed through the bustling crowd, gazing up at the huge gymnasium in front of him with a nostalgic smile.
"Shh!"
"Keep it down!"
"Don't get noticed!"
Next to him stood a man acting suspiciously.
Wearing dark sunglasses and a mask despite the summer heat.
"Ahaha…"
The long-haired man's mouth twitched awkwardly as he laughed twice and glanced helplessly at his companion.
"Tsukishima-senpai!"
"I really don't think you need to go that far with the disguise!"
"Of course I do, Tenma!"
"If my brother sees me watching his match, I'm dead meat!"
The sneaky-looking man was Akiteru Tsukishima, older brother of Kei Tsukishima.
He was once a member of Karasuno's volleyball team but has since graduated from university.
"Hahaha!"
Hearing that, Udai Tenma scratched his head and chuckled.
"So that's the reason!"
"Honestly, if you hadn't called me on the train, I wouldn't have recognized you at all!"
"Ah, well… better safe than sorry!"
Akiteru Tsukishima sighed.
"That kid already told me not to come watch him play."
"So I absolutely cannot let him find me!"
As he said this, something seemed to occur to him.
"Oh, right!"
"Tenma, what made you suddenly want to come watch a match?"
"Hahaha!"
The long-haired man's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Because I saw the national tournament on TV this morning!"
"I just happened to catch the tail end of Karasuno's match!"
"Plus, the place I'm renting isn't far from here, so I just hopped on the tram!"
"I really missed watching them play on the court!"
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Akiteru's eyes, hidden behind the sunglasses, gleamed with nostalgia as well.
Then, scanning the surroundings again like a spy, he added:
"But Tenma…"
"Once the match starts, we cannot cheer too loudly!"
"If my brother hears me, I'm in serious trouble!"
"…Fine, fine."
Udai Tenma nodded with a sigh.
"Alright, Tsukishima-senpai."
"I'll keep it down later."
The two of them were just a small part of the growing crowd.
As the afternoon match time drew near, more and more spectators poured in.
Even though the tournament organizers had prepared for crowd control, they were still surprised by this year's turnout.
...
Daichi and the others looked toward the court, where Inarizaki and Ichibayashi were already lined up, ready to begin. Kuroo, standing nearby, suddenly spoke up.
"Man… Bokuto's match is probably starting around now, huh?"
"Should be," Sugawara replied thoughtfully.
"According to the tournament schedule, all the matches this round start at the same time."
"So Kozume, why didn't you go to the other venue to watch the match with Bokuto and the others?"
"Isn't Itachiyama playing Fukurodani over there?"
"If we didn't have a match today, I would've wanted to go see it myself!"
Kenma propped his chin in his hand, looking a bit exasperated.
"Ugh, it's such a pain to transfer trains."
"Unlike the teams, we don't have a dedicated shuttle."
"Besides, that match also has Itachiyama and Fukurōdani."
"As a Tokyo team, we've seen them so many times already—we're kind of tired of it."
"Might as well stay here and watch your game."
"Yeah, exactly."
Kai chimed in with a nod, agreeing with Kenma.
"I've seen a lot of TV interviews saying that this year's Inarizaki has the potential to take the championship."
"They're the strongest team after Fukurōdani."
"Right! Some people even believe that Inarizaki could beat Itachiyama and win the whole Inter-High!"
Kuroo smirked and added teasingly:
"Maybe you guys will lose to them first!"
"Wha…"
Hinata was dumbfounded.
"Y-yeah, that's true…"
"If we win our next match…"
"Then tomorrow's match will be against Inarizaki!!"
"It's too soon to say that."
Daichi's voice cut through the conversation, serious and calm.
"Let's focus on winning the match in front of us first."
"Yes, sir!"
And while the Karasuno team chatted with Nekoma nearby, not far away, two other figures silently observed them from the crowd.