"Kei?"
"Don't you believe me?"
"I really just happened to pass by here today!"
Kei Tsukishima watched his brother's persistent presence with cold eyes.
"Yes?"
"But how did you know I was competing today?"
"I remember I didn't tell you!!"
"This..."
Akiteru Tsukishima scratched his head awkwardly.
"Haha! I..."
"I saw it on TV!"
"I just happened to have something nearby, so..."
"Hmph!"
"Come on, come on! Kei don't take it seriously!"
Tsukishima snorted coldly.
"But there's no need to be so sneaky next time!"
"Hey, hey! I know, Kei!"
"Hmph!"
"Don't be angry!"
"Tsukki is Tsundere" Nishinoya added from the side
---
"What's wrong?"
"Disappointed?"
That evening, in Karasuno's conference room.
After parting with Udai Tenma and the others in the afternoon, everyone from Karasuno had returned here.
"Not at all!"
Hinata sat next to Kageyama, resting his head on the table, looking distracted.
"Actually..."
"I had this feeling when I couldn't find his team!"
"I just didn't expect it to be true today..."
...
"Ahem!"
"Is everyone here?"
While everyone was chatting, Ukai's voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Tonight, our main task is to study tomorrow's opponent, Inarizaki High!"
"I believe everyone has already watched their game today!"
"Let's start with your impressions!"
"Hmm..."
The first to speak was Sawamura.
"Their setter is very strong."
"In today's game, I saw several particularly low passes, but Atsumu Miya consistently delivered accurate upper-hand sets."
"In the past, these ultra-low balls were usually met with lower-hand passes."
"Yes!"
Sugawara added seriously from the side:
"And Aran Ojiro!"
"He's worthy of being one of the country's top five aces!"
"His Spikes are incredibly powerful! We must pay special attention tomorrow!"
"Yes!"
Hearing their remarks, Ukai nodded silently and continued:
"Not just those two."
"The rest of Inarizaki is also extremely threatening."
"But these two stand out the most—that's certain."
Ukai glanced down at his notebook and continued:
"The focus of tomorrow's game will be their ace, Aran Ojiro."
"Looking at their past matches, if he's allowed to play at full strength, he becomes terrifying."
"Therefore, targeting him specifically will give us a significant advantage."
"The coach means..."
Sawamura hesitated.
"Try to cut down on his attacks?"
"Yes!"
Ukai nodded firmly.
"Unlike Shiratorizawa's Ushijima, Ojiro participates in serve receive."
"If we can serve and block him a few more times than usual, it will make a big difference."
"And once he starts getting frustrated, Inarizaki's offense will weaken considerably."
"When blocking at the net, we must stop him a few more times."
"Can you do it, Akira?"
As he spoke, Ukai turned his gaze to Akira.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Akira thought for a moment and then said:
"No problem."
"I've seen them play; although both Ojiro and Bokuto are top-five aces in the country..."
"They're different types of attackers."
"In some ways, there's a gap between them."
"After some time in the game..."
"As long as I'm in the front row, I won't let his Spikes get through."
"Very good!"
Ukai smiled inwardly.
"So..."
"About Inarizaki's lineup..."
He continued flipping through his notebook.
"Pay attention also to their captain—Shinsuke Kita."
"He's always been a mysterious figure to us."
"I looked for videos of Inarizaki's matches this year, but found nothing."
"Huh?"
Everyone was surprised.
"As the team captain, he didn't play all year?"
"Yes."
Ukai nodded.
"I believe he's not just a substitute."
"After all, someone who serves as captain for a strong traditional school like Inarizaki..."
"Must have something powerful about him."
"If he suddenly plays tomorrow, I want everyone to be prepared."
"Yes!"
"Next, some other points to watch..."
...
Meanwhile, in Inarizaki's lounge, a similar scene was unfolding.
Coach kurosu was showing video footage.
"Well?"
"Did you find any problems?"
"This..."
Michinari Akagi said hesitantly:
"What's going on with Akira's Spikes?"
"Why did Shiratorizawa's defense keep breaking down?"
As a libero, he had an extremely keen sense for receiving.
Watching the Karasuno vs. Shiratorizawa match footage, Akagi immediately noticed something unusual.
After his comment, others quickly saw the irregularity too.
"Yes! These Spikes don't seem that scary."
"Could it be Shiratorizawa's own mistake?"
"I don't think so! Shiratorizawa is well aware—how could they make such a basic error?"
...