The next day, inside Centre Court.
"Wow!"
"Is this Centre Court?"
"So big!"
"So beautiful!"
...
Exclamations spilled nonstop from Hinata's mouth.
He spun around, marveling at the grand venue and the ascending layers of the auditorium.
Bang!
He was so engrossed in looking around that he suddenly bumped into Kageyama behind him!
Immediately, Kageyama smacked him on the head.
"Ugh!"
"That hurts!"
"Next time, watch where you're going, dumbass!"
...
Not long after they walked in, they ran into Nekoma's group, who had arrived especially early today.
"Hey!"
"Have you seen the Fukurōdani guys?"
Kuroo's eyes lit up as he stepped forward and asked.
"Nope!"
"Haven't seen them since we parted ways yesterday afternoon," Daichi replied, puzzled.
Logically, they should be here to watch today's match.
But they still hadn't shown up.
"Hey! Hey!"
"Did you guys miss me??"
Speak of the devil! Just as they were wondering, a familiar voice rang out behind them—Bokuto!
Everyone turned to look, and sure enough, the Fukurōdani group was strolling in from the gymnasium entrance.
"I thought you'd gone missing."
Kuroo teased with a grin as he greeted Daichi and the others.
"What happened in yesterday's match?"
"Something go wrong?"
"Erm..."
"Well..."
As soon as the match was brought up, Bokuto scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed.
"In yesterday's tiebreaker, Bokuto—Senpai"
Akaashi began to speak but was immediately cut off as Bokuto whipped his head around.
"Hahaha..."
"Akaashi! Let's not bring that up now, okay!"
"There are so many people here! Let me save some face!!"
"Agh..."
Akaashi sighed helplessly and closed his mouth.
Then Bokuto pounded his chest again, suddenly excited:
"Still, I'm feeling much better now!"
"After watching the later match, I didn't feel so bad!"
"Sakusa, that bastard, actually lost his match!"
"That really cheered me up!"
Kuroo sighed too. He'd expected this.
Bokuto's mood swings come and go fast.
Even if something did happen in yesterday's game, he wasn't the type to let it carry over to today.
Judging by Akaashi's reaction, Bokuto had probably made another blunder in the final tiebreaker.
"Alright!"
"Let's go!"
"Since we're early, let's hurry up and grab good seats!"
"Otherwise, they'll all be gone soon!"
"Yeah!"
Bokuto scratched his head.
"Is Karasuno playing in the first match??"
"They should be warming up now, right?"
"That's right!" Daichi nodded firmly.
"Then we'll head to our seats!"
"Good luck out there!"
"We'll be cheering from the stands!"
...
As time passed, more and more spectators flooded into Centre Court.
Minutes before the match began, the massive stadium was already packed to the brim!
The TV broadcast had also begun—this match was attracting attention from all sides!
"Hello, viewers!"
"Today, we bring you live coverage of the Interhigh National Volleyball Tournament! The men's semifinals!"
...
Amid the enthusiastic voices of the two commentators, the first match's teams—Karasuno and Inarizaki—began entering the court!
On Inarizaki's side was their enormous banner: We Don't Need Memories
And on Karasuno's side, their message was concise and powerful: Fly!!
Players from both teams stared each other down.
"Please take care of us!!"
Meanwhile...
"Inarizaki! Inarizaki!"
...
From the Inarizaki stands came thunderous cheers!
Everyone turned to look. Their cheerleaders were dressed in matching uniforms, their voices booming.
They even had an impressive array of large instruments!
Drum kits, tubas, trombones, harps...
It was practically a full-blown orchestra!
And the giant flag reading Inarizaki High School waved proudly above them!
On the other hand, Karasuno's side also had loud cheers.
But they weren't as coordinated.
Most of Karasuno's supporters were fans who had come spontaneously.
Unlike Inarizaki, they didn't have an official school-organized cheer squad.
"Ahh..." Coach Ukai sighed from the coaches' area.
"Takeda-sensei..."
"We came all the way to Tokyo for this, and the school didn't send anyone?"
"Ah... Well..." Takeda looked a bit embarrassed.
"I did reach out to the school beforehand, and they did want to come support us."
"But even though the school agreed to cover travel and lodging for the cheer squad, it's still hard to organize."
"It's summer break, after all. If we want students to come, they'd have to volunteer."
"And we can't just take over their vacation time."
"Besides, this is our first time reaching nationals. We don't have much of a fanbase among the student body."
"I see..." Ukai understood what he meant.
He sighed again.
"Right... That makes sense."
"For a powerhouse school like Inarizaki, they naturally have a lot of supporters."
"But at our school, the volleyball team's been down for so long..."
"Coach Ukai, please don't worry!" Takeda interrupted with a firm voice.
"After this tournament, I believe things will change."
"I'm sure next time we come to Tokyo..."
"Our supporters will include a cheer squad just as strong as theirs!"
...
As the two continued talking, the players on court gradually took their positions.
Once the referee confirmed the jersey numbers...
The whistle blew!
The match had officially begun!!