"Alright, you two go stretch. Don't overdo the training. Don't wear yourselves out," Iwaizumi called out when he saw both players had pushed themselves about equally hard.
"Yes, sir." Taichi Kazuhara and Kindaichi moved to the sideline to begin stretching.
"Host, would you like to end Training Mode?" came the mechanical voice of the system.
Oh? That's pretty considerate, even asking for confirmation. Taichi responded silently in his mind. But in that very moment, it was as if some invisible switch had been triggered—an overwhelming fatigue surged through his entire body like a tidal wave.
In the blink of an eye, Taichi felt every ounce of strength drain from his limbs. He couldn't even lift his eyelids.
They say sports bring people closer together, and after training together for a while, Kindaichi already felt like he and Taichi were longtime friends. Just as he was getting caught up in the pleasant thought of spending the next three years fighting side by side, he suddenly caught sight of Taichi out of the corner of his eye. Taichi's body gave out mid-stretch and slumped sideways.
"Taichi?!"
Kindaichi's shout brought the entire court to a halt as everyone turned to look. They immediately spotted Taichi lying awkwardly on the ground. Iwaizumi and Oikawa rushed over, and the commotion quickly caught the attention of the manager and coaches nearby.
Iwaizumi quickly checked Taichi's condition and then looked at Kindaichi with an exasperated expression. "He's just asleep. Why are you yelling like that?"
Kindaichi's face flushed red. "I—I just… He suddenly collapsed..."
The players around them paused for a second. Then Oikawa's laugh broke the silence, setting off a ripple effect. Soon, the entire volleyball team was laughing uproariously, their exhaustion easing a little with the sudden levity.
It all happened so fast that Taichi didn't have time to react. Though he quickly realized that his body had forced itself into a deep rest state, it was a terrible time for it. Before his consciousness could fade, he hurriedly used a stamina potion.
By the time Iwaizumi reached him, Taichi was already awake. Hearing everyone laughing, he instantly understood what had happened. Not wanting to face the embarrassment, he decided to keep his eyes shut and "wake up" at a better time.
"What happened here?"
Hearing Coach Irihata's voice, Taichi knew he couldn't fake it anymore. He slowly opened his eyes, feigning confusion as he looked around.
At that moment, he noticed Oikawa winking at him—clearly seeing through his little act—but Taichi remained calm and played along. "Sorry, Coach. I think the training was just too intense and I accidentally nodded off for a moment. I'm fine now," he said, sitting up deliberately to show he was okay.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
Seeing Coach Irihata's concern, Taichi stood up and bounced on his toes a bit, looking perfectly fine. Irihata nodded. With that small incident behind them, practice was coming to an end.
Off to the side, Oikawa and the coach were quietly discussing something. After the coach nodded, Oikawa called everyone together excitedly.
"Good news, everyone. Next weekend, we're going to have an exciting practice match—with Karasuno."
"Karasuno? I think I've heard of them. Didn't they make it to Nationals before?"
"Isn't that the fallen powerhouse? They're not strong anymore, right? Won't it be a boring match?"
The team began chatting about Karasuno's recent record. A match with little suspense didn't seem like something Oikawa would be interested in.
As everyone murmured their opinions, Iwaizumi cut through the noise with his usual calm and firm tone: "Don't underestimate any opponent."
His words were like a cold splash of water, wiping away the carefree mood. His sharp gaze swept across the team as he continued, "Karasuno may not be at their peak right now, but they've stood on the Nationals stage. Volleyball isn't just about what's on paper. Game-day performance, tactical adaptability, team morale, even how you feel that day—any of those can decide the outcome."
"Ahem." Seeing the team frozen by Iwaizumi's intensity, Oikawa quickly stepped in to lighten the mood. "Actually, it's because I have a very strong, very not-adorable underclassman on Karasuno."
"Senpai, you mean Kageyama Tobio?" Kindaichi suddenly stood up.
"That's right. You and Kunimi were his teammates in middle school, right?"
With everyone's eyes now on them, Kindaichi and Kunimi nodded. "Yeah, we were."
But those weren't exactly fond memories. That "tyrant" only needed teammates who followed his orders.
Flashback to a year ago, at the middle school championships:
"Kindaichi, faster!"
"Kunimi, quit being so lazy!"
"Push yourselves like it's practice as usual," Kunimi muttered with a frown, clearly lacking motivation.
"There's not even a blocker on their side. What is he so worked up about?" Kindaichi said, equally irritated.
"What, are you only going to try hard when we reach the finals?" Kageyama yelled at them, his stubborn scowl clear as day.
That harsh face flashed again in Kindaichi's mind. He shook his head, trying to erase the memory. He still couldn't quite understand: "Senpai, why are you paying so much attention to Kageyama Tobio?"
"Mm~ Because right now, his setting is probably the best in the prefecture," Oikawa replied casually.
"No way!"
"But my serves, blocks, and spikes are still better than his," Oikawa added, sweeping his gaze across the team. "And so are my teammates."
With that one line, Oikawa reignited the fighting spirit in everyone's hearts. We've got to win! That thought echoed silently through the team.
Kindaichi, especially, felt a burning desire to win. To him, Kageyama was a domineering tyrant, an irritating opponent—the one person he wanted to defeat most.
But the other one who was just as excited was Taichi Kazuhara. He was eager to finally meet Kageyama and Hinata. According to the original timeline, Aoba Johsai's primary rival over the last two years had been Shiratorizawa Academy.
However, in this year's Inter-High tournament, Aoba Johsai's journey took a different turn.
Before even reaching Shiratorizawa, they were met with a fierce challenge from Karasuno in the semifinals. While Karasuno wasn't a traditional powerhouse, they had made shocking improvements during the tournament. In their match against Aoba Johsai, they fought tooth and nail, pushing the game into a suspense-filled climax. In the end, Aoba Johsai narrowly claimed victory and moved on.
What was more terrifying was that this Inter-High match wasn't the last time they'd meet. It was merely the beginning of a shift in the balance of power. With Karasuno's continued growth, they would go on to break through Aoba Johsai's wall completely in the Spring High tournament—surpassing themselves and rising to become a new force capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the top-tier teams like Shiratorizawa.
If they wanted to make it to Nationals, Karasuno was a threat they could not afford to ignore. The problem was, Aoba Johsai hadn't realized that yet.
Taichi silently made up his mind: they had to establish dominance in the practice match. They had to win!