The setting sun burned the asphalt outside the gymnasium a deep red, and a trace of spring's characteristic chill still lingered in the air. Karasuno High School's old minibus was parked by the roadside, its engine rumbling dully like an old ox chewing cud as white smoke puffed from the exhaust pipe.
Everyone had their sports bags on their backs, their steps a little unsteady. The dopamine rush from winning was rapidly fading, replaced by the exhaustion that came from feeling completely drained. Hinata Shoyo was still savoring the feel of that last hit, practically floating as he walked and occasionally swinging his arms at the air.
Sawamura Daichi brought up the rear of the group and didn't hurry to get on the bus. He watched his teammates, still basking in their joy, his brow not entirely unknotted.
"Although Teacher Takeda put it very nicely, and the atmosphere just now was really fired up..."
Daichi stopped, his tone turning serious. He spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. "But honestly, what would've happened if Aoba Johsai had been at full strength today? What if Oikawa Tōru had been serving from the very first set?"
His words were like a bucket of cold water dumped right over Hinata and Tanaka, who had still been grinning foolishly.
Lu Ren hitched his backpack higher on his shoulder. He knew the answer, of course. If Oikawa Tōru had played the whole match, with Karasuno's current defensive stats, they probably would've been blasted straight through the armor by those unreasonable serves. In a sense, today's victory was a little treat from the system for players in Novice Village—or a judgment exemption granted because their opponents had underestimated them.
"Our team still has one fatal weakness." Daichi clenched his fist. "Receiving. Against the top teams in the prefecture, our defense is as fragile as paper."
"Not bad, Captain. You've seen right through it."
A light, airy voice suddenly came from the shadows by the school gate.
Everyone looked up sharply.
Oikawa Tōru was leaning against the gate's iron bars, wearing his white-and-green tracksuit jacket and spinning a volleyball in his hand. He hadn't changed back into his uniform. It looked like he'd been waiting here specifically to ambush them.
"Great King!" Hinata startled and shrank back, ducking straight behind Tanaka Ryūnosuke.
Tanaka Ryūnosuke reacted instinctively. His chin thrust forward, and his whole face twisted instantly into an extremely vicious Delinquent Face. A low growl rumbled in his throat, like a stray dog defending its territory. "Huh? What'd you say? You wanna fight, huh?!"
"Whoa—"
Hinata poked his head out from behind Tanaka and tried his hardest to imitate Tanaka's expression, scrunching up his features and baring his teeth as he let out a completely unthreatening cry. "Wanna fight?! Huh?!"
Even the usually mild-mannered Yamaguchi Tadashi caught the mood. He tried to put on a stern expression and stood beside Tsukishima, attempting to look a little more intimidating.
Lu Ren rubbed his temples as he watched. The scene was too much. It was like a max-level boss passing through Novice Village, only to be surrounded by a bunch of level-one monsters baring their teeth.
Oikawa Tōru was amused by the sight and waved a hand, perfectly at ease. "Don't be so on guard, Shorty. I'm not here to pick a fight."
His gaze passed over Tanaka and settled on Hinata, a signature, inscrutable smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
"That last touch, and that unreasonable Back Attack—you really were impressive. That speed and Explosive Power even surprised me."
Hinata froze. His fierce expression instantly crumbled, his cheeks turning red. He looked completely flustered, like a puppy being praised. "R-really?"
"But—"
Oikawa Tōru changed his tone, the warmth in his eyes fading a little. "Next time we meet in an official match, I'll be giving it my all from the start. You haven't seen my setting skills yet. And of course, I'll keep honing my serves."
Hinata shivered.
Lu Ren sighed inwardly. Was this the pressure of a Version T0 character? In the set just now, Oikawa Tōru had nearly wrecked Tsukishima's confidence with his serves alone. If he'd been firing away from the first set, on top of combining with Iwaizumi Hajime at full strength, Karasuno's rickety boat would've sunk long ago.
"Your offense is certainly interesting. That reckless style of yours is pretty destructive." Oikawa Tōru straightened up, putting aside his earlier air of nonchalance. "But volleyball is still a sport where the ball can't hit the ground. Without solid First Passes, even the strongest offense is just a castle in the air. Once your receiving falls apart, your quick attacks will be like firecrackers that fizzle out."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present as if conducting some sort of assessment of their strength.
"And I'm not the only player in the prefecture with powerful serves. The High School League preliminaries are coming up soon. If you don't want to go home in the first round, you'd better work your tails off."
With that, Oikawa Tōru suddenly raised his hand and pointed his index finger straight at Kageyama Tobio in the crowd.
Kageyama had been staring blankly at the ground. At the feeling of Oikawa Tōru's gaze, he jerked his head up. Two equally intense desires to win collided in the air.
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