The gym doors opened again, and a crisp set of footsteps broke the awkward silence Nishinoya Yū had just created.
Shimizu Kiyoko walked in with a clipboard in her arms, her expression beneath her black-rimmed glasses as cool as ever. She seemed completely unaware of the strange atmosphere Nishinoya's arrival had created in the gym, and simply walked calmly toward the managers' seats.
"Kiyoko Senpai!"
Nishinoya Yū, who had just been squaring off against Kageyama like a delinquent, instantly switched from "berserker" to "simp." He sprang forward as if he had a spring in his shoes, charging toward Kiyoko with the air of someone ready to brave any danger.
"I came to see you! Kiyoko Senpai! Did you miss me..."
Smack.
The crisp, pleasant sound of a slap echoed through the cavernous gym.
Nishinoya held his lunging pose, a clear, rosy handprint blooming on his left cheek. Shimizu Kiyoko withdrew her hand without even breaking her stride, then calmly walked around him.
"He really is like a storm, just as always." Sugawara Kōshi stood off to the side, wearing the rueful smile of someone who'd seen it all before.
Sawamura Daichi folded his arms and sighed. "He really is loud, isn't he?"
Lu Ren still had the candy in his mouth. Watching the short guy on the floor clutch his cheek and grin blissfully despite getting slapped, he couldn't help adding a sound effect in his head: [Player 'Nishinoya Yū' has taken physical damage, HP -1, mental happiness +999.]
"He is loud," Daichi agreed, his expression softening. "But his playing style on the court is quieter than you'd ever imagine."
Nishinoya Yū got to his feet as if nothing had happened. He brushed the dust off his pants. The red mark on his face hadn't faded, but his expression had turned cold in an instant. His cheeky grin was gone, replaced by a seriousness that demanded attention.
He walked straight up to Sawamura Daichi and got right to the point. "What about Asahi Senpai? Is he back?"
The air instantly grew tense.
Sawamura Daichi's gaze dropped slightly, avoiding Nishinoya's direct stare. Sugawara beside him awkwardly scratched his head.
"He... he hasn't come back yet," Daichi said quietly.
"Tch."
Nishinoya Yū clicked his tongue sharply, his teeth grinding together. The anger he'd just suppressed flared back up, hotter than before.
"That useless guy!" Nishinoya shouted, his voice full of furious exasperation. "He's huge, but he's more timid than a mouse!"
"Hey, Noya!" Tanaka Ryūnosuke couldn't take it anymore. He stepped forward with a frown. "Don't talk about Asahi Senpai like that! He has his reasons..."
"Shut up, Ryū!" Nishinoya snapped back without hesitation, his gaze fierce. "Useless is useless! If that coward isn't coming back, then neither am I!"
With that, he didn't give anyone a chance to explain. He turned and left, his school jacket emblazoned with "One Man Army" swinging behind him in a decisive arc.
"Noya!" Tanaka tried to chase after him, but Nishinoya's unyielding back put a stop to him.
"I'll go after him!"
An orange blur shot past. Hinata Shoyo hadn't given it a second thought. With only the thought that "the guy who's amazing at receiving is leaving" in his head, he took off after Nishinoya and dashed out of the gym.
Watching the whole farce unfold, Lu Ren crunched the candy in his mouth with a sharp crack.
"So..." Lu Ren turned to the gloomy Daichi and Sugawara. "What exactly was that? A family drama? Or a revenge story about an ex?"
Daichi gave a rueful smile but said nothing.
"What happened?" Lu Ren's curiosity really had been piqued. For a short guy who seemed loud and brash but was actually loyal to get this angry, that so-called "Asahi Senpai" must have done something serious.
"To put it simply..." Sugawara sighed, his gaze unfocused, as though he'd sunk into an unpleasant memory. "It was last year's tournament. We faced Date Tech in the second round."
"Date Tech?" Lu Ren searched his memory for the name, but it didn't ring a bell.
"They're known for their blocking. They call themselves the 'Iron Wall,'" Sugawara explained. "In that match... our ace wing spiker, Azumane Asahi—Asahi Senpai, as Nishinoya calls him—was completely shut down."
"No matter how many times he spiked, they blocked him. No matter how he attacked, he couldn't break through that wall." Daichi's voice was heavy. "In that match, Nishinoya fought with everything he had to save the ball. Several times, even when the ball had already been blocked, Nishinoya somehow managed to dig it up and give Asahi another chance to attack."
"But..." Sugawara lowered his eyes. "In the end, Asahi... gave up attacking. He felt he'd let Nishinoya down after all those saves, and that he couldn't score. He lost his nerve. After that, the two of them had a falling-out. The broken mop in the storage room was snapped in half back then."
The gym fell quiet for a few seconds.
Kageyama Tobio stopped spinning the ball. Apparently, this was the first time he'd heard the full story.
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