Aoba Johsai High.
Third Year, Class E.
"Hey hey hey, Kana, did you hear? Our school's boys' volleyball team made it to the Nationals!"
"Ah… yeah, I already know."
If Akashi Kana didn't know her best friend's personality so well, she would have thought she was being mocked. With a giant banner hanging outside the school building, how could she not know? Saying otherwise would be like admitting she was blind.
"That's amazing!"
"Well, our volleyball team has always been a powerhouse in the prefecture. Making it to Nationals isn't that shocking."
"Whaaat~ Kana, I'm surprised you even know that! I thought you didn't care about sports?"
"I just happened to pick up a few things."
In truth, Kana didn't know much about Aoba Johsai's volleyball team until her younger brother joined the club after entering high school. That's when she put in a little effort to learn more.
And another thing: her best friend wasn't quite right. Kana didn't dislike sports, she just didn't feel like doing them.
In other words, she was simply lazy.
"But you're wrong about one thing!" her friend shot back. "Sure, our team is strong in the prefecture, but until now, we've never been close to Nationals. The past two years, we kept losing to Shiratorizawa. But this year, we finally beat them! Wanna know why?"
Kana's friend, Renko Mizuta, had that all-too-familiar "ask , ask !" look on her face. Kana wasn't particularly interested, but to humor her friend, she played along.
"Eh? Why?"
With hands on her hips and a smug expression, Renko declared proudly, "Hehehe… I bet you don't know! I'll tell you a secret! It's all thanks to a super amazing first-year who joined the team this year. He and Oikawa-senpai tead up and finally took down Shiratorizawa's 'Demon King'!"
"And get this, the new guy is just as good-looking as Oikawa-senpai! They even ended up on the cover of this month's magazine together. A bunch of girls in our class are planning to buy it just to rip off the cover and keep it!"
"I see…"
Kana responded half-heartedly, not really paying attention, until Renko suddenly shoved the magazine in front of her. Kana froze.
"Look! Isn't our new volleyball first-year totally hot? His na is… Akashi Asuka. Huh? Kana, he has the sa last na as you!"
As Renko excitedly waved the magazine in her face, Kana stared at the photo, utterly stunned.
Wait a sec…
Isn't that my little brother? Since when did that brat get so handso?
No, wait. That's not the issue here.
Since when did that brat get so good at volleyball?
Kana did know that her brother had joined the volleyball club, and she vaguely rembered him leading his junior high team to Nationals. But beyond that? She was totally out of the loop.
It's not like their sibling relationship was bad, it's just that anyone with a sibling knows that they're not always chummy. Most days, if a brother and sister are in the sa house, they probably won't even exchange ten words. They've known each other for so long that a simple "mm" or "ah" is enough for communication.
So once Asuka entered high school, Kana didn't bother keeping tabs on him.
She figured even if he was good in junior high, he'd spend at least a year warming the bench before getting a chance to play.
That's the norm in most clubs.
Which is why, when Renko first ntioned a super-talented freshman, Kana never imagined it might be her brother.
She never imagined he'd turn out to be a prodigy.
But seriously…
This makes no sense.
There's no athletic genius anywhere in the Akashi bloodline, at least going back three generations. Is this so kind of genetic mutation?
Should I get a paternity test when I go ho this weekend?
Girls' imaginations tend to spiral. In just one second, Kana had already imagined her mom having an affair, her parents divorcing, she and Asuka becoming estranged, and her spending the next ten years chasing revenge, only to eventually beco Pri Minister…
But then, Renko shattered her daydream.
"How weird… Kana, this hot volleyball guy looks a lot like you!"
She stared at the magazine cover, squinting. Kana was just about to say sothing when Renko casually dropped a bomb.
"Though, honestly, he's way better looking than you. That body, that height, those long legs! Ugh, Kana, you've got none of that!"
Kana: "..."
She snapped. Predatory instincts awakened.
Oblivious, Renko kept flipping through the magazine, starry-eyed. "He's so dreamy… And we're going to cheer for the volleyball team at Nationals with the music club, right? I have to get a picture with Asuka-kun!"
"Hey Kana, do you think I have a shot if I try to go after him?"
Kana gave her a cold smile. "Heh~ as long as I'm alive, you have no chance."
Still, Renko reminded Kana of sothing important. As a mber of the music club, she would be going to Nationals to cheer for the team. Which ant she'd be seeing her brother there.
She'd better take club practice seriously from now on, no more slacking off.
If she embarrassed herself in front of her little brother, her big-sister dignity would never recover.
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3:30 PM
Akashi Asuka wrapped up his classes for the day and headed to the shoe locker to switch into his training shoes for volleyball practice.
But as soon as he opened the locker, seven or eight pink love letters tumbled out.
The boys nearby turned green with envy.
"Damn normie… go explode or sothing!"
Grumbling, Asuka stuffed the letters into his bag, changed his shoes, and walked through the halls, braving a storm of whispers and stares from the girls.
Finally, he reached the volleyball gym.
Just as he opened the door, a mob of teammates ca charging at him, waving a letter, and behind them, Haji Iwaizumi was in hot pursuit.
"Hey! You guys! Give that back!"
"No way! Iwaizumi, you traitor! We all worked together to beat Shiratorizawa, so why were you the only one who got a love letter?!"
"Yeah! We agreed we'd all stay single together! You betrayed us!"
"You damn normie! We demand a trial before all the club mbers for your cris!"
Hanamaki, Matsukawa, and Yahaba used their height advantage to hold the letter high out of Iwaizumi's reach, all while loudly condemning him.
Asuka glanced at them… and quietly took a step back.
These guys have definitely been single for too long. They're losing their minds.
It's just a love letter. So what?
But just as he moved aside, one of them accidentally bumped into him. The clasp on his bag ca loose and, plop, it hit the ground, spilling out a few pink envelopes.
The entire gym went silent.
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A few minutes later.
Akashi Asuka, freshly "judged" by the jealous trio of Matsukawa, Hanamaki, and Yahaba (who suffered emotional damage in return), joined the rest of the team on the court.
"Yesterday's match was exhausting for everyone, so today's practice will be mostly self-paced–" said Coach Irihata Nobuteru. "We've got about two weeks until Nationals. Over the next ten days, we'll be hosting several practice matches with other schools. Everyone should be ready, you could be called to play at any ti. Got it?"
"Yes!" the team shouted in unison.
"Alright, you're dismissed for now."
Yesterday's match had pushed nearly every starter past their physical limits. Though they'd won, the aftereffects were still lingering.
Not everyone had Asuka's ridiculous stamina.
Despite all the joking around earlier, most of them could barely walk without their muscles screaming in pain. Irihata clearly knew this, which is why today was a free practice.
At Aoba Johsai, "free practice" didn't necessarily an volleyball drills. You could move your body however you wanted.
Libero Watari Shinji, for example, liked to do yoga.
But that was for normal players.
For soone abnormal, free practice was just a chance to outwork everyone else in broad daylight.
"Sanshita, set for , I want to work on spikes."
"Are you even recovered?"
"Relax. I'm fine."
"Well, you are a physical freak. I guess it makes sense."
Grumbling, Ryuhei Sanashita rolled the ball cart over and began tossing for Asuka.
Before long, the gym was echoing with the steady, thud thud thud of powerful spikes.
At first, nobody thought much of it.
But as ti went on, an odd tension started to build. It was the sa feeling as being in a marathon, on your last legs, when suddenly, you hear fast footsteps closing in from behind…
"I can't take it anymore. I need to play."
Oikawa Tooru was the first to crack. Don't be fooled by his flirtatious nature, he was just as competitive as the rest.
He tried to get up… only for his muscles to scream in protest, forcing him back down.
But the longer he sat there, the more anxious he beca. It was driving him nuts.
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Three Days Later
The team had finally recovered.
Just in ti for their first practice match, against Wakutani Minami High.
After being silently "grinded down" by Asuka for three straight days, the Aoba Johsai players exploded onto the court at full power, giving 120% of their effort.
Wakutani Minami High had co in expecting a friendly match.
They left with trauma.
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