Just as Karasuno's match ended, their next opponent, Wakutani Minami High, also defeated their first-round opponent in the qualifiers!
They successfully advanced to the second round!
This ant they would face Karasuno next!
Just as the Karasuno team stepped down from the court, the sharp-eyed Kōshi Sugawara suddenly noticed sothing unusual.
"Eh?"
"Look over there—isn't that soone from Aoba Johsai?"
He pointed toward the stands, where mbers of Aoba Johsai were gathering.
Since their match was about to start, the Aoba Johsai players were slowly making their way to the back of the seating area.
"Yes!"
Daichi Sawamura also turned his head and looked in the sa direction.
"It's just…"
"Who's that blonde-haired guy?"
"Why have I never seen him before?"
Everyone noticed the striking figure among the Aoba Johsai team.
Walking at the front of the group, he seed out of sync with the others.
Only Tōru Oikawa occasionally spoke to him, and even then, the guy barely responded.
"Hahaha!"
Sugawara laughed and patted Ryūnosuke Tanaka on the shoulder.
"He kind of reminds of you!"
"No way, Sugawara-senpai!"
Tanaka scratched his head.
"At most, the hairstyle's similar!"
"I'm not like that guy—he's got that gloomy, vengeful aura or sothing!"
"By the way, their match is about to start too!"
Asahi Azumane chid in:
"Well, since we've got ti, why don't we go take a look?"
"Might be good to check out Aoba Johsai's new player. If we run into them later, it helps to be prepared!"
"Good idea!"
Keishin Ukai clapped his hands.
"Alright, let's go scout them out!"
...
Unfortunately for the Karasuno group, in Aoba Johsai's first qualifier match, their coach didn't let the blonde player onto the court!
He stayed on the bench the entire match, simply observing the ga.
Even now, he still hadn't played...
"But that guy still gives off this really dangerous vibe…"
...
While chatting, the team gradually left the match venue.
With Aoba Johsai's ga finished, the morning matches were over.
Karasuno had no reason to stick around, so they boarded the bus and returned to school.
"You guys are aweso, Volleyball Club!"
"We went to watch the match this morning too—it was amazing!"
"Keep it up tomorrow!"
...
Just as they entered the school gates, they heard cheering from the upper floors.
It was as if the entire school had been waiting for them—students poked their heads out of classroom windows, waving and shouting.
"Thanks for cheering for us!!"
...
"Everyone played really well today!"
Inside Karasuno's gym, Ukai looked at his players with pride.
What pleased him most wasn't just the victory itself.
It was their mindset during the ga.
To be honest, Ukai had watched Kakugawa's matches before and never once believed they could pose a serious threat to Karasuno.
He hadn't been worried at all about today's ga.
But even so, at the Sendai City Gymnasium that morning, he had kept a close eye on his team.
And his conclusion was—
Everyone's attitude was exactly where it needed to be.
No one underestimated their opponents just because of their recent successes!
In fact, this had been a concern of Ukai's all along.
"Humility leads to progress; pride leads to downfall."
It was sothing they had all heard since they were kids.
But growing up, many people forget that.
Yet this morning, as they arrived at the gymnasium, Ukai observed sothing encouraging—
Even as outsiders praised and admired them, the team just laughed it off. They didn't let it get to their heads.
The TV interviews, the hype around their opponents...
In the middle of all that, Karasuno's players stayed grounded. They didn't lose sight of themselves amid all the attention.
And that was truly precious.
Ukai had seen a lot of volleyball over the years.
From the ti he graduated until now, he'd paid attention to countless teams who showed promise after achieving a little success.
But what happened to many of those teams?
They failed to improve—or worse, they couldn't even maintain their previous level.
No exceptions.
But Karasuno wasn't like that.
Right after the Inter-High Tournant ended, they went straight to Shinzen High for training camp.
From the very beginning, there wasn't a trace of arrogance in their attitude.
And during practices afterward, Ukai could genuinely feel their commitnt to training harder than ever before.
Compared to their mindset before the Inter-High, there wasn't the slightest bit of slack—they were even more focused!
That alone brought Ukai a huge sense of relief.
And along with that, a quiet pride—and even a touch of admiration.
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