[Aoba Johsai 26 - 24 Inarizaki]
[Aoba Johsai 25 - 22 Inarizaki]
"On the third day of the Spring Interhigh National Tournant, Inarizaki—ard with the Miya twins and Aran Ojiro—has been eliminated in the Round of 16!!"
"And their opponent? Aoba Johsai—the very team they personally knocked out six months ago at the Interhigh Nationals!"
"Today! Right here! Aoba Johsai has defeated this tournant's seeded powerhouse with a decisive 2-0 victory—securing their long-awaited revenge!!!"
"Let's go, Akaashi."
Bokuto Kōtarō's emotions had gone from excitent to envy, then from awe to silence—until he finally spoke with an eerie calm.
"Huh? Already?" Akaashi Keiji blinked. "I thought you'd want to say sothing to Taichi first."
Bokuto simply pointed toward Aoba Johsai's bench.
There, Kaedehara Taichi was sprawled across the bench—fast asleep, having completely knocked out the mont Aoba Johsai secured match point.
Akaashi: "…"
Bokuto suddenly muttered, almost to himself:
"I saw everything I needed to see through volleyball."
"That mont. The one that belongs to Kaedehara Taichi."
"Today is the day he's taken another step forward…falling even deeper in love with this sport."
-----
"Thank you, everyone!!"
The Inarizaki players bowed deeply toward their supporters.
"Wait…that's it? There's really no third set?" So spectators were still in disbelief.
Inarizaki. Losing 0-2.
For them, the thought felt completely foreign.
But those who had been watching the players closely knew—
They had already given everything they had.
The Miya twins had played so of their best volleyball yet.
And sotis, that had to be enough.
A slow ripple of applause began from the stands.
It grew louder. Stronger. Until it beca one unified chorus.
"Oi, what the hell are you clapping for?" Miya Atsumu's face twisted in disgust.
"Losers don't need applause."
A few older n from the Inarizaki supporters shouted back:
"What the hell are you mumbling about, Atsumu!!"
Atsumu flinched. "Hah, what—? How the hell can you hear from all the way over there?!"
"Because every damn thought of yours is written all over your face, you brat!!"
"A great match deserves applause. A stronger opponent deserves recognition."
"If you can't even accept defeat properly, how do you expect to beat them next ti?!"
"Do you not understand that simple fact?!!"
"Shut up," Atsumu muttered, dropping his head so low his bangs nearly covered his eyes.
Inarizaki was no stranger to defeat.
In fact, their reputation as The Strongest Challenger ca precisely because they always fell short in the final rounds.
But this ti…
This ti, they had lost too fast.
Too decisively.
And the weight of that was suffocating.
-----
The match had barely ended when a swarm of reporters closed in on Inarizaki's captain, Kita Shinsuke.
Miya Osamu started to step forward, ready to break up the crowd—
But Aran Ojiro held him back.
"…Can't only accept interviews when we're winning, right?" Alan forced a tired smile.
After a few routine questions, one reporter finally got to the real point.
"Kita-san, in your opinion, what was the primary reason for Inarizaki's loss today?"
Kita paused.
His eyes locked onto the reporter, unwavering.
The sheer pressure of his stare made the reporter instinctively take half a step back.
But professionalism held firm—
The microphone stayed right in front of Kita's lips.
"…You saw it, didn't you?"
Kita's voice was calm.
"Aoba Johsai had that monster."
"He single-handedly put up 16 points in the second set alone—completely suffocating Inarizaki."
"That's why we lost."
The reporter hesitated, then asked one last question:
"…Is there anything you regret? Anything that leaves you feeling unwilling to accept this result?"
Kita's gaze drifted upward.
The bright overhead lights of the arena burned against his retinas—
So bright, he had to close his eyes for a mont.
"…If I had to say…"
His voice was quiet.
"The thing that frustrates the most…is probably the fact that I was just an ordinary player."
"That I never got to stand on that court—in this tournant full of monsters."
With that, Kita turned away and walked out of the reporters' circle.
And so—
Inarizaki fell.
Eliminated in their second match of the Spring Interhigh National Tournant.
And their captain, Kita Shinsuke—
Had never even stepped onto the court.
-----
Only now did the Miya twins fully grasp the reality of their defeat.
For them, second-years, this was just a setback in this year's Spring Interhigh.
They would have another chance next year.
But for their third-year teammates—
This was the end.
Their high school volleyball careers were over.
Aran Ojiro lowered his head as he approached Kita Shinsuke.
"…Kita, I—"
"Aran."
Kita clapped Aran's shoulder firmly.
"If you really think this loss is your fault, then you're way too full of yourself."
"Inarizaki is a team. Losing isn't just one person's burden to bear."
"Besides—" Kita glanced toward Atsumu, an amused glint in his eyes.
"I'm pretty sure Atsumu thinks he should be the one taking responsibility for this loss."
"Did you see how he looked when he bowed to the crowd?" Kita chuckled.
"Even more terrifying than I usually am, huh?"
Out of all the Inarizaki players, the only one still smiling was the very captain they had feared and respected for so long.
Kita sighed.
This won't do.
He turned to face the entire team, stepping forward for the last ti as their captain.
"There's actually one thing I didn't ntion to the reporters just now."
"For years, I've done everything I could. That's why I have no regrets about the outco of this match."
"After all, for —winning and losing has always been just a side effect of playing volleyball."
"…But, how should I put it…"
Kita exhaled slowly before continuing:
"I really wish I could have boasted to people a few more tis—"
"'How about that? My teammates are incredible, aren't they?'"
This ti, every single one of Inarizaki's players saw it.
For the first ti, they clearly saw Kita Shinsuke's smile.
And in that mont, they understood—
Their strict, no-nonsense captain had always been proud of them.
"Captain, don't worry!"
The Miya twins grinned in unison.
"We'll make sure to beco teammates so amazing that even your grandkids can brag about us one day!!"
Kita nodded.
"Mm."
"That's sothing to look forward to."
-----
After eating a little more, Kaedehara Taichi promptly fell back asleep.
But judging by his expression, there was nothing to worry about.
In his own words, he actually felt even better than before—
He just needed to recharge.
By the ti Taichi woke up again—
The final eight teams of the Spring Interhigh had been decided.
The quarterfinal matchups were as follows:
[Aoba Johsai High vs. Fukurōdani Academy]
[Kamodai High vs. Mujinazaka High]
[Ichibayashi High vs. Itachiyama Institute]
[Inubushi Higashi vs. Shiritsu Sakae High]
The last ti Aoba Johsai made it to Nationals…
They fell right here.
This was where their journey ended.
Irihata Nobuteru, Aoba Johsai's head coach, flipped through his notes.
"Fukurōdani's ace, Bokuto Kōtarō, is ranked among the top five outside hitters in the country, just like Aran Ojiro."
He glanced at his players.
"Oikawa, Taichi—you both faced him during the Youth Training Camp."
"What's your impression of him?"
Oikawa Tōru frowned, deep in thought.
"…He's strong. No doubt about that."
"But…"
"…He's wildly inconsistent."
His expression twisted as he struggled to find the right words.
"…Honestly, I don't understand him."
"Wait."
Kindaichi Yūtarō's eyes widened.
"There's actually an attacker even Oikawa-senpai can't read?"
He was genuinely surprised.
Despite Oikawa's playful personality, he had always been able to adjust to any attacker, even against college-level players.
For him to struggle with soone like Bokuto—
That was unheard of.
"If he's that inconsistent, isn't that a good thing for us?" Hanamaki Takahiro pointed out.
"Not necessarily," Taichi interjected.
"Even if Oikawa-senpai can't read him—Fukurōdani's setter can."
A brief silence followed.
Taichi's analysis had rarely been wrong.
If he was saying this, then…
It was very likely the truth.
"…The worst-case scenario isn't Aran Ojiro."
Taichi exhaled.
"It's that Bokuto-senpai isn't even competing against Alan."
"He's competing against Ushijima-senpai. Or Kiryu-senpai."
Silence.
Aoba Johsai's players exchanged uncertain glances.
Because if Taichi was right—
Then this Bokuto Kōtarō…
Might be far more dangerous than they had initially thought.
"…Alright."
Coach Irihata decisively flipped the page.
"Let's take a look at the rest of Fukurōdani's roster."
"Outside of Bokuto Kōtarō, their other two outside hitters are Konoha Akinori and Sarukui Yamato."
"Based on the footage we reviewed last night—Konoha is similar to Kunimi. His attacking ability isn't the strongest, but he's well-rounded and skilled in every aspect."
"Sarukui, on the other hand, covers that offensive gap. His jump serve and blocking coordination are also worth noting."
"Their middle blockers are Washio Tatsuki and Onaga Wataru."
"These two make up Fukurōdani's twin towers."
"But the one to really watch out for is Washio—he was part of the Youth National Training Camp."
"He's got solid fundantals across the board."
"However—" Coach Irihata's gaze shifted to Aoba Johsai's middle blockers.
"Matsukawa, Kindaichi."
"Our twin towers won't lose to them."
"Their libero is Komi Haruki."
"In his second-year, he was already ranked among the top five liberos in the country."
"Taichi, Kindaichi—you two need to be especially careful."
"But don't let that shake you."
"We've already beaten the strongest defensive team in the tournant—Nekoma."
"There's no reason why we can't break through Fukurōdani's defence as well."
"Lastly—their setter, Akaashi Keiji."
"Taichi ntioned he knows how to fully utilize Bokuto's power."
"But as an individual player—"
Irihata turned to Aoba Johsai's setter.
"…Oikawa."
"You are, without a doubt, the best setter in Japan."
A wicked grin spread across Oikawa Tōru's face.
Irihata closed his notebook.
"This ti—"
"We're making it all the way to the end."
_________
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