[VOLU 3]
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[Aoba Johsai 25 - 20 Itachiyama]
[Aoba Johsai 27 - 29 Itachiyama]
[Aoba Johsai 25 - 23 Itachiyama]
[Aoba Johsai 25 - 23 Itachiyama]
"Beep, beep—!"
The final whistle echoed through the Tokyo tropolitan Gymnasium.
"Aoba Johsai wins!!!"
In the 42nd Spring High School Volleyball Championship, Aoba Johsai defeated Itachiyama with a score of 3-1, securing the national title.
After five days of intense battles, the 52 teams from across Japan, who had fought their way through regional qualifiers to stand on this grand stage, had finally determined the ultimate champion.
For the first ti in 30 years, a team from Miyagi Prefecture had won the national championship. And for Aoba Johsai, this was their first-ever national title in the school's history!
"We won..."
Iwaizumi Haji stared at the scoreboard, his eyes glistening with emotion.
"We won!!!"
"Champions! We're the champions!!!"
Hanamaki Takahiro shouted excitedly as he and the players on the bench rushed onto the court, embracing their teammates in sheer exhilaration.
"We did it...We really did it..."
Matsukawa Issei murmured, unable to contain his emotions.
Oikawa Tōru stood frozen on the court. He had waited so long for this mont that, now that it was truly happening before his eyes, he almost couldn't believe it.
"We...actually did it..."
His lips parted slightly, his voice hoarse. But in the next second, the disbelief was swept away by an overwhelming wave of joy and exhilaration. His vision blurred, and though he clenched his lips tightly in an attempt to suppress it, the tears still flowed freely down his face, unstoppable like a flood bursting through a dam.
"Oikawa-senpai, look this way!"
A voice called out from the sideline, making Oikawa turn his head.
Click—
Kaedehara Taichi had just captured his tear-streaked face with Chiba Kaho's phone, immortalizing the mont.
"Taichi!!!"
Oikawa lunged forward, hooking an arm around Taichi's neck in a headlock.
"Thank you."
Taichi was montarily stunned before a wide grin spread across his face, as bright and warm as the spring sun.
"Kunimi!"
Kindaichi Yūtarō was so overwheld with excitent that he struggled to find the words.
Smack!
Kunimi Akira landed a firm slap on Kindaichi's back.
Kindaichi: "???"
Kunimi: "Does it hurt?"
Kindaichi: "Not at all."
Kunimi: "..."
Forget it…
Yahaba Shigeru, who had just charged onto the court, let out a few more cheers before gradually calming down. He gazed at his teammates with pride and admiration, but beneath that, there was also a hint of longing and regret.
Next ti, he would be on the court, standing side by side with them.
"You definitely will."
Kyōtani Kentarō's low voice ca from beside him.
"Next year, we'll be back here."
Yahaba's nose stung slightly, and he nodded firmly as if making a silent promise to himself.
"But you better not hold us back."
The mont of emotion was instantly shattered. This guy was still as insufferable as ever.
"I won't."
Watari Shinji smiled from the side.
"Shigeru has worked hard. He's strong too."
-----
"Aoba Johsai! Rule the court!"
"Aoba Johsai! Rule the court!"
The cheers and applause in the arena were deafening, and the students of Aoba Johsai were drowning in a sea of celebration.
"The 42nd Spring High School Volleyball Championship—your champions, Aoba Johsai!!!"
During the award ceremony, Oikawa Tōru stepped forward and took hold of the deep purple championship banner, while Kaedehara Taichi held up the team's signature Rule the Court flag.
Aside from the championship itself, Oikawa was also nad the tournant's Best Setter.
And the Best Player of this Spring High? That honour naturally went to Kaedehara Taichi, who had amassed an astounding 52 points across four sets.
The nation's top high school setter and the most dominant ace—without a doubt, they deserved it!
-----
[Author's Note]: To make future competitions more interesting and suspenseful, I'm introducing a new rule—whichever prefecture wins the championship will be granted an additional representative in the next national tournant. Since Aoba Johsai has won Spring High, Miyagi Prefecture will now have two slots in the upcoming Interhigh. This should make the national brackets more exciting!
-----
At that very mont, Aoba Johsai's rivals back in Miyagi were following the national final through various channels.
"They really did it!"
Inside the audiovisual room at Date Tech, the boys' volleyball team watched the projection screen with solemn expressions.
"Nekoma's defence, Fukurōdani's offence, Kamodai blocking...and now even King Itachiyama has fallen to them..."
Futakuchi Kenji's tone carried a hint of resignation.
"I never expected Taichi and the others to be this strong!"
Koganegawa Kanji's eyes were wide with astonishnt and admiration.
"Koganegawa, why do you look so happy?"
Sakunami Kōsuke sighed.
"Aoba Johsai is still our opponent, you know. This just ans it'll be even harder for us to beat them and qualify for nationals."
"Is that so?"
Koganegawa scratched his head.
"Not exactly," Futakuchi suddenly smirked.
"Since Aoba Johsai won the championship, Miyagi now gets two spots in nationals. Even if we lose to them, we still have a shot. Heh."
"Futakuchi!"
Aone Takanobu placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.
"What?"
Futakuchi turned to face him.
After a long stare-down, Futakuchi finally relented.
"Fine, fine, I was just joking."
"So, it's still just one team that can qualify?" Sakunami said with disappointnt. He had just started to get his hopes up.
"No!"
Futakuchi grinned mischievously at his libero.
"I'm saying that even if there are two spots, we're still going to crush Aoba Johsai!"
"—Huh?!"
Koganegawa and Sakunami hadn't expected Futakuchi to say sothing like that.
"Of course we will!"
Futakuchi clenched his fist.
"We still haven't avenged our loss in the Spring High qualifiers!"
"And besides—"
"If we don't aim to defeat Aoba Johsai, we won't make it to nationals."
Aone's tone was firm and resolute.
-----
"Ahh—so Oikawa actually won the national championship, huh—"
In Shiratorizawa's dormitory, Tendō Satori rolled onto Goshiki Tsutomu's bed, sprawling out in a starfish position as he stared idly at the ceiling.
"Tendō-senpai! You've already finished watching! Get off my bed!!"
Goshiki sat beside him, looking distressed.
But Tendō ignored him and instead wriggled around lazily until his head dangled over the edge of the bed, allowing him to look at Goshiki upside down.
"Goshiki, do you think you can beat Taichi?"
Goshiki froze.
"Hah, aren't you always going on about surpassing Ushijima-senpai? But now, when it cos to Taichi, you can't even say it?"
Shirabu Kenjirō scoffed from his seat at the desk.
"I—"
Only after the third-years had graduated did Goshiki finally realize sothing—
The confidence he had always flaunted so boldly had been built upon the strength of those who ca before him.
"Oh~ This ans Tsutomu isn't as boastful anymore!" Tendō Satori remarked with a mischievous grin.
Shirabu Kenjirō still seed sowhat dissatisfied but refrained from saying anything further.
"But—" Tendō's tone suddenly shifted as he flipped over on the bed, reaching out to press his index finger against Goshiki Tsutomu's forehead.
"Wakatoshi has entrusted the team to you. If you don't even have the resolve to face Taichi, then you might as well give up on becoming an ace." His voice took on an uncharacteristic seriousness, completely different from his usual playful deanour.
Even Shirabu Kenjirō, seeing Tendō like this for the first ti, couldn't help but grow concerned for Goshiki.
"I—I won't lose!" Goshiki t Tendō's gaze head-on, his voice firm. "Whether it's Aoba Johsai or Karasuno, Shiratorizawa won't lose to anyone!"
"Mm-hmm! That's the spirit!" Tendō's tone abruptly lightened again.
With a swift movent, he hopped off Goshiki's bed and swaggered toward the dormitory exit.
"I'm going to find Wakatoshi. I wonder what his reaction will be when he hears that Oikawa won the championship. Haha..."
"Shirabu-senpai, I'll be counting on you from now on!" Goshiki said solemnly, bowing to Shirabu Kenjirō.
Shirabu nodded. "Now that Ushijima-senpai has graduated, Tsutomu, you are Shiratorizawa's ace."
-----
[Sakanoshita Store]
Karasuno's first- and second-years had gathered once again in Ukai Keishin's old shop, watching the Spring Nationals final on his ageing television.
Aoba Johsai had secured the national championship. The Karasuno players were left with a mix of emotions.
"Kageyama, where are you going?"
Kageyama Tobio stood up as soon as the award ceremony ended, walking toward the convenience store's entrance amidst the heavy silence.
"…I'm going for a run," Kageyama said coldly. "I didn't get nearly enough exercise today, so I'm going to do a few laps."
"But it's still morning. You have plenty of ti to train later," Karasuno's new captain, Ennoshita Chikara, pointed out.
"That's exactly the kind of thinking that's making the gap between us and Aoba Johsai grow even wider!" Kageyama snapped impatiently.
"Kage—yama?"
"You little brat, watch your mouth when talking to your senpai!" Tanaka Ryūnosuke looked like he was ready to explode.
"Oi, you lot, what's with all the shouting in my store?" Ukai Keishin, who had just finished attending to a custor, turned to them with a frown.
The atmosphere froze instantly, falling into a tense silence.
"…Sorry." Kageyama suddenly seed to snap out of it, lowering his head slightly. Even he wasn't sure what had co over him. Seeing Oikawa being nad Best Setter on television had triggered a mory—back in middle school, he had watched Oikawa claim the title of the best setter in Miyagi.
Oikawa had spent three years climbing from the best in the prefecture to the best in the nation.
anwhile, Kageyama was still stuck in the sa place, with his best result being a top-four finish at the prefectural tournant. The only thing that could quiet his mind now was training. There was no ti to waste.
"It's fine," Ennoshita said with a gentle smile. "But Kageyama, rushing ahead alone won't solve anything."
"Kageyama, sit down for now," Ukai gestured toward him. "Takeda-sensei already asked the school for the gym key. Now that Spring Nationals is over, we'll resu team training this afternoon."
"…Okay." Kageyama obediently returned to his seat.
Ukai knocked on the table. "Last ti, we discussed the areas each of you needed to improve. From now until the Prefectural Citizen's Tournant in March, I want to see individual progress from all of you."
"Today, let's go over the changes happening among our rival teams as we enter the new school year."
The Karasuno players quieted down as Ukai picked up a small blackboard used for price listings and wrote down the nas of the strongest teams in Miyagi Prefecture.
"First up, Aoba Johsai. There's no doubt that they are the strongest team in the nation right now. While they will lose key players like Oikawa Tōru and Iwaizumi Haji next year, which will impact their setting, receiving, and blocking, you should have noticed sothing—their first-years have grown significantly through the national tournant."
"Kaedehara Taichi needs no further ntion. He was nad the MVP in this Spring High. But don't forget Kunimi Akira and Kindaichi Yūtarō—next year, they will beco even more formidable opponents when we face Aoba Johsai."
"Make no mistake—Aoba Johsai will still be our biggest rival next year!"
Hinata Shōyō stared at the television, watching as Kaedehara Taichi was interviewed. His eyes burned with determination.
"The second team isn't Shiratorizawa. It's Date Tech."
"Through our recent practice matches, you should all have realized just how refined their serve-and-block system has beco. Their starting lineup in the qualifiers consisted mostly of second-years, aning their core strength remains unchanged. They will only get stronger."
"And for us, a Karasuno without its ace, breaking through Date Tech's 'Iron Wall' is the challenge I want you to start thinking about."
"The third team is Shiratorizawa, the one that defeated us in the qualifiers."
"While they have a deep roster, a large portion of their starters were third-years. Ushijima Wakatoshi's graduation is a loss they can't ignore."
"Maybe others haven't realized it yet, but you should be well aware—Miyagi Prefecture has crowned a new king."
"Our objective is simple. Just as Aoba Johsai dethroned Shiratorizawa, we will dethrone Aoba Johsai."
"Yes!"
Karasuno's fighting spirit ignited instantly.
-----
[Back at Tokyo tropolitan Gymnasium]
After the award ceremony, each Aoba Johsai player had their turn for an interview. By the ti everything wrapped up, it felt like an entirely different day.
"I'm exhausted…I didn't expect so much to happen after the match," Oikawa Tōru sighed.
Taichi shot Oikawa a sharp glance, unimpressed by his false modesty. Just then, he spotted Sakusa Kiyoomi standing near the players' tunnel, wearing a mask and staring at them with a dark expression.
Beside him, Komori Motoya noticed Kaedehara's gaze and frantically waved his hands.
"Still here, huh?" Taichi jogged over to them.
"Sorry."
As soon as the word left his mouth, the vein on Sakusa's forehead twitched. Was this guy trying to provoke him again?
"I said sothing rude to Nishimura-senpai during the match. Komori-senpai, please pass along my apology later," Taichi said, blinking innocently. "It was a psychological tactic, you understand, right?"
Komori stared at him, completely unconvinced. The level of trash talk Taichi had dished out on the court felt far too genuine to be just a tactic.
Sakusa exhaled sharply, handing Taichi a business card.
"Inarizaki Academy, n's Volleyball Club?" Taichi read it, confused. "A volleyball club has business cards? Is this so city-boy thing?"
"I'm not transferring," Taichi stated firmly.
Sakusa: "…"
"It's a training match invitation," Komori explained with a laugh. "Not now, but Inarizaki regularly organizes joint training camps with top teams. We hope Aoba Johsai can join next ti."
"Oh~" Taichi humd, understanding their intent. So they were already planning their revenge.
"Hmph." Sakusa scoffed. "Just make sure you don't get eliminated before facing in the Interhigh."
"Mhm! So many losers have said that to recently!" Taichi replied cheerfully.
Sakusa: "???"
"Taichi!!!" Sakusa finally snapped, growling lowly.
Komori sighed, covering his face with one hand while holding Sakusa back with the other. "Anyway, my email's on the card. Stay in touch~!"
Taichi waved them off before turning back to his teammates, who were still celebrating.
"Championships are addicting things."
Winning felt like reaching the finish line of a long journey.
But in an instant, that finish line beca the starting point of a new race.
Taichi could already feel his hunger for more titles.
"This is just the beginning. From now on, I'm taking them all."
_________
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