Aoba Johsai's twelve-man roster and starting lineup for the Interhigh preliminaries were officially announced.
Third-Years:
Setter: Yahaba Shigeru, Outside Hitter: Kyōtani Kentarō, Libero: Watari Shinji, Middle Blocker: Honda Heisuke
Second-Years:
Outside Hitter: Kaedehara Taichi, Outside Hitter: Kunimi Akira, Middle Blocker: Kindaichi Yūtarō
First-Years:
Outside Hitter: Yamabuki Yūjin, Middle Blocker: Yūki Yōji, Setter: Tōma Kaoru, Libero: Nakamori Daiki, Outside Hitter: Tōchi Shishin (Serving Specialist)
Starting Lineup:
Front Row—Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, Middle Blocker Yūki Yōji, Setter Yahaba Shigeru. Back Row—Outside Hitter Kunimi Akira, Middle Blocker Kindaichi Yūtarō (replaced by Libero Nakamori Daiki) and Outside Hitter Kyōtani Kentarō.
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"Wow, this year's recruiting class is quite the haul." Mizoguchi Sadayuki grinned so wide it nearly stretched past his ears. "Ever since we won the championship, the quality of our new recruits has clearly improved—hahaha…"
"But training them properly is just as important, Mizoguchi." Coach Irihata Nobuteru leisurely sipped his tea, tapping his thigh lightly with one hand. "A raw gemstone needs careful polishing before it can truly shine."
Mizoguchi shot a quick glance at Coach Irihata, a trace of barely perceptible resignation in his eyes. Coach Irihata sure makes it sound nice, but I'm the one who ends up doing all the work…
From organizing the entrance trials for the new players to handling all the minor issues during training, from diating small conflicts between teammates to making all the ticulous logistical arrangents for matches…Mizoguchi's mouth twitched downward slightly as if silently complaining.
"Ahem. Here's the comprehensive training program I've designed for the new players. It includes technical drills, physical conditioning, and tactical training. Look it over carefully and study it well." Irihata pulled a thick stack of docunts from beneath his desk.
Mizoguchi: "!!!"
He imdiately grabbed the training plan and skimd through it, nodding repeatedly. Co to think of it, Coach Irihata wasn't just giving pep talks—he personally set the team's overall direction and long-term training strategies every year.
"Coach Irihata, I'll make sure to learn from this!"
"Mm." Irihata took another sip of tea. This kid…If I don't put sothing tangible in front of him, he won't take seriously.
-----
Under a dark sky with few streetlights, the not-quite-full moon cast a silver glow over the streets.
It should have been a peaceful night for a stroll, but the student in the scene was clearly weighed down by his thoughts. Even the soft moonlight failed to brighten the gloom on his face.
"Damn it…" Yamabuki Yūjin muttered, staring at the ground as he dragged his feet along the pavent, occasionally kicking at small pebbles in his path.
Not far behind him walked Tōma Kaoru, who was slightly shorter than him. They had been classmates since junior high, and their houses were close to each other.
"Yūjin, you're still thinking about the starting lineup, aren't you?" Tōma finally broke the silence. If they just kept walking like this, neither of them would feel any better.
"Don't you feel frustrated?" Yamabuki Yūjin ca to a halt, standing in the shadows.
Of course, it was impossible not to feel frustrated. Two other first-years, Yūki Yōji and Nakamori Daiki, had made it into the starting lineup. anwhile, he and Tōma—once the undisputed top players from Kitagawa Daiichi—were stuck on the bench.
Tōma's round face scrunched up in a frown before he hesitantly replied, "But the coach's decision makes sense. Based on today's practice match against Shiratorizawa…we really did hold the team back."
"I know that!" Yamabuki Yūjin suddenly raised his voice. "That's exactly why I'm so frustrated!"
"I stepped in for Taichi-senpai, and I couldn't do anything…"
From being Kitagawa Daiichi's ace in junior high to becoming a completely insignificant player in a practice match—Shiratorizawa hadn't even bothered assigning soone to mark him. The drastic drop in status was hard to stomach.
Even looking at the match as a whole, Shiratorizawa had plenty of first-years on the court as well, yet their performance was clearly superior.
Tōma Kaoru lowered his head. Right now, he wasn't in any position to comfort his teammate.
No one had said it aloud, but out of everyone who had been on the court, he felt it the most. The responsibility for their loss in the third set—half of it fell squarely on his shoulders.
As the setter, he had failed to organize a smooth offensive rhythm. Truthfully, he hadn't even been fit to remain on the court by that point.
He and Yamabuki Yūjin had attended the Prefectural Tournant as spectators.
Watching Yahaba Shigeru play, Tōma had initially been unimpressed. He knew he could never shine as brightly as the legendary Oikawa Tōru, but replacing Yahaba as Aoba Johsai's setter? That much, he had been confident about.
During the match, his mind had constantly raced—How should I set this ball? Wouldn't this be a better option? But when they faced Shiratorizawa today in an actual practice match, the ga's pace had accelerated.
The opposing blockers applied relentless pressure, his stamina drained faster than expected, and as the match dragged on, his body struggled to keep up with his thoughts.
Toward the end, his mind had gone blank at tis, leaving him no choice but to chanically set the ball to his seniors.
"Ugh…" Tōma let out a deep sigh.
"Oi, Kindaichi, what would Oikawa-senpai say if he saw this?"
Two familiar figures erged from the shadows of a nearby streetlight, their steps unhurried.
"Tch, Kitagawa Daiichi really does get worse with every generation," Kindaichi Yūtarō remarked bluntly.
"Hey! I told you to encourage them, not insult them!" Kunimi Akira shot him a glare. "That's exactly the kind of thing Taichi would say."
"Huh?" Kindaichi scratched his head, looking confused.
"Kunimi-senpai! Kindaichi-senpai!"
Tōma and Yamabuki quickly straightened up, greeting them with slight awkwardness. They had been teammates back at Kitagawa Daiichi, but a year without contact had left a bit of distance between them.
"Yo," Kindaichi greeted them seriously, while Kunimi simply gave a casual wave.
"Yūjin," Kunimi said, locking eyes with him, "Taichi's only a year older than you, but instead of thinking about taking his Ace spot, why don't you try pushing or Kyōtani-senpai out of the starting lineup?"
"I—" Yamabuki hesitated, his expression conflicted.
Kunimi was a given—he had been Kitagawa Daiichi's Ace before Yūjin himself. As for Kyōtani…Yamabuki had experienced his spikes firsthand during today's match against Shiratorizawa. Whether it was power or precision, he couldn't match up.
"What's wrong?" Kunimi's tone sharpened. "You want to be in the starting lineup, don't you? Or were you thinking of becoming a libero instead?"
Yamabuki froze.
Until now, he had always believed that as long as he perford well, he would naturally earn a spot in the starting lineup.
Back in junior high, the skill gap between players had been massive—so of his teammates had only just started playing volleyball. As Kitagawa Daiichi's best player, securing a starting position had never been a concern for him.
He glanced at Tōma. As soone competing for the setter position, Tōma must have realized this much sooner than he did.
Noticing Yamabuki's gaze, Tōma nodded. "I played in today's practice match with the mindset of surpassing Yahaba-senpai."
"…I see." Yamabuki finally understood how naive he had been.
"For now, your most realistic goal is taking my spot," Kunimi said with a smirk. "But don't expect to give it up that easily."
Yamabuki's eyes sharpened in determination. He bowed deeply. "Thank you, Kunimi-senpai!"
Kunimi, who had always been sowhat lazy and unmotivated back at Kitagawa Daiichi, seed far more serious now.
Yamabuki still wasn't a starter, but seeing this side of Kunimi reassured him—he had made the right choice in coming to Aoba Johsai.
"There's no ti for you guys to keep sulking," Kunimi said aningfully. "If you don't catch up soon, Golden Week is going to be hell for you."
"Golden Week?" Yamabuki asked, puzzled.
Training camps were always intense, but Kunimi's tone suggested sothing else entirely.
"Heh, you'll find out soon enough," Kunimi teased, deliberately keeping it vague.
anwhile, Kindaichi was struggling to co up with his own words of advice for Tōma. "Listen, even if you're not a starter yet, don't get discouraged! Eat well, train hard! You'll get your chance, and when it cos, you better make the most of it."
"Yes!" Tōma nodded seriously.
"I wasn't a starter right away either," Kindaichi admitted. "I thought I was prepared, but during my first real match, I just ended up dragging the team down."
For the first ti, Kindaichi actually seed like a proper upperclassman as he reached out and ruffled Tōma's hair.
"When you finally step onto that court—make sure you have no regrets!"
"Yes!"
-----
Only three weeks remained until Golden Week…
_________
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