The IH Prefecture Preliminaries were set to begin on June 2nd, lasting for three intense days. With two matches per day, the tournant was bound to test the stamina of every participant.
With two weeks left until the competition, everyone was steadily following their training routines.
In the Aoba Johsai Volleyball Club's dedicated locker room, Kindaichi was in the middle of changing into his practice uniform. He glanced around, confirming there was no one else in the room, then tiptoed to the mirror behind the door, carefully adjusting his signature high-standing hairstyle with his hands.
"Pfft. So that's why you sprinted off so fast today," a voice suddenly broke the silence, startling Kindaichi.
He jolted, whipping his head around in panic. "W-who's there?!"
A flurry of noises—clang, thump, bang—erupted from one of the lockers, and out sprang Kaedehara Taichi with a smug grin plastered on his face.
"Who else could it be but ?" Taichi said, brimming with self-satisfaction. "You ca here ahead of us, just to fix your hair? Man, I thought it'd be sothing more exciting."
"You—you!" Kindaichi's face flushed a deep red. "Ran for three days—no, a week! Please, Taichi, I'm begging you—don't tell anyone about this!"
"Uh…" Taichi scratched his head, looking like he was about to agree, but—
Bang!
The door swung open, and a group of eavesdroppers tumbled into the room one after another.
"Kindaichi, co on, what's there to hide?" Hanamaki Takahiro teased with his usual carefree attitude. "This is so unlike you. You're always the serious one, and here you are fussing over your hair? It's kind of refreshing."
Kindaichi wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and disappear.
Honestly, it wasn't a big deal. Kindaichi wasn't the only one acting unusually today. So mbers were even more keyed up, judging by their overly formal attire.
And it made sense—today, a popular local program, Hello, Miyagi, was coming to film a feature on Aoba Johsai.
They were planning a close-up interview with the team captain and one of the centrepieces of the IH Preliminaries, Oikawa Tōru.
"No need to get so worked up," Coach Irihata had told them earlier. "They're here to film Oikawa, not the rest of you. Just act like you normally would."
Kindaichi had been doing a good job of staying calm—until the whole hair-fixing debacle.
Turns out, he's just a closet show-off. Taichi stifled a laugh, glancing at Kindaichi's murderous glare.
"Alright, let's head to the gym. Oikawa's still in the middle of his interview," said Iwaizumi Haji, frowning. Ever since the interview was confird, he'd been restless. Unlike the other mbers, his agitation wasn't from excitent but from unease.
Iwaizumi had known Oikawa Tōru since elentary school. A "close-up interview"? He could already imagine that idiot doing or saying sothing ridiculous.
I need to keep an eye on him…
Spurred by Iwaizumi's urging, the team made their way to the gym.
"Can you tell us why you chose to attend Aobajohsai High School?" a woman holding a microphone asked. Behind her, a caraman focused the lens on Oikawa Tōru.
"Because the uniforms here look the best on ," Oikawa replied, flashing a wink and playfully sticking out his tongue.
"…"
The reporter hesitated but quickly shifted gears. "What's the most exciting part of participating in a major tournant like the IH Preliminaries?"
"There are tons of opponents who shake with fear when they see us, and then there are those who get all sulky after losing. It's so much fun!" Oikawa said gleefully.
The reporter froze, montarily at a loss for words.
"Do you have a personal motto when it cos to playing volleyball?" she ventured.
"If we're going to play, we'll crush them completely!" Oikawa declared, with an almost frightening enthusiasm.
"…"
"Well then, what are your thoughts on your long-ti partner and vice-captain, Iwaizumi Haji?"
"He's here just to make look even better!"
Bang!
A powerful volleyball struck the back of Oikawa Tōru's head with pinpoint accuracy.
"You idiot, Oikawa!"
Iwaizumi Haji stord over, radiating fury. Oikawa, recognizing the source of his misfortune, tried to flee, but Iwaizumi grabbed him by the collar.
Bowing apologetically to the staff, Iwaizumi said, "Please, I'm begging you—cut that part out of the broadcast."
The film crew, still taken aback by the chaotic scene, exchanged glances. Seeing Iwaizumi's earnest expression, the female reporter nodded. "Alright, let's switch to filming a group shot, then."
Relieved, Iwaizumi gave a small nod of thanks and quickly rounded up the team to start their usual volleyball practice. The TV crew moved to the corner of the gym, setting up their caras with care to avoid disrupting the players.
"We'll leave it to you now!"
"Got it!"
Initially, so of the players seed overly aware of the caras, their movents stiff and awkward.
But once the practice session began, everyone fell into their usual rhythm, acting as naturally as ever. As one of the top four teams in the prefecture, Aobajohsai's practice sessions were nothing short of intense and captivating.
Swish!
A blur of motion caught the attention of the film crew. The caraman instinctively shifted focus to a player wearing jersey number 10.
"He's so fast!"
In the blink of an eye, Kaedehara Taichi had finished his approach, leaping into the air with a fluid motion.
Whoosh!
The ball, set perfectly by Oikawa monts ago, zipped through the air and landed squarely in front of Taichi.
Boom!
The ball smashed down onto the court, leaving a white streak on the polished floor.
"What was that?!" The female reporter, who had covered nurous sports features, was taken aback by the sheer power and precision of the spike.
"Oh, that? It's Aoba Johsai's secret weapon," Iwaizumi said with a grin.
"Is it alright for us to air that footage?" The reporter's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"What do you think, Taichi?" Iwaizumi called out, signalling for Oikawa and Taichi to co over.
After a mont of thought, Taichi replied with a bright smile, "Of course! Go ahead!"
"Really? That's fantastic!" The reporter's admiration for the confident and talented high school players grew even more.
Oikawa, standing beside Taichi, couldn't help but admire his teammate's quick thinking. The truth was, this quick attack had already been seen by other teams who knew how to counter it.
Revealing it now wouldn't make much of a difference.
The true strength of this attack wasn't just in its scoring potential—it was in its ability to distract the opposing team, forcing them to divide their focus. The more attention it drew, the easier it beca for the team to execute other strategies.
Seizing the opportunity, the reporter turned her attention back to the interview.
"So, in this year's preliminaries, is there a particular opponent you see as a rival? I imagine Shiratorizawa's Ushijima Wakatoshi would be at the top of the list."
"Ushiwaka?"
Oikawa's smile vanished for a split second before he regained his composure.
"...Ah, yeah, sure. But we're more focused on defeating Shiratorizawa as a team. I don't really care about him personally," Oikawa replied, his tone carrying an unmistakable edge.
Sensing the subtle hostility in his words, the reporter quickly flipped through her notes, changing the topic.
"Actually, I interviewed Ushiwaka earlier, and he ntioned that the newcor he's most interested in is Kaedehara Taichi from your team. Who's the newcor you're most interested in?"
"That would be Tobio-chan," Oikawa said, arching an eyebrow.
"Do you an Kageyama Tobio? I read up on him beforehand—he used to be your underclassman, didn't he? What do you think of him?"
"Tobio-chan like foie gras."
"...Huh?"
Everyone, from the staff to the players, froze with wide eyes. Oikawa, clearly pleased with their bewildered expressions, raised a finger, flashing a cheerful smile.
"Because the more you nurture him, the better he gets."
"Ha…ha ha…How poetic," the reporter stamred, unsure how to respond.
"Foie gras just happens to be my favourite food," Oikawa added nonchalantly, his tone completely serious.
_________
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