Three days later, at the Second Gymnasium of Tohoku Polytechnic University.
Karasuno's team stepped in slowly.
"Wow!"
"This is the university gym?"
"It's beautiful!"
Shōyō Hinata was overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the gymnasium and its surroundings.
At the front of the group, a kind-looking middle-aged man had clearly been waiting for them.
Behind him stood a group of university players already warming up.
"Hello! Nice to meet you all—please take care of us!" he greeted warmly.
Keishin Ukai and Ittetsu Takeda stepped forward quickly to return the greeting.
The friendly-looking man reached out to shake hands with them.
"I'm Kazuki Shinjia, head coach of Tohoku Polytechnic University's volleyball team."
"I've long heard of your 3:0 victory, Coach Ukai—quite the reputation!"
"You're too kind!" Ukai replied with a laugh.
...
After both coaches and teams exchanged greetings, Karasuno officially began warming up.
Meanwhile, the players from Tohoku Polytechnic University were observing their opponents carefully.
"Is that the high school team that beat Shiratorizawa?"
"Yeah!"
"Those monsters actually took down Ushiwaka... and I heard they won 3:0? That's seriously impressive."
The one speaking was their captain—Hikari Shojin.
He was a fourth-year student now but had originally come from Shiratorizawa Academy.
Several other Tohoku players had also attended Shiratorizawa.
"Right."
Hayabusa Sakuda, now a first-year, was one of them.
"I heard that Karasuno has someone who practically shut down Wakatoshi Ushijima himself!"
"That's insane."
"Too bad I didn't see that match. I really want to know what happened!"
Sakuda, who had once looked up to Ushijima as a senior at Shiratorizawa, still couldn't quite believe it.
"Alright!"
As they chatted, Coach Shinjia and Assistant Nozomi walked over.
"Karasuno is the team that won the Interhigh Tournament."
"You all played in the Interhigh back in high school, so you know how much weight that championship carries."
"I don't need to say more—you understand what it means."
"So, take this practice match seriously."
"Yes, sir!"
...
Once the coaches left, the rest of the players resumed warming up.
Hikari Shojin glanced in Karasuno's direction, momentarily distracted.
"Karasuno..."
Looking at the familiar uniforms, he was pulled back to his own high school days.
Back then, Shiratorizawa and Karasuno constantly fought for dominance in Miyagi's high school volleyball scene.
But what left the deepest impression on him... was the player one year above him at Karasuno.
The legendary No. 10—the Little Giant.
He still remembered his name: Tenma Udai.
That time...
He shook his head, clearing away the memories. Now wasn't the time for nostalgia.
The match ahead was what mattered.
At that moment, his teammates' voices pulled him back.
"Captain Shojin, come on!"
"The match is about to start!"
"Ah—coming!"
...
As the referee's whistle blew, players from both teams entered the court.
"College players really are on another level..."
In the coach's box, Takeda nervously rubbed his fingers.
"They even have a clear height advantage."
"Well, that's to be expected," Ukai said with a sigh. "They're a few years older than our guys."
"And they're a top-tier team in the Kurotaka Flag League. Their height isn't their only strength."
"Let's see how it goes."
While the two coaches discussed, the match officially began.
Karasuno had the first serve.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Hinata launched the ball across the net.
His serving had improved a lot recently.
But their opponents were university players—older, stronger, and more experienced.
The libero in the back row casually stepped into position and received the serve cleanly.
Then, the setter—Hikari Shojin, now a fourth-year—jumped and executed a quick, practiced set.
Their offense had clearly been honed through countless repetitions.
All three front-row attackers moved into position simultaneously.
Their attack formation was textbook perfection—truly fitting for a top university team.
But on the other side of the net, Akira and his two teammates were ready.
Thanks to camp training and recent scrimmages, their blocking coordination had improved dramatically.
"Right wing!"
Just as the attack began, Akira called out in a low voice.
The trio instantly moved to block the right side.
Shojin's set arced perfectly toward the right-side attacker.
As the spiker prepared to strike, he noticed the quick movement on the other side.
He wasn't one to underestimate opponents.
Even though Karasuno was a high school team, their skills and record proved they were worthy adversaries.
After all, he hadn't even made it to the Interhigh finals back when he was in high school.
So this time, he went all out.
But even with a powerful and well-placed spike—he couldn't break through Karasuno's block.
BANG!
The ball was stopped cleanly by Akira's trio and slammed back to the court.
...
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