"What a quick blocker!"
Outside the court, Kazuki Shinjia and Nozomi's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Yes!"
"Hikari-senpai's set wasn't even fully executed, and their block was already in motion!"
Off to the side, Hayabusa Sakuda's mouth hung slightly open.
As a first-year on the university team, he hadn't had the opportunity to play yet.
He could only watch from the bench as a substitute.
But as the match continued, the more he watched, the more astonished he became.
As a high school team, Karasuno's strength was beyond anything they had imagined.
Finally, after the match ended, Kazuki Shinjia stood up, eyes full of admiration, and walked toward Karasuno.
"As expected of the team that won the Interhigh championship!"
"Karasuno's strength is truly beyond anything we could've anticipated."
"Your players are exceptional as well," Keishin Ukai replied with a warm smile.
"This match was a great challenge."
"Hahaha! We just didn't have enough to keep up."
Shinjia and Nozomi turned toward their own players, still smiling.
"Coach Ukai, since you made the effort to come all this way, why not stay a bit longer?"
"How about we shuffle both teams, mix the players up, and run a few more training matches?"
"That way, everyone can get the most out of today."
"Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing!"
"Then let's rest a bit, and start again after."
"Sounds good!"
...
After a short break, the teams—now mixed and reassigned—began to play once more.
Time passed quietly as the sun outside the gym turned the sky a brilliant red, signaling the day's end. The final training match wrapped up, and the players came to a halt.
"Gather up!!"
Keishin Ukai called out, and everyone quickly packed up and assembled.
It had been a full day of training, and though everyone looked thoroughly exhausted, their faces were lit up with contented smiles.
"Coach Shinjia, thank you so much for the training match today!"
Before leaving, Ukai and Ittetsu Takeda once again offered their sincere thanks to Shinjia and Nozomi.
After all, it was rare for a university to offer a joint training session with a high school.
And this time, it had been Tohoku Polytechnic that reached out first.
"Training matches are beneficial for both sides. Our team gained a lot from this too."
Shinjia smiled genuinely.
It wasn't just politeness—his players had indeed learned and improved through the experience.
"If time allows, Coach Ukai, I hope we can set up more joint training sessions in the future."
"Absolutely!"
...
Sitting on the slightly bumpy bus, watching the streaks of crimson clouds stretch across the evening sky, everyone began to relax.
Their bodies were sore, but the fatigue came with a deep sense of accomplishment.
"Less than a month left... Spring High is almost here."
"Time really flew by."
"Yeah... we'll be facing some of the strongest teams in the country."
...
"But before that, don't forget—you all still have final exams."
Just as the mood had become reflective, Takeda turned around from his seat and reminded them with a smile.
"Don't neglect your studies just because you're training for the tournament!"
"Ughhh~~"
Tanaka's dramatic groan filled the bus.
...
From then on, in addition to volleyball training, everyone had to buckle down and prepare for finals.
Still, the academic responsibilities didn't take too much time away from training.
Especially when it came to arranging practice matches with other teams.
Ukai was well aware:
Once the winter break officially began, arranging matches would become much harder.
Many schools would pause volleyball activities during the holidays.
Which made this current period the most intense and critical time for their preparation.
But with that pressure came progress.
During these days, Karasuno had conducted multiple training matches with various teams from Miyagi Prefecture.
Their team coordination, individual skills, and overall strength had all improved significantly.
Weaknesses identified during training camps and previous competitions were now being addressed head-on.
For example—Hinata's receive technique had made solid progress, their serving strategies had become more varied and precise, and every player had worked hard on enhancing their attacking power.
Everything they did was for one purpose.
That one tournament.
Spring High.
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