The first day of the New Year, Miyagi Prefecture.
"Rest day!"
"It's not easy!!"
Even during winter break, Karasuno's training continued.
It didn't pause until just a few days before the New Year.
It was rare not to be awakened by an alarm, but Daichi Sawamura still woke up at his usual training time.
The long mornings had formed a biological clock, firmly imprinted in his mind.
It probably wouldn't change anytime soon.
But he never wanted to change it anyway.
After all, waking up early is a good habit.
Sitting up in bed, he shook his head to clear the sleepiness.
"Today's the day of the New Year's festival!"
…
After attending the festival, he wandered aimlessly.
Before he realized it, he had arrived at that familiar place.
"Alas…"
Daichi sighed.
Even on a day off, he ended up coming to school.
"Well, since I'm here, might as well go in and take a look."
But the further he walked, the more he felt something was off.
"Hahaha! Hinata, you're too naïve!"
"It's always Nishinoya-senpai who's amazing!"
…
"Huh?"
Daichi's brows furrowed.
This can't be…
He followed the sounds to the back of the gym.
Shōyō Hinata, Tobio Kageyama, Yū Nishinoya, and Ryūnosuke Tanaka were playing badminton together, laughing joyfully.
"Daichi-senpai!!"
"Morning!"
"You're here too~!"
"Wait—"
Daichi hadn't even reacted yet.
"Isn't the gym closed today?"
"Why are you guys here?"
"I came to take a look after visiting the shrine and didn't expect to run into everyone!" Hinata explained.
"I met them during my jog," Kageyama said calmly.
Tanaka scratched his head with a helpless look. "I came out to get away from my drunk aunt…"
"Roar! Am I the only one who came chasing the scent of the strong?" Nishinoya said with a grin.
"That's right!" Hinata suddenly remembered something. "Where's Akira?"
"Tell him to come out and play!!"
"Akira…"
At that, Daichi scratched his head.
"When I visited the shrine, Shimizu mentioned he went to Tokyo two days ago."
"What??"
Everyone froze.
"Yeah, Akira doesn't have any relatives here in Miyagi, so he went to spend the New Year with some family in Tokyo," Daichi said.
"So he's not coming with us in two days?" Hinata asked.
"Right. He'll be staying in Tokyo until the tournament starts."
Today was January 1st. Everyone would be heading to Tokyo on January 4th. The Spring High Tournament would begin on January 5th.
Since Akira was already in Tokyo, he wouldn't return to Miyagi before the games.
"Oh! So he's already waiting for us in Tokyo?" Hinata exclaimed.
"This guy is way too eager!"
"Not everyone's like you," the others said, looking at him helplessly.
"Alright, alright!" Daichi clapped his hands.
"It's a rest day!"
As if remembering something, Daichi began pushing them toward the school gates.
"Go home, all of you!"
"Rest days are meant for actual rest!"
"If anyone catches a cold on their precious day off, I'm gonna have words with them!"
"Then why are you here, Daichi-senpai?" Tanaka asked.
"Obviously, to check if someone else took over our gym!"
"Okay, okay! We're going!"
"Only a few days left until Spring High!"
"Yes, sir!!"
As soon as Spring High was mentioned, their eyes sharpened with renewed determination.
…
At that moment, inside a shop near Karasuno High, Coach Keishin Ukai and Ittetsu Takeda sat eating together.
"By the way, the Spring High schedule is out."
"Yeah," Takeda nodded. "I only got the news yesterday."
He paused his chewing and pulled a document from his bag.
"This was faxed to me yesterday by Matsushita-sensei from the tournament organizers."
Ukai's eyes lit up the moment he saw it.
He immediately grabbed the papers and began flipping through them eagerly.
"Lucky!"
"This time, we're seeded—got a bye in the first round. We won't play until the second day of the tournament!"
"Not a surprise," Takeda replied, still chewing.
"Even for a return like this, a bit of luck always helps."
The determination of seeded teams wasn't solely based on Interhigh results.
It also considered regional rankings, historical performances, and a final draw to decide.
That's why Ukai said they were lucky.
And Takeda wasn't worried either—Karasuno had won the last Interhigh, making them one of the most weighted candidates for seeding.
It would be unfair to make such a strong team play from the first round.
"So…"
"Coach Ukai, for the next few days, the two of us will need to study our potential opponents closely."
"Of course!!"
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