Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium - Hallway.
The match against Nohebi was over. The crowd was dispersing, buzzing about the "Red Giant" who had turned the court into a demolition zone.
Ryuu walked toward the vending machines, towel draped over his shoulders. He was thirsty. He wanted apple juice.
"Daishou was so annoying," Ryuu muttered to himself, fishing for coins in his pocket. "He's like a mosquito. You can't even feel good about swatting him; you just want to wash your hands after."
He turned the corner and stopped.
The vending machine area was empty, except for two people wearing yellow and green tracksuits.
One was a short, friendly-looking guy with thick eyebrows. Komori Motoya, the Number 1 High School Libero.
The other was a tall, dark-haired figure wearing a white medical mask, standing as far away from the trash can as physically possible. Sakusa Kiyoomi, the Number 1 High School Ace.
Ryuu didn't need special eyes to feel the air pressure drop. These two were different. They weren't extras. They were the main event.
Ryuu adjusted his collar. 'Finally. The celebrities are out.'
He walked up to the machine next to them.
Sakusa flinched. He looked at Ryuu, then looked at the sweat glistening on Ryuu's neck. He took a visible step back.
"You're shedding," Sakusa said, his voice muffled by the mask but clearly disgusted.
Ryuu blinked, coin hovering over the slot. "Shedding?"
"Sweat particles," Sakusa clarified, his dark eyes narrowing in repulsion. "They are airborne. You just finished a match. You are a biohazard."
Komori laughed nervously. "Sakusa, don't be rude! Sorry, he's a bit... particular. You're Nekoma's Number 10, right? The one who crushed Nohebi?"
"Gojou Ryuu," Ryuu introduced himself, pressing the button for apple juice. Clunk. "And yes. Crushed is a polite word. I prefer 'evicted'."
"See?" Sakusa looked at Komori. "He's violent. Violent people shout. Shouting spreads germs."
Ryuu cracked open his juice. He leaned against the machine, looking down at the masked Ace. He wasn't intimidated. If anything, he found this germaphobe amusing.
"Sakusa Kiyoomi," Ryuu said. "The Ace of Itachiyama. The Weasel."
Sakusa stared at him. "Do not call me a weasel."
"It's the school mascot," Ryuu pointed out, taking a sip. "I'm a Cat. You're a Weasel. It's simple biology. And usually... cats eat weasels."
"Weasels are vicious predators," Komori chimed in helpfully.
"I don't care about biology," Sakusa turned to leave, radiating annoyance. "I care about hygiene. Komori, let's go. The air quality here just dropped."
"Wait," Ryuu called out.
Sakusa stopped but didn't turn around.
"Tomorrow," Ryuu said, his voice dropping the playful tone. "Semifinals. Nekoma vs. Itachiyama."
Ryuu grinned.
"I heard you're the best. The King of Tokyo. The Top 3 Ace in the country."
Sakusa turned his head slightly. His dark eyes were dead, devoid of the fire that Bokuto or Hinata had. It was the look of someone who was bored of winning.
"And?" Sakusa asked.
"And," Ryuu crushed the empty juice box in his hand effortlessly. "I'm the guy who's going to retire you early. I hope you brought extra sanitizer."
Komori looked back and forth between them. 'Oh boy. This guy is poking the bear.'
Sakusa looked at Ryuu for a long moment. He looked at Ryuu's height. He looked at his large hands.
"You're the one who broke the blockers' fingers, aren't you?" Sakusa asked.
"They got in the way," Ryuu shrugged.
"How inefficient," Sakusa muttered. "If you hit the ball correctly, you don't need to break anything. You're messy."
Sakusa pulled a small bottle of hand sanitizer from his pocket, squirted some into his hands, and rubbed them vigorously.
"I hate messy players," Sakusa said coldly. "Don't expect me to be as fragile as Daishou. If you try to break me... you'll just break yourself."
He walked away, leaving the scent of rubbing alcohol in the air.
Komori gave Ryuu a sheepish wave. "See you tomorrow! Uh... nice hair!"
Ryuu watched them leave.
He tossed the box into the trash can. Swish.
"Messy?" Ryuu chuckled, wiping a drop of juice from his lip. "He called me messy."
He smiled. It was a sharp, dangerous smile.
"He's right. I am messy. And I'm going to stain his perfect little record."
________________________
Nekoma Team Meeting - That Night.
The team was gathered in the strategy room. Coach Nekomata stood in front of the whiteboard. He drew a large "X" over the name NOHEBI.
"We are in the Semifinals," Nekomata announced. "This guarantees us a spot in the Representative Playoffs. But our goal is to win Tokyo."
He wrote a new name on the board.
ITACHIYAMA INSTITUTE.
"They are the favorites to win Nationals," Nekomata said gravely. "Their defense is solid. Their setter, Iizuna, is the Best Setter in the Junior Olympics. Their libero, Komori, is the High School Number 1."
"And," Nekomata tapped the board. "Their Ace. Sakusa Kiyoomi."
"He's a freak," Kuroo spoke up, spinning a pen. "I've played against him. His wrists are... weird. He can hit spin that shouldn't be physically possible."
"He's nasty," Yaku agreed. "Receiving his spikes is a nightmare. The ball spins so much it crawls up your arms."
The room was heavy. Nekoma was a good team, but Itachiyama was a Great team. They were the mountain everyone failed to climb.
"Coach," Ryuu raised his hand from the back of the room. He was leaning back in his chair, balancing on two legs, looking completely unbothered.
"Yes, Gojou?"
"Are they allergic to cannonballs?"
The room blinked.
"Excuse me?" Nekomata asked.
"Simple question," Ryuu shrugged. "They have spin. They have technique. They have the Number 1 Libero. But if I hit the ball straight down at 120 km/h... can they stop it?"
Nekomata looked at Ryuu. Then, a slow, wrinkled smile spread across his face.
"Komori is good," Nekomata said. "But no human can dig a ball they cannot touch. And no blocker can stop a ball that goes through them."
Ryuu let the chair slam back down to the floor.
"Then we have a plan," Ryuu grinned. "Sakusa can keep his spin. I'm going to introduce him to blunt force trauma."
"Ryuu, please don't actually hurt the National Ace," Kenma muttered. "We'll get disqualified."
"Metaphorically, Kenma. Metaphorically."
__________________
The Next Day - Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Semifinals: Nekoma High vs. Itachiyama Institute.
The crowd was massive. This was the main event. Television cameras were setting up. The air buzzed with electricity.
Nekoma warmed up on one side. Itachiyama warmed up on the other.
Itachiyama's warm-up was terrifyingly disciplined. Every serve went in. Every receive was perfect. They looked like a well-oiled machine.
Sakusa spiked. He didn't look like he was using much power, but the ball hissed through the air and snapped onto the floor with a wicked spin.
"Nasty," Yaku muttered, watching the spin.
On the Nekoma side, Kenma tossed the ball high.
"Gojou!"
Ryuu stepped up.
He felt the eyes of the stadium on him. He felt Sakusa watching from the other side of the net.
'Time to say hello.'
Ryuu jumped. He didn't aim for the floor. He aimed for the back wall.
KABOOM.
He hit the ball with everything he had. It flew over the net, missed the court entirely, and smashed into the advertising banner on the second tier of the stands.
CRASH.
The banner ("Drink Pocari Sweat!") shook violently. A dent appeared in the metal railing.
The crowd gasped.
"Oops," Ryuu laughed, scratching his head. "Too much gunpowder. My bad!"
He looked across the net.
Sakusa was staring at him, his brow furrowed in disgust.
Komori was laughing. "Whoa! That power is crazy, Sakusa! If that hits you, you'll die!"
"I won't let it hit me," Sakusa said flatly. "And he missed the court. Useless."
But Ryuu saw it.
Sakusa's hand had twitched toward his pocket, as if reaching for hand sanitizer.
'He's nervous,' Ryuu thought, walking back to the line. 'Good.'
The referee blew the whistle.
"Line up!"
Ryuu walked to the center. He stood directly opposite Sakusa.
"Hey, Weasel," Ryuu whispered.
Sakusa didn't look at him.
"Hope you brought your mask," Ryuu grinned. "Because I'm going to kick up a lot of dust."
Sakusa finally looked up. His eyes were cold, sharp, and utterly unimpressed.
"Talk is airborne," Sakusa said. "Shut up and play."
Game Start.