"Oh, look at that~"
"Another triple-block! Does that guy possess an inexhaustible supply of energy?"
"How many times has that happened already? Yushi Middle School is certainly tenacious, but they can't seem to stop him."
...
Inside the immense stadium, the contingent of spectators gathered near the Senkoku Middle School court had grown noticeably.
Meanwhile, the match between Senkoku and Yushi was rapidly drawing to a close. The scoreboard clearly displayed the results:
First Set: 25-13.
Second Set: 23-15.
Wait, now it's 24-15.
"Wow! I hadn't properly noticed before, but has anyone else realized that Akashi's spikes seem significantly more powerful than they were just two weeks ago?"
Perhaps because the match was effectively over, the tension on the Senkoku bench eased, leading to a burst of relaxed chatter. Just then, Omae Masato blurted out this observation, instantly silencing his teammates.
Even Akashi Asuka instinctively turned to glance at him.
Everyone else: "???"
What manner of inappropriate observation is that?
Is this a statement a rational human being should utter?
Everyone turned to stare at Omae Masato, their strange, unified gazes making his skin prickle. "Hey, what are the looks for? I'm genuinely serious! Don't any of you feel it?"
"While we could barely contain Akashi with a double-block in practice, the opposition can't stop him even with three players. Doesn't that directly prove Akashi's improvement?"
Everyone: "..."
That logic, disturbingly, holds a certain validity.
The team members expressionlessly withdrew their gazes, feigning total indifference, but subtly increasing the distance between themselves and Omae Masato.
They were genuinely concerned that his unusual intellect might be contagious.
Only Omae Masato's childhood friend, Kazama Jujiro, patted him on the shoulder with a resigned patience, then stated seriously, "Promise me, Omae. When we get to high school, please do not participate in any sport that requires strategic thinking, alright?"
Masato Omae: "???"
"(╬◣д◢) Hey! What exactly do you mean by that accusation?"
...
The King of the Court Arrives
Just as the Senkoku team was dealing with Omae Masato's peculiar brand of intellectual challenge, a fresh commotion erupted from the adjacent stands.
"It's Kitagawa First Middle School! Has their match already concluded?"
"Kitagawa First? Isn't that the school housing the legendary 'King of the Court'?"
"That's correct; look over there—that's him, Tobio Kageyama."
Initially, the hubbub failed to register with Akashi Asuka, but upon hearing the name 'Tobio Kageyama,' he couldn't help but lift his gaze.
It wasn't an act of scouting; he was simply curious.
Kitagawa First Middle School was clearly not pausing specifically to observe Senkoku's match. Although it might seem humbling to admit, given Senkoku's typical level of play, they were likely not even considered a measurable threat by the rival team.
They were simply passing through the area.
The Kitagawa First team maintained a disciplined, imposing formation. Directly at their lead stood a boy of excellent athletic build, his face set in a perpetually stern and somewhat brooding expression.
Akashi Asuka sighed inwardly. After two weeks of gradually acclimatizing to his new reality, seeing the actual protagonist, Kageyama Tobio, standing before him momentarily reignited the profound sense of absurdity that had been fading.
"Tsk, this really is a fictional world," he murmured to himself.
Akashi Asuka clicked his tongue, then launched himself into the air. Simultaneously, a volleyball arrived precisely at the peak of his jump.
Yushi Middle School stubbornly maintained their three-man block.
However, their confidence had been utterly destroyed in the first set. Their current triple-block, in terms of synchronous height, precise timing, and psychological resolve, was a pale shadow of what it had been at the start of the match.
In short, the current three-man block, beyond its outward appearance of defense, was now merely a fragile facade.
Bang!
The volleyball shot out like a cannonball, clipped the opponent's hand, soared high into the air, and then crashed violently against the protective railing of the elevated spectator stands.
On the far side of that railing, the members of Kitagawa First were just walking past.
For a brief, shared moment, every member of Kitagawa First, including Kageyama Tobio, turned to look down at the court, their eyes widening in surprise at the sheer force displayed.
But that was all.
Soon, they continued their exit.
Akashi Asuka, still on the court, paid them no further mind. He had satisfied his curiosity with a quick glance at Kageyama Tobio before turning to gather his teammates as the referee blew the final whistle.
For Akashi Asuka, his strenuous training was motivated purely by the love for competition and the demanding effort (and the resulting systemic rewards) it required.
Though the process was exhausting and often painful, on the court, the rules were absolute: a loss was a loss, and a win was a win.
As for Kageyama Tobio, the famous protagonist, he was an object of mild curiosity, but otherwise remained a complete stranger.
The spike that nearly hit them? It was purely an accident of extreme power.
Akashi Asuka had never been the type to engage in petty, off-court provocation.
If he provoked an opponent, it would only be a calculated tactic during the game.
The Sprouting of Ambition
The match concluded.
Senkoku Middle School confidently advanced to the second round with a commanding 2-0 victory.
After the handshake, Omae Masato and the others were positively ecstatic. For them, this was the first time in nearly three years that Senkoku Middle School had won an official tournament match.
The last time they achieved this feat, the current students hadn't even enrolled at Senkoku.
The volleyball coach, Shimokawa Sanwa, also allowed a rare, genuine smile to grace his face; this constituted a significant milestone for the club.
Shimokawa Sanwa was not a long-term fixture at Senkoku Middle School. Public schools in Japan operate under a teacher rotation system, meaning all public school teachers in a given administrative district are periodically transferred.
This system is why many schools with elite sports clubs go to the expense of hiring a dedicated professional coach, separate from the supervisory teacher, to maintain the club's consistency and expertise.
However, the Senkoku Middle School volleyball team's historical performance was insufficient to justify hiring a separate, costly coach.
Typically, a teacher like Shimokawa would fulfill the coaching role.
In this situation, even if Shimokawa Sanwa failed to achieve notable results, he would face no professional blame. But if Senkoku Middle School could achieve unprecedented success during his tenure, it would be a huge boost to his professional portfolio.
Perhaps even further...
...leading this previously unknown school to the National Championships...
Oh my goodness.
The mere thought was overwhelming.
"However, it is not entirely outside the realm of possibility!"
With this electrifying thought, Shimokawa Sanwa, a man in his thirties with a still-youthful competitive spirit, felt a profound surge of excitement.
He looked over at Akashi Asuka, who was lining up and formally bowing to the opposition.
A previously dormant impulse—a seed called "ambition"—slowly but powerfully began to germinate deep within his heart.