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Chapter 399: The Fourth Day of the Tournament
🕑 Added 2025-04-24 16:49:40 +0000 UTC[Inarizaki 21 - 25 Date Tech]
[Inarizaki 25 - 20 Date Tech]
[Inarizaki 29 - 27 Date Tech]
"Why the long faces? You guys played amazing!" Kamisaki Yasushi shouted loudly from the stands.
The entire Date Tech team lined up to bow to the audience, and in return, their cheering squad responded with warm, encouraging applause.
"That was a brilliant match!" Date Tech's former captain, Moniwa Kaname, waved both hands with a smile. "Koganegawa! You've still got more to give, yeah?"
"Thank you, senpai!" Koganegawa Kanji sobbed as he yelled back.
For the first time in eleven years, Date Tech had made it to Nationals.
Eliminated in the fourth round of the Inter-High National Tournament, they finished among the top eight teams in the country.
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"I didn't think Date Tech would be able to go toe-to-toe with Inarizaki like that," Nakamori Daiki said on the way back to the hotel with the Aoba Johsai crew.
"Nothing surprising about it," Kaedehara Taichi replied. "Even we didn't have an easy time against Date Tech."
"Right, right," Daiki grinned. "You're only saying that because you don't feel any pressure from the blockers."
As a libero, of course, he didn't have to deal with spiking into a block.
"Well, pressure exists in other forms too," Daiki added slyly. "Like when your spikes get blocked and I'm the one busting my butt to chase down the ball."
"Oh~" Taichi nodded. "Mad Dog-senpai, looks like Daiki's calling you out. Says your spikes kept getting shut down by Date Tech."
Kyōtani Kentarō: "…"
He might've had a short fuse, but he wasn't dumb. He'd heard every word those two brats said.
"Taichi, you're the shameless one here! I was obviously talking about you!"
"As if! I barely got blocked by them!"
"Barely still counts—!"
While Daiki and Taichi bickered like children, the other first-years walked along with distant looks on their faces.
The intensity of the national tournament was far beyond what they'd imagined. That pressure hadn't been obvious in Aoba Johsai's earlier matches.
Yamabuki Yūjin and Tōma Kaoru hadn't seen much time on court, but even Yūki Yōji—who'd played through most matches—felt like he hadn't done much at all, and yet Aoba Johsai kept winning without issue.
Initially, none of them had paid much attention to the Date Tech vs Inarizaki match. But by the final moments of the deciding set, they could feel the weight of it all. The tension radiating off the court, the pressure of every single play, the determination behind each move...especially when both teams were fighting tooth and nail over match point. Even as spectators, they found themselves holding their breath.
"If Date Tech had just gotten through Miya-senpai's serve rotation, then it would've been Inarizaki dealing with Aone-senpai's serve next. That could've flipped the whole match again…"
Every play. Every player. Everything mattered.
The reason they hadn't needed to deal with that level of desperation was simple—because they all knew they only had to entrust the ball to that person.
The sight of Taichi-senpai's back was just that reassuring.
…Even if he was just a terrible upperclassman who bullied his juniors by relying on his height.
-----
July 2nd.
"So many people…"
An elderly lady sighed on the first floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. It seemed like she had gotten separated from the person who brought her. But judging by the hand-knit sweater she wore, with "Go Inarizaki!" stitched across the front, it was easy to tell she was there to watch today's match between Inarizaki and Aoba Johsai.
At that moment, a white-haired boy in black clothes came running over, instantly drawing the attention of people nearby.
Of course, it wasn't just because of his unusual hair colour—there was something uniquely striking about the aura he gave off.
"Found you. Grandma, you're here. The match is about to start," Kita Shinsuke jogged over, reaching out a hand to the elderly lady who had stopped in place.
It was clear that the two were none other than Inarizaki High's former captain and his grandmother.
"Finally found you," Grandma said with a gentle smile. "You're still the type who runs around everywhere, huh, Shin?"
Kita paused. Just a moment ago, he'd been leading his grandmother toward Court A, but when he turned around, she was no longer in sight. He should've known—it was better to hold her hand from the beginning.
"I got so scared when I turned around and couldn't find you," he said, taking her hand in his.
"There was a shop over there," Grandma explained, pointing at a nearby souvenir stand. "I wanted to see if I could find something nice to bring back for Mrs. Nakamura."
"I see. Let's pick something out together after the match," Kita said.
He didn't actually know anyone named Mrs. Nakamura—probably a neighbour back home—but as long as it made his grandmother happy, it was fine.
Grandma smiled at his words and nodded with satisfaction.
"That would be lovely. They sell all kinds of things, you know—red bean cakes, rice crackers…and there was even that round little doll design on some of them."
"Ohh, sounds pretty impressive," Kita said earnestly. "Ah, Grandma, there are stairs here—be careful."
"I know, I know."
The two slowly climbed the stairs leading to the spectator stands, arriving at the cheering section for Inarizaki High.
"Shin! Over here!" Ōmimi Ren and Akagi Michinari waved to him.
Except for Ojiro Aran, who was currently training with a pro team, all of Inarizaki's former third-year starters from last year had gathered. The cheering squad had arranged special front-row seats for them, with Grandma sitting in the centre.
On the court, players from Inarizaki and Aoba Johsai were beginning their warm-ups. Watching those familiar faces, Kita couldn't help but smile.
"It's been a while since we played in a match like this. Just watching makes me nervous," said Ōmimi, slightly worked up. It felt like only yesterday that they had their two clashes against Aoba Johsai.
Grandma, however, simply smiled and gently patted the back of his hand. "Relax. These kids are going to do great."
Kita's grandmother had often come to watch their practices back in school. Though she didn't speak much, all the players knew her well.
"Thanks, Grandma. But I think everyone gets nervous before a match. Didn't you ever get nervous watching Shin play?"
"Of course." She looked out over the players on the court and spoke slowly. "Though I don't know who's going to win, they've all been doing the same thing every day, haven't they? That thing they always talk about… what was it again? Hmm… ah, yes, heijōshin—keeping a calm heart."
"Heijōshin, huh…" Ōmimi chuckled. That phrase sounded so familiar—Kita had used it all the time when he was on the team.
Sensing Ōmimi and Akagi's gaze, Kita turned around. "What is it?"
"Oh, nothing," the two replied in unison, laughing.
Maintaining a calm heart while standing on the national stage was no easy feat. In battles between strong teams, players often had to perform beyond their usual limits. What they honed in these matches wasn't just volleyball skill—but mental fortitude.
After watching the warm-up for a bit, Grandma squinted at the ceiling, perhaps finding the lights too harsh.
"But the gym's really big now, huh?" she murmured. "Look at that court down there—it's bigger than the one at your school, isn't it?"
She pointed to the court below.
Kita smiled and explained, "Grandma, the court is the same size everywhere. Whether it's the Olympics or high school—it's always the same size."
"Ohhh, that's good to know," she said, visibly relieved. "If the court and the ball are the same, then there's nothing to be nervous about."
"Exactly." Ōmimi nodded firmly.
"Tweet—!"
The referee's long whistle echoed across the gym.
"Oh right, Grandma," Kita warned, "the instruments are going to get loud soon, so don't get startled, okay? Our cheering squad's pretty intense."
"Haha, don't worry," Grandma said, laughing cheerfully.
Inter-High National Tournament, Day Four, Round Five:
Representing Miyagi Prefecture: Aoba Johsai High School—their 9th appearance, second consecutive year.
Representing Hyōgo Prefecture: Inarizaki High School—their 32nd appearance, fourth consecutive year.
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Court A—National Tournament Semifinal:
Aoba Johsai vs. Inarizaki—
The match was about to begin…
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