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Chapter 24: Post-Training Match
🕑 Added 2024-12-18 10:03:08 +0000 UTCThe Wakunan team members were packing up, preparing to leave soon, when Takeru Nakashima ran over to find Taichi Kaedehara.
"Hey, first-year! Are you a fan of the 'Little Giant' too?"
"Not just a fan, but a student. The 'Little Giant' is my teacher." Taichi replied with a faint smirk. He wasn't exactly lying—he had indeed called Udai-senpai his teacher before. "I learned my spiking techniques from him recently."
"Really?" Nakashima's face lit up with disbelief. "No wonder you're so good! Can I get your teacher's email address?"
Takeru Nakashima was a fervent fan of the 'Little Giant.'
When he first became conscious of his height, he happened to catch a televised match featuring the 'Little Giant' at the national tournament. That game taught him an invaluable lesson: there was a path for shorter players in volleyball.
"That should be fine, but I'll need to check with my teacher first," Taichi replied. "Let's exchange emails, Nakashima-senpai."
"Sure thing!"
It seemed real. Nakashima was so thrilled he couldn't stop trembling with excitement at the unexpected surprise.
"Nakashima-senpai, is this why you came to find me?" Taichi asked curiously, though he also had something to say to Nakashima.
Nakashima suddenly remembered that his original intention was to deliver some tough words, something along the lines of "Next time, we'll definitely win!"
But now that he had just gained something so valuable, those words didn't seem quite appropriate anymore.
"Nothing much really. Just wanted to ask about that earlier," Nakashima said, attempting to brush it off.
"Oh, I actually have something to tell you too," Taichi responded, not particularly concerned about what Nakashima wanted to ask. "Karasuno currently has a 'Little Giant' as well. I thought you might be interested."
"Karasuno's 'Little Giant'?" Nakashima was stunned. Karasuno again?
"That's right. We played a practice match against them recently. He's about 160 cm tall, and his name is Shoyo Hinata. His playstyle is different from your idol's, but he's incredibly skilled."
"160 cm? And a different style?" Nakashima was intrigued. He couldn't wait to visit Karasuno and see this Shoyo Hinata for himself.
"That's right! I'd love to see who's the real 'Little Giant' on the court!" Taichi said with an expectant grin.
Shoyo, you'd better thank me—I just found you a great rival.
"You're not joining the competition for the title of 'Little Giant'? I mean, the original 'Little Giant' was your teacher," Nakashima asked, puzzled.
Taichi looked at himself, then at Nakashima. "Well, I'm not exactly 'little,' am I?"
...
Nakashima realized the conversation was over as soon as Taichi's glance hinted at their height difference. Without another word, he turned and headed back to his teammates.
Oikawa Tōru, who had been watching the exchange from the sidelines, nodded to himself. He finally confirmed his suspicion—Taichi Kaedehara was full of tricks.
Not only had he gained Nakashima's trust, but he'd also slyly sold Shoyo Hinata's information to the opponent.
"Who's this 'Little Giant' you were talking about?" Oikawa asked, feeling like he'd heard the nickname somewhere before.
"Oh, it's a senior from Karasuno who led their team to nationals a few years ago. I got to know him recently," Taichi replied.
"Ah, I think I vaguely remember that." Oikawa narrowed his eyes at Taichi. "So now that you know an impressive senior, you've decided not to respect the seniors on your own team?"
"No, that's not it," Taichi said, glancing at Oikawa.
"There it is! That side-eye!"
"I didn't."
"You totally did!"
And so, Aoba Johsai's practice came to a noisy, chaotic end amidst their bickering.
-----
After dinner that evening, Taichi sent a message to Tenma Udai.
"Udai-senpai, during today's practice match, I met one of your admirers. He wants your email address. Would that be okay?"
Taichi hadn't even put down his phone before a reply from Tenma popped up.
"I was just about to message you! Our manga, Zombie Swordsman Zobishu, has started serializing in Weekly Shonen BYE! Also, what's this about an admirer?"
"It's a third-year from Wakunan who watched you play at nationals back in the day. His name is Takeru Nakashima."
Udai-senpai truly leaves a trail of devoted followers wherever he goes, Taichi thought, shaking his head.
"Sure, you can give him my email. Also, did you miss the part where I said our manga, Zombie Swordsman Zobishu, is being serialized in Weekly Shonen BYE?"
He sent the same message again, and Taichi couldn't help but chuckle. Hurry up and get it cancelled already; I'll write you a Demon Slayer knockoff instead.
"I got it, Udai-senpai. Let's meet up in Tokyo sometime to discuss the manga's future direction."
"(≧≦) OK!"
Did Udai-senpai just reply with an emoji? Truly the mark of a mangaka, Taichi mused.
He didn't continue the conversation further. Instead, he forwarded Udai's email to Nakashima and, after some thought, sent a message to Shoyo Hinata.
"Today, I played against the player in our prefecture who most resembles the 'Little Giant'!"
After a short while, two replies lit up his phone simultaneously.
"Thank you so much!!!!!!" This was from Nakashima, and Taichi silently wished him good luck in his quest to connect with his idol.
"Is it Wakunan's Nakashima-senpai? Coach just mentioned him to us today!" This one was from Hinata.
"So, you already know about him?"
"How is he? How did your match go?" Hinata's response came almost immediately.
"Nakashima-senpai is really strong, much stronger than us. But Seijoh won the match."
Lying at home, Hinata felt as though an electric current surged through him upon reading those words. He sat up abruptly, energized.
He typed, 'Our team now has an amazing ace and libero. Next time, we won't lose!' But just before hitting send, he paused. Hinata erased the entire message, realizing he almost revealed team secrets.
If Kageyama found out, he'd definitely call him an idiot again.
"I told Nakashima-senpai that Karasuno also has an incredible 'Little Giant.' He's really looking forward to meeting you," Taichi's next message read.
"And I'm curious about how much stronger you've gotten. I'm looking forward to it too."
The consecutive messages made Hinata's heart race. He clenched his fists tightly, his fingertips whitening. Being seen as amazing in others' eyes and being looked forward to—it filled him with a sense of pride and motivation.
Unable to sit still, Hinata changed out of his pyjamas, put on fresh clothes, and headed to the yard to practice receiving.
"Shoyo! What are you doing out there?" his mother called from inside the house.
"Practicing volleyball!" Hinata's voice rang out, as energetic as ever, despite the late hour.
"You just took a bath! Stop playing around. You have school tomorrow!"
"Just a little while! I can't sleep right now!"
Hinata truly couldn't sleep. Losing to Seijoh had left an indelible mark on him.
Although the return of Azumane-senpai and Nishinoya-senpai had significantly strengthened their team, he felt he hadn't improved much himself.
He had wanted to train with Kageyama on a new move, but Kageyama had turned him down. They hadn't spoken in almost a week because of it.
"If you don't go to bed, Mom's going to come out and yell at you!" His sister, Natsu, peeked out from the doorway.
"Fine, I'm going." Faced with his mom's looming authority, Hinata reluctantly returned to his room with the ball in his arms.
Tomorrow, I have to start moving forward. I can't keep dragging my feet like this.
With that resolve in mind, Hinata finally drifted off to sleep.
___________
