"Hey, Oda, was that your friend back there?" Hinata Shoyo asked, his nerves slightly eased after leaving the restroom.

"Yeah." Oda replied. "He was my teammate back in junior high."

"Oooh! So that means… he's as strong as you?"

Oda paused, thinking for a moment before answering, "To be precise, he might actually be a little stronger than me. Back in junior high, I used to slack off during practice sometimes. He never had that luxury."

"Whoa, that's amazing! What position does he play?"

"Setter."

"A setter? Like Kageyama? Is he playing in today's match?"

Oda gave a small sigh, looking down at Hinata's shining, curious eyes with mild exasperation. "Are you always this curious? Do you ask this many questions about everything?"

He paused, then added, "But honestly, I doubt Sanashita will play today. Aoba Johsai has plenty of strong third-year players. He's not a genius like Kageyama, after all."

….

The Karasuno team entered Aoba Johsai's volleyball gym.

When Hinata saw the size of the gym and the intense atmosphere of the Aoba Johsai team, his nerves spiked again, and his stomach began to churn violently.

This time, though, no one was around to help. So, he rushed to the bathroom alone.

And once again, he had an encounter.

He ran into Kindaichi and Akashi Asuka, who were both in the middle of washing up.

Kindaichi blinked in surprise upon seeing Hinata.

Akashi Asuka also looked at him with a hint of amusement. After all, this was his first trip to the restroom at the gym today, and yet by pure coincidence, here Hinata was again.

Did this guy have some kind of "Fate of the Restroom" buff?

To be honest, Akashi didn't have much interest in Hinata.

Or rather…

He wasn't interested in this version of Hinata. After all, the boy had only been seriously training in volleyball for less than a month. While he had athletic talent, without Kageyama's support, he wouldn't even be on par with a regular first-year player.

Still, Akashi didn't leave right away.

Mainly because, after Kindaichi and Hinata made eye contact, the air suddenly thickened with an awkward tension, like a battlefield ready to erupt.

Akashi might not be a volleyball expert, but when it came to being a professional spectator of drama, he was unmatched, definitely top five nationwide among high schoolers.

Finding a good vantage point, Akashi settled in to witness the thrilling fireworks between Kageyama's "ex-girlfriend" and "current girlfriend."

Two minutes later, the clash ended.

Kageyama's "two girlfriends" parted in mutual frustration.

Only then did Akashi rush into a stall to relieve himself. Honestly, he'd held it in for the sake of the show, and he'd nearly wet his pants because of it.

When he returned to the court, the practice match between Aoba Johsai and Karasuno had already begun.

Yup, as expected,

Akashi wasn't participating in today's practice match.

Not because he didn't want to, but because Coach Irihata forbade him from playing.

And the reason for that went back to the previous Friday afternoon…

It was a clear, breezy day.

After finishing regular team practice, Akashi stayed behind to do extra serving drills, as was his usual routine.

Coincidentally, a certain "non-genius" setter happened to see him doing this.

And he couldn't take it.

Seriously, it was already tough being outclassed in talent. If he was also outmatched in training effort, what was the point of even playing?

So, despite his body being exhausted, the setter stubbornly pushed himself to compete.

Akashi served once, he served twice…

Akashi served twice, he served four times…

And then, snap!

That overly competitive setter sprained his ankle.

It wasn't a serious injury, but the incident served as a wake-up call for Coach Irihata. And so, Akashi was benched for today's match.

After all, they had an important practice match against Shiratorizawa the next day.

As a secret weapon for that match, Akashi was strictly prohibited from participating today.

Even his usual extra practice sessions were off-limits.

….

The first set of the Aoba Johsai vs. Karasuno practice match went about as expected.

Hinata was so nervous he kept messing up, and Karasuno suffered constant errors. In less than 20 minutes, Aoba Johsai reached the set point.

Then came the rotation.

It was Hinata's turn to serve.

Bang!

The ball flew out of Hinata's hand, and smacked Tobio Kageyama right in the back of the head.

Silence fell over the entire gym.

On the sidelines, Akashi couldn't hold it in anymore.

He had expected this scene, but watching it play out in real life was just too much. He burst into laughter.

But in the second set, everything changed.

Karasuno's "Light and Shadow" duo finally unveiled their Freak Quick, a miraculous, otherworldly offensive maneuver that completely overwhelmed Aoba Johsai.

It couldn't be helped.

Even though the technique still had plenty of flaws, it was so far beyond normal high school volleyball that the Aoba Johsai players, regular high schoolers, were caught totally off guard.

Before long, the second set ended with Karasuno evening the score.

As the second match concluded, Kageyama repeatedly shot provocative glares at Akashi, clearly trying to draw him into the game to settle their old score from junior high.

But Akashi felt… nothing.

In fact, he was seriously considering sneaking off to do some strength training instead.

He wasn't like Tooru Oikawa, that guy acted like a third-year on paper but had the maturity of a grade-schooler. Always chasing petty rivalries…

Hm?

Speak of the devil.

Suddenly, high-pitched squeals echoed from the second-floor hallway above the court. Akashi didn't even need to look up, he knew exactly who had arrived.

There were only two people in the volleyball club who could stir up that kind of reaction.

And since one of them was currently sitting right here…

The identity of the other was obvious.

"Oho? Oikawa, you made it! How's the injury?" Coach Irihata called out.

Tooru Oikawa, surrounded by admiring girls, gave a cheerful smile and flashed an OK sign.

"Totally fine! It was just a minor injury, I'm all healed up."

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