Two figures leaned quietly outside the gym's window.

One of them watched Akashi Asuka training silently inside, remaining silent for a long moment.

"Coach, have you really made up your mind?"

"I'm still hesitating. Iwaizumi is truly excellent, but you should know, being excellent alone isn't enough to beat Kitagawa…"

"But they're already third-years."

"That's exactly why I'm conflicted. I used to believe that nothing is 'innate,' but now... I'm starting to think some people are just born for certain roles, better suited to certain positions."

…

The two figures outside the window went unnoticed.

Inside, Akashi Asuka continued practicing basic serves and spikes with Ryūhei Misaka. Although Akashi wasn't lost or discouraged by the loss, Misaka's observations about several problems were undeniable.

Akashi's serve was powerful, but that was mostly from Junior High. Now in high school, unless he was in peak condition, his serve could no longer be relied on as a winning weapon.

Especially against national-level opponents, it only took one or two returns for them to adjust to his serve's rhythm.

So Akashi needed to strengthen the power behind his serve.

Learning a new serve style might have been a good option, but with so little time left before the national high school tournament, and even with his system, mastering a new serve quickly was impossible.

Besides, he still had great untapped potential; there was no urgent need to switch.

After all, a jump serve at 100 km/h and one at 130 km/h were entirely different things.

Though the power jump serve was the most basic of all powerful serves, its ceiling was incredibly high, if you had enough strength, this serve alone could overcome any tricky defense.

The players still training in the gym were not only Akashi and Misaka.

As first-years, they usually wouldn't have the gym key entrusted to them, but besides Akashi and Misaka's focused practice, the others seemed to be venting more than training.

Iwaizumi grumbled with every ball Oikawa tossed him:

"Damn it!"

"Bastard!"

"Bastard Oikawa!"

Oikawa retorted with an exaggerated shocked expression: "!!!∑(Дノ)ノ"

…

The next day.

After reuniting in the volleyball club, all the Seijoh players had already shaken off the disappointment of yesterday's loss.

After all, most of the main players were third-years, experienced enough to manage their mindset without needing coach Nobuteru Irihata to intervene.

That was why, after the defeat, Irihata did nothing but dismiss everyone to go their separate ways.

Once their spirits recovered, Seijoh's training returned to its usual rhythm.

Strict daily afternoon practices resumed, with Akashi Asuka, Tetsu Oikawa, and others sneaking in extra drills afterward. On weekends, Akashi continued practicing alone in secret.

The volleyball club rested every Thursday, giving Akashi even more chances to improve quietly.

From time to time, they'd play a few practice matches against seeded teams from within the prefecture, but facing them was like Kitagawa facing Seijoh.

Time passed little by little…

…

Meanwhile, at Karasuno, after various efforts, they finally regained their 'ace' and 'guardian,' and found a new coach.

One day after training, the Karasuno team left the coach Kai Shin's shop, having "borrowed" a few snack sticks.

Shoyo Hinata had a snack stick dangling from his mouth as he mumbled, "By the way, what kind of team is Nekoma?"

Not long ago, Karasuno's volleyball advisor had somehow arranged a new opponent for them, Nekoma High.

"Oh! Coach mentioned this before. Nekoma's been an old rival of Karasuno's for a while. Back when the old coach was here, they often faced off. Later, when they met at nationals, their match got a nickname… something like 'The Battle of the Junkyard'!" Takashi Sugawara explained.

"The Battle of the Junkyard? That sounds awesome!" Hinata's eyes lit up immediately.

As freshmen, Hinata and Kageyama couldn't fully grasp such history, but hearing the word 'nationals' instantly fired them up.

"Nationals, huh? So jealous…"

Hinata whispered, "I wonder what the national tournament is really like?"

"Uh…"

The group suddenly fell silent, a bit awkwardly.

That question hit a nerve.

Eventually, all eyes turned to Oda Miki.

Facing several hungry, expectant stares, Oda instinctively crossed her arms over her chest.

"Whoa~ what do you guys want?"

"Hehe…" Ryunosuke Tanaka grinned and hooked an arm around her shoulder. "Oda, you're the only one here who's been to nationals. Tell us what it's like!"

"Huh? That's it?"

Oda brushed off Tanaka's hand, half annoyed. "I thought you were up to something else, got my hopes up."

"Actually, it's not much different from regular matches. The only difference is… the pressure is way higher."

"Pressure?"

Oda nodded. "Honestly, during the first round at nationals, our whole team was basically frozen by the atmosphere. That last set was almost entirely won by Akashi alone."

"Akashi? Who's that?" Hinata asked, puzzled.

"You know, the guy who sat on the bench during the match against Seijoh." Oda reminded him.

"Whoa???"

Hinata's eyes went wide. "So he was your team's former 'ace'? Why didn't he play last time?"

Oda rolled her eyes. "If he had played, do you think we'd have won that match?"

…

P.S. A sudden thunderstorm just started outside, pretty intense. The author doesn't want to get struck by lightning, so the second update might be a bit delayed.

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