[June 9th, early Saturday morning. Aoba Johsai's Third Gym]

Kindaichi Yūtarō pushed open the door to the volleyball club's activity room.

"Good morning!"

"Morning!" replied the group of third-year seniors in unison. The four of them were always inseparable, something Kindaichi had long gotten used to.

"Kindaichi, did you bring the milk bread for me?" Oikawa Tōru asked with an expectant look.

"Yes, I brought it today!" Kindaichi placed the bread on the table next to Oikawa.

"Oh! Thanks! Here's the money for it." Oikawa picked up the bread and placed the money on the table. "Ah, the bread from near Kindaichi's house is just too delicious!"

"Thank you, Oikawa-senpai!" Kindaichi replied happily.

Iwaizumi Hajime clicked his tongue. "Why are you thanking him?"

"Because, unlike Iwa-chan, Kindaichi's such a straightforward kid," Oikawa mumbled through a mouthful of bread.

"More like he's easier to boss around," Iwaizumi retorted.

"Hey, don't slander me!" Oikawa swallowed his bread. "I trust Kindaichi, so I ask him for help. And he's happy to help, too!"

He pointed at Kindaichi. "This is what we call a win-win, isn't it?"

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes at Oikawa. "Win-win? That phrase sounds shady coming from you."

"You're so mean, Iwa-chan." Oikawa feigned a hurt expression.

"If Taichi were here, you wouldn't get away with this so easily," Matsukawa Issei observed calmly. "I can just picture Oikawa ending up treating Taichi to bread for free."

Kaedehara Taichi had taken the weekend off practice, saying he was going to Tokyo to learn a new special move from a skilled senior and scout potential opponents for nationals.

"Wouldn't that just mean Oikawa got scammed?" Hanamaki Takahiro burst out laughing at the thought.

Oikawa pouted. "That's why Taichi isn't cute."

"Kindaichi, how do you feel about being Oikawa's errand boy?" Hanamaki suddenly asked the most important question.

Kindaichi thought for a moment. "Well, I wouldn't say I 'like' it…"

Iwaizumi, stunned by Kindaichi's hesitant expression, asked, "Don't tell me you think that crappy Oikawa is cool?"

Kindaichi's familiar goofy smile appeared. "Huh? Isn't he? Oikawa-senpai is really cool."

"Open your eyes and look closely, Kindaichi!" Iwaizumi shouted in disbelief.

"You must have a major misunderstanding about the word 'cool,'" Hanamaki chimed in.

Oikawa had been nodding in satisfaction at Kindaichi's answer, but his mood soured instantly at Iwaizumi and Hanamaki's swift rebuttal.

"What's that supposed to mean, Hanamaki?!"

"Okay, okay, I got it." Hanamaki pulled out his phone. "Kindaichi, let me show you something. After seeing this, your eyes will be wide open." Kindaichi leaned in, as did a curious Oikawa.

Hanamaki displayed a photo of Oikawa crying after losing to Ushijima Wakatoshi's Shiratorizawa team last year.

"Ahhh! When did you take that, Hanamaki?!" Oikawa tried to snatch the phone.

"Oh, I have one too," Matsukawa said, pulling out his phone. "Here's a picture of him crying the year before."

"Ahhh, Matsukawa!"

"I've got one from his last middle school game when he lost so badly he had snot running down his face."

"Hey, Iwa-chan! Didn't you cry just as badly that time?!" Oikawa protested, stunned at the number of embarrassing records of him that had been preserved.

Bang!

The activity room door burst open.

"The alumni are almost here. Coach Irihata said we need to speed things up," Kunimi Akira announced.

------

Kindaichi Yūtarō carried the scoreboard out of the equipment room, his expression slightly tense. Although the third gym, dedicated to the volleyball club, was usually busy, today it was even more crowded and noisy.

The added crowd consisted of university students.@@novelbin@@

Today, they were holding a practice match against a team made up of Aoba Johsai alumni.

As the volleyball club members prepared for the game, they stole glances at the warming-up university players. Kindaichi, too, couldn't help but sneak a peek.

They're so tall, and they look so strong....

The university students were generally taller and more muscular than the Aoba Johsai team, and their years of training were evident in their defined physiques.

Just as Kindaichi's mind started wandering, a voice broke his thoughts.

"Kindaichi, what are you spacing out for? Move aside." Kunimi, pushing a ball cart, lazily looked at him.

"We're playing against them…it's a bit nerve-wracking."

"Can't be helped. They're so tall, just standing there is intimidating." The two commiserated while eyeing their formidable opponents.

Aoba Johsai had played university teams before, but not often. Scheduling was always difficult, and they usually lost these matches. For the team, these games were more like tests than serious competitions.

However, today's opponents were alumni of Aoba Johsai. The stakes felt higher; a poor performance wouldn't go unremarked.

Kindaichi focused his attention on the upcoming practice match. With the national tournament approaching, playing against stronger opponents today was a precious opportunity.

"Alright!!"

Reinvigorated, Kindaichi turned to Kunimi. "It's rare for the alumni to come all this way. Don't slack off, or they'll think we aren't serious."

"Yeah, yeah," Kunimi replied casually.

Though irritated at being preemptively accused of slacking, Kunimi couldn't deny that it had crossed his mind.

Kindaichi, however, meant no harm; his bluntness was just his way of speaking.

"Coach Irihata, congratulations on making it to nationals this year. That's incredible!" said Takahashi Ichisuke, now a third-year university student, to Coach Irihata.

"Haha, seeing you all still passionate about volleyball after graduating makes me proud," Coach Irihata replied, nostalgia evident in his tone.

"Ah, it's such a shame we couldn't take you to nationals back then. That's always been my regret from high school," said Kobayashi Yuuri, a libero now in his second year of university.

Two years ago, he had been Aoba Johsai's vice-captain when Oikawa and his peers were freshmen.

"You all worked hard enough back then. High school passes by so quickly. Sometimes it feels like there's not enough time to achieve everything," Coach Irihata lamented. "This time, Oikawa seized his last chance. Let's see how far he can go."

"Thank you for making time to come today. I know it's not easy," he added.

"It's fine, it's fine…"

After a brief round of reminiscing, the university players began warming up. They were eager to see how far this year's national contenders, their juniors, had come.

The practice match against the university team was about to begin. Staring at the towering figures of the university players on the other side of the net, Kindaichi found it hard to imagine his team securing a victory. Especially with Kaedehara Taichi absent, their lineup felt incomplete.

Still, losing without a fight would leave a bitter taste. The daunting feeling grew stronger as Kindaichi locked eyes with a composed university player through the net. The overwhelming tension made him instinctively avert his gaze.

At that moment, Oikawa's voice reached his ears.

"Don't let their presence overwhelm you." Oikawa patted Kindaichi on the back. "Listen up. First, we should thank the alumni for sacrificing their weekend for us. Then, approach this match with a mindset to learn."

"Yes…Approach this match with a learning mindset. No matter who the opponent is, we just need to play to our usual level," concluded Iwaizumi Hajime, Aoba Johsai's former ace.

His confident words helped ease Kindaichi Yūtarō's tension, though he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.

"Hey, if Taichi were here…" Kunimi Akira said suddenly, "he'd probably say something like…"

"No matter who the opponent is, we will win!"

The Aoba Johsai team lifted their heads, their spirits instantly rejuvenated. Oikawa Tōru let out a wry smile—this was indeed the moment they needed that fearless guy the most.

After a brief round of greetings and warmups, the match began.

"Please take care of us!"

Aoba Johsai's lineup was as follows:

Front row—Setter Oikawa Tōru, Middle Blocker Kyōtani Kentarō, Outside Hitter Kunimi Akira 

Back row—Wing Spiker Hanamaki Takahiro, Middle blocker Kindaichi Yūtarō and Outside Hitter Iwaizumi Hajime (Libero: Watari Shinji).

The university team fielded a formidable lineup of:

Front row—Middle Blocker Sugimoto Kazuya, Middle Blocker Matsumoto Kentaro, Outside Hitter Takahashi Ichisuke

Back row— Wing Spiker Sato Ryo, Setter Morita Heiji and Outside Hitter Uchida Subaru (Libero: Kobayashi Yuri).

The university players were noticeably taller than their high school counterparts, with all but the libero and setter exceeding 180 cm in height. The star outside hitter, Takahashi Ichisuke, stood an impressive 193 cm tall.

The match began with the university team serving.

Uchida Subaru's powerful serve forced libero Watari Shinji to make a challenging reception.

Though Watari had grown accustomed to handling Oikawa's devastating serves, this one made him wince slightly. Even so, he managed to pass the ball cleanly to Oikawa.

With a quick assessment of the court, Oikawa decided the best opportunity lay on the right side.

Simultaneously, Iwaizumi, Hanamaki, Kunimi, and Kyotani launched themselves forward in synchronized attacks. Oikawa's precise set found Kunimi on the right, who smashed the ball into the open court for a clean point.

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 0 University Team]

"Oh, this is interesting," remarked Takahashi Ichisuke as he observed his juniors.

A multifaceted attack strategy, nearly abandoning defence, executed perfectly with the assistance of an exceptional setter. The university team couldn't pinpoint the attacking player until the last moment, leaving a one-on-one scenario that Kunimi capitalized on effortlessly.

"So, that's Oikawa Tōru? Impressive…no wonder they managed to defeat Shiratorizawa," Takahashi mused.

Aoba Johsai served next. Without a clearly identifiable threat among them, Kunimi opted for a serve targeting the setter.

His serve zipped towards Morita Heiji, the university team's setter.

"I got it!" libero Kobayashi Yuri moved into position to assist with the reception.

"Takahashi!" Morita shouted, directing the ball to their ace.

Morita's pass set the ball perfectly above the net. Takahashi, with his towering height and formidable reach, launched into a devastating spike that soared well above the outstretched arms of Oikawa and Kyotani's double block.

Bang!

The ball landed with force on Aoba Johsai's court, bouncing high before dropping.

At that moment, the memory of facing Ushijima Wakatoshi flashed through their minds, except this attacker was even taller by a few centimetres.

Takahashi Ichisuke's commanding spike equalized the score.

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 1 University Team]

"Hey, kids, don't underestimate your seniors!" Morita Heiji taunted Kunimi with a grin.

The Aoba Johsai team quickly regrouped, realizing their initial serve strategy had inadvertently set up an advantageous position for the opposing setter.

Not only was the ace lethal, but the setter was also formidable.

With the serve back in their hands, Sugimoto Kazuya stepped up to the line.

Tossing the ball high, he executed a powerful float serve that veered unpredictably toward the seam between Iwaizumi and Watari.

"I got it!" Watari moved to intercept, but as he positioned himself, the ball swerved slightly to his right.

Smack!

The serve landed near Iwaizumi's feet. Sugimoto's serve had earned the university team a direct point.

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 2 University Team]

"Too slow! You need to act faster!" Sugimoto shouted, offering real-time tips.

"Yes, sir!" Watari and Iwaizumi responded in unison.

Sugimoto served again. This time, the ball came directly toward Iwaizumi. He stepped forward to receive it, but just as his fingers were about to make contact, the ball dipped and shifted forward.

The ball grazed Iwaizumi's fingertips and dropped behind him.

The university team secured yet another point with consecutive service aces.

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 3 University Team]

Sugimoto smirked. "Your timing is crucial. Don't commit to your reception stance too early. Wait for the trajectory to become clearer before moving."

"Understood!"

Although the match had only just begun, Iwaizumi was already sweating profusely.

Sugimoto stepped up for his third serve, his approach noticeably quicker.

"A jump serve?!" Kunimi observed the subtle change and immediately lowered his stance, ready to dive.

Thwack!

The ball rocketed toward the court like a missile. Reacting instantly, Kunimi dove and barely managed to dig the ball.

"Cover!"

Watari rushed forward to set up a playable ball. Oikawa, seizing the opportunity, executed a powerful spike to break their streak.

[Aoba Johsai 2 – 3 University Team]

Sugimoto looked at Kunimi with a sly grin. "Not bad, kid…"

_________

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