Chapter 54 Volleyball 14

"Sana-chan, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Seeing that she was standing there and not moving forward, Gong You began to circle around her worriedly.

Ever since he knew that she might not be feeling well last time, he would observe Sana's condition from time to time, fearing that she was feeling unwell.

"I'm fine, Yu-kun." Kurikawa Sana came back to her senses, but was still very surprised by the voice of Oikawa Toru that suddenly increased her favorability by 20 points.

What happened? Even though we weren't face to face, our affection increased so much after we separated.

She had always felt that it was very difficult to gain a good impression of Oikawa. On the surface, Oikawa had a quirky and cheerful personality and seemed easy to get along with. But it was obvious that it was very difficult to get into his inner world, at least not something she could touch after only meeting him a few times.

It’s okay, take your time… Wait, does she have time to take her time this time?

I wonder if this world has a time limit like the last basketball world? The system in the last world always emphasized that she would only stay for no more than one school year, and in the end, she did collapse in the finals of Teiko Junior High School's last tournament... and that ended the basketball world.

But this world...she didn't want to leave so soon.

They were all so beautiful, so beautiful that she didn't want to leave so soon.

Just being with them makes every day feel like being bathed in sunshine.

If she wasn't bound to the system and needed to obtain health points, if this was the real world she was in, would she still take the initiative to approach this group of teenagers?

Thinking of this, Kurikawa Sana couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

Even she herself was surprised by the answer that subconsciously popped up in her mind.

The answer is - she would.

If this were the real world, if she had a healthy body like an ordinary person, if she no longer had to worry about death, then no matter how far, she would run with all her strength just to see them.

Because they are just so beautiful.

The system's electronic voice sounded at the perfect moment: "Sana, this world has too many captureable targets, so you can stay longer in this world than in the previous one. At least until the end of the Spring High School, there should be no problem."

Kurikawa Sana breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, system."

Then he raised his head and smiled at the blond boy in front of him: "Let's go, Youjun."

"I'm glad you're okay." Gong You nodded in relief, and as he continued walking forward, he opened up a new conversation: "Speaking of which, that Oikawa-senpai is no ordinary person."

"Um?"

"Tobio-kun said that the only opponent he's ever been afraid of is Oikawa-senpai. He's never been intimidated by anyone else. According to him, even I can't put pressure on him. The only person who can scare him is Oikawa-senpai... I'm very curious about what kind of setter is capable of instilling fear in a genius like Tobio-kun."

Gong You's expression turned serious. "So I went to look for videos of the Miyagi Prefecture qualifiers from the past few years. This Oikawa-san is truly beyond imagination. It's unbelievable that someone of his caliber has never made it to the national competition."

“………”

Hearing this, Kurikawa Sana suddenly remembered a sentence, Oikawa Toru's nickname.

——Talent will blossom and bear fruit.

"But wait, didn't Yu-kun just meet Oikawa-senpai for the first time? How did you finish watching his game tape so quickly?"

"No, I heard of Oikawa Tooru last night after we played 4v4 with Tobio-kun and Shoyo-kun alone. I asked Tobio-kun if he was the best setter in the prefecture, and Tobio-kun honestly replied that Oikawa-senpai was the best setter in Miyagi Prefecture."

"So you didn't sleep last night and spent the whole night watching Oikawa-senpai's game videos?"

"Yeah, and because the volume on the speaker was too loud, I woke Zhi up and he punched me. Zhi is really irritable when he wakes up..."

Kurikawa Sana: “Pfft…”

Gong Yoo, it turns out, really loves volleyball too.

Just hearing the name of an outstanding junior, he would stay up all night to watch the opponent's game video, and the next day he could still go to play an exchange match with the powerful Shiratorizawa Academy in high spirits, as if he had endless energy.

They are all a group of such sincere and genuine young people.

"Oh no, we're so busy chatting that we're going to be late for the post-match review." Gong You glanced at the time, frightened and grabbed the hand of the person next to him and ran forward, "Hurry up Sana, or I'm going to be scolded by Senior Bei again!"

“?!”

Her hand was suddenly held by the young man. The setter's palm was broad and thick, and he wrapped her tightly in anxiety, and a scorching temperature came from it.

Looking down at the hand held by the boy, Kurikawa Sana was stunned.

The system's voice suddenly rang out: [Kurikawa Sana, Favorability +1.]

Kurikawa Sana: "???"

That’s enough, system! Are you happy with this? QAQ

*

The post-match debriefing took place in the spacious, bright, and magnificent common living room of Coach Kurosu Homune's suite. Inarizaki is a private school, and Sanara Kurikawa's sister, a sponsor, also fell in love with volleyball after watching Inarizaki's matches. So, they generously provided the highest standard of accommodation and meals for the exchange tournament.

Facing the crowd of tall young men in front of him, Coach Kurosu crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"You, maybe others can't see it, but your reaction and dribbling were slower than usual today. You tried to make up for it with your skills, but I can't hide it from you - did you stay up late last night? Answer me."

Gong You suddenly shuddered, feeling something was wrong. "Yes..."

"I've stressed many times that managing your physical health and condition before a match is extremely important. This is just as important as diligent training on a daily basis. Don't let your guard down just because it's just an exchange match."

"Got it, Coach!"

"Rintaro, after you scored directly from the block by the opposing red-haired secondary attacker, you became hesitant in your spikes. As one of the team's main turrets, how can you win if you, as a spiker, don't attack boldly? Smash hard! Even if you get blocked, you must trust your teammates and believe that Kita and Akagi will help you receive the ball from behind!"

Kakuna Rintaro: "Yes, coach."

"Alan, you're recognized as one of the top five main attackers in the country, and today's opponent, Ushijima Wakari, is recognized as one of the top three main attackers in the country. Do you feel the gap between you and Ushijima?"

Obai Alan: "I'm not as strong as him..."

Others: “…”

Coach Hei Xu: “…”

After a brief silence, Coach Kurosu continued his analysis, "Ushijima's strength is indeed beyond imagination, but he never participates in receiving the ball, and his technique isn't as formidable as I imagined. He scores with pure strength. However, there are only a few players with his strength nationwide. Against an opponent like this, we need to change our strategy and rely on tactics to win."

"Alan, you're very strong, and you can attack and defend. If you face a player like Ushijima again in the future, and if your opponent's offensive is unstoppable, you need to conserve your energy in the first two rounds, wear down their trump cards, and then decide the outcome in the final round."

"Bei's performance today was still impeccable. He was able to make absolutely no mistakes during the game. If you could all do the same as Bei, I wouldn't have to worry about you."

The others were instantly impressed: "As expected of the North Team... they never make mistakes!"

"Ji was in great form today, scoring the highest points on the team. But compared to your smashes, your jump serve still has a lower scoring rate, and you even hit out-of-bounds and home runs. Ji, do you have any ideas?"

Miyaji: "...I understand, Coach. I will practice serving more."

"That's good to know. In modern volleyball, serving is the only ultimate offensive method that won't be blocked by the high wall of the net. For the following training menu, I will have each of you practice at least 50 serves every day, doubling your training volume."

Miyaji: “…”

Gong Yoo: “Pfft, pfft hahahahaha!!”

Listening to Gong You's arrogant laughter of gloating, Gong Zhi closed his eyes and tried hard not to act like a loving brother in front of the coach.

After giving further pointers on the performances of libero Akagi Michinari, outside hitters Ren Otsuka and Ginjima Yui, and center hitter Riishi Heisuke, Coach Kurosu Homune nodded with satisfaction. "But overall, I'm very satisfied with everyone's performance today."

"This concludes the post-match review of the exchange match with Shiratorizawa. That's all! Dismissed!"

"Yes! Coach!"

…

As the team manager, Kurikawa Sana was also listening to the coach's review and writing down the key points with pen and paper.

After writing down the last point, she put down her pen and couldn't help but sigh in amazement.

Is this what it feels like to have a truly professional and responsible coach in a club? It's so cool!

I will carefully observe the mental and physical conditions of my team members, and I can even tell at a glance whether they stayed up late last night. I will find their weaknesses during the game, conduct a timely post-game review to find out the gaps, and formulate a scientific and effective training plan to help the team members stay on the right track.

Woohoo, it feels so good to have a good coach!

She couldn't help but think of the previous basketball world, when Coach Platinum was also such a good coach, but he later fell ill. Without Coach Platinum's guidance, Teiko's basketball team became a mess, and the Miracle Generation was heading straight for disintegration.

Now that she has come to this world, she doesn't have to worry about this kind of situation. She finally understands what the system said at the beginning: "The young men in this world are all very sunny and can't turn evil at all."

Hey, that's great :D

"Alright, you all should go back to your rooms and rest early. We have to return tomorrow." Coach Hei Xu stood up to see them off. "Please don't disturb a middle-aged man like me to rest."

"Yes, Coach!"

The rooms of the Inarizaki team members were all arranged on the same floor. Alan Oshiro, Ren Da Er and other team members returned to their rooms one after another. Kurikawa Sana was about to return to her room when she heard Miya You calling her.

"Sana-chan, it's still early, do you want to come to my room and Osamu's to play games together?"

……ah?

Kurikawa Sana opened her mouth in surprise.

Kakuna Rintaro also looked over in surprise, while Kita Shinsuke stopped walking and turned around after a long while with an expression of confusion.

When Miyaji heard his brother's suggestion, his dark grey pupils flickered for a moment, and he raised his eyes and looked in the direction of the girl.

"Yu."

"Hmm? What's wrong, Senior Bei?"

"Have you ever remembered that Kurikawa is a girl?"

"……ah?"

Gong You was stunned for a moment, and when he realized what was happening, his face and ears turned red. He quickly waved his hands and said, "That's not what I meant..."

The talented setter, ranked 5th in Brains, had a high basketball IQ but was surprisingly slow in other areas. After being reminded by Team North, Gong You finally realized that inviting a girl to their room so late at night was inappropriate. Even the phrase "playing games" sounded a bit strange... but he really just wanted to play games!

"I'm really playing games! I brought my Switch..."

Kita Shinsuke sighed and was about to tell him to go to bed when he heard Kakuna Rintaro next to him speak.

"If there are four of us, it shouldn't be a problem. I have a deck of Uno cards in my room, we can play that."

Kita Shinsuke was stunned for a moment.

Rintaro...?

As if he had suddenly discovered something, he looked at Kakuna Rintaro with some surprise.

The latter's expression was calm, and there was no clue.

After a moment's silence, Kita Shinsuke turned to the girl and asked, "Kurikawa, what do you think?"

Kurikawa Sana came back to her senses and said, "I'm fine, Uno is fun."

Kakuna Rintaro nodded, "Okay, I'll go back and get the cards."

"Very good, very good. Zhi and I finally don't have to be bored tonight!"

Gong You happily swiped the room card and opened the door. Gong Zhi glanced at him speechlessly and said, "Are you the only one who feels bored?"

"The guy who hits a home run doesn't talk!"

Miyaji: “…”

Kita Shinsuke followed the twins. He observed the girl's expression and found that there was nothing wrong with her. Only then did he feel a little relieved and his expression returned to gentleness.

Following Kita Shinsuke's footsteps, Kurikawa Sana was the last one to walk in.