Chapter 154 An Unexpected Turn of Events: Sawada Tsunayoshi looked at his bright red palms...

Sawada Tsunayoshi stared blankly at his bright red palms.

You won? You won?

The next moment, a huge cheer erupted from the stands, wave after wave, and Hyuga collapsed to the ground beside him, turning into a ball as if he were about to melt.

On the other side of the net, Kuroo was squatting next to Kenma. Kenma was in a much worse state than Hyuga. Tsuna was a little worried that there might be something wrong with him, given how heavily he was breathing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Karasuno group rushing over.

If he hadn't dodged, he probably would have been crushed under the crowd again, but he didn't seem inclined to dodge. He very consciously sat down next to Hinata and turned himself into a cat pancake before Sugawara-senpai and the others arrived.

This decision successfully made everyone, who were all excited and overjoyed, a little hesitant, and they didn't actually pounce on me all at once and crush my own opposite hitter and middle blocker.

Those who remained standing weren't so lucky; they were all roughly handled, and Kageyama's hair stood on end.

Sawada Tsunayoshi looked at the current situation of both teams and almost couldn't help but laugh out loud, whether it was the joy of winning the game or simply that he found the scene amusing.

Hinata squeezed his hand. The muscles were still trembling from the match. They didn't escape for long. The next moment, the Karasuno members, overjoyed, picked them up like little chicks and made them jump and bounce.

"Why can't it be a baby bird?"

At this moment, Hinata, who was listening to Sawada Tsunayoshi's muttered complaints, couldn't help but try to prove himself.

Throughout the entire match, Hinata, who seemed to want to split himself into three, and Otoko, who was frantically burning his brain cells, undoubtedly had the greatest physical exertion. When Hinata stood up, Kenma was also lifted up by Kuroo, swaying unsteadily.

Hinata tilted his head. He hadn't let go of Tsuna's hand yet, and he still had time to take Tsuna to visit Otoko. Not only him, but the tension between the two teams that had just finished the match suddenly dissipated, leaving only mutual respect and appreciation.

"Grind!" Sawada Tsunayoshi was surprised that this guy had such a loud voice, and Tsukishima next to him didn't even bother to say anything.

Mo Dan's pupils were somewhat unfocused, but he still smiled as he looked at his childhood friends.

He had known Xiangyang for a long time, but this was the first time they had competed in such a formal competition since junior high school.

"Is volleyball fun?" Hinata asked, her eyes sparkling.

Grinding is very enjoyable, "very fun,"

Volleyball is fun, and Shohoku is fun too. Being able to play against Shohoku and strategize with them is even more fun.

"I'd like to do it again."

This was arguably the highest praise one could give to Kenma, and Hinata's response was also quite remarkable. Tsuna, who was standing next to him listening attentively, was startled. Although he was happy for Sho and Kenma, he wondered if they were getting too excited.

Hinata celebrated for a while, then, as if suddenly remembering something, he and Kenma simultaneously looked at Sawada Tsunayoshi. The match had only recently ended, and the savage glint in their eyes hadn't faded, carrying a chilling, penetrating intensity, yet they asked the same question.

"Tsuna/Tsuna-kun, is volleyball fun?"

At that moment, Sawada Tsunayoshi wondered if he had entered some kind of strange tale about volleyball rules.

However, he also knew that Moyan, like him, was someone who had been dragged to play volleyball by his childhood friend, so he was curious about Moyan's current thoughts. Xiaoxiang, on the other hand, was influenced by Moyan and also wanted to ask him.

"Volleyball is inherently fun." Tsuna knew his answer wouldn't satisfy the two people in front of him.

But he really didn't have any more answers. Sawada Tsunayoshi did have other things he liked, like playing games and eating sweets.

Do these align with his thoughts on volleyball?

However, Tsunayoshi didn't dwell on it too much. Unlike the two stubborn guys in front of him, he didn't insist on clearly distinguishing his own emotions.

When Sawada Tsunayoshi held hands with Karasuno and went to the stands to thank the audience who came to cheer for the game, he noticed that everyone had beads of sweat on their foreheads, and Hayato even had tears in his eyes, muttering something like "Too strong" and "As expected of the Tenth Boss".

There are many other minor leaders who don't recognize the phrases. He only recognized these two phrases because Gokudera Hayato often said them and he was familiar with them.

The excitement of the competition was replaced by a feeling of warmth. Tsuna and everyone stood up straight and looked up at their families.

He was unaware of his own expression, but the Vongola in the stands could see it clearly. His eyes showed fatigue and weariness, but the bright light in them brought tears to the eyes of the Vongola members. His heartfelt smile was as touching as the warm winter sun.

"Working overtime back then was totally worth it," Gokudera Hayato murmured to himself.

You see, they were initially quite petty, worried that the Tenth Boss would quit the mafia if he went to play volleyball. However, Gokudera Hayato already knew that he was following Sawada Tsunayoshi as an individual, not the Vongola.

If the Tenth Generation really loves volleyball, then I will support him in pursuing his dream.

Easily bewitched by a smile, both hands are now dizzy and have already betrayed their former allies. At Sawada Tsunayoshi's command, they can swarm around each other and go pro.

Irie Shoichi and several others with a sunny disposition didn't forget their task of helping the athletes relax. As soon as they finished their match, they rushed downstairs.

After feeling moved, Sawada Tsunayoshi met the eerie gaze of the fascia knife and took a step back. Apart from Nishiya Yu, the other regulars around him also remembered the pain of having their muscles kneaded and retreated in unison.

There's no escaping it.

Irie Masahiro slammed the medical kit on the ground, and Tsuna and Hyuga jumped in surprise, dawdling over to get there.

With the belief that the sooner one dies, the sooner one is reborn, Tsuna closed his eyes, exuding an aura of "bring it on, I'm not afraid." The Vongola Guardians and allies usually treat the little boss like royalty, making a fuss over the slightest bump or bruise. So, even though the little boss has long since developed a tolerance for pain, he has been spoiled and pampered.

Seeing the ashen faces of the group, Irie once again earnestly tried to persuade them.

"If your muscles aren't relaxed, you're prone to cramps, Xiao Xiang. You still want to grow taller, right?"

To put it simply, the pain was worth it.

While groaning in pain, Sawada Tsunayoshi wondered if he could sponsor a team doctor for Karasuno with his own salary when he returned to Italy.

However, if Karasuno performs well in the competition this year, he will probably get sponsorships, and he might not even need to be used.

After a period of intense competition, Sawada Tsunayoshi and Hyuga helped each other walk out, where they met a player with a remarkably familiar hairstyle at the entrance of the passageway.

Although the pain brought him back to his senses, his thinking ability was still not quite up to par. Looking at that very distinctive badminton hairstyle, Tsuna thought to himself that if he disregarded the hairstyle, this guy would probably be about the same height as Sho.

After all, Zheng Yi Jun keeps a close eye on Xiao Xiang's training regimen and takes scientific care of his joints, so Xiao Xiang's physical data is quite satisfactory to Zheng Yi Jun.

Hinata was unaware that his childhood friend was making up stories about his height. In fact, he was so hungry that he was almost seeing stars. When he saw Hoshino Hikari approaching, his hair stubbornly showed a slight reaction, indicating that this guy was probably here to issue a challenge.

Hoshino Kōrai cut to the chase, "I watched every single one of your previous matches."

Um?

The Karasuno players became interested; this was probably the first unfamiliar team, besides those they were familiar with, to pay attention to their matches.

It shouldn't be called a team. Sawada Tsunayoshi looked at Hoshino Hikari, who came alone, and then glanced at his childhood friend who was similar in build to Hikari. It's just that this contestant is paying attention to Karasuno.

Or rather, pay attention to Xiao Xiang.

The battle of the little giants.

Outside the stadium, the "Little Giant" was surrounded by others. This was the previous Little Giant of Karasuno, Tsukishima Akimitsu, and Unai Tenma, who were walking together with members of the Karasuno Town Association to discuss the afternoon's match.

Saeko and Otoko's sisters were chatting happily, showing no sign of the earlier bloodshed.

"I wonder which little giant is better." Tsukishima Akimitsu crossed his hands behind his head.

Yuu-nai Tenma held a stack of magazines in his hand. "Compared to the Little Giants, Oudai's blocking is more noteworthy."

Shimada rubbed his hair, feeling that if he kept watching, he'd go bald sooner or later. He'd been with this new team all the way to where they were now. Back then, Date Industries' ironclad defenses had kept Karasuno's ace in the game for quite some time. Even though he didn't think Karasuno would be powerless to fight back now...

"It's an even stronger fortress than Date Industries. I don't know if Karasuno can break through it, but thankfully Hyuga is here, so I can rest assured."

Unai Tenma and the others were unaware of what had happened before. In fact, he had contact information with Hinata, a junior who liked him very much, but Hinata restrained himself from sending him too many messages. He was also busy, and it was only after being reminded by this junior that he came to watch the game.

He was also curious about the junior who kept shouting, "Senior, you must come watch my match!" After watching,

"Luckily, I graduated early," he said with a sense of relief.

Tsukishima Akimitsu almost tripped and fell. Can't you have a little more backbone?

Aoyama Kaede calmed him down, "Are you possessed by Tsunayoshi-kun?"

This hand speed is an unconscious reaction that I developed while walking with Sawada Tsunayoshi.

"What does this have to do with Tsunayoshi?"

The group chatted as they walked, and even made plans to have dinner together, then return to watch the game.

Satisfied with the challenge letter, Hoshino was also very pleased, thinking to himself, "As expected of me." He then complained to Hinata about those useless big guys before leaving happily with his teammates.

During the short break, Irie Masakazu kept a close eye on each team member's diet; he knew all too well the impact of food on the competition.

"If you don't want to miss the game because of diarrhea, you need to be careful about what you eat for lunch."

He brought along special meals prepared by the hotel for these athletes. While everyone was eating, he mentioned some information about Outai that they had discussed the previous night to Coach Wuyang, and once again confirmed how to deal with the situation in the afternoon.

Not long after they finished eating and resting, Irie Shoichi forced them to rest. Although the bus provided by the Vongola was not as comfortable as a bed, it was still quite comfortable. Karasuno and the others had to recover all the physical strength they had used up in the morning's match against Otokoma within a limited time.

It's impossible to fully recover to full health; we can only try to recover as much as possible. Although Karasuno is a team with relatively good stamina, they've already played two days of matches, and they have to play two more today. Their bodies, made of flesh and blood, definitely can't handle it.

Shoichi Irie sighed inwardly. This time, he sat next to Tsunayoshi Sawada, looking at his childhood friend's peaceful sleeping face, massaging his arm to relax him. Meanwhile, Keishin Ukai, who was beside him, was also busy.

"The devil's third day," he sighed.

The nickname "Devil's Third Day" is quite fitting, Irie Shoichi sniffed. These contestants have it tough too.

They had already lowered their voices, but Sawada Tsunayoshi still woke up alertly. He looked up and saw that he was resting his head on his childhood friend's lap, but he was still half asleep and didn't pay much attention.

Shoichi Irie asked him in a low voice, "Do you still have the energy?"

Tsuna knew that the coach and the others were also worried, so he smiled at Masakazu and replied softly, "I'm perfectly fine."

Back in elementary school, during his first physical exam, the doctor, holding Sawada Tsunayoshi's report, remarked that this guy's body was practically made of steel, with recovery and endurance far exceeding that of ordinary people. With Reborn's training, his physical condition was indeed better than that of the other Karasuno members.

So those words weren't entirely meant to comfort Irie Shoichi; they were also the truth. Irie Shoichi nodded and covered Tsunayoshi's eyes with his hand.

"There's still time, let's rest a bit more."

One reason for his quick recovery was that Tsuna had good sleep quality; with Irie Shoichi covering his eyes, the warm palms of his hands helped him fall into a deep sleep very quickly.

Irie Shoichi and Ukai Keishin stopped talking and waited quietly.

When Sawada Tsunayoshi woke up, he even thought it was the next morning. It was only when he saw the structure of the bus that he realized he was still on the bus and was about to go to the competition.

Shoichi Irie woke them up an hour early so they could get back to their best condition. When Tsunayoshi Sawada woke up, Irie was waking up the others.

Tsuna touched his arms and legs, feeling his body. He felt that he was in pretty good condition. After sleeping for a while, he felt much better and was no longer in the dazed state he had just experienced after the match that morning.

Hinata walked up to him in a daze and slapped his own face, clearly forcing himself to turn on. The two handprints on Sugawara's face behind him undoubtedly proved where Hinata learned this trick.

Wu Yang looked at the other players. He had said last night that, for the sake of their form, he would let the substitutes play today.

For example, during the match against Otoko this morning, Sugawara Koji replaced Kageyama for a while. Later, when Hyuga was targeted and had to play as setter, he replaced Hyuga for a while. Sawamura Daichi also replaced Tsukishima for a while. Because Tsukishima's stamina was not as good as Sawada Tsunayoshi's, Daichi watched Kuroo practice a lot of blocking during the training camp.

In the morning, almost all the other starters except Sawada Tsunayoshi had a break and were substituted, and Tsunayoshi, who played the whole game, seemed to have more energy than the others.

When formulating tactics last night, Ukai Keishin was still frowning, not letting Sawada Tsunayoshi rest, as he was worried that he might exhaust the opponent too much.

However, Shoichi Irie, who usually sympathizes with Tsunayoshi, insisted that Sawada Tsunayoshi could stay on the court, and that Otokoma was also very strong, so they had to ensure that there were stable receivers on the court. Irie knew Sawada Tsunayoshi well, and even though overworking the main players was not a good thing, Karasuno's bench was too thin, so there was no other way.

We need to ensure that the others have the energy to deal with the strong opponents in the afternoon.

"How exactly did you recover?" Ukai looked at Sawada Tsunayoshi with eyes that were almost like he was looking at an alien creature, and even wanted to grab Sawada Tsunayoshi's arm to see if it was made by a machine.

Sawada Tsunayoshi looked completely innocent. How would he know why his stamina recovered so quickly? Reborn hadn't told him either.

"In this afternoon's match, if there's an opportunity, we should make substitutions to give players a rest."

Ryohei Sasagawa was also on the bus with them. He immediately spotted the weakest one and quickly relieved Tsukishima's neck pain with a couple of quick movements.

A large group of people marched towards the stadium. People who saw them on the way couldn't help but take a few steps back, afraid of provoking these fierce-looking guys.

One student shrank back, "They're too aggressive."

"Isn't that Karasuno?" His companion noticed the team name on the black uniforms.

"As expected, the team that defeated Inarizaki is quite skilled. You can tell they're not to be trifled with just by their aura."

This statement made everyone in that area nod in agreement.

But Karasuno and his group of clueless guys thought they were just grumpy when they woke up, and that it was perfectly normal to have a bad aura when you first wake up!

Even though she enjoys drinking, Saeko Tanaka restrained herself at noon, afraid that drinking would get in the way, and went to the audience stand early to prepare.

When she arrived, the Vongola members were already there. Although those fierce-looking guys in the back row looked intimidating, they weren't very enthusiastic while watching the matches, but they never missed a single one, always on time.

After several attempts together, they had developed a certain rapport. Saeko Tanaka looked up and, having already spotted Otokoma who hadn't left, still hadn't seen Shoichi Irie, the conductor of the family symphony orchestra. Curious, she asked...

Where is your commander?

Feng replied, "He went to help the Karasuno team relax; he should have come with them."

Saeko Tanaka: This is actually a science student who plays music.

Otoko and the others found an open space to sit down, instead of squeezing in with them. Matsukawa Saki, however, knew a few of them from a competition in elementary school and went over to chat with them.

"I wonder if they can win." As she spoke, the topic returned to the two teams that hadn't yet entered the arena.

Although he was unwilling to accept the loss, Otoko still hoped that Karasuno would win. He exhausted himself and curled up in his chair, but everyone was used to his energy-saving mode and accepted it well.

"If Tsuna-kun doesn't come back, I don't think Karasuno has a high chance of winning." He spoke in his usual calm and measured tone.

Matsu Kawasaki turned his head, "Really?"

“Kasuno used up too much energy in the game this morning. If the main players don’t rest, it will be a very serious burden on their bodies and minds.”

Leaving aside Kageyama and Tsukishima, even Hyuga is now playing basketball with his brain. With both mental and physical exertion being used simultaneously, it's no wonder his CPU is overloaded.

Sawada Tsunayoshi didn't think he had much of an impact on Karasuno, but his arrival did alleviate the pressure on Karasuno's personnel turnover. His ability to cooperate with most people also allowed him to get along well with every team member, from the upperclassmen to his fellow first-year students, enabling him to unleash most of his strength during matches.

"Although we're both volleyball idiots, there are definitely some differences in physical attributes." Matsukawa Saki understood what the other person meant and humbly asked for advice, figuring the setter was probably right.

"What's the win rate after having a small outline?"

Grinding seemed to be thinking, but reacted slowly, "Maybe, half and half."

His gaze fell on the two teams warming up below. At this point, it would be a test of whose body could endure longer.

With matches all day, Sawada Tsunayoshi bought several boxes of the energy jelly he used to eat as a child. He shared it with the others today. The jelly was sweet, and eating it probably made him feel more comfortable, perhaps because it was a psychological comfort.

Jelly doesn't actually need to be chewed, but Tsuna still chewed it symbolically twice, because Shoichi always felt that he could choke on jelly, since the packaging said that children under three years old should not eat it.

Sawada Tsunayoshi thought to himself that even if he was a good-for-nothing, he wouldn't choke to death. He put the packaging bag into the garbage bag they brought, and drank a little water. He couldn't drink too much, or he would have trouble going to the toilet soon.

Hinata usually likes to stick close to Sawada Tsunayoshi, and today was no exception. Tsunayoshi took out the fruit candy that Inu had given him from his bag, popped one into Hinata's mouth, and said, "Mmm, orange flavor, delicious."

Before he could lick it a few more times, the warmth of his hand made him uneasy. Turning to look at Hinata's slightly reddened eyes, his unease reached its peak, and he heard his body tremble slightly.

"Xiao Xiang, do you have a fever?"

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Author's note: Little Sun will be playing. With +1 around, his situation isn't as serious as in the original story (just to reassure everyone).

The massage and relaxation sessions that started in the spring were also to prevent cramps. 27 was even watching Ah Yue's fingers closely, worried she might break them.

I looked for information on Yilin but couldn't find it, so the final round will probably have to be glossed over [poor face].

The initial outline focused primarily on this battle of the Little Giants; the later matches wouldn't be detailed. This means the main story will end in just two or three chapters, with a few additional epilogue chapters to follow. [Applause]