Chapter 26 Round of 16 Part 2: Consecutive Scores

Sawada Tsunayoshi appeared very nervous when he first came on stage, but he was actually quite calm and seemed completely unaffected. However, he knew that his fingertips were still trembling.

Perhaps it was the tension of being watched by everyone on the field, or perhaps it was the adrenaline rush from the game, but he felt like a bubbling soup in a pressure cooker, ready to burst into a sharp hiss at any moment.

However, he seemed completely at ease during the game, whether with teammates or opponents. He knew that everyone was just as nervous as he was, but their expressions remained calm. Perhaps this is how he appeared to others.

From receiving the ball to spiking, their teamwork and coordination were better than the opposing team's. However, these differences weren't immediately obvious. Panting, Irie Masakazu ran to the platform and leaned against the railing to look down at the field.

According to Irie's own understanding, Tsunayoshi's team cooperates more smoothly, like a precision instrument, where everyone can work together to function properly.

"The teams that made it this far are truly impressive."

Shoichi Irie took out a team introduction he had casually picked up at the door. Since this was the first match of the season for the Fukudani Club, there were no player introductions on it, only general team information.

The opposing Ohno Club does have player introductions.

"A very aggressive team?"

Shoichi Irie seemed to be deep in thought. He observed the situation on the field. Both teams had very strong personalities, like two cannons, hitting the opponent's field like they were throwing their shots at them.

This kind of "miracle-making" mode resulted in an unusually fast pace on the court. Fortunately, Irie Shoichi had watched volleyball matches with Tsuna and the others beforehand, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to see how the points were scored.

The volleyball was reflected in Sawada Tsunayoshi's honey-colored eyes. He was panting heavily, his breathing becoming rapid during the fast-paced scoring round.

Receive the ball—pass—spiked to score!

He wiped the sweat from his brow and gave Hinata a high five with his other hand.

Xiao Xiang falls into this state almost every time he plays a match. He only has eyes for the volleyball and can even ignore his physical fatigue. He is only focused on the next ball.

The next ball, I hope the next ball will be mine too!

Tsuna heard himself say this in his mind.

He really is a purebred volleyball idiot.

Despite being drenched in sweat, Sawada Tsunayoshi actually laughed at such a trivial matter that everyone already knew about.

Kyoji Akaashi turned around from Aoyama's direction to check on them. The time spent inside was brief; he only asked one question quietly.

"Is it still acceptable?"

Hinata nodded to indicate that she could do it.

Akaashi was relieved. "The coach didn't call a timeout. Let's keep playing like this and finish this round as soon as possible, then we can take a break."

Tsuna slowly exhaled, calming his wildly beating heart and allowing himself to cool down a bit.

At 20:17, the score difference wasn't very large, and it was a point where the opponent could easily catch up and overtake if they weren't careful. Just then, Kojima was substituted off the court, and Matsukawa Saki jogged back.

Akaashi once again made the same gesture that they often did during summer camp towards Sawada Tsunayoshi. Sawada Tsunayoshi knew that this was to get him involved in the attack. With Saki able to receive the ball in the backcourt, they won the game in one fell swoop.

"My calves will definitely hurt a lot when I get home tonight," he said to Asahita during the serve interval.

This was his first time participating in an attack today, Tsuna thought as he jumped. In fact, he wasn't as strong as Ike, nor as tall as Kojima and Kaede, and his jump was nowhere near as good as Sho's.

At best, he's just stable.

But Kyoji liked to pass the ball to him unexpectedly. Sawada Tsunayoshi probably understood what the other was thinking, because it was unexpected enough. This usually happened when the opposing blocker was closely marking several attackers.

Our main advantage is that we have multiple attack points, so even if you want to defend against them, you won't be able to.

He looked at the two-color volleyball handed to him, so he spiked it this way. With a thud, the libero on the opposite side ran sideways to receive the ball, but fell heavily to the ground, still unable to save it.

"Damn it!" The other person pounded the ground in frustration.

Tsuna smiled sheepishly under the other party's murderous gaze. He had no choice; he had to bring victory to his team.

The opposing attacker comforted his teammate, while the libero, with a ferocious expression, said, "Don't you think that kid's expression is absolutely despicable?!"

"Huh? Wasn't he quite friendly?" The attacker still remembered Sawada Tsunayoshi's smile.

"But we're opponents! He didn't take us seriously at all, acting all friendly, but during the match he just kept provoking me! He must have been so smug when I couldn't return his spike!"

"That kind of look at children makes me nauseous." He frowned and rambled on about his displeasure.

The attacker thought to himself, "This is all just your imagination. The opponent, number 7, is probably just a nice person." He looked at Tsuna, who was surrounded by his teammates and was instantly swallowed up by the crowd. He thought to himself, "This kind of person is obviously the kind of good-tempered comrade that everyone likes."

But he didn't provoke his own libero, and instead pushed him back to his position, saying, "Alright, alright, I'll make him kneel down to receive the ball later, I guarantee he won't be laughing then."

Standing in the stands, Shoichi Irie cheered for Tsunayoshi along with the audience.

"Well done!"

Teammates were also generous with their praise.

Sawada Tsunayoshi himself could also realize that in the past few months of training, his control over volleyball had gradually deepened, and the ball just now was able to fly perfectly to where he wanted to spike it.

This is in stark contrast to my first time when I struggled even to pass the ball.

The more others agree with him, the more confident he becomes, and the more determined he is when playing basketball. This cycle repeats itself, creating a positive effect.

I am capable of doing something.

Sawada Tsunayoshi gained the trust of others through volleyball, an unfamiliar emotion he had never experienced before.

It turns out that I can also be needed by others; a feeling of joy washed over his chest.

The opponents had no intention of giving up on this game. They secretly sensed the strong offensive desire of the Ookugaya group and jumped up as well. The soles of their shoes collided with the floor, making a friction sound. One ball almost grazed Tsunayoshi's cheek.

The attacker who had just been spouting nonsense looked away. Oh no, he spiked the ball crookedly. He should go apologize to the team that was receiving the ball after the game.

Hyuga Shoyo and the others immediately turned around to ask him what was wrong, ignoring the ball. Sawada Tsunayoshi shook his head to indicate that he was fine.

He was also terrified; he almost had to catch the ball with his face!

The thrilling battle for points continues. The opposing team starts to panic when they see Akaashi touch the ball. Who will get the ball?

Everyone except the libero can participate in the attack. After a few balls, the opponents realized that Akaashi Kyoji was a ruthless setter. This setter was cunning and deliberately made them guess who would spike the ball next!

Suzuki and his team remained completely relaxed, sitting leisurely on the bench watching the game.

"We can see that the coaches in Fukutani are now very confident in their players and have completely entrusted the game to the players on the field." The commentator also observed this.

Another commentator remarked, "Xugu truly deserves its reputation as a top seed for winning the championship in recent years; every player is exceptionally talented."

Sawada Tsunayoshi actually really wanted the coach to call a timeout or something. He really wanted to drink water and rest for a bit. He felt like he was dying from exhaustion from volleyball.

Could it be that he wasn't killed by the volleyball, but was instead exhausted to death first?

Even with his brain racing, he still dutifully jumped, joining the opposing team in blinding them with the image of Akaashi Kyoji, whom they considered a ruthless second-in-command.

The food he ate that morning was burning inside him, and Sawada Tsunayoshi couldn't keep an eye on the whole area. But for some reason, he seemed to be able to sense the actions of others and subconsciously knew what they wanted to do.

Without even needing to observe, he moved his feet, caught the ball that Aoyama Kaede had blocked, and without turning around, he passed the ball directly away, knowing that Kyōji would definitely be there.

What a strange feeling, as if everything was under control. Akaashi Kyoji quickly passed the ball to Hyuga, who was already ready to jump. Even though the opponents had anticipated it, they still couldn't stop this fast ball from their hands.

The referee blew the final whistle, and Sawada Tsunayoshi was still in a daze.

Did we win the first game?

Hinata dragged her dazed friend toward the rest area.

We won!

The substitute players handed out their water bottles, and only after replenishing their fluids did Tsuna feel alive again. Hyuga then shoved a towel into his face.

"Dry your hair too, it's so uncomfortable to look at it with it all wet and sticky in your eyes."

That's true. Sawada Tsunayoshi put down his water glass and obediently wiped his hair. Akaashi Kyoji and Kujo Ike, whose hair was shorter, didn't have this problem.

Kyoji Akaashi suggested, "Next time you could wear a headband and tie your hair up higher so it won't stick to your skin."

"Let's buy one after the competition ends," Tsunayoshi readily agreed.

"Then I want to buy an orange one!" Hinata felt that she also needed a headband.

Sawada Tsunayoshi used his brain to imagine, "But Sho's hair is already orange, so if you wear orange on top, you won't be able to tell you're wearing a headband at all."

"Oh, right." Hinata realized after being reminded.

"Why don't you both wear black? Black is super cool!" Kujo Ike also recommended, adding that it would be even better with gold trim, as that would look really stylish.

Kyoji Akaashi nodded. "Indeed, black is easier to wash."

A few people were happily discussing which hairband color looked best when Sawada Tsunayoshi realized something was off. Weren't they supposed to be having a competition?

He peeked at the two coaches standing to the side, and then noticed that they were also discussing the matter.

Do you remember the red ribbon I wore in high school?

"How could I not remember? We confiscated your headband as soon as you took it out. Everyone wore your headband for a short while during the competition that day."

"That's outrageous!" Tsuna exclaimed instinctively. "Wait a minute, Coach, your focus is definitely off!"

A group of people chatted and laughed, as if the competition was over and they were already standing on the podium.

Finally, seeing that they had recovered their spirits, Suzuki spoke up, "Don't let your guard down in the second set. The opponent's receiving is not as good as ours. You don't need to rush in. Play more carefully, and we won't have to play a third set."

Kyoji Akaashi said he understood.

Hyuga's serve was neither good nor bad; they were satisfied as long as it cleared the net. After all, they hadn't practiced for very long and relied entirely on their natural talent to get through it.

The stamina bar that had just been restored quickly dwindled again, but this time, Kyoji Akaashi coordinated by reducing the frequency of his attacks, giving the group a chance to catch their breath.

Aoyama Kaede was trembling, and at the beginning of the previous set, he was so nervous that his movements became distorted, and he missed several shots. This was exactly what Sawada Tsunayoshi was most afraid of at the beginning.

However, the opponent's mistake did not cause much of a stir. With Sawada Tsunayoshi and Matsukawa Saki, and even Hyuga who could receive the ball, it was much more difficult for the opponent to spike the ball and score when those small guys were standing there.

Irie Masakazu thought to himself that their teamwork was getting better and better. Just a month ago, their teamwork was still a bit rusty, and they would yell at each other over who should receive the ball. Now, their matches were still noisy, but their tacit understanding flowed between them smoothly and naturally, without the slightest hesitation.

On the field for elementary school students, teamwork is their greatest asset.

Hinata Shoyo is the main attacker on the field today, and the ace is Ikeya. People jokingly call him our Fukudani's little ace, which is also a subtle reference to Hinata's height. So every time Hinata hears this nickname, he gets angry and has a fight with his teammates.

Shoichi Irie had just started watching the live broadcast on the train. There happened to be commentary on the broadcast. As he stepped off the train, the match officially began, and the commentators started introducing the players from both sides.

When Hyuga was introduced, the commentators joked about his height, saying, "Our other main attacker from Fukudani looks quite petite. They should have a taller main attacker, right? Why did they choose number 10? Is there something special about number 10?"

Although he knew they meant no harm, Irie Shoichi still felt a little upset when he heard it. Shoyo's height limit was there. If Hyuga Shoyo wanted to continue playing volleyball, then for the next year, three years, or even ten years, his height would be used as a topic of conversation, and people might even put him on a lower priority list because of it.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was aware of this as well; he didn't like volleyball as much as Shohoku, but...

He raised his arms, letting the volleyball slam down, then released the force and passed it directly to Hyuga Shoyo, who had already jumped.

I just hope that my friends can be seen by more people.

With the same feeling as Irie Shoichi, Tsuna prayed that the ball would be passed to Hyuga.

So jump high, so that they forget about your appearance and focus on your impressive skills.

The net for elementary school students is lowered to accommodate their height, but even so, it is still quite high for shorter players. When Sawada Tsunayoshi first played tennis, he complained that even with the lowered net, he couldn't reach the top when he jumped.

But Hinata can.

His exceptional jumping ability was an innate talent, and it was this ability that enabled him to participate in the war in the sky.

Snap—

Spike to score!

"Hyuga Shoyo scores again with a spike! We can see that he and opposite hitter Sawada Tsunayoshi executed an excellent quick attack, a perfect combination!"

And so it was. Shoichi Irie was excitedly shouting as he listened to the commentary through his headphones. Remember their names here.

Hyuga threw herself at Sawada Tsunayoshi, their breath and sweat mingling. Tsunayoshi smiled, his eyes sparkling.

"Xiao Xiang, well done!" He was still a little out of breath.

Hinata Shoyo rubbed against Sawada Tsunayoshi's shoulder like a puppy. Since both of them were covered in sweat, there was no question of him wiping his sweat on his friend.

"It feels so good to spike like that, I love Tsuna!"

After saying that, he realized something and quickly lifted the ball to look at Akaashi, "Of course, Kyoji's ball is also super comfortable to hit!"

Sawada Tsunayoshi closed his eyes. Is it possible that Kyoji might not have noticed this if you hadn't said it?

Kyoji Akaashi couldn't help but laugh; their two fluffy heads pressed together were indeed adorable. "You coordinated very well just now, keep it up!"

He didn't tease the two kids in his team. Overall, Tsuna's assessment of Akaashi Kyoji was correct; Akaashi is indeed a gentle person.

Then he heard his well-behaved juniors whispering among themselves.

"Make persistent efforts, is that an idiom?"

"Sounds so high-class—"

"You can use it in your essay next time."

For some reason, Matsukawa Saki's words echoed in Akaashi Kyoji's mind once again: "Both of you are hopeless when it comes to Japanese literature!"

Yes, she's a well-behaved and adorable junior, but her academic performance isn't very good.

As the pace slowed down, Sawada Tsunayoshi had to continue crawling around catching the ball. He sometimes felt that his position wasn't very noticeable, since he wasn't a libero specifically responsible for catching the ball and rarely participated in frontline attacks. He had talked about this with the substitute opposite hitter the last time they chatted, saying that the opposite hitter felt like he was invisible in the team.

The setter won't pass the ball to him, and even when he wants to receive it, he has to consider whether it will interfere with the libero.

Another junior support player sighed with him, resting his chin on his hand, lamenting that this is what being a support player is like—perfectly disappearing from the team.

But after saying that, the support, who was still taller than Tsuna, scratched his head and said, "But at first I thought you wouldn't have this kind of trouble, Sawada."

"Huh?" Tsuna tilted his head in confusion.

“Someone like you, Sawada, is bound to be the focus of the team. Everyone will trust you without even realizing it. I felt during our pre-season tournament that the opposing team’s receiving game was much better than mine.”

He smiled sheepishly, "I was a little resentful before, after all, I'm already in sixth grade, but you're only in fourth grade. I thought to myself, I've played volleyball for two more years than you, so I definitely won't lose!"

"Even though I was still a little unconvinced by your dazzling performance, after playing volleyball with you today, I realized that you are really amazing, Sawada. If I were to choose a teammate, I would definitely choose you as my opposite hitter."

"Hey, don't say that, senpai! I'm just so-so at playing ball!" The unexpected heart-to-heart talk came out without giving Sawada Tsunayoshi any time to react.

Seeing his junior about to jump in fright, the wicked senior couldn't resist continuing to scare him.

"Don't be modest, Sawada. I really like this kind of reaction too."

"Huh!?"

If what his seniors said was true, and his receiving was actually quite good, then when the opponent's ball came again, it rolled once more as he received it, and the volleyball still didn't hit the ground.

Then he must not let down the expectations of others, whether it is the coach who chose him as the starter or Xiangyang who jumped up because they believed he would pass the ball to him. He will definitely play his best!

Sawada Tsunayoshi did shut himself off before and was unwilling to communicate with the outside world, but during this time, he gradually relaxed. His sensitive and delicate mind brought joy to his companions, but also the malice of others.

When he went to get water before, he heard someone say that he and Xiangyang were brought in by Coach Suzuki through connections.

Their tone wasn't serious; perhaps they were just joking. Tsuna didn't care what others said about him, but he couldn't accept Hyuga being talked about. However, he couldn't rush out and yell at those students, so he could only silently endure it. As long as their performance was outstanding enough, those people would have nothing to say, right?

The innocent and naive child could only think of these things. In Sawada Tsunayoshi's eyes, his companions were always the best in the world.

"I'll go!" Hinata waved his arms like he was flapping his wings; he asked for the ball more times in one game than all the other players combined.

Despite his short stature, he possessed an unexpected charm that captivated everyone present.

It's not usually obvious, but Hinata can actually sense the kindness and malice of those around him. He likes to be around people he likes, and there are no bad people among those who like playing volleyball! His thinking is simple and straightforward, so even though Kujo Ike can be quite sarcastic at times, he still considers Ike a good friend. As for the others, Hinata and Tsuna share the same idea: just beat them into submission!

So the reason they can get along is because their ways of handling things are inexplicably in sync.

Moreover, Hyuga was no longer satisfied with just being able to stand on the court and play volleyball. How could a beast that had tasted the meat allow itself to go back to the days when it was vegetarian?

Having grown accustomed to the good life of having matches to play, Hinata Shoyo will do everything he can to stay on the court. Some people say that what you can't have is the most perfect, and once you get it, you'll realize that it's not all that great.

Hinata touched his chest, thump-thump-thump—that was proof that his heart was pounding wildly. He had arrived here, but why did he find playing volleyball more appealing?

Kujo Ike was also standing in front of him. Noticing the two large fireballs behind him, he couldn't help but convulse and whispered to Aoyama Kaede.

"Don't you think those two kids are so hot they could burn everyone here?"

Aoyama Kaede couldn't help but scratch his back, feeling the burning, itchy sensation on his skin from the flames.

"Could it be that the Ohno Club is actually very strong?" Aoyama cautiously speculated, perhaps they just didn't realize the strength of their opponents?

Kujoike pondered repeatedly, "No, it's not as exciting as the final competition."

"Well, it must be because it's the kid's first time playing in a competition, he's too nervous, haha." Kujo Ike also couldn't figure it out and gave up without caring.

Aoyama Kaede: "Ikeya-senpai, this is also my first official match. I guess I'm just like Tsuna-kun and the others, a little kid too?"

Kujoike tilted his head to look at Aoyama Kaede, who was about the same height as him, and burst into laughter.

"You're so long, what kind of little brat are you, hahahahahaha."

The laughter was so presumptuous that Aoyama Kaede was hit by a series of "hahaha"s, but he felt that he was not the one who was offended, and he felt that he could still tolerate it.

Kyoji Akaashi tried to bring his not-so-bright junior to his senses, saying, "Does describing someone as a 'one-line' mean it's not presumptuous?"

Got it. After the competition, I'll team up with Tsuna and the others to assassinate Senior Ikeya.

To be honest, what Tsuna hates most is serving.

As the most powerful way to score points in volleyball, it completely tests individual ability. Hyuga mentioned to Tsuna countless times that he must practice the powerful jump serve, but was eventually dissuaded by the coach and Masashi by saying, "You're only a fourth grader, why are you practicing jump serves? Don't you care about your body?"

Sawada Tsunayoshi felt lonely, standing alone at the service position. He couldn't hear his teammates laughing and joking. He preferred to blend into the crowd and share the gains and losses with his companions.

"Good serve!" Hinata's energetic voice echoed throughout the court.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was also afraid of losing his right to stand on the field.

He felt it was wonderful to be able to play volleyball with everyone.

The ball was gently tossed up; perfect height, cleared the net successfully. Tsuna immediately ran back onto the court, preparing for the next attack and defense.

Kujoike suddenly had a brilliant idea, "How about we hold Tsuna's serve and let him experience what it's like to win five points in a row with his serve!"

Tsuna's eyes widened: "Isn't this kind of thing unnecessary?!"

Hinata immediately switched sides, saying, "That sounds interesting."

Matsukawa flexed his wrists and ankles, saying, "Don't worry, I won't let the ball touch the ground."

"I will stop every single one of their shots," Kojima then stated his position.

Even Kyoji Akaashi's eyes sharpened, silently expressing his support.

Hearing them loudly plotting, the people on the other side immediately erupted in anger.

"I say, you guys from Xiaogu are too arrogant!" Free Man jumped up angrily, cursing.

"I'll crush you all!" The attacker and captain sneered, smashing the ball down with all his might towards Kujo Ikeya, who had made the explosive statement.

Kujo Ikeya was hit by the net and took two steps back. There was no skill involved; it was all due to personal grudges.

The ball, which had been launched into the air, was saved by the quick-reacting libero. Kyoji Akaashi made a tossing motion and sent the ball to Hinata.

Hinata immediately understood, "Oh, is this Tsuna's strategy of defending his serve?!"

As he shouted, he jumped higher than the opposing block and spiked the ball directly over his hand.

"Great shot!" Sawada Tsunayoshi instinctively cheered for his friend, but then quickly corrected himself.

"Don't provoke them, you lot!"

Sawada Tsunayoshi covered his face and stepped up to serve again. Damn it, those bastards, can't they leave this poor opposite hitter alone?

"But I feel super motivated right now." Hinata propped himself up on his arm, showing off his muscles, indicating that the event was very exciting.

But the other side has obviously been stirred up by you guys too! Sawada Tsunayoshi screamed in his heart. The opponents were already showing signs of fatigue because they couldn't catch up in the score, but now, the other side has become fired up too!

Why does he have to put himself through so much hardship? Sawada Tsunayoshi couldn't understand this kind of behavior of digging a hole for himself and jumping into it.

Kujo Ike was hit squarely again, but he muttered to himself, "This is the atmosphere we should have when playing volleyball!"

What kind of atmosphere is this? Is it the atmosphere where both sides want to beat you up? Tsuna numbly hugged the ball and stood up to serve once again.

If Ike gets hit after the game, he definitely won't stop him. Sawada Tsunayoshi can't feel sad at all and becomes a ruthless serving machine.

The opposing team didn't actually let them score five points in a row. In the end, with the concerted efforts (and persecution) of the whole team, Tsunayoshi scored four points with his serve.

The serve was interrupted, which was a real shame for Kujo Pond.

"I'll practice catching the ball more next time, so that Tsuna can score five points in one go."

Matsukawa Saki: "You need to practice your catching skills. You didn't handle any of those balls well. You might as well have tried to catch them yourself, Hinata."

Hinata thought about the ferocious expression on the opponent's main attacker's face when he spiked the ball, and very politely declined, "Let Ikeya-senpai receive those balls."

He felt that he still needed to practice his serve, as he couldn't handle those few balls well!

For the first time, Sawada Tsunayoshi felt that serving was also a physical activity. He sighed, "Shouldn't I be practicing my serves more in this situation?"

This almost gave him the wrong idea, making him think his serving was pretty decent. Oh well, he'll just practice serving with Hinata when they start, to satisfy his teammate's capricious request.

Suzuki and Kujo didn't use a single timeout. Coach Ohno did want to call a timeout when Sawada Tsunayoshi scored consecutive points with his serves, although he didn't know if the opponent had any serving touch worth breaking with a timeout. Fortunately, it didn't drag on to the fifth point, saving Coach Ohno a chance to use a timeout.

The technical timeout had long passed, and the score was now 20-16. Coach Ohno scratched his head, but finally used a timeout, even though he knew in his heart that the chances of winning were slim.

At least it encouraged a few kids. When he got the group list and saw that his opponent was Okabe, he knew the situation was not good. After watching the first game, he saw that some of the opponents were not particularly skilled, and he thought he could drag it out to the third game.

Coach Suzuki told the kids to drink some water to stay hydrated, which was a good thing, as it allowed them to rest for a while. Tsuna hugged his water bottle and gulped it down, feeling utterly exhausted from his teammates' mistreatment.

Receiving a spike from an opponent isn't as exciting as a teammate's quick thinking.

"Alright, let's take this match in one fell swoop!" Kujou Hayate said, standing up.

Tsuna continued rolling on the floor, feeling the ground gleaming from his rubbing. Luckily, their team uniforms were black today.

The coach said yesterday that Hyuga is not allowed to use a quick attack in this match, and Tsuna and Hyuga cannot use the identity switch move.

So Sawada Tsunayoshi played a standard supporting role today.

There's no other way. It's only the first round of the league. They can't reveal all their cards, can they?

Kyoji Akaashi explained to them, but Tsunayoshi Sawada found it hard to believe that he could also become a trump card.

In the end, Xiao Gu defeated his opponent 25-21 and 25-19 in two rounds, successfully advancing to the quarterfinals.

The mentality of the Ohno Club was probably unstable later on, and they were quickly exploited by the Fukudani team to win the game.

During the handshake at the net, the free agent on the other side had tears welling up in his eyes and was crying miserably, speaking to Sawada Tsunayoshi while sobbing.

"Your support play was really good, sob sob sob."

Sawada Tsunayoshi hid behind Matsukawa Saki. Was he crying because they beat him up?!

The opposing team is still attacking, "Waaah, I still think you're not serious enough, but you try so hard to catch the ball, and you're such a good person, waaaah..."

Wait a minute, you should have been exchanging ideas with Saki! Why were you chatting with him? Wait, you even gave him a friend card!

Matsukawa Saki watched the two short people exchange feelings with a kind expression, even though he wasn't much taller than them.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was indeed very serious about catching the ball, as could be seen from his appearance. His clothes were wrinkled, his cheeks were covered in dust, and his messy hair clung to the child's patchy skin, making him look as disheveled as if he had just come back from a fight with a stray cat.

Tsuna was at a loss, but finally grasped the other's hand with the force, "You're pretty good too, you caught a lot of our spikes just now."

"Yeah, with you on the court, it's much harder for us to score," Hinata poked his head out and added.

"So what... sob sob..."

The captain of the Ohno Club seemed to think it was shameful for the free agent to cry, so he ran over and took him away. Before leaving, he apologized to Sawada Tsunayoshi, firstly because his free agent was indeed embarrassing, and secondly because he had almost hit the opponent during the match and hadn't apologized yet.

Kyoji Akaashi also came over to shoo them away, saying, "You guys need to go stretch right now, or you'll be crying tonight because your muscles are sore."

Sawada Tsunayoshi and Hyuga immediately thought of the free agent from earlier and vehemently denied it.

"We won't cry!"

The intimidation was very effective; Tsuna obediently stretched, while Hyuga lay on the ground, listless and weak.

"I'm so tired."

After the competition, my stamina bar was immediately reset to zero.

"The coach will probably take us out to eat later, right?" Sawada Tsunayoshi felt so hungry that he was dizzy.

Finally, the two of them helped each other to the end of the passage and chatted with Irie Shoichi, who had been waiting for a while.

Sawada Tsunayoshi: "Sho, Coach Suzuki wants you to have dinner with us."

"No need, my mom gave me money to take care of my own lunch." He felt a little embarrassed; he couldn't possibly trouble Tsuna and the others' coach every time.

"The coach said, 'Since the club will cover the expenses anyway, let Irie come along and rip off the club.' Wow, the club is really rich." Hinata recalled the conversation between the two coaches.

"That's really blunt. Won't the club make things difficult for Coach Suzuki because of what he said?" Irie Shoichi wondered.

Sawada Tsunayoshi replied, "Probably not, since Coach Kujo and Coach Nakajima, who leads the women's team, both adhere to the principle of never saving money for the club."

Irie Shoichi understood: "So it's a tradition of our sect."

"What tradition? The tradition of being rich and powerful?" Sawada Tsunayoshi pointed out the essence.

A group of hungry ghosts wolfed down their food in the restaurant, eventually stuffing themselves. Considering they all had to go home in the afternoon, Kujou Sa decided to take advantage of the time to quickly conduct a post-competition review.

However, after eating and drinking his fill, Sawada Tsunayoshi became drowsy, nodding his head slightly. This made Aoyama Kaede, who was sitting opposite him, tremble with fear, afraid that the other man would smash his head into the soup bowl in front of him at any moment.

The coach simply called on Sawada Tsunayoshi, "Come on, Tsunayoshi, tell us your thoughts on today's match."

"Am I going to be called on to answer questions again?" Sawada Tsunayoshi was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open, his mind a complete blank. He struggled to open his eyes, his voice trembling with drowsiness, and he mumbled an answer.

"My feeling is, I'm so tired." He didn't even know what he was saying.

The others couldn't suppress their laughter. What could Kujou Hayate say? She told the other person to sit down quickly and continued summarizing to the others who were still sober.

"What are you laughing at? Don't you guys get tired?"

Kojima answered honestly, "Tired, much more tired than usual practice matches."

Kujo Sasa: ​​"This is normal. During the competition, your mentality will also become a part of the burden on your heart. That's why your coach Suzuki and I told you to stay excited, but don't be too nervous."

"Today's opponents weren't particularly strong, and you all had a relatively easy time, but you're still tired and exhausted. I bet some of you were completely drained of energy after the first game, right?"

Sawada Tsunayoshi, who seemed to have been singled out by the coach, tilted his head and slumped onto Akaashi Kyoji's shoulder, completely motionless.

Kujou Sasa simply turned a blind eye and continued, "You all know who your opponents are next. They're known for their defense. Nekoma didn't participate in the first round, and we don't know how their players are this year. Don't let the cats play you like that."

Suzuki: "We are very likely to be dragged into a third game and played to 15 points. You guys should get some rest when you get home tonight and recharge your energy. You must be in good shape for next week's game, understand?"

Seeing that Hinata was about to fall asleep on Irie Shoichi's body, the coaches immediately ended their debriefing and took the few guys who were so exhausted that they passed out on the spot back home.

Shoichi Irie continued to follow them, while also preventing the two unconscious men from slipping off their chairs due to a bump.

Sawada Tsunayoshi couldn't remember how he finished showering and climbed into bed. He regained consciousness the next morning when Hinata shook him up to go to school.

Evil Monday, Sawada Tsunayoshi's Painful Mask.

He got out of bed. Although he was tired, his body was surprisingly not too uncomfortable. That made sense, since Tsuna had been playing volleyball for so long, his body was much more resilient than when he first started.

During class, Sawada Tsunayoshi watched the cats basking in the sun leisurely outside the window, and his pen seemed to have a mind of its own as he created abstract works on the draft paper.

The autumn air was cool, and Tsuna and Hinata were still eating in that secluded corner, with the school's kittens squatting beside them.

"Speaking of which, Xiao Xiang went to the restroom before yesterday's competition and then acted strangely afterward. Did something happen in there?"

Hinata swallowed the food that filled his mouth. "It's nothing serious. I just had a stomachache because I was too nervous during the match."

"Hey? Should I get you some stomach medicine next time?"

"I have a feeling I won't be nervous for the next match!" Hinata said confidently. He continued, "Then, I met a tall guy with a weird hairstyle. He said to the guy next to him who was holding a game console, 'Thank you for coming with me to watch the Fukudani Club's match.' The guy replied, 'You know it's troublesome.'"

"Does that sound normal?" Sawada Tsunayoshi thought that Hyuga couldn't possibly be so nervous as to have a stomachache because of a strange hairstyle.

"But! I made eye contact with that boy with the game console! I yelled 'Ah!' and he took several steps back, and then," Hinata racked his brains, looked around, and finally pointed to the cat on the grass.

Just like that cat!

"Because you think the other person is like a cat, and then you start to get nervous during the match?" Sawada Tsunayoshi tried to keep up with his friend's train of thought.

"I was just nervous during the competition, it has nothing to do with anything else!" Hinata said confidently.

"The important thing is that they also play volleyball; I saw them carrying volleyball bags."

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Author's Note: Now it's a paid subscription! [cat emoji]

Our Little Sun's Toilet Adventures are still going on, this time it's the Cat Team!

Tsuna's life of being persecuted by his teammates (Ikeya: It's clearly a hobby!)

Happy birthday, Little Sun! I accidentally updated a little late, hehe (＾в＾)