Chapter 108 Volleyball 68
"Oikawa-kun is the best setter in the world."
After saying this, Kurikawa Sana clearly heard a "ding" sound in her mind.
[Oikawa Toru, Favorability +10. ]
“……!”
Kurikawa Sana held her breath.
Oikawa-kun, 96 points of favorability.
…
at the same time.
Oikawa Toru lowered his eyes, looked at his hands, and listened carefully to the roar of his heart.
She is surrounded by enviable setters who are excellent to the point of being envied, including the nation's top high school setter, Miya Yuu, and the talented junior Kageyama Tobio... Each of them is eager to serve the ball to her, but she says that Oikawa-kun is the best setter in the world.
The amazing thing is that Toru Oikawa could feel that every word she said came from the heart and was not just a consolation.
It wasn't out of sympathy for his repeated losses; she truly believed he was the best setter. He hadn't made it to nationals once in six years of junior high and high school, yet in her eyes, he was "the best in the world."
The surging emotions surged in my chest and expanded rapidly.
In just a few seconds, there were several moments when he almost blurted out a word.
--like.
Today, it was finally confirmed that this feeling is called love.
Yes, he likes Kurikawa Sana.
It would be hard for anyone not to like such a beautiful and dazzling person.
But when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he finally chose to suppress them and not speak them out loud.
Because he has made up his mind to go to Argentina after graduation to pursue Toru Oikawa's volleyball dream in a foreign country.
This also means that in the near future, he is destined to part ways with her... The length of his stay in Argentina and the date of his return are both unknown, and expressing his feelings at this time is obviously not an appropriate choice.
The distance between two oceans on a world map is not something that can be easily crossed. Even the distance between Miyagi Prefecture and Hyogo Prefecture is far enough that even if they were both in Japan, they would rarely see each other, let alone the distance between Argentina and Japan.
Therefore, he chose to put this feeling aside for the time being.
In an instant, a possibility flashed through Oikawa Toru's mind - perhaps one day he would become famous and successful, and if he waited until then, he would come to her again...
Perhaps by then, she would have become a world-famous star.
No, even if we don’t wait until that time, Sana is already far enough and dazzling enough now.
What would he be like at that time?
Will it be a player who has already made a name for himself on the world stage? Will Oikawa Toru's name shine brightly in the world of professional volleyball? Or will he remain as unknown as he was during his six years in junior high and high school?
But no matter what, he still wants to pursue his dream.
He likes Kurikawa Sana, but he loves volleyball more.
Kurikawa Sana is like a short but dazzling and beautiful existence in youth, fleeting, leaving behind amazing memories.
So, let this memory stay at this moment - at least for now.
Talent will blossom and bear fruit, and ball sense can be honed through hard work, but what about feelings?
Oikawa Tooru wasn't sure.
He had already lost his last high school game today, and his last chance to advance to the nationals. He didn't want to lose his relationship again, and let this unknown relationship end with the other party's rejection.
Maybe after he left, she would fall in love with someone and be with that person... Just imagining it, the boy's heart felt like it was stung by a poisonous insect, and a sour and painful feeling spread throughout his heart.
But no matter how many times he makes the choice, he will still choose to pursue his volleyball dream.
But if there was a chance to meet again, if there was a next time... he would definitely take that step bravely, Oikawa Tooru thought.
Countless complicated thoughts surged and boiled in my mind, and in the end, thousands of words turned into just a hoarse voice of thanks.
"...Thank you, Kuri-chan."
Thank you for coming to watch my game and for encouraging me.
Thank you for appearing in my painful and confused teenage years and leaving a significant mark on my life.
…
*
When she returned to the hotel at night, Kurikawa Sana was still a little dazed.
I really didn't expect that the sentence "Oikawa-kun is the best setter in the world" would bring such a lot of favorability and break through the bottleneck of Oikawa Toru's strategy.
This statement was not false. She truly felt that Oikawa Toru had become a role model for a setter - he possessed superb skills, an unparalleled love for volleyball, and he worked hard and polished his skills day after day, discovering the maximum potential of each teammate. He even made the most troublesome junior in the team completely integrate into the team with just one goal, saving the opponent's soul.
Perhaps it was a response to sincerity, and Iikawa-kun must have felt that what she said was true and came from the bottom of his heart, so he broke through the bottleneck of his slow progress.
But Kurikawa Sana inexplicably had a feeling that Oikawa Toru's favorability would probably remain at 96 forever, and it would be difficult to go up further to reach the full value of 100.
unless……
The intention and plan flashed through her mind again, and Kurikawa Sana sat in the room for a long time, dazed and lost in thought.
It wasn't until the phone rang that she came to her senses and turned downstairs when it turned out to be the meeting she had made with Kageyama Tobio in the audience today.
When she saw the black-haired boy downstairs in the hotel, Kurikawa Sana suddenly realized that this scene seemed a little familiar. The last time someone was waiting for her downstairs in the hotel like this was Sakuhaya Seiomi.
The system's complaining voice suddenly sounded: [Not only that, Hinata Shoyo also came to the hotel downstairs to look for you, but it was daytime at that time.]
Kurikawa Sana: [………]
That being said, it seems to be true.
"Kageyama-kun, what do you want to say to me today?" Kurikawa Sana trotted up to the other person.
Downstairs in the hotel, a black-haired boy wearing a Karasuno school uniform had a handsome face and a tall figure stretched out under the street light.
"I was pleasantly surprised when I saw you at the competition today." Kageyama Tobio looked at her with serious eyes, "but when I found out you were here for Oikawa-senpai, my high spirits...changed in an instant."
Hearing this, Kurikawa Sana opened her eyes wide in surprise.
It turns out that it's not just Oikawa-kun who cares about Kageyama-kun and regards him as one of his most important opponents. It's indeed mutual. Kageyama-kun also feels the same way towards Oikawa-senpai.
"This feeling is new to me, and I don't know how to describe it." The black-haired boy clenched his fists, his voice becoming hoarse. "I've never experienced this before... Maybe it's because the other person is Oikawa-senpai, so it's a little different."
There are people who are obviously closer to the senior, such as Miya Yu, Miyaji, or the captain and the outside hitter of Inarizaki. Whether in terms of the time they have spent together or the degree of familiarity with their relationship, they are closer to the senior than Iikawa, but Kageyama Tobio only felt something strange today.
Just like on the court, no matter how strong the opponent is, such as Ushijima Wakari from Shiratorizawa Academy who he will play against tomorrow, Kageyama Tobio has never felt a trace of fear.
Only when facing Senior Oikawa would he feel this difficult and troublesome feeling.
Senior Oikawa successfully invited senior Kurikawa to take time out of her busy schedule to come from Hyogo Prefecture to Miyagi Prefecture just to watch his game.
What if it was him? If he invited Kurikawa-san, would she agree?
When she arrived at the scene, who did the senior hope would win? Did she hope that Oikawa-senpai's Aoba Jonai would win or that his Karasuno would win?
“…So, I really want to see you today.”
At the end of his words, the black-haired boy's hoarse voice even omitted the honorifics that juniors use to address their seniors.
"I want to see you."
The desire to meet you is stronger than ever before.
"I think Senior is special to me."
Just like volleyball, it is a special existence.
[Kageyama Tobio, Favorability +5.]
To a fool whose mind was filled with nothing but volleyball, this seemed like a confession.
Kurikawa Sana was completely stunned when she heard this.
Kageyama-kun, 99 points of favorability.
Just one step away from 100 points of favorability.
It seems like a special gate has been opened recently, and the favorability of many conquerable targets has exceeded 90, and is only one step away from 100.
Whenever this happens, Kurikawa Sana feels that the day of her departure seems to be getting closer and closer.
Her eyes suddenly felt sore and she wanted to cry, so she spoke softly.
"Thank you, Kageyama-kun."
…
*
The next day, Kurikawa Sana continued to watch the game between Shiratorizawa Academy, where Ushijima Wakari was, and Karasuno High School.
This was the final of the Miyagi Prefecture trials, which determined which school would represent Miyagi Prefecture in the national competition and step onto the Spring High School stage. On this day, after Shiratorizawa had monopolized this qualification for many years, Karasuno High School unexpectedly defeated Shiratorizawa.
It was really an exciting game.
First, Ushijima Wakari dominated the field with astonishing absolute strength. Then, Karasuno's performance improved, with veterans supporting and paving the way for the younger generation. Karasuno's strongest, sharp "spear" and rational "shield" gradually took shape. As Karasuno's "shield," Tsukishima Hotaru evolved during summer training, her blocking skills improving.
The moment Tsukishima Hotaru directly blocked Ushijima Wakari's powerful spike and scored during the game, the whole audience seemed to be ignited, and the boy who was always calm and composed also roared with rare passion.
After finishing her roar, Tsukishima Hotaru glanced towards the audience seats, at Kurikawa Sana's incredibly beautiful face, and saw surprise in her expression.
…She was looking at herself.
Tsukishima Hotaru lowered her eyes.
Not long after the game started today, his finger was injured and bleeding from a powerful spike by Ushijima Wakatoshi, so he had to go to the infirmary for bandage.
During the break, Hotaru Tsukishima saw the black-haired girl's face full of worry.
...made her worried.
...So lame.
What did he do from yesterday to today's game?
In yesterday's Aoba Johsai match, she was 100% focused on Oikawa-senpai on the opposite side and Kageyama and Hinata on this side.
I can’t describe what that feeling is.
At that moment, he felt a complex mix of emotions: a belated love for volleyball, a desire to win for Karasuno, and a desire to be seen by that person—and then, he successfully stopped Ushijima Wakari and scored directly with a block.
[Tsukishima Hotaru, Favorability +3.]
The last ball of the game was a simultaneous attack by the Karasuno team. Everyone wearing the black Karasuno uniforms jumped high at the same time, like countless black crows taking off into the sky, biting the enemy fiercely in the air, biting off the throat of the white eagle that was much larger and stronger than them.
This ball is unstoppable.
Hinata Shoyo slammed the ball down with all his might, and it landed with a thud, securing the final victory.
[Hinata Shoyo, Favorability +3. ]
Kurikawa Sana watched all this quietly, as if something was gradually blossoming and bearing fruit.
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