[33] Grade 11: IH National Tournament
"Bang--"
After making several saves from Tsurumeikan's fast break and technical shots, Yamagata's body slammed heavily to the ground.
...The final shot at match point ultimately couldn't be saved.
The volleyball rolled away from the libero in his white and purple uniform.
Yamagata lay prone on the ground, breathing heavily.
Sweat slowly slid down his cheeks, forming a small puddle on the floor.
"Beep—"
The sharp whistle pierced his ear canals and struck his brain.
That sound... that's the end.
Yama-gata closed his eyes.
The voices from outside the stadium arrived belatedly at this point.
The deep yet resonant sound of the taiko drum, the crisp and bright sound of the gong, the melodious sounds of gagaku, and the unique Kyoto-style chanting...
They occupied the entire venue with unhurried and confident demeanor.
—These are the cheers from the Crane Cry Pavilion support group.
Before the match, Yamagata and Ohira were surprised to see such a classically elegant cheering squad at a major sporting event for the first time.
The support props were all traditional musical instruments bearing the marks of time—gongs, drums, wooden clappers, and so on. Even the cheerleaders weren't the modern sequined pom-poms; instead, they were girls dressed in white crane-patterned haori.
Having never encountered such a support group before, Yamagata was very curious about their support process during the competition after watching the opening support at Tsurumeikan.
However, after the match started, Yamagata only paid a little attention to the Tsurumeikan half of the support box during the first game.
In the later games, Yamagata focused on the court and completely blocked out all sounds from the opposite half of the court.
Only now did he fully understand the cheers from the Crane Cry Pavilion.
Amidst the clear and melodious sounds of classical music, Yamagata pondered quietly.
...I wish it were Shiratorizawa's cheers.
No matter how gentle and beautiful the melody, it can't compare to Shiratorizawa's cry of "This is how a strong person should be."
The referee's whistle urged both teams to line up and salute.
"Are you alright?" Taihei squatted down beside Yamagata, reaching out his hand with his palm facing up. "Can you stand up?"
"fine."
With a hoarse voice, Yamagata reached out and took Ohira's hand, hurriedly standing up from the ground.
Captains and captains, ace and ace, the two teams stood facing each other according to their numbers.
"Thank you for your guidance!!"
A line of students in white uniforms, led by their first-year captain, bowed in unison at the Crane Cry Pavilion.
"Thank you for your guidance!!"
The white and purple line of Shiratorizawa bowed at the same time as the third-year captain.
Only after the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the ceremony and that both teams could leave the field did the starting lineups straighten up again.
When the third-year captain of Shiratorizawa was the last to raise his head, beads of sweat still clung to his eyelashes.
Not only him, but everyone in the game was also drenched in sweat. The captain of the setter team at Heming Hall in front of him looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water.
But the sweat on the boys' bodies reflected a delicate and warm iridescent light under the overhead lamp.
......
After the match, Ushijima walked straight to the rest area of Tsurumeikan and stopped Imadegawa with a blank expression.
"Your pass was very precise." Shiratorizawa's intention was clear: "Give me your contact information."
The gazes of everyone at Tsurumeikan immediately shot towards Shiratorizawa Ace, as if they were equipped with laser cannons.
...What is that damn heavy artilleryman doing, flirting with their captain?!?!
—The starting lineup of Heming Hall, looking resentful after receiving a powerful spike, gritted their teeth.
Shiratorizawa, oblivious to the resentment of the Tsurumeikan members, frowned and asked when he saw that Imadegawa hadn't spoken, "Is it inconvenient?"
"Hehehehehehehehe—"
The little chubby bird landed happily on Ushijima Wakatoshi's head.
"Another well-known brand's generous gift package delivered to your door—"
Imaichi Chuan ignored the slightly nauseating tone of the chubby little bird, reached into his team uniform pocket, and pulled out his phone.
After exchanging contact information, the little chubby bird returned to Imadegawa's shoulder.
"He didn't even say that classic line to you—"
The chubby little bird lowered its voice and said in a deliberately deep tone, "Now that you're leaving Sichuan, you should come to Shiratori Marsh—"
Imadegawa glanced at it sideways: "My style should be easy to see through, right?"
As the de facto leader of the Tsurumeikan volleyball team, Imadegawa's tactical plans have permeated the entire volleyball club. Whether he is on the court or not, the tactical coordination of each player is entirely under his control.
Ushijima Wakatoshi is clearly a player with a strong sense of personal will, so how could he possibly accept Imadegawa's complete control?
"It's obvious that I'm not the setter he's looking for. He needs a setter who can help him spike better balls, not a setter who can control him."
"Why don't you go and tell him, 'Ushijima, you should come to Tsurumeikan'?" Little Fatty chick urged.
"He's one of the top three outside hitters in the country, the powerful outside hitter you've been longing for the most."
Imadegawa silently watched the little chubby bird.
...Boring, Ushijima can't join Tsurumeikan.
Moreover, even if he could join the Crane Cry Hall, he might not be as useful as Aoyagi.
......
After obtaining Imadegawa's contact information, Ushijima walked steadily toward Aoyagi.
Aoyagi, who had been secretly glaring at Shiratorizawa Aoka, was startled and shrank back behind Saotome.
Ushijima was stunned.
He looked at Saotome and Aoyagi with some confusion.
"What else do you want?" The 1.6-meter-tall libero stood in front of the tall middle blocker, crossed his arms, raised his chin, and stared coldly at Ushijima.
Shiratorizawa Ace's height was already quite impressive in his first year of high school.
He stood in front of Saotome, the shadow cast by the overhead light behind him almost completely enveloping her.
In the shadows, Saotome's purplish-red eyes appeared even darker.
...Tsk.
For some reason, I suddenly thought of the moment when I was standing opposite Ushima Island, receiving his spike.
...It's really frustrating that someone with such a big physique could hit such a powerful spike.
Even with ice packs and emergency treatment from the team doctor after each set, after four sets, Saotome's forearms were almost numb from the spiking.
Ushijima said matter-of-factly, "I want to exchange contact information with him."
Ushijima paused for a moment, then added, "And you too."
Saotome's head, which had been held high, froze.
--ah? !
—A straightforward person?!
“…Ah.” Saotome’s mouth opened and closed repeatedly, her gaze shifting slightly.
Finally, Saotome, not knowing what to say, turned her pleading gaze to Imadegawa.
Ushijima asked bluntly, "Is it inconvenient?"
Following Saotome's gaze, Shiratorizawa Ace looked at Imadegawa, a hint of confusion flashing across his brow: "Do we still need to follow the captain's orders off the field?"
“Yes.” Saotome nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Ushijima frowned slightly, his sharply defined jawline tightening for a moment. He then turned to Imadegawa and said, "Even a captain should have limits to his authority."
Saotome:? ? ?
He asked incredulously, "What's it to you?"
Imaidegawa, who was having his calf muscles massaged by the team doctor to relax, did not reply, but was happily clutching the towel in his hand.
The chubby little bird, who has a very low threshold for laughter, was laughing so hard on his shoulder that it almost passed out.
The chubby little bird laughed and teased, "Yuzuru is being treated like a tyrannical, autocratic, and evil captain by Ushijima Wakatoshi—"
Tendo, who came with Ushijima, put his arm around Ushijima's shoulder and smiled, his rabbit-like mouth curving into a smile.
He timely interrupted Ushijima's confusion: "Wakari, you don't understand, this is just how the Tsurumeikan volleyball team gets along—"
Ushijima looked back and forth between Imadegawa, Saotome, and Aoyagi.
"I'm sorry," Ushijima said simply and sincerely.
Although he couldn't quite understand how the Tsurumeikan members interacted, Ushijima quickly adapted, and then seriously asked Imadegawa, "So, could you ask them for my contact information?"
Jin Chuchuan's bright golden eyes curved into crescents.
"You don't need to ask me about this. Chihaya and Mio, you can figure it out yourselves."
......
Shiratorizawa's first-year ace and middle blocker went to Tsurumeikan for socializing.
The rest of the people stayed in the rest area to rest and discuss the match that had just taken place.
"Hemingguan is so good at saving the ball! I've never seen a team that's so good at saving the ball."
Da Ping sat on the rest area with his shoulders hunched, looking dejected as he spoke.
"When the game reached match point, I glanced over and thought the opposing team had six... no, five liberos!"
Ohira meticulously removed the second setter captain from the Crane Sound Hall.
He shouted in grief and indignation, "Is Heming Pavilion some kind of training base for free men?!"
"The 1.9-meter-tall middle blocker's diving motion is even smoother than Hayato's—"
"Are you trying to put me down?" Yamagata pressed hard on the throbbing muscles in Ohira's arm.
Da Ping let out a loud "Aww!" and shut his mouth.
With tears streaming down his face, Soegawa patted Taira's shoulder heavily, echoing his words: "Especially that number 9!!!"
"He leaped that far without his body stiffening at all; he was so flexible, he looked like a real fish in the water—did he transfer from the dance club to the volleyball club?"
Tenkawa was unaware that his casual remark had led him to a partial understanding of the truth.
—In addition to possessing SR-level volleyball talent, the No. 9 middle blocker of Heming Hall is also SSR-level in a certain category of dance talent.
However, due to a severe shortage of players in the volleyball club at Heming Hall, number 9 was kept in the volleyball club by Heming Hall's sole manager, Imadegawa Yuzuru, and placed in the starting position.
Taihei stretched his body, looking as if he had been reminded, and placed his hands on Yamagata's shoulders, calling his name affectionately.
"Hayato,"
Ohira sincerely suggested this to Yamagata.
"Why don't you sign up for a dance class too?"
Tenkawa slid behind Yamagata and pressed his hands on Yamagata's shoulders at the same time: "Agreed."
"Hayato, why don't you sign up for a dance class too?"
Yamagata grabbed Taihei's arm with his left hand and locked Soegawa's forearm with his right hand.
Shiratorizawa's backer, a free agent, revealed a dark smile.
"Why don't you guys sign up for a dance class? If the attackers at Tsurumeikan can do it, shouldn't our attackers at Shiratorizawa learn it too?"
Daihei grabbed Yamagata's shoulder blade with his backhand.
Tenkawa then pressed down on the two of them.
"Yamagata, go and do some further training first, then we'll go—"
Eita Semi sat in the far corner, listening to their bickering in a dull thud.
Even after leaving the competition venue, his attention remained fixed on the captain of the Crane Sound Pavilion.
Across the entire volleyball court, the golden-eyed boy sat quietly in the rest area, his slender fingers meticulously arranging his water cup and towel.
In Seti's mind, everything that happened on the field replayed frame by frame like a movie.
He recalled the calm expression on the golden-eyed setter's face after that aerial volley.
Not only are they technically inferior,
He also lost in terms of controlling the pace of the game.
Seti leaned back, resting the back of his head against the wall of the rest area.
...I was completely led by the other party.
————————
(Frantically touching, touching, touching paws) Sad Wednesday...
Regarding extra chapters, here's a general reply to everyone—I don't have any drafts saved up right now, so I'm hesitant to implement an extra chapter system, and that won't be happening (crying from a working adult). I'll try my best to maintain daily updates for now, and I'm hoping to get the perfect attendance award once, so I'll have eight awards for a three-peat! (I don't know if pre-VIP chapters will count towards the awards; it's been almost a month since I started writing this story.) (biting my hand)
Next chapter: Jingtashan! I probably won't go into too much detail about Jingtashan in the finals; it'll probably end in three or four chapters. At this stage, only Izuna is involved with Jingtashan, so writing too much detail would be tiring, as I'd have to set up a lot of things lol. Plus, the three-peat campaign is long, with many more matches to come. (Actually, it's mainly because I don't have much inspiration; I can only write as much as I can.) (Brain blank) (Runs away taking the blame)
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