[48] Grade 11: National Youth Team Intensive Training Camp
The team roster was rearranged again in the afternoon, requiring everyone to be reorganized.
The coaching staff continued to assign a bunch of unfamiliar attackers to Imadegawa to help him gel with the team.
Among them, the only familiar team member Imadegawa is Shiratorizawa's Tendo Satoru. The rest are basically non-story characters whose names and faces he recognizes, but he has never had any contact with them.
"Hmm~"
With his hands behind his head, Tendo swaggered over to Imadegawa with light steps.
The rather outgoing attacker, Shiratorizawa, leaned closer with a smile: "Finally, it's my turn to team up with my dear roommate."
Upon hearing this, Imadegawa looked up, a smile appearing in his golden eyes: "Is Tendo-san so excited?"
"Of course~ Tsuru-chan~" he drawled, his voice sweet as honey, "I'm incredibly curious about your instantaneous stop and ball-handling technique~"
"Ruoli praised it to the skies—it's unparalleled in heaven and earth!"
Imaizumi subtly took a half-step back, just avoiding Tendo's overly enthusiastic approach. A deeper smile curved her lips as she returned his gaze with a beaming smile: "Then please, Tendo-san... look forward to it."
"I always feel like Tendo doesn't get along very well with you guys." The chubby little bird perched on Imadegawa's shoulder tilted its head, its genuine beady eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.
"Aoyagi avoids him whenever he's around, Saotome looks at him like he's hazardous waste, and even you—"
The chubby little bird shook its head and exclaimed, "When I'm with him, the air is practically crackling with sparks!"
"He's alright?" Imadegawa said. "I quite like him."
"Huh?!" The little chubby bird was so surprised that it slipped and slid off Imadegawa's shoulder.
"I can't tell at all!"
It approached Imadegawa and observed his expression repeatedly.
"You treated him like a complete stranger. You didn't seem to talk much even though you shared a room under the same roof for one night, even though you were sleeping in the same bed."
"It feels like the national youth team coach's painstaking arrangements have been somewhat wasted."
Imadegawa rubbed his sore neck: "There's nothing to talk about, is there?"
"And don't overestimate my physical abilities. After a day of training, all I want to do when I get back to the dorm is collapse and sleep. I don't have the energy for socializing."
Little Chubby suddenly realized: "So the dorms arranged by the national youth team coaches to 'promote friendships' were treated like ordinary hotels by you guys?"
"No, not at all. The energetic Wood Rabbit and the White Tail get along very well, don't they?"
Imaichi's gaze drifted toward the adjacent basketball court.
Wood Rabbit was laughing wildly without any regard for his image, shaking Tail White's neck while shouting something unintelligible. His signature silver-gray hair bounced up and down with his movements, shimmering in the light.
Tail White let the wooden rabbit shake it, its face showing a hint of helplessness, but it never pushed away this overly enthusiastic fellow.
"So full of energy!"
As I looked out from the river, I sighed.
The Tsurumeikan volleyball club doesn't have a player as cheerful and outgoing as Bokuto. Even the most extroverted of the newly drawn SR players is just the sunny type like Ooshiro. They'll be friendly in just the right way, but they'll never overstep the mark.
The remaining SSR members, Saotome was radical and Koizumi was reserved, but they were all very subtle in front of outsiders, maintaining just the right distance. Aoyagi, in particular, was extremely introverted; in Little Chu's eyes, he was comparable to an autistic child.
Inside the Tsurumeikan, the most outrageous behavior these people exhibited in front of Imadegawa was merely verbal or physical exchanges interspersed with flashing swords. Behind Imadegawa's back, they rarely interacted except for practicing together—usually, Saotome ignored Koizumi, while Aoyagi remained withdrawn. They would never have such a warm and friendly relationship with each other.
As for his current departure from Sichuan? He is even less likely to be an outgoing and cheerful person.
On the surface, he appears gentle and mild-mannered, but in reality, his rationality and restraint are so great that even Little Chubby couldn't help but sigh.
After all, before his transmigration, Imadegawa had met many classmates older than him and interacted with many people in society, so he was the one with the oldest mental age in Tsurumeikan besides Principal Kotori.
They are more adept at handling interpersonal relationships than at studying volleyball tactics.
"So why do you like Tendo?" The chubby little bird brought the topic back on track.
With a squinting smile, Imadegawa replied without hesitation, "I have a feeling... if he were a character card, he might actually be a good match for me~"
......
The temporary team, including the one led by Tendo, is a rare non-attacking team. The main attackers' first pass is relatively stable, and the libero's level is also quite good, which makes it very smooth and skillful for Imadegawa, who is familiar with defensive tactics, to command.
These team members also recognized Imadegawa's command. Even the senior attackers were not arrogant and followed Imadegawa's orders to take their positions without any hesitation, cooperating 100% with all his instructions.
—After all, Heming Hall has won the national championship with its superior blocking and defense system. Why would they be so foolish as to doubt the command ability of the setter who leads such a strong defensive team?
Imadegawa was in his element upon returning to a team with a familiar tactical style. Even against a super-aggressive combination of Ushijima Wakatoshi and Kiryu Hachi, he was able to skillfully grind them down step by step.
Kiryu, who had been cooperating well with Imadegawa in the morning, was almost shattered into pieces by the team that Imadegawa had drawn in the afternoon, just like the wooden rabbit in the morning.
Kiryu: The other side is so scary, so scary, so scary, so scary, so scary, so scary, so scary, so scary, so scary, so scary...
Kiryu wanted to cry.
Imaichi Kawai smiled: That's right, you were the one who deliberately blocked the way...
The quick attack combination of Tendo and Imadegawa is the most perfect among all the middle blockers that Imadegawa temporarily paired with during the national youth stage.
The two cooperated exceptionally well, their compatibility even approaching that of Imadegawa's real teammates, the members of Tsurumeikan.
Fast breaks from the Imadegawa-Tendo duo accounted for the majority of their team's points in this match.
This surprised the coaches watching from the sidelines.
Especially at the crucial moment at the end of the set, when receiving the first pass, Imadegawa suddenly made a subtle step back.
This almost imperceptible movement was immediately caught by Tiantong, who took two large steps forward and leaped high into the air—
Without eye contact or hand gestures, they acted like teammates who had worked together for over a year or two, even their breathing rhythms were perfectly synchronized.
"Smack!"
A lightning-fast spike escaped from Tiantong's hands and landed precisely in the corner of the opponent's court.
...The first rhythm? ??
Coach Jinshan and his assistant coach on the sidelines stared wide-eyed.
A series of question marks appeared above their heads.
No... this is the first time Imadegawa Yuzuru and Tendo Satoru have teamed up, right?
Although the national youth team emphasizes "speed volleyball" and "power volleyball," forcing players to adapt to the rhythm and focusing on practicing quick attack combinations and powerful attacks; although Imadegawa is the best setter in IH, with excellent ball-setting skills and strong observation ability; although Tendo Satoru was a top-level intuitive middle blocker selected by Coach Jinshan after much deliberation...
—But, Imadegawa and Tendo are two completely unknown people from different regions, attending different schools, and even different elementary and junior high schools. They are completely different people in the IH nation!?
So how exactly did they manage to achieve such a high level of synergy in such a short period of practice?
Coach Jinshan: ...
Assistant Coach: ...
The two men stared at each other in silence as the referee blew his whistle.
...It's impossible that they saw it wrong.
so……
Both coaches exclaimed in unison, "Is this really their first time working together???"
Coach Jinshan and his assistant coach began to doubt whether they had collected enough information.
Did Imadegawa Yuzuru and Tendo Satoru secretly practice together in places they hadn't collected, without anyone noticing?
That must be how it is, right?
Inside the arena, Imadegawa had a faint smile on his lips: "Tendo-san, you understand me very well."
He said somewhat mischievously, "We've only just started playing together, and Tendo-san already knows my passing habits so well. Could it be that you've secretly studied me?"
"Waaaah~" Tendo hugged her shoulders and trembled. "It's scary when Tsuru-chan says things like that! You always pass the ball to the most comfortable position, it's like you can predict my moves~"
"It's like it can read my mind, it can see through everything, it's terrifying—it's giving me goosebumps!"
"Tendo-san's intuition is even more terrifying, isn't it? Even I was startled by his preparatory movements just now." Imadegawa took two steps back with his hands behind his back, saying he was surprised, but there was no surprise on his face.
"Eh~ really?" Tendo tilted his head, feigning ignorance. "Tsuru-chan overestimates me~"
They worked together perfectly, but their conversations were always so intriguing.
The unexpected chemistry and quirky conversations between the temporary duo created a wonderful contrast, leaving their teammates on the field both envious and confused.
—Imaidegawa and Tendo really did create a first-rate performance in their first collaboration, which is quite outrageous.
Coach Jinshan and his assistant coach looked at each other again, and they saw this long string of words in each other's eyes.
Coach Jinshan hurriedly opened his notebook and wrote down the names of Imadegawa and Tendou on their respective pages.
"Is it a perfect complement between an intuitive attacker and an insightful setter?" he muttered as he took notes. "Tendo's unpredictability and Imadegawa's accurate judgment, the potential of this combination... is worth studying in depth."
On the other side of the net, Ushijima looked at the two of them and said calmly, "The way you two work together is indeed very special."
Tendo immediately jumped up like a big cat, grinning as he scrolled through the web and said, "Hey—Wakari, you're not jealous, are you? Don't worry, don't worry," he said, making an exaggerated gesture as if wiping away tears. "You'll always be my best partner~ My heart will always be with Shiratorizawa!"
If it weren't for the net separating them, he probably would have already clung to Ushima and put on a tearful performance.
Imadegawa: "In actual combat, Tendo-san's rhythm is indeed easier to match than Ushijima-san's rhythm."
"Hey, hey, hey—!" Tendo immediately turned to Imadegawa, feigning shock and waving his arms frantically in front of his chest. "Tsuru-chan, are you trying to get me punished by Wakari?! His powerful spikes might be aimed directly at the back of my head next time!"
However, Ushijima nodded very seriously, completely unaffected by Tendo's dramatic performance: "Tendo's instantaneous judgment based on intuition and your tactical thinking that excels in anticipation and planning are indeed very well matched in terms of rhythm."
He paused for a moment, clearly thinking of his collaboration with Imadegawa yesterday: "Compared to me, your styles are indeed more complementary."
"Wakari—!" Tendo suddenly became theatrical, clutching his chest and looking shocked and abandoned. "What do you mean by that! Are you going to give me to Tsuru-chan—?"
Ushijima turned to look at Tendo, his expression still serious, even a little doubtful: "No, I didn't mean to give you to him."
————————
Let me reach out my wicked hand and grope the little ones' paws—(hehehe) Finally, it's Thursday! The weekend is just around the corner—time to quit overtime!
Tendo Baby doesn't get along well with most people in the Crane Pavilion, but surprisingly, she and Little Crane have a great rapport. (Little Crane: smiling) (Tendo: smiling)
After this chapter, I'll add a slice-of-life scene and a wrap-up summary, and that should be the end of the National Youth Training Camp. I'm running out of inspiration lol, but I've written several chapters already, so it's about time to wrap things up. Next year, there's the Crane Pavilion training camp and the National Youth Training Camp—
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