[55] Grade 11: Inarizaki Practice Match
The second game of the practice match between Tsurumeikan and Inarizaki.
"Bang!"
The volleyball hit the ground, raising tiny dust particles invisible to the naked eye.
Before the dust had completely settled, Koizumi had already landed gracefully.
The young-faced, blue-eyed main attacker from Tsurumeikan raised his right hand and clenched his fist thoughtfully.
His clear voice, tinged with undisguised surprise, reached the ears of the front-row net blocker in Inarizaki: "It seems like it's going to be hooked up..."
"Surprisingly simple—"
"Compared to the usual team training where I have to face Aoyagi-chan's blocks and Saotome-chan's defense, this is so much easier~"
Koizumi turned to the side, his gaze sweeping over the solemn-faced Inarizaki in the front row, finally settling on Akagi and the third-year ace who had just failed to save the ball in the opposite half.
He gazed at the two of them with his round, almond-shaped eyes, his tone filled with genuine regret: "I've heard that Inarizaki is one of the top schools in Kansai, a regular participant in the national competition for many years..."
But today,
"It seems like they didn't perform to their expected standard at all?"
--ha? ? ?
Is this guy provoking us?
The ace raised an eyebrow.
No, how come this guy's personality changed so quickly?
She seemed so well-behaved just now, didn't she?
The setter wrinkled his nose.
Wait, isn't this a practice match?
This isn't even a formal competition, is it? There's no need for trash talk, right?
Big ear pupil earthquake.
...Crane Cry Hall, do they even have this type of team member?
Previously, when watching the videotapes, the Hemingguan team members were "aloof" and rarely engaged in trash talk unless attacked by the opponent, in which case the extremely reliable libero would step in to exchange insults.
During the national youth team training camp, Saotome responded to the occasional provocations from the opposing team members with remarkable fluency, while Aoyagi simply ignored them with apparent arrogance, and Imadegawa would calmly retort.
Tail White remained silent.
So you were deliberately hitting him with a shot just now, weren't you?
"It might be a little impolite to say this."
Koizumi paused, seemingly a little embarrassed, but the subtle curve at the corner of her mouth revealed an emotion completely different from apology.
"I even studied everyone's videos from the national competition beforehand and did a lot of preparation before coming here~"
Koizumi tilted her head slightly, her clear eyes revealing no malice whatsoever. "After all... I'm just an ordinary first-year 'newcomer' who has never been on the national tournament's official roster."
Setter Inarisaki caught the note that Koizumi deliberately emphasized at the end.
...Did you overhear their discussion during warm-up?
—Aren't those ears way too pointy?
He remembered that they were separated from the people from Heming Pavilion by more than half a venue.
As for the newlyweds at Heming Pavilion, did they discuss anything inappropriate?
...
Not only were the people in Inarizaki surprised by Koizumi's sudden verbal attack, but even the people in the middle of Tsurumeikan were shocked by Koizumi's words and actions.
They weren't intimidated by Koizumi's usual clingy and somewhat dependent calls; instead, they were frozen in place by the sharp aggression that suddenly erupted from him.
After all, Koizumi in Tsurumeikan is a well-behaved, sensible, and even somewhat gentle and docile SSR.
Among the three SSRs in Tsurumei-kan, Koizumi is the most approachable. She doesn't have Saotome's easily angered personality, nor does she have Aoyagi's tendency to back down even to her own people.
Furthermore, Koizumi could get along with anyone, making him more popular with the Tsurumeikan volleyball team than a reliable libero.
He even got along very well with the student council in Imadegawa. The vice president of the student council, who managed SSR-level students, even granted him free access to all buildings in the Tsurumeikan.
As the team's current starting outside hitter, Koizumi has not shown particularly strong aggression in training.
Even when standing opposite him, receiving his serve or intercepting his smash, you often don't feel that imposing and fierce aura.
As a well-rounded SSR opposite hitter, Koizumi would occasionally also fill in as a setter to help his teammates set the ball.
Even when there was insufficient coordination and frequent mistakes in the early stages, he always seemed unconcerned and even took the initiative to take responsibility, saying that he felt guilty for not passing the ball well.
That is why, when facing volleyball players from other schools, Koizumi suddenly displayed such strong, even arrogant, aggressiveness and verbal provocation, which really startled his teammates at Tsurumeikan who knew him well.
Aoyagi subconsciously glanced around.
Imadegawa, who was originally working alongside Director Fukui, is no longer nearby.
……ah.
So is it because Imadegawa (BZuW) is not here?
The astute middle blocker reacted.
Saotome stood beside Aoyagi, glancing at her teammate with an extremely strange look.
I never realized he had this kind of attack power when we were at the Crane Cry Hall school...
So that disgusting look from before,
It was definitely intentional, wasn't it?
—You're deliberately acting innocent in front of Imadegawa, aren't you?
Before Inarizaki and the others could respond, Koizumi let out a soft breath and spoke again: "The result..."
His gaze shifted to Wei Bai in the front row.
The blue-eyed attacker spoke slowly and deliberately in his uniquely soft tone: "...It's nothing special."
His statement lacked a subject, and as to who he was referring to—whether it was Big Ear who failed to block his spikes, Akagi and Ace who failed to receive the ball, Ooshiro who was blocked or received by him, or all of them—that's open to interpretation.
Koizumi's eyebrows curved slightly, revealing the gentle expression often seen on Imadegawa's face, as she looked at Oshiro with a seemingly tender gaze.
The faces of the players present, including Inari Saki, all darkened.
Akagi's clenched fist showed slightly prominent veins on the back of his hand.
Ace frowned, his eyes sharpening.
Even the usually composed Da Er pursed his lips, his gaze like a knife as he shot towards the astonishing attacker from the Crane Cry Pavilion.
When Ooshiro met Koizumi's seemingly innocent almond-shaped eyes, his lips twitched down, and he raised his eyebrows and lowered his eyes.
The other Inarizaki players who were nearby on the sidelines were even more in an uproar.
How arrogant!
That's really arrogant.
It's amazing that it can use that seemingly innocent and well-behaved face to spray poison at them.
The setter wasn't angered by Koizumi's words; instead, he continued to ponder deeply.
This Crane Cry Pavilion specializes in targeting this subtle force.
Where did it originate from?
The setter's peripheral vision suddenly caught a glimpse of red in the corner of the wall—it was the small mahogany door in the Inarisaki stadium where cleaning tools were kept.
That deep red color gradually faded from the heavy crimson of the Inarisaki volleyball club students who had endured generation after generation, under the ravages of long, dry days.
Parts of the door were so pale they were almost crimson.
At that moment, Inarizaki, the setter, had a flash of inspiration and suddenly associated the bright red color with the hair of Captain Tsurumeikan.
He thought of the Crane Cry Pavilion team members' unreasonable protection of their captain and their incomprehensible, strange bond.
The topic that wasn't diverted by the second-year substitute students before the discussion about the new recruits at Heming Hall originated from—
Comments on the regular team members of Heming Hall.
—Did you hear the first few sentences too?
So this subtle attitude stems from those few comments that weren't exactly malicious towards their captain?
Seemingly noticing Inarisaki's gaze, Koizumi turned his head slightly and met his astonished expression.
Amidst the somber expressions of Inarisaki and his group, the complex confusion on Inarisaki's face made it easy for Koizumi to guess his thoughts.
Koizumi gave the setter a knowing smile.
...Not that stupid.
Setter Inarisaki's feelings became even more complicated.
Just as Koizumi finished speaking, Saotome stepped forward and placed her hand on Koizumi's shoulder.
"Koizumi, that's enough."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strong sense of restraint.
—It's just a practice match, there's no need to make it so tense.
He gave Koizumi a warning glance.
Immediately afterwards, the reliable Tsurumeikan libero turned to the unfamiliar Inarizaki teammate in the front row opposite him, whose face was ashen, and nodded slightly, "Excuse me."
Inarizaki's ace captain scoffed, "Your school's new star... is quite 'interesting'."
He emphasized the word "interesting" slightly.
Saotome was about to speak again.
Ace interrupted him first: "But it's okay."
"These little interludes are quite interesting," Ace said with a smile. "Always going through the same uneventful, routine practice matches can get a bit boring sometimes—"
His gaze was as intense as fire.
"A little more variety would be nice."
The Inarizaki team members were taken aback when they heard their captain's words, but the somber look in their eyes was gradually replaced by an even more intense fighting spirit.
Yes, verbal battles are meaningless.
True counterattacks can only be decided by the ball itself.
Despite the piercing gazes from the opposing team, Koizumi once again wore that non-aggressive, even soft and obedient smile, as if those provocative words had not come from his own mouth.
However, in stark contrast to his docile appearance at this moment, the restless heart inside his chest was pounding violently, and the surging excitement was almost about to break free of its restraints.
Koizumi muttered to himself, "...That's more like it."
The sound was very soft, so soft that only the speaker could hear it.
So light it seemed as if a gust of wind could blow it away.
But the wind carrying those words subtly and abruptly changed the atmosphere of the practice match between the two schools.
The initial tentative and friendly exchanges completely disappeared, and the atmosphere on the field instantly became extremely tense, transforming into a full-on confrontation where every ball was contested and sparks flew.
Every jump was made with all his might, every save was made with his body stretched out without reservation, and every spike was infused with full power, as if he wanted to smash through the floor.
This small area seemed to be isolated, with only the sharp sound of shoe soles rubbing against the floor, the muffled thud of volleyballs hitting the ground, and the players' short, explosive shouts.
Seeing the intensity of the competition suddenly escalate, Coach Blackbeard, who had been sitting on the sidelines and fidgeting, finally stopped his unconscious movements and steadied himself completely.
When the blue-eyed main attacker of Tsurumeikan made some shocking and outrageous remarks, Coach Blackbeard felt extremely uneasy.
Even though Inarizaki was clearly the team with the home advantage, the overwhelming sense of pressure and provocation made him feel as if he were in the eye of an unfamiliar storm.
The tense atmosphere between the two teams made him subconsciously turn his head to observe Coach Fukui's expression—he wanted to find the slightest ripple or intention on the other's face.
However, once again, Coach Kurosu faced Fukui, who remained as calm as ever, as if all the confrontations and unexpected conflicts on the field were already anticipated and under his control.
At this moment, the young director, who was not yet forty, was filled with a complex mix of curiosity and indescribable pressure.
————————
(Patting the little ones' paws) I've been too busy three times, so this chapter is late—and I also had a bit of writer's block.
I originally planned to include a scene with Kobe, but after finishing this chapter, I realized I wouldn't be officially writing about Kobe and Tsuru's match in the practice matches. (Bows to all the fans who were looking forward to Kobe!) Since the Inarisaki practice matches directly connect to the Spring High, the focus will be on Kobe and Tsuru's match in the Spring High. The Inarisaki practice matches will probably end in another chapter, followed by a slice-of-life chapter before jumping directly to the Spring High National Championships.
Finally, let me analyze this chapter with a long, rambling summary.
What a wonderful inspiration! Writing this chapter somehow makes sense and connects to the previous ones. (A mix of emotions) Kominato's skill in serving is due to his personality. He seems well-behaved on the surface, but he's actually quite cunning and studies tricky techniques in volleyball.
But when I was writing about his serves, I couldn't figure out why he kept serving to the tail white (thinking hard). There were so many people on the court he could serve to, it seemed like a waste to keep focusing on the tail white (stroking his chin). But my brainwaves kept telling me that he only wanted to serve to the tail white. So I continued writing with this confusion in mind.
But after finishing this chapter, I suddenly realized that Kominato had actually overheard the initial comments from Inarisaki's substitutes and the second team members. The Inarisaki members' comments weren't malicious, but Kominato, besides being a cynical critic, still had some arrogance in his nature—which was the fundamental reason he played as a full-fledged opposite hitter—Kominato admired Imadegawa's genius and also liked Imadegawa, who gave him a new life, so he disliked these comments about Imadegawa.
As for whether Kominato dislikes the Inarisaki members? Actually, no, he just doesn't like their attitude—he doesn't like their questioning, "Is Tsuru really that good?"
The reason he served to Oshiro was because Oshiro had spent time with Tsurugi, but he didn't stop his teammates from questioning him—similar to changing the subject (actually, Oshiro had just passed by)—he also knew that Oshiro didn't have the opportunity to stop it, but after Inarizaki was defeated by Tsurugikan and Oshiro had spent time with Tsurugi, there were still teammates questioning Tsurugi's strength—although the questioning was from the substitutes or even the second team—but Kominato treated everyone equally. You are all Inarizaki's, and if they don't know how strong Imadegawa is, it's because you haven't promoted it well enough.
Moreover, the provocation was also for two purposes. The atmosphere of the practice match was too relaxed, without the pressure of the official match. It was the first time that we had to play a match, and Kominato was a little dissatisfied after playing one game. Even though it was a practice match and we often changed players to experiment with various tactics, and the score would be bad, he still wanted that kind of all-out duel.
Before writing about Kominato, his character in my outline was just a very ordinary one: "He loves to act cute and hopes that Tsuru will pass him the ball more often." But in the chapter where he appeared, he completely changed the character I had initially set up. As I wrote the rest of the story, I gradually filled in the details about him.
So it really is Little Crane trying her best to connect with my mind, handing over their stories to me to narrate, while these babies are all living happily in another world (egg-eyes).
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