Chapter 136 Interview "Grinding Stone, what are you doing?" Night long...
"Grinding, what are you doing?" Yoruichi Eisuke wiped his wet hair with a towel as he passed by the setter, who was deep in thought while looking at his phone.
Kozume Kenmo wasn't using his phone; he seemed to be struggling with something, his brows furrowed as he stared intently at the chat screen.
Startled by the free man's sudden voice, Mo Dan regained his senses, his tone hesitant.
"What do you think it would be if Shoyo said he would give us a surprise at the Spring High School Championship?"
Yoru thought about that energetic but surprisingly steady little guy; he was a great catcher. He thought about it literally.
"Uh, does he have a new tactic?"
Kozume Kenma felt that things were not so simple. "Every time we meet, Shoyo brings me new technology. If it were just a new tactic, he wouldn't need to hide it as a surprise."
"There must be other special ones as well."
Kuroo added what Kenma hadn't said, "The only special thing about this year is that Tsunayoshi is back, right? What else could it be?"
Fukunaga Shohei poked his head out, "And that short guy and the setter's monster fast attack."
“That’s true,” Kuroo Tetsuro was reminded. “When we arranged the practice match last time, Shoyo and Kageyama were holding back, and they barely coordinated. I don’t believe they didn’t have any new tricks up their sleeves.”
After saying this, he looked quite hurt and heartbroken, "Xiao Xiangyang has been hiding something from us too."
Lev patted his chest. "Because we're rivals! No matter what tricks Hyuga has up his sleeve, I'll take them all down!"
He made a KO gesture, and Yoruichiro stared with dead fish eyes, "You better not get KO'd by Hinata."
Hyuga is no easy opponent, a fact that Yagu had learned firsthand during previous training matches.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that his setter's brow was still furrowed, so he couldn't help but comfort her, "Although Karasuno must have practiced new moves, we also have moves to counter Hyuga, so there's no need to worry too much."
Mojin shook his head. "I'm not worried about Xiangyang. Xiangyang is indeed very strong and interesting, but there's a variable in this battle."
Kuroo understood. "You're still worried about Tsunayoshi?"
This was the second time Yoru had heard that name from the setter. They hadn't played much against Sawada Tsunayoshi, but that was relative to the other Karasuno players. They had trained together later, so it wasn't too different.
Sawada Tsunayoshi is indeed a formidable opponent. His spiking power, which is comparable to the top five spikers in the country, still frightens Liberty players.
"It's okay, I'm sure I can catch his ball this time." Yoruichi's competitive spirit ignited.
He was still holding his temper after being constantly beaten in the previous few rounds.
Grinding nodded. "I believe in Yoru."
"However, Tsuna's spike is only one aspect; I'm worried about other things."
"Kuro, you understand me, right?" Both Momo and Kuro have known these two since childhood, even though there was a three-year gap in their friendship.
"Initially, Tsunayoshi did not get his starting position through strength."
A single sentence evoked memories of matches from Kuroo Tetsurou's elementary school days. To be precise, he had only faced Sawada Tsunayoshi once in an official match, and Kenma was slightly better than him, two years later.
Although the number of matches was very limited, the opponent's unreasonable intuition left an indelible mark on Kuroo Tetsuro's mind. To this day, he has never encountered a player like Sawada Tsunayoshi again.
"Ah, I understand now."
Seeing that their captain's expression was no longer relaxed, the other team members exchanged glances and gathered around. Yamamoto Taketaka asked,
"What do you understand?"
Kuro leaned back in his chair. "Tsunayoshi wasn't this strong when he was little. Maybe he was, but it wasn't outstanding. At least in the previous matches, he didn't have a clear advantage in that area. But he was a starter for the Okurodani Kids Club. Do you know why he became a starter there?"
Every year, countless students are sent to the Fukutani Children's Club. In particular, the Fukutani Club has opened many branches, but the regular members are selected from so many people in the main branches. If Sawada Tsunayoshi and Hyuga Shoyo were not excellent, they would not be able to defeat the others.
"Intuition?" Fukunaga raised his hand in response.
Otoko and his group remembered that Karasuno's defense, which was not a weakness to begin with, became even more difficult to deal with after Sawada Tsunayoshi appeared. The defensive team, which was always a menace to others, also experienced the pain of the ball not landing.
Grin nodded, then shook his head. "Tsuna's intuition is indeed terrifying, but it's also easy to deal with. He can't face all the balls on the court by himself, but that also involves another unique aspect of him."
A group of cats tilted their heads, clearly unaware of what the setter was pointing at.
Kuroo Tetsuro recalled all the measures they had taken against Fukutani's mentality during that match. Not only did they fail, but they also gave Fukutani valuable experience.
"To give you an example, Lev is a freshman this year, but let's forget about Lev, his skills are too poor, let's find someone else."
"Hey!" Lev shouted angrily.
"Inuoka and Shibayama are also newcomers. They need to work with us before they officially take the field. Otherwise, even if they have the skills, they can't play if they can't coordinate with us."
Upon hearing this, Ye Jiu lowered his head and pondered.
Kuroo continued, "Do you remember when Tsuna joined Karasuno?"
"It was during the training camp." Yamamoto Taketaka clearly hadn't forgotten that the other person had incongruously appeared in the volleyball hall in a suit.
"Yes, he hadn't had a formal competition in three years before that. After returning to Japan, he started competing with Karasuno, whom he wasn't familiar with. There was no time to get used to each other. But did you feel any awkwardness when you competed with Karasuno?"
Yamamoto's throat was dry, and he belatedly realized, "No, it's like..."
Kuroo added, "It's like Sawada Tsunayoshi has always been in Karasuno's team."
Now everyone in the Sound Horse team realized that, generally speaking, to be able to perfectly coordinate with anyone, either the opponent's ball skills are very proficient and powerful, so that one can play with ease.
However, Sawada Tsunayoshi, who hadn't played volleyball for three years, clearly doesn't fall into that category.
He poured the powder onto the blanket. "Cooperation, that's the main reason why Tsuna became a regular member back then."
"He is the most stable element in the team. Even if there are weaknesses that can be overcome, as long as Tsuna is still there, the situation will not get worse thanks to his mediation."
They derived a completely different image of Sawada Tsunayoshi from the descriptions of Kuroo and Makino. During previous training, this Italian-Japanese mixed-race player was always outwardly refined but inwardly violent, showcasing the beauty of violence to the fullest when spiking.
Kozume Kenma recalled that in the previous training matches, Tsuna and Hyuga did not show the same smooth teamwork as before.
Yamamoto roared, "Isn't their teamwork good enough?!"
Kuroki smiled wryly, "Then you haven't seen their previous teamwork."
They at least have experience from previous matches, but other teams don't. Being caught off guard can lead to a sudden and unexpected attack.
After digesting the devastating news that the current Great Demon King was not yet in its ultimate form, Yoruichi Eisuke thought, "Now that you mention it, there are several formidable figures in Karasuno's team."
A genius setter, an extremely fast middle blocker, and now this opposite hitter with no apparent weaknesses...
Ye Jiu, having learned to grind ink, lay down on the quilt, thinking, "He's really hard to deal with."
Kenma didn't want to dampen everyone's enthusiasm before the match. "Actually, it's not that scary. After all, Tsuna hasn't played a match in three years, so he'll definitely have some difficulty adapting."
Kuro said softly, "Isn't Tsuna's greatest strength adaptability?"
Adapt, embrace, and ultimately reconcile.
Like the sky, it accepts everything. Kuroo had previously really wanted to bring Sawada Tsunayoshi and Hinata to Otokoma.
Although it was not successful in the end.
He stood up, then collapsed onto his bed. "There'll always be a way."
Thanks to Hinata for giving Otoko a mental blow before the match, the others, with the mindset that the setter can always find a solution, ran back to their beds one by one.
Kuroo also spoke up at the right time, "The competition is about to begin, everyone should get some rest tonight."
"Hey! Lev, go dry your hair!" Seeing the 1.9-meter-tall man about to follow them onto the bed with wet hair, Ye Jiu's forehead veins bulged as he fiercely reminded him.
Lev jumped up with a start, "I'm going right now!"
Hinata, who simply wanted to share her excitement with her best friend, had already fallen into a deep sleep, completely unaware of how long Otoko's brain had been processing her words.
"Wow, it's huge!" Hinata exclaimed, his eyes filled with excitement as he looked at the stadium.
"Wow—amazing!" He patted Sawada Tsunayoshi on the shoulder.
"Right, Tsuna!"
Sawada Tsunayoshi nodded, but he wasn't really in the mood. The place was packed with people, with contestants and spectators from all over the country gathered here for this national event.
The young leader admitted that he was so excited last night that he couldn't sleep, but when he got up for breakfast this morning, he couldn't hide his excitement when he met his family members, and he wondered what they had been secretly preparing these past few days.
Tsuna looked around warily, feeling as if someone might jump out from the crowd at any moment.
Let's go buy some T-shirts later!
Hinata and Yamaguchi Tadashi finalized their plans after the opening ceremony. "Tsuna, are you going?"
Sawada Tsunayoshi nodded subconsciously. Although he probably wouldn't buy it, he could still go with Sho and the others.
Then he turned to Chrome, who was silently following behind him, and asked, "Is there anything Chrome wants? You can wander around here for a while after the opening ceremony."
Chrome shook her head. She didn't really want anything. Although she wanted to go to Lord Mukuro's place to see if everyone had made preparations for scouting, it was clear that the boss's side was more important.
Everyone should be able to do a good job of providing support, but the boss needs protection.
Sugawara listened to the girl's rambling, then looked up in confusion at the tall, capable-looking boy in front of him. The boy was wearing a Karasuno team uniform; the black color made Sawada Tsunayoshi's skin appear somewhat pale, yet he still exuded youthful energy and didn't look fragile at all.
He humbly inquired, "Why did Chrome want to protect Sawada?"
Chrome lowered his eyes. "The boss is very powerful, but even powerful people need protection."
"Even strong people have things they can't do well."
She hadn't forgotten what the future held, and the shadow of the curse on the Albarenos hadn't yet faded. Chrome suppressed her overwhelming worry and gave Sugawara Koshi a smile that was as usual.
"Protecting the boss is my responsibility."
Protecting the leader is the guardian's responsibility.
Sugawara saw the determination in the other person's eyes, but didn't say much, only nodded, and couldn't help but think to himself,
Chrome is actually Sawada Tsunayoshi's bodyguard?
He had indeed heard that the other party was practicing martial arts, but then he thought of Sawada Tsunayoshi's terrifying spiking power and fell silent.
Does Sawada really need bodyguards? Haha, haha.
Anyone who dares to oppose Sawada Tsunayoshi is probably no match for him, as he could probably not withstand a single punch from him.
Sugawara Koji had no idea that he was, in a way, telling the truth. After completing the formalities, Karasuno and the others split into several groups, agreed on a meeting point, and went off to buy things they liked.
Actually, it was just in that small area. Kageyama and the others were looking at this year's clothes. Along the way, they encountered several teams. Sawada Tsunayoshi looked at them one by one, and some of them were even championship seeded teams.
These past few days, Irie Shoichi has been giving me a crash course on the schools we won the championship with. I guess that's how Irie relieves tension. The more nervous he is, the more information he looks for. The more he knows, the more confident he feels.
Sawada Tsunayoshi hadn't known much about high school competitions before, and after being hit so hard, he felt dizzy.
But this is very unusual.
Tsuna knew his family was here, but so much time had passed since the opening ceremony, and not a single person had come to find him.
It was too quiet, so quiet that it frightened Sawada Tsunayoshi.
He told himself to trust his companions and not to think about anything else.
After a moment of self-consolation, he finally felt a bit better. He noticed that Ri Xuanfeng was staring at a corner, and he followed his childhood friend's gaze.
Hmm, it's white, and it looks a lot like badminton shuttlecock hair.
This is Sawada Tsunayoshi's first impression; badminton is being interviewed, and Yamaguchi's tone is somewhat envious.
"He must be so amazing that reporters are rushing to interview him."
“I know him,” Hinata suddenly said.
Sawada Tsunayoshi and Yamaguchi Tadashi looked over, and Hyuga replied, "He's from Omodai High School, Hoshimi Hikaru."
After thinking for a moment, he explained, "Oudai was one of the favorite teams to win the championship that Xiaozheng had previously compiled."
Tsuna turned his head to the side, feeling a sense of guilt, as if he were the only one who had attended tutoring sessions but whose mind was blank and who hadn't remembered anything.
Hinata didn't actually remember much. The only reason he remembered Hoshino Hikari was because the reporter called him the Little Giant, a title that left a deep impression on Hinata. Of course, his hair was also memorable.
Kageyama had already bought the clothes. Hearing them discussing Hoshino Hikari, he told Hinata...
"Senior Xinghai is very strong."
They had trained together in the national team before, and Kageyama knew the other's strength.
Yamaguchi said helplessly, "He's made it into the national youth team, so he must be very strong."
"Alright, let's hurry up and buy the things."
He urged Hinata, who was still watching the interview, to hurry up. Hinata stared at the short man who was just like him and casually replied with a few words.
Just how strong is the opponent?
I really want to.
I really want to have a match with him!
Sawada Tsunayoshi could roughly guess what Xiao was thinking. "As long as we keep winning, we'll definitely be able to beat him. Xiao Xiang, go buy the things first."
Hyuga, eager to see what was going on, thought that made sense. Daichi and the others came over from the other side, and after hearing what they had said, they seemed to remember something.
“I saw that Inarisaki was also being interviewed.”
Hinata's ears twitched when she heard the group. "Is that Yuu?"
Daichi didn't know much about Inarisaki. "It shouldn't be him. I remember Miyayu is very tall? The person being interviewed seemed very composed, so he should be the captain."
Sawada Tsunayoshi replied in a low voice, "Inarizaki wouldn't go so far as to have Yu-senpai give an interview before the match even starts."
The viewership ratings went up, but so did the hate ratings.
Hinata pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "That's true."
Nishitani and Tanaka Ryunosuke went crazy, shouting, "We want to be interviewed too, ughhhh!"
Yuanxia comforted them, "We haven't achieved much in Karasuno these past few years, so it's normal that no one comes to interview us."
These words drove the two even more insane.
Sawada Tsunayoshi found it amusing, "As long as we advance all the way, someone will definitely come to interview us."
His tone was sincere, and Nishitani and Tanaka looked up. "That's right!"
"As long as we keep winning, we'll never have to worry about not being interviewed!"
"The girls will definitely admire us a lot then!"
The two of them had a temper that flared up quickly but also subsided just as fast. As they ran off in a noisy commotion, Yoshika exchanged a smile with Sawada Tsunayoshi.
Sawada Tsunayoshi turned around, wanting to see if Hinata had bought anything, when a microphone suddenly appeared in his field of vision. He looked up in surprise and saw someone who shouldn't have been there.
"Koharu?!"
The newcomer had her black hair neatly tied up, a staff badge hanging in front of her, and looked at Tsunayoshi with a smile.
"Mr. Tsuna, would you mind being interviewed by Haru?"
Everyone else silently turned their gaze in this direction, and passersby whispered among themselves.
"That one just now was from Oogawa, and that one over there is from Inarisaki, but do you know which team this one is from?"
"I don't know, I don't recognize this team uniform. Hmm, I really don't recognize it. That shouldn't be the case. There are only a few teams that are considered favorites to win the championship this year. Where did this one come from?"
When Karasuno and the others heard the discussion, they were just as confused as the people who were talking about it!
Sawada Tsunayoshi didn't care about those things. He just said that he had been feeling uneasy, and when he saw Koharu appear in front of him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He covered his face, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and asked, "Why is Xiaochun here?"
Koharu bent down slightly to look at Sawada Tsunayoshi's covered face from below.
"Because I want to record Mr. Tsuna's first match!"
"That's not what I was asking." Sawada Tsunayoshi looked at the girl's smiling face below, and let go of her hand.
"Shouldn't Xiaochun be at school right now? How come she's here?" He glanced at the staff ID in front of the other person.
The student next to Xiaochun, who was holding a recording device, answered him.
"It's amazing that Miura managed to secure a spot for the newspaper to cover the event at the Spring High School High School!"
The male student wondered why Miura hadn't interviewed those popular teams. Even though they might not agree, what if someone did?
Teachers will also greatly appreciate those who write excellent press releases later on.
As a result, Haru Miura remained steadfast in his goal, searching for the little-known Karasuno team.
Hmm, he just checked and there weren't any reports. The male student was a little dissatisfied. Miura had always been very rational and capable, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten this spot.
How could you be so confused now? Even if it's someone you know, the most important thing is that they can write a great article, right?!
He glanced at him and realized that the boy in front of him was indeed unfamiliar.
At the very least, the male students were unwilling.
He's really handsome.
-----------------------
Author's note: I got caught up in writing a lab report, and the teacher actually wanted us to explain our thought process. Then I had to make a PowerPoint presentation. Finally finished! [poor me]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
