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Chapter 259 - Chapter 259

Bonus Chapter

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Because he felt that if they had won the national competition too easily, they might not have achieved the same level of self-discipline as the current members of Karasuno!

In recent days, as the match drew near, Keishin Ukai had developed new worries.

Although everyone was very dedicated to training—what about when it came time for the actual match?

What would it look like?

It wasn't unreasonable for him to worry. The gap between prefectural-level matches and nationals was significant.

Which team that made it to the national stage hadn't eliminated countless strong opponents in their own prefecture to earn that spot?

Every team had a certain level of strength.

And they all carried a sense of urgency in every match.

In Miyagi, there were extremely strong schools—like Shiratorizawa Academy and Aoba Johsai High...

But there were also weaker teams, like Tōkai High, which they had faced before, and Kakugawa High, who they played at noon today, on the 21st.

When facing strong teams, Ukai wasn't overly concerned.

Because he knew that as long as everyone played to their full potential, they wouldn't fall behind.

But the problem lay with those seemingly weak and unremarkable teams!

In the prefectural qualifiers, because the number of strong teams was limited, it was inevitable they would face some weaker opponents.

What Ukai feared was that because the opponent wasn't as strong as the ones they'd faced before, the players would let their guard down—take it easy.

Start to feel invincible and lose their edge.

And in official competitions, that kind of mindset was a huge taboo.

Once that habit took root, then when facing a truly strong opponent, the consequences could be unpredictable.

Like today's match against Kakugawa…

Even though Karasuno's score looked flashy—

If it were a team like Shiratorizawa or Aoba Johsai facing Kakugawa, the result would've been the same.

That's why Keishin Ukai had always been so concerned.

But now, after seeing the team's performance today, he no longer had those worries.

Because even with such a large lead, the team never let their guard down.

They paid attention to every single ball.

Even when they were over ten points ahead, they were still unwilling to give up a single point.

Their focus was no different than when they were facing a formidable opponent.

...

The reason behind this change was that Karasuno's players had become deeply aware of their own shortcomings during the previous Inter-High Tournament.

Although they were crowned the strongest in the nation—

Everyone knew in their hearts that the championship was largely thanks to Akira's overwhelming strength.

His near-unreadable offense was something that few teams could defend against.

But throughout the tournament, the rest of the team had come to notice their own weaknesses.

Compared to members of traditionally strong schools, they still had clear gaps.

Take serving, for example.

In those powerhouse teams, nearly every player had a strong serve in their arsenal.

Inarizaki High's setter—Atsumu Miya—even had two devastating serve styles at his command!

And during the matches, they all came to understand just how critical serving really was.

Akira alone was able to score over half the points in the match against Inarizaki with his serve!

It was unbelievable.

And it wasn't just serving—receive, blocking, positioning at the net…

That's why even after winning the championship, no one felt arrogant or complacent.

On the contrary, after such high-level, high-intensity matches against elite teams, everyone had become acutely aware of their own flaws.

There was no sense of self-satisfaction—only urgency.

The title of national champion didn't make Karasuno's players proud in a self-indulgent way.

Instead, it became the force that pushed them to keep moving forward.

Because being a champion meant being the strongest team in the country.

And after facing all those powerful opponents, the 12 members of Karasuno came to a harsh realization—

They weren't truly at the nation's strongest level yet.

So, after claiming the title, everyone became even more determined.

In order to…

Prove they deserved the name.

To live up to the standards of being the strongest team in the country.

After experiencing the thrill of victory, no one wanted to taste defeat.

That was especially true for the players of Karasuno.

Everyone was improving, and staying stagnant was no different from falling behind.

What's more, no one could forget that powerful opponents still awaited them.

In the Inter-High semi-finals, the traditional powerhouse—Itachiyama High—was eliminated due to an unexpected injury.

But even so, many still believed they had what it took to win the championship.

If that team had made it to the finals, then this year's final match…

It would've been impossible to say whose hands the trophy would've ended up in.

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1st Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones

2nd Bonus Chapter - 500 Power Stones

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