"Hey, Oda, are you really okay with doing this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well… you used to be teammates with Akashi, right? Are you sure it's fine to just share his info with us like this?" Hinata asked anxiously, clearly torn.
Oda Miki's expression immediately changed, and he replied seriously, "Of course it matters. If Akashi ever finds out about this, he'll probably kill me."
Hinata's eyes went wide.
Oda laughed, "Hahaha, no way! Akashi's not that petty. Besides, even though we were teammates before, I'm with Karasuno now. When it comes to the game, the team comes first."
"Kageyama once said it right: giving your all on the court is the greatest respect you can show your opponent."
"And besides, information is just information. If it was enough to beat Akashi, we wouldn't have made it to the nationals in Junior High, right? Right, Kageyama?"
Kageyama nodded quietly, "...Yeah."
Hinata's eyes sparkled again. "That's awesome! I can't wait for tomorrow's match..."
────────── ✦ ──────────
The next day.
The match between Aoba Johsai and Karasuno officially began.
As Karasuno's team walked into the arena, they were immediately met with loud cheers from the crowd:
"AOBA JOHSAI! AOBA JOHSAI!"
clap clap clap-clap-clap
"AOBA JOHSAI!"
"Wow, what an amazing atmosphere!" Sugawara commented instinctively upon hearing the crowd.
"All right! Let's start our warm-up! Everyone, shout it loud!" Sawamura clapped his hands to focus on the team.
The team responded enthusiastically:
"FIGHT, KARASUNO, FIGHT!"
────────── ✦ ──────────
Meanwhile, across the net, Ryuhei Sanashita was helping Akashi Asuka stretch when he heard the lively cheers from the other side. He glanced over and said, "Wow! Karasuno's really lively. Looks like Oda joined a good team after all."
Akashi nodded, "The team is good, but whether he likes it is another matter."
Miya looked around Karasuno and soon spotted a sleepy, teary-eyed Oda in a corner, yawning repeatedly.
Miya asked, "So… you really don't need to warm up with Oikawa-senpai since you're the 'ace' now?"
Akashi stood up and bounced a few times, "No need. Oikawa's busy getting a read on the other players' conditions. If I joined him now, I'd probably break his rhythm."
Akashi looked toward Oikawa, who was currently communicating with each player through passes and words, checking their condition and making adjustments.
During this process, the team's cohesion deepened, and the overall atmosphere improved, except Akashi wasn't really part of this yet.
Because Akashi's evolution has been so fast, his condition is unstable; his skill level changes almost daily.
That's why Oikawa can now draw out 100% from everyone except Akashi, with whom he's still adjusting.
Even Akashi struggles to control his own form, let alone others.
So, to avoid Akashi's fluctuating state negatively affecting Oikawa, they spend some extra time understanding each other before every match.
But when it's time to warm up officially, they separate.
────────── ✦ ──────────
Oikawa teased Iwaizumi, "Iwaizumi-chan, aren't you a bit too nervous? No need to show off your cool side, no girls are watching anyway!"
Iwaizumi clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead, ready to punch Oikawa out cold.
Unfortunately for Akashi, Yaku came running in and grabbed Iwaizumi, stopping his fist from landing on Oikawa's head.
"Calm down, Iwaizumi-senpai! The match is about to start. Wait till it's over to beat him up!"
The Aoba Johsai players watched this daily back-and-forth between these two without flinching. Honestly, some wanted to hand Iwaizumi a hammer.
But after hearing Yaku's sensible words, they all agreed: the match was the priority, and revenge could wait.
They all moved over, calming Iwaizumi's murderous glare.
────────── ✦ ──────────
Soon, warm-ups ended.
Both teams lined up and bowed to each other.
"Let's have a good match! Let's have a good match!"
────────── ✦ ──────────
Oikawa called out, "Yo, Kageyama, I'm really looking forward to finally beating you, the 'genius setter.' Don't let me down!"
Kageyama replied, "We'll win..."
"We won't lose!"
Before Kageyama could finish, a small figure suddenly jumped out and shouted at Oikawa.
Oikawa froze.
"Dummy Hinata, don't copy me..." Kageyama scolded, then turned seriously to Akashi's direction. "And you, Akashi, I'll definitely beat you today."
"Me too! Me too! Me too!"
Hinata popped out again, jumping around like a monkey in front of Kageyama.
Kageyama growled, "I said, dummy, don't interrupt me!"
Bam!
An angry vein popped on Kageyama's temple as he punched Hinata on the forehead.
Akashi, watching from across the net, said, "Uh... you two seem pretty close."
"What? We're not close!"
"What? We're not close!"
Both voices said simultaneously, then Hinata got punched again by Kageyama.
Finally, the world was a little quieter.
"We're winning today!" Kageyama said firmly.
"Yeah! I'm looking forward to your performance!" Akashi said with a smile.
────────── ✦ ──────────
Note:Just a quick note about Aoba Johsai's formation in this story. In real volleyball, teams typically avoid putting two middle blockers in the front row at the same time, which can leave gaps in defense. But since this is a manga-style fanfic, it sometimes lean into a bit of artistic exaggeration. Realism takes a backseat to character dynamics and storytelling when needed.
Also, Aoba Johsai's lineup here is intentionally a bit unconventional. There's no designated opposite hitter, and while Oikawa is the setter, he plays more like an all-rounder. When libero Watari rotates to the front row, Hanamaki or Kunimi usually sub in, so for about half the match, they're running either a three-hitter-two-middle setup, or sometimes even three middles and two hitters alongside the setter.
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