By the end of October, the weather had already grown chilly.
Right after the match, everyone quickly changed into their tracksuits and wiped off their sweat. No one wanted to risk catching a cold—not with the finals tomorrow.
As they exited through the players' aisle, Karasuno's supporters who had rushed over to greet them crowded into the corridor.
"You guys were amazing! Ryuu, that was a beautiful hit! Even though you weren't in the third set, you were so cool in the first two!"
Saeko-nee was the first to speak, and before she even finished, her fist landed squarely on Tanaka's chest.
"Pfft—Sis, take it easy! I'm glad you came to cheer, but don't keep calling me by my name—it's embarrassing!"
Tanaka rubbed at his chest with a pained look, but it was obvious his sister wasn't listening. Sure enough, after praising him, she turned her attention to the others.
"Yu, Hayato—you guys were awesome too!"
"Yu, you were super cool today. I was mesmerized by how many times you saved the ball!"
"Thank you very much, Sister!"
For some reason, Nishinoya always called her just "Sister," but since Saeko didn't mind, no one else bothered to comment. Grinning ear to ear, he practically glowed under her praise.
"Hayato, you also played really well! I was so nervous when the first two sets tied… thank goodness that last ball decided it, or my heart wouldn't have survived."
"Thank you, Saeko-nee. Though honestly, I don't think I played that well today. I'll keep working hard."
Saeko gave his shoulder a firm pat. "You're too polite. You're Tanaka's good friend, and you've been over to our house plenty of times. To me, you're all like little brothers. Relax."
Hayato smiled softly and nodded in thanks, his earlier excitement settling into calm.
Koyuki, who had been chatting with Kiyoko, bounced over to Hayato next.
"Hayato, you were amazing today! That jump serve—whoosh—it looked so powerful from the stands! And that sound when it was received—so scary, I thought my heart was going to stop! And then—"
Hayato couldn't help but laugh at her breathless chatter. How could such a small girl manage to talk so much without pausing?
Meanwhile, Koyuki's friend, Sarawatari Yuki, walked straight up to Asahi. The sudden approach surprised him; they'd only gotten to know each other a little at the summer festival. Daichi and Sugawara, however, immediately noticed—and the looks on their faces clearly said, this should be interesting.
"Uh, Sarawatari-san?" Asahi blinked, uncertain.
Standing side by side, the 185cm bearded third-year and the petite 160cm first-year looked like an unlikely pair—like a delinquent uncle being confronted by a high school girl. Daichi and Sugawara struggled to hold back their laughter.
"Azumane-senpai, is your back okay?"
"Huh? How did you—"
Asahi froze mid-sentence, realizing what she must have noticed.
Sure enough, Daichi and Sugawara's smiles vanished as they hurried over.
"Asahi, your back's injured?" Daichi demanded.
"It's from when you hit the bench saving that ball, isn't it?" Sugawara didn't wait for an answer—he simply walked around behind Asahi and lifted his shirt.
A dark bruise, roughly the size of a fist, marred his lower back.
"Honestly—why didn't you say anything?!" Sugawara snapped.
Daichi's expression hardened. "Asahi…"
"I-It's not a big deal. We've got the finals tomorrow, and I didn't want to—"
"No excuses," Daichi cut him off sharply. He knew exactly what Asahi was trying to do: hide it so he could still play.
"Even if it's minor, you can't keep this from us. Wait here, I'll get the first-aid kit from Kiyoko."
"W-Wait, Daichi—"
But it was too late. Daichi was already striding toward Kiyoko.
Left behind, Asahi turned a pained look on Yuki as if to say, why'd you have to bring it up…
"Azumane-senpai," Yuki said firmly, "if you're injured, you have to speak up. Otherwise, you won't be the only one who regrets it."
She went on to explain how she'd once hidden an injury during a cheerleading competition in junior high. By the time her friend Koyuki found out, it had gotten worse, and Koyuki cried for hours. That regret had never left her.
Asahi and Sugawara fell silent. They both knew she was right. If Asahi pushed himself tomorrow and made it worse, it wouldn't just be his regret to bear—it would affect the whole team.
By the time Daichi returned with Kiyoko and the first-aid kit, Asahi had lowered his head in apology.
"Come on, Shimizu brought pain relief spray and patches. Let's treat it quickly."
Of course, the moment his shirt was lifted, the others noticed and quickly gathered.
"What's going on?"
"Azumane-senpai, are you injured?!"
"It's from that save, isn't it?"
Soon, the whole team was clustered around him. Relief spread through them when they saw it wasn't too serious, but even so, a lower back injury could be painful with even the slightest movement. Everyone realized just how much Asahi had endured to keep playing.
"Asahi, you won't be playing tomorrow," Ukai said firmly.
Asahi opened his mouth to protest, but Daichi and Sugawara immediately cut him off, echoing Ukai's decision. They knew better than anyone—it wasn't worth risking a lasting injury.
Reluctantly, Asahi nodded, frustration written all over his face.
Watching him, Hayato sighed inwardly. So Daichi's accident has shifted to Asahi this time? This must be the world-line's way of correcting itself…
He thought back to how Hinata collapsed with a fever during Nationals in the original timeline. Now, things were changing. Hinata was healthier, stronger. But if fate insisted on balance, would someone else bear the cost instead?
Hayato bit back his thoughts. There would be time to worry about fate later.
For now, one thing mattered most:
Tomorrow, Karasuno would face Shiratorizawa.
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