The referee's whistle cut sharply through the murmuring gym, pulling every eye to the center court.
Karasuno's lineup stepped onto the polished floor in their black-and-orange uniforms.
Starting Six:
Wing Spiker (Left): Akira Oikawa – 1st Year
Opposite Hitter: Ryunosuke Tanaka – 2nd Year
Middle Blockers: Shoyo Hinata – 1st Year, Kei Tsukishima – 1st Year
Setter: Tobio Kageyama – 1st Year
Opposite/All-Rounder: Daichi Sawamura – 3rd Year
Libero: Yu Nishinoya – 2nd Year (already buzzing in the back court)
Across the net, Aoba Johsai's starting six assembled without their captain. Yahaba was taking the setter role for now, Kindaichi and Kunimi were ready up front, and their libero Watari was bouncing lightly on his toes.
The absence of Toru Oikawa was noticeable—not in silence, but in the way the Seijoh fans kept glancing toward the bench. The captain sat with his knee wrapped, a casual smile on his face, like this was just another practice session.
Akira spotted him instantly. Even without trying, his gaze kept drifting back.Not today, huh? he thought. Guess I'll have to wait.
0–0Yahaba opened with serve—steady but not dangerous. Nishinoya's platform was already in place before the ball crossed the net.
"Nice receive!"
Kageyama's set was lightning-fast to Hinata, who was already mid-jump before the blockers even reacted. The ball slammed down.
1–0.
3–1 KarasunoAkira's first touch of the match came after a long rally—Kunimi's sharp angle saved by Daichi, Nishinoya diving to keep it alive, and Kageyama spotting Akira on the outside.
The set was tight, almost too close to the net, but Akira leaned in, twisting his shoulders to send a cross-court bullet to the far line.
"Point—Karasuno!"
From the bench, Oikawa clapped lazily. It was impossible to tell if it was genuine encouragement or just mocking applause. Akira smirked to himself.
5–3 KarasunoSeijoh's Yahaba tried to fake a quick to Kindaichi, but Tsukishima wasn't buying it. His long arms sealed the block, the ball dropping like a stone.
Tsukishima turned to Akira with a smirk.
"Guess they're already running out of ideas."
Akira replied without missing a beat.
"Or maybe they're saving the real plays for when my brother gets in."
Tsukishima just raised an eyebrow.
"Cocky much?"
8–5 Karasuno – First Technical TimeoutThe whistle blew for the timeout, and Karasuno jogged to the bench. Hinata was bouncing like he'd just downed an energy drink, Tanaka was yelling "YOSHA!" loud enough to make the first-years wince, and Kageyama was quietly muttering about serve accuracy.
Akira sat down, took a sip from his bottle, and glanced over again. His brother was leaning forward now, talking to Yahaba and Kunimi. Even from here, Akira knew that tone—Toru was setting up something, even from the bench.
Guess I'll keep racking up points until you decide to face me.
The whistle blew, ending the timeout. Karasuno broke from the huddle with renewed energy. Kageyama stepped back to serve—expression unreadable, jaw set.
8–5Thwack!The ball rocketed over the net, a low, fast bullet that forced Watari to sprawl forward. The receive popped too high and too close to the net—Kunimi had no choice but to tip it over.
Akira was already there. His arms rose, fingers sealing over the net, and the ball dropped untouched onto Seijoh's court.
"Nice block, Oikawa!" Nishinoya yelled, grinning.
Akira only shrugged, though inside he noted the flicker in his brother's eyes from across the court.
10–6 KarasunoThe next rally was chaos—Tanaka's serve, a frantic Seijoh scramble, and Kindaichi finally smashing one toward the corner. Nishinoya slid in, keeping it alive. Kageyama's hands were up instantly.
"Hinata!"
The orange blur was already airborne. The set zipped into his hands mid-jump—so fast the blockers didn't even leave the ground before the ball smacked the floor.
The Seijoh crowd murmured. You could hear it—What was that?
Akira just smirked to himself. Super quicks, huh? Interesting weapon.
12–7 KarasunoTsukishima rotated to the front, and Akira ended up in the back row. But even from there, his impact didn't drop. Yahaba tried to test him with a deep serve; Akira's pass floated perfectly into Kageyama's hands.
The rally stretched—Tanaka went cross-court, Watari dug it, Kunimi countered, Daichi picked it up, and back-and-forth it went. Finally, Hinata swung hard down the line, and the ball grazed the sideline for the point.
14–8 KarasunoOn the next point, Akira's serve clipped the net tape and dropped just behind the attack line. Seijoh froze for half a second—just long enough for it to touch the floor.
The Karasuno bench erupted. Tanaka yelled,
"Net luck, baby!"
Akira only offered a lazy grin.
"Planned it," he deadpanned.
Even Kageyama cracked a tiny smirk at that.
16–8 Karasuno – Second Technical TimeoutKarasuno jogged back to the bench. The momentum was entirely theirs now—Seijoh's attacks looked cautious, their rhythm uneven without Oikawa's touch.
Hinata flopped onto the seat next to Akira, still panting.
"Man, these guys are strong but… something's missing."
Akira's eyes slid back to the bench where Toru Oikawa sat, one leg crossed over the other, still smiling faintly.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Don't worry. You'll feel it when he's here."
Hinata tilted his head.
"You sound like you're looking forward to it."
Akira's grin widened just a fraction.
"I am."