The whistle wasn't even close to blowing, yet the court was already alive with energy.
The Karasuno players stood in their warm-up line, their black-and-orange uniforms bright under the lights.
On court today for Karasuno:
Wing Spiker (OH) – Akira (silver hair, lazy smile, terrifying when serious)Opposite Hitter (OPP) – Ryūnosuke Tanaka (buzzcut, ready to fight the air if needed)Middle Blocker (MB) – Shōyō Hinata (short, bright orange, practically vibrating with excitement)Middle Blocker (MB) – Kei Tsukishima (tall, glasses, already smirking at the opponents)Setter (S) – Tobio Kageyama (sharp eyes, completely locked in)Libero (L) – Yū Nishinoya (short king, wild hair, already shadow-diving)Captain & Opposite Hitter (OPP) – Daichi Sawamura (calm but radiating authority)
On the bench:Sugawara (vice-captain, second coach mode), Asahi (quietly hyped, fists clenched), Kiyoko (manager, unshakably composed), Aya (assistant manager, visibly fired up).
Across the net, Nekoma's crimson uniforms moved with their trademark feline sharpness:
Setter – Kenma Kozume (blonde streaks, sleepy eyes but watching everything)Captain & Middle Blocker – Kuroo Tetsurō (messy black hair, grin that says "I'm gonna read you like a book")Wing Spiker – Yaku Morisuke (libero in spirit, defensive mastermind)Wing Spiker – Fukunaga Shōhei (deadpan expression hiding chaos)Middle Blocker – Kai Nobuyuki (calm, stable presence)Opposite Hitter – Shibayama Yūki (fast and scrappy)Libero – Yaku officially, but they rotate in tight defensive formations.
Nekoma's bench:The rest of their rotation, plus their assistant coach shuffling notes and their head coach Nekomata standing with that ever-knowing catlike smirk.
The stands were a colorful mess — Karasuno alumni, Nekoma graduates, even a cluster of Aoba Johsai players
Yamaguchi sat with the managers in the front row of the bench, trying not to get too nervous. Aya, meanwhile, looked like she was about to start pacing like a coach herself.
Kuroo smirked across the net at Akira. "Ready to give us a good time, pretty boy?"Akira tilted his head lazily. "You'll have to work for it, bedhead."
Hinata, already bouncing, whispered to Kageyama, "Why does it feel like there's a storm coming?"Kageyama didn't look away from Kenma. "Because it's Nekoma."
From the sidelines, Coach Ukai clapped his hands. "Alright Karasuno — remember, this isn't just about winning. This is about showing them who we are."
The crowd roared as the teams took their positions.The air was heavy — not with dread, but with that fierce, electric anticipation that only came before a clash of rivals.
And somewhere, deep inside, Akira was waiting.Waiting for the moment when the game would force him to shed the lazy smile… and bring out the light and darkness that only volleyball could draw from him.
The crowd's hum was already deafening, but somewhere in the front row of the Aoba Johsai cluster, Oikawa Tooru was making himself heard over all of it.
He leaned back in his seat, one leg crossed over the other, a bag of snacks in hand. "Well, well, looks like my adorable little brother is actually awake before noon," he said loudly enough for the Karasuno bench to hear. Aya stifled a laugh.
From the court, Akira lazily glanced toward the stands, silver hair catching the light. "Don't make me come up there, nii-chan," he called back, voice casual but carrying enough bite to make a few Nekoma players glance over.
Oikawa grinned wide. "Ohhh, scary. The little angel's got a bark."Aya, leaning over to Kiyoko, whispered, "So… are they always like this?"Kiyoko smiled faintly. "From what I've seen? Worse."
Iwaizumi, sitting beside Oikawa, smacked him lightly with the snack bag. "Stop distracting him, Tooru.""What? I'm motivating him," Oikawa said, still watching Akira. His voice dropped just enough for only Iwaizumi to hear. "Besides… I want to see it. The way he plays when he's serious."
On the court, Hinata looked between Akira and the loud brunet in the stands. "Wait— is that…?"Kageyama muttered, "Oikawa. His brother." Then, after a pause, "Explains a lot."
Kuroo, catching the exchange, smirked from across the net. "Family watching, huh? Guess we'll see if big brother's proud or embarrassed by the end of this."Akira just shrugged, a lazy grin still on his face. "You worry about your side of the net, bedhead."
From the sideline, Coach Ukai barked, "Karasuno! Eyes here. Focus."But he didn't miss the way Oikawa was watching — not as a rival setter anymore, but as someone who knew every quirk of Akira's game and was waiting for the moment it all came alive.
The whistle was about to blow.