The tail end of the pigeon disaster was still playing out. A particularly bold one strutted right past Akira's sneakers to steal a final chip from the bag on the bench."...They're fearless," Hinata muttered, watching it go."Because they know you won't win a fight with them," Kenma said flatly without looking up from his game.
That's when the shadows fell over them.
"Well, well, if it isn't Karasuno's little miracle crew," Futakuchi's voice came, dripping with fake cheer. The smirk on his face was the kind of thing that made you want to wipe it off with a ball to the head.
Behind him stood Aone, quiet as a monolith, and a few more Date Tech players. They all had that "we're here to start something" energy.
"Shouldn't you be, I dunno… training?" Futakuchi asked, glancing at the chips. "Or are you in the middle of your new pigeon defense drills?"A snicker went through his teammates. One of them added, "Might help you block something for once, Hinata."
Hinata instantly puffed up like a cat whose tail got stepped on. "Hey! I can block!""Sure, sure," Futakuchi said. "And Akira—" His smirk sharpened as he shifted his attention to the silver-haired wing spiker lounging against the bench. "—we've heard a lot about your so-called 'holy wall.' Maybe it's only good against teams that aren't us?"
That last part hit just right. Kenma glanced sideways at Akira, as if silently measuring whether this was about to turn ugly.Akira's posture didn't change at first. He just raised his eyes lazily, gaze flat and unamused. "…You want to see if it's real?"
Futakuchi spread his arms. "Four on four. Our side, your side. Unless, of course, you're scared the Iron Wall might crack you instead."
Kenma looked back down at his Switch. "I'm not playing.""You are," Akira said, voice low."...Fine," Kenma sighed.
The net went up on the old park court. Akira rolled his shoulders once, the lazy warmth draining from his face like someone had flicked a switch. His steps sharpened, his eyes locked in—no more softness.
Date Tech's side was cocky in warm-up, shouting across the net."Hey Karasuno! You better pray we don't make Hinata serve!""Think the holy wall can stop Aone? Doubt it!"
First serve. Kenma set. Akira launched.
The sound of the spike was violent. The ball ripped past Futakuchi's ear and slammed so hard into the court it bounced halfway back to the net. The smirk evaporated.
Second rally—Akira again. This time, he challenged Aone's block head-on, palms smashing the ball straight down through his hands. Aone actually blinked, a rare flicker of surprise crossing his face.
Third rally—Akira faked a full swing, then tipped the ball just over the Iron Wall's fingertips, letting it drop inches from the line."Three–zero," Kuroo called with a grin from the back. "You sure you want to keep this up?"
By 5–0, the taunts had stopped completely. By 8–0, you could feel the tension shift from cocky to oh no. Akira didn't just hit hard—he hunted for weaknesses like a predator circling prey.
Hinata kept begging for a set. "Kenma! Set to me!"Kenma didn't even look at him. "Not in this match."
On the sideline, Tanaka and Nishinoya had shown up, both wide-eyed."Akira's gone full demon," Nishinoya whispered."Date Tech's gonna need therapy after this," Tanaka muttered back.
Final score: 15–2. The last point was Akira stuffing Futakuchi so hard the ball rebounded past the midline.
Akira landed, looked right at Date Tech, and said evenly, "Your wall's full of holes."
They left without another word.
The ball rolled to a stop at the far end of the court. No one on Date Tech's side went to get it. They were too busy processing what had just happened.
Aone, ever stoic, simply stood there, hands still raised, as if unsure whether the match had actually ended. Futakuchi's smirk was long gone—replaced by a very quiet, very concentrated jaw clench.
Kuroo clapped his hands once. "Well… that was fun. Anyone else hungry?""Starving," Akira said flatly, already turning away like he hadn't just vaporized an entire defensive lineup.
Futakuchi finally spoke, voice low. "Don't think this is over. We'll see you again… and next time, that wall won't break."Akira didn't even glance back. "Next time, build a better one."
Hinata jogged up to Akira's side, glaring. "Why didn't Kenma set to me?! I could've scored!"Kenma was walking behind them, Switch already back in his hands. "Not against them. Not today.""What's that supposed to mean?!" Hinata barked."It means…" Akira started, smirking faintly, "I wanted this one clean.""You're saying I'd mess it up?!" Hinata practically vibrated in frustration.
Nishinoya and Tanaka caught up, both trying (and failing) to keep a straight face."Man, Hinata, you got benched in a four-on-four. That's rough.""Hey, I didn't get benched! I was strategically un-set-to!" Hinata yelled back.Tanaka nodded mock-seriously. "Yeah, sounds way better."
From behind them, one of Date Tech's guys called out, "Hey! You Karasuno guys act all tough now, but I hear there's someone on your team who's afraid to face us."The group stopped.Akira turned halfway. "…Who?""You'll find out," Futakuchi said with a small, knowing grin. "Tell him the Iron Wall's waiting."
There was a moment of silence. Hinata looked between Akira and Kuroo, clearly confused. "Who are they talking about?"Akira's smirk sharpened. "…We'll see soon enough."
They left the court, the sound of Futakuchi's muttered "we'll break them next time" trailing after them.
As they walked through the park, the pigeon squad from earlier reappeared, fluttering down around the bench where Akira had left the empty chip bag. One bold bird hopped onto the net post and stared right at Hinata."Oh no," he muttered.The entire flock erupted into a chaotic chase, scattering the group in every direction, Kenma somehow managing to sidestep without pausing his game.
When they finally regrouped at the gate, Hinata was still grumbling. "Next time, I'm scoring."Akira gave him a sideways glance, that lazy warmth creeping back in now that the match was over. "Next time, you better earn it."