The air inside the gym was already buzzing before the whistle even thought about blowing. Johzenji's squad had burst in like they were entering a festival instead of a tournament match — jerseys slightly untucked, hair styles all over the place, half of them laughing at an inside joke while the other half were trying to spin a volleyball on their fingers.
"They… don't look like they're here to play volleyball," Nishinoya whispered, staring like he'd just spotted a wild animal doing parkour.
Kageyama frowned. "No, they look like they're here to start a street performance."
On Karasuno's bench, Ukai was already massaging his temples. "They are volleyball players, right? I'm not about to coach a match against a dance troupe, am I?"
"Could go either way," Takeda-sensei offered helpfully.
From the stands, the noise was deafening. Fans from all over Miyagi had shown up for this match because Johzenji's "play like it's a festival" style was infamous. The rumor was they could be losing by ten points and still find a way to turn the game into a circus.
Oikawa, sitting with a group from Aoba Johsai, leaned over to Izumi. "Better hope your precious Akira can handle this kind of mess."
Izumi, in a Karasuno scarf that matched her sharp grin, shot back, "Oh, I'm not worried. Akira's the king of turning chaos into an art form. You should be worried Johzenji survives it."
Oikawa groaned. "Always taking his side…"
"Of course," Izumi said without hesitation, "he's more fun than you."
That earned a bark of laughter from Iwaizumi, who leaned in from the next seat over. "Izumi-chan, don't hold back, we love this."
Down on court, the ref's whistle blew for lineups.
The announcer's voice rang out:"Starting lineup for Karasuno High — Setter: Tobio Kageyama! Middle Blocker: Shōyō Hinata! Wing Spiker: Akira Tōru! Wing Spiker: Asahi Azumane! Middle Blocker: Kei Tsukishima! Opposite: Ryūnosuke Tanaka! Libero: Yū Nishinoya!"
The Karasuno side of the crowd roared.
Johzenji's announcement was just as loud — their players responded with goofy poses and over-the-top handshakes, one of them pretending to moonwalk to his spot.
Hinata's eyes sparkled. "Kageyama, they look fun!"
Kageyama's scowl deepened. "They look stupid."
"Stupid fun," Hinata corrected.
Akira tilted his head, smirking as he scanned Johzenji's side. "Nah… they're dangerous."
Tanaka blinked. "Dangerous? They look like clowns!"
"Exactly," Akira said, his grin widening. "Clowns can be unpredictable."
As the players lined up for the first rally, Johzenji's captain leaned across the net, grinning at Akira. "We heard about you — the holy wall guy, right? Think you can block fun?"
Akira chuckled low, almost predator-like. "Think you can spike through a holy wall?"
From the stands, Izumi was bouncing in her seat. "Ohhh, he's in his trash-talk mode!"
Oikawa crossed his arms. "Great, here we go. If he starts smirking like that in the first minute, it means he's gonna be impossible to deal with all match."
"Good," Izumi said. "I want impossible."
The whistle blew.The match was on.