The next morning, Karasuno's gym wasn't buzzing with the sound of volleyballs.Instead, it was buzzing with the sound of laughter, groans, and the occasional "What the hell happened yesterday?"
Tanaka, sprawled on the floor like a soldier post-battle, groaned, "My soul left my body somewhere between Hinata's circle run and Akira's serve feint…"
Noya, crouched behind the ball cart, clutched his chest in mock agony. "And it never came back."
By the time the sun had risen, Miyagi's high school volleyball forums were on fire. Someone had uploaded a ten-minute highlight reel titled: Karasuno vs Johzenji – CHAOS DERBY (Full Anarchy Version). It already had over twenty thousand views, and the comments section was a battlefield of disbelief.— "What was that? A volleyball match or an unscripted comedy skit???"— "10/10 would watch again. Someone get Karasuno a Netflix deal."— "I think I saw the libero teleport."
On Twitter, the top trending tag was #ChaosDerby, followed closely by #SilverDemon for Akira and #FlyingShrimp for Hinata.
In the stands immediately after the match, reactions had been mixed but loud. A Johzenji parent was overheard laughing, "Honestly, I don't even care we lost — that was worth the ticket price." A group of first-years from other schools had started chanting "CHA-OS! CHA-OS!" in rhythm, and by the time Karasuno was bowing, half the gym had joined in.
Later that afternoon, at the convenience store near school, Akira found himself cornered by a group of Seijoh players — Oikawa front and center, Iwaizumi at his side."What the hell was that match?" Oikawa asked, deadpan."Performance art," Akira replied with a grin. "You wouldn't get it.""Performance art doesn't usually involve shutting down your opponent by confusing the laws of physics," Iwaizumi muttered.From behind them, Izumi — munching on a popsicle — chimed in, "Don't be salty, Oikawa. My favorite brother's allowed to win however he wants.""You're an awful little sister," Oikawa sighed."And yet, still your sister. Tragic," she shot back without missing a beat.
Johzenji's captain had posted on social media the night before: "We may have lost, but we made the court our playground. Karasuno just… played on the playground better." He'd attached a photo of the teams fist-bumping, captioned: 'Respect the Chaos'.
Back in Karasuno's clubroom, Daichi was reading aloud from the local paper: "…in what is now being referred to by fans as the 'Chaos Derby,' Karasuno displayed unorthodox tactics, remarkable adaptation, and an ability to weaponize unpredictability…"Tanaka burst out laughing. "Weaponize unpredictability? That's the fanciest way to say 'we went nuts' I've ever heard."Ukai leaned against the wall, smirking. "That's the point. You don't fight Johzenji's chaos by controlling it. You fight it by beating them at their own game.""Coach!" Hinata raised his hand like a kid in class. "Can we make Chaos Mode a regular thing?""Please don't," Tsukishima said without looking up from his phone.
By evening, other Miyagi teams were already messaging each other in alarm. "We have to be ready for that Karasuno.""How do you train against chaos?""Do they even practice that, or is it just random?"At the Sendai gym, Shiratorizawa's captain Ushijima read the headline in his usual monotone. "Chaos Derby."Tendou grinned like a shark. "Ohhh, I'm looking forward to this."
As the day wound down, Akira, Hinata, and Izumi walked home together. Hinata was practically bouncing. "We're gonna be legends! CHAOS LEGENDS!"Akira smirked, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Careful, legends get hunted."Izumi skipped ahead, turning to walk backward so she could face them. "Then I'll make sure you two don't get taken down. Big sister protection package — free of charge.""You're younger than me," Akira reminded her."Technicality," she said, spinning back around.
The streetlights flickered on, and the faint echo of the crowd's chant — CHA-OS! — still seemed to linger in the air. Karasuno had won more than a match. They'd made noise, and the whole prefecture was listening.