The air around Miyagi Prefectural Gymnasium felt alive.Not just alive — charged, like the moment before a thunderstorm, except instead of lightning, there were thousands of screaming voices.
From the outside, the place looked like a festival, not a volleyball venue. Black-and-orange flags waved in the breeze, fans wearing crow masks hopped and cawed in unison, and somewhere in the chaos, a brass band was blasting a ridiculously off-key rendition of Karasuno's school song.
The teal-and-white section for Aoba Johsai was there too… but they were badly outnumbered. It wasn't even close. For every Oikawa banner, there were ten giant cardboard cutouts of Akira grinning in demon mode or Hinata mid-flight.
Izume and Aya had prime seats courtside, mics clipped to their hoodies, their phones mounted on stabilizers.
"You're live to 3.8 million people," Aya said, glancing at the viewer counter. "We might break four mil before the first serve."
"Four million?!" Izume gasped, whipping her camera toward the Karasuno bench. "Chat! Look at them! The chaos gremlins are ready! Hinata is literally vibrating like a blender!"
The comment section exploded.
"MY CROWS!!""OIKAWA WHO?? DEMON MODE SUPREMACY!""KAGEYAMA SMILE CHALLENGE 2025 — FAILED""Tanaka marry me 🖤"
Aya zoomed in on Akira stretching. "Chat, he just winked at the camera."The viewer count spiked instantly.
The announcer's voice boomed, but it was almost drowned by the crowd.
"Introducing… KARASUNO HIGH SCHOOL!"
The stands erupted.It wasn't applause. It was a wall of sound, the kind of deafening cheer that made the floor vibrate.Confetti cannons went off in the Karasuno section. A kid in the upper stands fired an orange smoke flare (security was not pleased).
Daichi led the team out, looking both proud and slightly terrified. Hinata bounced along like his sneakers were spring-loaded. Nishinoya was waving to fans like he was on a parade float. Tanaka tore his warm-up jacket off mid-walk, flexed to the crowd, and nearly tripped over a cameraman.
Akira?He walked out like a rockstar — casual smirk, slow pace, one earbud still in, high-fiving fans as if he had all the time in the world.
When the announcer called for Aoba Johsai, their teal wave of fans screamed back, but the Karasuno side drowned them out instantly with a synchronized "KARA-SU-NO! KARA-SU-NO!" chant that rattled the rafters.
Oikawa stepped out smiling his perfect captain smile… but when he glanced toward Izume, she was holding up a handmade sign:"MY FAVORITE BROTHER ISN'T YOU 💖"
Akira saw it.Akira laughed.Oikawa's smile twitched.
Even during warm-ups, the noise didn't die down.
Karasuno's side went full theater.Hinata and Kageyama pulled off three perfect quicks in a row, each greeted by a roar.Nishinoya practiced rolling saves unnecessarily close to the sideline photographers just to get cheers.Tanaka was chest-bumping random teammates for no reason.
Meanwhile, Aoba Johsai ran their textbook-perfect drills — crisp, efficient, utterly ignored by 70% of the gym. Their fans were loud, but every rally was punctuated by Karasuno's section yelling "BOOOORING!" like hecklers at a comedy club.
Aya: "Chat, Karasuno's already in their heads. Look at Seijoh's libero — he's glancing over here every five seconds."
Izume: "That's because Noya's been blowing him kisses."
The stream chat was chaos.
"LOONEY TOONS ENERGY BACK AT IT""OIKAWA LOOKS LIKE HE'S ABOUT TO SNAP""PLEASE TELL ME DEMON MODE IS COMING OUT TODAY""Aya marry me"
Aya ignored the last one and panned across the sea of black-and-orange.
"They've completely taken over," she said. "Seventy-five percent Karasuno fans, easy."
Just before the first serve, Akira and Oikawa met at the net.
"Hope you enjoyed the fame," Oikawa said under the roar of the crowd. "It ends today."
Akira tilted his head, smiled too wide, and replied,"Oh, Tōru… it's just beginning."
The whistle blew.The crowd's roar rose again — but this time, it was all Karasuno.