Ryosuke charged straight into Keigo Atobe's arms. The moment Sakusa saw it, he nearly ground his teeth to pieces. He hadn't even gotten to hug Ryosuke yet. Damn it!
Keigo Atobe finally got his wish and wrapped his arms around his soft, sweet-smelling little brother, then buried his face against him and took a deep breath.
Sakusa's eyebrows twitched at the sight. He couldn't help wondering if Keigo Atobe was completely obsessed with his little brother.
Keigo Atobe squeezed Ryosuke so tightly that he could barely breathe. Ushijima was the first to notice something was wrong and quickly stepped forward to pull Ryosuke out of Keigo Atobe's arms.
"Ryosuke almost suffocated."
Ushijima stared at Keigo Atobe with a serious expression. Keigo Atobe also realized he had gotten a little carried away, so he cleared his throat and pretended nothing had happened.
Then his gaze met Sakusa's behind Ryosuke.
The instant their eyes locked, sparks seemed to crackle between them.
Keigo Atobe immediately bristled. He grabbed Ryosuke by the arm and pulled him over to his side. Ryosuke only stared at him in confusion, clearly having no idea what had just happened.
Sakusa gave a quiet snort but didn't confront Keigo Atobe directly. After all, he was still Ryosuke's older brother, and with Ryosuke standing right there, starting something would be even more inappropriate.
Keigo Atobe didn't say anything either, but his expression was terrible, his face practically radiating displeasure.
Ryosuke thoughtfully noticed that something about the atmosphere felt off, but he had no idea what. His head kept turning from left to right, then right to left, like a sunflower following the sun.
Annoyed, Keigo Atobe placed a hand on Ryosuke's constantly moving head to stop him. When he saw Sakusa's eyes fixed entirely on Ryosuke, he almost wanted to gouge them out.
Atsumu Miya and Aran watched the bizarre atmosphere from nearby, thoroughly enjoying the show.
"This is kind of like one of those love-triangle showdowns in a novel."
After watching for a while, Atsumu Miya offered his assessment.
"Really? Seems pretty normal to me. But now that you mention it, who's that guy hugging Ryosuke?"
Aran's question hit the nail on the head.
Atsumu Miya suddenly came back to his senses.
Right. Who was that guy? And why was he hugging Ryosuke like that?
Atsumu Miya didn't understand, but he was very angry.
He immediately strode over with an aggressive look, ready to demand an explanation. From Atsumu Miya's perspective, Ryosuke was currently trapped between a sour-faced clean freak and some pervert, while Ushijima was just standing there watching without even trying to stop them!
Right now, Ryosuke looked completely helpless, pitiful, and defenseless.
Well... compared to Keigo Atobe's villainous face, Ryosuke really did look like a poor little victim.
Just as Atsumu Miya started walking over, Shinsuke Kita appeared behind him as if he had teleported, grabbed him by the collar, and stopped the troublesome kid from getting involved.
Atsumu Miya turned around in utter confusion and disbelief, staring at Shinsuke Kita as if demanding to know why he was stopping him.
"Captain! Why're you holding me back?! Ryosuke's getting bullied! I'm gonna go beat them up! Didn't ya see that pervert? He actually dared to hug Ryosuke!"
Atsumu Miya wasn't entirely sure what he was feeling. All he knew was that seeing that scene made him furious.
Shinsuke Kita took a deep breath.
He could not hit a child here.
So he patiently explained.
"That person you don't recognize is Keigo Atobe. He's Ryosuke's half-brother."
"Huh?!"
The moment he heard that, Atsumu Miya whipped his head around so fast he nearly twisted his neck.
Aran's curiosity was instantly piqued as well, and he quietly crept closer to eavesdrop.
Under Atsumu Miya's questioning stare, Shinsuke Kita calmly nodded, confirming that it was all true.
Atsumu Miya's eyes immediately began darting back and forth between Keigo Atobe and Ryosuke.
The two brothers had completely different auras, but if you looked closely, their features really were quite similar.
They had the same slightly upturned peach blossom eyes and the same straight, prominent nose. And the more Atsumu Miya looked at Keigo Atobe's expression, the more familiar it seemed.
Then he suddenly slapped his forehead.
He remembered.
Wasn't that exactly what Ryosuke looked like whenever he put on a stern, serious face?
They looked practically identical.
Once Atsumu Miya realized it, he sheepishly lowered his head before muttering somewhat unhappily,
"Even if he's his older brother, he still shouldn't be doing that. Osamu Miya and I aren't like that."
Osamu Miya, who happened to be passing by, felt the corner of his mouth twitch.
They certainly weren't.
After all, how many biological brothers fought each other every single day like he and Atsumu Miya did?
Of course they were different.
Seeing that Atsumu Miya had abandoned the idea of interfering, Shinsuke Kita nodded in satisfaction and continued,
"Ryosuke's older brother is the head of the Hanyu Group in Tokyo, so you'd better not provoke him."
Shinsuke Kita spoke in an almost casual tone, as though he had no idea how shocking the words he had just said were.
"The Hanyu Group... Wait, what?! The Hanyu Group?!"
Atsumu Miya's eyes went wide, and his voice nearly cracked.
Shinsuke Kita reacted quickly and immediately covered Atsumu Miya's mouth.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Atsumu Miya struggled to pry Shinsuke Kita's hand away, but his grip was like a vise. He couldn't break free at all.
Osamu Miya didn't shout, but he was hardly calm either. His gaze drifted toward Keigo Atobe in the distance.
Aran was equally stunned.
The entire group fell into a strange silence, aside from Atsumu Miya, who was still making incomprehensible noises behind Shinsuke Kita's hand.
Hoshiumi curiously leaned over.
"What's this about the Hanyu Group? Ryosuke's older brother?"
Shinsuke Kita gently ruffled Hoshiumi's hair before explaining.
"The Hanyu Group controls most of Tokyo's oil and mineral industries, and they have investments in plenty of other fields too, including real estate, electronics, and sporting goods. You could say the Hanyu Group has a hand in a large part of Tokyo's consumer economy. Even the sneakers you wear all the time, Hoshiumi, are from one of the Hanyu Group's companies."
By the time he finished, Hoshiumi's eyes had gone unfocused.
He swallowed and asked stiffly,
"So... Ryosuke's a rich kid?"
Hirugami walked up from behind, pulled Hoshiumi back, and said,
"He's more than just a rich kid. Who knows how many generations his family has been wealthy? The Hanyu family has been based in Tokyo for generations. Their ancestors were officials, and the later generations went into business."
Ever since Hirugami first met Ryosuke, he had kept wondering why Ryosuke looked so familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
It wasn't until he saw Keigo Atobe today that he finally remembered.
Keigo Atobe was a good friend of Hirugami's older brother. They used to arrange tennis matches all the time, though they didn't meet up nearly as often anymore.
After hearing Hirugami and Shinsuke Kita's explanation, everyone finally understood the relationship between that man and Ryosuke.
Kuroo and Kenma had also been listening with great interest from the side.
They didn't think the difference between Ryosuke's background and everyone else's mattered much. They were all friends who played volleyball together. Why would they care about something like that?
Kuroo, however, didn't notice that Kenma's eyes remained fixed on Keigo Atobe.
His gaze resembled that of someone who had just discovered a fascinating new toy.
Kenma stared at Keigo Atobe, lost in thought.
He had just heard Shinsuke Kita explain the Hanyu Group's position in Tokyo, and a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
He wanted to become someone like that too.
Kenma wanted to go into business.
Wealth and power were equally fascinating things.
Many years later, this chance encounter would become one of the things that shaped the future President Kenma, someone even Keigo Atobe would regard highly.
Of course, that was a story for another time.
By the time Keigo Atobe finished talking with Ryosuke, everyone had gradually gathered together.
The Shiratorizawa players seemed almost naturally suited to being the center of attention. Even when they were simply standing there, people couldn't help looking their way.
Keigo Atobe swept his gaze around the group before introducing himself.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Keigo Atobe, Ryosuke's older brother. Thank you for looking after Ryosuke during this time. These are small gifts to show my appreciation."
After speaking, Keigo Atobe clapped his hands.
While everyone was still trying to figure out what was happening, a group of people suddenly approached carrying various items. They placed everything on the ground and quickly disappeared again.
Ryosuke walked over to the gifts, rummaged through them one by one, and began handing them out while quietly muttering to himself.
"This game cartridge is Kenma's. The wristbands are... Hoshiumi-senpai's. Reon-senpai's robot vacuum, and then there's..."
Ryosuke handed out the gifts one after another without missing a beat.
He had personally chosen every single one, while Keigo Atobe had paid for them. They could be considered a small gesture of appreciation from the two brothers.
Kenma stared at the limited-edition game cartridge in his hands, his eyes practically glowing.
He had failed to get one during the preorder on the official website, then failed again when he lined up for the physical release.
He never expected Ryosuke's older brother to simply give him one.
Kenma rarely showed much emotion, but right now he was visibly delighted.
At the same time, it strengthened his resolve.
Someday, he was definitely going to become rich.
Osamu Miya held the sneakers in his hands with a dazed expression.
He really envied Ryosuke.
At that moment, Osamu Miya had only one thought.
He wanted to trade older brothers with Ryosuke!
As an older brother, Keigo Atobe fulfilled every fantasy Osamu Miya had ever had about what an older brother should be like.
Then he looked over at Atsumu Miya, who was grinning stupidly at his own sneakers.
Osamu Miya really didn't want to admit that this guy was his older brother.
Atsumu Miya, meanwhile, had no idea what Osamu Miya was thinking.
Even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. It wasn't as though the two of them could go back and be remade from scratch.
Once all the gifts had been handed out, everyone decided to go out for dinner.
They had come all the way to Tokyo, so of course they had to experience some of the city's excitement.
With Ushijima leading the way, the whole group headed out together.
They chose a sushi restaurant that was apparently quite famous in Tokyo and had been recommended by plenty of people.
In the end, they were still just a group of teenagers, so naturally they were curious about anything new.
By the time the large group finally reached the sushi restaurant, evening had already fallen, and everyone was starving.
Keigo Atobe and Reon naturally took on the roles of the group's guardians.
Keigo Atobe was responsible for Ryosuke, while Reon handled everyone else.
Atsumu Miya was so hungry by then that he felt weak. He lay motionless across the table like a stuffed toy whose batteries had suddenly died.
One moment he had been functioning, the next he was completely out of power.
Shinsuke Kita sighed when he saw Atsumu Miya looking so lifeless, then went outside and bought a small rice ball.
Otherwise, by the time the food arrived, Atsumu Miya might have starved to death.
The instant Shinsuke Kita returned carrying the rice ball, Atsumu Miya looked at him as though he were looking at a god.
Atsumu Miya stared at Shinsuke Kita eagerly.
Beside him, Osamu Miya pretended not to care while secretly glancing in Shinsuke Kita's direction, like a little fox pretending it wasn't interested in being fed by its owner.
Then, as if performing a magic trick, Shinsuke Kita produced a second rice ball and placed both of them in front of the Miya twins.
The brothers exchanged a glance, reached out at exactly the same moment, grabbed their rice balls, and began wolfing them down while competing to see who could finish first.
To Reon, the scene looked exactly like a family of three.
At some point, Kenma and Ryosuke had ended up sitting together.
Both held Switches in their hands and curled up motionlessly in their seats, their heads resting against each other.
Tsutomu Goshiki and Hoshiumi had somehow started hanging out together too.
The two of them whispered back and forth about who knew what. More accurately, Tsutomu Goshiki did most of the talking while Hoshiumi listened.
Hoshiumi wore an extremely serious expression as he listened, occasionally nodding as though they were discussing some major issue.
In reality, Tsutomu Goshiki was only telling him gossip.
The more they talked, the more invested they both became.
Tendo and Suna naturally sat together.
On the court, they looked ready to kill each other. Off the court, however, the two sat side by side holding cups of tea and somehow looked surprisingly harmonious.
Maybe it was the mutual understanding between blockers.
Come to think of it, Hirugami was a blocker too, so logically he should have joined Tendo and Suna's little tea gathering.
Surprisingly, though, Hirugami had chosen to sit at the adults' table instead.
Keigo Atobe sat to Ushijima's left, Shinsuke Kita to his right, and Hirugami directly across from him.
Kuroo lazily fiddled with the chopsticks on the table, while Reon watched everyone from nearby with a strangely satisfied expression.
When Shirabu happened to catch sight of Reon's face, he genuinely couldn't understand what Reon was so pleased about.
Even while sitting beside Ushijima, Keigo Atobe kept shooting knife-like glances toward Sakusa in the far corner.
Sakusa sat there with resentment in his eyes, staring pitifully in Ryosuke's direction.
Ryosuke was surrounded by germs.
That fact alone was already difficult enough for Sakusa to tolerate.
In the past, Sakusa felt like he could endure it.
He could accept the risk of being contaminated by germs and sit beside Ryosuke anyway, if only to make sure Ryosuke noticed him.
But now that clearly wasn't possible.
Keigo Atobe kept watching that side of the room. No matter how bold Sakusa was, even he didn't dare move closer.
Keigo Atobe was Ryosuke's older brother, after all.
Thinking about the long term, Sakusa decided it was better not to take the risk for now.
After another wait, the food finally arrived.
Plate after plate of sushi was brought to the tables, and everyone's cups were filled with barley tea.
Everyone stopped what they were doing, gathered properly around the tables, and raised their cups almost at the same time.
"Here's to Shiratorizawa making the Final Four! Cheers!"
Reon smiled as he raised his cup toward everyone.
Haruki Komi and Hoshiumi immediately looked toward Atsumu Miya.
Sure enough, just as they expected, Atsumu Miya was pouting with obvious reluctance.
Shinsuke Kita, who had been looking down at his cup, lifted his head and gave Atsumu Miya a warning look.
Atsumu Miya instantly understood what that meant and quickly raised his cup.
Getting provoked by his opponent was incredibly irritating, at least, Atsumu Miya was convinced this counted as provocation.
But under Shinsuke Kita's gaze, he didn't dare cause trouble.
His life or his pride.
Even an idiot knew which one to choose.
...
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