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Competitive sports were war within fixed rules.
Morale was one of the key factors deciding victory or defeat.
Pushing forward against difficulty. Never giving up.
These eight words sounded simple. But truly living them required willpower and belief far beyond ordinary people's imagination.
If Aota Middle School possessed that kind of will... defeating them would be difficult for any school.
But in reality, the stronger teams usually had the firmest beliefs.
Ordinary teams just coasted along.
And so...
The strong grew stronger. The weak grew weaker.
BOOM!
Akashi Asuka swung his arm with full force. Same powerful spike as always. But this time it easily punched through the triple block, slipping between a blocker's arms and hitting the floor.
Aota's libero stood with hands hanging loosely at his sides. He watched the ball pass right beside him without moving a muscle.
TWEET!
The whistle blew.
Along with the referee's announcement.
"Match over. Sengoku Middle School versus Aota Private Middle School, score 2 to 0. Sengoku Middle School wins."
"Thank you for the match x2!"
Both teams quickly gathered at the net, lined up, and bowed to each other.
During the handshake...
Sengoku's members were naturally happy. But unexpectedly, Aota's team seemed even more cheerful.
Seeing Aota's attitude, the smiles on Sengoku's faces suddenly dimmed a little.
······
On the school bus ride back...
Everyone on Sengoku's team looked uneasy. None of them felt the excitement from yesterday's victory.
Maybe today's match was more tiring. Or maybe yesterday's win felt special because it was their first time advancing past the first round.
"Weird. We won... so why don't I feel happy at all?" Omae Masato rested his head on his hands against the seatback and suddenly spoke up.
"That's obvious. We're not country bumpkins like yesterday."
"Hahaha... you bastard. Don't tell me you're already tired?"
Omae's comment brought some life back to the bus.
Until a voice suddenly cut through the chatter... and the entire bus fell silent.
"Beating a team with no fighting spirit... there's nothing to be happy about."
The speaker was Oda Miki, the team's opposite hitter. Strangely enough, Oda Miki was probably the second-best-looking guy on the team after Akashi Asuka. Yet somehow, his presence in the volleyball club was extremely faint.
During practice matches...
Sometimes even his own teammates, including Akashi Asuka, would unconsciously forget this opposite hitter existed.
"A team that feels neither disappointment nor frustration after losing... that kind of team proves only one thing. They've never truly tried hard."
"Because they never tried hard... they can accept defeat so easily."
Oda Miki's tone was flat. No emotion colored his words. But after he spoke, everyone on the bus fell silent.
Because they finally understood why beating Aota today brought no joy.
There was only one reason.
The way Aota left the court today... looked far too much like how they used to leave matches themselves.
······
Coach Shimokawa Santo, driving the bus, had listened to Oda Miki's words from start to finish. His eyes flickered slightly.
And in the very back row, Akashi Asuka finally tasted something in those words.
'Well I'll be damned. So it was you... secretly grinding behind my back?'
······
The bus still kindly dropped everyone off at their front doors one by one.
But this time, before they got off, the coach didn't remind them to "rest well and don't train secretly."
According to regulations...
Unless it was a national-level tournament, most club activities couldn't interfere with regular classes.
Sengoku's next match wouldn't start until next weekend. That meant Akashi Asuka had five full days ahead for intensive training.
And he'd already prepared his training plan.
For the coming week...
He would focus entirely on improving his jumping ability. On the data panel, his jump stat was already hovering just below the 75 threshold. If he could break through that height barrier within a week, his attacking power would grow even stronger.
The system's data gave Akashi Asuka extremely clear direction and goals when planning.
But...
Plans looked beautiful on paper. Actual execution always came with small problems.
······
[Ding...]
[Congratulations. During holiday extra training—stair jumps—you trained twice as much as your teammates and completed a low-level grind.]
[Earned: Jump Grind Points +0.1]
······
On the park staircase...
Akashi Asuka's legs trembled as he finished the final set of stair jumps.
Two hours and forty minutes.
He'd completed twelve sets total. Five rounds per set. Excluding normal rest breaks, he averaged one set every two minutes.
This training volume was nearly triple the school's normal amount.
Yet the system's notification made one thing crystal clear: he'd barely trained twice as much as someone else.
For a moment...
Akashi Asuka shook with rage.
Could things get any worse?
Could this world have just a little more trust?
Everyone at school kept saying they'd go home to play games, watch new anime episodes...
But now you're all secretly grinding behind my back?
'Damn you, Oda Miki. Had to be you. I knew it. Back on the bus, I could tell you weren't a straightforward guy.'
Akashi Asuka ground his teeth, swearing to remember this grinding thief.
······
ACHOO!
At some outdoor volleyball court, Oda Miki sitting in the stands watching a group of adults play suddenly sneezed.
"What's wrong, Miki? Catch a cold?"
Beside him, a young man who looked about fifty to sixty percent similar to him asked with concern.
Oda Miki pinched his nose and shook his head. "I'm fine, bro. Probably just pollen from nearby."
"Pollen?"
Oda Miwa glanced at the reasonably lush flowers and grass around them. "Yeah. Be careful then. If you feel unwell later, just head home early."
"Got it, bro. You should go play. Morishita and the others will get impatient."
"Right."
Oda Miwa nodded and stood up to leave.
After his brother walked away, Oda Miki turned his attention back to the court ahead. Within his clear pupils, the entire scene slowly reflected... every single detail of the match unfolding before him...
······
(End of Chapter)