"What?"
The two teammates beside him, one tall and one short, exchanged glances before suddenly laughing.
"A high school player that even you think is worth watching?"
"I don't mean you, Musashi!"
"Your standards must be slipping!"
Faced with his teammates' teasing, Mitsuda Takesa just shook his head, unfazed.
"Hmph! You've all heard of Ushijima, right?"
"Of course we have! He's been featured in Monthly Volleyball magazine!"
"Yeah, I've seen him play too!" another teammate added. "His strength is incredible!"
"But with his skill level, going up against regular high school teams should be a total mismatch."
"No," Mitsuda Takesa said with a knowing smile. "Among their opponents today, there's someone not too far behind Ushiwaka."
His teammates looked skeptical.
"That's exactly why I brought you here! Kunimura, you might learn a thing or two about being an ace."
Kunimura laughed. "A high school player worth learning from? Come on, Musashi, you must be joking."
"You two remember the exhibition match I played at Miyagi Arena, right?"
"Of course!" one of them scoffed. "You had the luck of a lifetime!"
"Yeah, getting to play against your idol, Arai-san. So jealous!"
The shorter teammate chuckled. "Ever since that match, Kunimura's been making excuses to visit Miyagi Arena, hoping for another chance to play Arai-san."
"Too bad he never showed up again!" the taller one grumbled.
Mitsuda Takesa simply smiled. "Well, hate to break it to you, but that high school player beat Arai-san."
"What... What?!" Kunimura stammered.
"You're not serious?"
"I was on his team," Mitsuda Takesa confirmed. "Saw it with my own eyes."
His teammates looked at each other, processing the shocking revelation before quickly catching up with Mitsuda Takesa.
"Arai-san lost to a high schooler?"
"Wait—was it a team loss, or was he actually outplayed one-on-one?"
"It was a direct matchup," Mitsuda Takesa said with a grin. "Of course, Arai-san wasn't at his best that day, but still, it was impressive."
Kunimura clenched his fists in excitement. "Even against an off-form Arai-san, that's still insane!"
Mitsuda Takesa then casually added, "Oh, and I heard Arai-san's coming to watch this match too."
"WHAT?!"
Kunimura practically exploded with excitement. "Musashi, you're the best teammate ever! I LOVE YOU!"
"Ugh, get off me!" Mitsuda Takesa groaned, trying to shove him away.
The shorter teammate wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead. "Wow... This guy was acting so indifferent earlier, and now look at him."
"This is classic Kunimura," the taller one chuckled.
The atmosphere in the gym felt entirely different from the morning matches.
Blue barriers had been set up, separating the courts. Camera crews moved back and forth, adjusting their equipment. There were also significantly more staff members bustling around.
"It feels different," Daichi noted as he looked around.
"It's the finals," Hinata said, practically vibrating with excitement.
Kageyama sighed. "You've been acting like this since lunch."
"If you make mistakes in the game because you're too hyped up, I'm not letting you off easy."
Ignoring them, Akira turned toward the other side of the court. "Shiratorizawa's here."
At his words, the Karasuno team instinctively turned to look.
The gym doors swung open, and the Shiratorizawa team stepped inside.
Leading them was the strongest ace in Miyagi Prefecture—Ushijima Wakatoshi.
But despite their composed exteriors, the Shiratorizawa players were still unsettled by what had transpired earlier that day.
They could still hear Washijo-sensei's words echoing in their minds from their pre-game meeting.
"Crush them!"
"Defeat Karasuno so completely that they understand the difference between weak and strong!"
Washijo-sensei glared at them fiercely.
"A strong team is a strong team! A weak team is a weak team!"
"Even if the weak improve... They will never stand at the same level as the strong!"
The room had fallen into tense silence. Then, Washijo-sensei stormed out, leaving the players alone.
After a long pause, Tendou let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew! That was intense."
He wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead. "Karasuno's mystery player must have really pissed off the old man."
"Which only means one thing," Shirabu said thoughtfully.
"Whoever they are... they're strong."
"Because Washijo-sensei wouldn't waste his time on someone weak."
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1st Bonus Chapter - 350 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter -800 Power Stones
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