"That's enough. You two go stretch. Don't overtrain and injure yourselves," Iwaizumi said promptly when he saw that both of them were almost done.
"Yes, sir." Maple Field Taiichi and Kindaichi walked to the side of the court and began to stretch.
"Host, do you wish to end training mode?" The system's electronic voice rang out.
Oh? It's so human-like, even asking. Maple Field Taiichi silently responded in his heart. However, at that very instant, as if some invisible switch had been triggered, an unprecedented wave of fatigue surged forth like a tide, instantly sweeping over Maple Field Taiichi's entire body.
Maple Field Taiichi felt all the strength drain from his body in an instant, unable to even lift his eyelids.
They say that sports are a bond that brings people closer, and after a period of training, Kindaichi felt that he and Taiichi were already like old friends. Just as Kindaichi was immersed in the beautiful vision of fighting side-by-side for the next three years, wanting to further enhance his friendship with Taiichi, he suddenly caught sight of Taiichi, who was stretching, suddenly go limp and fall sideways.
"Taiichi?!"
Hearing Kindaichi's shout, the surrounding players all stopped their actions and looked over, then immediately noticed Taiichi lying in an unnatural position. Iwaizumi and Oikawa quickly rushed over, and the noisy scene even alarmed the team leader and Coach on the side.
Iwaizumi quickly checked Maple Field Taiichi's condition, then looked at Kindaichi with a speechless expression: "He just fell asleep. Why are you shouting?"
Kindaichi's face instantly turned beet red: "I... he... Taiichi suddenly fell down just now..."
The surrounding teammates were stunned for a moment, then Oikawa's laughter was the first to break the silence, instantly triggering a chain reaction. The players of the entire volleyball club simultaneously came to their senses and burst into a roar of laughter, which even alleviated some of their training fatigue.
Things happened too quickly for Maple Field Taiichi to react. Although he immediately realized that his body was strongly demanding deep rest, it was not a good time. Maple Field Taiichi quickly used a stamina potion before his thoughts became blurry.
Maple Field Taiichi had already regained consciousness when Iwaizumi rushed over, but hearing everyone's laughter, he instantly understood what had happened. To avoid the embarrassing scene, he decided to open his eyes at an appropriate moment.
"What happened?"
Hearing Coach Irihata's voice, Maple Field Taiichi could no longer pretend to be asleep. He slowly opened his eyes, feigning a bewildered expression as he looked at everyone.
At this moment, Maple Field Taiichi noticed Oikawa winking at him, clearly seeing through his "little trick," but he remained composed and responded, following the previous topic: "Sorry, Coach, perhaps the training intensity was a bit high just now, and I accidentally dozed off from exhaustion. I'm fine now." As he spoke, he deliberately sat up, indicating that his body was perfectly fine.
"Are you really okay?"
Looking at Coach Irihata's concerned expression, Maple Field Taiichi had no choice but to stand up and jump a bit, indeed looking like he still had energy. Coach Irihata nodded. After this small interlude, the training was almost over.
Oikawa and the Coach were secretly discussing something on the side. After the Coach nodded, Oikawa excitedly called the team members together, and they all sat in a circle.
"I have good news for everyone. Next weekend, we're going to have an exciting training match with Karasuno."
"Karasuno, I think I've heard of them. They used to make it to the National Tournament."
"Is that the fallen powerhouse? They're really weak now, won't it be boring to play against them?"
The team members began discussing Karasuno's recent performance. They wondered why Oikawa would suddenly be interested in a match with no suspense.
Listening to everyone's discussion, Iwaizumi spoke in his usual calm and firm tone: "Don't underestimate any opponent."
Iwaizumi's words were like a sobering agent, instantly dispelling the frivolous atmosphere in the team. He scanned everyone with piercing eyes and continued: "Karasuno, whether they are at their peak now or not, they have left their mark on the National Tournament stage. Volleyball is not merely a game of comparing paper strength; on-court performance, tactical adaptability, team morale, and even the day's condition can all influence the outcome of the match."
"Ahem." Seeing the players subdued by Iwaizumi, Oikawa quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "Actually, it's because I have a very strong but super unadorable junior who went to Karasuno."
"Oikawa-senpai, are you talking about Kageyama Tobio?" Kindaichi suddenly stood up and asked.
"Yes, I remember you and Kunimi were Kageyama's teammates in junior high, weren't you?"
Seeing everyone's gaze focused on them, Kindaichi and Kunimi nodded: "That's right."
However, that was not a past worth remembering. That "dictator" only needed his teammates to play exactly as he wished.
A year ago, on the junior high league court—"Kindaichi, a little faster!"
"Kunimi, don't be so lazy!"
"Let's work as hard today as we do in regular practice." Kunimi frowned, lacking motivation.
"There's no blocker on the opposing team, I don't know what he's arguing about." Kindaichi also looked impatient.
"Then when will you two be serious, in the finals?" Kageyama turned his head and yelled at them.
It was as if he saw Kageyama's stubborn, sullen face again. Kindaichi shook his head, wanting to erase that memory. He was indeed a bit confused: "Senpai, why are you specifically paying attention to Kageyama Tobio?"
"Hmm~ because Kageyama's set is probably the best in the prefecture right now," Oikawa said nonchalantly.
"How is that possible?!"
"But my serves, blocks, and spikes are all stronger than his," Oikawa's gaze swept over everyone, "and so are my teammates."
Oikawa's words instantly ignited everyone's fighting spirit. The thought of "We must win!" echoed in their hearts.
For the training match on the weekend, the flame of victory burned especially fiercely in Kindaichi's heart. For him, Kageyama was a tyrannical king, an annoying guy, and the opponent he most wanted to defeat.
And another very excited person was Maple Field Taiichi, who was full of anticipation for his first encounter with Kageyama and Hinata. According to the original world line, Aoba Johsai High School's volleyball team's main competitor for the past two years had always been Shiratorizawa Academy. However, in this IH tournament, Aoba Johsai's path to advancement had undergone a subtle change.
Before their fierce clash with Shiratorizawa, Aoba Johsai encountered a strong challenge from Karasuno High School in the semifinals. Karasuno was not a traditional powerhouse, but they had shown astonishing rapid progress in this tournament. They fought with all their might against Aoba Johsai, pushing the match to a suspenseful climax, and ultimately, Aoba Johsai narrowly defeated Karasuno by an extremely small margin, barely advancing to the next round.
Even more terrifying, this IH showdown was not the end of Karasuno and Aoba Johsai's rivalry; instead, it foreshadowed a shift in the future landscape. With Karasuno's continuous growth and evolution, they completely broke through Aoba Johsai, a formerly insurmountable barrier, in the Spring High, achieving self-transcendence and rising to become a new force capable of contending with top powerhouses like Shiratorizawa.
To advance to the National, Karasuno was a strong opponent that absolutely could not be underestimated. It's just that Aoba Johsai might not realize this yet, Maple Field Taiichi secretly mused. They must establish an advantage in the training match and definitely win!
